HOMELESS IN MUMBAI...

If home is where the heart is, Mumbai has a lot of soul searching to do. Redevelopment plans throughout the city have provoked a series of protests for a series of reasons. We feature two unlikely faces in the crowd. Father Warner D'souza, Assistant Parish Priest, Mount Carmel Church and Kamlesh Khemani, a software professional waiting to join a New York job, have veered from trodden paths to a road less taken.

GOOD SHEPHERD


Pereirawadi
Residents of the 125 year old settlement witnessed demolition and violent eviction by goons in June under the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) redevelopment scheme. These also violated a Supreme Court order prohibiting demolitions during the monsoons. Residents further allege that majority consent for redevelopment was attained by fraud, forgery and coercion. Mt Carmel Church is a rallying point for protesters.

"If I was able to choose my patron saint, it would be Arch Bishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador. He was radical in speaking out against human rights abuse and social injustice, even after being stripped and humiliated by a dictatorial regime. He did this till he was shot, while celebrating mass, his blood spilling on the altar."

A TV and a treadmill are the most prominent features of Father Warner D'souza's modest office at Mount Carmel's Church. Known for being popular with the youth, he wraps up a meeting with four youngsters before settling down. He's just gotten back from a Mumbai High Court hearing on the Pereirawadi case where a hot discussion topic was the legal notice served on him, Father Larrie (also of Mount Carmel Church), Bombay Catholic Arch Bishop Oswald Gracias and President of the Bombay Catholic Sabha Dolphy D'souza for "giving the episode a communal colour".
"The numbers present in our meetings on Pereirawadi have gone from 20 to 600 to 1000," he asserts. "Many, if not most, of those attending have been non-Christians. There are residents at Pereirawadi who are non- Christians. Our meetings at the church have invited and addressed issues for residents belonging to different religions and localities." Then, Father Warner defends his stance further. Why must a Shabana Azmi be criticized for speaking for Muslims, he asks, or another group for speaking for Hindus. "What matters is the substance of the speech. If human rights are upheld, constructive ideas for a community suggested, why must such be decried?"
Eight years ago, Father Warner had passed out of a catering course to work with the Oberoi hotels for a year. He describes his enrolling in the divine service as "a decision rather than a calling." Much like another decision, made two months back, while he attended a public meeting held for those at Pereirawadi. "We are used to seeing the poor as those we should help, but not stick our neck out for," he says. "That afternoon, as I heard account after account of violence and deceit, something in me snapped." He had prepared a spiritual discourse for the evening's sermon at the church, but he spoke instead of Pereirawadi: "Finally, you guys are talking, people said to me, Finally you're telling us to stand up!"
The church joined forces with the H West Ward Federation and Bombay Catholic Sabha to host meetings addressing builders' arm twisting throughout Mumbai. Father Warner got youth together to campaign for a series of issues beginning with Pereirawadi to global warming and poverty. "We have a long battle to fight," he emphasizes. "While working with youth we have to start with something as basic as getting them to enlist as voters. We have to deal with red tape, corruption, and powerful builder-politician-criminal nexuses." He says the current legal notice is just the beginning: "We know that people like us are easy targets for character assassination, and more." Or as Bishop Oscar Romero said on the assassination of his friend priest Rutilio Grande: "If they have killed him for doing what he did, then I too have to walk the same path."

RESIDENT INDIAN


SAHARA SOCIETY, KHAR

A landmark Bombay High Court order on the Sahara Society Case last year said that the redevelopment of a housing society cannot be stalled if 70 percent of the members have agreed to it, and that dissenting flat owners could be evicted, using police force if necessary. This order (which is distinct from a judgment) is being used by builders throughout the city to convince dissenting flat owners in various housing society's to part with their homes. One such dissenting flat owner on whom a notice is served on is Kamlesh Khemani, living in Sahara Housing Society itself.


"Your house is your world when you live in it – like a frog in a well. But when it is taken away from you, you see the real world, outside. After the initial shock, you realize that there are many like you, whose houses have been taken away too, and you realize a common cause."

Kamlesh Khemani refuses a coffee. "Let's get a drink instead," he offers. "That's what my days consist of. All day I haggle with lawyers and the courts. Then get a drink. Then write on my blog!" He had as tough a time finding a lawyer for his case last year, as he did understanding the loopholes of law. "You learn to swim when you jump into water," the 26 year old grins. "You ask friends, study the relevant portions of law yourself… You get wise."
Khemani, who worked with computers and marketing related jobs for long while residing at Khar, got his big break last year as he bagged a software job in the big apple. "And then this case started and my plans got postponed. I don't know how long it'll take, but I'll stick it out." The only other person in his Khar flat is his 80 year old grandmother. "My father doesn't live in Bombay," he explains. "And it really wasn't fair for me to run off to my career leaving her here to deal with things."
Khemani isn't against redevelopment. "What is fishy is that only one proposal for redevelopment came in, from just one builder," he claims. "When a few of us flat owners objected, saying we wanted a choice, the court handed us a 'majority wins' order." Khemani's indignance at this order found outlet where any software professional's indignance would: the blog. "From Orkut, to Sulekha to Blogspot," he lists. "I've used every platform I can find.
The blog led to comments and exchanges with mumbaikars suffering similar fates, which led to meetings. One year hence, Khemani has emerged as a sort of encyclopaedia on builder vs residents cases. "I ask many people to get together too fight this," he says, disillusioned. "But they're scared." A ray of hope emerged with Vanessa D'souza, a woman threatened by a builder, to whom he had recommended the Mount Carmel Church which was "agitating on such issues for Catholics". "She came back to me and said, "It's not just Catholics! They're agitating for everyone!" And so Khemani found himself, listening to Father Warner's address on Pereirawadi, and standing up to cite his own case.