Postcard from a Mumbai village: No power, life at a standstill during rains — village 11 km from city

“We used to have a doctor many years ago. Now, there is nobody. There is no option but go to the city to get any treatment,” Patil says.

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For most residents on the island, it is the tourism industry that keeps them going. For four months during monsoon, when ferry services are suspended, shops set up by locals remain shut. Most rely on their savings to survive this period.

All these challenges should get resolved once the island secures power supply. An announcement by the state about providing power to Elephanta from August 15 this year is greeted with scepticism.

“Only when a bulb is lit here will we believe the promise,” says Shubhangi Mayne, a resident of Morebandar on the island. Currently, the island gets electricity through power generators for three hours daily from 7pm-10pm. The residents pay Rs 150 per month for this, she says.

A few years ago, solar lamps were provided to each household and panels were installed to light street lamps, but they functioned only for six months and have been defunct since, because of lack of maintenance. Mayne says this is the primary reason why many do not want to stay in the village.

“I used to live in Thane before I got married 15 years ago. I was very apprehensive about how I would live in a place where there is no electricity. Living on an island has other challenges too. We make weekly trips to Uran and get our supplies through boats,” Mayne says.
“Women have to be shifted to homes of relatives during pregnancy. When my daughter was born, I went outside the island in my ninth month on a boat,” she recalls. Those living in the island have to depend on wells and natural water reserves inside caves for daily water supply. These apprehensions often come in the way when seeking marriage proposals from outside the island, Mayne says.

The lone school in the village which was for students till Class 7 was upgraded to Class 10 but there are no local teachers and the number of students has dwindled to 45.

“The island has been neglected by authorities prompting many citizens to move out. In the next five years, the school too will be shut for lack of students. The Elephanta festival that was held at the caves is being held this year at the Gateway of India. The logistical challenge due to lack of electricity restricts this place,” says Siddhant Padte, nephew of sarpanch Sunil Padte.

The Elephanta island gets its name from the Portuguese.

They called it Elephanta because of a huge rock-cut black stone elephant statue installed on it. The statue is placed in Jijamata Udyan in Byculla. The island is 7km in circumference and has seven cave excavations dating back to 6-7th centuries. According to the Archaeological Survey of India, one of the caves represents the rock-cut Hindu architecture.

Another group of small caves represents Buddhist monuments with a Stupa made of bricks.

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