Cosmo Community (Group Report)

Preface
The main purpose of this internship was to introduce us, the youth, to
diversity and composite culture in Mumbai, and it turn, be tolerant
individuals who are able to appreciate and promote diversity. Enriching
input sessions from some highly respected academicians, complemented by
field visits has enabled us to analyze and understand a community's
dilemma in a pragmatic manner. This group report attempts to focus on
various communities (locations) we visited during our internship at CSSS.
The word 'Community' can be defined “as a social unit of any size that
shares common values.” A more broad definition which incorporates all the
different forms of community is "a group or network of persons who are
connected (objectively) to each other by relatively durable social relations
that extend beyond immediate genealogical ties, and who mutually define
that relationship (subjectively) as important to their social identity and
social practice." The most crucial factor binding people together, in the
long term, is still a highly debated topic, demanding rigorous study of
various communities around the world. Due to limited exposure, we have
looked upon more explicit distinguishing factors such as: Demographics,
Economic status of the individuals, Political scenario, Linguistic differences,
Inclination and attitude towards Religion, Degree of women empowerment.
We have also tried to highlight diversity and segregation within a particular
community. We would like to thank our mentors: Dr. Irfan Engineer, Ms.
Neha Dabhade and Mr. Mohammed Khan, who have their unconditional
support throughout the internship :) Moreover, we owe to all those
Mumbaikars, who knowingly, unknowingly propelled us forward in our
journey to a build a secular society we all deserve!
Jatan, Oshin, Prerna & Radhika
Noverber 11, 2014

Gorai Koliwada
The Koliwada in Gorai is a predominant Christian Koliwada. They are the
aborignals of Mumbai, fishing being their chief source of livelihood and
Marathi being the language for communication. Sources of entertainment
were limited to television. Fishing has become a higly seasonal and risky
occupation. During the peak season men may go fishing almost every day,
however, off seasons or extreme weather conditions force men to be at
home.
Initially fishing was carried out individually, where each fisherman fished in
his wooden boat. Due to rapid mechanization, fishing is done on collective
bases as high capital investment is needed; indiavidual Koli being unable to
afford it. Cooperatives have also been formed to pool in capital, to buy
technologically advanced equipment, hence making profit share also
collective. A huge chunk of profits are eaten by various middle men. There
is division of labour between men and women. Women primarily process
the fish, produce dry and salted fish. The koli children are being educated.
Fishing being an uncertain and relatively less profitable occupation, Kolis
are discouraging their children to continue with fishing, rather wanting
their children to take up jobs, which will guarantee security and a higher
economic status. Christmas is the prime festival, sea food and rice being
the staple diet. The area was even inhabited by muslims and hindus, due to
time constraints we were unable to interact with them.
Broadly, there is a bifurcation between the fishermen community of
Mumbai. There are two clans on the bases of occupation-the ‘Agris’ and
the’ Kolis’. The Agris are the people who produce salt, owning acres of
land for saltpans. Nowadays, the agris have become very rich by selling

their lands. The Kolis are the fishermen who depend on fishing. Global
warming has affected fishing industry on a large scale. The catch of fish
per year per Koli has fallen by almost 50 percent, mainly due to advent of
multinationals, armed with more advanced machinery and the NorthIndian
fishermen. Kolis have always protested against the NorthIndian fishermen,
labelling them as the outsiders. According to the local koli community, oil
spills are not a major factor, that has eroded their business over time.
People didn’t seem quite satisfied by the government. According to them,
development should be more people centric and not just a growth figure.
It's illogical, in fact, plain stupid, to talk about constructing malls and
multiplexes without taking care of primary requirements, such as: basic
sanitation, english-medium schools and healthcare. The government provides
financial aid as loans and subsidies for fishing equipment but it is very
nominal and insufficient. The government must introduce modern means of
fishing such as fish farming; pisciculture should be brought in by, giving
kolis, Mumbai's aborginals, an equal opportunity to compete against the
gigantic MNCs.
-Radhika Nabar, 18, Sophia College for Women

