#Bombayphile - Mumbai's Over 300 Years Old Connection with Israel.

 

My school was in the Samuel Street of Masjid Bunder in Mumbai. As a student, I never bothered to find out who Samuel was and why the street was named on him. I assumed that he might be some bigshot from the colonial era. It was around twenty-five years later, after passing out from the school, that I delved into the history of Samuel Street while researching for my first novel “Bombay 3”. I came across a very interesting story which tells Mumbai’s relation with the Israeli’s.

The local train travellers on the Central Railway know that the first station after the train originates from CSMT is Masjid. The word Masjid in Urdu translates into mosque, but in reality, the station is not named after any mosque, but after a synagogue, a Jewish place of worship. Hardly after a two minutes’ walk from the station, one reaches a yellow-coloured structure named “Gate of Mercy.” There is a history of why the synagogue has been so named.

Two Bene-Israelis named Samuel Ezekeil and Isaac Ezekeil were soldiers of the British East India Company. In the Mysore war, they were captured by Tipu Sultan’s army and were sentenced to death. Before executing them, Tipu asked to which caste they belonged. When the duo told that they were Bene-Israelis, Tipu’s mother intervened and asked Tipu to forgive them as she had read about the community in the Holy Quran. Tipu then entered into a prisoner swap deal with the Britishers and returned them.

Bene-Israelis came from the middle-east several centuries ago and landed at Alibag on the Konkan coastline. They follow Judaism. Although they follow the religious texts and practices, Bene-Israelis have also adopted Maharashtrian customs, traditions and attires. Many use the place of their dwelling as their surname, like Ramrajkar, Bamnolkar, Divekar and so on.

After returning to Bombay, they established a synagogue in 1796 to express their gratitude to God. It is the oldest synagogue in India.Initially the location was somewhere near today’s CSMT railway station, but in 1860, it was shifted to the present one. The locals mistook it be a mosque and started calling it “Juni Masjid”. The area is called Masjid Bunder due to its proximity to the port. In Marathi ‘Bunder’ means port.

The street was named as Samuel Street in his remembrance. It is hardly 200 metres away from my school’s building. Adjacent to the Samuel Street is Israel Mohalla where several Jew families lived once. Later on, members of the Pathan gang started living there. Few years back, an aspiring drug mafia was apprehended from the area by the Narcotics Control Bureau. The Gate of Mercy Synagogue is still active, although the turnout of faithful remains low. Most of the Bene-Israelis have shifted to adjacent cities, like Thane and Navi Mumbai.

(Bombayphile is published every week where Jitendra Dixit writes about the past and the present of Mumbai.)

PS: The Masjid Bunder are mentioned in this blog is a very interesting place with a unique character within the city of Mumbai. Those who are eager to know more must read my books “Bombay 3” and “Bombay After Ayodhya”.

 

#Bombayphile How Prepared Is Mumbai To Prevent Hamas Like Terror Attack?

Some people may find it absurd to compare Mumbai with Tel Aviv in the context of terrorism. The biggest terrorist attack on Israel was from all fronts: air, sea and land. Over 5,000 rockets were launched to target buildings in Israel and the terrorists used paragliders to land at public places and massacre people. Hundreds of Israelis were abducted on gunpoint. Although Mumbai has endured some of the biggest terrorist attacks in India, none of them have been of this magnitude. However, Mumbai continues to be on the radar of terrorists and one question that comes to my mind is, how safe is Mumbai from Hamas like attack?

From 11 March 1993 to 11 July 2011, Mumbai has witnessed over 10 terrorist incidents in which around 700 people have been killed and over two thousand have been injured. The attack on 26 November 2008 was the last big terror attack on Mumbai, not in terms of the number of people killed, but, due to the multiplicity of the locations and the number of hours it stretched. There are some parallels between the attack on Israel and Mumbai. After the terrorist attack at Kalbadevi on 14 September 1946, it was the first attack where the gunmen landed at public places and indiscriminately shot people. In the 26/11 attacks, the terrorists had captured two seven star hotels, attacked Mumbai’s prime railway station and a hospital. The Jewish cultural centre at Colaba was also one of the targeted locations. They planted bombs in two taxis which exploded at Wadi Bunder and Juhu. There were hostage situations at the Taj Mahal Hotel, Trident Hotel, and Nariman House. At Trident and Nariman House, most of the hostages were killed. It took 59 hours for the National Security Guard (NSG) to clear all the locations by eliminating the infiltrators, but not before the Chief of Anti-Terrorist Squad, two commandos and many policemen were slain.

