->SomePacifisticGuy: Added pronunciation

2021-09-01T11:16:45Z

Added pronunciation

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{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2018}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = {{Big|वर्सोवा}}
| native_name = {{Small|Versova}}
| native_name_lang = mr
| other_name =
| image_skyline = Versova beach.JPG
| image_alt =
| image_caption = Versova beach
| nickname =
| pushpin_map = India Mumbai
| pushpin_label_position =
| pushpin_map_alt =
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Mumbai, India
| coordinates = {{coord|19.12|N|72.82|E|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{flag|India}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[States and territories of India|State]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[List of districts of India|District]]
| subdivision_type3 = City
| subdivision_name1 = [[Maharashtra]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Mumbai Suburban district|Mumbai Suburban]]
| subdivision_name3 = [[Mumbai]]
| established_title = 
| established_date =
| founder =
| named_for =
| government_type = [[Municipal Corporation]]
| governing_body = [[Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation]] (MCGM)
| unit_pref = Metric
| area_footnotes =
| area_total_km2 =
| area_rank =
| elevation_footnotes =
| elevation_m =
| population_total =
| population_as_of =
| population_footnotes =
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_rank =
| population_demonym =
| demographics_type1 = Languages
| demographics1_title1 = Official
| timezone1 = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset1 = +5:30
| postal_code_type = [[Postal Index Number|PIN]]
| postal_code = 400061
| area_code = 022
| area_code_type =
| registration_plate =
| website =
| footnotes =
| demographics1_info1 = [[Marathi language|Marathi]]
}}
'''Versova''' ([[International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration|IAST]]: ''Varsovā'', pronunciation: [[Help:IPA/Marathi|[ʋəɾsoːʋaː]]]) is an upmarket neighbourhood in the north-western [[Mumbai]]. It is known for its beach and the [[Versova Fort]]. The beach of Versova recently undertook a massive clean-up effort, labelled as the largest ever beach clean-up.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/un-award-to-mumbai-lawyer-for-largest-beach-clean-up/story-mihByt2ZbOlGap59KLfiyO.html|title=UN award to Mumbai lawyer for largest beach clean-up|date=2016-12-04|work=Hindustan Times|access-date=2018-07-08|language=en}}</ref>

== History ==

Versova, originally named Vesave, is a small fishing village of the [[Koli people|Kolis]], situated to the north of the old Mumbai city.<ref name="GazBombayThana1882">{{cite book | title=Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Tha'na: places of interest | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zQ4IAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA379 | access-date=10 November 2012 | year=1882 | publisher=Government Central Press | pages=379–380}}</ref>

Britishers used to call this vis-a-vis and locals gave it the name Visava.

The original name of the village is "Visava", which derives from the Marathi word for "rest" (as in resting place). Later, it was pronounced as "Vesava". The village is mentioned in the writings of [[Gemelli Careri]] in 1695.

Versova came under the Portuguese rule in the medieval period. The Portuguese constructed the Our Lady of Health Church in Versova, and a number of Kolis converted to Christianity during this period. By 1720, it had emerged as a small town, with a [[Versova Fort|small fort]] and a growing trade in dry fish. In 1739, the Portuguese lost the area to the [[Maratha empire|Marathas]], who strengthened the fort. A [[British East India Company|British]] force led by Lieutenant-Colonel [[Henry Sheehy Keating|Henry Keating]] defeated the [[Maratha]]s in 1774.<ref name="GazBombayThana1882"/>

In 1800, the British established a training facility for artillery and engineering cadets. However, the facility was moved to the old Bombay city after a fever epidemic affected nearly all the cadets, and killed many of them. The military establishment was completely removed in 1818.<ref name="GazBombayThana1882"/> In 1875-86, the exports from the trade amounted to {{GBP|34,403}} and the imports in 1876-77 were worth {{GBP|14784}}.<ref name="GazBombayThana1882"/>

