Yashoda Nakhva, seventy years old, spent most of her life in this house. Recently, she moved to a new place, just a short distance away. Yashoda laments how the dockyard has obstructed the view of the sea from the balcony of the Nakhva house and blocked the cool sea breeze.
Saraswati Nakhva received her education at the Nawab Tank Upper Primary Municipal Marathi School, located inside the Kamgar Sadan building. This building was established by the Port Trust of India in 1937, and it is located in the Railway Colony at Mazagaon Koliwada.
After her father’s demise, Saraswati’s brother, Om Prakash Nakhva, did not continue her father’s legacy in the fishing business. Instead, he made his career in the service industry, working at the Colaba docks. He married Meena, who now lives with Saraswati.
Pritman Nakhva, the third generation of the family to grow up in this house, worked as a chef abroad. He returned home during the COVID-19 pandemic and now assists his brother in the shipbuilding business. Their combined income runs the household.
The family also cares for the neighbourhood cats, who roam freely around the household. They form intimate bonds with the neighbourhood residents and are considered members of the family.
Saraswati Nakhva’s father, Narsu Vithoba Nakhva, was involved in the fishing business, while her mother, Padmabai, also worked as a fisherwoman. Narsu was an astute businessman who made a fortune in the lucrative pearl industry. Using these profits, NV Nakhva built the family residence.
Saraswati Nakhva’s father’s fishing net once ensnared a wooden Ganesha from the sea. It depicts an eight-armed Natya Ganapati in a dancing posture, surrounded by smaller figures. The Nakhva house now proudly displays the cleaned and restored carving on its wall.