Mumbai: Sacred Heart Church in Santacruz West marked its 90th anniversary on June 14, celebrating nine decades of faith and service. The jubilee celebrations combined religious observances with community events that gathered parishioners of all ages.Festivities began with holy mass led by Cardinal Oswald Gracias, the main celebrant for the occasion. He unveiled a series of activities under the banner of Festa de Sacred Heart 2026.Community events included a Bingo Night, which was held at the parish hall, while the Game of Hearts programme featured outdoor games, water games, and activities designed to encourage participation across generations. The parish also launched 90 Years of Flavours, a food festival showcasing community recipes.According to parish records, the jubilee celebrations focused on spiritual renewal, youth engagement, cultural programmes and fellowship. Food courts serving local delicacies highlighted the culinary talents of parishioners, while a grand feast-day gathering brought together more than 400 members of the community. Children and adults participated in dances, songs and theatrical performances. Local priests and religious sisters also took part in special entertainment programmes. Meanwhile, Debasish Chakraverty, a local historian of Bandra and Santacruz and an alumnus of Sacred Heart Boys’ High School, addressed the “spread of misinformation” about the history of Sacred Heart Church on social media.He told TOI that the church was built about 90 years ago, in the 1930s. Before it, there was another chapel called the Chapel of Santa Cruz. “The idea that the earlier chapel stood on the same site and that the area of Santa Cruz was named after it is false,” he claimed.The Chapel of Santa Cruz, situated on Chapel Lane, was built by Jesuit priests from Bandra in the village of Khulbhowree, present-day Santacruz. After being destroyed during the Maratha invasion of Salsette Island and subsequently repaired several times, the chapel eventually became too small for Santacruz’s growing population. Consequently, a new church was constructed through funds collected by local residents on an open ground. Officially opened on June 14, 1936, the new structure was dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and came to be known as Sacred Heart Church, which stands today.He also spoke on the origin of the name “Santa Cruz”. It actually refers to “Holy Cross”. “It is perhaps the only place in Mumbai that retains its name from the Portuguese colonial era,” he said.

MLC Sachin Ahir has filed his nomination for the deputy chairperson of the council, a move that has weakened Shiv Sena (UBT) to just five members.

MUMBAI: MLC Sachin Ahir filed nomination for the post of deputy chairperson of the council, and Mahayuti, with its numbers, is expected to easily win the election which will be held on Wednesday.With Ahir leaving, Sena (UBT) is left with just 5 members in the council. Legislature officials said the nomination for the deputy chairperson’s poll is not filed through any party, so it would not attract the anti-defection law. Officials also said Ahir was elected as MLC of undivided Shiv Sena in 2022, so he could not be disqualified now. Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant called Ahir’s move a violation of Schedule 10. However, Ahir said despite joining Shinde Sena, “I have not left any party. I will explain the legal and technical aspects later.” Shinde too dismissed concerns over disqualification, saying Ahir was originally elected from the undivided Shiv Sena. “When Ahir became MLC, all of us voted for him. He contested on Shiv Sena’s bow-and-arrow symbol, which is now with us. So there is nothing to worry about,” Shinde said. A legislature official said, “Since Ahir is contesting for deputy chairperson, no party whip will apply to him.” Shinde said last week six (UBT Sena) MPs had come to the Sena “and hit sixes, and now Ahir has hit sixes”. Ahir filed his nomination in the presence of CM Devendra Fadnavis and Dy CMs Shinde and Sunetra Pawar.

