Khotachiwadi is one of the most charismatic and charming neighborhoods of Mumbai. Situated in Girgaum, South Mumbai; it is a historical hamlet where some of the oldest cottage houses of Mumbai can be seen. Less than 30 of these houses, designed in typical Indo-Portuguese style, still remain. The small streets of Khotachiwadi have preserved its communal and village-like atmosphere up to these days, in spite of the construction of many buildings of varied architectural taste in the wadi since the 1930s. Who better than James Feirerra, a celebrated fashion designer and 5th generation Khotachiwadi resident, to present his neighborhood? This video was produced by URBZ intern Guillaume Folliot:

For more on Khotachiwadi, visit this page.

With settlements dating back at least 400 years, the Kolis were the earliest inhabitants of the archipelago now known as Mumbai. They are thought to be members of the Kul tribe, which migrated from the mainland mass of Aparanta at beginning of Christian era or earlier. Kolis occupied the islands in successive waves and engaged in husbandry and fishing.

Around 38 Koliwadas exist in the region today, having survived periods of Hindu colonization around the end of the 13th century, Muslim rule until the mid-16th century, foreign colonization first by the Portuguese and then by the British, and the explosive expansion of modern Mumbai.

The Kolis’ close connection with the history of Mumbai is evident in the city’s place names. The city’s original name of “Manbai,” “Mambai,” or “Mumbai” by some accounts derives from “Mumbadevi,” the patron deity of the Kolis. The earliest settlements in Mumbai were the koliwadis, which were named after local trees or other natural elements, as Kolis were then nature and tree-worshipers. For example, “Parel” is said to derive from “Padel,” the local name of a trumpet-flower tree. “Colaba,” Mumbai’s primary tourist and historical center, derives from “Kola-bhat,” which means “Koli estates.”

In the 17th century, Queen Elizabeth formally bestowed land tenure to the “Kolis of Dharavi,” an event commemorated in documents and a copper plate currently housed in a Mumbai museum. The Queen also gifted pistols to three Koli residents — Banduk Patil, Bapuram Koli and Kuptun Mangalaya Koli — as security against pirates that used to rob fishing boats.

Khotachiwadi is a small village in south Mumbai that has won the attention of urban heritage conservation initiatives. Architecture students are attracted to its distinctive low-rise, high-density landscape showcasing a variety of individual homes, chawls and apartment buildings that reveal Indo-Portuguese flourishes, port-town styles off the western coast and modernist, deco touches.

For the inhabitants it is a village that is stretched between communitarian nostalgia and the aspirations of its younger residents. The community is passionately involved in its present and future.

khotachiwadi.urbz.net is a space for residents and those interested in Khotachiwadi to interact, communicate and express themselves. The is used as a tool by the residents to build on the existing momentum with regard to saving the distinct personality of this habitat. Archiving activities and documentation projects are punctuated by the organization of events that bring the diverse issues and perspectives on an interactive platform. The site uses existing qualitative data produced or archived by residents as a starting point.

URBZ’s engagement with Khotachiwadi builds on more than three years of work. We see Khotachiwadi beyond its heritage narrative, as part of a larger system of urban villages, hamlets and habitats that characterize Mumbai’s landscape.

Story of Khotachiwadi:

http://www.airoots.org/why-mumbai-slums-are-villages/