Versova Koli Seafood Festival
Introduction
Koli seafood festivals have been held in Mumbai for more than a decade. These festivals, organised in various Koliwadas (settlements of Kolis) across the city, offer visitors an array of seafood dishes. During these festivals, many Mumbaikars (residents of Mumbai) relish the opportunity to immerse themselves in Koli cuisine and entertainment. In addition to being a visual and literal feast, the festival provides a glimpse into Maharashtra's Koli culture.
Beginning of the seafood festival tradition
Versova, also known as Vesava, hosted the festival for the first time in 2006. Since then, it has gained popularity and grown in size and quality. The Versova village's open ground hosts the annual Versova Koli Seafood Festival, drawing thousands of visitors.
Rajhans Tapke, a resident of Versova and founding member of the festival in Versova, narrates how the festival came to be and the factors that prompted its inception. For generations, the Koli community has been fishing in the region. Over the years, problems like shifting fishing grounds, diminishing fish catches, and increasing expenditure resulting from environmental factors have been detrimental to the artisan fishing practices of the Kolis. In contrast, the selling price for fish in the same period remained essentially the same, making the trade increasingly unviable for boat owners and fishermen. The perishable nature of fish necessitates immediate sale, as cold storage cannot hold it for an extended period. Given these circumstances, it was imperative for the community to look for supplementary sources of income. [1]
In January 2005, Mumbai hosted the Mumbai Festival at various venues across the city. This festival hosted several events showcasing Mumbai’s history, heritage, and culture. However, Tapke noticed that there was no representation of the Koli community, some of the first settlers of Mumbai. He believed that a program like this should highlight the culture of the Kolis in Mumbai, prompting him to write a letter to Sakaal, one of the leading Marathi newspapers. The Mumbai Festival organisers noticed his story in Sakaal and arranged a meeting with Tapke. They had initially suggested that the Kolis should showcase their culture through dance, but Tapke disagreed, as dance would neither represent Koli culture in its entirety nor benefit the community in any way. Instead, he requested that the organizers allow the Kolis to set up food stalls as part of the festival. The organisers agreed to this on the condition that the community would be solely responsible for setting up the stalls, with the Mumbai Festival helping only with advertising and publicity. When Tapke informed the residents of the village about the festival, they agreed to support him in making the arrangements; however, everyone backed out when it was time to do the work. As a result, organizing the festival became a difficult task. Tapke asked his friends Suryakant Ratne and Pravin Bhave for help, and they supported him in this endeavour. Tapke announced the schedule of the Mumbai Festival, fixed the dates for the Koli Seafood Festival, and started the hunt for a decorator. One decorator agreed to do the job but was sceptical about the payment, so he asked them for a guarantor in case they failed to pay. The decorator turned out to be a friend of Tapke’s father-in-law, who agreed to act as the guarantor. The next step involved arranging for cultural performances, including the necessary stage, lights, and sound system, as the festival aimed to showcase Koli culture. Performers (singers and dancers) from Versova agreed to perform at the festival for free. They sourced lights from houses and temples. Since Tapke and his friends were low on money, they tried to source everything either for free or at the lowest possible cost. Tapke says that organising the festival kept him so busy that he did not have the time to dine at home for about one and a half months.
When Tapke and his friends approached the Koli women of Versova to set up stalls for the festival, they were shocked at the suggestion of selling cooked seafood. The Kolis made a livelihood selling raw fish. Cooked dishes were fed by the women to their family and friends, but these were never sold commercially. Tapke recalls the women exclaiming,
‘Kay? Jevan ikavcha? Yed laglay ka tumhana? Tumche kay mitra astil na tar aamche ghara jevala pathva, amhi tyana jevan ghalu. Asla kay bhalta salta sangtos.’ (‘What? Selling food? Have you gone crazy? Send your friends to our house; we'll cook for them and feed them. What are you even suggesting?’) [2]
After the Koli women declined, Tapke turned to his family and friends. He succeeded in convincing his wife, her sisters, and her mother. Together, they successfully persuaded the wives of his friends and several groups of women from his neighbourhood. The women agreed on the condition that if people did not attend the festival and the food was unsold or wasted, Tapke would pay them the incurred cost. This completed the arrangements for the inaugural Koli seafood festival in Versova village.
Tapke says they also received significant support from the Mumbai Festival organizers, who had advertised the Koli Seafood Festival in The Times of India newspaper. This advertisement raised awareness of the event, leading to a significant number of people attending the festival. The food at all stalls sold out in two hours. As a result, the women who had initially refused to participate began to request stall allocations. The festival ran for four days during the first few years. The Times of India advertised the festival in its initial years. On an individual level, the Kolis would put up festival brochures in office canteens and invite their colleagues to attend the festival. Tapke says that the festival has become so popular that it does not need advertising. Once people learn the festival dates through various social media platforms, they automatically attend.
The festival represents the close connection between the Kolis' livelihood and their cultural heritage. Tapke says that the concept behind the festival was to serve a dual purpose.
