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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Seventy-six mayors ruled BMC since 1931

After four years, Mumbai to salute its first citizen Kishori Pednekar Vishwanath Mahadeshwar Snehal Ambekar Sunil Prabhu Mumbai: As the date for appointing Mumbai’s First Citizen looms closer, various political parties have adopted tough posturing to foist their own person for the coveted post of Mayor – the ‘face’ of the country’s commercial capital. Ruling Mahayuti allies Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena have vowed that the city...

Seventy-six mayors ruled BMC since 1931

After four years, Mumbai to salute its first citizen Kishori Pednekar Vishwanath Mahadeshwar Snehal Ambekar Sunil Prabhu Mumbai: As the date for appointing Mumbai’s First Citizen looms closer, various political parties have adopted tough posturing to foist their own person for the coveted post of Mayor – the ‘face’ of the country’s commercial capital. Ruling Mahayuti allies Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena have vowed that the city will get a ‘Hindu Marathi’ person to head India’s richest civic body, while the Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT)-Maharashtra Navnirman Sena also harbour fond hopes of a miracle that could ensure their own person for the post. The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) optimism stems from expectations of possible political permutations-combinations that could develop with a realignment of forces as the Supreme Court is hearing the cases involving the Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party this week. Catapulted as the largest single party, the BJP hopes to install a first ever party-man as Mayor, but that may not create history. Way back in 1982-1983, a BJP leader Dr. Prabhakar Pai had served in the top post in Mumbai (then Bombay). Incidentally, Dr. Pai hailed from Udupi district of Karnataka, and his appointment came barely a couple of years after the BJP was formed (1980), capping a distinguished career as a city father, said experts. Originally a Congressman, Dr. Pai later shifted to the Bharatiya Janata Party, then back to Congress briefly, founded the Janata Seva Sangh before immersing himself in social activities. Second Administrator The 2026 Mayoral elections have evoked huge interest not only among Mumbaikars but across the country as it comes after nearly four years since the BMC was governed by an Administrator. This was only the second time in the BMC history that an Administrator was named after April 1984-May 1985. On both occasions, there were election-related issues, the first time the elections got delayed for certain reasons and the second time the polling was put off owing to Ward delimitations and OBC quotas as the matter was pending in the courts. From 1931 till 2022, Mumbai has been lorded over by 76 Mayors, men and women, hailing from various regions, backgrounds, castes and communities. They included Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Parsis, Sikhs, even a Jew, etc., truly reflecting the cosmopolitan personality of the coastal city and India’s financial powerhouse. In 1931-1932, the Mayor was a Parsi, J. B. Boman Behram, and others from his community followed like Khurshed Framji Nariman (after whom Nariman Point is named), E. A. Bandukwala, Minoo Masani, B. N. Karanjia and other bigwigs. There were Muslims like Hoosenally Rahimtoola, Sultan M. Chinoy, the legendary Yusuf Meherally, Dr. A. U. Memon and others. The Christian community got a fair share of Mayors with Joseph A. D’Souza – who was Member of Constituent Assembly representing Bombay Province for writing-approving the Constitution of India, M. U. Mascarenhas, P. A. Dias, Simon C. Fernandes, J. Leon D’Souza, et al. A Jew Elijah Moses (1937-1938) and a Sikh M. H. Bedi (1983-1984), served as Mayors, but post-1985, for the past 40 years, nobody from any minority community occupied the august post. During the silver jubilee year of the post, Sulochana M. Modi became the first woman Mayor of Mumbai (1956), and later with tweaks in the rules, many women ruled in this post – Nirmala Samant-Prabhavalkar (1994-1995), Vishakha Raut (997-1998), Dr. Shubha Raul (March 2007-Nov. 2009), Shraddha Jadhav (Dec. 2009-March 2012), Snehal Ambedkar (Sep. 2014-March 2017). The last incumbent (before the Administrator) was a government nurse, Kishori Pednekar (Nov. 2019-March 2022) - who earned the sobriquet of ‘Florence Nightingale’ of Mumbai - as she flitted around in her full white uniform at the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic, earning the admiration of the citizens. Mumbai Mayor – high-profile post The Mumbai Mayor’s post is considered a crucial step in the political ladder and many went on to become MLAs, MPs, state-central ministers, a Lok Sabha Speaker, Chief Ministers and union ministers. The formidable S. K. Patil was Mayor (1949-1952) and later served in the union cabinets of PMs Jawaharlal Nehru, Lah Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi; Dahyabhai V. Patel (1954-1955) was the son of India’s first Home Minister Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel; Manohar Joshi (1976-1977) became the CM of Maharashtra, later union minister and Speaker of Lok Sabha; Chhagan Bhujbal (1985-1986 – 1990-1991) became a Deputy CM.