Just like Mossad is being held responsible for intelligence failure, the Indian security establishment too failed in preempting the attacks, although they had got a whiff that Pakistan-based terrorists are planning to infiltrate via the sea route. There were few intelligence reports sent to the Mumbai Police alerting about the imminent attacks. The attacks also posed a question about the efficiency to the coastal security agencies. Undoubtedly, it was a warlike situation and neither the intelligence agencies nor the Mumbai Police anticipated the level of attacks. But the concern now is whether the security apparatus is prepared to deal with another 26/11 type attack or the one orchestrated by Hamas in Isreal, which is much bigger in magnitude. I have covered those attacks on ground and have followed the aftermath. During the last fifteen years, I have reported several times on the Mumbai's vulnerability to terrorist attacks. I still find the city vulnerable and its counter-terror preparedness is down at an alarming level.

A few years back, Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had published a damning report on Mumbai’s coastal security. After the attacks, as a knee-jerk reaction, the state government spent millions of rupees in procuring speed boats, jet ski and amphibian vehicles for the coastal security. However, within a few years, most of them were defunct due to lack of maintenance and unavailability of replacement for the malfunctioning parts. The adequate supply of diesel was another issue. Once a policeman deployed on a patrolling boat fell into the sea and was drowned. It was revealed that most of the cops on duty in the coastal security units weren’t skilled in swimming. However, evening boat parties at the Gateway of India have been restricted due to the “terror threat”. Today, at most of the railway stations, one can see door-frame-metal-detectors and X-Ray machines to check luggage, but there aren’t enough personnel to man them. Most of the measures taken up in the name of security after 26/11 have sadly been eye wash.  

After the 26/11 attacks, the Ram Pradhan Committee was set up to investigate the attack and to suggest measures to tighten up the security. However, nothing concrete has been done on their recommendations. The only positive development that I could see is that Mumbai now has three kinds of commando forces deployed in the city. First is the QRT (Quick Response Team) of Mumbai Police, the second is the Force One of the state police and the third is NSG, which has opened a regional headquarter in Mumbai. In case of a terror attack, the QRT would be the first responder. However, these commando forces would be required only when an attack happens, but what has been done to preempt another attack? Obviously, everything couldn’t be revealed for public consumption. I trust that the intelligence and security agencies have learnt their lessons and Mumbai is safe from evil eyes.

(Bombayphile is published every week where Jitendra Dixit writes about the past and the present of Mumbai.)

#Bombayphile : The Cosmopolitanism of Mumbai And Its Aberrations

 

 

The residential tower where I live is a microcosm of Mumbai. My neighbours are Maharashtrian, Bengalis, Gujaratis, Tamilians, Keralities, Biharis and a few from other states of India. They practice different faiths like Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Jainism, Buddhism, Christianity and Zoroastrianism. The managing committee of the housing society comprises people of varied linguistic, religious, and regional origins. There is no rule barring a particular community from buying or renting property in the building. As long as you are paying your maintenance bills on time, you are treated with respect. There are hundreds of housing societies like mine where people belonging to different communities live harmoniously. However, recently an incident that happened in the suburb Mulund of Mumbai led to a tremendous uproar and questioned the city’s cosmopolitan image. It especially enraged a section of the Maharashtrian community.

A Maharashtrian woman and her husband went to scout for an office space in Mulund’s Shiv Sadan society. However, a Gujarati father-son, one of whom was the officer bearer of the society, told them that as per the society rules, office space couldn’t be given to Maharashtrians. When the lady tried to record their statement, her mobile phone was snatched, and the couple was roughed up. She narrated her ordeal with tears in her eyes on the social media, which went viral. It led to a huge outrage not only from the Marathi speaking population but also people from other ethnicities. Many Gujaratis expressed regret saying that the father-son duo didn’t represent the views of the whole Gujarati community in Mumbai.

