Mumbai - The Locavore

Personal Essay

From Tamil Nadu to Mumbai’s Jari Mari, Kanji is a Story of Dalit Sustenance

Pooja Ashokkumar
July 17, 2026

In Mumbai's suburbs, the agrarian reality of kanji persists. Illustration by Anugraha Mahesh.

Kanji is a verb, not just the name of a dish, asserts Pooja Ashokkumar as she traces the fermented rice-and-water dish's relevance through the migration of her community.

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Culture

A Mumbai Without Pav?

Oishika Roy
June 24, 2026

Mumbai’s iconic Rex Bakery. Words by Oishika Roy. Images by Sarthak Chand.

Changing regulations and a shortage of gas supply affects not only Mumbai's bakeries, but also the demographic that relies on them for its daily bread.

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Culture

What Mumbai’s Liminal Coastal Spaces Stand to Lose

Gautam Doshi
June 11, 2026

The Bandra-Versova Sea Link, with dried bombil hanging in the foreground. A juxtaposition of the Koli way of life against coastal development, as seen from Khar Danda, 2026. All photos by Gautam Doshi.

Through a series of photographs taken over the last seven years, Gautam Doshi illustrates the many relationships Mumbaikars share with the sea—of grieving, playing, working, loving.

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Events

Hook, Line, and Thinker: A Quiz Night with ChefTZac

The Locavore Team
December 23, 2025

Teams settle in at Woodside Inn, ready for a night of trivia. Photo by Hashim Mirza.

A pub quiz brought Mumbai’s coastal stories, indigenous Koli knowledge, and the documentary ‘Against the Tide’ into one lively night with ChefTZac.

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Local Food Club

Love and Loss in the Municipality of Castaway Belongings

Soumya Roy
December 8, 2025

Reported by journalist Soumya Roy over the span of a decade, ‘Mountain Tales: Love and Loss in the Municipality of Castaway Belongings’ sheds light on the waste mountains of Deonar, Mumbai, and the many lives that revolve around it.

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Everyday Locavores

“They’ve started dumping cement there. It results in smaller, less meaty oysters that take longer to form”

Vanshika Gupta
December 1, 2025

Ratna and Alka, Koli fisherwomen in Mumbai

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Everyday Locavores

“The BMC, police, courts, don’t belong to us; we only have each other”

Divya Mahatme
November 6, 2025

—Naveen Yadav, a street vendor and activist in Mumbai, to whom running his stall is a political act.

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The Locavore Champions

Ganesh Nakhawa on Why He Won’t Be the Last Fisherman of Mumbai

Rhea Dangwal
September 4, 2025

Ganesh Nakhawa is a seventh-generation Koli fisherman, community leader, and one of the protagonists of the award-winning documentary film ‘Against the Tide’. Photo by Ganesh.

Fisherman-activist Ganesh Nakhawa talks to us about navigating tradition and technology, the shrinking coastlines of Mumbai, and what keeps him tied to the sea as a Koli fisherman.

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Everyday Locavores

“The guts, blood, all the bits that are thrown out; there’s filth in this work, but it’s also a part of (our) life”

Oishika Roy
August 1, 2025

—Ashik, a fish-seller in Saki Naka, Mumbai

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Projects

Mumbai Koli Project

The Locavore Team
July 31, 2025

An impact campaign inspired by the film Against the Tide, the Mumbai Koli Project aims to spotlight the city’s original fisherfolk, the Koli community, and their evolving relationship with the sea, while encouraging Mumbaikars to make more sustainable, seasonal, and inclusive seafood choices.

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If you are interested in collaborating with us, please reach out to us at connect@thelocavore.in.

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