Juhu Beach (Vidya S)

Serene by the day and celestial by the night, is the beach which borders my city Mumbai. Juhu Beach!!!

It stretches from Andheri till Santacruz. If you are new to the city and you have not visited Juhu Beach then I must say that you are missing something in life and if you are a Mumbaite or in Aamchi Mumbai terms Mumbaikar and you haven’t visited it yet then I must that you are pretty much ignorant about this city’s beauty.

Juhu Beach which happens to be in the suburbs is one of the very famous beaches. It’s also the venue for many get together. This is also a landmark for many. There are many 5-star hotels which have come up and become famous because of this beach.

Thanks to this beach the real estate rate of this place has also appreciated a lot. As 65 year old Mrs. D’Cunha says, “There are only three thing that God made very rare, first is a 24 carat Diamond, Second is a good biy and the third is a house near the sea. Get hold of at least one of these” May be this is the reason for the constant rise in the real estate prices. Juhu is one of the costiliest and one of the polished areas of the city.

Apart from this, the other reason of this being on constant hike would that there are many film stars staying in the vicinity. Amitabh Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan, Fardeen Khan, etc to name a few.

This is one place which provides relief to your senses. Early in the morning there are people coming to the beach for their jogging, some people bring their pet dog for its nature’s call. There is also ‘Laughing Clubs’ formed by people, wherein anybody and everybody is invited. There’s senior citizen’s club, Rugby club, football club, cricket club, etc. the mornings are really energetic. It’s also said that it’s really good to jog in the sand as it is good for your hips, back, calves and ankles. So many health conscious people come in, for an early morning jog or even a walk.

In the evening this place takes a different avatar altogether. It is so colourful with all the feri-wallahs, so beautiful with the sun setting down, so blissful with so many children playing. It’s all together a different experience which everybody should experience and enjoy at least once in their life time. You may find everybody from tonga-wallahs to instant photographers, from chat stalls to couple romancing. This place is also known as the ‘lover’s paradise’. You in a relationship, finding a place to spend a romantic place to spend an evening with your partner, Juhu Beach is the place to be. This place is also one of the places for tourist’s interest.

There are the very famous pav-bhaji-ka-thelas and buddi-ke-baal which originated and are found over here. You have these ballon-wallahs and game shows happening in the evening to entertain and delight the people in the evening. There are also horse-back ride and also camel-back ride, there are also giant wheels. This place is a complete entertainer for an evening.

The best of these is the soothing water which keeps on flowing. The waves that come to the shore and goes away silently that gives a feeling that the waves are taking away your day’s worries, tensions and sorrows leaving you with a soothing and calm feeling.

I found some children playing in the waves, trying to go deeper but restricted by their parents. This particular 15 year old, named Akash came with his group of friends to celebrate his joy of clearing his 1oth standard says, “Today I got my results and cleared it with 84% and so my friends and me thought of celebrating this event and what better pace can we think off than Juhu Beach”. When asked what he likes the most about this place and he quickly replies saying that, “after some fun and dip in the water pav-bhaji is the need of the hour.” You may also find evening joggers, men and women out on an evening stroll.

But wait wait wait….. As every coin has two sides…..so does this place.

In the afternoons, the beach is relatively less crowded, but still you’ll find chanawallahs selling chanas, and there are artists making sand carvings to give social messages. But all that looks rosy is not always the way it is. As they say all that glitters is not gold. Though this place sound so cheerful and wonderful, it’s not always this way. I the afternoons this place is just not safe for girls. As this place a relatively empty in the afternoon, there are cases of eve teasing and even rape happening over there. Though there is security provisions done, but it doesn’t really come in on time.

And apart from this another problem faced by this place is, it has become very dirty, thanks to the visitors to this ace. They come here, eat, throw away the waste and litter the place and go away. Though the BMC is trying to improve the situation by imposing fines and cleaning up the place, but the present scenario remains that it has a lot of filth.

Having said that, people do not stop going to places of beauty like this, after all ‘a thing of beauty is a joy forever’.

