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Time of India
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Other Tongue: The Quiet Revival of EI Marathi
A year ago, when Chef Freny Fernandes opened Freny's in Bandra, she had no greater goal than to run a stellar East Indian restaurant in the city. Today, she's considered a cultural evangelist, thanks in part to the morsels she dishes out—on Instagram. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Her reels serve up a crash course in EI culture, with her 'word of the day'—bite-sized East Indian Marathi lessons that describe menu dishes and dining customs—a particular hit. Her followers, newly schooled in words such as tope (a poha-and-meat dish) and itroz (a pre-Lenten feast) tend to follow up lessons with a taste test. "I started storytelling to spread more information about who we are and what our language is about," she says, pointing out that East Indian Marathi is different from regular Marathi, with regional and ethnic variations within the dialect. Even as rabblerousers have brandished Marathi yet again as a yardstick, a linguistic Lakshman Rekha, its kindred East Indian Marathi, has been witnessing a dignified, inclusive and clever campaign for relevance. And at its vanguard are East Indians like 30-year-old Fernandes, whose promotion of the dialect on social media has kindled a new interest among people, especially young people, in their mai boli. East Indian Marathi is a dialect composed predominantly of North Konkan Marathi—with a mix of Portuguese and a sprinkling of English and Hindi words—that uses the Devanagari and Roman script. Spoken by Bombay East Indians (native Christians of the North Konkan) in Mumbai, Dharavi island, Thane, Uran and Vasai, the dialect varies in pronunciation, and sometimes meaning, across regions and ethnic subgroups. Over the years, its circle of influence started to shrink as urbanisation, education and social mobility privileged English. However in the past decade, EI Marathi has regained prominence thanks to organisations like the Mobai Gaothan Panchayat (MGP) that published the first EI dictionary in 2019 as part of its broader cultural revival project, and individuals like Mogan Rodrigues, who has been researching and writing about the language and culture. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Millennials and Gen-Z have joined their ranks, taking the message to a medium many consider their native place—social media. Candida Remedios, 34, gamified language learning through her Sunday quizzes on Instagram. She invited people to guess the original English title of a popular song or Hollywood movie that she translated into EI Marathi. Sutera Manus? Spider-Man. Navricha Bapus? Father of the Bride. "I started with the alphabet—a basic A-Z series of East Indian words to familiarise people with the language," she says. This was no linguistic lark; Remedios was chief project coordinator of the East Indian Dictionary. The EI dictionary, which sold 1,000 copies, will launch a second, expanded edition next year, says Gleason Barretto, its founder-editor. "Earlier, people bought it as a collectible; now they actually want to learn the dialect," he says. The best way to learn it, insists Mogan Rodrigues, is to speak it at home like he does. "My 8-year-old son is fluent in it," says the researcher, who has been compiling his own inventory of EI words. A convenient source of these is his mother, whose recent contribution to his lexicon was the word benja—the space between two fingers. "Nobody writes books or articles in this dialect," Rodrigues continues. But a sizeable body of literature has emerged in song. "Every year about 25-30 East Indian singing competitions are held throughout Bombay, for which people compose original songs on a range of themes, from news events to marital and housing problems. The songs are a record of our times," he states. Interestingly, it's the youth who are actively contributing to this social documentary. Triston Gonsalves, a 23-year-old resort manager in Uttan, is a rising star in the EI firmament, having participated in over 50 singing competitions and won over 30 prizes. His song Bapus (Father) scored 174K views on YouTube. "More young people are participating in singing competitions these days," observes Gonsalves, "And they make up about 60-70% of the audience," he adds, attributing their interest in community events to the cachet that cultural identity commands today on social media. Remedios believes people today want to talk about their roots, stories and folk songs. "And because reels are the most consumed format of content these days, many East Indian content creators have appeared on the scene," she says. They're designers, bodybuilders and amateur comedians, creating bilingual content in EI Marathi and English. And though they may not speak out as campaigners, they're nevertheless preserving the dialect—if only by speaking it.
