[Goanet-News] Bombay’s old Goan clubs

[Frederick Noronha]

Images from another era: Kudds in Bombay
http://bit.ly/GoanKudds

1 Henry Fernandes, 69, manager of the Club of Ponda, in Jer Mahal,
Dhobi Talao. The word kudd, also spelt 'coor' or 'cudd', literally
means 'room' in Konkani. Kudds, also referred to as clubs, are
dormintory-style accommodation spaces that first cropped up in the
late 18th to early 19th century, to house Goan migrants who were
flocking to the commercial hub of Bombay in search of work. Of the
450 kudds in the city, only about 160 remain, according to the
Federation of Goan Club (Kudd), of which Henry is a treasurer.
(Pratham/HT)

2 Most Kudd inhabitants ended up working as seamen -- waiters, mess-men and
cooks on ships. They would halt at their kudd in Mumbai before starting each
voyage or would spend a few days on shore leave there before heading home
to Goa on breaks. Often, they would leave belongings behind in a trunk with
their name or membership number. Here, metal crates line the walls of the
CLub of St Anthony (Desussua) in Matharpacady, Mazgaon. (Arijit Sen/HT)

3 Rules, written in Konkani, hang on a flaky wall inside the Club of Paroda
in Matharpacady, Mazgaon. Members of every kudd follow a similar set of
rules -- the daily evening rosary is compulsory, bedding must be rolled up
by 8 am, lights must go out by 10.30 pm. Drinking is allowed as long as no
nuisance is created, and most kudds allow card games on certain days.
(Arijit Sen/HT)

4 Each kudd is named after a Goan village. Members can stay at the club
indefinitely, for a monthly rent that now ranges from Rs 50 to Rs 150. Here,
Nalvey Fernandes, 35, reads a newspaper at the Club of Carmona near Dhobi
Talao. A waiter on a cruise ship, he has already spent a week of his
three-month layover at the club. He pays Rs 100 a month. (Arijit Sen/HT)

5 Graffiti adds a dash of colour on the otherwise ashen exterior of the Club
of Paroda in Matharpacady, Mazgaon. (Arijit Sen/HT)

6 A still from a Konkani short film, Nachom-ia Kumpasar, by
filmmaker Bardroy Barretto. Based on the life of Goan musician
Chris Perry, who briefly stayed in the Club of Cuncolim in the
Dhobi Talao area, Barretto recreated a kudd set in Goa for this
film. (Photo courtesy: Bardroy Barretto)

7 The 136-year-old Club of St Anthony's (Deussua), in Mazgaon, is spread
across a sprawling 10,763 square feet, with eight airy dormitories, six family
rooms, three toilets, three bathrooms and a kitchen. Each member pays Rs 50
a month. It was renovated last year with contributions from members. (Arijit
Sen)

8 A young man rests on a row of trunks at the Club of Majorda, in Jer Mahal,
Dhobi Talao. Beds are not allowed. (Pratham Gokhale/Hindustan Times)

9 A photo frame featuring music composer Anthony Gonsalves at the Club of
Majorda, in Jer Mahal. Gonsalves briefly stayed in this club. Amitabh
Bachchan's character in the 1977 hit Hindi film Amar Akbar Anthony was
inspired by him. (Pratham Gokhale/Hindustan Times)

SEE ALL THE IMAGES HERE:
http://bit.ly/GoanKudds