A memorable yield

A guided walk around Chimbai or Ranwar in Bandra can be quite an experience even for a Hill Road shopper For at the far western end of this commercial mecca lies a world that doesnt quite gel with the buzz all around mdash Chimbai and Ranwar to start with are still called villages or gaothans But situate the tiny hamlets Portuguesestyle houses and narrow lanes converging at a holy crucifix amidst lush paddy fields instead of the surrounding highrises and they may no longer seem like relicsAgera celebrations at the parish church of Uttan PicFleur DSouzaThis in a nutshell is the story of many East Indians residing in hundreds of such gaothans across Mumbai around which the city grew stripping them of geographical historical and cultural context As the farmland owned by the community got acquired for development one of their cultural traditions that took a backseat was the annual harvest festival of Agera observed every OctoberThe staple crop of the Konkan is paddy In the past those East Indians that lived off the land cultivated paddy On the day of Agera sheaves of paddy would be harvested along with other fruits and vegetables grown on the farm loaded on a decorated bullock cart or rekla and taken with great pomp and show mdash with men and women dressed in their finery and an East Indian band playing music mdash to the parishs church to have the first harvest blessed Strands of paddy would then be taken home and placed at the door or the altar while families would indulge in celebratory food They would return to the fields in the evening to offer a prayer to their ancestors and meet friends and relatives But with urbanisation of land the festival fell into disuse in most parts of the city explains Dr Fleur DSouza former HOD of the Department of History and retired VicePrincipal Arts St Xaviers College and a member of the East Indian communityAn East Indian procession complete with a band proceeds to the IC Church in Borivali during Agera celebrations on October 7 PicNimesh DaveTo remind the community of its culture the Mobai Gaothan Panchayat MGP along with local groups and activists has been working towards reviving Agera for five years On October 7 with over 61 gaothans celebrating the festival it was one of the biggest revelries seen in years An obstacle the community faces is procuring paddy So we ensured the crop was made available from farms in Uttan Manori and other villages in Dharavi island We also issued guidelines for the celebrations So this year we also saw the forming of bands including one called Ethnic Vibes in Kurla explains MGP spokesperson Gleason BarrettoFrom left Audrey DSouza Gleason Barretto Dr Fleur DSouzaThe festivals revival though cannot be viewed in isolation There are no farms that remain in the island city of Mumbai Nor in suburban Mumbai With the Dharavi island being declared a tourism zone by the state government the existing farms will vanish very soon too says Dr DSouzaArchitect Audrey DSouza who has created a tentative design for East Indian Bhavan for which the community has been demanding government land points out the irony East Indians owned acres after acres of land in Mumbai which the government acquired for development paying a pittance as compensation Today we are battling the added threat of builders eyeing our land she rues When our land is taken away people are offered alternate settlement under slum rehabilitation schemes Cities across the world have special rights for their original inhabitants We on the other hand have been reduced to nothing It is in this context that this renewed cultural glue to create awareness and unity among the community becomes important In the coming years we hope to have 100 gaothans and 50 parishes celebrating Agera says Barretto adding to the communitys hope of a new chapter being penned in its historyCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates