The drawing room is decorated with collectible items related to life at sea. Saraswati's brother, Om Prakash Nakhva, who worked as a marine engineer at the Colaba docks, acquired these items through customs office auctions.
In Koli tradition, the Tulsi plant holds great reverence and is situated in the courtyard of the home. Every evening, Meena Nakhva offers prayers at the Tulsi shrine, lighting incense sticks and a diya (oil lamp).
The kuladevata is the ancestral tutelary deity of the family kul (lineage), worshipped for the protection of family members. Khandoba is the kuladevata of the Nakhva family, with the main temple located in Jejuri, Pune district, Maharashtra.
Saraswati Narsu Nakhva, 85, resides in her ancestral home built by her father in Mazagaon Koliwada. She led an active life as a fisherwoman until retiring at 80 due to the severe impact of COVID-19 on her business.
Saraswati Nakhva remained unmarried and has spent her entire life at the family residence, which is a repository of her life’s memories. ‘I was born here, and I will die here. That is my wish,’ she says.
As the eldest surviving member of the family, Saraswati Nakhva serves as the custodian of the family home. She resides there with her sister-in-law, Meena Nakhwa, diligently maintaining the house her father had built with love and dedication.
Over time, the living spaces have deteriorated with each monsoon. Dilapidation and dampness have caused paint to peel off the walls, and cracks have appeared in several places due to a lack of renovation.
Our Lady of the Rosary church features Stations of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis. These are a series of scenes depicting Jesus Christ on the day of his crucifixion. The Stations of the Cross are associated with the Christian themes of repentance and mortification of the flesh.
In Chinese temples, the worship of Confucius involves a blend of ritual offerings, reverential acts, and educational activities. These practices are designed to honour Confucius as a sage and cultural icon, emphasizing his enduring influence on Chinese society and culture.
The panel above the altar at Our Lady of the Rosary church features a copy of Leonardo da Vinci's ‘The Last Supper’ mural, which was created between 1495 and 1498 and is housed in the refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. The painting depicts the scene of the Last Supper of Jesus with the Twelve Apostles, as recounted in the Gospel of John.