Good Samaritans Ramesh Pandit and Suresh Nair turned great friends while connecting over a common cause
Bollywood is replete with countless tales of friendship between characters with phonetic names such as Seeta and Geeta, Ram and Shyam and Ramesh and Suresh. Here's another story of a Ramesh and a Suresh, which may sound Bollywood-ish at first, but has a lot more substance to it.
We often hear of individuals who have developed strong bonds when fighting personal battles, or even real ones. But this is a refreshing account of two Marol-based individuals who discovered a common ground while battling the system to create a better world for those around them.
Serendipity must be at work when Ramesh Pandit, an ex-Air India employee, and Suresh Nair, who runs his own catering enterprise, were brought together due to a tragic death that occurred in the neighbourhood. "Holy Spirit Hospital was the nearest hospital but the road leading to it was narrow—only 30 feet wide. The congested path caused a massive delay, resulting in the death of the victim en route to the hospital. That was the first time when we joined hands to change all this. Finally, after filing a PIL in the High Court, that stretch of road was doubled to 60 feet," says Nair.
Close on the heels of this change came initiatives such as door-to-door collection of garbage (introduced in 1999 and arguably a first in the city), curbing instances of land grabbing by local goons, and restoration of the Bharatvan Park in Marol that was handled by the BMC. "We are like-minded individuals, who came together due to a common goal and have stayed together ever since. And in like-mindedness, one tends to discover friendship," adds Pandit.
Military Road Residents' Welfare Association (MRRWA) is the brainchild of several reformers like Nair and Pandit. Formed with the aim to make a substantial difference to the community, MRRWA is involved in educational activities such as conducting study classes for children residing in the nearby slum areas, free of cost, and conducted by women who are part of the association. Additionally, yoga and aerobic classes are also conducted at the Bharatvan campus. Going forward, a 'Clean Marol' drive with federations operating across the suburb and the completion of the Marol-Maroshi Road along with concretisation are some of the projects in the pipeline. With the good work put in by the duo, this is clearly a friendship that many of us would wish several years of togetherness, for selfish reasons.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}