Dalit Community
Our study would have certainly been unbiased and incomplete without a
(brief) examination of 16.6 percent of India's population; of the Hrijans/
Dalit. Until our visit to the “Dalit Basti” and a stimulating input session
from Dr. Sandhya Mahtre, we were unable to internalize the dilemmas
faced by the dalits, hence failing to appreciate the importance of
'reservation.'
Al though, we defined the area we visited on the October 28 as “Dalit
Basti” nearly 25% of its population consisted of Non-Dalits (which also
includes Brahamins) The community was established in 1942, with original
inhabitants being Hindus, followed by the Muslims in the late 1960s.
According to the 2011 census, the area population touched to 8000, which
includes: Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, and even Jains. The
diversity within the area is made much more apparent owing to the mutual
existence of various worshiping: Temple at Shivaji Chowk, Mosque, Buddha
Vihar and a Church. Internal harmony is a highly subjective and qualitative
quality, but resorting to our observation; although various festivals are
celebrated, the area is divided into tiny pockets which are inhabited by
people of same the religion, as well as social status/caste. With further
investigation, we were informed that communal fights (which even forced
police intervention) were not uncommon prior 2005. Poor economic
conditions seems to be the main factor tying people together. What
surprised us more, were the caste distinctions even among the Dalits and
how it has separated them. For instance, Balmikis have described Jatavs as
oppressors of the poorer. Balmikis and Pasis in the 1990s refused to support
the BSP, Bahujan Samaj Party, a national political party representing people
from the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Castes
(OBC) as well as minorities; claiming it was a 'Chamar Party' Ironically, this
caste distinction existed even among the followers of Dr. Ambedkar, who
was always prechead 'All humans are equal, All Dalits are equal.' Intercaste
marriage has been grudgingly accepted over time, however, lover of a
lower caste still faces a tough time! Getting to the economics, a Dalit
earning less than Rs. 60,000 annually is considered to be poor and entitled
to special benefits; this is a highly unrealistic bound for poverty for anyone
living in an urban area. This makes reservation even more necessary.

Reservation in PSUs will guarantee financial security to the individual, more
importantly, his/her family. Reservation in prestigious educational institutes
will raise their earning potential and make them independent over time. In
our opinion, reservation is necessary to overcome the terrible consequences
owing to centuries of suppression. A high percentage of the population
(including the youth) works for the BMC. However, due to 'Peti case'
-wherein kin is entitled to the job performed by a family member, after the
senior family member's retirement or death- hence, the youth are generally
handed over the job their family members indulged in, and not what they
deserved based on their educational qualifications or merit. Finding
employment in the private sector, even for students with exceptional grades
is an arduous process primarily due to their formal education taking place
is vernacular medium. However, trends seem to be changing, and
thankfully improving. Parents are ensuring English-medium education for
their children, plus sending them to institutes that work on polishing
students' language skills. Poor sanitation/hygiene, inadequate medical
facilities is a clear indication that the area has been ignored by the
previous (shiv sena) MLA and (UPA) MP, and this could be one of the
reason for their debacle during the recent elections. Locals claim that the
current MP (who has been in power for more 6 months now) has failed to
visit the area even after repeated requests to improve sanitation, by
upgrading the toilets and installing BMC dustbins. No presence of Swachh
Bharat Abhiyaan be felt in this area. Moreover, an area where more than
20 percent of population works for BMC is facing trouble connecting with
the Municipal Commissioner. The community representatives have drafted
letter to the President and and PMO. Hence, the community does not have
any political hero, unlike Mr. Jeetendra Awhad, in Mumbra.
Caste system and division still exists even among the dalits. Something Dr.
Ambedkar highly despised. It is a great pleasure to see people of different
religions and community to play, eat and stay together; however, is it
forcefully or out of a genuine interest to be labeled different, yet live
together?

-Jatan Gogri, 19, Podar World College

MUMBRA
Mumbra is a town and suburb of Thane district. Unpopular for its Muslim
predominance. After the 1992 Bombay Riots, a huge chunk of Mumbai's
muslim population fled to Mumbra. The current population of Mumbra is
12 lakhs, with more than 85 percent of population following Islam.
We were fortunate to be oriented by Dr. Rano Jain who has done extensive
research in this area, as well as quick inputs were received from 'Awaz-e-
Niswah.' We were informed that people living in Mumbra face a lot of
discrimination due to the unfair stigmatization of this area. Owing to: the
Shah Bano case, the Ishrat Jahan case, and collapse of several illegally
constructed buildings, this area has constantly been in the (negative) light
of media. Locals face extreme difficulty in getting jobs outside Mumbra. In
fact, a group of 20-year-olds accepted (during an infiled interaction) that
their area has been blacklisted. Moreover, procuring loans from financial
institutions outside Mumbra is an uphill task. Hence, families prefer their
children, especially girls, to work in Mumbra and not venture out of the
area, creating a mobility restriction.
There is a constant presence of police, which is intensified during festivals,
for completely unknown, meagre reasons. There are only two municipal
schools, which are sub-standard and there is no Municipal hospital in
Mumbra; which is quite ironical considering that the “hero” MLA, Dr.
Jitendra Awhad, was the Cabinet Minister of Medical Education of
Maharashtra state. Further, people have to travel to the next station, Kalwa
for medical aid. Private schools and Hospitals are available but they are
expensive and way out of the reach of the lower income people. Limited
transport- poor frequency of buses and trains- further raises the mobility
restriction. Hence, auto rickshaws are more prevalent.
Society is heavily patriarchal. Even the young ladies in our group were eve-
teased! Forcing the entire group to leave a particular area which seems to
be ruled by some local goon. Women education is not encouraged. NGOs

