By the time you read this, the 400th anniversary celebrations for the Church of St Andrew would have been flagged off on the grounds of this historic church in Bandra. The release of a guide book that salutes its origins, growth and presence as the oldest standing parish in the suburb was the first chapter of the year-long celebrations. Festivities and events around the vibrant suburb have been planned to bring every neighbourhood to life.

Last week, when this journalist connected with a few parishioners over the making of the guide, it became evident how the spirit of the community was well and truly ticking to ensure work went on with clockwork precision. A glance of the guidebook that we had access to offered terrific insight into this observation. Everyone, from senior citizens to illustrators to a design company – all Bandra residents – had pitched to ensure the book did justice to the unique milestone. While interacting with a member of the historical group that is managing the 400th anniversary celebrations, we learnt that all the effort was pro bono. We were impressed, especially after seeing the quality of production that would match any coffee table book.