Christmas gift gives East Indians a lift

On December 25 2021 this paper carried a report about the East Indians rejoicing because a space in Juhu had been earmarked for a communitythemed garden At that time MLA Ameet Satam had reassured that work on the Kaka Baptista Garden will begin in January 2022 Kaka Baptista was a freedom fighter from the communityCynics were starting to think that the words may not translate into action any time soon Yesterday morning however the East Indians were witness to a coconutbreaking ceremony at the space in JuhuKoliwada This officially signalled the start of work for the promised gardenIf there were any Monday morning blues to be dispelled they vanished in the slight breeze as coconuts were broken to cheers all around The sweeping sentiment among the community was of overwhelming relief and happinessThe Kaka Baptista Garden to come up at Juhu Koliwada PicsSameer MarkandeAddressing the audience later Gleason Barretto global ambassador of the Mobai Gaothan Panchayat MGP said ldquoWe are the lsquobhoomiputrasrsquo sons of the soil We have some rights and these have been recognised todayrdquo A cheer went up from the people who had gathered under a shamiana just a little away from the ground where the garden had been earmarked ldquoThis place this city is our gaon village being here is like people going back to their villagerdquo he addedAlso Read PreWorld War II Army station stands in way of redevelopment projects in JuhuTourist spotsMLA Satam who initiated this project said ldquoThis has been in the making for a while and leaders like Gleason made sure that I leave no stone unturned for the community through my social media posts If I mentioned something on Facebook or Twitter he would write back asking me what about the space for the community Only talk is of little use we need followup action and funds for things to be translated into realityrdquo Satam credited senior BJP leader Ashish Shelar for getting ldquopermissions for the projectrdquo The most interesting part of Satamrsquos address was drawn from the personal He believed indigenous communities like the Kolis Agris and East Indians must be woven into the tourist experience ldquoI witnessed this abroad where lifestyles of indigenous communities are part of the tourist itinerary I remember interacting with some on a trip to Hawaii Their history and culture are promoted by the government and official tourist organisations Here we hear statements like lsquogive them respectrsquo but it is important that there are tangibles like projects for these people to give meaning to feelgood phrasesrdquoUddhav digsChief guest Shelar started by saying ldquoThis day is one of great happiness Samudracha Raja king of the seas defines the Koli samaj Today all of you have basic rights and the first voice raised for you and your welfare at the government level has been that of Ameet Satamrdquo He added ldquoKoliwadas need demarcation and definitions Otherwise we will have encroachment as limits are not definedrdquoShelarrsquos talk was peppered with a few digs at the previous Uddhav Thackerayled government He claimed that a spot at KharDanda where the fishing community dried the catch was under threat of being usurped for housing projects under the previous government ldquoWe have now given it protection as a fishdrying yardrdquo he said to applause He finished with promises to ldquopreserve and protectrdquo the rights of the communityCulture hubThe function was called to a close with the community happy about an openair window of culture for outsiders ldquoand a place where we can hold certain communitycentric functionsrdquo said Elizabeth DrsquoSouza and Loretta Drsquo Souza Cofounder and Trustee of MGP Walter Murzello said ldquoWhen we enlist a designer for the space attention will be paid to aesthetics and the professional will be one that is sensitised to history toordquo In the end Alphi DrsquoSouza cofounder and trustee of MGP said ldquoThis has been a long struggle and Satam has kept his word I give him full credit Once we were the biggest landowners in Mumbai but today it may seem ironic that we have to struggle for a space to call our own Yet we have to make the best of it and work for the communityrdquo