On 150th anniversary of Holy Cross Oratory, Matharpacady residents recall memories and reveal community bonds

The first of many sounds we hear on a scorching afternoon in Matharpacady is resident Roydon Gonsalvesrsquos jazz ringtone ldquoEverybody seems to have the same ringer nowadays When a phone rings you must at least know itrsquos yours no This one stands outrdquo he smiles Itrsquos serendipitous that wersquore in a nearly 400yearold heritage village dotted by homes dating back to the 1800s splashed in bright blue yellow and green hues They stand apart quite effortlessly to say the least in the evolving Mazgaon neighbourhoodThe Holy Cross Oratory is decked with celebratory flowersEarlier this week we had visited the village on the eve of the 150th year anniversary celebrations of the 1875established Holy Cross Oratory a cornerstone in many ways for the villagersquos predominantly Catholic community During our walk itrsquos not just Gonsalves whose phone canrsquot seem to catch a break In Matharpacady the residents are the planners coordinators the ushers mdash one for all all for one Listed as a heritage precinct by the Heritage Conservation Society nearly 400 residents and visitors converged outside its oratory for the annual feast on May 1The Baptista House was built in the 1880s PicsSayyed Sameer AbedildquoDo you know what Matharpacady meansrdquo Gonsalves riddles us Do we Do you ldquoMany believe the portmanteau comes from Mahatara elder and Pakhadi village I donrsquot buy itrdquo he shrugs as he walks us to a vantage point The winding path takes us through an alley undergoing renovation in a bright purple hue Itrsquos refreshing to see colours in this city we point out ldquoAs long as we can keep the builders at bay Fortunately even the best of them have a weakness mdash keeping track of their promisesrdquo the resident laughs At the elevated viewpoint now he reminds us that the Pakhadi sits atop the Maatha head of MazgaonRoydon Gonsalves and Stanislaus BaptistaThis explosion of colours and melting pot of artistic styles encompassing European sensibilities Goan influences and Koli hints is possibly what drew creative minds like Mario Miranda Behram Contractor and the DrsquoCunha brothers to its lanes Or perhaps there was more ldquoWe had some excellent speakeasies around here Pintorsquos Bar and Auntiersquos Bar were favourites These became hubs for artists and journalists who would camp here for hours at endrdquo the resident recalls fondly A view of Mi Casa with the Oratory in the backgroundBut notable figures werenrsquot just mere visitors to this heritage village Joseph lsquoKakarsquo Baptista who quietly gave the Home Rule Movement direction with his more vocal counterpart Bal Gangadhar Tilak was born here in 1864 If you ask around you can still find the erstwhile residence of Dr Ubaldo Mascarenhas who served as the 19th Mayor of Bombay from 1948 to 1949 although it doesnrsquot stand in perfect shapeFor now Stanislaus Baptista who writes the online Matharpacady Village blog with Gonsalves is happy that the BMC has given the concrete path outside the house a good rinse before the feast A stream of water now flows through the alleys symbolically connecting DrsquoSilva House Baptista House Fancy Manzil and Mi Casa Among these peculiarly titled homes is a grey twostoreyed building that Baptista believes is a sign of the times He pulls out his phone to show us a dated picture of a humble tiledroof home that once stood in its place until three years agoWith the writings on the wall the village turns to its young residents to hold the fort The kicker mdash there arenrsquot many Rochelle Baptista now in her 30s remembers the distinct echo of indistinct chatter that would fill the lanes come summer ldquoWe would bring out our badminton racquets and play on for hours Yoursquod never see these alleys emptyrdquo she remembers Her toddler Asher now has only six friends in the village to call out to playBut in a village that survived the 1896 Plague and the COVID19 pandemic without major casualties hope is never in deficit At the feast Rochelle harmonised with musicians from the village in a choir performance joined by musicians from across Mumbai ldquoWersquore trying our best to keep the community together through cultural programming The attendance is still only a fraction of what we were used to but itrsquos a good startrdquo she assures usThere is some precedent to Rochellersquos chosen path Gonsalves remembers how harmonies would once emanate from balconies of these homes every Sunday morning thanks to ingenious musicians like Joseph Azavedo and the The Carvelles the villagersquos own Beatles Conductor of the Melita Plectrum Orchestra Azavedorsquos more intriguing musical experiments include transforming a carpenterrsquos saw into a musical instrument Picked up by musicians Lt Cdr Eric Lopes and Ian Lopes alongside Dagmar Lopes the collective went on to build a wide repertoire of Italian classical musicAnil Dias a young sports journalist who sees us off on our way back sums up why most stories we hear here begin with a lsquoonce upon a timersquo ldquoMost of the homeowners well into their 70s have no one after them here Their children have migrated overseas or to gaothans in north Mumbai Soon they will have no option but to sellrdquo he says As we brace ourselves to disappear into the shadows of tall grey buildings waiting outside we spot Stanislaus now in unassuming attire quietly scrubbing away on a spot in his 1880s bungalow Hersquos clearly not buying this selling idea any time soonLog on to matharpacadyvillagecom1875year Holy Cross Oratory was established in MatharpacadyMemories from MatharpacadyThe Lopes brothers in performanceDr Ubaldo Mascarenhas with Pandit Jawaharlal NehruThe Melita Plectrum Orchestra Dagmar Lopes second from left top row is seen holding the sawderived musical instrumentatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params