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References:-

• http://www.indianholiday.com/india-photo-gallery/mumbai/tourist-attractions-7.html

• http://brightnmorningstar.org/

Radio (Yashasvi Acharya)

 From Ameen Siyani (AIR) to RJ Sidhu (FEVER 104 MUMBAI) the language and the definition of radio have changed time to time. talking about the history of radio and discovery of radio waves which was first predicted and calculated by the famous mathematician James Clerk Maxwell in 1887 but before this it is important for us to know that how he was able to calculate these ways earlier radio was called wireless telegraph because it had no audio and speech as the time was moving on many scientist were trying their level best to study radio so there were many who were coming up with new ideas and technology like Faraday, Henry Warq ,Mahlon Loomis ,Edison, William etc but for India it was Jagdish Chandra Bose who demonstrated publicly use of radio.

Let’s not go in the history of radio so much as it is endless lets talk about the set up of fm stations in India. There were mainly 5 cities In India where FM slots were introduced they were

1. Mumbai

2. Delhi

3. Kolkatta

4. Chennai

5. Goa

Then as the popularity was increasing day by day it was later on introduced in Banglore, Jaipur Hyderabad and Lucknow.And now if we talk about 2010 it is one of the biggest entertainment industry which is providing employment, entertainment provides information, giving prizes and saving money also at the same time because now people are not into buying music cd’s and cassettes they can listen to their favorite songs just by tuning to their favorite radio stations. There are about seven radio stations they are

1. RADIO CITY – 91.1

2. RED FM – 93.5

3. BIG FM- 92.7

4. FEVER – 104

5. MEOW- 104.8

7. RADIO MIRCHI – 98.3

But these private radio stations are nothing without AIR (all India radio) which is actual god father for the entire Radio industry in India, which was established in 1936 by the government of India and the head quarters are in Delhi popularly known as Aakashvani AIR celebrated its golden jubilee on 3 October 2007.and still it is entertaining people through out India where these private radio stations cannot approach and also in different languages. The most popular programs which won hearts of people were

1. Binaca geet mala which was hosted by Ameen Siyani

2. Hawa mahal ( Radio play)

3. Santogen ki mehfil - Jokes & humour.

4. Yuva- vadi ( the voice of the youth) . As the technology was gearing up day by day it was important to bring some change and as we all know change is constant so now it was time to bring something new. The first private radio which was introduced In India was Radio Mirchi 98.3 in Indore in the year 1993 and then came radio city 91.1 and after these there were many.

 

 

  Why radio is icon for Mumbai? Because as we all know Mumbai is one of the biggest cities in India where almost every day people are coming to earn their bread and butter and it is also called the city which never sleeps so the radio is amongst the most popular means of entertainment who gives and takes at the same time. How can we forget 26th July 2005 when Mumbai suffered from the biggest natural disaster that was Flood. Where radio came out as the most important source for communicating with people who were stuck in the different parts of the city all the private radio stations followed by AIR were trying their level best to approach, and helping people so that they can talk to their loved ones. Radio in Mumbai is largely affecting people’s life by providing them “infotertainment”. In an interview with RJ Sidhu (in fever 104.) when he was asked that how would you define radio? he said

“R- Rendezvous with people of Mumbai everyday

A- Amazing services

D- Different form of technology

I – Intelligent

O- Ohh my god factor every single day.” Well it was very interesting way of him of defining radio.

Be it local trains, buses, cabs, private cars or even when you are walking radio is like one of your best friend who never ever leaves you all gives you shoulder to cry reason to smile and at the same time educating on the things which you don’t know.

 Technology is stretching its arms in the 21st century which is leading to the new inventions now the fm radio stations are also online you can even listen to them even if you are far from your hometown all you need to have is little patience and time there are RJ’s who can any time listen to your problems any time and yes ready to solve them over all Radio would be always my icon cause it is always there for the people, by the people and of the people.