like 'Awaz-e-Niswah' and 'Parcham' are working towards providing girls and
young women counseling, as well as opportunities to study. Over time, they
have created an impressive library which offers a wide range of books,
from romance-to-world history (thankfully, not limiting their book list with
books only on Islam) Almost all women were seen wearing burkas, even a
volunteer (from Parcham, Saba) accopanying our group was forced to wear
a burka. This indicates an extremely conservative society, though such
claims should not be generalized until further study is conducted.
Within the community there is a rich-poor divide. It was seen that the
facilities and the infrastructure was significantly better in the areas where
the rich resided. Also there was an inter community hierarchy between
Shia, Sunni and the Bohra Muslims. The Bohras prefer keeping to
themselves and not mixing with Shias and Sunnis. This has led to formation
of sectorial pockets within the community.
Jitendra Awhad, working president of the NCP is the MLA of Mumbra.
People are quite satisfied with his work in that area, though the youth is
skeptical. They compared the current state of Mumbra to what it was ten
years ago and not to Mumbai, which seems quite rational. The
infrastructural development in the past decade has led to better roads. Rate
of development has been exponential in certain areas, however locals
deserve a much higher standard of living! The “Modi Wave' was not
observed, locals citing the 2002 riots in Gujarat. 'Awaz-e-Niswah,' went
further by labelling Narendra Modi, as a facisit, like Benito Mussolini. A
young teacher also confessed (during infield visit), extreme hatred for
hindus among her community. Yet, the current MLA is a hindu and the
MIM, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, a Muslim political party, faced
a crushinge defeat in Mumbra constituency. We personally belive, locals
feared the MLA. Why? First, we heard some unture, unnecessary praises
about him. Mumbra has certainly developed, but has not transformed into
Shanghai! Second, he has been in constant news for Hooliganism; which
'Awaz-e-Niswah' described necessary to handle the police. Third, the party

Dr. Awhad; has been associated with ever since its inception, is infamous
for scams and corruption. Our group has formally decided to keep a track
on Mr. Awhad!
-Radhika Nabar, 18, Sophia College for Women

Sikhism
If one was taken to the structure of a gurudwara in India and asked to
guess what the structure was, it would be very difficult for him/her to take
cognizance of the fact that the structure was a place of worship. Because
you see, there is no one selling garlands or candles or chadar outside a
gurudwara. And, following suit, there is no beggar asking for alms. As
evident as it can get, Sikhs do not make money from religion. They follow
a code of conduct when practicing Sikhism, which treads a thin line
between inclusion and exclusion. Unlike Parsi agyaris where only Parsis
are allowed, everyone is allowed in a Sikh gurudwara, provided you cover
your head. They’ll correct you innumerable times if they have to, to get
you to cover your head. Unlike Parsis, which do not welcome or encourage
people to convert to their religion, Sikhism is flexible about conversions,
but one has to get baptized and get sworn in to follow the religion.
The Sikhs do not practice idol worship or pray to any ‘superficial powers’.
Thus in the gurduwara no bell chimes nor do they have a priest to recite
the prayers. This is because the founder of the religion – Guru Nanak dev
wanted no caste hierarchy in the religion. All Sikhs are equals, all of them
study the Guru Granth Sahib and any of them can recite the prayers. They
work together as a community, and in the gurdwara they serve free food
for everyone in the langar. In the langar all people sit on the floor
together, as equals, to eat the same simple food. It is here that all people
high or low, rich or poor, male or female sit in the same pangat (literally
"row" or "line") to share and enjoy the food together. It is designed to
uphold the principle of equality between all people of the world regardless
of religion, caste, color, creed, age, gender or social status.
Sikhism calls for denouncing material obsession, thus people visiting the
guduwaras will be simply clad with their heads covered. Men wear kurtas,
and the women wear salwaar-kameez generally. The Sikhs don the 5 ‘k’s –
the kesh, the kirpan, the kanga, the kachera, the kada. Kesh means hair,
which a Sikh is not allowed to cut throughout his lifetime. It is a work of
nature and a Sikh is not allowed to work against it. The Kesh is covered
with a turban or Chunni to keep it clean and manageable. The kirpan is
used to break violence and not perpetuate it. The kanga, a comb slotted