One goal is to showcase Koli cuisine and culture to the rest of the city, and the other is to assist Koli women in earning income during these challenging times. If restaurants sell raw pomfret (Indian butterfish) for, say, 100 rupees, the cost of cooked pomfret dishes ranges from 200 to 250 rupees or even higher. They can serve the same pomfret for 150 rupees, earning a 40 rupee profit, with an additional cost of 10 rupees and minimal cooking effort. [3]
The festival, its popularity, arrangement, and components
Thousands of people visited Versova during the first seafood festival. Versova has hosted the festival every year since 2006, with the exception of two years during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, the festival spans three days, drawing crowds even at midnight. As a result, the Koliwadas in Mahim, Juhu, Trombay, Kolaba, and Worli have hosted seafood festivals. Sometimes the festival is organized by political parties, the Ministry of Fisheries, or local governing bodies. Versova also hosts the Mumbai Koli Seafood Festival, albeit at a different location (Versova Welfare School Ground) and on a smaller scale compared to the Versova Koli Seafood Festival. The Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Vesava Koli Mahila Samajik Sanstha uses the Mumbai Koli Seafood Festival's brand as part of its fundraising events for various issues. The Mumbai Koli Seafood Festival, unlike the annual Versova Koli Seafood Festival, has only occurred three times: in 2018, 2023, and 2024. [4] The National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC) promoted egg consumption with the commercial "Sunday ho ya Monday, roz khaao ande," according to Bhushan Pede, a Versova resident and one of the organisers of the Mumbai Koli Seafood Festival. [5] However, fish consumption was not promoted anywhere. He says that the seafood festival aims to promote fish consumption, authentic Koli recipes, and the fishing community's culture and traditions. The catchphrase'macchi sehat ke liye acchi' ('Fish is beneficial for health') promotes the Mumbai Koli Seafood Festival. [6] According to Tapke, people's enjoyment of Koli cuisine and the festival is so great that many have requested its recurrence twice or thrice annually.
The festival serves over twenty varieties of fish, including bombil (Bombay duck, both dried and fresh), rawas (Indian salmon), surmai (King Mackerel), halwa/paplet (pomfret), bangda (mackerel), tisrya (clams), prawns, kekda (crabs), and shevand (lobster), among others. All the stalls serve fish curries, stuffed fish, fried fish, tandoori fish, and fusion fish recipes. They also serve koli rice bhakris, a variety of plain and biryani rice dishes. They prepare the dishes using fresh catch, tailoring them to the customer's demands and tastes. Although the festival centres around seafood, vegetarian options such as potato twisters, momos, dabeli, burgers, and french fries are also available.
Tapke and his friends looked after the festival organization at Versova for the first two years. Later, the Koli organisations of Versova, namely the Vesava Macchimar Vividh Karyakar Sahakari Society, Vesava Koli Jamat Trust, Vesava Macchimar Sahakari Society, Vesava Koli Sahakari Sarvodaya, and the Vesava Koli Nakhwa Mandal, came together to form the Vesava Koli Seafood Committee. The Vesava Koli Jamat Trust owns the land where the festival takes place. The organisation of the festival is now the responsibility of the Vesava Koli Seafood Committee. On a rotating basis, the heads of each of the member organisations lead the committee and look after the arrangements for the Versova Koli Seafood Festival. The Kolis themselves manage the festival at Versova. No event manager or management company is involved. Local band groups hire themselves for the cultural performances. The hired groups take care of the orchestra and dance performances. A decorator is hired for decoration purposes. The sponsors are promoted through banners, hoardings (at fish markets and jetties), and digital marketing (Instagram, Facebook).[7]
A few years ago, Versova hosted the festival with about 50 stalls. Due to restrictions, the number of stalls has come down to 35. The next year gives preference to the groups or individuals not permitted to set up stalls in the previous year. A lottery system is used to allot the remaining slots. Usually, the stalls set up by profitable businesses and have good track records are preferred. Pede allocates the stalls to participating families and groups at a minimum rent. [8] He also said that a few years ago, there was a huge demand for stalls, but it has since declined due to the high cost and scarcity of fish. The Mumbai Koli Seafood Festival allots stalls to those who approach the festival organisers, and employs a lottery system when the demand for stalls surpasses the number of allowed stalls. Previous stall holders receive preference over newcomers.
Three parts comprise the seafood festival: cultural events/performances, Koli cuisine, and the showcasing of goods, ideas, and commodities by organizations and sponsors. An event that started at a local level at the lowest possible cost has today garnered support through donations and sponsors. Sponsorships handle the funding required for decoration, advertisement, performances, and stall set-up. In 2024, the Versova Koli Seafood Festival received monetary support of Rs 5,00,000 from the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) for the first time. [9]
Another major attraction of the festival is the traditional attire and jewelry of the Koli men and women. Some groups of women running stalls wear similar-patterned and colored sarees. The women joyfully cook the dishes, singing and dancing. Pede says, ‘We receive a different happiness in presenting ourselves (at the festival). Our ladies enjoy dressing up in traditional attire, and it is fun for a change.’[10]
The seafood festival introduced the Koli fishing community to a new venture of selling Koli food. Tapke mentions that Versova's women today no longer refuse to sell cooked fish or bhakris. They take orders and deliver food to their customers. Small restaurants and catering services emerged in the community. This has provided them with an alternative source of income and empowered them. The women are responsible for grinding the spices, preparing the marinades, and preparing and cooking the fish. The festival has brought out the entrepreneurial skills of the Koli women. Despite its rocky start, the festival has become a must-visit for seafood lovers.
Footnotes:
[1] Rajhans Tapke, interview with the author, March 5, 2024.
[2] Rajhans Tapke, interview with the author, March 5, 2024.
[3] Rajhans Tapke, interview with the author, March 5, 2024.
[4] Bhushan Pede, interview with the author, February 27, 2024.
[5] Bhushan Pede, interview with the author, February 27, 2024.
[6] Bhushan Pede, interview with the author, February 27, 2024.
[7] Bhushan Pede, interview with the author, February 27, 2024.
[8] Bhushan Pede, interview with the author, February 27, 2024.
[9] Rajhans Tapke, interview with the author, March 5, 2024.
[10] Bhushan Pede, in discussion with the author.
Bibliography:
Rajhans Tapke (native scholar and Founder Member of the Versova Koli Sea Food Festival), in discussion with the author, March 5, 2024.
Bhushan Pede (One of the organizers of Mumbai Koli Sea Food Festival 2024), in discussion with the author, February 27, 2024.