Thankfully, 2021 has emerged from the containment of the pandemic scourge to offer us a vision of optimistic hope and better health. So, we have commenced the year as usual with the month of January, named after the Roman god Janus, then moved on to a short February, followed by a long March, then on to April, named after the word aperire which means “to open” — this is the month when the flower buds open. Then comes the hot summer and its simmering May we have to put up with, before the cooling showers of June, July and August, and then again the tolerable heat of September, October before November heralds the winter that takes us to the finale of December.

In this calendar journey, we cannot overlook one of the most light-hearted days of the year — April Fools’ Day, celebrated in many countries, particularly in the West, on April 1. It marks the day when hoaxes as well as practical jokes are played on people. The April Fool’s Day tradition appears to have started in France in the 16th century, when King Charles IX decided to make the year 1564 only nine months long and ordered January 1 to be New Year’s Day instead of April 1, as had been the custom.

Many theories are put forward for its origin. But the theory about its being linked to the reform of the Gregorian calendar in the late 16th century is thought to be the most widely-accepted. In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII ordered a new calendar — the Gregorian Calendar — to replace the old Julian Calendar, for use throughout Christendom. The new calendar called for New Year’s Day to be celebrated on January 1 instead of the usual April 1.

People accordingly wished each other a ‘Happy New Year’ and exchanged traditional gifts the following January 1. But when April 1 did arrive, folks continued exchanging presents just for a laugh. Some see it as a celebration related to the turn of the seasons. For instance, ancient civilizations, including those as varied as the Roman and the Indian, have had days of fun and foolishness around the start of April.

The April Fool tradition has always been strong in the west. It includes the traditional joke in France and Belgium of hanging fish on the back of an unsuspecting victim. Similarly, the media have a habit of printing false but credible-sounding news items.

Subscribe to The Teenager Today print / digital editions to read the full article.

The post History records the era of fools appeared first on The Teenager Today.

Christmas is a fact of life, and history records this eponymous event of the Christian era which commenced a little more than 2000 years ago in a stable in Bethlehem. It is also recorded that Christmas was first celebrated in 354 A.D., over 300 years after the birth of Christ. Then the Church decided that December 25 should be celebrated as the official Birthday of Christ. It was also hoped people would forget their old customs. But they didn’t entirely.

One of these was gift-giving, which is actually a borrowed tradition believed to be older than Christmas itself, and goes back to the New Stone Age when food was exchanged between farmers at mid-winter. There was a practice of giving presents during the last week of the year. The Egyptians exchanged gifts on a day which they celebrated as a special feast, but the gifts were of one kind and all gave and received the same kind of present. This practice was considered as a form of social bonding. However, times have changed and today, the reality differs from what it ostensibly proclaimed.

In fact, one is today inclined to wonder if there is any room left in our pretentious state for the real Christmas festival. This view is prompted by the prevalent governance gap that those in power are simply unable to bridge. There is no question of a “new” India that the state can claim to be aiming for. It is still the very same India we always knew.

Against this background there is a mood of pessimism which tempts us to look upon the festivities of the season as mere relics of a shattered ideal. True as that may be, it is our duty to collect the relics and preserve them with reverent care, for the ideal of peace, goodwill, harmony and tolerance are the best that we can pursue. We are not yet done with these and like everything else in the world these ideals do not stand in isolation. There will always be a Christmas to air these virtues.

One of the foundations of these virtues is brotherliness. Therefore, we must strive to bring together people of different creeds, classes and cultures to realise that they are all members of the same human family, that the good of all is contained in the good of each, and that if one is weak then all are weak. Such a move would ensure fewer breaches of peace. Greed and selfishness rend asunder the bonds of brotherhood, and no amount of idealism should blind us to the terrible facts of undisciplined human nature.

Read the full article by subscribing to the print or digital editions of THE TEENAGER TODAY.

The post Yuletide: A season of kindness and gifting appeared first on The Teenager Today.

August 1947 was the month India became independent. Since then it has become a month of great significance as we annually celebrate the country’s Independence Day. This kindles in every one of us the hope of reformation and a sense of patriotic pride in belonging to this great nation which has secured freedom and independence from foreign domination.