Jyada Shanpana Nahin Karneka! (Natasha Desai)

“Bhaigiri ko chod sab... BAKWAAS (Apart from the mafia everything else is rubbish)
Bhai ka under jo rehta... BINDAAS (Whoever is with the mafia/don is safe)
Bhai ko denga tras, hoenga woh khallas (If anybody troubles don, they are finished)
bahenga uska blood just like tomato sauce... (Their blood will flow like tomato sauce)

Ae... maarega sar pe haagega ghar pe kya? (Hey, If I whack your head, you’ll be scared shitless)
zyada shining nahi karne ka.. (Don’t act too smart)
Kasakai bhara hai I am Mumbhai. (How are you I am fine I am Mumbhai)

Abe aasmani kaboothar... (Hey you snob)
balcony se nikal kar ishtol mein aa ishtol mein.(Get off your high horse)
Khopche mein leke diyun kya kharcha pani... huh? (Should I whack you?)”

Sang Javed Jaffery about living in Mumbai in the 1998 film Bombay Boys.  For a person like Abhijat Sawarkar, a Puneite, Jaffery may as well have been speaking an exotic foreign language. He won’t be too wrong to think that way either. To elucidate, Javed Jaffery sang in a dialect/language typical to this glorious city. Sawarkar observes “The people in Pune speak almost pure Marathi, a lot of non-Maharashtrians too know Marathi. But in Mumbai, it’s more of a mixture and it’s very colloquial”

A lot of the words used in the Hindi spoken in Mumbai come from Marathi. A fair amount of the lingo has Tapori origins. Tapori, of course being the average young wastrel on the street.

The term bhai and its implications originated from the mafia dons of Mumbai. Who were addressed as bhai meaning elder brother, as a sign of respect. Bhaigiri is what you would say when referring to hoodlum behaviour or for bossiness in a more general use. Your boss/professor would certainly qualify as a bhai- a person indulging in bhaigiri.  

One favourite phrase of the Mumbaikar is ‘Samjha na?’ Literally translated it asks whether the second person has understood. Its implications… pretty much a threat. ‘You’d better do as I say or listen to what I’m saying or I’m going to beat you’ would aptly describe it.

Shanpana comes from a Marathi word shaana which means smart. When the suffix pana is added it becomes the abstract noun of shaana, but it has come to imply being over smart. “Jyada shanpana mat kar samjha na” said one five-year-old to another the other day; when he tried jumping his turn at batting on the cricket pitch.

Mumbaikars refer to each other as tereko and mereko.  Meaning ‘you’ or ‘to you’ and ‘me’ or ‘to me’ respectively. Tereko samjha na?

Tras is a Marathi word which means trouble or bother. It most commonly used in the phrase ‘Kya tras hain’ meaning how much of a bother it is. Trudging through the mounds of muck on your way to the station is major tras!

Some Mumbaikars have a tendency to attach the suffix -enga to words to indicate action. Denga comes from de in Hindi meaning to give.  Denga too means to give. Hence, aaenga, jaaenga, karenga, which means to come, to go, to do respectively.

Hagega too comes from the Marathi word hagne or hagh which means to poop. The word hagega is in the past tense normally used in hindi. Also, the bloody crow hagofied on your t-shirt today. Incidentally, Sawarkar abhors this word.

-ofied or -ofy is a suffix a lot of college-going Mumbaikars attach to their words to indicate an action. -ofied being the past tense of -ofy. Ghusofy,marofy, darofy, mutofy meaning to rush into, to whack, to scare, to pee on respectively. Samjhofied?

Oh and if this is boring you, then you are being pakaved also used as Kya pak raha hain! It comes from the hindi word pakana which means to cook. Hence, you are being irritated when you use pakav.

Often on the streets of Mumbai you will find the ‘cutting’ and the ‘pandu’. The former being far more agreeable than the latter. When you ask someone for a ‘cutting’, you’re basically asking for a shot of tea, which goes straight to the head like vodka would.

‘Pandu’ refers to the men in khaki that ensure the ‘smooth’ flow of traffic is the city. They are the same men who skulk in corners catching the road rule breakers. If a pandu catches you, then ‘full jhol’ happens. Jhol is a problem. A major problem. Also, the ‘pandu’ sometimes expects ‘kharcha pani’ when he catches you unaware. ‘Kharcha pani’ means a bribe and can also mean a beating. In this case the ‘pandu’ expects a bribe.

One of the most iconic words is ‘saala’ which literally means wife’s brother. However it implies someone who is up to no good.

‘Bas hua bad bad. We no, are like that only! Katle abhi.’ 

