Posted on: 21-03-10 12:47:21
Why Mumbai belongs to all of us
By Tushar Gandhi Feb 07
The “Mumbai for Marathi Manoos” war cry has once again been raised
to shore up the sagging political fortunes of the Thackeray
family.
When the Shiv Sena-BJP combine came to power in 1993, under the guise of
reverting to the original name they replaced Bombay with
Mumbai. I wonder when they will discard the anglicised
Thackeray and revert back to their original Marathi surname
Thakre?
According to ancient history, a grouping of seven islands
comprising Colaba, Mazagaon, Old Woman's Island,
Wadala, Mahim, Parel, and Matunga-Sion formed a part of the kingdom of Ashoka the Great of Magadh, ironically in North India.
The Bhaiyas and Biharis whom the Thackerays accuse of being outsiders in Mumbai, come from the region, which was a part of Ashoka the Great’s empire.. We judge everything according to history and the history of Mumbai proves that its earliest known ownership was with a North Indian.
The seven islands of Mumbai passed through many hands, the sultans of Gujarat, the Portuguese and the British. Every ruler left behind proof of residence in Mumbai.
The Mauryans left behind the Kanheri, Mahakali and the caves of Gharapuri more
popularly called Elephanta.
The sultans of Gujarat built the Dargahs at Mahim and Haji Ali, the Portuguese built the two Portuguese churches, one at
Prabhadevi and the other St Andrews at Bandra. They built
forts at Sion, Mahim, Bandra and Bassien.
The Portuguese named the group of seven Islands ‘Bom
Baia’, Good Bay.
The British built a city out of the group of seven islands
and called her Bombay.
The original settlers of the seven islands, the Koli fishermen, worshiped Mumbaidevi, her temple still stands at Babulnath near Chowpatty.
The Kolis called the island Mumbai, ‘Mumba, Mother
Goddess’.
In 1662, King Charles II of England married the
Portuguese Princess Catherine of Braganza, and received
the seven islands of Bom Baia as part of his dowry. Six years later, the British Crown leased the seven islands to the English East India Company for a sum of 10 pounds in gold per annum. It was under the English East India Company that the future megapolis began to take shape, after the first war for independence Bombay once again became a colony of the British Empire.
History has forgotten this but the first Parsi settler came to Bombay in 1640, he was Dorabji Nanabhoy Patel. In 1689-90, a severe plague epidemic broke out in Bombay and most of the European
settlers succumbed to it. The Siddi of Janjira attacked in
full force. Rustomji Dorabji Patel, a trader and the son of
the city’s first Parsi settler, successfully defeated the
Siddi with the help of the Kolis and saved Bombay.
Gerald Aungier, Governor of Bombay built the Bombay Castle, an area that is even today referred to as Fort. He also constituted the Courts of law. He brought Gujarati traders, Parsi shipbuilders, Muslim and Hindu manufacturers from the
mainland and settled them in Bombay.
It was during a period of four decades that the city of Bombay took shape. Reclamation was done to plug the breachat Worli and Mahalakshmi, Hornby Vellard was built in 1784.
The Sion Causeway connecting Bombay to Salsette was built in 1803. Colaba Causeway connecting Colaba island to Bombay was built in 1838. A causeway connecting Mahim and Bandra was built in 1845.
Lady Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy, the wife of the First Baronet
Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy donated Rs 1, 57,000 to meet
construction costs of the causeway. She donated Rs1,00,000 at first.. When the project cost escalated and money ran out half way through she donated Rs 57,000 again to ensure that the vital causeway was completed. Lady Jamsetjee stipulated that no toll would ever be charged for those using the causeway. Today Mumbaikars have to pay
Rs 75 to use the Bandra-Worli Sealink, connecting almost
the same two islands. Sir J J Hospital was also built by Sir
Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy.
The shipbuilding Wadia family of Surat was brought to
Bombay by the British.. Jamshedji Wadia founded the Bombay Port Trust and built the Princess Dock in 1885 and the Victoria Dock and the Mereweather Dry Docks in 1891.
Alexandra Dock was built in 1914.
A Gujarati civil engineer supervised the building of the Gateway of India.
The Tatas made Bombay their headquarters and gave it the
iconic Taj Mahal Hotel and India’s first civilian
airlines, Air India. The Godrejs gave India its first
vegetarian soap.
Cowasji Nanabhai Daver established Bombay’s first cotton mill, ‘The Bombay Spinning Mills’ in 1854.
By 1915, there were 83 textile mills in Bombay largely
owned by Indians. This brought about a financial boom in
Bombay.
Although the mills were owned by Gujaratis, Kutchis,Parsis and Marwaris, the workforce was migrant Mahrashtrians from rural Maharashtra.
