We grew up in an agrarian atmosphere. The family yard was full of vegetation. The vegetation extended even to the fences (a fence was mandatory for every respectable household).
Made of skillfully woven coconut leaves and cut-bamboo parts and branches, the fences were extremely eco-friendly in today’s context. The fence provided an opportune space for the agrarian minded people. Climber plants of delicious fruits and edible vegetables are grown alongside these fences. Those produces come in handy during the scanty months of summer.
Prior to the Independence, the people mainly engaged in farming (usually paddy cultivation and coconut planting) and farm related jobs and enterprises and some fishing. It was much frugal and very simple existence.
Thus every inch of the available space in the house yard is meticulously utilized for producing food (not that we did have much space to talk about anyway). In such an environment finding a space for us, the children, to play was difficult. Fortunately for us, we did have a neighbor with a copiously spacious plot of land surrounding an impressive house. His house was built of rock and concrete whilst most of the neighboring houses were –including ours- made of the mud and thatched wooden roofs.
Proudly enough for me the house belonged to my maternal uncle, who made it to the riches in the rough and tough world of Mumbai. At that point of time, a decently kept and furnished house implied that a member of the family was out in Bombay.
In our mostly agrarian society, emigration had become very popular during the late 1940’s. A lot of the youngsters were out of job or were very disillusioned by putting up with rigors of the rural life. Some were incited by the usual flare up of usual youthful rebellion against an imposing hierarchy. Whatever the reason, the youths streamed to the luring metropolis of Bombay (Mumbai) in a big way during that period.
In Bombay they found employment and some went on to establish small businesses that were enough to earn them hefty profits. Our businessmen either set up a restaurant (which in Bombay terms they call a “hotel”) and kiosks that made and sold beedi (small sized cigarettes made of tobacco and tobacco leaves) or served tea at the street side pavements (out of their humble samovar). The employees were mostly manual laborers.
Not that the Bombay-ites were the pioneers in emigration out of the village. There were a handful of people who went to Malaysia, Singapore and later on to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) – all part of the then British Empire. There were a few other people who made a living as sailors in merchant marine vessels.
However, unlike their predecessors, the Bombay-ites did have a profound impact in the economy of the village. Their income become its main economic backbone and remained so for a long time to come. They were socially committed too as some of the village’s community institutions were built or run by their active support and contribution.
Gulf emigration was started in a big way during 1970s but there were a few early scouts who reached the Arabian Gulf decades before and some of whose epics rightfully warrant another chapter.
Much has been written about “the Gulf Boom” in which the village was having its natural part. As such, there is perhaps no need to elaborate on the subject here. “The Gulf Boom”, ended the prominence of Bombay as an employment destination.
Even before that the rising political and security troubles - chiefly the “son of the soil” agitation spearheaded by the Shiv Sena - were diminishing the Bombay’s charm.
However, Bombay remained the most important transit point for the Gulf migrant travelers, the city being the main gateway station to the Arabian Gulf countries, having connected by both the sea and air routes. That position remained intact until the Trivandrum Airport was accorded the International airport status in 1991.
Made of skillfully woven coconut leaves and cut-bamboo parts and branches, the fences were extremely eco-friendly in today’s context. The fence provided an opportune space for the agrarian minded people. Climber plants of delicious fruits and edible vegetables are grown alongside these fences. Those produces come in handy during the scanty months of summer.
Prior to the Independence, the people mainly engaged in farming (usually paddy cultivation and coconut planting) and farm related jobs and enterprises and some fishing. It was much frugal and very simple existence.
Thus every inch of the available space in the house yard is meticulously utilized for producing food (not that we did have much space to talk about anyway). In such an environment finding a space for us, the children, to play was difficult. Fortunately for us, we did have a neighbor with a copiously spacious plot of land surrounding an impressive house. His house was built of rock and concrete whilst most of the neighboring houses were –including ours- made of the mud and thatched wooden roofs.
Proudly enough for me the house belonged to my maternal uncle, who made it to the riches in the rough and tough world of Mumbai. At that point of time, a decently kept and furnished house implied that a member of the family was out in Bombay.
In our mostly agrarian society, emigration had become very popular during the late 1940’s. A lot of the youngsters were out of job or were very disillusioned by putting up with rigors of the rural life. Some were incited by the usual flare up of usual youthful rebellion against an imposing hierarchy. Whatever the reason, the youths streamed to the luring metropolis of Bombay (Mumbai) in a big way during that period.
In Bombay they found employment and some went on to establish small businesses that were enough to earn them hefty profits. Our businessmen either set up a restaurant (which in Bombay terms they call a “hotel”) and kiosks that made and sold beedi (small sized cigarettes made of tobacco and tobacco leaves) or served tea at the street side pavements (out of their humble samovar). The employees were mostly manual laborers.
Not that the Bombay-ites were the pioneers in emigration out of the village. There were a handful of people who went to Malaysia, Singapore and later on to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) – all part of the then British Empire. There were a few other people who made a living as sailors in merchant marine vessels.
However, unlike their predecessors, the Bombay-ites did have a profound impact in the economy of the village. Their income become its main economic backbone and remained so for a long time to come. They were socially committed too as some of the village’s community institutions were built or run by their active support and contribution.
Gulf emigration was started in a big way during 1970s but there were a few early scouts who reached the Arabian Gulf decades before and some of whose epics rightfully warrant another chapter.
Much has been written about “the Gulf Boom” in which the village was having its natural part. As such, there is perhaps no need to elaborate on the subject here. “The Gulf Boom”, ended the prominence of Bombay as an employment destination.
Even before that the rising political and security troubles - chiefly the “son of the soil” agitation spearheaded by the Shiv Sena - were diminishing the Bombay’s charm.
However, Bombay remained the most important transit point for the Gulf migrant travelers, the city being the main gateway station to the Arabian Gulf countries, having connected by both the sea and air routes. That position remained intact until the Trivandrum Airport was accorded the International airport status in 1991.
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