[Cronos]

This is a map of the state of Maharashtra where the Beni Israelis lived.

This is a state of India of about 300,000 sq km and a population of 70 million. The majority of these live in the megapolis of Bombay (which has the separate cities of New bombay and Thane linked) or its whereabouts.

This state was formed in 1960 out of the old Bombay Province and other princely states when India re-organized its states by language. The majority language here is Marathi which is a Western Indic language belonging to the Indo-Irani branch of the Indo-European language family.

The people are divided into the Deccanni people (from the plateau called the Deccan) -- with the cultural center as Pune, then the Vidarbha people from the interior with the center as Nagpur (nearly the exact center of India with summer temperatures of up to 120 and the Konkani areas with Bombay, Ratnagiri as centers.

The original folks in Bombay - Bassein now call themselves "East Indians" -- these are mainly Catholic and have been for 500 odd years since the Portuguese came across there.

[Biggirl]

“The original folks in Bombay - Bassein now call themselves “East Indians” — these are mainly Catholic and have been for 500 odd years since the Portuguese came across there.”

First, good morning.

Second I also remember that besides those Catholics who go back to the days of the Portuguese, there are what are called “Eastern Rite” Catholics who go back futher, to the days of St. Thomas the Aposle. Are they are also in this area you have pictured? Thank-you ahead for your response.