Mumbai gaothan residents set out to reclaim their lost heritage

The Mobai Gaothan Panchayat aims to revive Mumbai's gaothans under the Smart Gaothan Project by restoring their unique architecture and community identity

Gaothans, or small settlements, distinguished by their architectural styles and a way of living, have either given way to the rash of development in the city or become invisible within a crop of high rises surrounding them. So that this slice of Mumbai life does not become relegated to the pages of history, the Mobai Gaothan Panchayat (MGP) which works for the uplift of people in these hamlets, is attempting to reclaim the identity of the settlements, under the Smart Gaothan Project.

Mumbai, India - Jan. 1, 2025: Bazar Road at Bandra in Mumbai, India, on Wednesday, January 1, 2025. (Photo by Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

Resident of old Kurla gaothan, Gleason Barretto, who is in-charge of projects and strategy, at MGP, said, “We have put together a list of 12 features that defined the Indo-European characteristics of the hamlets – from arches in the entryways, wells, plaques with their history, ornate wooden benches, lantern-like street lights, cobblestone pathways, a community news desk, a colour scheme for the houses, and more -- which will be incorporated to revive their faded exteriors.”

Alphi D’Souza, the founder trustee of MGP, said a similar attempt to revive gaothans was made in 2016 under a project titled the Gaothan Restoration and Beautification Plan, “but we ran into a few problems”.

“Our support system to get the project off the ground wasn’t well-oiled, nor had we figured routes of funding. But we have now returned with the same objective, better prepared,” said D’Souza.

To that end, MGP has put together 113 members in a team who are assessing 50 to 60 gaothans to tabulate their shortcomings. The members are residents of the gaothans which makes it easy for them to discuss the many lacunae in these villages with other residents. Of the 189 gaothans listed, according to a 30-year-old survey, the network plans to extend its help to at least 100. Gaothans that are missed out can approach MGP for help, said D’Souza. Residents of the gaothans are predominantly from the east Indian community.

To achieve the distinctive style of a gaothan, the architectural firm brought on board will work with materials that align with the existing wooden roofs and floors, Mangalore tiles, and stone walls held together with mud and mortar. “Every gaothan has its own character, which is worth preserving,” said Samir D’Monte, principal architect of SDM Architects, commissioned for the project. The firm has completed the work on Ranwar village, in Bandra West. D’Monte said, like Ranwar, “each gaothan’s design will be distinctive”.

D’Monte started work on Ranwar in 2010, as a personal initiative, when its residents were not keen on any embellishments despite government funds allocated for the purpose. “The residents were hesitant of the ‘heritage’ tag, which they feared would block their chances of redevelopment. Despite recognizing the value of their ancestral surroundings, these houses are often the only financial asset residents have.”

In order to win them over, SDM decided to solve their civic problems: bad roads, poor drainage and sewage outflows. “Only after that were we able to start restoring the village to its original glory. We paved the village square with cobblestone, added signage that blended in, attempted to organize the traffic, and encouraged people to do up their own homes, among other things,” said D’Monte.

Other upgrades included installing fire-fighting pipes under the main roads of the village, with connections at every end and a hydrant in every lane, as the lanes of Ranwar are too narrow for fire engines to go through at a time of crisis.

D’Monte said, he and his colleagues plan to use the experience at Ranwar as a template for other gaothans, along with an additional focus on restoring oratories and crosses, and ensuring adequate space for parking.

MGP will approach MLAs, MPs and the BMC to fund the Smart Gaothan Project, and should the corpus be inadequate the body will look for local sponsors, CSR funds and crowdfunding.

“There are some villages in Mumbai that have lost their tag of gaothans after declassification, such as the one on Bazar Road, in Bandra. We aim to revive them through this move. There are also a few in Andheri West whose residents have expressed their interest; we will connect with them and bring them back to their illustrious past,” said Barretto.