Our Small Dwelling

Whilst in Bombay we were put in middle class suburb called Dombivli. My father came to mumbai in the late 60's. It was like someone staying in USA or Europe now. Our locality was called Gokhale Wadi in Dombivli East. Gokhale wadi was cluster of residential labour lines as one may see now.


The facilities were very basic. And our dwelling was one of the smallest. It hardly measured
135 square feet. In that we had kitchen platform and bathroom without toilet. And the toilet block was some 200 feet away. Our small dwelling was attached to one "Girni " ( Flour Mill) and the grinding noise would always bring headache. Also it meant that the flour dust would enter our house.

My father was Asthmatic and the flour dust would trigger asthmatic attack. He tried every trick to stop the dust to come in but failed. It also ensured that house mice would make its round every night. Right diagonally across Manpada Road was a pond but later it was sewage discharge area.( Now it is a beautiful park) The mosquitoes would hold seige over our area.


We used Tortoise Mosquito coils earlier and then we were the first ones in Gokhale Wadi to purchase Good Night Mosquito repellent. My father was jubilant he had got hold of one brahmastra against mosquitoes. He tried some ultra-sound equipment, some liquid called MOSRUN ( read Mosquito Run) but none could match Good Knight which was bought out by a company called Transelecktra. And till today in my native place where my father and mother are settled you will find to much amusement Good knight keeps on burning continuously.


In that small room we had practically everything one could conceive of. We had a showcase which acted as a bifurcating wall in that small room. We also had a telivision a sewing machine, A diwan a water storage drum and kitchen wear, a study table and what not..


Hygiene was always in question. The water source was contaminated and my father again pitched in with Zero B water purifier. But one thing he had little control was Toilet. As I mentioned the toilet block was away and was used by many.


People didn't bother to keep toilet clean and would carry small bucket to flush. There were few hardened oldies who would carry a copy of newspaper to read leisurely inside without minding people were waiting in a que to get their chance to diffuse the bowel movement.


In spite of all the physical difficulties which we faced in Gokhale wadi we were contended and rarely thought of the bigger world for ourselves. And I will always remember Gokhale wadi residents as large hearted and full of empathy.

Today my dwelling is relatively big but not sure of my heart.