Mumbai's oldest inhabitants await land for East Indian Bhavan

Itrsquos a relaxed Sunday evening After watching a play that takes the audience to a scene from an East Indian household in the 1800s itrsquos time to tuck into a spread of authentic Pork Vindaloo Mutton Stew Chicken Moile and Rice Rotis In the background strains of an East Indian song wafts through a homely charming restaurantLeft below Audrey DrsquoSouzarsquos outer and inner plans for the East Indian Bhavan The complex will represent a traditional East Indian home with tiled roofs and high ceilings IMAGES COURTESY AUDREY DrsquoSOUZANow imagine all of the above as a reality in the heart of Mumbai If things go according to plan an East Indian Bhavan will be built in the city that will act as a community centre to showcase the culture tradition history and heritage of this community ldquoWe never had such a permanent space despite owning land and property in Mumbai for centuries We felt why not build something concrete for our communityrdquo reasons Borivali based architect Audrey Baptista DrsquoSouza whose plans will help transform this dream into realityCommunity livingThe structure designed to resemble a traditional East Indian home will house a cultural centre a museum to preserve its heritage a library and research centre a 500seater auditorium a help centre as well as a restaurant that will serve authentic East Indian cuisine ldquoIt will be built like a typical East Indian home without any modern facades We want it to represent our community and what remains of our culture mdash for generations to come The museum inside the Bhavan will showcase all of itrdquo she sharesA closeup of a traditional East Indian jewellery showing a fish reflecting their ties with the seaLuckily inspiration for this project was in Audreyrsquos own backyard literally ldquoI grew up in Vile Parle West in a traditional home that is 90 years old today It has a garden and the roof rises up to 1112 feet Itrsquos not easy to manage but we have relatives who have been looking after it for usrdquo she adds with a sense of pride and relief as wella view of the East Indian Museum in Teresa Village Manori PicsSameer MarkandeWhose land is itldquoThe idea of the Bhavan germinated in 2009 mdash when we were working on the Mobai Bhavan Museum that was eventually built in Teresa Village Manori We were lucky at the time that a family offered us the land to build it However in case of the East Indian Bhavan land remains the single biggest hurdlerdquo rues Alphi DrsquoSouza spokesperson for the Mobai Gaothan Panchayat a body that is at the forefront of the communityrsquos rights For the over threelakh East Indians spread across Mumbai Vasai Thane and Raigad the news about this Bhavan has been a bittersweet one ldquoThere is excitement and dejectionrdquo he tells us from his office in Santacruz EWhen the body approached the state government with their request for land they were told to find government land that can be spared for such a project ldquoBut only they politicians would know about this land rightrdquo Alphi exclaims ldquoThe alternative was a more tedious one mdash where we would need to buy the land and then build on it This would be a twofold challenge We all know how difficult it is to acquire even a small piece of land from existing owners in Mumbai It runs into croresrdquo he reiterates the irony of the situation echoing in his voiceFor all by allYet despite these obstacles Audreyrsquos plan for the 15000 sqft complex has been welcomed by the community ldquoPeople should spread the word and create awareness about this project East Indians who have settled abroad are keen to contribute After all at last something is being done for usrdquo she admits ldquoOnce itrsquos ready everyone will get a chance to earn a living at the centre toordquo adds the architect whose enthusiasm hasnrsquot diminished and she continues working out permutations and combinations in case the size and area of the plan needs revisionldquoWe wanted to have it in the city itself to make it accessible to everyone from within and outside the community Itrsquos ironic that despite being Mumbairsquos original inhabitants we have to face such hurdles to secure land for the Bhavanrdquo reminds Audrey Echoing her thoughts is Alphi who presents the larger picture of how East Indians being original landowners in the city must now fight hard to ensure that their gaothans are not eradicated entirely In fact Audreyrsquos ancestral property had been lost to the state in Aarey Goregaon East ldquoIf my own land is released it would be the ideal situationrdquo she maintains her hope intact ldquoWe hope and pray that this project takes off this year so much has gone into this projectrdquo she trails offAlphi and Audrey like most East Indians have been fighting for this plan to fructify They hope that the government will blink ldquoWe are keeping the government option open Itrsquos our dream We canrsquot give up on it Besides all politicians canrsquot be that badrdquo Alphi smiles