Candies, Bandra (Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)

When a person comes to Mumbai, the usual list of places that they would generally want to visit would include tourist spots like Gateway of India, Marine drive, Haji Ali dargah, Chowpatty, Bandstand, Siddhi Vinayak, Leopold’s Café, Udipis and various Parsi Cafés. Now there is another addition to this list, Candies. Candies is an eating joint in Pali Hill, a mere five minutes auto rikshaw ride away from the Bandra station. 

Just calling Candies an eating joint, is not saying anything at all. Candies is the new watering hole for the young generation of Mumbai, but don’t get me wrong, you get in Candies people of all ages, shapes and sizes. To say it more poetically Candies’ combination of customers creates a “human tapestry”. It is not just a place to get food, but also a place in this constantly running city, where people can actually sit back, relax and unwind.

Candies is a happy combination of good food, good music and good ambience. It has five levels and leaving the first and the second levels all are open air. Each open air level has beautiful seating arrangements and green plants all around which, in the Mumbai rains, give a fresh feel to the place, a sense of being away from the traffic and pollution of the city. Candies boasts of a menu with over 250 items which include a little bit of everything, Chinese, Italian, American fast food, Indian, continental and all this along with a massive variety of desserts which literally take up half the counter. 

The owner, Allen Pereira, named candies after his daughter ‘Candy’. He wanted to start a place that was accessible to the younger crowd of Mumbai and catered to their taste. This can be seen in the beautiful decorations and mosaic tiles placed all over the walls. There are also posters of music bands on the walls and interactive white boards, where people can write messages.

The assistant manager of candies ‘Sylvia Nirmal’ has been working at Candies for three years now and says, “ It has been an enriching experience,” She has been in Candies only for a short while but says, “I have literally seen Candies grow”. She mentions that, the Bandra Candies, had started out in a little room, which is now the second level of Candies, and from there on the other floors have been added on and Candies has never turned back since then. The fifth level, in fact, was added only a few months ago and while all this construction has been going on as a constant process over the years, Candies never once shut down. 

On being asked how she ended up working at Candies she said, “I did not start out as the assistant manager but worked my way up from level zero.” After her first baby, Nirmal felt jaded and lonely at home so she decided to apply for a position in Candies and says “It was a stroke of luck that the other girl who was interviewed backed out and I got the job, I am very lucky to be here”. She started out as a packer, moved on to become a part of the home delivery service, then worked at the counter taking orders and now is the assistant manager. She believes that luck has favoured her and she has always, “worked her best”.  

Candies has seen a regular flow of celebrities, and Sylvia Nirmal fondly remembers the time one and a half years ago when John Abraham had walked into Candies one fine Sunday and everyone had gone mad over that. But celebrities or no celebrities Candies does not need that sort of publicity and is on its way to becoming one of Mumbai’s hottest spots. 

Some of the most delicious treats at Candies are the quiches, sandwiches, the salads, and of course the specials, which change daily. Talking about the dessert section is impossible because of the sheer amount they have on display, plus all the suspected goodies in the back. 

It is admirable the way the space has been used in Candies. Not being able to expand the structure horizontally, they have gone for the vertical. Candies just keeps going up and up and somehow even with all the places to sit, one never finds a spot till they reach the topmost level, but it is worth the climb. Everyday in Candies is a working day and every hour is rush hour. Candies is truly one of Mumbai’s icons. It defines Mumbai, the life here and is the best place to observe the different types of people who live around Mumbai. It is like Mumbai’s personal melting pot.

Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (Maleeva Rebello)

Not a long time ago, when the city of the seven islands was Bombay, the international airport was called Sahar Airport and the domestic airport was called Santacruz Airport. With the name changing to Mumbai, the city’s airports also got new names. Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport was Sahar Airport’s new name and Chhatrapati Shivaji National/Domestic Airport was Santacruz airport’s new name. Maharashtra’s great Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj who already had a park at Dadar, a major railway station in South Mumbai, besides different chowks, roads and lanes in the city named after him now had the two airports named in his honour.

