Good Feeling #6 – Nishant chronicles history of Kalwa

Kalwa's history being finally written across

The fragrance of the place,

we are rooted in will continue

traveling with us wherever we go

The place we are born in; the place we spend our childhood in; the place we evolve as youngsters; the place we mature as adults; I strongly believe; we belong to that place forever. We may migrate to some other place; but the fragrance of the place, we are rooted in will continue traveling with us wherever we go. In fact, I still remember saying somebody – If you pay a little more attention, I may still be smelling of Kalwa.

Yes, Kalwa is the place, of which we had been inhabitants of since our childhood. We were born here. If I had to present a list of names, just one single blog won’t suffice. But, I would still want to name my best friends Prashant Mhatre and Anil Mhatre; we are all of the same age. Born around the same time; we hail from Kalwa. Others may or may not be born here; but it won’t be wrong to say that they too hail from Kalwa. The list is longer than the number of names I have been able to mention here; Shammir Salian, Rajesh Nair, Jagdish Pillai, Kiran Kotian, Suhail Mullah, Sameer Karbhelkar, Madhavi, Sphoorthy Girish, Pratik Mirgal, Ashwin Shetty, Rajesh Shetty, Aarti Kulkarni, Subhash Kulkarni, Kavita Shanbhag, Namrata Shanbhag, Makrand Vaidya, Hemant Sonar, Kundan Mhatre, Shadab Khanbande, Zameer, Vineet Samra, Rahul Joshi, Nikhil Joshi, Vishwanath Mhatre, Vishwanath Shanbhag, Swapnil Keny, Vinod Gala, Krishna Mohan Pandey, Santosh Gupta and many more. And, Kalwa is also the place, Nishant Mhatre hails from. Nishant is the younger brother of my best friend Anil Mhatre. Our families have known each other for many years together. In fact, I never felt we ever belonged to two different families or two different households. Our families always seemed one. The reason being Kalwa; considered a smaller city compared to its modern day neighbors; but, we were all a part of a close knit fabric of cultures, communities and conduct.

As a creative writer, I have always been interested in reading about places and their historical significance. I would often wonder, if Kalwa could ever manage to have its own share of history! Little did I know that Nishant Mhatre had already commenced with his research on Kalwa. Many might not know that when India’s first railway route was built between Mumbai and Thane in the British era, half of Kalwa’s population was deployed to build one of the most significant tunnels; the Parsik Tunnel on the central route. Prashant Mhatre’s grandfather was a part of this construction. Many years later, his grandmother would narrate those heydays of Indian Railway’s constructive years. My grandmother, my mother, my grandfather and my own maternal uncles have also been a part of Kalwa. Many had migrated to Kalwa from other places but soon blended. Kalwa was always considered a stronghold of the Agri and Koli community. But gradually like other cities, Kalwa experienced an influx of Marwaris, Konkanis, Gujaratis, Bengalis, South Indians, North Indians, etc.

It is a matter of sheer pride that it is the unshakable determination of Nishant Mhatre, which will give Kalwa its first ever written historical record. Nishant’s journey is inspired from the interest generated in him by Shri Girish Salgaonkar and Shri Suren Koli. Nishant has been single handedly speaking to many people from Kalwa’s almost fading generations. He is being helped in this journey by Kundan Mhatre, Vishwanat Mhatre, Premnath Mhatre, Santosh Salvi and Priyanka Khopatkar. I guess, it is a welcoming move and Nishant’s efforts are commendable. His love for Kalwa is reflected in the comment he made while being interviewed by a Marathi news daily. He had remarked and I quote – Everyone is witnessing the urbanization of Kalwa, but I want to focus on the essence of belonging, oneness and acceptability which is to be discovered in its earth, in its mud.

Nishant Mhatre - The mind behind documenting Kalwa's history

Kalwa as is pronounced is a five lettered name of a destination. I wish to add that at times no one could make out where Kalwa could be located at. I remember my initial days of attending interviews in advertising agencies and corporate offices. They would often enquire with raised eyebrows – Which place did you say you travel from? I would often feel saddened. Yes, I agree that it didn’t sound very urban and chic like Bandra, Andheri, Dadar, Vashi, Matunga, Mahim, Thane, Ghatkopar, Mulund, Bhandup, Byculla or any other place. But Kalwa is still that place, to which we owe our lives and fortunes to.

Even today, on May 1^st, Kalwa registers a huge number of devotees who throng the Gaondevi Temple to offer their prayers to Goddess Kalwan Devi; the sacred deity, Kalwa derives its name from. On May 1^st, a fair is held to celebrate Kalwa. Similarly, in the month of August/ September, during the auspicious occasion of Rakhi Poornima or Narial Poornima; the bridge over Kalwa creek witnesses a swarm of revelers who religiously follow the culture of offering coconuts to Kalwa creek to mark the beginning of fishing season.

An entire century seems to have faded away. We did our schooling in Kalwa; we pursued our college studies from Kalwa; we learnt and unlearnt many things from Kalwa. Today many of us might have migrated out of Kalwa. But we don’t miss a single opportunity to be in Kalwa, whenever Kalwa needs us or recalls us. I wish to congratulate Nishant Mhatre for having decided to narrate its history and having considered me eligible to work on its official English translation. I agreed instantly because if you pay a little more attention, you may still discover an echo of Kalwa within me.

- Virtuous Vociferous | May 30 | May Blog-2 | What If | DaysOfAmazingExperience | 2020

Some useful links shared by Nishant:

Link-1: https://youtu.be/aneJg3CHa6c

Link-2: https://youtu.be/BuzKTTWWJEw