The Indian Union has a national calendar—the Shaka Calendar. Young India adopted it, and usage started officially on 22 March 1957 or 1 Chaitra 1879, Shaka Era.
According to the Indian National Calendar, the new year 1946 starts on April 9th. This calendar is one of the many regional calendars used in the subcontinent. Also called the Shaka Satavahana or Vikram Samvat calendar, it is used for religious, agricultural, and maybe fishing purposes in a large part of the Deccan Peninsula—Karnataka, the Telugu States, and Maharashtra. In Maharashtra, it is celebrated as Gudi Padwa and Ugadi in the three southern states where the calendar is used.
Today’s images are from an old village in Thane called Chendani, where I went loafing with a camera and my friends Rohit and Uday.
Chendani.
According to Rohit, a Thane resident and urban planner, the name Chendani is derived from a local word for stars or moon - the star-like decorations the women of the Koli fishing community wear in their hairstyles on special occasions. Don’t you think that’s a beautiful name for a place?
Chendani lies in a unique geographical spot. It is a narrow stretch where two creeks meet - The Thane Creek and the Vasai Creek. For centuries, it was on the path that the boats from Mumbai travelled to Vasai (Bassein) and Sopara, Kalyan, and beyond, which were major trading routes. Salt would’ve been an important product, and that defined the village’s landing spot - Mith-bunder or Salt Harbour.
It was heavily guarded with canons and soldiers by whoever controlled Thane—the Portuguese, Marathas, the British, and whoever came and went before them.
Asia and India’s first railway line linking Mumbai and Thane ended here, and when it was extended, the village was bisected into two. A siding track ended at the bunder/jetty and is now buried under a road. The landing spot is no longer used for salt or any products other than probably fish- but the tax offices still serve the growing city of Thane.
Today, the village lies in the shadow of the bustling Thane station, which dominates the town in the heart of Thane city. A city that now has a population of around 2.6 million people.
Territorial Markings and Statues.
When a city surrounds you, dwarfing your little village and your way of life, will you give up your identity, or will you assert it? Because of building laws and the connection it has to the creek, villages in Thane, like those in Mumbai, are just about able to retain their identity. Asserting it through symbols and festivals that act as glue while preserving an openness to change and outsiders like only a fishing community can is what makes this place special.
The gates of the homes of the Nakhwa or the traditional boat owners and captains of the village. The new generation of these homes have chosen higher education and jobs and don’t own boats anymore.
The older homes here have these ornate octagonal stands for the Tulsi/Basil plants.
And since it was the New Year, the way to welcome the new year was to hoist a silk saree as a flag or Gudi outside homes.
One of the homes has a beautiful replica of artist Ravi Varma’s goddesses.
A Koli Village on the Mumbai Coast is the opposite of the sectarian shift and its politics that has captured power in Delhi. It is a place where religion is a way of life and an essential part of daily life without friction, where all kinds are welcome and respected. That’s also the beauty of the salt kiss that blesses coastal communities anywhere on this planet.
The heart of the village, adjoining the Railway Station, is the most popular temple currently - the Vittal Temple and the Mumbai-style cross.
Since it was Gudi Padwa, the most robust social network for the seniors in this village, the bhajan group, which sings devotional songs in praise of the diety at Pandharpur, was singing at the Vittal Temple.
Also adjoining the station was a playground and a gym. The open space brings the youngsters together.
The place is filled with memories of people no longer around and shrines to deities who protect the current generation.
The other place to congregate is the local bar that serves toddy and spirit.
No Koli Village can be complete without Bombay Duck or the in-season Ribbon Fish hanging from a bamboo pole. For dinner on Gudi Padwa/ New Year, we have Bamboke Bombil Curry. Read about the dish here.
And finally, the one thing Rohit, the urban planner, was sniffing and finding all over the village - east and west. The wells in the village and its low water table. \
This one hits it home, literally! Loved it, got quite an insight about the people I share this city with. Proud to be a ठाणेकर :)
What a lovely post! Thanks for capturing it.