Matharpacady residents fight for the old gaothan

The village is dominated by the East Indian Christians where residents have easy camaraderie given their shared history. “I know everyone here. People turn to me for help all the time,” she added, evident in the way people slipped into chit-chats after the sombre march

Around 200 citizens, most of them from Matharpacady, a small precinct in Mazgaon seemingly caught in a time warp, held a short candlelight march on Friday, to resist change in their neighbourhood. Protestors walked through the narrow lanes of the village ending at Holy Cross Oratory, built in 1875, as the sun dipped in the horizon and evening shadows gathered.

Mumbai, India - Nov. 3, 2023: Residents of Matharpacady take out a candlelight march to oppose the cluster redevelopment in the village at Mazgoan, in Mumbai, India, on Friday, November 3, 2023. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

It was a collective opposition to the gaothan’s redevelopment, which will change their way of life for ever. Part of the village is set to be included in cluster redevelopment, where the largely colourful one-storey bungalow apartments will give way to high rise buildings. In fact, on October 3, 395 residents – 235 of them residing in the village, the other 160 in a transit camp - received an offer for redevelopment of their houses.

“Buildings don’t hold a candle to the houses we have here,” said Renie Baptista, 64, president of the Matharpacady Residents Welfare Association, looking at the quaint houses in the neighbourhood with fenced porches, archways over doors, curved balconies and sloping roofs.

“I came to this house after I got married 38 years ago. It came to my husband’s grandmother as part of her dowry. The house is at least 140 to 150 years old. I now live here with my husband, son’s family and granddaughter,” said Baptista.

Over time, the Matharpacady demographic has evolved, with Bohra Muslims and Marwaris adding to the mix. On the other hand, many old-timers have moved overseas or joined their children elsewhere.

The exchange offer given to residents in the redevelopment plan is a handsome one, especially for those residing in smaller houses, starting at 80 sq ft. Owners of 300 sq ft houses will get 550 sq ft houses, while those in space beyond that will get additional 60% space.

Shopkeepers have been offered to turn their shops into residential spaces of 550 sq ft. Old landlords, tenants and shopkeepers will be relocated into a 40-storey building.

The lure of new larger spaces has attracted a few, leading to a cleave within the community. “I support the redevelopment, and so do 35 others in my building,” said Sharad Satardekar, a tenant and chairman of the Ganga Nat Krupa building, a single-storey chawl. The houses here are barely 180 sq ft, and Satardekar resides in this tight space with his mother, wife and two college-going children. Although his family has lived here for three generations, Satardekar chooses pragmatism over sentiment.

“Those who are able to meet their basic needs can afford to think about heritage and beauty,” he said. “But many here earn barely ₹15,000 to ₹20,000 a month. They can’t afford to move elsewhere. Residents of two buildings share five toilets. There are many cases where marriages are not being fixed as no woman wants to live in a house with a community toilet.”

He also pointed out that some houses are in a poor condition and the repairs will be unaffordable as they are Grade-3 heritage structures. He feels the fight against redevelopment will become weaker as “most houses here have been bought by the builder”. Rajendra Chaturvedi, chairman of Shreepati Build Infra Heritage Private Limited, that is redeveloping the precinct, confirmed this, saying 705 of landlords and tenants have already consented to the redevelopment. “I don’t need any more, but I’m trying to get everyone’s consent and I’m confident I will. To sweeten the pot even more, I’m offering the landlords ₹50,000 per square metre,” he said. Baptista is aware of this but given her strong connection to the centuries-old land, she lamented: “We are never going to get a village like this again.” She mourned loss of community prayers by the church and the quiet of the neighbourhood making way for noisy television blaring from the new households.

Fleur D’Souza, former head of department of history, St Xavier’s, said, “There are few heritage precincts left in the city that show how Bombay was over a hundred years ago. And living in low rises creates a community that will be altered when buildings are erected in its place. It’s sad that the city does not know how to care about its own history.” And there is no middle ground to strive for either, as conservation architect Vikas Dilawari said, “That’s the catch. Who is conservation for – is it for the residents or those who are watching?”

Friday’s protest march, ideated by Watchdog Foundation’s Godfrey Pimenta started with a prayer. “Any civilisation that protects its heritage is a civilisation that protects its history. We hope that good sense will prevail,” said a priest who was a part of the march.