Dharavi Island

East Indians are native Christians of Mumbai and are considered the original residents of the Bombay, Thana and Salsette islands. Their origins date back to the 15th and 16th century when Portuguese missionaries converted members of local farming, fishing and salt-making communities to Roman Catholicism.

The East Indian community is a close knit community and the East Indian gaothans(villages) are a proof of it. However, many gaothans have collapsed under the pressure of urbanisation and some are on the verge of it.

 

Gorai, Culvem and Manori are East Indian villages in Dharavi Bhet Island. These villages are accessed more usually by a ferry crossing the Gorai creek and Manori creek or otherwise by the overland route through Bhayander. This isolation is the main reason of the gaothans remaining largely unchanged until now.