08 July,2026 07:49 AM IST | Mumbai | Hemal Ashar
Memories come flooding back for Couto
Retired Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) Umpire Marcus Couto hears a crick, crick, crick in his ears and his memory goes back 10 years as tree fall visuals fly in fast 'n' fierce like the monsoon winds.
On January 7, 2016, Couto recalled working at the Cricket Club of India (CCI) store. Couto, 66, said, "The store was just outside Gate No. 4 at the Club Complex. It was about 3.10 pm. Cars were parked in the Churchgate Club parking lot and on Dinshaw Vachcha (DV) road outside."
Marcus Couto at his home in Kurla. Pics/SHADAB KHAN
Couto, a Kurla resident, added, "I noticed the floor at the entry of the store had developed a crack. I was startled and initially thought it was an earthquake. Then, I saw this huge Gulmohar tree outside the store start to bend towards the road. There was a crick, crick, crick sound. I started shouting, "The tree is going to fall." Staffers laughed and asked me, "How do you know? Are you Bhagwan (God)?" I ran to DV Road, warning pedestrians and car drivers inside vehicles. In just two minutes, the massive tree fell on DV Road, which was on the side of the CCI Chambers footpath. It did not fall inside, where there would have been a huge blast. There were 12 gas-filled cylinders stored there, and four were switched on for cooking, just 10 feet away in the kitchen. Today, I am proud to have been unafraid to warn people. That may have saved many."
Couto's cricket umpiring career stretched over 42 years as a Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) umpire and 28 years on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) umpiring panel.
Couto said, "I think every tree must have a five-foot circle around it, just like we have a 30-yard circle in cricket."
Couto believes umpiring gave him a heightened sense of awareness. "This is because of my umpiring experience. Those instincts must have come into play in this incident. It is the âthird eye' we have," he concluded.
[popcorn number="3.10 pm" desc="Time when Marcus Couto first noticed the floor crack" class="Default"]
