Orlem
Encyclopedia
Orlem is a suburban area in the city of Mumbai
, India
. It is located in the suburb of Malad. The original name of Orlem in the local language of the state (Marathi
) is Valnai. The name "Orlem" is often colloquially used for the Our Lady of Lourdes parish
in Malad, which includes Orlem and other neighboring areas. The Indian postal zip code 400064 serves the Orlem neighborhood.
Orlem was just one of the many East-Indian villages that existed in Malad. The primary industry was agriculture and fishing. In the 19th century, the Orlem (also known as Valnai) was a hamlet of just about 12 families in Malad.The families were the D'limas,D'souzas,etc.In 1880, Joseph Maria Braz de Souza, of the Principal family of Valnai, built, at his own expense, a private chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes
at Orlem. He was a former chaplain of military forces at Satara
from 1861 to 1886.
In 1882, Bishop Leo Meurin declared officially that this chapel, under the chaplainship of Fr. D'Souza was part of the Apostolate of Bombay and affiliated to the church of Our Lady of Assumption, Kandivli. In 1908, Fr. D'Souza was elevated to the dignity of CAMARIERE SEGREDO EXTRA URBEM to Pius X. He died in December 1912 and was buried in the sanctuary of the chapel that he built. As per the wishes of Msgr. J.M.B. D'Souza, in his will, that a priest from his family should be his successor, Fr. Justin D'Souza was lent by the Bishop of Daman
to the Archdiocese of Bombay and appointed Chaplain at Orlem. He carried on the good work of Msgr. D'Souza and his brother Fr. Elias who bequeathed all his properties to the church. Fr. Justin built the first school, the St Anne's High School
, in 1915. Through his efforts, Orlem was constituted a separate parish
, in a decree dated July 2, 1916.
Fr. Justin extended the church and was assisted in this effort by Mrs. Mary Magdalene D'Souza who financed the elevation for the choir
. Fr. Justin also donated all his lands to the Archdiocese and, the Cardinal Gracias Colony later developed on the land that Fr. Justin had donated for the welfare of Orlem. The parish priests that helped to raise Orlem to its present stature include Fr. Herman Mendes, Fr. Celestine Fonseca, Fr. Walter D’Souza, Msgr. Staney Pereira, Fr. Peter C. Gomes and Fr. Frank Noronha, who ventured to start the construction of the new school building in 1959. In the year 1976, Fr. Octavian Dias worked hard to make possible a new extension to the school, a Parochial House and the new Church.
Since the Solemn Inauguration of the new Church on Sunday 6 June 1976, by the then Rt. Rev. Dr, Simon Pimenta, Auxiliary Bishop of Bombay, there has been huge rise in the Catholic population (highest in the whole world in terms of per parish. Although Orlem now boasts of being a highly developed commercial as well as residential area, it still maintains its original ambiance. Its come a long way from being a simple village to one of the most attractive places in Bombay (Mumbai
). The borders of Orlem are not clearly defined nor is it considered to be a matter of debate or concern. Orlem is sometimes considered to be the umbrella of the other smaller villages of Karodi, Kanchpada , Rathodi etc. Today Karodi and Rathodi do not belong to the Orlem parish. Orlem originally consisted of a primary population of Roman Catholics. The main ethnic group within the Catholic community were East Indians followed by Goans, Mangloreans and other regional communities.
in the western suburb of Malad. It is within the innards of Malad and can only be reached by road. Orlem branches from the main road called Marve Road, which is the main route to Marve beach from the Swami Vivekanand Road. Orlem is accessible from the Malad Railway station through the bus routes 243, 271, 272, 273, 281,622 and 345.
According to a Church census conducted in 2004, it was the largest parish in the Archdiocese of Bombay. The Orlem parish is divided into eight zones.
Orlem is the channel for many Mumbai beaches such as Marve, Aksa, Madh Island, Erangle, and Dhana Pani.
Catholics in the Orlem parish. With the huge boom of the call centre
service industry in the 2000s, Orlem witnessed a large influx of young working class executives. The real estate value of Orlem has increased considerably in past few years.
’ and ‘Hypercity’ are close to Orlem.
and Junior College, Carmel Of St. Joseph, and St. Joseph's High School. Ryan International School
is close to Orlem.
Mumbai Suburban District
The Mumbai Suburban district is a district of the state of Maharashtra in western India. Its headquarters is in Bandra . It consists of three administrative subdivisions or tehsils: Kurla, Andheri, and Borivali. The district along with Mumbai City district make up the metropolis of Mumbai...
, 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...
. It is located in the suburb of Malad. The original name of Orlem in the local language of the state (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...
) is Valnai. The name "Orlem" is often colloquially used for the Our Lady of Lourdes parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
in Malad, which includes Orlem and other neighboring areas. The Indian postal zip code 400064 serves the Orlem neighborhood.
History
Our Lady of Lourdes
Our Lady of Lourdes is the name used to refer to the Marian apparition said to have appeared before various individuals on separate occasions around Lourdes, France...
at Orlem. He was a former chaplain of military forces at Satara
Satara
Satara is a city located in the Satara District of Maharashtra state of India. The town is 2320 ft. above sea-level, near the confluence of the Krishna and its tributary river Venna. The city was the capital of the Maratha empire in the 17th century, hence one of the the historical cities of...
from 1861 to 1886.