Michael Jones, an Australian businessman who frequents India regularly recounts the confusion that ensued especially for foreigners post the renaming. “I remember telling the cab guy “Chhatrapati Shivaji” reading the name of the airport on my ticket, and the poor guy looked all lost and confused. Then he told me that there is a station and two airports by that name.”Thankfully, now over time the situation has improved as people are used to the concepts.

Mumbai International Airport is literally the “Gateway to India” as almost 20 million passengers travel to India via its gates annually. “Mumbai’s Chhatrapayi Shivaji International Airport got its record passenger numbers in December 2009”, according to an Airport spokesperson as reported in many of the city’s newspapers. One of the busiest airports in the world it ranked fourth in the world for good quality services according to a Quality Survey that appeared in the Hindustan Times on July 27, 2010.The article went on to add that the airport was ranked 87th the previous year and since then has made a lot of efforts to improve facilities and services.

Lareina D’souza a passenger who noticed this change says, “The airport now has a better look with typically Indian paintings all over the walls in the waiting rooms which many people liked. The creation of an Indian flavor is very authentic. The immigration and staff behavior is also better now. Only the Gate numbers are not properly put up confusing passengers often. An airport official who doesn’t wish to be named said, “We had to go through some etiquette training sessions as well as organization skill classes, etc.”

A large amount of India’s air traffic is handled in Mumbai by its two airports. Almost all International flights to India come via Mumbai. A modernization project to re-vamp the architecture of the airport to fit international standards was done in February 2006.This included cleanliness which was considered to be a big problem.D.Rajagopalcharya a frequent traveler says, “The airports were very dirty before the re-vamp the toilets were very unhygienic. But now the airport has cleanliness staff always patrolling to clean up even the smallest mess which is really good for India.”

The two airports have good connections to each other with free shuttle services every half an hour as well as pre-paid taxi services. The local B.E.S.T bus number 308 goes from Andheri station to the airport. Some tourist like Lisa Mcmohan who prefers to see the city first hand travelling by the local trains and buses says, “I used the bus to get to the airport.”But Raj Gandhi who works at the airport says, “The frequency of bus number 308 is very poor often it’s very late and tends to get too crowded.”Many people agree with this and feel that more buses going to the airport should be started.

The airport has a number of taxis and auto rickshaws outside but, “They often tend to overcharge and think we are also foreigners”, says Mohammad Khan a frequent flier. Khan adds, “They often take the foreigners for a ride charging them three to four times more the price on the meter.”A number of auto rickshaw and taxi drivers agreed to this fact saying that they are poor and the foreigners have a lot of money so they are just pricing rates as per the foreign country rates. Rental cars and bikes are also available for tourist.

A number of hotels are located nearby and provide top quality services to tourist and guests. The Hyatt Regency,Le Royal Meridian, The Intercontinental all five-star hotels located on Sahar Road very close to the airport. Hotels like Leela Palace,Grand Maharata Sheraton,The Orchid and Kohinoor are comparatively cheaper. There are also economical hotels, cheap inns and lodges in the surrounding Chakala area.”Many foreign tourists prefer inns as they are more economical, says Harsh Lal who runs one of the economical low cost inns.”The services may not be five-star but they are pretty modest”, according to Kai Li who prefers to stay at an inn than a five-star hotel.

Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport is truly one of Mumbai’s icons as it’s the first symbol of India that any foreign tourist arriving in Mumbai sees.

Zaveri Bazaar (Akshada Bhalerao)

Old is gold…!

The once famous gold street, Zaveri Bazaar, is now just reduced to being a two time blasted site and a crowded hawker zone. Akshada Bhalerao tracks how the golden lane was looted of its heritage.

Once upon a time, there was a golden street where jewel artists would display their artworks and the people would buy those jewels to adorn their pretty wives and to secure their future with this investment. On the romantic premises of the ‘town’ area of Mumbai, the street named Zaveri Bazaar continued to follow its path of intricate jewellery staying true to its name. And they all lived happily ever after…

However the story of Zaveri Bazaar does not continue this way today. The street, famous for its gold and silver jewellery, seems to have lost its shine. It does no longer have the flock of families buying jewellery nor does it have the ancestral jewel shops. Imitation jewellery shops settle in while the streets are taken over by hawkers.

