(org. Kalliana)
Kalina (Koli – Kalyan)
Our Lady of Egypt Church (built 1606)
The broad and navigable Mihi river, formally known as the Vihar river, brought the Portuguese Missionaries to Kalina and Kurla around 1568. They set about their mission of converting the people both at Kalina and Kurla, setting up a church at Kurla in 1588 and at Kalina in 1606. The Church of Our Lady of Egypt was founded in the days of Fr. Antonio da Portiuncula.
The Church of Our Lady of Egypt was on of the few Churches that escaped the onslaught of destruction and pillage in the Maratha invasion and occupation in 1739.
The feast of Our Lady of Egypt is celebrated in April, for it was April 1606 that the Church was first opened to public worship. It is therefore, in the year 2006 that this Church will celebrate 400 years of its existence.
Courtesy: East Indian Calendar 2006
Kalina (originally Kalliana)
A mile and half to the south east of Vile Parle, stands a proud forested hillock called The Rye. A century ago, if one stood on this hillock, one could get a beautiful and breathtaking wondrous panoramic view all round, to the west The Arabian Sea, the creeks and marshy lagoon, the lowlands and the coconut groves of Juhu, to the South one viewed right up to Mahim, the Sion Hill and Fort and the Mithi River flowing to the sea at Bandra to the North the hillocks of Chakala and Bamanwada, the small hamlet of Sahar and the Marol hills and forests and to the east lay the village of Kurla, a cannon shot away from Sion Fort (that the British Bombarded regularly whenever they had a disagreement with the Catholic clergy) and the Western Ghats.
Through the seasons, spring, summer, monsoon, autumn and winter, sunrise and sunset, the changing landscape would be a heart breaking experience of beauty and wonder, the East Indian homeland presented. Just at the foot of the hillock on the west was the village of Vankola, and on the other side i.e the eastern side of the hillock lies the village of Kole-Kalyan now known as Kalina (from the original name Kalliana). The names Vankola and Kole-Kalyan mean the homes of Jackals, Foxes and Wolves which at one time roamed these areas in large numbers freely. The people of these villages gathered their fire woods, berries and Fruits from the Rye Hill in the old days, when all was peace, serenity and life sedentary.
It was the British who saw the importance of this hill and promptly put up a military base with training facilities for soldiers and rest houses for the Officers and fully equipped medical facilities. Today the hill and its military base still stand and well maintained, untouched by slums and horrible housing societies, buildings and projects. The surrounding have changed, the sights made invisible by structures put up by insensitive planner and builders and all beauty lost.
The
The Village
is divided into sections like, Bhatt Pakady, Matharpakady, Corderio Wadi, Desachi Pakadi and Ranwar Pakadi, and the
other
The Church
of Our Lady of Egypt is one of the very few churches that escaped ruthless
destruction and pillage at the hands of the Marathas during the invasion and
occupation of 1739, after which Secular Priests started functioning at the Chruch of Kallina. The Saint Mary's School had its origin as far back as 1876 and was known as The Little Portuguese School when Fr. Custodio Fernandes was the Vicar. The school came into prominence
around the year 1912 when Fr. C.A. Abreo was the assistant; there was much progress in singing, drill and needle work by the girls. The number of students increased from 130 to 180 and a temporary structure was built in 1914 to accommodate the growing number. The only problem was that the villagers were not willing to pay any fees and hence the Diocese of Daman and the Bombay Catholic Welfare Organization had to render financial help. By now most
well off families sent their children to school in Bandra,
the girls at St. Joeseph Comvent and the boys at St. Stanislaus and
The Government acquired the lands of the villages, to the north of Kallina village, which were vegetable fields. The Acquisition was done in the early 1950's and they paid a pittance as compensation to the villagers at 4 annas per square yard. It was a forced `take it or get nothing' situation.
Today in these lands stands the sprawling complex of the Air-India employees colony. In April 1930, The Kole-Kalyan Death Benefit Fund was inaugurated, presided over by Mr. Avelino Miranda at its first meeting who outlined the aims of the Benefit Fund as to render monetary assistance to the poor and needy of the two villages at the time of Funerals. The Callina Catholic Association was established in 1923 and by 1930 it was a registered recognized association in the suburbs. It won fame and popularity in both Cricket and Hockey. There were the holders of the Bernard Gomes Cricket Trophy played at Juhu for two years consecutively. It also won the Bombay East Indian Association Cricket Championships twice ina row. They were also outright winners of the cricket Trophy presented by the Scholars XI Vile Parle, where no less than twenty teams participated. They also introduced the first Badminton Club in the village and organized tournaments where ladies also took part. Among the distinguished players in the doubles were Miss Louisa Rodrigues and Miss Tiny Cordeiro, both who later entered the convent and became nuns in 1935. The Club attained high standards in the 15 years tenure of the President Mr. B. S. Carvalho, who was a veteran cricketer and well known throughout the suburbs and Salsette.
Villages of Kalina:
Bhatt Pakady,
Matharpakady
Corderio Wadi
Desachi Pakad
Ranwar Pakadi
Courtesy: Teddie Rodrigues