Until a few centuries ago, Kalina was an idyllic locality “surrounded by fields, large water bodies and connected to the Mithi River” that swelled in the monsoon, especially when the Powai Lake overflowed, bringing unwelcome guests like crocodiles. Not known to many, Kalina used to be known as Kole Kalyan, literally meaning “the abode of foxes (kolhe) and jackals”, as the area was situated at the foot of the hills, which was overrun with these wild animals. “It was in this fishing and farming neighbourhood that the Portuguese missionaries first arrived [1600 onwards] in the hope to convert the natives. At the time, there were no roads connecting these islands. So, they came by boat through the Mithi River—then a clean, living and breathing river—from Bandra where the erstwhile St Anne’s Church [one of the oldest churches there] was situated. On their arrival, the Portuguese modified the original name to “Cole Caliana” and later, “Callina”; that name stuck with the locals.   

A Franciscan missionary Fr Manoel de Mathias, who arrived here first, baptising locals, and building the Church of Our Lady of Egypt in 1606, which according to The Bombay Gazetteer of 1882 (Vol XIV) measured 91ft in length, 40ft in width, and was 29-foot tall. Unlike today, where its jurisdiction is restricted to only two villages, the church then oversaw the Sahar and Vakola villages as well. The church still stands, and has undergone many renovations since—the first was in 1898. Today, it is home to nearly 12,000 parishioners.The Church of Our Lady of Egypt was first constructed in 1606. 

Present day Kalina is unlike its bucolic past. The locality was once only home to the Kalina or Big village and Kolivery village. These two indigenous villages continue to dominate the neighbourhood, but the vast farmlands abutting it have long disappeared. Big village got its name, because it was the bigger of the two. Then, it consisted of five parts of pakadis—Bhat, Ranwar, Matharwar, Diaschi, and Cordeirowadi. The people inhabiting these pakadis were originally farmers, and lived in houses made of mud and stone. The residents of Kolivery comprised agriculturists, fisherfolk, and Bhandaris. Interestingly, it was along Kolivery that the Mithi River flowed, and was used by the villagers for fishing and transportation. When vast tracts of land were bought by the government to build the airport, many residents of Big village secured jobs with Air India, he says. “That’s also why many of the locals of Big village took to education first, securing jobs outside farming,” he says.  Kolivery villagers followed suit, slowly giving up on their traditional occupations.

The prayer rituals of the East Indian community here, were unique to the “Kalinkars”. The most popular is the St Roque Feast, observed by Kolivery village. Legend is that there was a plague outbreak here in the 1950s, and many villagers lost their lives. A senior villager suggested that they take the statue of St Roque around the village. The epidemic petered out soon after, and the statue was then installed in a small grotto at the entrance of the village. The celebrations, which take place on the second Sunday of May every year, include a grand festive lunch, and singing, dancing and sports. A week after the feast, a prayer service is held at the grotto. In 2019, the village completed 66 years of the feast. “Big village, on the other hand, had its own feast, devoted to St Sebastian,” says Fr Gonsalves. It was first celebrated in 1930.

Worse is what happened to Kolivery Talao, a 400-year-old tank, which was once used by residents for “cooking, drinking, bathing and washing clothes” and even recreation, with boat rides for a small fee. Having the tank in such close proximity to the villages also prevented flooding during monsoon, as water from the talao overflowed, and poured into the Mithi River, and then into the sea. Rodrigues who has fond memories of races being held around the tank, says, “Some years ago, the talao was reclaimed to build a garden. On the insistence of the residents, a small tank was constructed inside.” The pond is dry for most part of the year, and is mostly used by children to play cricket. It’s no surprise, she says, why Kolivery now experiences water-logging each time there is a heavy shower