Manickpur
Encyclopedia
Manickpur is a small village in Vasai town in the Thane district
in the India
n state of Maharashtra
.
In some old Portuguese
manuscripts, this place was called 'puri', no explanation is found on why it was called so. One of the assumptions is that earlier there might have been a temple on the lines of the Jagannath Temple
in Puri
in Orissa
, and hence this place was named so. In Portuguese and English manuscripts this place was also referred to as porim.
This name gradually changed to manickpuri, there is no instance of any written documentation on this. It is also said that many South Indians settled here due to the proximity of Bombay (as it was earlier known) which was rich in terms of industries, mills and factories. The name then gradually changed from Porim to Manickpurm.
When the railway
was laid by the British
, the station that is now known as Vasai Road
was then known as Manickpur Road. So it was through the British that the name changed to its present status. Actually the Vasai Road station was known as Bassein road after renaming Manickpur road. Still the Indian railways refer Vasai Road as Bassein road, even the station indicators show this.
Geographically or Topographically as you may call it, Manickpur is situated on a hillock and the base is of stone therefore it is believed to have very strong foundations. Hence it has withstood many floods and also earthquakes.
Kunbi
's were the original inhabitants of this village. Starting from the Parvati Cross to the Chowk, Fadbao, Kharbao, Chinchkombda to Naupada is where these people originally built their houses and lived. Almeida, Colaco, Lopes, Menezes are some of the surnames you would associate these people with.
Khumbar's lived across the Talao or the pond of Manickpur in line with the Church Road. As the materials for making earthenware was easily found here. D'souza, D'mello, Gracias, Pereira, Alphanso are some of the surnames you would associate Khumbar's with.
Vadval's lived to the south of the Church, this place was called Barampur. They were engrossed with Agriculture and allied activities. Ghosal, Carval, Vaz, Cerejo are some of the surnames associated with Wadval's.
Koli
's lived along the creek and carried out the business of Fishing. Shivachya Gharacha, Ghastya are some of the surnames associated with this community.
About Marriages, the people of Barampur (the Wadvals) would marry with the people in the south of Vasai. Khumbar's have their streak from Agashi to Marol
. Kunbi's would find their spouses within the nearby villages of Chulne, Gokhivere and mostly within Manickpur.
across it. The people of Manickpur actually working in the saltpans was very few but those engaged in allied activities was high. Transportation of salt, making wooden covers for salt... were some of the activities. Sutar-ali (Carpenters), Kumbhar-ali (Potters), and Kolis (Fishing) were engaged in their traditional activities, the Railway added to their source of income.
Thus were formed Teachers, Clerks, Railway workers, Welders, Fitters, Mechanics...etc. who used to frequent Mumbai through the Railway trains. Dominic Ghosal was referred to as an Engineer and he was a Marine Engineer - the first in Vasai too. Pius Almeida was a reputed Chartered Accountant
, Michael (Saminguel) Colaco was the first B.A. LLB
Maryan Almeida was referred to as a Doctor
, Pascal D'Sa was biggest trader of wood and had controlled the market services. Similarly Lawrence Lopes, Valentine Menezes, Francis Mascharenes left an impression on the people of Manickpur.
and a Poet and also the first Journalist from Vasai. Fr. J. S Miranda started the Shod-Bhod news letter. Then Shanti Doot a magazine was published first in Manickpur later transformed to the present day popular 'Suvarta' magazine.
Manickpur was ahead in many of the other fields as well, Manickpur Urban Co-Operative Credit Society, St. John D'Britto D'Ed College, St. Xavier's Technical Institute
, The Alcoholics Anonymous...etc.
, came to Manickpur aged 10 years and transformed the entire village as well as Vasai with his melodious notes of music. He inculcated the Musical background of Manickpur. He started the St. Anthony's Sangeet Mandal and taught music and the values governing life to the children of Manickpur. With his inspiration many of the children of Manickpur are serving the Lord.
