How this 104-year-old Bandra housing society has held the community together

Turmeric lattewielding and celebloving chic Bandra is arguably the most hipster suburb in town But what truly ups its street cred is the way it clings on to its sweetsmelling bakeries wishgranting churches charming cottages quaint buildings and a community spirit that towers above the cityrsquos flashy skyscrapers A feisty olrsquo guardian that has been watching over much of the Queen of Suburbs is the Salsette Catholic Cooperative Housing Society which completes 104 glorious yearsFrancis Anthony Cyril RebelloFounded by Francis Anthony Cyril Rebello the former accountant general of Bombay Presidency the society was set up in 1918 in the wake of the cooperative housing society movement Like a shepherd who keeps his flock together Salsette mdash which traces its name to Sasathi or Sashti referring to the original 66 villages that made up the island mdash brought together Bandra Catholics who were battling the threat of losing their land to rich outsiders At the time the British government was looking to develop the suburbs into residential settlements Led by Rebello Dr DA DrsquoMonte and PC Gonsalves among others the society acquired plots from landowners and drew up leases for 999 years which prohibited the assignment or sale of the land to nonCatholics Secretary Cornel K Gonsalves recalls that the clarion call to landowners to not sell their lands and instead become shareholders as part of a cooperative was answered by different groups ldquoRebello also brought together Catholics to form the Mangalorean housing society St Sebastianrsquos society in Bandra and St Anthonyrsquos Home in Chembur He is known as the father of Catholic cooperative housing societies in Bombayrdquo Gonsalves informsA map of Isle de Salcet Pics CourtesySalsette Catholic Cooperative Housing SocietyOver the years Salsette has worked to cultivate and protect the Catholic identity of Bandra shares septuagenarian Maria Fernandez a resident of the cottage Ashiana on St Paulrsquos Road ldquoOur community is scattered across town and we are left with nothing But the society has made us feel at home here through a lot of celebrations and eventsrdquo she declares while enjoying the annual Christmas bash that the society throws for children Little elves are running around the lawns of the DrsquoMonte Park Recreation Centre DPRC mdash a gift to Salsette residents by the society mdash as we speak lapping up Christmassy games inflated castles a magic show and an array of snacks Recently the centre also witnessed a mammoth concert to kick off the countdown to XrsquomasSecretary Cornel Gonsalves showcases one of the last remaining cottages in the suburbBesides fun fiestas like these the society takes up residentsrsquo causes with the civic body the state government the police and other stakeholders reveal residents Fidelis Mascarenhas and Navy veteran Brian Fernandez ldquoAs any visitor will notice the ambience of the area is so much better than many other places in Mumbai Thatrsquos because the society is conscious about issues like littering traffic snarls the state of our roads parking and the likerdquo Fernandez tells us Mascarenhas notes that Salsette is a significant part of their daytoday livesBlossom CoutinholdquoWe get benefits such as medical reimbursements up to a certain amount discount at Holy Family Hospital a gift card at Sahakari Bhandar and discount at Naturersquos Basket on Hill Roadrdquo he reveals Salsette adds Blossom Coutinho is also home to some of Bandrarsquos most recognisable landmarks ldquoSt Andrewrsquos High School Holy Family Hospital and the Pali Market are among the institutions that have been built on land donated by us Our aim is to ensure the whole community grows togetherrdquo claims Coutinho the first woman chairperson of the societyChildren enjoy the annual Xrsquomas bash by Salsette at DPRCWith 210 plots mdash including between 20 to 30 bungalows mdash under its fold itrsquos no mean feat to keep preying builders away reveals Gonsalves He recalls how around five years ago a popular actor in connivance with builders tried to acquire a Salsette property through dubious means ldquoThe Bombay High Court came to our rescue Even in our own community there are people who might want to sell out our ideals for some money Thatrsquos a major issue we face but by and large the community has stood by us We live by the model byelaws set by our foundersrdquo admits Gonsalves