“It was a bright sunny day of normal life in South Bombay, in the month of October, Nineteen Sixty Six. Bit cool as is the case with the city after end of the monsoon season. I was just twenty one year old then.”
Looking at the blinking eyes of the media cameras with an emotionless face, Damu alias Damodaran Pillai alis Hansa started recollecting his ordeal.
“To the best of my memory, it was after the Dassera celerabtions at Shivaji Park, that the spirit of locals reached sky high – they demanded senior level jobs at all work places in the city by outsting outsiders – the main enemy being malayalis from Kerala who migrated in good numbers in search of jobs. Almost all hospitals had Malayali nurses; all the Manager posts were controlled by English-speaking malayalis, Typists and Stenographers from government to private organizations were all from the Malayalam speaking communities. Tamilians were smarter even in those days – they sought and got jobs mostly in Banks and Companies having branches in Madras and other places in South India as well. Those days in Bombay ‘today apply, tomorrow reply’ was the situation for any jobs whereas in Madras ‘apply apply, no reply’ was the on-going situation. Thus, Tamilians were smarter in as much as they had a clear agenda in mind – apply and get a job in Bombay and soon go back to native place on the pretext of ‘take care of Amma, Appa who are very old’. Their settlement was mainly around Matunga. On the contrary, Malayalis, once migrated anywhere is in such a mental state of ‘lay down where you fell’ attitude and sought to achieve heights find solace in whatever he garners. Not only folks from these States but people from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka were also a part of Bombay population making upto some nine percent in total comparing to the thirty four of the regional people who considered themselves the sons of the soil. People from Andhra who were mainly harmless in the eyes of the locals as they are seen settled down in and around certain areas where locals didn’t even like to go and settle down. On the contrary, people from Karnataka were smarter in as much as they didn’t want to work under anyone but attempted on start-ups by way of Hotels, Tea Shops, Paan and Beedi shops toeven selling of newspapers. Unlike Tamilians, Andhraites and Malayalis, people from Karnataka were smarter in gaining command over the local language. This helped them in enlarging their business areas, however bigger or smaller those were. A large number of such migrants from these Southern States got jobs at various textile mills in the city. They were neatly organized under the banner of Leftists, from whom subsequently a Medical Practitioner has moved forward with trade union.
Regionalism touched its peak with the Dravidian and Hindi hatao movements in Madras, Leftism engulfing Kerala and West Bengal and the migrating communities started associating with the regionalism of their own States brushing aside the local flavours. In most of the offices, the locals were occupying only lower positions such as office boys. They developed grudge over their superiors as they believe all of them came to the city and grabbed the posts which otherwise would have been their treasure. They believed the only way to gain upper hand is to drive away all such South Indians. By this time around, the migrated population from these four States have gained a common status and the phrase ‘andu gundu madrasis’ was coined to address them in common by locals.
Thus started the ‘lungi hatao’ movement.
A renowned Bhagwatar, a classical singer par excellence reached Matunga by invitation. Applied Thilakam on his forehead and in his true attire – wearing white dhoti and a golden shawl over the long kurta - and decided to take a stroll in Five Gardens. Great soul thought people would identify him and there will be chaos in the Gardens as is the case at any Madras public places, but to his utter shock and disbelief, locals identified him just as a typical Madrasi and an assembly of few people cornered him; pulled his dhoti and shawl and shouted ‘yenna Maama bhago ….’. The organizers had to cancel the concert as the guy was in deep mental shock and admitted to a Tamil Doctor’s Clinic. That was just a starting point. Tamilians stopped wearing dhoti completely. Stopped applying Thilak and they started reciting Supratams at their own homes in faint voice. But they were brilliant in as much as their dwellings were almost centered at one place, unlikes the Malayalis who chose to stay wherever they could get accommodation at cheaper rates. But people from these States started fearing Central Bombay and almost all of them sought to vacate from Dadar, Girgaum Chowpatty and such other places.
