Kolis of Mumbai and Shirdi Sai Baba

This chapter asks why Mumbai's Koli people have been increasingly drawn to venerating Shirdi Sai Baba in addition to Koli goddesses, Koli spirits, the supernatural agents of many other religions, and remarkable leaders such as Ambedkar. Since the 1970s, pilgrimage to Shirdi has attracted growing numbers of Koli youth, drawn by the arduous walk of 250 km from Mumbai city, among other reasons. Other popular pilgrimage sites remain important, but Shirdi presents special challenges and opportunities for youth to demonstrate their physical and mental prowess. The focus of this chapter is on what Sai Baba means to Koli youth in Mumbai's Koliwada (villages) and how their love for the contemplative Sai is complemented by their attachment to the exuberant Hanuman. The power of darshan takes many forms beyond pilgrimage, including singing Sai's name, body tattoos, and art work honoring Sai as a contemporary manifestation of Ekveera Devi, the Koli clan goddess. The chapter ends by speculating about possible connections between the rise of Sai as a Koli deity and the accelerated marginalization of Kolis in a new, post-1970 political economy that routinely undermines their environments and livelihoods.