The political parties were swift to pick up the issue, alleging that despite the CM of Maharashtra being a Marathi and heading a party known for championing the cause of sons of the soil, “Marathi Manoos” was getting extinct from the city. Taking cognisance of the controversy, workers of Raj Thackeray’s party MNS raided the society and compelled the father-son duo to apologise. A criminal case was registered against them for inciting bad blood among communities and were arrested.

There is a history of conflict between the Marathi and Gujarati speaking population of Mumbai dating back to 1950s when the Samyukta Maharashtra movement was launched to make Mumbai a part of Maharashtra. However, the current controversy couldn’t be viewed just in the context of Marathi Vs Gujarati. The incident has conveyed that still there are people in Mumbai who are averse to its cosmopolitanism. It has not happened for the first time when such an incident has happened in a city which takes pride in its inclusivity.

There are several housing societies in Mumbai, dominted by one particular community, that  disallows members of other communities to buy and rent out flats. These societies primarily make such rules due to their intolerance towards non-vegetarians. They couldn’t stand the smell of fish, egg or meat emanating out of somebody’s kitchen. Some societies audaciously had even put notices saying–“Only Jains Allowed.” They occupied spaces of the building walls till the eyes of some political workers caught them. I remember that around two decades back, the Shiv Sena had launched a “fish throwing agitation” on the premises of such buildings. Some societies inhabited by strict vegetarians disallowed sale and renting out flats to non-vegetarians. One morning, a group of Koli women belonging to the Shiv Sena barged into one of the residential towers in Malabar Hill and threw kilos of rotten, smelly fish all around.

In the last few years, there have been several reports where Muslim individuals and families have complained that it was tough to find a decent home in Mumbai due to discrimination based on their religion. Refusal of flats to Muslims has not been only because of their eating habits, but also rooted in the over one-and-half century long animosity between the two communities in Mumbai. From 1893 to 1993, Mumbai has seen seven major Hindu-Muslim riots in which thousands of people have been killed. The polarising politics of the recent years is further deepening the divide.   

But such incidents don’t reflect the true character of Mumbai. They are aberrations. By and large, Mumbai has successfully preserved its cosmopolitan spirit, where people from across the world arrive and thrive. It is a different fact that aberrations of such image get over-amplified in this age of social media and the politics of hate.

( Bombayphile is published every week where Jitendra Dixit writes about the past and the present of Mumbai.)

 

#Bombayphile Lalbaugcha Raja : How Communal Tension Led To A Tradition

 

Maharashtra’s biggest festival Ganeshutsav will come to an end this week. The highest crowd pulling pandal of Mumbai through the last several decades has been that of Lalbaugcha Raja in the mill district of the central Mumbai. Here is an excerpt from my book “Bombay After Ayodhya” where I wrote about a tradition associated with the festival :

The tall fame of Lalbaug Ka Raja extends till the last day of the festival when the 15 feet tall idol gets pulled out of the pandal for immersion at Girgaon Chowpatty. Lakhs of people participate in this 7-kilometre-long procession, which takes about twenty hours because of the swarm of people throughout. The procession passes through some of the most congested areas of South and Central Mumbai, including a few communally sensitive patches. A large number of policemen are deployed when the procession crosses the Muslim-dominated localities like Byculla, Nagpada and Do Taki. In 1946, taking note of the communal riots that preceded the festival, the Bombay Police ordered the route of the procession to be altered. However, the organisers refused to obey and insisted on following the traditional route. Ultimately, the immersion procession was taken out ten days later from the same route. ‘The traditional route of the procession is sacrosanct as well because sentiments of people are attached to it,’ said Sudhir Salvi, an office bearer of the pandal.