The heritage

The street is located in the Churchgate area and is one of the many market places of Mumbai. Mumbai had specific market places or rather market lanes which were famous for the goods they sold. Of the many markets in town like Kapada Bazaar, Nal Bazaar, Crawford Market, etc., each famous for its own specialty, Zaveri Bazaar has proudly taken its place on the right side of Jhama Masjid for years.

The golden street has seen many a things in its existence, some good and some very destructive. The street has been the victim to one of the 93 blasts and another one in 2005. The two blasts though haven’t shaken up the spirit of people here. They have no fear of another attack in them and nor do they keep the wound of the blast alive. One of the shopkeeper who has seen both the blasts says, “Tiger Memon used to come here in the nearby building. The blast took place in the nearby corner and I was in my shop the time it happened. There was chaos. When the next blast happened, I was not there but I imagine the situation would have been the same.”

It’s because of these bomb explosions that Zaveri Bazaar is a fairly known name. But the street has more to it, it has history and charm. The Punjabi Sodhi casts’ people first set up their business here. Majority of the businesses here are ancestral following the traditional method of jewellery making. The craftsmen were the local Maharshtrians, specialized in intricately designing the ornaments. The credibility of these shops was so much that Zaveri Bazaar soon earned the name of the most authentic and sole place to buy gold. Another aspect that made Zaveri Bazaar numero uno for gold hunting was the entire feel and experience of the street. There was enough space for parking. A local shop owner also claims, “The streets were cleaner then. BMC would actually wash the street clean once a week.”

The card shuffle

But the thread of ancestral business soon started to wither, taking away the identity of original Zaveri Bazaar. “My Chartered Accountant daughter and Engineer son both don’t want to run the business my father started ages ago. I have no option but to sell my shop as I can no longer take care of it”, says Arvind Thakkar, owner of a 90-year-old shop in Zaveri Bazaar. Like him most of the shop owners sold their shops. Others shifted to suburban areas to grab the opportunities there. The Maharashtrian craftsmen were replaced Bengali ones. Currently only two-three original gold jewellery shops exist in all of the Zaveri Bazaar. Marwadi community, not the initial Sodhis, owns all others.

The fake side

Few more things that settled in Zaveri Bazaar were imitation jewellery shops and hawkers, taking away the golden feel of the street completely. Now instead of shops laden with gold there are imitation jewellery shops that have taken away the shine of the street. “It hurts to see imitation jewellery shops where in the same shop our friends would sell the real thing. What is even more saddening is that the streets are now encroached by hawkers. They’ve eaten up the beauty and credibility of Zaveri Bazaar.” Says Ujjwal Zaveri, a silver articles trader from Zaveri Bazaar. On the other hand, post bomb blast people have lost confidence in Zaveri Bazaar. Regular customers are being lost since they fear coming to this crowded place for any work let alone shop for gold. Moreover, the growing fad of brands is taking them away from the traditional jewelers. The craft is getting lost and so is the creativity of the artist. With the standard imitation jewellery available in bulk, there is no space for custom made fine jewellery. It takes a long time to create a unique craftwork and also, making charges are included. Hence, the craftsmen are being denied work. Jewellery today is not a possession to be made with love and care and cherished for a lifetime but just an ornament with whom there is no personal attachment whatsoever.

With the lack of original gold and customers, Zaveri Bazaar, the ‘crowned’ street now lays dethroned…

Shiv Sena (Kanak Rajadhyaksha)

There is no Mumbaikar who doesn’t know what the Shiv Sena is. Ask anyone in Mumbai what the Shiv Sena is and you can be sure of getting the answer. Such a question is undoubtedly going to elicit varied responses from the masses on what they think of the Shiv Sena, but know the Sena they will.