It was 10 October 1946 when Reginald Fernandes, a young man, came from Goa for being a choir master invited by Late Rev. Fr. D'cunha for a period of just two months. He then transformed the village with his melodious sounds and warm affection. The people of Manickpur too give him the same affection and convince him to stay on forever. In 1947 when Fr. Ignatius D'souza was the parish priest of Manickpur, he took a leading stance and formed the St. Anthony's Sangeet Mandal precisely the date was 13 June 1947.
There were plays performed to entertain the parishioners and also a brass band was formed for the weddings held in the village, the name His Jolly Brothers. This band was famous from Manickpur to Agashi to Koliwada. Interestingly the average age for the members of the band was 20 years!
Another interesting feat is that the choir had begun to get a lot of attraction. It was called for the Mount Mary Novenas at the Mount Mary Church in Bandra for the masses that were held in Marathi
.
Another feat is that when Pope John Paul II
had come to India
in 1987 for a Eucharistic Congress in the then Bombay, there was a programme of prayers by the Pope
when he came to Vasai. The entire responsibility of the singing was taken by Master Reginald. This was the first time that Marathi singing accompanied prayers. Here on Master Reginald was called to each and every parish of Vasai to teach them Marathi singing and songs.
On 25 December 1996, the choir presenting a programme of Christmas carols was aired on 'Mumbai Doordarshan
' the Bombay branch of the national channel of India
.
The choir members are from age of 6 yrs to more than 70 years. The choir members expertise themselves in playing many musical instruments like Keyboard, Guitar
, Violin
, Tabla
, Trumpet
, Saxophone
, Mouth organ
, Sitar
, Flute
. They can read & write Musical notations. It is considered as one of the best choirs in Vasai. During festivals like Christmas
, Parish feast, Easter, Feast of Mother Mary, the Lent
Period specially on Good Friday
non-catholic people from all over Vasai also go to Manickpur church to listen their music and singing.
and Manickpur in their control. Up to 1605, people from Manickpur used to go to Sandor to celebrate the Eucharistic. But since it was far, the priests established a chapel in Manickpur in 1606. This chapel was made out of wood and had toddy leaves thatched as roof. Till 1608 priests from Sandor used to come and celebrate mass and preach. Alexeo Menezes, Archbishop of Goa, then bifurcated the parishes of Manickpur and Sandor.
The land used to build the chapel at Manickpur was donated by a Portuguese lady Dona Ines Francisca to the Jesuits in 1572. The Jesuits had to sell off the land for some reasons unknown. It finally was bought by another Portuguese lady Dona Philipa De Fonseca. She finally donated this land back to the Jesuits in her will when she died on 20 June 1625. Rev. Fr. Adrian D'silva started the building of the church, it was then followed by Rev. Fr. Manuel Perez and finally completed by Rev. Fr. Manuel D'costa.
An interesting fact about the structure of the church was that it is located forming a triangle with churches at Papdy and Sandor
as the other points. Also the distance between the churches is less than 2 miles.
In the year 1739, Manickpur was raided by the Marathas who came in through the east led by Chimnaji Appa
. They destroyed all the Churches that fell in their way towards the Vasai Fort, and Manickpur was one of them. However it was later rebuilt in the year 1851 by Rev. Fr. E. R. Hull (Reference to this can be found in B.M.H Vol. 1.P.5)
That year the Jesuits fled the village and the Diocesan priests took charge of the parish. They were in charge of the parish for almost 200 years and finally it was handed over to the Jesuits in 1949. Since then it is the Jesuits that have been running the Parish.
Thane District
Thane is a district in northern Maharashtra state in western India. As of 2011 it is the most populated district in the nation. The headquarters of the district is the city of Thane. Other major cities in the district are Navi Mumbai , Kalyan-Dombivli, Mira-Bhayander, Bhiwandi, Ulhasnagar,...
in the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state of Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
.