Premchand Roychand, a prosperous Gujarati broker founded the Bombay Stock Exchange. Premchand Roychand donated Rs 2,00,000 to build the Rajabai Tower in 1878.
Muslim, Sindhi and Punjabi migrants have also contributed handsomely to Mumbai.
Mumbai is built on the blood and sweat of all Indians. Apart from its original inhabitants, the Kolis, everyone else in Mumbai, including Thackeray’s ‘Marathi Manoos’, are immigrants.
The writer is founder president, Mahatma Gandhi
Foundation
Don’t miss a beat Get M
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mor
Whenever you experience joy, peace, security, equanimity or purity, it is only because you are aligned with ALMIGHTY.
Very honest opinion.
We should preserve this, Cherish this information so that we can apply this to our own Amchi Canada 20 Years from now, when the the local whites and significant others will complain that they are the sons of the soils and they created this land from barren deserts and made it what it is today, so that the new immigrant Desis can build homes, business and bring in more of their families from India.
What happens to the Today's Visible Minority (South Asians) and the current Majority(White) which will be inverted in 2031 where we will be the majority, while the whites will be the minority. Hence will we give them a chance by reserving positions or asking various organizations whether they have any minorities working for them?. I know many a Desi organizations in GTA without a single white employee.
In another 20 years we will buy Biriyani from street vendors in down town Toronto while it will be difficult to spot a hotdog stand. We will have IPL played here, while we will have to go to New Bunswick or Newfound Land to watch Ice Hockey.The only place I have seen a hotdog stand is the one in front of Canadian Tire and that too has changed with times to carry Vegetarian Hot Dog.
This is a dicey arguement.
Where will we draw the line ?.
As it shown by Science that the human life started in Africa and passed through Ethiopia and one branch went to North(Europe) the other went South(Indian Sub Continent) and third went East.
So India belongs to all Africans?.
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Sunny Leone a true Canadian DESI now back in India !.
Quote:
Originally posted by Vandematram
Very honest opinion.
We should preserve this, Cherish this information so that we can apply this to our own Amchi Canada 20 Years from now, when the the local whites and significant others will complain that they are the sons of the soils and they created this land from barren deserts and made it what it is today, so that the new immigrant Desis can build homes, business and bring in more of their families from India.
What happens to the Today's Visible Minority (South Asians) and the current Majority(White) which will be inverted in 2031 where we will be the majority, while the whites will be the minority. Hence will we give them a chance by reserving positions or asking various organizations whether they have any minorities working for them?. I know many a Desi organizations in GTA without a single white employee.
In another 20 years we will buy Biriyani from street vendors in down town Toronto while it will be difficult to spot a hotdog stand. We will have IPL played here, while we will have to go to New Bunswick or Newfound Land to watch Ice Hockey.The only place I have seen a hotdog stand is the one in front of Canadian Tire and that too has changed with times to carry Vegetarian Hot Dog.
This is a dicey arguement.
Where will we draw the line ?.
As it shown by Science that the human life started in Africa and passed through Ethiopia and one branch went to North(Europe) the other went South(Indian Sub Continent) and third went East.
So India belongs to all Africans?.
VM,
I doubt White Canadians will have a problem after 20 years. They command managerial and lucrative Union jobs. Further, immigrants to Canada are from 100 different countries and will not be able to overwhelm Whites.
As regards Bal Thackerey, I have strong opposition to his stand that Mumbai is for Marathi Manoos. However, one has to look it in the context of vote bank politics. Kangress, after independence, has replaced East India comapny and assumed mantle of former colonial powers. They played MNS against Shiv Sena , divided Hindu votes and won election. To preserve Marathi vote base , Bal Thackerey had to play competitive politics against MNS and fell for the trap laid by Kangress.
When MMS openly declares and repeatedly vows that Muslims have first claim over national resources, all applaud and praise him. How is it diffrent from Bal Thackerey's call? In my opinion, it si worse. However, Kangress has played its card masterfully and divided Hindu vote banks in so many small factions that there is little hope for peace in India and with 22% vote bank of Muslims and money power, they will rule India for forseeable future till dissolution of India.
VM it is amazing to see such a well thought response with such a short time.
Not sure the purpose of the article byTushar Gandhi here...Good to know about one aspect of history of Mumbai. It does not prove the point. Consitutionally Mumbai is capital of Maharashtra and it is a fact. If we go by Tushar Gandhi's analogy Britishers can claim that India still belongs to them...Iranians can claim the same as well. A so called philanthropist trying to enter into politics?