Time of India
12-06-2025
- Time of India
Planning a trip to Singapore? Here's how Indians can get a visa easily
Indian travellers planning to visit Singapore must apply for a valid e-visa before departure. This visa, processed through authorised agents, is essential for tourism, business visits, or family travel. Who needs a visa? All Indian passport holders require a visa to enter Singapore. Applications must be made through authorised visa agents. The Singapore High Commission has designated agents across Indian states: North and East Indians can apply through Delhi-based agents, those in Central and West India through Mumbai-based agents, and applicants from South India via Chennai-based agents. Transit facility (Join our ETNRI WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates) Travellers transiting through Singapore may qualify for a 96-hour Visa-Free Transit Facility (VFTF), subject to conditions. However, the final decision rests with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers. Live Events MORE STORIES FOR YOU ✕ Singapore casts tax shadow on India bets, shuns shell companies Indians can now visit this hidden tropical paradise without a visa « Back to recommendation stories I don't want to see these stories because They are not relevant to me They disrupt the reading flow Others SUBMIT Documents required Visa applications must be submitted with the following documents: A clear photocopy of the passport's biodata page (valid for at least 6 months) Two recent passport-sized colour photographs on white background (35mm x 45mm, matte finish, face covering 70–80%) Completed Form 14A (with one photo pasted and signed, one attached with a clip) A signed cover letter addressed to 'The Visa Officer, Singapore High Commission, New Delhi' explaining travel purpose Bank statements for the last 3 months Hotel booking confirmation in Singapore Additional documents Depending on the applicant's background, more documents may be required: Business travellers: Company letterhead or visiting card, GST Certificate, last 3 years' ITR Salaried employees: Last 3 months' salary slips, office ID card, NOC and leave certificate on company letterhead Children: School/college ID, leave certificate, NOC from institution, copy of school holiday list Visiting family/friends in Singapore: Invitation letter, copy of inviter's passport, valid visa, and resident card or FIN number All documents must be in English. Application and tracking Applicants must submit all papers to the authorised agent. Visa status can be tracked online on the ICA website by entering the Visa Reference Number and travel document number. Once approved, applicants can print the e-visa from the site. Visa fee and charges The visa application costs ₹1,900, which is non-refundable. Agents may charge an additional ₹650 as service fees.
India Gazette
29-05-2025
- Politics
- India Gazette
Welcome celebration of Ayodhya Ram Lalla held in Trinidad & Tobago
Port of Spain [Trinidad and Tobago], May 29 (ANI): A grand welcome celebration for Ayodhya Shri Ram Lalla was organized by the Ayodhya Shri Ram Organisation of Trinidad & Tobago, in collaboration with Overseas Friends of Ram Mandir, New York, and supported by over 40 local organizations. The event coincided with the commemoration of 180 years since the arrival of East Indians to Trinidad & Tobago. Thousands gathered to witness the unveiling of a replica of the Ram Lalla murti from Ayodhya, which had arrived from India especially for the occasion. In a press release, Amit Alagh, Chairman of the Ayodhya Shri Ram Organisation, expressed pride in the massive turnout and the spiritual significance of the event. The murti was jointly unveiled by: Pradeep Singh Rajpurohit, Indian High Commissioner to Trinidad & Tobago, Prem Bhandari, Founder of Overseas Friends of Ram Mandir, New York & Chairman of Jaipur Foot USA, Swami Brahmswaroopanand Ji, who specially blessed the event and Sieunarine Coosal, prominent local leader and philanthropist. Rajpurohit, who served as the Chief Guest, delivered a heartfelt address referencing numerous verses from the Ramcharitmanas and Ramayan, emphasizing the eternal relevance of Shri Ram. He also congratulated newly re-elected Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, noting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India was the first global leader to congratulate her on her second term earlier this month, according to the release. In a major announcement, Rajpurohit shared that an artificial limb fitment camp (Jaipur Foot) will soon be organized in Trinidad & Tobago under the 'India for Humanity' initiative by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. The camp, conducted by Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS) -- the parent body of Jaipur Foot USA -- will benefit over 800 differently-abled (Divyang) individuals across the country. Prem Bhandari, who traveled from New York to attend the ceremony, stated, 'It doesn't feel like I am in Trinidad -- it feels like I am in Ayodhya. Even after 180 years, the faith of Indians in Trinidad in Sanatan Dharma is as deep and strong as that of Indians living in India or anywhere else in the world.' He also highlighted that Trinidad is perhaps the only country where Ramayan chanting takes place daily, and noted the presence of one of the world's tallest Hanuman Murtis, standing 85 feet tall, located right in Trinidad, according to the release. The celebrations included vibrant devotional singing by local groups as well as performers from India, creating an atmosphere of divine joy and unity. The press release also recalled the massive turnout for previous spiritual events organized in collaboration with Overseas Friends of Ram Mandir, New York, including the Ayodhya Pran Pratishtha celebrations in January and Hanuman Chalisa chanting in April, both of which drew thousands of devotees. (ANI)
