Mumbai: Bandra's, St Sebastian Homes Co-Operative Housing Society, turns 100

A housing society in Bandra W winding from Rebello Road and through adjacent lanes called the St Sebastian Homes CoOperative Housing Society Ltd is having a major Virat Kohli momentThis residential enclave with picturesque lanes and neat compact bungalows now jousting with some slightly taller structures has smashed a century The celebrations started in January The Societys Managing Committee chairman Brenden DSilva said We had a band going around the society as we marked the start of our very special year Secretary Eric Tellis said We have had various activities like a carnival some felicitations plays a picnic and more events and activities are being planned even as we speak We want to keep up the tempo for the yearFrom left Secretary Eric Tellis chairman Brenden DSilva and committee members Paul Louzado and Sancia Sequeira PicsSuresh KKThe inceptionThe managing committee members sat in the society office chockfull of papers and files 100 years worth of records as they spoke A glossy souvenir has also been released on the occasion outlining the history of the society and its milestones The souvenir has a paragraph on the birth of the society as It was 1918 when World War I ended and that was the birth of peace in the world Yet in the sleepy Mumbai suburb of Bandra which was very distant at that time the year 1918 saw another birth That of St Sebastian Cooperative Housing Society which at that time was to be earmarked for middleclass Roman Catholics who wanted to live amidst the verdant greenery and lush fields as Bandra then wasA prayer service at a cross inside the societyStrong bondsCurrently this society has 119 plots and thousands of members families have grown through the years so numbers have swelled said committee member Paul Louzado Residents said We should thank our forefathers for making this enclave There is a sense of kinship and bonding that has endured DSilva and Tellis recalled playing hide n seek in the society as children Kids from the entire St Sebastian neighbourhood would be running through the lanes occasionally slipping under a bed inside a home which was not their own to hideSimilarly we came running home from school and could walk into any house to quench our thirst from the matkas kept there It was a time of innocence and oneness DSilva and Tellis saidThe danceTellis added There were gardens full of fruit trees mangoes and coconuts mostly and the landmark Supari Talao here got its name because it was ringed by supari trees DSilva said Supari talao is now a maidan It was handed over to the BMC years ago though much earlier it was under the aegis of the housing society Our parents used to talk about watching buffaloes going to the talao an idyllic village scene in the heart of BandraCommittee member Sancia Sequeira recalled how the St Sebastian recreation centre hosted the most coveted Christmas dance in the city Louzado laughed as he remembered I used to live in Byculla then and the Byculla boys would commute to Bandra for the dance try to woo the Bandra girls and in the process often pick fights with the boys of the societyClogged lanesToday amidst celebrations there is some trepidation too Sequeira said Our narrow lanes are clogged with parked vehicles bike racing has also become a worrying feature here We walked through the society as DSilva pointed at fairly deserted lanes in the afternoon which can become a haven for drunks and drug addicts which is a current concern Yet these problems seem to recede when you see the compact homes proudly displaying banners about being part of the 100 club We hope St Sebastian Housing lives for another 100 laugh residents with joy and prideCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates