Kolis of Mumbai at “THE LAND’S END”

Worship of Boat by Koli Family

It is Narali Punam festival day today.

Kolis – fisher folks – worship their boats on Coconut Day, which falls on August 5, 2009, send their boats to sea, and start fishing.

Sending the boats to sea

During the monsoon, the Kolis are busy mending their nets, making new ones, repairing and painting their country crafts. They moor their boats on sandy shores, covered with leaves of coconut palms, and cultivate vegetables on monsoon rains.

They are one of the original residents of the islands of Mumbai.

The Land's End

The British, and the following governments, bulldozed the pristine creeks, hills, and the sea, with increasing pressures of development economics.

These pressures pushed the Koli communities Mumbai, also, to “THE LAND’S END”

Island City of Mumbai

As if economics and development (of building walls) matter most to the planners and policymakers, instead of life of the People.
Decades after decades in the revised development plans of Mumbai, the Koli Community and their vocation of fishing and boating did not find appropriate colours on
the Mumbai's land-use-plan!
There are millions of Kolis - fisher folks across the country along seashores, riverbanks, lake and resrvoirs: None of them the reach Olympics Events.

Is it because the planners know not any water-use-plan?
Is it as if Kolis live on no-man’s land?

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© Remigius de Souza, all rights reserved.