History
Not much of the rich and great history of Manickpur is documented. It is only passed on through the generations by word of mouth. There are instances of this village in some old manuscripts.In some old Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
manuscripts, this place was called 'puri', no explanation is found on why it was called so. One of the assumptions is that earlier there might have been a temple on the lines of the Jagannath Temple
Jagannath Temple
-India:*Jagannath Temple, Puri, Orissa, India*Jagannath Temple, Koraput, Orissa, India*Jagannath Temple, Baripada, Mayurbhanj, Orissa, India*Jagannath Temple, Nayagarh, Orissa, India*Jagannath Temple, Ranchi, Jharkhand, India*Jagannath Temple, Delhi, India...
in Puri
Puri
Puri is district headquarter, a city situated about south of state capital Bhubaneswar, on the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal in the Indian state of Orissa. It is also known as Jagannath Puri after the Jagannath Temple . It is a holy city of the Hindus as a part of the Char Dham pilgrimages...
in Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
, and hence this place was named so. In Portuguese and English manuscripts this place was also referred to as porim.
This name gradually changed to manickpuri, there is no instance of any written documentation on this. It is also said that many South Indians settled here due to the proximity of Bombay (as it was earlier known) which was rich in terms of industries, mills and factories. The name then gradually changed from Porim to Manickpurm.
When the railway
Western Railway (India)
The Western Railway is one of the 16 zones of Indian Railways, and is among the busiest railway networks in India. The major railway routes of Indian Railways which come under Western Railways are: Ratlam - Mumbai Central, Surat - Mumbai, Surat - Ahmedabad, Ahmedabad - Vadodara and Palanpur -...
was laid by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the station that is now known as Vasai Road
Vasai Road
Vasai , historically known as Bassein or Baçaim is a historical village to the North of the city of Mumbai in the Maharashtra state of India...
was then known as Manickpur Road. So it was through the British that the name changed to its present status. Actually the Vasai Road station was known as Bassein road after renaming Manickpur road. Still the Indian railways refer Vasai Road as Bassein road, even the station indicators show this.
Geographically or Topographically as you may call it, Manickpur is situated on a hillock and the base is of stone therefore it is believed to have very strong foundations. Hence it has withstood many floods and also earthquakes.
Inhabitants of Manickpur
The Main inhabitants of the village of Manickpur can be sub-divided in to four categories, Kunbi, Khumbar, Vadval & KoliKunbi
Kunbi
Kunbi is a generic term applied to castes of traditionally non-elite tillers in Western India. These include the Dhonoje, Ghatole, Hindre, Jadav, Jhare, Khaire, Lewa , Lonari and Tirole communities of Vidharbha. The communities are largely found in the state of Maharashtra but also exist in the...
's were the original inhabitants of this village. Starting from the Parvati Cross to the Chowk, Fadbao, Kharbao, Chinchkombda to Naupada is where these people originally built their houses and lived. Almeida, Colaco, Lopes, Menezes are some of the surnames you would associate these people with.
Khumbar's lived across the Talao or the pond of Manickpur in line with the Church Road. As the materials for making earthenware was easily found here. D'souza, D'mello, Gracias, Pereira, Alphanso are some of the surnames you would associate Khumbar's with.
Vadval's lived to the south of the Church, this place was called Barampur. They were engrossed with Agriculture and allied activities. Ghosal, Carval, Vaz, Cerejo are some of the surnames associated with Wadval's.
Koli
KOLI
KOLI is a radio station serving Wichita Falls, Texas and Vicinity with a country music format. It operates on FM frequency 94.9 MHz and is under ownership of Cumulus Media. It is the radio flagship station for the Wichita Falls Wildcats hockey team....
's lived along the creek and carried out the business of Fishing. Shivachya Gharacha, Ghastya are some of the surnames associated with this community.
About Marriages, the people of Barampur (the Wadvals) would marry with the people in the south of Vasai. Khumbar's have their streak from Agashi to Marol
Marol
Marol is a part of the bigger suburb of Andheri in Mumbai. Marol consists of the area Marol village, Marol Naka, Marol Depot, Marol Maroshi Bus Station, Military Road, Marol Pipeline, Vijay Nagar, Bhavani Nagar, parts of JB Nagar, and parts of Marol MIDC. Its proximity to the international...
. Kunbi's would find their spouses within the nearby villages of Chulne, Gokhivere and mostly within Manickpur.
