Two East Indian magazines that tell you all you need to know about the community

Two decades of newsLocal magazines and newsletters have always been a direct line to the voice of the people Maybe thatrsquos where they get their distinct character mdash evident and loud when you flip through their pages Like Gaothan Voice by Mobai Gaothan Panchayat which was first released in March 2003 and was restricted to only one hamlet Juhu By 2009 the bulletin began covering Mumbai Thane Vasai and Raigad in their circulation and reporting Consequently the editorial board set up to manage the work led to the formation of the MGP in 2010 Today the magazine reaches a wider audience the East Indian diaspora across the worldThe 20th anniversary edition of Gaothan Voice right The first panIndia edition of Gaothan Voice came out in March 2009Pointing out to the fervour with which production continues to be carried two decades later foundereditor Gleason Barretto in pic above tells us ldquoWe report on social civic and charitable activities and preserve the culture The editions go to various authorities and highlight pressing issues that need to be tackled We have many success stories in this regard but we are still 100 years behindrdquo Kurlabased Barretto recalls how ideas once written about took root over the years This includes the recently launched communityrun shops across Mumbai called The Gaothan Stores for fabrics books and food items the Kaka Baptista Museum an upcoming book with selected stories from the bulletin as well as an East Indian Bhavan in Juhu that will comprise a garden and cultural activity space set to open its first phase later this year This is just the tip of the icebergTheir 20th anniversary issue March 2023 includes celebrations with cover illustrations from over the years a mix of Urtas upbeat EI songs released on their YouTube channel Mee East Indian a special policy drafted by MGP mdash Mumbai Bhumiputra Policy and East Indian Samaj Archdiocese Policy that will present petitions to the central and state government and municipal corporation an education and career section and their latest endeavour to promote the culture mdash Reetintilde Reevaj a culture guideEmail eastindianvoicegmailcom to order your copyCall 9820545302Cost Rs 1000 bronze lifetime membership inclusive of the magazineStill going strongThe March 2023 edition of the East Indian JournalWe speak to Andrew Creado a day before he heads to the printer with the final draft of Aprilrsquos East Indian Journal by the Bombay East Indian Association BEIA that was set up on May 26 1887 The printer has readied templates to hold the text he is also credited within the first few pages of the journal This is a monthly practice for the appointed editor Taking up the role only six months earlier Creado a resident of Goregaon tells us that the job of the journal is to relay community news to its members across Mumbai and globally as well and that it runs on teamwork The March 2023 issue had contributions from different members One member reported their experience of an annual pilgrimage and another penned an interview with the East Indian of the Year where the milestones mapped range from school to latest career moves Crowd favourite pages include the recipe corner From our East Indian Chool cooking platform the current affairs page that reports on legal religious and civic happenings and the section that promotes the sale of history and cook booksTulip Miranda and Andrew CreadoIn 2022 former editor Marcus Couto introduced a matchmaking section where we noticed a few Goans and Mangaloreans mixing the pot with their profiles a corner to brush up on the dialect also called East Indian mdash a mix of Marathi with words borrowed from Portuguese and a page for EI songs with notations The EIs are a musical bunch almost everyonersquos father and his brothers were in a band Another section we hope to see in the future is Creadorsquos plan to publish writeups by the young members of the community ldquoItrsquos time to pass on the baton to the youth They have many great ideas and need a chance to voice and implement themrdquo he asserts The associationrsquos president Adv Tulip Miranda concludes ldquoWe work for the community and spearhead solutions to problems If the magazine is informative and useful we have attained the goal for which it is publishedrdquoEmail 1887beiagmailcom to request a copySpeak like an EIgtgt Crusacha vaat Way of the cross Cruz derived from Portuguese for cross and vaat Marathi word for way The Holy Crosses at junctions and entrances were installed to protect the East Indian villages centuries ago These Holy Crosses are visited during Korezma Lenten season where gaothan residents participate in a prayerful journeygtgt Kuswar or conswat A platter of sweets with cake marzipan kulkuls milk cream nankhatai neuries and date rolls offered to friends and family when they visit homes for Christmasgtgt Pata and waronta A thick and flat grinding stone used for muddling and pounding masalasgtgt Foogath and fugia The former is a mixed vegetable dish The latter is a sweetandsalty bread called balloon bread that is eaten as a snack with tea or to mop up a spicy curry2003The year in which the first copy of the Gaothan Voice was published for a hamlet in Juhu