into the turban, is used comb the hair for removing dead cells and is
synonymous to removing impure thoughts from the mind. The kada is a
‘censor’ of sorts. It is a steel band worn in the hand and is meant to
remind the Sikhs to uphold the virtues of the Guru Granth Sahib in any
work they do. The kachera is a undergarment, worn by men to control
their lust.
When a Sikh is born the Guru Granth Sahib is opened randomly, and the
child is named after first letter on the top of the left page. The child is
baptized in a ceremony amritdhari after which the boy is called a Singh
and the girl a Kaur. A Sikh is supposed to spend 2-3 hours of the day
praying and give about 10% of his income to charity. Marriages take place
in the gurudwara, the married couple takes four rounds about the holy
book.
History and popular culture portray Sikhs to be benevolent, hospitable and
courageous. This is evident in their practices- they’re always inviting you to
have food in the langar, they respect and invest a lot in friendship and
investing in human bonds. It is in helping Hindu Brahmins from Kashmir
that Guru Tegh Singh lost his life and Guru Gobind thus was obliged to
become the guru at such a young age. The killing of Tegh Singh thus goes-
Kashmir was terrorized by attacks by mogul rulers from Iran, Iraq traveling
to India. These rulers plundered the wealth, abusing women and children.
They forced Kashmiri pundit to convert to Islam. Kashmir was gripped in
fear. The Kashmiri Pundits came to Guru Tegh Singh for help, only he
could come with the most suitable solution. On listening to their stories,
Tegh Singh concluded that the only way to end this slaughter is to appease
mother Earth by making a noble sacrifice and by challenging the moguls.
Guru Gobind Singh, only nine years at the time suggested that since no one
was as noble as Tegh Singh, Tegh Singh himself should make a sacrifice.
Thus Tegh Singh challenged Aurangzeb that Kashmiri Brahmins would
gladly accept and embrace Islam if Guru Tejh Singh could be convinced to
do so too. Auranqzeb employed many means to get Tegh singh to convert
to Islam- but Tegh Singh was adamant. In the end, Tegh Singh was killed
in an endeavor to help Hindus. And Guru Govind Singh took over as the
last guru of the Sikhs.

Guru Gobind thus, declared that he would create such a community which
would challenge the tyrant rulers in every walk of life to restore justice,
equality and peace for all of mankind. Guru Gobind Singh molded the Sikh
religion into its present shape, with the formation of the Khalsa fraternity
and completion of the Guru Granth Sahib.
Sikh Diaspora today is spread all over the world with 75% Sikhs living in
Punjab, India. The rest live within small pockets in India, Canada, East
Africa, West Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, the United Kingdom as
well as United States and Australia. With time and technology, Sikhs face
challenges to uphold the practices of the religion as the rules of the nation
and the religion of the majority tends to grow on their religion. Sikhs thus
have to endeavor and strike a balance between their religious practices and
the laws of the State where they reside.
The above report was prepared based on a kind input session by the
gurudwara priest and some quick observations made by the entire
internship group. However, after further discussions, it was understood that
caste system was prevalent even in the Sikh community; which happened to
be a primary reason for many lower caste Hindus to convert to Sikhism.
So, we believe it is super critical to focus and be informed about it.
Caste in Sikhs
The issue of caste in Sikhism is quite complex, always inviting a diversity
of impassioned opinions. One thing we can be certain about is that Guru
Gobind Singh had abolished all caste inequality with the inception of
Khalsa on 13 April, 1699 and with the institution of Khanday-Ki-Pahul or
the Baptism of Sword. Faithful Sikhs do not practice caste discrimination
but this is not to say that all Sikhs necessarily act in accordance to their
faith. Consequently, the caste does exist in Sikhism, though in a diluted
form than found in the rest of Indian society.
But at the outset one thing can be confidently stated which is that there is