Allied occupations
Even though Manickpur was built on stony land, there was sweet, semi-salty and salty land around it. Similarly there were Salt pansDry lake
Dry lakes are ephemeral lakebeds, or a remnant of an endorheic lake. Such flats consist of fine-grained sediments infused with alkali salts. Dry lakes are also referred to as alkali flats, sabkhas, playas or mud flats...
across it. The people of Manickpur actually working in the saltpans was very few but those engaged in allied activities was high. Transportation of salt, making wooden covers for salt... were some of the activities. Sutar-ali (Carpenters), Kumbhar-ali (Potters), and Kolis (Fishing) were engaged in their traditional activities, the Railway added to their source of income.
Thus were formed Teachers, Clerks, Railway workers, Welders, Fitters, Mechanics...etc. who used to frequent Mumbai through the Railway trains. Dominic Ghosal was referred to as an Engineer and he was a Marine Engineer - the first in Vasai too. Pius Almeida was a reputed Chartered Accountant
Chartered Accountant
Chartered Accountants were the first accountants to form a professional body, initially established in Britain in 1854. The Edinburgh Society of Accountants , the Glasgow Institute of Accountants and Actuaries and the Aberdeen Society of Accountants were each granted a royal charter almost from...
, Michael (Saminguel) Colaco was the first B.A. LLB
Maryan Almeida was referred to as a Doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, Pascal D'Sa was biggest trader of wood and had controlled the market services. Similarly Lawrence Lopes, Valentine Menezes, Francis Mascharenes left an impression on the people of Manickpur.
Literature
In the field of Literature too, Manickpur was at the forefront. Rock Carvahlo was an award winning JournalistJournalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and a Poet and also the first Journalist from Vasai. Fr. J. S Miranda started the Shod-Bhod news letter. Then Shanti Doot a magazine was published first in Manickpur later transformed to the present day popular 'Suvarta' magazine.
Manickpur was ahead in many of the other fields as well, Manickpur Urban Co-Operative Credit Society, St. John D'Britto D'Ed College, St. Xavier's Technical Institute
St. Xavier's Technical Institute
St. Xavier's Technical Institute is an electronics school in Mumbai, India.The Institute's Marine Department has been awarded ISO 9001:2000 Quality certification....
, The Alcoholics Anonymous...etc.
Street Play
The magic of Street Plays was brought on to spread awareness by Dr. Dominic Lopes and now carried over by Juran Lopes and his troup Nav Nirmiti. Rasik Ranjan a group of enthusiastic actors was formed in the early 1970s and died a natural death towards the late 1985's as most of them started to earn and devote more time towards their families. This group was rejuvenated in 2004. Since then Rasik Ranjan has not looked back churning one play or an act each year and also trying to involve as much as the youth of Manickpur to showcase their talents.Music
Reginald Fernandes, a man from GoaGoa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
, came to Manickpur aged 10 years and transformed the entire village as well as Vasai with his melodious notes of music. He inculcated the Musical background of Manickpur. He started the St. Anthony's Sangeet Mandal and taught music and the values governing life to the children of Manickpur. With his inspiration many of the children of Manickpur are serving the Lord.
It was 10 October 1946 when Reginald Fernandes, a young man, came from Goa for being a choir master invited by Late Rev. Fr. D'cunha for a period of just two months. He then transformed the village with his melodious sounds and warm affection. The people of Manickpur too give him the same affection and convince him to stay on forever. In 1947 when Fr. Ignatius D'souza was the parish priest of Manickpur, he took a leading stance and formed the St. Anthony's Sangeet Mandal precisely the date was 13 June 1947.
There were plays performed to entertain the parishioners and also a brass band was formed for the weddings held in the village, the name His Jolly Brothers. This band was famous from Manickpur to Agashi to Koliwada. Interestingly the average age for the members of the band was 20 years!
Another interesting feat is that the choir had begun to get a lot of attraction. It was called for the Mount Mary Novenas at the Mount Mary Church in Bandra for the masses that were held in Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
.
Another feat is that when Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
had come to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in 1987 for a Eucharistic Congress in the then Bombay, there was a programme of prayers by the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
when he came to Vasai. The entire responsibility of the singing was taken by Master Reginald. This was the first time that Marathi singing accompanied prayers. Here on Master Reginald was called to each and every parish of Vasai to teach them Marathi singing and songs.
