A Chowk and moving talk: In the memory of Mumbai Councillor Vinod Shekhar

Colaba and Churchgate residents made it in numbers on a sweltering Sunday October 6 morning to witness the inauguration of a Chowk named after late Colaba Councillor Vinod Shekhar This Chowk is just around the corner from Eros cinema stretching to the opposite pavement near the Astoria Hotel Theres a Metro station in the middle It is a highdensity buzzing spot with offices shops colleges and residential buildings standing cheek by jowl in the areaThe ChowkThe morning began with an unveiling of the lsquoVinod Shekhar Chowkrsquo plaque There were leadersmdashAssembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar of the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP and Shiv Senas Eknath Shinde Milind Deora mdashwho did the honours as applause rang out and mobile cameras flashed This was particularly significant given that Shekhar was a Congress councillor for Colaba He died of a heart attack in 2017At the event Advocate General of Maharashtra Dr Birendra Saraf and former Additional Solicitor General of India Anil Singh stated that the Chowk was ldquosocietyrsquos way of saying thank you to Shekhar who has contributed so much to this spacerdquo Nimish G Pandya who made the trip to SoBo from Jogeshwari called Shekhar ldquoInspirational A helpful man 247 This will spur others on in the service of societyrdquoMemories moodsPostChowk inauguration on the road the SoBo community moved inside a hall where several leaders and family members spoke about what Shekhar stood for and meant to them Deora addressed a packed hall He said ldquoThis may be one of the happiest days for everyone not just the Shekhar family The inauguration of a Chowk is also a celebration of a bond between persons For instance my late father Murlibhai and the Shekhar family were very close They were together so much There were some people my father admired cutting across party lines This is a fitting tribute to have a Chowk apt particularly because it is opposite my fatherrsquos office Dad would have been so proud todayrdquoThe diversityDeora added that Colaba with its diversity is like a ldquominiIndia where high rises sit next to slums It also houses the cityrsquos original inhabitants the fishermen at Machchimaar Nagar which is also located here Shekhar was capable of finding longterm solutions to problems in his constituency He was never about shortterm solutions with an eye on elections With this chowk curiosity will also be stirred The new generation may ask who Vinod Shekhar was and be motivated to work for the publicrdquoSimple humbleThere was JoJo Thomas the General Secretary Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee MPCC who reminisced that once he was supposed to meet Shekhar along with his mother the late Annie Shekhar MLA for a programme but Vinod could not make it that day ldquoHe was worried about his mother and that showed his simplicity and humilityrdquoThe supportVijay Shekhar Vinodrsquos brother said ldquoIt is good to see all parties come together here All those present here not just members of political parties are our family A family is not about taking photos it is standing together in good times and badrdquoFormer MP Sudha Joshi spoke about the close bond between mother and sonmdashAnnie Shekhar and Vinod Shekhar ldquoAnnie Shekhar was also very close to me She had Vinod Shekhar for support lending a shoulder in all the workrdquoUniversal mummyAdvocate Anita Shekhar Castellino Vinodrsquos sister said ldquoAnnie was the universal mummy Colaba was mummyrsquos and Vinodrsquos life Vinod was born here and died at home in Colaba He lived up to every promise he maderdquoThen advocate Suresh Chandra Shekhar Vinodrsquos brother wittily called the boss at the function as he had made everyone work for the function galvanising people to action and recalled how ldquosocial work was part of Vinodrsquos life All he needed was a call and there he was in an instantrdquoThere was mention of exBJP corporators Makarand Narwekar and Harshita Narwekar too playing a big part in making this Chowk a reality as the curtains came down on a morning filled with memories and left us with the feeling that never mind which party one aligns with it is the work you do the bonds you make that live on after you