Gaothan panchayat set to bring traditional East Indian goods to your doorstep

From prawn and papaya pickles to chequered nine-yard saris and coconut shell ladles, traditional East Indian goods will soon be only a phone call away.

From prawn and papaya pickles to chequered nine-yard saris and coconut shell ladles, traditional East Indian goods will soon be only a phone call away.

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An initiative of the Mobai Gaothan Panchayat (MGP), an organisation of the city’s ancient East Indian villages, the ‘East Indian Bazaar’ will be launched in the first week of May. In its first phase, the bazaar will be set up in the Juhu gaothan, where native East Indian products will be sold at subsidised rates and delivered at your doorstep. The MGP plans to set up similar stores across all the other 188 gaothans in the city based on the response to their pilot project in Juhu.

“Since setting up similar bazaars in all gaothans this year will be difficult, we are also planning to organise mobile stores across the major gaothans,” said Alphi D’souza, president, MGP.

The store, which will be manned by the locals from the Juhu gaothan, will sell traditional goods at subsidised rates. While spices and pickles will be priced at approximately Rs30 per packet, traditional musical instruments will be sold for Rs 250 with saris likely to cost up to Rs 600.

“It is a very important step in preserving the traditions of the city’s earliest residents, the East Indians,” said Clint Caston, sarpanch of the Juhu gaothan.

“The goods will be prepared and packaged by the economically weaker members of our gaothan. Thus, it is also an income generating venture for the community,” Caston added.