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Kalbadevi fire: 'Dad wanted a grand send-off, we didn't expect it so soon'

At Memon Wada fire brigade quarters, Rane's family was in no position to talk to the media. Hemprakash Khale, his friend for 20 years, said Mumbai fire brigade has lost a talented man.

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On the eve of Mother's Day, 72-year-old Madhuri Desai had to bid final farewell to her son Mahendra, who perished fighting the blaze that gutted a building in Kalbadevi on Saturday.

Santosh, the fireman's brother said that the 48-year-old had an M.Sc in Chemistry and joined Mumbai fire brigade when he was 26 years, along with SW Rane, who also lost his life in the inferno. Both men joined the same team at the same time, and were felicitated for their bravery during the 26/11 attacks.

With a long trail of potted plants outside Desai's residence near the Byculla fire brigade, his family remembers a brave and loving man?. "He loved these plants, and every month, he would take time out to tend to them," said Chinmay, his 14-year-old son, who returned home late that day to see his tensed mother glued to the television set. He went down to ask other officers what was going on, but no one told him.

Shivani, his 18-year-old daughter is currently studying MBBS in Talegaon. "He had said he wanted his send-off wrapped in the Indian flag. He knew that when people retired, they became bed-ridden, and he didn't want that. He wanted a grand salute, but we didn't expect it so soon," she said.

Saying that she was her father's favourite, she added: "He didn't express his wishes for me to become a doctor, but when I took it up, he encouraged me to pursue it all the way."
Shivani said that his family were never really afraid, but began to fear for his life after he suffered 40% burn injuries during the Mont Blanc fire in 2013. At the time, the doctor advised him to take it easy. The father and son shared the same birthday – June 26 – but Chinmay knows this year he will be alone.

At Memon Wada fire brigade quarters, Rane's family was in no position to talk to the media. Hemprakash Khale, his friend for 20 years, said Mumbai fire brigade has lost a talented man.

"He was one in a million. He was awarded for being the fastest fireman during the drill, where he took only one-and-a half minute to get dressed and slide down the pipe, whereas the others took two minutes. He liked being fit and energetic, and even had a degree in fire safety from abroad," said Khale.

Khale, who works as an outdoor caterer, added that Rane's friends asked him to quit and run his own business of fire safety, because they believed he could earn millions; Rane refused them all.

"He said that his father did this, so he would follow in his footsteps. 'I will live and die here,' he said. He could have left all sales representatives behind. He could sell sand to anybody," said Khale about his long-time friend.

Khale added: "The morals of Mumbai fire brigade is unparallelled, but the life of a fireman is treated as garbage. It deeply hurts me that they are losing out on such talented people."

Rane loved eating and sharing food with people, Khale said, adding he feels like he has 'lost an arm'. "He used to say 'Tujhyasathi kay pan' (anything for you). Even a peon is made a manager if a private company is good at talent hunting. We think he could have been an excellent chief fire officer, but you know how promotions work here," Khale rued.

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