Malayalis were targeted at near their dwelling units, railway stations and in the gates of their respective offices. Not many dared to complaint before the law enforcing agencies.
Vada Pav was not in much popularity those days. Locals also attacked the Bhel Puri wala bhaiyyas in Dadar Chowpatty and drove them away – and insisted illiterate locals to set up Usal, Misal, Bhajia and Vada Pav outlets at the beach.
Next target was the hotels. The first stategy was to eat stomach full at such hotels owned by outsiders and go without paying – after raising a slogan in praise of the movement. Second step was to catch hold of the Cashier and empty the cash box. The crowd will vanish with the booty. Damu was a Cook, who was an expert in making Kerala Porottas and was decently engaged by the hotel management. They provided accommodation in a nearby chawl at Lower Parel and the hotel flourished with, to some extent, the yummy Kerala Porotta rolled out by Damu played a vital part in its progress to attaining fame not only amongst South Indians but even the locals of the area started liking Damu’s Porotta which they used to get as parcel for their family after a drink at the local country bar run by a Goan aunty. The mill workers formed a major chunk of customers at the hotel. Leftist leaders assembled in large numbers their – all of them self-proclaimed buddhi jeevis talking of achievements made by Leftists in other countries. Das Capital being the regular subject of boasting. Leftists formed a Kerala Samajam in a nearby building and brought almost all Malayalis under its umbrella. They preached Leftism secretly and openly proclaimed the Samajam as the one for welfare of all Malayalis in the city. Leftists assemble at the gates of the mills in and around the area – so many in numbers –Kohinoor, Victoria, Century, Morarji Jubilee, Dawn and India Mills to name few. With the sound of the Siren after each shift on pay-days the Leftist leaders will present themselves at the gates of these mills and collect their regular fee. Many mill workers have formed secret gates through the back side of the mills and with the help of security guards, they chose to run away to avoid paying fee every time, but they were not in much of luck as these Leftists kept Pathans at each such secret points to catch hold of the guilty ones and beat them up. Fearing physical torture, the workers pays off the regular fee collected by the Leftists. This started changing. Locals learnt the trade and they started appearing in good numbers at the mill gates. They started hurling stones at the Leftist leaders. Leftism thus started diminishing and the locals took over the trade union business (which ultimately passed on to the hands of a Medical Practitioner). Either way the sufferers were the poor mill workers only. Soon Leftists started secret meetings but as misfortune had it, each time they were driven away by locals and the locals by now have outnumbered the Leftists. Only few tyre puncturewalas from Kerala still remained near the petrol pumps in the area. They collected no charges for attending to the tyres of old bicyles of the locals and thus became the friends of locals.
On the fateful day, when Damu was busy in his regular routine of making Porottas, few people came, demanded Porottas but Damu said it will take time. This infuriated someone of them who hit Damu hard. Poor Damu had no other way but to throw the dough somewhere and run through the back door. The dough fell in the boiling oil which was getting ready to fry Medu Vadas, and spilled over four agitators. Word of the mouth having been active then than these days, the news spread like wildfire that Damu threw oil on the faces of four locals. Damu could not reach his dwelling unit as there were people from all sides and one of the Leftists told him to hide at a place pointed out by him, which he did till midnight. At midnight the Leftist resurfaced and asked Damu to follow him. Not knowing the gravity and at a loss to explain his innocence, Damu told the Leftist that he did nothing but chose to run away to protect himself from attack, and it was an accident, the Leftist took him in a hand cart carrying wastes and putting torn clothes over him. Thus, Damu escaped and reached a dark room where he was kept by him for few days. Little did Damu know that in the process he became a hero of the Malayali masses. Leftists proclaimed him as their true warrior who fought the locals. There were even photographs of Damu printed in the leading newspapers. Having thus attained the dubious status of a hero in the minds of Malayalis, Damu recognized that he is made a scapegoat. News about Malayalis fighting locals by living on their soil further infuriated locals who started all-out attack on Malayalis exclusively, leaving other Madrasis aside. On the other hand, Leftists started the propaganda that many more Damus will be born and this was not taken on a lighter note by the locals. Locals thrashed several Leftists to ascertain the whereabouts of Damu but by the time Damu could manage to sneak out of the dark room and get a train to Kalyan. From there, he managed to walk upto Mumbra and got a job in a bakery – but by the time he renamed himself as Hansa. Further, advancing his skill to make Porotta, he mastered in the art of making pav also. Hansa subsequently married the daughter of the bakery owner and lived there happily thereafter, with children.