Bal Keshav Thackeray more commonly known as Balasaheb Thackeray founded the Shiv Sena on 19 June, 1966. Balasaheb worked as a cartoonist with the Free Press Journal in Mumbai at the beginning of his career. At that time there was a huge influx of labor coming from South-India and Gujarat, which Balasaheb was sorely against. He believed that Maharashtra was for the Maharashtrians. So strong was his opposition to migrants coming to Mumbai that he launched a weekly cartoon Marmik which campaigned against migrant labor in Mumbai. He then launched the anti - communist Shiv Sena party literally meaning Shivaji’s Army which aimed to protect the Marathi man’s rights and help in his progress. The Sena Bhavan at Dadar in Mumbai has long served as the headquarters of the Shiv Sena. The Sena has its local offices in numerous cities across India where each of the offices must look after the issues in their own cities. Today the party is led by Balasaheb’s son, Udhhav Thackeray.

The Shiv Sena has been a part of controversies since its inception. In its early days the party targeted South-Indians in Mumbai. It launched a series of attacks on Udipi restaurants which were all owned by South Indians. Guajarati’s and Marwari’s were targeted next by Balasaheb through his speeches. It is alleged that the Sena played an active role in the Mumbai riots following the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodya. The commission formed under Justice B N Srikrishna indicted the party for instigating and actively participating in anti-Muslim riots. Balasaheb was accused of instigation but later absolved of all charges in 2000. Likewise, most of the party workers were also absolved of all charges in 2008. Recently, the Sena has targeted the migrant labor coming to Mumbai from the northern states of India. The party has long been of the opinion that the Marathi man has not been getting his due from the government. It has carried out agitations, vandalized shops owned by people from the north and in some cases even ruthlessly beaten up migrant labor. The party also strongly opposes the use of any other language but Marathi in Maharashtra. Shops have been vandalized for displaying their names in English and men have been beaten up for not knowing to speak Marathi. Shiv Sainiks feel that this is justified. “And why shouldn’t every person wishing to work in Mumbai not know Marathi?” asks a Shiv Sainik who wishes to remain anonymous. “When we go to America for work, we talk to Americans in English, not French. Why shouldn’t these northerners know Marathi then?” he asks indignantly again.

The controversies don’t end here. Raj Thackeray, nephew of Balasaheb Thackeray, was once an integral part of the Shiv Sena. Many people said that he had all of Balasaheb’s leadership qualities. However when Balasaheb announced his intentions to make son Udhhav Thackeray the sole heir to the Shiv Sena, Raj Thackeray broke away from the Sena and floated his party called the Maharashtra Navarirman Sena. The Thackeray cousins have been at logger heads ever since.

The Sena is accused by the common man of forcing its will on them on a number of occasions. The Sena has been against the celebration of Valentine’s Day in colleges across Mumbai. It is even against couples holding hands on that day. Not just this, when the Sena feels that a particular movie shows inappropriate content, it simply destroys the theatre’s property making it impossible to show any further shows of that movie. In 1998 the Sena considered the movie Fire which depicted lesbianism, to be against Hinduism and vandalized theatres showing the movie. “I really don’t appreciate being told by the Sena what to do and what to watch. I live in a democratic country and I have the right to decide”, says college student Neeti Puri.

It is wrong to say that the Sena has not done any good at all to the state of Maharashtra. The Mumbai-Pune expressway and most of the 55 flyovers in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai were constructed during the Sena regime. It also made public transport very efficient. In spite of this, support to the Sena has been gradually declining over the last two years. It is probably time for the Sena to change its stand. It is also probably time for the Marathi manoos to make his stand clear.

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References:


The Hindu. (2001, August 17). Volume 18 issue 16. Retrieved August 03, 2010 from http://www. hinduonnet.com


Sunday Pioneer. (2010, February 14). Shiv Sena’s Nemesis. Retrieved August 03, 2010 from http://www.dailypioneer.com

St. Michael's Church (Simrita Lobo)

History

The Franciscans, the first missionaries in Bombay, built St. Michael’s the first church in Upper Mahim was built before 1585.

The exact date of the foundation of St. Michael’s church is unknown. Various dates have been assigned to the foundation of this church namely 1510, 1534 and 1540. John Burnell the early English traveler says that the church of St. Michael’s, Mahim, is said to have been built in 1534 by Antonio do Porto, a great builder, of the Franciscan Order. According to Dom Antonio Pedro da Costa, Archbishop of Daman St. Michael’s Church was built in 1510 and it was the first church that the Portuguese built in Bombay.

