A new dawn for East Indians vying for OBC benefits

Its as if the government has laid out a feast before us but then tied our hands leaving us unable to partake in the meal said Stella Misquitta The housewife and Mankhurd Gaon resident is articulating a sentiment expressed by many East Indians of late Following the recent developments in reservations for Marathas and the governmentrsquos subsequent survey the quarters of Mumbais native Christians have seen curiosity and a churningThe Mobai Gaothan Panchayat MGP an umbrella organisation bringing together all of the cityrsquos gaothans is mobilising by establishing a committee to gain broader access to reservation benefits This committee has begun encouraging community members to apply for Other Backward Caste OBC certification and is working diligently to raise awareness about the processIn March 2006 the East Indian community was designated as OBCs a classification intended to grant access to government jobs seats in educational institutions and fee concessions This inclusion was influenced by the fact that many Hindu caste groups such as the Kunbis Kolis Agris and Bhandarismdashto which the East Indians trace their originsmdashwere already listed in this category Its disheartening very few individuals have actually benefited For those who did their certificates became practically useless due to the inability to verify caste validity on various technical grounds The administration needs to acknowledge these challenges and find a solution remarked Alphi DSouza CEO of the MGPrsquos Mumbai Metropolitan Region MMRGleason Barretto and Walter MurzelloFurther the thought of enduring cumbersome documentation and application processes for the OBC status only to find out that the benefits cannot be realised has deterred many from applying ldquoDuring the Maratha survey we received numerous inquiries about this issue Consequently a committee and help desk were established to not only guide community members but also encourage them to apply We are currently working on answering FAQs compiling a list of required documents for applications and verification and appointing a community nodal authority to facilitate interactions with authorities DSouza addedStella Misquitta has tirelessly sought to obtain OBC certificates for her daughters Despite numerous visits to the Tahsildar Office in Andheri and efforts to fulfil caste validity requirements their applications were rejected There is a requirement of East Indian ancestry in onersquos ancestors documents We obtained a letter from our East Indian samaj and had it noted on the baptism certificate at the parish However they demanded proof of our subcaste After six months of running around our applications were ultimately rejected last year Stella saidTo date only about 400 have managed to obtain certificates but many of them havenrsquot completed the caste validity procedure Notably many baptism certificates issued by parishes do not mention East Indian origins Vicky Misquitta the Vibhag Sarpanch of Marouli Mankhurd under the Mobai Gaothan Panchayat says During the Portuguese era East Indian Christians were referred to as a nationality while the British era documents termed them as lsquoIndian Christiansrsquo Some baptism certificates even mention Roman Catholicshelliprdquo Alongside providing ancestral documents and property deeds a noncreamy layer certificate assessing the familys annual income is also neededThe Mobai Gaothan Panchayat has begun mobilising to ensure that more community members can avail of the benefits that come with an OBC certificateMisquitta plays a significant role in raising awareness and providing guidance to those applying He spoke of his own familyrsquos experiences ldquoI applied for the BMCs General Nursing and Midwifery GNM course for my daughter Those scoring below 50 percent were selected because they had OBC status Despite my daughter achieving distinction in HSC she missed out due to the lack of validityrdquo he saidCommunity members also recognise that relying solely on the government or local bodies may result in unresolved problems In light of this they are all set to establish their own cabinet system akin to the governmentmdashrefurbishing the core MGP Managing Committee with a new name the East Indian ldquocabEInetrdquo Under this system selected representatives will oversee 27 departments including civic affairs social justice and education The candidates to head these departments have already been picked but the cabEInetrsquos official announcement and launch will take place during a community conclave scheduled on February 25For 14 long years we have seen little success as the authorities showed little concern We have decided to adopt a selfsustaining approach to address the needs of our communitymdashthe indigenous people of Mumbai While we continue to engage with relevant authorities we will also explore alternative methods to address our issuesrdquo stated Gleason Barretto an MGP Global Ambassador and the cabEInetrsquos Commissioner of Planning and StrategyAlongside the OBC status the Social Justice department which will be steered by Vicky Misquitta is also addressing other issues such as water education heritage and culture promotion music and sports Anthropologist Walter Murzello will handle the Guardian of Heritage and Customs portfolio Murzello hopes the portfolio will help to garner authoritiesrsquo attention Our community is dwindling in numbers and authorities often overlook our issues prioritising those of larger populations Our culture traditions and heritage are distinct from other Christian communities We will work towards highlighting this distinction and creating more awareness about itrdquo