In 1882, Bishop Leo Meurin declared officially that this chapel, under the chaplainship of Fr. D'Souza was part of the Apostolate of Bombay and affiliated to the church of Our Lady of Assumption, Kandivli. In 1908, Fr. D'Souza was elevated to the dignity of CAMARIERE SEGREDO EXTRA URBEM to Pius X. He died in December 1912 and was buried in the sanctuary of the chapel that he built. As per the wishes of Msgr. J.M.B. D'Souza, in his will, that a priest from his family should be his successor, Fr. Justin D'Souza was lent by the Bishop of Daman
Daman
Daman may refer to:Places:*Daman, Daman and Diu, a city in India*Daman District, India*Daman and Diu, a former Portuguese colony in India*Daman District, Afghanistan*Daman, Afghanistan, a village*Daman, Nepal, a villagePeople:...
to the Archdiocese of Bombay and appointed Chaplain at Orlem. He carried on the good work of Msgr. D'Souza and his brother Fr. Elias who bequeathed all his properties to the church. Fr. Justin built the first school, the St Anne's High School
St Anne's High School
St Anne's High School and Junior College is a school in Orlem, Malad, Mumbai, India, under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mumbai-History:St Anne's High School was established in the year 1916....
, in 1915. Through his efforts, Orlem was constituted a separate parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
, in a decree dated July 2, 1916.
Fr. Justin extended the church and was assisted in this effort by Mrs. Mary Magdalene D'Souza who financed the elevation for the choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
. Fr. Justin also donated all his lands to the Archdiocese and, the Cardinal Gracias Colony later developed on the land that Fr. Justin had donated for the welfare of Orlem. The parish priests that helped to raise Orlem to its present stature include Fr. Herman Mendes, Fr. Celestine Fonseca, Fr. Walter D’Souza, Msgr. Staney Pereira, Fr. Peter C. Gomes and Fr. Frank Noronha, who ventured to start the construction of the new school building in 1959. In the year 1976, Fr. Octavian Dias worked hard to make possible a new extension to the school, a Parochial House and the new Church.
Since the Solemn Inauguration of the new Church on Sunday 6 June 1976, by the then Rt. Rev. Dr, Simon Pimenta, Auxiliary Bishop of Bombay, there has been huge rise in the Catholic population (highest in the whole world in terms of per parish. Although Orlem now boasts of being a highly developed commercial as well as residential area, it still maintains its original ambiance. Its come a long way from being a simple village to one of the most attractive places in Bombay (Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
). The borders of Orlem are not clearly defined nor is it considered to be a matter of debate or concern. Orlem is sometimes considered to be the umbrella of the other smaller villages of Karodi, Kanchpada , Rathodi etc. Today Karodi and Rathodi do not belong to the Orlem parish. Orlem originally consisted of a primary population of Roman Catholics. The main ethnic group within the Catholic community were East Indians followed by Goans, Mangloreans and other regional communities.
Location
Orlem is situated at the northern part of MumbaiMumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
in the western suburb of Malad. It is within the innards of Malad and can only be reached by road. Orlem branches from the main road called Marve Road, which is the main route to Marve beach from the Swami Vivekanand Road. Orlem is accessible from the Malad Railway station through the bus routes 243, 271, 272, 273, 281,622 and 345.
Landmarks
The Our lady of Lourdes Church http://lourdeschurchorlem.org/index.html, established in 1916, is the kernel spot and landmark for Orlem. It is also known as the Orlem Church. Many major B.E.S.T. bus routes stop at "Orlem Church" and some routes terminate here.According to a Church census conducted in 2004, it was the largest parish in the Archdiocese of Bombay. The Orlem parish is divided into eight zones.
Localities
The major "zones" in Orlem are:- Tank Colony
- Joe Braz Colony (J.B.C.)
- Lourdes Colony
- Baudi
- Mithchowki
- Evershine Nagar
- Somwar Bazar & Liberty Garden
- D'monte Lane
Orlem is the channel for many Mumbai beaches such as Marve, Aksa, Madh Island, Erangle, and Dhana Pani.
Demographics
Orlem was traditionally inhabited by the East Indians. According to a 2004 Church census, there were around 7,000 TamilTamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
Catholics in the Orlem parish. With the huge boom of the call centre
Call centre
A call centre or call center is a centralised office used for the purpose of receiving and transmitting a large volume of requests by telephone. A call centre is operated by a company to administer incoming product support or information inquiries from consumers. Outgoing calls for telemarketing,...
service industry in the 2000s, Orlem witnessed a large influx of young working class executives. The real estate value of Orlem has increased considerably in past few years.
Business
Many businesses have grown in and around Orlem. Farm Products and 20th Century Store are some of the oldest stores in the locality. The "D'souza Market" popularly known as the "Orlem Market" was started by Mr. Wency D'souza and is the neighborhood grocery store. A number of restaurants and eateries have also sprung up in Orlem.Famous restaurants like uncles kitchen and J.B Dyansty Shopping malls such as 'Inorbit MallInorbit Mall
Inorbit Malls, a subsidiary of the K. Raheja Corporation, first opened its doors to the public in early 2004, in Malad, Mumbai. Inorbit Malls launched their Vashi, Navi Mumbai property in October 2008; in Cyberabad in Oct 2009...
’ and ‘Hypercity’ are close to Orlem.
Education
The major schools in Orlem are St. Anne's High SchoolSt. Anne's High School
St. Anne's High School is located in Pali Hill area of Bandra, Mumbai, India, under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Mumbai.St. Anne's High School, was started on the 1st June 1960 with Fr Theophilus Lobo as Rector and Fr Joe D. Pereira as Principal...
and Junior College, Carmel Of St. Joseph, and St. Joseph's High School. Ryan International School
Ryan International School
Ryan International Schools are a group of private educational institutions in India that were founded in 1976 by Dr. Augustine F. Pinto.-Mission:* To be a premier global educational institution ....
is close to Orlem.