Durban - Close your eyes and imagine a community where children run around freely while laughing out loud.
The spicy smell of freshly cooked curries mingle with the sacred scent of incense from someone’s home altar.
Behind the closed doors of many homes, political debates and anti-apartheid planning meetings are under way.
And while spectators cheer on Santos and their other favourite soccer teams, the sound is drowned out by the planes heading to the nearby airport.
Welcome to Merebank, a suburb south of Durban which was designated as an Indian area by the apartheid government.
What the regime did not know was that this place would give birth to many renowned South African leaders.
Now the essence of this place which left an indelible mark on so many people will be captured in a book.
Because the community has always been at the heart of Merebank, all its people will have the opportunity to share their memories and weave it into the rich tapestry of a shared history.
The Merebank book project is headed by Viren Singh and a group of progressive community activists who mobilised for change between the 70s and the 90s.
They are asking for photographs, memorabilia and historical accounts covering 1900 to 2000. Singh said the book would cover the history, development, community life, politics, sports, religion and social aspects of Merebank.
“We are happily inundated with memories and historical accounts by well over 500 people who have joined WhatsApp in less than two weeks. There is unbridled excitement of current and former Merebank residents who are reconnecting and reminiscing over nostalgic eras and childhood memories. The response on Facebook is also good,” said Singh.
He said everything would be funded by the community and the proceeds of the book would be used to launch a Community Trust to benefit future generations of Merebank.
Messages continue to flow in daily.
For the anglers it’s sharing their tales about fishing spots like Dead Man's Pool, Dynamite Ground, Merebank Rock, Cement Pole and the famous Cuttings Beach.
Nick Naicker said Merebank had a history of competitive angling and many anglers fished to support their families.
He said in 1950 competitive Indian anglers in Natal fell under the Natal non-European Angling Association and the club that represented most of the Merebank anglers in that era was called the Consolidated Textile Mills Angling Club.
For others, like Veni Naick, it is the memory of her time at Hillside Primary School which she said was demolished in 1973 to make way for PR Pather Secondary School.
“It was originally built as the army camp in 1948 during World War II. It was converted to a primary school in the early 1960s,” said Naick.
Her comment sparked a reaction from Jugga Pillay who remembered it as a very panoramic area. “As little kids we loved to play around there, running behind the cows grazing. (It) was like a farm school in the early days.”
Dr Ashok Chandika now lives in Richards Bay but his memories are filled with his life in Merebank where he was born in 1961.
He said so far the draft book already consisted of a few hundred pages and that because of the volume of material coming through there would be many other facets to the project
He said people moved to Merebank in “dribs and drabs” and it was seen as “an island in a sea of industry with pollution a major issue”.
He described it as a working class area, but also had areas of affluence which could be identified by the freestanding homes.
“From a small dynamic community we produced leaders and critical thinkers from across the board.”
These included Ivan Pillay, the former deputy commissioner of SARS and academic Brij Maharaj.
One of the project coordinators, Jeevan Padayachee, was born in Junagarth Road in 1961.
He says thinking back to his childhood filled him with nostalgia. “We had no fences, no gates, no burglar guards. We were children of the village, the aunties could reprimand us if we stepped out of line.”
Padayachee also spoke longingly of the wild horses in the canal which the children used to ride.
He said residents became involved in liberation politics and part of the underground movement. However, he said, after the transition to democracy many decided not to get into formal politics, leaving a vacuum that opened the door to corruption for some.
The committee has invited people share their contributions to the Merebank Book Project on Facebook or send an email to [email protected]
The Independent on Saturday