About
East Indians or East Indian Catholics are a Marathi-speaking, Roman Catholic ethnic group, based in and around the city of Mumbai in the state of Maharashtra.
These people are of the original Marathi ethnic group and had been evangelized by the Portuguese, while retaining much of their pre-Christian traditions.
Though the Portuguese brought Cathlocism to the people of Mumbai the reason for the name "East Indians" is interesting.
Mumbai was build on 7 marshy Islands.On 11 May 1661, the marriage treaty of Charles II of England and Catherine of Braganza,
daughter of King John IV of Portugal, placed Bombay in the possession of the British Empire, as part of Catherine's dowry
to Charles.From the early days of the East India Company, there were no other Indian Christians in the North Konkan
except the Mumbai Catholics. Employments that were intended for the Christians, were the monopoly of the Mumbai Catholics.
With development, came in railways and steamship, a boon for the traveling public.
And with that came a number of emigrants from Goa who were also known as Portuguese Christians.
The British found it expedient to adopt a designation which would distinguish the Christians
of North Konkan who were British subjects and the Goan and Mangalorean Catholics who were Portuguese subjects.
Accordingly on the occasion of The Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria,
the Christians of North Konkan, who were known as "Portuguese Christians"
discarded that name and adopted the designation "East Indian". By the adoption of the name
"East Indian" they wanted to impress upon the British Government of Bombay that they were
the earliest Roman Catholic Subjects of the British Crown in this part of India, in as much as
Bombay, by its cession in 1661, was the first foothold the British acquired in India.
As the children of the soil, they urged on the Government,
that they were entitled to certain natural rights and privileges as against the emigrants
Famous East Indians
1) Gonzalo Garcia: The First Roman Catholic Saint from India.
2) Joseph "Kaka" Baptista: Indian Freedom Fighter.
Famous folk song
Galen sakhali sonyachi
Galen sakhali sonyachi
Yee pori konachi,
Whose daughter is this?
Galen sakhali sonyachi,
Yee pori konachi,
Whose daughter is this?
Yachi aais bhi teacher, Ani bapus bhi teacher,
Her mother is teacher, and father too is a teacher,
Yee pori konachi
Whose daughter is this?
Yachi aais bhi teacher, Ani bapus bhi teacher,
Her mother is teacher, and father too is a teacher,
Yee pori konachi
Whose daughter is this?