no clearly defined caste hierarchy in Sikh society, leave alone a vertically
ordered one. Any layperson or author giving a clearly ordered Sikh caste
hierarchy is himself mistaken or is purposefully misleading others.
Debate on Caste in Sikh Society
There has existed a vibrant debate within the Sikh Panth on the issue of
the caste since late 19th century. Generally, this debate has been shaped
by two broad lines of argument.
First, Castes Exist But All Castes Are Equal
Some say that Guru Gobind Singh did not abolish caste system within Sikhs
but merely implied equality of all castes. As per this view each caste was
to play their respective functional role but no caste was to be treated as
superior or inferior to the other, and that all occupations from that of a
sweeper to that of a priest were to be held in equal esteem as each caste
had traditional specialization in producing goods and services that the
society needed. These people cite the example from Gurus' own family as
an example for this. They say that since none of the Gurus or their family
members married outside the Khatri, or the trading caste, it is a proof
positive that the Gurus meant to abolish inequality inherent in caste system
but not necessarily the caste itself.
Second, Caste Should Not Exist At All
There are some reformist Sikhs who, with very good intentions, hold a
more radical view and believe that caste should not exist in any form and
all marks of caste identity should be abolished which should lead to fusion
of all castes into one temporal and spiritual body called the Khalsa. This
view was very actively propagated by Singh Sabha, a reformist Sikh
movement which was born in the later half of 19th century in response to
Christian attempts to proselytize Sikhs. Later the Singh Sabha movement
was also engaged in a prolonged ideological battle with the Arya Samaj
of Swami Dayanand over various issues, but both reformist bodies were in
an unanimous agreement in their view that caste should not survive in
Indian society in any form whatsoever.
This issue whether Sikhism abolished all forms of caste or merely the
inequality inherent in its corrupted form has been debated extensively in

the past and is unlikely to have a clear resolution in near future. But
despite this all observant Sikhs agree on the point that all castes are
fundamentally equal and this view is also embedded firmly in the Sikh
belief and practice through the establishing of four separate but equally
weighted entrances to Hari Mandir Sahib (Golden Temple), the holiest Sikh
shrine. According to many Sikhs, each of these four entrances represents
one of the four traditional varnas of Hindu society.
If some Sikh does not believe in the equality of all castes and treats one
caste or occupation superior or inferior to the other, it is his personal
failing not that of the Sikhism.
-Prerna Patel, 18, Sophia College for Women

Chor Bazaar and the Bohra Community
HISTORY
Dawoodi Bohras are a subsect of the shia sect in Islam. They believe in
Imams; the direct descendants of prophet Muhammad, who are bestowed
with the divine knowledge. Their calendar is according to the Gregorian
calendar contrary to the Lunar calendar which is followed by the other
sects of Islam. Hasan and Hussain, the grand children of prophet
Muhammad were brutally killed by the caliphs or the political and religious
leaders of the Zahiris(literalists) and thus in their remembrance a period of
ten day of mourning is observed every year called, Muharram.
DIVERSITY WITHIN THE COMMUNITY
The Bohras are traditionally traders by profession. One could see a wide
range of occupations at Chor Bazaar ranging from sweet meat sellers-to-
diamond merchants. Like every other community there was an socio-
economic hierarchy. A tailor who specialized in making burkas was
incidentally a Hindu residing in Kandivali and had been working there for
past 25 years. There also lived a Hindu family from Uttar Pradesh who had
made this place their home for 11 years and all of them claimed to have
no trouble or exclusion of any kind. There were also mixed reactions from
a Christian girl working as a salesperson in a mobile phone store who said
that although she hasn't personally experienced animosity but it is
disturbing to see the youth whiling away their time throughout the day.
An old gentleman pointed that the literacy rate and the number of youth
opting for further studies are much higher as compared to the other Islamic
sects. Another thing noticeable was that in a stark contrast to the other
sects, this community permitted women to enter the mosques. The attire of
the men is similar to the men of the other Islamic sects but the women
don burkas which are colorful with laces and floral patters and it is this
garb that distinguishes them from the women of the other Islamic sects.

PRESENT SITUATION
A father-son duo spoke about the re-development to take place in the next
five years by the MHADA, funded and aided by both the community and
the government. Youth expressed a desire to deviate from subsect set norms
of continuing the family business to study medicine, arts, fashion and even
the film industry. Marriageable age according to the Indian Constitution: 18
for girls and 21 for boys, as opposed to in the past wherein the age bar
was much lower. The visit took place on the seventh day of Muharram and
thus, water and sherbet stalls were placed at every few feet so that no
passer-by goes thirsty.
CHALLENGES TO DIVERSITY
Girls and women were hesitant to answer any questions and so the sample
size not only being small was also restricted to one gender. Chor Bazaar
not having the most positive image, rued the youth and the old in general
since it had been and maybe still is the home for Dawood Ibrahim; the
notorious gangster and his accomplices. Conversions are compulsory for the
girl who marries a boy of their community thereby rejecting any cross
cultural influx. A kebab seller and the Hindu tailor reasoned that it is not
possible for the other communities to reside here is because the smell of
meat wafting from the kitchen and shops! The locals themselves are
reluctant to move out since they attach a sense of security to this place.
All in all it could be guessed from the first meeting itself that the Bohra
community at Chor bazaar thrives on the unity and similarity among it's
people.
-Oshin Rao, 18, Sophia College for Women

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