The tradition of procession continued even during some of the most sensitive times, such as the wars with Pakistan during 1965 and 1971 and the horrifying Hindu-Muslim riots in Bhiwandi during 1984. The year 1993 was perhaps the trickiest one. That year, the Ganeshutsav was celebrated in the aftermath of the deadliest communal riots of Bombay and a series of bomb blasts that shook the country. Sudhir Salvi recollects, ‘The situation was very tense, and we were worried about the consequences when the procession would pass from the Muslim-dominated areas. Then a Muslim social worker named Jamdar Zariwala came to meet us with people from his community. He said, “Whatever has happened has happened. We want to welcome Lalbaug Ka Raja. When the procession reaches Nagpada junction, all office bearers are invited on our stage. We will welcome you with Shahi Sherbet (royal drink). Let the message of Hindu-Muslim unity go to the world from Bombay.” From that year, it has become a tradition. Muslims welcome Lalbaug Ka Raja and revellers are served Shahi Serbet. Jamdar chacha died few years ago but his son has continued the tradition. The procession passes with no trouble from the Muslim areas. En route to Chowpatty, Lalbaug Ka Raja is welcomed at another location as well by the Muslim populace. When the procession reaches Hindustani Masjid at Byculla, the Raja is garlanded and the Muslim residents distribute sweets.

The procession of Lalbaug Ka Raja is also one of the two religious events in Mumbai, where governmental agencies also participate in an unusual way. When the procession crosses the headquarters of the Mumbai Fire Brigade at Byculla, all the fire engines blare their sirens simultaneously and switch on the beacons to “salute” the Lord. The second tradition relates to the fifteenth century Sufi Saint Makhdoom Ali Mahimi’s shrine at Mahim. During the annual urs or fair organised in December every year, the policemen sing and dance in the procession and enjoy the first right to pay their respects at the saint’s tomb. Makhdoom Ali Baba is famous as ‘the Saint of Police’ and it is believed that the policemen have been able to solve several complicated cases with his blessings.

Coming back to the Lalbaug Ka Raja, by the time his procession reaches Girgaon Chowpatty, it is 6 or 7 am of the following day. Colourful boats of fishers surround the idol and extend final salutations to the Lord. The idol is gently pulled into the deep waters of the Arabian Sea and immersed.   

(Bombayphile is published weekly where Jitendra Dixit writes about the past and present of Mumbai.)

#Bombayphile : Mumbai-Goa Highway : No Longer A "Dil Chahta Hai" Experience

 

Have you watched "Dil Chahta Hai"(2001) where three friends enjoy their drive on the Mumbai-Goa Highway? Do you remember Amitabh Bachchan starrer "Bombay To Goa"(1972) where a bus full of characters traverses through the scenic road? These movies have showcased how pleasurable the road journey from Mumbai to Goa used to be. Today, Mumbai-Goa Highway has become an antithesis of pleasure. Now, it is a hellish highway.

Maharashtra's biggest festival Ganesh Utsav is around the corner. A large number of Marathi speaking people in Mumbai belong to Konkan which is connected through Mumbai - Goa Highway and many of them leave Mumbai to celebrate the festival at their native village. The trains and buses towards Konkan are overbooked. Many people form groups and hire private vehicles to reach Konkan. The Maharashtra government, to please the Konkanis, has waived off the toll charges for to and fro journey. It is an attempt to generate goodwill. But this is just a tokenism. Waiving a few hundred rupees taken as the toll fees doesn't provide any relief to the travellers to have to undertake an ardous journey on the highway.

Over a decade back, the government announced the widening of Mumbai-Goa Highway. A tunnel was also proposed for smoothly navigating through the lengthy Kashedi Ghat. It was announced that Goa could be reached from Mumbai within 8 hours, which took 13-14 hours then. However, things took a different turn during these years.

Even after a decade, the widening work of the highway is anything but complete. A few fragments have been completed but by and large the work is pending in a major part of the road. First it took aeons for the land acquisition and get other clearances. Then, the contractors ran away. Multiple contractors were appointed to carry on the widening work. The delay led to cost escalation.

All this mess has made travelling on the highway inconvenient and unsafe. Too many diversions and potholes prolong the journey. They have also caused numerous accidents. A few years ago, I did a special story on Shirdhon village near Panvel, adjacent to the highway, where every second or third family lost somebody in accidents at the highway. Some of the people killed were little children and teenagers. I spoke to a roadside dhaba owner Bhushan Mhatre, who said that he has stopped counting the number of dead bodies he has picked up in the last ten years. The Mumbai-Goa Highway has become one of the most dangerous roads in India.

More than the toll waiver people need the swift completion of the road widening works. Many people travelling to Konkan avoid Goa Highway and take Pune-Kolhapur road instead. It is longer but relatively safer and smooth. Hope the government pays heed to the grievances of people and the highway gets ready to offer "Dil Chahta Hai" experience again.