King Charles' Royal honour to Indian-origin couple

New Zealand hails Mumbaikar, Gujarati wife for services to IT

Mumbai/Wellington: A full-blooded Mumbaikar Sunit Prakash and his Gujarat-rooted wife Lalita Kasanji – who are now dual New Zealand-Australia citizens - have been honoured a ‘Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit’ for services to the Information Technology industry and the Indian diaspora there.

 

The Royal honours – equivalent to India’s top civilian national awards – shall be conferred in a few months on the Prakash-Kasanji couple by the New Zealand Governor-General Dame Cindy Kiro, the first Maori woman to hold the august office representing King Charles III of the United Kingdom.

 

This is the first time the honour has gone to members of the Indian community and since 1995, NZ has recognised around 15 dignitaries for contributions to the IT sector.

 

“We are thrilled by this recognition,” gushed Prakash, 63, in an informal telephonic chat with The Perfect Voice from Wellington.

 

In 2023, Prakash-Kasanji co-founded the New Zealand Centre for Digital Connections with India to speed up and incubate digital and tech cooperation between the two countries.

 

Their pioneering research with a combination of global, tech and ethno-sociological lens revealed that the Indian IT professionals contributed US$ 350 million to the NZ economy annually, plus identified predictors to success by creating catalyst programs for visibility and progress.

 

“Drawing from our life experiences of migration and settlement, we found that NZ’s Indian IT professionals community possessed immense knowledge, insights, skills and cross-market expertise. But their intrinsic value was not fully acknowledged. We made it our mission to create visibility and generate opportunities,” smiled Prakash.

 

This was the foundation for their submission recommending NZ to take a Digital and IT Trade Delegation to India to enhance trade relations and boost innovations.

 

“Sunlight is a powerful disinfectant, and we are bringing a magnifying glass,” said Prakash, his words loaded, flanked by Lalita with roots in Surat though her family has been in Wellington since 1912.

 

In a rare and pleasant trifecta, Prakash’s mother-in-law, Ruxmani Kasanji who came to NZ after marriage in 1948, was honoured as Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit’ (2019), for her contributions to the Indians there, and son Arjun, 28, is pursuing his doctorate in AI in the USA.

 

“Till I met Sunit, like most in NZ, Digital India and new Indians were invisible to this country, and the perception markedly changed with Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s recent visit to India,” said Kasanji, a sociologist who completed her Master’s at Victoria University of Wellington focusing on Gujarati migration to NZ.

 

Indians' mega-splash in Kiwiland

Born in New Delhi, Sunit Prakash was educated in Mumbai’s top-notch Jamnabai Narsee School, Mithibai College and Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, all in Vile Parle where he lived too.

 

Occasionally he changed gears to fluent Hindi (his ancestors were from Uttar Pradesh) and Marathi, emphasizing his life as a ‘Bombayite’, and recalled fond memories of his teachers, lecturers, principals and peers.

 

Interestingly, the honour to Prakash and his wife Lalita Kasanji comes at a time when NZ - with a population of around 51-lakhs, including 6 pc Indians – is actively chasing a Free Trade Agreement with India.

 

He pointed out how India is recognized as a fastest growing global major economy, and is the top source to tap IT skills and talent, with many Indians heading major tech companies in the US and elsewhere.

 

The 320,000 Indians comprise barely 6 pc of NZ’s population, but a large number, around 120,000 are in the digital and tech workforce, and Indian IT professionals have been deploying systems there since the mid-1980s, added Prakash.

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