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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 11:29:11 am

Questions on MVA unity rises

Mumbai: Cracks have surfaced within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) after the Shiv Sena UBT announced the nomination of former leader of opposition Ambadas Danve for the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections slated for May 12. Congress has announced that it will field its nominee in the elections, especially after Shiv Sena UBT president Uddhav Thackeray opted out of the polls after his present term in the Upper House ends on May 13. The Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president...

Questions on MVA unity rises

Mumbai: Cracks have surfaced within the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) after the Shiv Sena UBT announced the nomination of former leader of opposition Ambadas Danve for the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections slated for May 12. Congress has announced that it will field its nominee in the elections, especially after Shiv Sena UBT president Uddhav Thackeray opted out of the polls after his present term in the Upper House ends on May 13. The Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Harshwardhan Sapkal announced that the party will field its candidate in the state council elections, expressing serious displeasure over Shiv Sena UBT’s move to nominate Ambadas Danve and not Uddhav Thackeray. Sapkal and State Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar last week declared that the party will support Uddhav Thackeray in the state council elections and will not put up its own nominee. However, both had hinted that if Uddhav Thackeray decides to opt out, the Congress will enter the electoral fray. For the election of nine seats, the quota is 29 votes. The present strength of MVA is 46, comprising Shiv Sena UBT 20, Congress 16 and NCP SP 10. The last date for filing nominations is April 30. Sapkal last week met Uddhav Thackeray while extending the Congress party’s support to him. Sapkal firmly endorsed Uddhav Thackeray as the key face of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, stating that the alliance will move forward only with him at the forefront. Following a recent meeting, Sapkal emphasised that if Thackeray contests the Legislative Council election, it would be welcomed. Sapkal declared that Uddhav Thackeray is the undisputed face of the Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra. He stated that it is a point of joy if Thackeray goes to the legislative council, stressing that the alliance will move forward only if he is leading it. Earlier, the BJP had already announced five nominees, while Shiv Sena has yet to declare its candidates. The NCP held a core committee meeting chaired by Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar on Wednesday morning and shortlisted some names. The party is expected to announce its nominee late Wednesday evening. Observers said that if the Congress decides to stick to its stand, the Shiv Sena UBT and NCP SP will have to strive to keep their respective legislators together to avoid cross-voting.

Sibling love blooms for six decades in Worli

India’s tallest Christmas Tree touches skies, hearts

Douglas Saldanah with India's tallest, 72-feet high, Christmas Tree in Worli.
Douglas Saldanah with India's tallest, 72-feet high, Christmas Tree in Worli.

Mumbai: On a quiet by-lane in Worli, hemmed in by concrete towers and the ceaseless beats of Mumbai, rises a breath-taking spectacle that makes people stop in their tracks.  


A towering Pine Conifer, glowing with more than 12,000 twinkling fairy lights, smiling angels, glittering reindeers and lots of cotton snow, stretches 72 feet into the night sky – almost equal to a 7-storied building – the most famous ‘rooted resident’ of the area. 


By record books and repute, it is ranked “India’s tallest naturally growing, fully decorated, Christmas Tree” and by spirit, it is a living monument to love, loss and the lasting faith of a brother and sister. 


The lofty tree nestles in a modest garden at Adarsh Nagar, a private residential society, and belongs to Douglas Saldanha, 64, a soft-spoken financial consultant, who has reverently tended it for over 52 years. 


Joys And Sorrows

The story of the tree is entwined with the joys and sorrows of the Saldanhas – the deceased parents Henry (87) and Grace (86), their children Twila (died 2005) and now Douglas. They moved from Mangalore to Mumbai decades ago, and it was here that this enchanting tree entered their lives almost by accident. 


Saldanha recalls how in 1973, a neighbour was grappling to manage a five-foot sapling looming awkwardly on his verandah, and quickly offered to sell it for Rs 250 to the thrilled Douglas, 12, and his sister Twila, 14. 


“We both carefully replanted it in the ground outside the verandah of our home, watered it daily, watched it, and felt pleased as it majestically stretched horizontally and vertically season after season, like a shared childhood dream,” Saldanha told ‘The Perfect Voice’. 


Enchanting Spectacle

Weeks before December 25, the Saldanha siblings would transform it into an enchanting spectacle - streamers and bells, shiny baubles, cherubic angels, tiny crosses, snowmen and a smiling Santa, topping it with a large star.


Awestruck neighbours, friends and relatives joined in to spread joy and laughter, and as the three grew in stature, so did the scale of celebrations and life continued happily. 


Sparing no efforts or expenses, every year he strung thousands of lights higher and wider, increasing as the tree’s height and girth increased, the cherubs seem to hover in mid-air; a cheerful Santa waving from a shiny flying sleigh perched on a mound of soft cotton snow, enthralling the visitors. 


“Absolute strangers came in droves to marvel at the masterpiece, clicked selfies or photos, many were moved to learn of the story behind the tree, and departed as lifelong friends. The Christmas tree exudes warmth, love and peace that attracts all,” commented Saldanha.


For the Saldanha family, the tree apparently worked other miracles. Henry Saldanha, a retired engineer survived multiple cancers in the prostate and cheek, five heart attacks, an open heart surgery and seven other major surgeries before going to meet his Lord in 2017, aged 87; in 2022 his wife Grace followed suit, aged 86 - leaving Douglas as the sole guardian angel of the three.


As he spent a major part of his youth caring for his parents and nurturing the family tree, Saldanha, a financial consultant for a MNC, chose to remain a bachelor: “I just wanted to be a good son,” was his simple, shrugging and smiling refrain.

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