Indigenous People of Bombay / Mumbai

Preface:

The intentions of compiling this book is to inform the reader of a great people or a Race in the area known as Bombay to the world, and Mumbai or Mobai to us locals.

I speak of a race that is indigenous to the seven islands and areas surrounding them. Indigenous meaning aboriginal, Originating from, not traveled from anywhere and so on. There are evidences of evolution of our aboriginal people from the Stone Age, to present day electronic or virtual age. We come not from the Austro-Asiatic heritage, nor from Indo-Aryan heritage. Our Heritage is of a people who have not migrated nor traveled, but have remained in these co-ordinates millennia before the Aryans and Pre-Aryans.

The Indigenous people have been constantly struggling to preserve and protect their identity and way of life. Lately the onslaught of government policy has done little to benefit these tribes but profit largely the migrant population.

The Indigenous peoples are many tribes, who have suffered and survived various plagues, floods, invasions, rulers, religions, mostly wiping out their original ways of life and spirituality and adopting newer ones. Anthropologists have the slightest ideas of the early years of these peoples. Anthropologists spend most of their time juggling truth with desires of the ruling governments. Obviously, when the world is still struggling with the hieroglyphics on the seals of Mohenjo Daro, Harappa lothal etc., they lag far behind in knowing a race that is pure till date. A race that has not mixed with the Aryans or Moguls or Marathas or the Portuguese or the British barring a small number called Anglo Indians. A race tagged by the British during their colonial occupation as, ‘East Indians’.

If one takes a closer look at History, one will find layers of invasions, wars, foreign cultures and so on. Beneath these layers lie the origins of the Indigenous peoples.

Information on culture, arts, livelihood, inventions and what not, lie buried in the ground. But invasions have come in various forms of religion, culture, economies, ideologies [socialists, democratic, communists etc.]. These concepts have come like a storm or subtly in the form of ‘development’ and nation building. Where does it leave us who have facilitated this platform of nation building? Well… run over – Jobless, Homeless, voiceless. But through all the muck, a Lotus does come out to face the storm and be rewarded with the beautiful sun.

Wars have clearly shoved the victor’s way of life, culture and religion on the vanquished. This was only possible by destroying and hijacking what ‘was’ in order to propagate what ‘will be’. Well, the Aryans know it, the Moguls know it, The Marathas know it and Rome knows it.

Little is known about the natives before the Aryans invaded. Much of what the Aryans brought survived. Some of what the Moguls brought remain and not much of what the Portuguese brought remain, Not Much of what the British brought remains. So Where to begin the search of the indigenous tribes roots?

Fortunately not all caves could be destroyed, not all Stone Age art could be destroyed, and not all the aboriginal or Indigenous people could be destroyed.

Early Greek philosophers have mentioned our people and our places in their books. Those books have survived.

Many tribes have preserved ways of life that run millennia transferred from parents to children and so on. Their ways have watered down to evolve with time, but their roots are strong and clear.

Lately, many have tried to showcase culture in the form of food festivals, a vain effort to bring a Great people together. When there is no vision, bankruptcy of ideas will be the obvious revelation.

I have taken it upon myself to put some facts with references on the aboriginal people of Bombay / Mumbai / Mobai and its surrounding areas in this book. Not only as information to maintain continuity, but to encourage the younger generations like me about a great people who have endured a lot and are still standing tall.

I would like to encourage my people the ‘East Indians’ or Indigenous peoples of Bombay / Mumbai / Mobai, that they belong to a great race. A majority of purity still survives today. Our Heritage does not go back a few centuries to the Abhiras of western Maharashtra or the Vakatakas. People have termed these rulers as Indigenous rulers. Lets suppose the king of Kashmir ruled Tamil Nadu, do you think the Tamils will term the King of Kashmir as Indigenous or foreign? The right thinking mind would say foreign. So were the rulers of these peaceful people, foreign and not indigenous.

Our heritage goes back even further. How does 50,000 years sound to you? There are scientific evidences for such a claim.

This effort was only possible with the help of people much senior to me. People who have helped in preserving texts and information passed on from their forefathers to them. I would proudly call them ‘My People’.

This effort is to encourage and educate my people. A mentality that has been with most of us for decades [if not centuries] ever since capitalism became a norm or a way of life and competition was a frontrunner in human relationships, a mentality of “Crabs in a Basket”.

I would like to appeal to all to please put these superficial desires of wealth and property which no one takes when the ‘Jeev’, ‘Aatma’ or the soul leaves the body, and to focus on unity and a cohesive attitude where by allowing the entire race to move forward like a wave, creating an impact in the sands of time.

Luke Mendes

[From the Book yet to be published which is temporarily titled "Bombay's Indigenous People". Following this is a brief history titled 'Mobai's History'.