Let us go back in time to when at the stroke of midnight on the 15 August 1947, India awoke to its much-awaited freedom and the tricolour was raised aloft to symbolise our independence to the entire world. Freedom brings to mind the sacrifices of scores of bravehearts on whose tombs our freedom is built. These dedicated freedom fighters, guided by the Gandhian ideology, pursued peaceful demonstrations without any bloodshed.

Among these illustrious patriots was the renowned Barrister Joseph Baptista whose loyalty endeared him to the people and earned him the sobriquet ‘Kaka.’ As a staunch proponent of Home Rule, he was closely associated with Veer Sarvarkar, Lokmanya Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai and others. However, it was Mahatma Gandhi who first lit the flame of the freedom movement at various landmarks to begin India’s long journey to its midnight tryst with destiny.

The first significant step towards freedom was the announcement in August 1946, of the first all-Indian national interim government at the Centre. It consisted of 14 members and assumed office soon after, on September 2, after the resignation of the Governor-General’s Executive Council.

The new team consisted of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhai Patel, Dr Rajendra Prasad, M. Asaf Ali, C. Rajagopalachari, Sarat Chandra Bose, Dr John Mathai, Sardar Baldev Singh, Sir Shafaat Ahmad Khan, Jagivan Ram, Syed Ali Zaheer and Cooverji Hormusji Bhabha.

A year later, at midnight of August 14/15, 1947, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister, made the most striking speech ever by an Indian. His historic words stirred the nation and shall always be remembered by those of that time who were witness to the momentous change. His words are relevant even more today as the country is faced with several challenges.

He declared, and I quote for posterity: “Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom.

“A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation long suppressed finds utterance. It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people, and to the still larger cause of humanity.

“We end today a period of ill fortune and India discovers herself again. The achievement we celebrate today is but a step, an opening of an opportunity, to the greater triumphs and achievements that await us. Are we brave enough and wise enough to grasp this opportunity and accept the challenge of the future?

“Freedom and power bring responsibility. This responsibility rests upon this Assembly, a sovereign body representing the sovereign people of India…”

Words of wisdom that should inspire and guide future generations of politicians. But sadly lost because the quality of politicians ruling us subsequently is a far cry from the likes of Pandit Nehru, who, it must be mentioned to his credit, had even appointed Dr B. R. Ambedkar as Law Minister, despite a lifelong history of political animosity.

If, at that time, the country had charismatic leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru and Sardar Vallabhai Patel, it was due to uniparty governance. The Indian National Congress was the only political party that held sway over the entire nation for a long time and that facilitated its leaders growing in stature. Sadly, it has seen its own demise through rampant corruption in recent years and nepotism. For that matter, none of the existing political components has the courage of its convictions!

Even our Presidents were men of erudition and learning, starting with Dr Rajendra Prasad, Dr S. Radhakrishnan and most others with a few exceptions, and we cannot forget our very own people’s President, Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, who passed away a few years ago, but will live in the nation’s memory forever. At the same time, it must be conceded that the task of our Presidents has become difficult in the present political environment where they have to contend with the present trend of coalition governance. The ruling power and the opposition need to be educated in proper and principled governance, or else we will see the kind of situation being witnessed today. The opposition believes it just has to blindly oppose, like the ruling party did when it sat in the opposition. The result is that parliament is disrupted very often causing inestimable financial loss to the nation!

Those men of stature worked to put India in line with the leading nations of the world. Regrettably, today’s politicians are interested only in power and pelf, corruption has been self-destructive, and regional parties have emerged to create chaos through linguistic politics. Their leaders have luxurious lifestyles thanks to their vagrant front-runners who keep them well-provided through extortion and looting. Moreover, there are also defiant elements who are a law unto themselves, and get away with openly defying the law.

Where do we stand today? While providing employment and development are the main tasks of the present government, no headway has been made in this direction because the agenda has been diverted to our kitchens and our drawing rooms, name changing of monumental edifices which we would never be able to erect, chanting mantras, issuing condemnations and the like. We see India struggling with a dilemma between development and secularism, instead of secularism and growth?