==Kolis of Versova==
The people who make Versova alive are the original inhabitants of Mumbai, "[[Koli people|Kolis]]". Shores of the Versova creek area are surrounded by flourishing Mangroves which support different kinds of [[marine life]], especially molluscs, crabs and fish.<ref>G. Kantharajan, P.K. Pandey, P. Krishnan, V. Deepak Samuel, V.S. Bharti, R. Purvaja, Molluscan diversity in the mangrove ecosystem of Mumbai, west coast of India, In Regional Studies in Marine Science, Volume 14, 2017, Pages 102-111, ISSN 2352-4855, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsma.2017.06.002.</ref> Kolis are the fisherfolk who sell their fish at Versova jetty at wholesale prices. They have their own [[cooperative society]] of Versova fishermen, wherein they manage all the fishing activities.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Choudhary|first=Vidhi|date=2016-04-26|title=A fisherwoman swimming against the tide|url=https://www.livemint.com/Politics/bwrOqwW4tYiNwrD5xkEZ0I/A-fisherwoman-swimming-against-the-tide.html|access-date=2020-06-02|website=Livemint|language=en}}</ref>

Kolis are believed to be the oldest and original inhabitants of the land that is now Mumbai.

The Versova Koli Seafood Festival was started in 2006 to help the Koli fishing community with extra income.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mattoo |first1=Seema |title=Versova Seafood festival attracts Mumbai foodies |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/events/mumbai/versova-seafood-festival-attracts-mumbai-foodies/articleshow/67591853.cms |access-date=22 June 2021 |publisher=Times Of India}}</ref>

== Environmental Clean-up Efforts ==
By 2015, Versova beach had become choked with up to 5.5 feet of rotting refuse and trash - most of it plastic.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2017/05/22/asia/mumbai-beach-dramatic-makeover/index.html|title=From filthy to fabulous: Mumbai beach undergoes dramatic makeover|first=Medhavi |last=Arora|work=CNN|access-date=2018-08-15}}</ref>

In October 2015, [[Afroz Shah]], a young lawyer and environmentalist in Mumbai moved into the area and along with Harbansh Mathur, an 84-year-old who has since died, began efforts to clean up the beach. Eventually Shah started a volunteer organization, Versova Residents Volunteers, and encouraged volunteers to show up for weekly "dates with the ocean" - so called because of how arduous the work was.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://web.unep.org/championsofearth/laureates/2016/afroz-shah|title=Afroz Shah {{!}} Champions of the Earth|website=web.unep.org|access-date=2018-08-15}}</ref> Each Sunday the volunteers would gather to remove as much trash as possible. Over the course of 21 months, volunteers removed close to 11,684,500 pounds of trash, most of it plastic.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=https://www.ecowatch.com/beach-clean-up-mumbai-2421608193.html|title=World's Largest Beach Clean-Up: Trash-Ridden to Pristine in 2 Years|date=2017-05-27|work=EcoWatch|access-date=2018-08-15|language=en}}</ref>

The volunteers also cleaned up 52 public toilets and planted over 50 coconut trees.<ref name=":1" />

In 2016, Shah was honored with the "Champion of the Earth" award by the [[United Nations Environment Programme]] in recognition of his vision and hard work.<ref name=":0" />

In early 2018, [[Olive ridley sea turtle|Olive Ridley]] sea turtles returned to the beach for the first time in 20 years to nest and hatchlings were observed heading toward the sea on March 22, 2018.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/blogs/sea-turtles-return-mumbai-beach-after-20-year-absence|title=Sea turtles return to Mumbai beach after 20-year absence|work=MNN - Mother Nature Network|access-date=2018-08-15|language=en}}</ref>

Recently, Afroz Shah has appeared on several platforms as a champion of the cause to ban plastics and has travelled across the country to several schools in a pledge to refuse, reduce and reuse plastic.[https://www.firstpost.com/tech/science/world-environment-day-2019-citizens-have-enormous-power-in-bringing-about-climate-action-says-afroz-shah-6759511.html]

==See also==
*[[Versova Fort]]
* [[Aksa Beach]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Tourist attractions in Mumbai}}
{{Mumbai metropolitan area}}

[[Category:Neighbourhoods in Mumbai]]
[[Category:Environmentalism in India]]

Versova, Mumbai - Revision history

->SomePacifisticGuy: Added pronunciation