A harmonious community

Dominique Cerejo

Around a hundred years ago, FAC Rebello was a worried man. The prosperous Catholic from Bandra was concerned that too many people from his community were selling off their property to rich outsiders, tearing down the societal fabric. So he made a plan. He got together a bunch of other wealthy Catholics, bought 207 plots of land, and formed a co-operative housing society that barred the owners from making a real estate deal with non-Catholic buyers. It was called Salsette Catholic CHS. This was in 1918. The Maharashtra Co-operative Housing Society Act, incidentally, was formed only in 1960. So in a way, FAC Rebello had been a visionary who helped give shape to the way that many building complexes in Mumbai function even to this day.

Brian Tellis

That is the sort of legacy that will be celebrated at a gig this weekend, called Swinging with the Stars. It will feature a glittering roster with names such as Dominique Cerejo, Neale Murray and Brian Tellis. There are in fact a whopping 21 artistes in total and one of them, Marie Paul - who also helped curate the line-up - tells us that the sort of enthusiasm that people displayed left her floored since all of them came on board free of cost. "Someone asked me last year whether I could help organise a musical celebration of Salsette, since I have a choir called Grace Notes and am in touch with a lot of performers in Bombay. They were only too happy to play. There are many others who also came forward in other ways. A person called Wigbert Piedade who runs a production house helped make short promotional videos along with Ashwin Pereira. The fabulous Shahriyar Athai agreed to be the compère. And even I am doing everything pro bono since I am from Salsette too, and wanted to give back to my community. We need to maintain the area our forefathers left for us," Paul says.

Ashwin Pereira

So, that's the sort of attachment that people in the society have to it. And over the years, plots that Salsette gave away to uplift people's lives have become an integral part of Bandra. "We donated one plot of land to the Holy Family Hospital, and another to nuns to build St Andrew's School. The Bandra Gymkhana was also formed on our land in 1934, while we let the government cut many roads like St Paul's so that commuting could become easier for the general public," says Cornel Gonsalves, secretary, Salsette Catholic CHS.

Marie Paul

But he adds that things have changed with time, such that while everyone knew everyone else a hundred years ago, most people living in the same modern apartment block are strangers to each other because of a greater number of residents. The weekend event is thus a way for the existing members of Salsette to meet each other and others from outside the community for a fun-filled evening. Paul tells us that there will be food like chorizo pao and alcoholic beverages on offer. "Shahriyar is also planning to launch his food truck on the day, which is one of its kind since it has a karaoke bar and an LED screen," she reveals. So it's an out-and-out celebration that would have made FAC Rebello a happy man had he been there to witness it, since the community that he fostered is still alive and kicking.

The life of a visionary

Francis Anthony Cyril Rebello was born on March 6, 1863. He graduated from the University of Madras in 1883 with a gold medal in economics, and rose to the post of Accountant General of Bombay. The British government honoured him with with the Kaisar-I-Hind medal, and he was buried at St Andrew's Church after dying in 1934.

On July 29, 6.45 pm
At D'Monte Park Recreation Centre grounds, D'Monte Park Road, Bandra West.
Call 26408748
Cost Rs 150

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