The Prime Minister’s very efficient PR team ensures his featuring in the print and electronic media daily, and has also ensured condemnation of the violence of hoodlums. But his warnings lack conviction, because some of his ministers have openly encouraged such elements. They are aware the Prime Minister has to give occasional warnings, which they know they are to be ignored. Therefore, it is time the people realize that the country cannot just be left in the hands of any party to do as they like for five years. The time has come that we act as citizens and not slaves, and get ready to resist criminal influences. Today, we need to reaffirm our freedom and loyalty to our country by standing united in the face of aggression by our bordering neighbours, and also in combating the surging Covid-19 pandemic.

Our real leaders of an age gone by commanded respect; today, our babus have to be told to show respect to our elected representatives. Wrongdoers can get away with any crime if they are rich and famous, as we have seen in recent happenings. Yet, we live in a democratic society where liberty gives us the right to choose, and freedom is the result of the right choice. To quote Benito Mussolini, the wartime Italian leader, “Democracy is beautiful in theory, in practice it is a fallacy.”

For more articles like this, subscribe to the print or digital editions of THE TEENAGER TODAY.

The post Independent India: The New Challenges appeared first on The Teenager Today.

“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.

Origins of the community

East Indian Cuisine

Feed the family well and half the battle is won,” they say. The East Indians know it too well. East Indian cuisine is rich, flavourful and especially appreciated at weddings and on feast days. Getting recipes from the community is a daunting task, as families guard their recipes closely and seldom have them in print. Mothers pass them on to their daughters and rarely to their daughters-in-law. But times have changed and there are about a dozen cookery books published down the years: the East Indian Cookery Book (yellow cover, 1981) is treated as a sacred book.

Bottle masala is a special blend of spices that East Indians make every summer, a ritual that is still being enforced in far off suburbs like Vasai, and even in places like Bandra. A look at its potent red shade and you can assume it would be dynamite, as many families use around 30 ingredients, from Kashmiri chillies to kebabchini (allspice), nagkesar bulbs, mugwort (maipatri) and lichen (dagadful). In crowded cities, we find terraces and courtyards where spices are kept out for drying; later a group of women visit the homes to prepare the masala.

The women come with long poles and earthen pots. They roast and combine the spices in the proportions prescribed by each family’s recipe, and then, pounding rhythmically the poles in the pots, reduce them to powder, and put the masala in beer bottles for use for the whole year. Why beer bottles? Because, as they have a dark glass, the sunlight doesn’t spoil the spice powder; secondly, there’s never any shortage of these bottles in any East Indian family. Bottle masala makes almost any dish taste good, with the other ingredients, without dominating them.

Then, there are curries like Mutton/Chicken Khuddi, Lonvas (mutton and pumpkin), Fritath, Gizad or even Bombay Duck (Bombil) with either boiled rice, chitaps (rice crepes), aps (rice bhakri). Rice is presented in a variety of preparations, and in festive seasons you also find fugias, wadds, polias, chatiaps and sannas. To try out any of these dishes, one can always visit Bottle Masala, a restaurant serving authentic East Indian cuisine, in Manori, north of Mumbai.
Wine and liquor play a significant role: khimad (Queimada) is a popular drink, intoxicating, also known for its medicinal value. As for sweets, there’s Atola, Sanna, Umber, Banana Fritters, Chatch (sweet potatoes); for Christmas there’s Navries, Kulkuls and Marzipan.

Verus Ferreira often writes about East Indian personalities, culture and traditions in different magazines, and is proud of his cultural heritage.

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.

Those who became Christians were from various social groups like Samvedi Christians, Vadvals, Koli Christians, Salsette Christians, and the urbanized group. The last is in many respects similar to the Salsette Christians. The difference lies in the fact that they received an education in English, being influenced by the English rather than the Portuguese. It is also said that the label ‘East Indian’ came about since the community members, who had mastered the Roman alphabet, thanks to the rudimentary schooling introduced by the Portuguese, were the first to seek employment with the East India Company as clerks.

They inhabit areas like Khotachiwadi, Mazagaon and Matharpakhadi, Dadar, Wadala, Mahim, Worli, Parel, Manori, Gorai, Uttan, Bhayandar to Thane and Vasai (Bassein). The people of Vasai are proud to have their own saint. St Gonsalo Garcia was born around 1557 in the coastal town of Vasai. He was martyred in Japan and beatified in 1627. Pope Pius IX canonised him a saint in 1862. The original church of the saint still exists in Vasai and his feast is celebrated on 5 January.