As destiny had it, he was attacked once again by locals. But this time around, the next generation of Malayalis from the nearby Dombivli area where they have migrated from Bombay in good numbers and set up homes, and now shed their madrasi label and is known as mallus, joined the locals in the fresh attack on his shop in Nineteen Ninety Two in the aftermath of demolition of a structure in Uttar Pradesh. Whereas the protest in the area was a one-sided action due to the dense population arithmatics, but this was soon countered by the other side, mainly youth from nearby areas. In the process, Hansa also got labelled as an anti-national and his shop was also targeted - they threw stones, beaten up the owner and all the employees.
Like any human being, curiosity to have a look at the places where he once lived cropped up, and as he was turning older, he had a wish to atleast once again visit the localities where he lived earlier. Taking advantage of the crowd in the famous Lalbagh Ka Raja Ganeshotsav, Damu visited the place after so many years to see that nothing of the kind remains there now. The old chawl where the fateful hotel stood once was demolished and paved way for a latest shopping mall cum residential units on upper floors. The old local Rasvanti Gruh and Ganesh Bhojanalayas all gone and replaced with KFC and other outlets. The Kerala Samajam building itself doess not exist as is the case with the Association itself. Five star hotels and high rise buildings became the landmark. The only structure which doesn’t change with times is the Bharat Mata Talkies which still exhibits local language movies. The chowk is named and is now known in the name of the leftist MLA who once organized all the mill workers within the ambit of trade union. Only the Chimney of one mill is still visible through the rotten fenced gate of an old mill, without any nameplate on it.
Having thus seen the change in Bombay which became Mumbai by effux of time, and as is the case with any Malayali, nostalgia hit hard upon Damu who decided to visit his home town Quilon, which by the time has become Kollam. Damu was lucky enough to reach the spot where he was born; where his Primary School was and above all his own siblings, Sasi, Sukumaran and Maniyan.
To his surprise he has seen that nothing has changed over the time there in as much as the number of red flags were concerned but worst than Mumbai, the landmarks have changed and the old house which was thatched with dried coconut leaves is now a bungalow and nearby that the other two brothers also constructed beautiful bungalows. A Bank, and Jewewllery Shop, everying stands in the place where he was born. Only non-change is the narrow road, the width of which still remains the same as it was when he left the place in the sixties.
But in a fraction of a second, all of Damu’s nostalgic feelings got melted like a clad of earth beneath torrential pouring, as his siblings, all of whom suspecting him to have now arrived to claim his portion of the ancestral property which is now divided amongst the three of them brought a Police Inspector and got him arrested narrating ‘this is the accused who burnt four local agitators in the then Bombay, some sixty years ago. We all were chased by the local and Bombay Police for several years and we had to pay hectic price for his deeds. You may take him to custody.’
Clearly shaken, and unable to withstand the attitude of his siblings, Damu yelled:
“ *Ettuveettil Pillais were far better than you, scoundrels”
Whom to say, who listens. All dump politically connectred hyprocites. Damu was escorted to the police custody in a hurriedly arranged private vehicle.
Damu paused; asking the media people to leave him alone atleast at this advanced stage of life.
*the enemies of Marthanda Varma, the ruler of Travancore. They were instructumental in the death of Marthanda Varma.