Welcome to the East Indian Memory Co. (EIMC), my online part-sociological, part-art project that seeks to research, record and document the individual and collective stories of the East Indian (EI) people and community native to Bombay (now known as Mumbai), a city on India’s Western coast.

Indigenous to the North Konkan coast of Maharashtra, the East Indians of Bombay are the descendants of the first Christians to populate the area. Over the years, their food, traditions and religion have developed heavy Portuguese, British and local Maharashtrian influences. The population currently settled here is as much a part of Mumbai as the Parsis, Mangaloreans, Bohris, Maharashtrians and Goans who also call the city home. 

East Indian history however, is not very well-documented and records are scattered and sparse. EI occupational groups, geographical peculiarities, class differences, etc. add to the difficult task of collating this vital information.  

My aim is to take on this task and also aid any one else involved in the same efforts. An East Indian myself, I hope to tell my people’s stories to the rest of the world through the art I create (and help facilitate) and my interactions with other communities and cultures via EIMC’s various online platforms.

EIMC also aims to help keep East Indian culture and traditions alive and empower our youth and elders by highlighting the various roles our people play not only within our own community, but also in the wider world.

To find out how you can help me with my work, visit the FAQs section.

Warm regards,
Reena Pereira-Almeida