While Maharashtrians speak pure Marathi, in the East Indian community, the Marathi language has different dialects, from those spoken in different areas inhabited by the community. The monthly magazine for the villages, gaothans and koliwadas of Mumbai, Thane, Vasai and Raigad district is Mumbai Gaothan Voice (MGP) which is doing all that is possible in uplifting the community. They also have been organising various programmes to bring together members of the East Indian community not only from Mumbai, but from the U.S., Canada, UAE, New Zealand and Australia, too.

Festivals, dances, celebrations

East Indians do keep alive traditional festivals like Agera — the East Indian Harvest Festival — and other important ones. They recently released an East Indian dictionary, an East Indian calendar, and regularly hold the annual East Indian Awards function to honour community members. In addition, they have also an East Indian Museum in Manori.

Maharashtra, like any other state in India, has its popular dances: Lavani dance, Povadas dance, Koli dance, Tamasha, Dhangari Gaja, etc. However, the Koli dance is more popular among East Indians, evident reason being the community’s proximity to the sea and fishing.

The dance is done by men and women divided into two groups. Men stand in two rows with oars in their hands, while women come with their linked, and moving towards the men folk. Then they dance together with movements symbolising waves, bvrakers rowing from cliff to cliff, casting nets to catch fish.

Marriage celebrations of the community are unforgettable with nankhatai band (brass band) in attendance and guests dancing. The rejoicing starts from the day the first “banns” are announced in the church. A pandal is erected at home, much before the big day; then there is the customary umbrachpani, the day before the wedding, that winds its way to the village well from where water is drawn for the bridal couple’s purificatory bath on Sunday morning. The external celebration ends with the jhetar — a sumptuous dinner for all those who attended the wedding, and presented gifts.

Dress and jewellery

The traditional East Indian sari is plain and simple, nine to ten yards long comprising small checks, edged with two borders known as kastyache. Colours vary from red to green, with the Samvedis using deep red, to the Bhandaris who use green, and the Kumbis who use dark blue. Widows wear dark blue. The jewellery is quite elaborate and mostly made of gold.

Bombay East Indian Association

In order to safeguard the interests of the community and enable progress in the future, they had to be united under one umbrella and this took the shape of the Bombay East Indian Association on 26 May 1887. The Association has taken the community to higher peaks in education and employment and ensuring also their civic duties and rights.

The current six elected committee members are designated the Transformation Team under the guidance of Dr (Mrs) Cheryl Misquitta, a renowned medical practitioner. As President, Dr Cheryl has taken upon herself the responsibility of mentoring her team in order to implement new ideas intended to make the Bandra Gymkhana more vibrant.

At the time of the Association’s Golden Jubilee in 1937, Dr D. A. D’Monte was the President. The jubilee celebrations, held on the grounds of the present Bandra Gymkhana, were inaugurated by the then Governor of Bombay, Lord Brabourne, accompanied by Lady Brabourne.

Dr D’Monte’s generous donation of a plot in the Salsette Catholic Co-operative Housing Society’s area, and another donation of the adjoining plot by J. R. Athaide, a well-known advocate, led to the founding of the Bandra Gymkhana on 4 November, 1933.

Several eminent personalities have been at the helm of the Association: Alfred D’souza was in office at the time of centenary celebrations in 1987. Prof. (Mrs.) Lilla D’souza, an eminent educationist, was the President at the time of the 125th anniversary celebrations, and was instrumental in streamlining the annual Awards Presentation, and introducing career guidance seminars for the students.

The Association has contributed a lot by obtaining OBC status in the field of education, in addition to encouraging the youth to seek higher education and professionalism through career guidance seminars and scholarships. The BEIA annually organises its social and cultural festivals with songs, dances and an East Indian dinner. At the last Festival on 5 May 2019, the writer was among the five felicitated for their meritorious achievements.

Stalwarts of the community

Cardinal Simon Pimenta was the second prelate to be named a Cardinal from the Archdiocese of Bombay, and the first Cardinal from the East Indian Community. Born on 1 March 1920, he became the Archbishop of Bombay in 1978, and was named Cardinal on 28 June 1988. A regular reader of The Teenager, even after his retirement, he led the Archdiocese for 18 years. Cardinal Pimenta passed away on 19 July 2013.