(Bombayphile is published weekly where Jitendra Dixit writes about the past and the present of Mumbai.)

#Bombayphile : Concern For Hindi In English

 

This week, the celebration of "Hindi Diwas" will be in full swing, with schools, colleges, government institutions, banks and language advocacy organizations all getting into the spirit. They'll be hosting seminars and discussions to highlight the growing significance of Hindi on the global stage. However, there will also be some traditionalists expressing concerns about the infiltration of English words into written and spoken Hindi. As someone whose mother tongue is Hindi and who has been a Hindi journalist for nearly three decades, I find myself at odds with this group.


I believe it's these die-hard Hindi enthusiasts who compelled airlines to issue warnings to passengers about smoke detectors in airplane toilets using phrases like "Shauchalayon me dhoomra anusandhaan yantra lagei hain" (Smoke detection devices are installed in the toilets). It sounds as if some equipment for scientific research has been installed in the lavatories. Why can't they simply say "Shauchalayon me dhuaan pakadne waali machine lagi hai"? I also find it rather amusing when the railways refer to overhead electrical wires as "oopri upaskar" (upper equipment).


What we commonly use as everyday Hindi is, in reality, Hindustani—a fusion of Sanskritized Hindi and Urdu. This is the language predominantly used by the Hindi film industry, Bollywood. In Bollywood, we often encounter words like "Jurm" (crime) instead of "Apraadh," "khoon" instead of "hatya" (murder), "adalat" (court) in place of "nyayala," "kitaab" (book) instead of "pustak," "school" instead of "Vidyalaya," "gaadi" (car) instead of "vaahan," "Chaand" (moon) instead of "Chandrama," "Suraj" (sun) instead of "Surya," and so on.
The charm and strength of Hindi lie in its adaptability and flexibility. Language enthusiasts know that Hindi has evolved by incorporating words from various languages, much like English has adopted words like "Guru," "Pandit," and "Roti" into the Oxford English Dictionary. In metropolitan areas like Mumbai and Delhi, Hindi serves as the language that unites people from different parts of India who have migrated there. "Mumbaiya Hindi" has evolved by assimilating words from Urdu, Marathi, Gujarati, and other regional languages. Another variation of Hindi is "Hyderabadi Hindi." Even when traveling abroad, I often observe individuals from different non-Hindi speaking states of India conversing in Hindi, if not in English, on the streets of Rome, New York, Tokyo, or Bangkok.


There's no need to make strenuous efforts for the growth of Hindi. The language, by its nature, is prolific, with the only condition being that it shouldn't be made overly complex or imposed on populations whose mother tongue isn't English. Recent overt and covert attempts by some members of the union government to promote Hindi as "the national language" have faced resistance, particularly in the southern Indian states. Allegations of "Hindi supremacy" have arisen, which do more harm than good for Hindi. In my view, there's no need for extra efforts to promote Hindi; its inherent nature and strength will naturally endear it to non-Hindi speakers.


I'd also like to mention another extreme that poses a threat to Hindi. In the pursuit of making Hindi more "appealing," "youthful," and "modern," some rather unusual experiments have been conducted with the language. One such example is the Navbharat Times. Although I received my education in an English-medium school, it was this newspaper that cultivated my interest in Hindi and Hindi journalism. However, I've heard that some "brand manager" has diluted its language, and now Navbharat Times reads like an English newspaper in the Devanagari script.


(Bombayphile is published weekly, where Jitendra Dixit delves into the past and present of Mumbai.)

