Tag: borivali

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Hum log

This man is God for many Borivali senior citizens

Mark D’Souza has been delivering free lunches to senior citizens in IC colony since 2012; numbers of lunches are steadily increasing.
by Ravi Shet

At the core of our struggle to make money and acquire status in life is the basic human need for daily food. Most of us are lucky to receive two square meals a day, but while we have enough to eat, we take our meals for granted. Not so the countless senior citizens who are either too poor or too ill to feed themselves. What happens to these people, who do not receive daily meals?

In the lives of some of these senior citizens comes an angel in the form of Mark D’Souza (57), a real estate agent based in IC colony, Borivali. With his silver moustache and warm smile, Mark gives off a welcoming aura at first sight. But when you realise that this affable gentleman has been providing free lunches to senior citizens in the IC colony-Kandarpada belt from the year 2012, your respect for him increases manifold!

“I started delivering free lunches to senior citizens from November 14, 2012. I have always been a good planner and I have a lot of energy, so I have never missed delivering a single lunch for even one day since I started,” he beams.

There are free lunches in the world

Mark was born in Mulki, Karnataka and lost his mother at an early age. Staying with relatives and then moving to Mumbai for further studies all came with their own challenges. “I worked in Libya for six years, then I shifted back to Mumbai and set up an estate agent firm,” he explains.

It was in 2012 that Mark pondered over the question of senior citizens who are incapable of cooking their own food. “That’s when I decided that I would start a free lunch service for elderly people in the area. I took Rs 5,000 from my wife Yvonne (a social activist) and she also helped me find suitable elderly people in the area,” he says.

Everything fell into place at the right time, and from an initial five lunches, Mark delivers free lunches to 30 people in the area. Hearing of his work, many friends and well wishers also came forward to donate money, or even steel lunch boxes to encourage his efforts.

What’s cooking?

Mark’s four-compartment dabba comprises five to six chapatis, rice, sabzi and dal. On Wednesdays, there’s egg curry, while he includes chicken or fish curry on Sundays. “We cook the food in less oil, less salt and less spices. But we pack in loads of love and the food is prepared in a hygienic environment,” he explains.

The vegetables are bought daily by the husband and wife, and his cook handles the meal preparation. “I tell my cook, ‘God is watching our actions and we should not compromise on the quality of our work. When it is noon, I start my delivery schedule that goes on till 2.30 pm. It has become a part of my daily routine.” He adds that several security guards of the buildings he delivers in now know him personally and they take the dabbas off his hands and deliver them. “What do I get out of this? The smiles and blessings of the people who eat our food. And the blessings from my friends. These are priceless for me,” he smiles.

You can contact Mark D’Souza at Crrystal Care Service, K 3, Vershi Villa, Opposite IC Bakery, Near IC Post Office, IC Colony, Borivali West. His mobile number is +91 98338 53523.

(Picture courtesy Ravi Shet)

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Hum log

Looking for a good masseur? Try a visually challenged one

Qualified masseurs from the Victoria Memorial School for the Blind offer massages for very reasonable rates – and they’re sensational.
by Vrushali Lad | editor@themetrognome.in

I am a sucker for back massages. Which was why, when I heard there were massages up for grabs for as little as Rs 100 at Borivali, I made my way there at once. There were 11 professional masseurs attending to people who’d asked for foot and head massages. I was the only one in that bunch to ask for a back massage.

The masseur started by asking my name while kneading my back gently. But a few minutes later, I almost cried out, “AAA, please don’t kill me!” as his thumbs caught the chronically painful points in my lower back. Unperturbed by the way I suddenly stiffened, he said in Marathi, “Roz Suryanamaskar kara. Thoda vajan vadhava. Ani methi kha, tyane farak padel (Do Suryanamaskar every day. Increase your weight. Also eat methi, it will help).”

15 minutes later, it was as if I had never suffered a bad back in my life. I thanked the masseur profusely and asked him his full name. He fixed his sightless eyes in my direction, smiled at me and said, “Rambabu Dhume.”

The event

Rambabu was one of 11 visually challenged masseurs who came to Borivali at the behest of resident Vidhi Mistry, who put together a massage camp in her building premises in association with the Victoria Memorial School for the Blind, Tardeo. Like Rambabu, all the other masseurs are specially trained in giving foot massage, reflexology, neck and head massage, full body massage and facial massage. Students from the school give massages for a living, for extremely modest rates.

Massage eventSpeaking to The Metrognome, Vidhi said, “A few months ago, I had gone to the World Trade Centre to see a friend’s stall. Over there, I came across these visually challenged youngsters giving foot massages for as little as Rs 50 for 15 minutes. I asked for a massage, and it was the best foot massage ever. I promised them that I would organise a camp for them soon.” Coming good on her promise, Vidhi organised the camp and invited about 200 people to attend and avail a massage of their choice for Rs 100. “I’d asked people to donate more, because this money is going to their School and the masseurs.”

