The East Indians An enduring image

“Eh poree kaun ache...” is a lively melodious song that originated in the East indian community and literally means “Whose little girl is this…?” and is usually sung at East Indian weddings. Without knowing its meaning or purpose, it is randomly played by all and sundry at every possible occasion irrespective of its relevance.

- IRWIN ALMEIDA

Origins of the community

East Indians are the descendants of the indigenous Marathi-speaking people of Mumbai and its environs who embraced Christianity in the period 1547-1600. Though drawn from diverse social groups, they developed a ‘consciousness of kind’ over the centuries, chiefly due to the common religion they professed.

While the masses remained rooted in the rural soil, retaining their Maharashtrian characteristics, the lifestyle of the urbanized sections of the community was gradually transformed due to Portuguese and English influence. They are the original Mumbaikars, and being original inhabitants hail from Salsette, Vasai, Thane, from Dahanu in the north to Chaul near Alibag in the south.

They were generally identified by their occupations, such as Kunbis (land owners/agriculturists), Bhandaris (toddy tappers), Agries (salt pan workers), Sonars (goldsmiths), etc. To distinguish them from the migrants who came north from Goa and Mangalore, they assumed a new identity and were called ‘East Indians’. The designation ‘Bombay East Indian’ was adopted on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887 by the leaders of the community.

in fact, the foundation of the East Indian community was laid when thousands in the area from Dahanu in the north to Chaul in the south embraced Christianity. People of a particular pakhadi (hamlet) assumed the same surname, as can be seen from the gravestones and the registers of baptisms, marriages, etc., in the old churches. They assumed Portuguese surnames and not ‘Christian’ ones as is often understood.