On 25 December 1996, the choir presenting a programme of Christmas carols was aired on 'Mumbai Doordarshan
DoorDarshan
Doordarshan is an Indian public service broadcaster, a division of Prasar Bharati. It is one of the largest broadcasting organizations in India in terms of the infrastructure of studios and transmitters. Recently, it has also started Digital Terrestrial Transmitters. On September 15, 2009,...
' the Bombay branch of the national channel of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
The choir members are from age of 6 yrs to more than 70 years. The choir members expertise themselves in playing many musical instruments like Keyboard, Guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, Violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, Tabla
Tabla
The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
, Trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
, Saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
, Mouth organ
Mouth organ
A mouth organ is a generic term for free reed aerophone with one or more air chambers fitted with a free reed.Though it spans many traditions, it is played universally the same way by the musician placing their lips over a chamber or holes in the instrument, and blowing or sucking air to create a...
, Sitar
Sitar
The 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
, Flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
. They can read & write Musical notations. It is considered as one of the best choirs in Vasai. During festivals like Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
, Parish feast, Easter, Feast of Mother Mary, the Lent
Lent
In the Christian tradition, Lent is the period of the liturgical year from Ash Wednesday to Easter. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer – through prayer, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial – for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and...
Period specially on Good Friday
Good Friday
Good Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of...
non-catholic people from all over Vasai also go to Manickpur church to listen their music and singing.
History of St.Michael's Church
The Jesuits lived in the Vasai Fort and had the parishes of Papdy, SandorSandor
Sandor is a village in the Vasai-Virar region of the historic Lata region of the North Konkan, located in the District of Thane in Maharashtra state, India. The natives of Sandor are predominantly Catholics who converted with the arrival of Portuguese in the region, although there had also been...
and Manickpur in their control. Up to 1605, people from Manickpur used to go to Sandor to celebrate the Eucharistic. But since it was far, the priests established a chapel in Manickpur in 1606. This chapel was made out of wood and had toddy leaves thatched as roof. Till 1608 priests from Sandor used to come and celebrate mass and preach. Alexeo Menezes, Archbishop of Goa, then bifurcated the parishes of Manickpur and Sandor.
The land used to build the chapel at Manickpur was donated by a Portuguese lady Dona Ines Francisca to the Jesuits in 1572. The Jesuits had to sell off the land for some reasons unknown. It finally was bought by another Portuguese lady Dona Philipa De Fonseca. She finally donated this land back to the Jesuits in her will when she died on 20 June 1625. Rev. Fr. Adrian D'silva started the building of the church, it was then followed by Rev. Fr. Manuel Perez and finally completed by Rev. Fr. Manuel D'costa.
An interesting fact about the structure of the church was that it is located forming a triangle with churches at Papdy and Sandor
Sandor
Sandor is a village in the Vasai-Virar region of the historic Lata region of the North Konkan, located in the District of Thane in Maharashtra state, India. The natives of Sandor are predominantly Catholics who converted with the arrival of Portuguese in the region, although there had also been...
as the other points. Also the distance between the churches is less than 2 miles.
In the year 1739, Manickpur was raided by the Marathas who came in through the east led by Chimnaji Appa
Chimnaji Appa
Chimnaji Appa was the son of Balaji Vishwanath Bhat and the younger brother of Bajirao Peshwa. He was an able military commander who liberated the western coast of India from Portuguese rule...
. They destroyed all the Churches that fell in their way towards the Vasai Fort, and Manickpur was one of them. However it was later rebuilt in the year 1851 by Rev. Fr. E. R. Hull (Reference to this can be found in B.M.H Vol. 1.P.5)
That year the Jesuits fled the village and the Diocesan priests took charge of the parish. They were in charge of the parish for almost 200 years and finally it was handed over to the Jesuits in 1949. Since then it is the Jesuits that have been running the Parish.
See also
- East Indians
- Vasai RoadVasai RoadVasai , historically known as Bassein or Baçaim is a historical village to the North of the city of Mumbai in the Maharashtra state of India...
- Jesuits