#Bombayphile Telgi Scam: Crime Reporting In Mumbai 20 Years Ago

 

In the last two decades, the landscape of crime reporting in Mumbai has undergone a dramatic transformation. Gone are the days when crime reporters chronicled a never-ending saga of violence, featuring shootouts resulting from gang wars and police encounters. In addition to this “routine coverage,” a crime reporters had to demonstrate their investigative prowess by unearthing stories that unveiled corruption and administrative negligence. These fearless exposés, which often made those in power uncomfortable and insecure, were a common sight in the media. Back then, there was no WhatsApp, and a reporter who filed a "table story" was met with disdain. Unfortunately, this style of crime reporting has become increasingly rare, and the blame cannot be solely laid at the feet of crime reporters. The decline of crime reporting in Mumbai is a topic for another discussion.
Today, I'm delving into the Telgi scam, a shining example of investigative journalism from Mumbai. This scam, uncovered by a Mumbai-based journalist in 2003, sent shockwaves throughout the nation.
For many in my generation of crime reporters, the Telgi Scam remains etched in memory as a case that saw police officers, from the Police Commissioner to the lowly Police Constable, incarcerated, and the resignation of Home Minister Chhagan Bhujbal. The credit for exposing this vast multi-million rupee scam that spanned multiple Indian states goes to my friend and author, Sanjay Singh, who was a crime reporter with NDTV at the time.
Sanjay Singh leaked the report of IPS officer Subodh Jayaswal, who had been tasked with investigating allegations of corruption within the police force. In late 2002, I reported for Aaj Tak, quoting a letter from Pune Police's S.M. Mushrif to the DGP, alleging that some individuals were being unfairly implicated while others were being let off in the Telgi case. Following the broadcast of my story, the government initiated an inquiry into these allegations. The subsequent report unveiled how certain police officers had extorted money from Abdul Karim Telgi, collaborating with politicians, administrative officials, and fellow policemen to run a racket printing and selling fake stamp papers, causing massive losses to the state treasury. Singh's expose ignited a media firestorm and galvanized opposition parties. The Bombay High Court ordered the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT). Without Singh's leak of Jayaswal's report, the culprits would likely have successfully buried the truth, and the public might never have learned of the scandal.
However, exposing such a scam and taking on the high and mighty came with its own perils, as Singh would soon discover. As I too reported on the scam and was acquainted with Singh on a daily basis, I can testify to some of the challenges he faced. He was threatened and humiliated during a press conference by the Home Minister. A Deputy Commissioner of Police, who had a team of "Encounter Cops" at his disposal, hinted at Singh's potential arrest under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA). Threatening calls from the "underworld" haunted him, and he always felt he was being watched, with his mobile phone tapped. Despite these pressures, he remained resolute in his reporting. He was even offered a "gun license" and other favors to dissuade him.
The SIT, led by retired IPS officer S.S. Puri, arrested nearly every police officer named in Jayaswal's report under MCOCA. The SIT operated from an office within the Police Housing Department's building on Pochkhanwala Road in Worli. Each day, crime reporters gathered outside the building, watching police officers of various ranks enter for questioning and exit as accused, bound for Pune where the SIT sought their custody. Some of these arrested officers had been hailed as heroes for their role in combating the underworld, and they couldn't hide their tears when cameras captured them being taken away in disgrace.
Rumors circulated (though not independently verified) that IPS officer Subodh Jayaswal faced condemnation within the police fraternity for doing his job diligently and being tough on his own colleagues in uniform. During the past two decades, I've met Jayaswal on only two occasions, and he displayed little interest in discussing the case. Throughout his career, Jayaswal maintained a low profile and avoided interactions with the media.
Abdul Karim Telgi faced multiple trials and died in judicial custody in 2017. Most of the cops arrested by the SIT were convicted, although some were discharged, including a former Mumbai Police Commissioner and a DCP from the Mumbai Crime Branch. S.S. Puri passed away from a heart attack in Canada in 2020. Subodh Jayaswal briefly served as the Mumbai Police Commissioner and then went on deputation to the central government. In 2023, he retired as the Chief of the CBI.
Sanjay Singh authored a book, "Telgi Scam-Ek Reporter Ki Diary," in which he vividly recounts the scam's details and the challenges he faced. This book has now been adapted into a web series titled "Scam 2003 – The Telgi Story." It's worth noting that the web series may have taken creative liberties and twisted certain events. For those seeking an unfiltered account of the scam, Sanjay Singh's book is available in Hindi and English.
Today's crime reporters would do well to read the book or watch the web series to gain insight into the investigative journalism of twenty years ago. This scandal should also serve as a reminder to the police fraternity that succumbing to greed and engaging in acts of commission and omission can lead them to the other side of the lockup.

(Bombayphile is published weekly, where Jitendra Dixit reflects on Mumbai's past and present.)