 | | PICTURE SPEAK | |  | | A CHRISTIAN FAMILY at Salsette Catholic Housing Society in Bandra, which overlooks a community gymkhana | | After three months of house hunting, Jayesh and Nivedita Roy, a Bengali couple in Mumbai, found the apartment of their choice in a peaceful housing society in Goregaon. But the deal was called off when Roy revealed that he was a Bengali. The building, located in a Gujarati-dominated locality of Goregaon-a suburb in northern Mumbai-housed only vegetarian Gujaratis. This is not a stray case in the city, where several people face this discrimination on the basis of religion and caste. Mumbai is witnessing an increase in the number of community-specific buildings as people form their own societies and debar other communities from buying flats there. Earlier it was the vegetarian communities who had problems living with non-vegetarian neighbours. But now food habits have transgressed into a more serious matter-people increasingly want to live with neighbours who share the same language, culture, customs and festivals. The surname determines whether a person can live in a building or not. From upmarket south Mumbai to the rapidly developing northern suburbs of Malad and Kandivali, the city is dotted with buildings where people of a community live in clusters. Muslim-only buildings are a common feature in the Muslim-dominated areas of Mazgaon and Raey Road in central Mumbai. The nouveau rich suburbs of Vile Parle and Juhu have numerous buildings of Gujaratis and Jains and Bandra has a housing society where only Catholics can buy flats. Even sub-groups within religious communities have their separate societies. Developers are making the most of this growing trend by demanding and getting a premium for these properties. However, the property does not remain that lucrative in case of resale with prospective buyers limited to one community. At times, owners are forced to sell their property at rates 10-20 per cent lower than the first purchase. Estate agents, too, are reluctant to deal in these buildings. | | PICTURE SPEAK | |  | | JAINS outside a derasar at Pleasant Palace. Developers often build a community hall or temple within the buildings. | | Some builders think these buildings are only marketing gimmicks to ensure higher rates and faster sales. "These buildings are made by small developers; no builder of repute will make such buildings," says Niranjan Hiranandani, managing director of the Hiranandani Group, leading builders in Mumbai. Despite the flip side, an increasing number of buyers continue to opt for community buildings. The reasons vary: security, comfort, similar food habits, language, festivals and customs. For some, it is the desire to protect their culture and traditions and pass them on to their children by reducing contact with other cultures. Sometimes, daily conflicts with neighbours also lead people to live with their community members. Take the case of Micheal Henriques, who moved into Anclare Abode, a Catholic building in Bandra, after living in a cosmopolitan building in central Mumbai for over 25 years and witnessing regular fights in the neighbourhood. The camaraderie and bonhomie that community living provides also draws people to these buildings. | | PICTURE SPEAK | |  | | A MUSLIM FAMILY living in Asha, a community building in Juhu, where festivals are celebrated on the terrace | | They also give residents the freedom to celebrate festivals without putting others to inconvenience. Members of Anclare Abode are glad they don't have to bear the noise of firecrackers and blaring loudspeakers during some festivals, while at Krishna Nivas, the Jain residents perform pajushan rituals together. Developers encourage this trend by offering a community hall or a temple within the building. A derasar (temple) is a common feature in most Jain buildings. Sometimes, a temple keeps non-vegetarian communities out of the housing society. Residents of these buildings believe that this arrangement leads to greater peace and tolerance between communities. At a comfortable distance from other communities, people can safeguard their culture and respect other faiths as well. With an increasing demand for community buildings in the city, secular Mumbaikars fear that the trend will corrode the cosmopolitan nature of the city and take them back to the days when people lived in community settlements. The traditional Parsi colonies in Dadar, the Saraswat colonies in Talmikiwadi, Koliwadas and Sindh societies are a result of this movement. The chawl culture (where people lived together in buildings with long common corridors, halls and toilets), unique to Mumbai, was born out of the trend of communities living together. But over the years, Mumbai has evolved into a city with a pluralist culture where borders between communities are broken down. The only thread binding all Mumbaikars is the desire to attain their dreams and be successful. Every person, regardless of religion, creed or language, is integrated into the city and proudly called a Mumbaikar. So, while community-specific buildings might give people unrestricted freedom to practise their religion and foster better relations, the true Mumbaikar hopes they don't take away the cosmopolitan spirit of the city. Index
|
