The gauthans (East Indians) were the first inhabitants of Vile Parle and will also probably be the first to get extinct from the area, unless someone decides to give them work.
The Vile Parle gauthans have seen changes both pre and post-Independence. The famous gauthan (now called ’Pond’) derived its name from the Cattle ’Pound’ for stray animals that was situated on the western edge of the village, where there was a talao and a police station. Hence, today a single road that divides the village is called the Old Police Station Road.
This road divides the village of Pond in two portions: the northern portion known as ’St. Anthony’s Pond’ and the southern portion known as ’St. John’s Pond’.
But this only full fledged Police Station, north of Bandra, and the Cattle Pound was closed down in 1930, when a new Police Station and Cattle Pound was built outside Andheri Railway Station on the east where it still stands.
Close to St. John’s Pond Road stays, in House No. 1, Anthony Misquitta, an East Indian residing in Vile Parle since his birth.
"Our village of ’pound’ is shaped like a saucer. The edges are higher as compared to the central area. The only means of working we had then were the paddy fields and cattle. We would keep buffaloes, cows, sheeps, goats and pigs. Infact pigs were found then in every house in Vile Parle", says Misquitta, remembering the good old days. "After the rich invaded our territory, and due to unfavourable financial conditions, we had to sell our lands to them. In process we lost both paddy fields and the cattle pound, the only source of our income", he further informs.
"We never bought vegetables from the market like today. We grew them in our paddy fields. Vegetables likes, pumpkin, cucumber, bottle gourd were commonly grown in our fields and there were other seasonal vegetables too", says Misquitta. Besides the monetary flow coming in from railways, mills and dockyards.
With the missing Cattle Pound and Police Station from the present day Vile Parle, people assume that the gauthans have left the place. But the sight of ’Holy Cross’ at every nook and corner, makes their presence evident.