Nightmare agreed with your views well. Hope that bhasmasur created by
congress one day does not put hand on congress itself and ultimately on itself. Look at Pakistan, they thought that Muslims alone can do better, look where they find themselves now. If 22% of Muslims think that they can do better without other religions in India, they should always look at Pakistan as an example.
OP: As one of the mumbaikar and being marathi manus, I don't think there is an oppose to north indians. One cannot stop the flow of migrants where there are more opportunities. Oppose is to the fact that the opportunity to a person is denied because he is marathi manus. Not sure how many mumbaikars (including north indians) experienced this, but there was/is great oppose by north indians to deny the opportunity to marathi manus. If you cannot respect marathi, don't at least disrespect it. How many north indians in mumbai will even try to be friends with marathis.
Not all but many North Indians bring the culture of gundagardi to Mumbai, but when they get the taste of their own medicine why only they considered as vicitims. Whatever Raj Thakre did for couple of times these folks have been doing the same or worst for years. Do the crime run away to whatever place they came from but send at least two in place of him.
Not sure How many of the folks who post such anti-marathi articles lived in Mumbai....and how many of them post response based on reports by biased media.
Whatever Raj Thakre did may not be right, but election of his party members within mumbai echos many sentiments of local folks.
I spoke the language and was friends with the Marathis but yet they called me Bhaiyya behind my back .
Quote:
Originally posted by manserwadekar
VM it is amazing to see such a well thought response with such a short time.
Not sure the purpose of the article byTushar Gandhi here...Good to know about one aspect of history of Mumbai. It does not prove the point. Consitutionally Mumbai is capital of Maharashtra and it is a fact. If we go by Tushar Gandhi's analogy Britishers can claim that India still belongs to them...Iranians can claim the same as well. A so called philanthropist trying to enter into politics?
Nightmare agreed with your views well. Hope that bhasmasur created by
congress one day does not put hand on congress itself and ultimately on itself. Look at Pakistan, they thought that Muslims alone can do better, look where they find themselves now. If 22% of Muslims think that they can do better without other religions in India, they should always look at Pakistan as an example.
OP: As one of the mumbaikar and being marathi manus, I don't think there is an oppose to north indians. One cannot stop the flow of migrants where there are more opportunities. Oppose is to the fact that the opportunity to a person is denied because he is marathi manus. Not sure how many mumbaikars (including north indians) experienced this, but there was/is great oppose by north indians to deny the opportunity to marathi manus. If you cannot respect marathi, don't at least disrespect it. How many north indians in mumbai will even try to be friends with marathis.
Not all but many North Indians bring the culture of gundagardi to Mumbai, but when they get the taste of their own medicine why only they considered as vicitims. Whatever Raj Thakre did for couple of times these folks have been doing the same or worst for years. Do the crime run away to whatever place they came from but send at least two in place of him.
Not sure How many of the folks who post such anti-marathi articles lived in Mumbai....and how many of them post response based on reports by biased media.
Whatever Raj Thakre did may not be right, but election of his party members within mumbai echos many sentiments of local folks.
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You know you are a desi when ........ You spew forth the virtues of India, but don't want to live there...............You've never had a tanning salon membership
Quote:
Originally posted by Loser
I spoke the language and was friends with the Marathis but yet they called me Bhaiyya behind my back .
Originally posted by manserwadekar
Not sure whoever your friends were why they did behind the back....What is wrong in calling it on the face.
Did only marathi speaking follks called you Bhaiyya? Didn't rest of the folks lets say Sardars, Madrasis, Gujjus, tullus, jats, alibagwala referred you as bhaiyya..? Don't you guys call bhaiyya among yourselves?
Point is I have all the above friends and we called out each other with the above but no one found it offending.
In fact many mumbaikars call all the south indians...(kerala, AP, Tamilnadu etc) Madrasi...Not a bad word at all..
My family mambers lived in Gujrat and Punjab. They were never subject to any racism compared to 
like how they felt in Maharashtra.
Quote:
Originally posted by manserwadekar
Quote:
Originally posted by Loser
I spoke the language and was friends with the Marathis but yet they called me Bhaiyya behind my back .
Originally posted by manserwadekar
Not sure whoever your friends were why they did behind the back....What is wrong in calling it on the face.
Did only marathi speaking follks called you Bhaiyya? Didn't rest of the folks lets say Sardars, Madrasis, Gujjus, tullus, jats, alibagwala referred you as bhaiyya..? Don't you guys call bhaiyya among yourselves?
Point is I have all the above friends and we called out each other with the above but no one found it offending.
In fact many mumbaikars call all the south indians...(kerala, AP, Tamilnadu etc) Madrasi...Not a bad word at all..
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You know you are a desi when ........ You spew forth the virtues of India, but don't want to live there...............You've never had a tanning salon membership
