At heart, Fr Milton Gonsalves is a city chronicler. Every parish where he has served in the last 49 years has been a gateway into understanding the history and culture of the local Christians living there. The 79-year-old is the author of five books, four of which cover the East Indian communities of Chuim, Sahar, Kurla and the erstwhile farming village of Bhayandar—the latter was where he was raised as a child. His new book, Kole Kalyan or Kalina: The Origin Story, his sixth in the series, will see him return to the place where his journey into priesthood began. “My first appointment [as priest] was at the Church of Our Lady of Egypt in Kalina, in 1972. I started my [Catholic] ministry there,” recalls Fr Gonsalves, who was then 30. “During those three years, I remember working with the parishioners very closely. The locals were a lively lot, and would come together to celebrate every feast and function. The church was at the heart of everything they did,” he says, when we meet him at his current parish, Holy Cross Church in Kurla West.

That experience was the impetus for writing the book. Having made close friends in Kalina helped him find the right set of people to interview, and delve into the experiences of the community, which largely comprises East Indian Catholics—the local Christians first converted by the Portuguese. Browsing through books on old Bombay and its neighbouring islands, gave him greater insight into the relationship of the area with the rest of the city. The result is a slim historical and cultural account of the suburban pocket, which Fr Gonsalves says has been a year in the making. The book is being supported and distributed by the Mobai Gaothan Panchayat (MGP), as part of Project East Indian, spearheaded by Gleason Barretto. Its goal is to restore, revive and create awareness about the traditions of the native Christians of the island city. “When Fr Gonsalves approached us, we decided to take it on, as it is an extension of what we do,” says Alphi D’Souza, founder trustee of MGP.