Acording to the Gazetteer of Bombay City and Island, “The San Miguel Church of Upper Mahim, was built probably in 1540” built at the northern extremity of the island, very near the creek that separated Mahim from Bandra”.

According to Fr Meersman, the Franciscan historian (1957:61), “the Church of St. Michael appears in 1585 as a fully functioning mission station, when in the year a ‘Pai dos Christaos’, i.e. Father of the Christians was appointed to look after the increasing number of catechumens and converts”.

Our Mother of Perpetual Succour.

Our Lady of Perpetual Succour

History of the Devotion

The devotion to the picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour is an ancient origin. It was first venerated in the island of Crete near Greece from whence it was carried to Italy and placed in the Church of St. Mathew in Apostle in Rome between the Basilicas of St. Mary Major and St. John Lateran then in charge of the Augustinian Brothers. The Madonna in the picture, it would appear, had called herself, "Holy Mary of Perpetual Succour", while in Crete it was known as "Our Lady of the Angels". This was in 1499, it seems to have been painted in 1455 or even earlier and was restored or re-painted in the 19th Century, making it appear as it is at present.

In 1798 the Church of St. Mathew was destroyed and the Picture passed into oblivion till the year 1866 when it came into the hands of the Redemptorists at the express command of Pope Pius IX. Since then the Redemptorist Fathers have been the propagators of the devotion of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour wherever they preach retreats and Missions.

In India, however, the devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour is more ancient than the origin of the Redemptorist Fathers. Already in the 16th Century we find a Church constructed and a village named after Our Lady of Perpetual Succour in Goa; and in 1595 a church was dedicated to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour at Manori, in the Archdiocese of Bombay.

The advent of the Redemptorist Fathers in India gave a fresh impetus to this devotion; and the Chruch of Michael's Mahim, may be considered as the pivotal point from which it has spread all over the East and even Africa. The origin of this devotion at this church clearly indicates the workings of Divine Providence in giving this great boon to the city.

In the year 1948, Fr. Edward Placidus Fernandes returning from a trip to Europe, and seeing the wonderful devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour at Belfast, Ireland brought with him a picture touched to the original Picture at Rome. On the 8th of September, 1948, the Birthday of Our Lady - which happened to be a Wednesday that year - after a triduum of preparation by the Redemptorist Father the first Novena services were held in the Church of St. Michael's Mahim, of which Fr. Fernandes was the vicar. Only two services were held every Wednesday and it took three months before the devotion could take deep roots among the people. It was a very modest beginning. Rapidly the devotion grew and captured the enthusiasm of the people that in a sort time the services not only increased in number but the crowds that attended them far exceeded the good priest's Fr. Fernandes sanguine expectations.

The Feast day, June 27, is an occasion to celebrate not just for the devotees but for the whole of Mahim. More Christians participate in the Feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour. Some attend the nine day Novena and Masses with great fervour.

Today from 8:30 in the morning to 10:30 at night the unceasing streams of devotees for the thirteen services held in English, Konkani, Marathi, Tamil and Hindi. The devotees that come for novenas on Wednesday include people from all religions and strata’s of life. Some devotees include celebrities like Jay Bachchan, Rekha, Helen, Sanjay Dutt and Rakhi Sawant.

Fr. Blaise says, “I feel privileged to be apart of the Wednesday novenas. Blessing the devotees of novenas is an important part of my ministry. People in today’s times are desperate as they face a lot of problems. They come for novenas to pray believing that Mother Mary will help them. The best part of Wednesday novenas is that I get to see great devotion among the devotees ”.

Mrs. Fernandes, a housewife and parishioner said, “I am blessed to have come to this parish since marriage 28 years ago, attended every Wednesday novena. The Solemnity of prayers, the Benediction and the awesome presence of the thousands of devotees that transform the town of Mahim is the best part of the Wednesday novenas. Hasty prayers of uncaring priests who give preference to the homilies instead and rush the devotional prayers and hymns is what I dislike about the novenas”.

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Reference:


Sr Menona P V Sodder RSCJ (2010). The Mahim Story. Mumbai.


(2003). The Perpetual Novena of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Mumbai: Vicar, St. Michael’s Church, Mahim.