Hoping to make at least Rs 50,000 from the camp, Vidhi and her team was stunned to discover that they had made Rs 82,500. “The response was overwhelming. Over 250 people turned up and we extended the event by two hours,” she said.

Massage for a living

During the massage, I got to talking with Rambabu, who told me that he stayed at a hostel in Churchgate and that he travelled anywhere in Mumbai for home visits. “I have a D.Ed from the School,” he said proudly when I asked him how far he had studied massaging. “Along with the practical work, we are also taught to detect why people have certain painful areas and how they can correct them with diet and yoga.” This explained how he had correctly tapped my chronically painful lower back within minutes of massaging me.

Vidhi said that most people did not opt for these “blind masseurs” because they were not confident that they could give a good massage. “They charge very less, too. This is their livelihood, and since most of us get massages anyway, it’s a good idea to hire these people instead,” she said. Rambabu explained that for the home visits, people could specify what kind of massage they wanted and for how long.

Having tried the massage myself, and with my back feeling better than it has in weeks, I’m sure to give the Victoria Memorial School a call for a home visit next.

Want a massage at home? Want to organise a camp employing visually challenged masseurs? Call the Victoria Memorial School to hire a masseur, inquire about charges and other details on 022 23531236. Look up www.vmsb.org for more information.

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Read

Gratitude at the grassroots

Researcher Sadashiv Tetvilkar’s newest book on ‘veergals’ (aka hero stones) talks about memorial stones as unique sources of local history.
by Shubha Khandekar

‘Rural Maharashtra is strewn with hundreds of Veergals (Hero Stones) at the boundary of the village or else, in the courtyard of a Shiva temple located on the periphery of the village. A group of four beautiful Hero Stones (fifth one is in the custody of ASI) at Eksar in Borivali shows in vivid detail a ferocious naval battle, which has been correlated to the text Chaturvarga Chintamani composed by Hemadri Pandit. He describes a decisive naval battle fought between Yadava King Mahadeva and Shilahara ruler Someshvara in which the latter was routed and killed in 1265. The details of infantry, cavalry, elephant force and battle ships shown herein enables us to understand the military strategy deployed in this battle. Someshvara was cremated at Eksar and the five Hero Stones were erected to commemorate his valour.’

Indefatigable hard core hands-on researcher Sadashiv Tetvilkar, who already has seven books to his credit, has now published Maharashtratil Veergal (Hero Stones of Maharashtra), which highlights the enormous potential of these memorial stones as unique, unconventional sources of local history, in combination with the rich and varied oral traditions of the region. Together with the more conventional methods of decoding historical evidence, such as texts, the book is a significant addition to the armoury of historians and archaeologists working on the early mediaeval past of Maharashtra.

These Hero Stones, often found together with Sati Stones erected to honour wives who committed sati after the husband’s death at the battlefield, are unequivocally the memorials erected to commemorate heroes who valiantly fought and died on the battlefield while defending and protecting the lives and properties of the communities they belonged to, from wild predators or human invaders. It is a humble and affectionate tribute paid by the commoners to their brave hero, so as to inspire future generations to follow in his footsteps.

What makes this effort significant is that this study fills up a huge gap in reconstructing local history, long felt but left unaddressed due to neglect and apathy. Part of the challenge lies in the fact that there is rarely, if ever, any inscription on the Hero Stones, and they are lying open to the skies, which makes it difficult to establish their context in time and space.

The book is embellished with colour and B&W photographs of outstanding samples of Hero Stones. Although the author insists that the Veergals included in his book are only a compilation of the possible sources, it has nevertheless opened floodgates of an exciting archaeological and ethnographic adventure that will unfold unseen aspects of early medieval history of Maharashtra.

Tetvilkar points out that Hero Stones are not unique to Maharashtra: they are found in great numbers in Karnataka, Goa, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Kashmir, Andhra, Himachal, Bengal and Gujarat, which highlights the cultural unity of India at the very grassroots. Hero Stones are rectangular slabs of hard stone, usually with three vertical panels decorated with low relief sculpture which is a continuous narrative of valour, sacrifice and magnanimity, through a battle scene, death and ascent into heaven. The sun and moon at the top indicates that the fame of the hero would remain undiminished forever.

Tetvilkar holds the view that some of these local heroes were eventually elevated to the status of gods and came to be worshipped by villagers, which explains the large number of local deities venerated in rural Maharashtra. The attributes of these heroes/gods and the myths and legends associated with them give us important insights into the lives, values and aspirations of the communities they belonged to. They also give us significant clues into the process of Aryanisation of the hinterland and the commingling of varied cultural traits and tradition. By enhancing the credibility of myths and folklore, they constitute a textbook of history from below.

Although Veergals have been known in India from the 2nd to the 18th centuries, a deep study has surprisingly been largely absent. Tetvilkar points out the contribution made to this field by famous anthropologist Gunther Sontheimer and strive to complete the job he left unfinished. The book is an outcome of the relentless energy with which he roamed over jungles and mountains, undeterred by heat or cold or rains, speaking to elders in the villages, gathering and classifying data and correlating this data with the published works of scholars.

