of 1813 by the British parliament. East Indians (Mobaikars) East Indians, also known as Mobaikars, are an ethno-religious group native to the Seven Islands of Bombay and Mumbai metropolitan area in the northern Konkan Division. Christianity was first installed by Bartholomew, one of Jesus Christ's apostles. Owing to a shortage of priests for many years, the locals were reduced to being "nominal Christians". It was because of the arrival of Portuguese and with them Jesuit missionaries who spread a new form of Christianity called Roman Catholicism in the area. The name Bombay East Indians was taken in the British India to differentiate native Christians of Greater Bombay, from those of Goa and Mangalore who came to Mumbai in search of jobs, on the occasion of golden jubilee of Queen Victoria. They are engaged in agriculture, fishing and other occupations handed down to them by their ancestors. Bombay East Indians are generally more anglicised than other Maharashtrian Christians. The influence of the Portuguese Bombay and Bassein era can be seen in their religion and names, but their language has dominated by Marathi since the Mahratta Confederacy seized control of Konkan in 1739 AD. Bardeskars Konkani Catholics, commonly called Bardeskar (natives of Bardes, Goa—their ancestral homeland), are an ethno-religious Christian community adhering to the Roman Rite from the Sindhudurg diocese (Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri districts) of the southern Konkan division of Maharashtra, India. Sporadic settlements of Ghata Voylem Kristanv (Konkani for "Christians from above the Ghauts") are found in the uplands of Kolhapur, Belgaum, North Canara & Dharwad districts. They belong to the Konkani ethnicity and Konkani is their first language. Marathi and Kannada are among the other languages spoken by them. Marathi Christians Marathi Christians are predominantly Protestant with small numbers of Roman Catholics. They belong to several Protestant denominations, but mainly the Church of North India. British missionary William Carey was instrumental in translating the Bible into the Marathi language. In Maharashtra, Protestant Christians are mainly converts from Hinduism and some from Islam. The first Protestant mission to India was the American Marathi Mission. The main center of Protestant activity in the Maharashtra region during British colonial rule was in Ahmadnagar district. The first Protestant mission in the district was opened in 1831 by the American Marathi mission. In Maharashtra, the Protestant missionaries concentrated not only on direct evangelism but also founded numerous small vernacular schools. Scottish Presbyterian Missionary John Wilson