Msgr Nereus Rodrigues, one of the senior-most priests of the Archdiocese of Bombay, and a renowned educationist, is fondly remembered for his hard work in establishing St Andrew’s College, Bandra. He was the College’s first Principal, and Managing Trustee, too. He also played a major role in averting the untimely closure of Holy Family Hospital, Bandra, in the late 1970’s. He turned 95 on April 5, this year, and resides at Mount Mary’s Basilica.

Padma Shri Fr Joe Pereira is well-known for his work for the rehabilitation of HIV patients and those affected by substance abuse. Founder and Managing Trustee of Kripa Foundation, he is a certified yoga instructor, and a member of the New York Academy of Sciences.

Barrister Joseph Baptista, London-educated, is the father of the “Home Rule Movement.” He put out the idea of “Freedom is My Birth Right”. He was a close associate of Bal Gangadhar Tilak, a nationalist and freedom fighter. The two worked very closely, and so Tilak insisted on Baptista handling his defence in 1907, when he was prosecuted for sedition. Baptista remained genuinely interested in the plight of workers, who affectionately called him ‘Kaka’.

J. B. D’souza was a bureaucrat known as a ‘Man of Steel.’ He is one of the giants in Maharashtra’s bureaucracy, who stood up to political bosses fearlessly on many occasions. He was the first IAS officer to become Chief Secretary of Maharashtra, and also held several key positions including General Manager of BEST and Municipal Commissioner. He also had stints with the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.

H. J. D’Penha was Principal Information Officer, Government of India, and Press Advisor to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, while Lancy Gomes has served on major warships and submarines in senior postings and was India’s naval attache to Pakistan and Deputy Chief of Protocol, MEA.

Master Willie D’souza was a renowned school teacher and an educationist. He crossed 100 years of age with a very active mind. His daughter, Prof. (Mrs.) Lilla D’souza followed him closely as an educationist and became the Principal of St Andrew’s College, Bandra.

Prof Louis D’Silva, a well-known author, compiled The Christian Community and the National Mainstream which was released by President Zail Singh in 1978. Six editions of the book were published during the period 1978-1981.

The Sequeira Brothers have put Giriz, Vasai, on the world map with their religious wood carvings that have not only been erected in the churches in India, but also in the U.S., Canada, Spain, Malaysia and other countries.

In Sports, the community has Padma Vibhushan World Billiards Champion Michael Ferreira, and Olympics Hockey champ Marcellus Gomes, in addition to Olympic hockey players Gavin Pereira and Joseph D’Abreo. Hilary Gomes has literally given an arm and a leg to sports with his versatility in varied sports. Mark Joseph Dharmai has made India proud as a para-athlete who won a bronze medal in the 2017 Doubles BWF Para-Badminton World Championships.

Need an ideal gift to introduce someone to the East Indians? What better way than advertising in veteran Neville Gomes’ coffee table book Viva, Queimada, a virtual encyclopaedia on the East Indians. Jude Gomes, a prolific writer and traveller, now edits the East Indian Journal. Advertising guru, Roger Pereira, became the toast of the advertising industry excelling with great brands and winning awards. Clarence Gomes, editor of Bandra Times, a popular community newspaper, won the Maharashtra State Award for his phenomenal work with visually disadvantaged people working with National Association for the Blind.

With no intention ever to enter the film industry, Genelia D’souza emerged as one of the few self-made actresses of Bollywood. There’s also VJ and TV personality Maria Goretti, musicians like Ashley Quiney and Crompton Tixeira, songstress Nancy Netto, who have kept alive the culture of East Indian music. Roger Drego is known for his unique contributions in making international music concerts sound right, be it at St Andrew’s Auditorium or live shows across the country.

James Ferreira, Indian fashion designer and son of hockey Olympian Owen Ferreira, too, has won many laurels in his field and is considered a name to be reckoned with. Tu Maza Jeev, a film done in the East Indian dialect by Nelson Patel, an East Indian from the Kharodi village of Malad, was released in 2009, and became a runaway success.

Here’s wishing you good luck, that when you next meet an East Indian, you would know who you are talking to!

(With inputs from Verus Ferreira)

The post The East Indians: An enduring image appeared first on The Teenager Today.