Tetvilkar gives several examples of eye-witness accounts of the British who saw women voluntarily committing Sati after the death of their husbands at the battlefield, and the courage and quiet dignity with which these women embraced a painful death, which has been immortalised on the Sati Stones. Women have also been shown on horseback, or worshipping a Shivalinga along with their husbands after reaching heaven. A few Sati Stones also show the woman being coerced into following the Sati custom, and Tetvilkar analyses how Sati is Bengal was different from what it was in Maharashtra, and why Bengal was at the forefront of resistance to the custom.

At Degaon in Raigad district is a Hero Stone showing a ten headed enemy, but Ram, Seeta, Lakshman and Hanuman are absent. Blood from the severed fingers of the enemy is shown dripping over a Shivalinga placed below. Tetvilkar dates this Veergal to Shivaji’s times on account of the similarities with the known event in Shivaji’s life.

(Pictures courtesy Shubha Khandekar)

 

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Diaries

Borivli’s green retreat: Sanjay Gandhi National Park

Most of us have already been to the SGNP, but the beauty of the Park prompts one to visit again.
by Adithi Muralidhar

Part 2 of the ‘Green Hangouts’ Diaries

If you live in the western suburbs, you’ve probably visited SGNP (Sanjay Gandhi National Park) by now. One of a kind, this national park is unique, in that, it is situated within city limits. Supporting a healthy population of leopards, this national park is also home to over 50 other species of mammals, 155 species of butterflies, 65 species of reptiles and amphibians, 800 species of plants and over 250 species of birds!

The National Park sprawls over an area of approximately 103 square kilometers but more than half of it constitutes as core area where the general public are not allowed (which is a good thing). The park’s buffer zone has several nature trails like the Kanheri Cave trail, Shilonda trail that are open to the public who want to go hiking, rock-climbing or on a nature trip.

What’s so special? During the monsoons, the entire park sports a bright green shade and one can come across numerous insects and birds even while not attempting to actually look for them! SGNP is frequented by daily joggers and walkers from the nearby residential areas and also by schools who bring their students here for their ‘one-day-picnic’. One can even see the huge settlements of huts that have encroached the park from the borders. For people who are looking for a more ‘touristy’ experience, there are lion and tiger safaris at the Park, but one must realise that these large mammals are not found naturally in this park. Leopards on the other hand are natural inhabitants of this place.

Given the delicate situation with the park especially in terms living in close proximity of the elusive leopards, a project called “MumbaikarsforSGNP” was initiated which is a collaborative effort between the State Forest Department, Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS) of Bangalore, some members from the scientific community and a few conservationists which include some Mumbaikars. The main idea behind this initiative was to develop an alliance between the citizens of Mumbai and management authorities of the National Park.  They also have tie-ups with the Police Department and Fire brigade departments in order to tackle ‘leopard-emergencies’ more effectively.

Apart from being close to nature, SGNP also offers the visitor a rich knowledge of history. The Kanheri caves date back to the 3rd Century BC and they offer wonderful insights into theSGNP rich Buddhist culture of those times. The excavations at Kanheri are either chaityagrahas (place of worship of the Buddhist community), viharas (one or double enclosures where the Buddhist monks lived) or the podhis (water cisterns which were build to harvest rain water and use them during summer periods). You are also likely to find some rock-cut benches and /or seats.

SGNP is place for nature lovers, adventure lovers, as well as history lovers, and not to exclude the rest of the general public who just want to get away from the city life for a while!

Entry fees: You can also go to the Nature information Centre at the Park if you are looking for more information on the place. The entry fee for SGNP is as low as Rs 30 for adults and Rs 15 for children below 12 years of age. Additional fees are taken in case you want to take your vehicle till the Kanheri-cave parking area, or if you wish to do commercial photography or videography. The Park is open on all days, from 7.30 am to 6 pm. For more information, see http://www.mumbaikarsforsgnp.com/about_sgnp_information_for_tourists.htm

Getting there: The nearest railway station is Borivli station- East (Western line). The nearest bus stop is the Inter State bus stop (Kulupwadi), Sukarwadi bus stop, Omkar mandir bus stop, Borivli ST bus stand.

Adithi Muralidhar currently works in the field of science education research, in Mumbai. She is associated with Hypnale Research Station where she assists with various environment, wildlife conservation, education and community-related projects. She is a strong advocate of nature education.

Green hangouts is a series of stories celebrating Mumbai’s place in the green scheme of things, to coincide with Wildlife Week, which is celebrated from October 1 to 7 every year. 

(Pictures by Adithi Muralidhar. References: BNHS City Forest Report (2006), Avibase-The World Bird Database, The Archaeological Survey of India (http://asi.nic.in) and http://www.mumbaikarsforsgnp.com/about_sgnp_reports_articles.htm )

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