MLC Says Will Explain Legal & Technical Aspects Later

Aaditya Thackeray said this is not ‘Operation Tiger’ but ‘Operation Devendra Fadnavis’. He added, “Ahir cannot even say Aaditya did not meet him. He is an MLC, his daughter was made ward committee member. He was also given the post of deputy leader. So what more do you want? Should we now perform your ‘aarti’ every day? Shiv Sena (UBT) does not care if someone leaves.” Ahir said he would respond at the right time to the barbs hurled at him from Sena (UBT). “As long as we were together, I was good. Some people are now trying to tell me how worthless I am.” Team UBT may lose claim to LoP’s postWith MLC Sachin Ahir’s exit, the Shiv Sena (UBT) is likely to lose its claim over the leader of opposition’s (LoP) post in the legislative council. The Sena (UBT) is left with only 5 MLCs now, and the Congress party too has 5 MLCs in the 78-member council.Political observers said it is unlikely that the council will get an LoP in the near future. The post in the council has been vacant since August 2025, when Shiv Sena (UBT)’s MLC Ambadas Danve retired. Danve has now been reelected to the council, but a decision on the LoP hasn’t been taken yet. The state is now without an LoP in both houses of the legislature. This has happened for the first time in several years, senior officials said.An LoP in the assembly hasn’t been appointed by Speaker Rahul Narwekar since Dec 2024, despite Sena (UBT) giving its MLA Bhaskar Jadhav’s name, citing technical reasons as Sena (UBT) doesn’t have MLAs comprising 10% of total strength of the assembly. Narwekar has maintained that rules are being studied to see if LoP’s post can be given if a party has less than 10% MLAs.Ahir may be formidable rival against Aaditya in Worli in ’29Sachin Ahir’s exit from Shiv Sena (UBT) has come as a setback for Aaditya Thackeray as Ahir could be a formidable candidate from the Worli assembly constituency and a potential political threat for Aaditya, who is MLA from that seat. Political observers said the Dy CM Eknath Shinde-led Sena would prepare the ground in Worli for the 2029 assembly polls and pitch Ahir against Aaditya. Ahir, a former MLA from Worli, is known to have a grassroots network there, and with the backing of Shinde Sena and BJP, he could pose a challenge to Aaditya. In the 2024 assembly polls, Aaditya managed to win from the Worli constituency by a margin of just 8,801 votes. This was a massive decrease in margin from the 2019 polls, when he had won by 67,427 votes. Aaditya defeated Sena’s Milind Deora in 2024. “In 2024, Deora was fielded at the last minute and he was not a local. Ahir knows the constituency well and is a Worli local. He also has clout in the mill workers’ and other unions in central Mumbai, so that will also work to his advantage,” a political observer said. In 2019, Ahir had joined Shiv Sena on the eve of the assembly elections. Aaditya then fought from Worli and eventually Ahir was given an MLC berth. Asked if he will fight the 2029 assembly polls from Worli, Ahir said on Tuesday, ”I will try to fulfil any responsibility Eknath Shinde will give me.”

A devastating incident in Chembur saw a seven-decade-old peepul tree collapse onto a school van, tragically claiming the life of an 11-year-old boy.

MUMBAI: Amid continuous rain, a seven-decade-old peepul tree crashed onto a school van in Chembur even as its driver tried to take the vehicle to safety. Raju, a security guard at Heritage Heights near the accident site, said, “I heard a cracking sound and saw the tree fall. The children and the driver were inside the van. The driver tried to accelerate and move it to safety, but the lane was too narrow. Before he could get out, the tree crashed onto the vehicle.”A BMC official said that during road concreting work carried out earlier this year “the tree’s roots appeared to have been damaged. The garden department had flagged concerns to the roads department and asked engineers to ensure the roots were protected, but we did not receive a favourable response. The exact cause of the collapse is yet to be ascertained”.Residents voiced similar concerns. Francis Joseph, who lives on 11th Road, said, “I’m shocked to have witnessed this incident right below my house. I feel the problem may have begun when the road was concreted a few months ago, as the entire stretch was dug up.”Mayor Ritu Tawde, who visited the site, ordered an inquiry. While local officials informed her about the pruning, she directed authorities to examine the road work angle.

Zen Multispeciality Hospital said five children — three boys and two girls — were brought to the facility around 3.30 pm. “One 11-year-old boy was brought dead. Resuscitative measures were undertaken by our emergency team, to no avail, and he was declared deceased. Two children with injuries underwent further clinical evaluation, including CT scans, and are currently under medical care. The remaining two children were assessed and found to be clinically stable,” said Dr Roy Patankar, director of the hospital.Samruddhi Kate, Shiv Sena corporator and daughter-in-law of MLA Tukaram Kate, said she reached the site soon after being alerted by her father-in-law. “He did everything he could to help the children and their parents,” she said.The School Bus Owners Association wants an inquiry into the incident and has called for a safety audit of roadside trees and school routes.(Inputs by Srimoyee Palit & Vaibhavi Gupta)

A tragic incident in Chembur saw a massive peepal tree crush a school bus

MUMBAI: A massive uprooted peepal tree lies sprawled across a yellow school bus in Mumbai’s Chembur, its heavy branches crushing the roof and damaging the windows of the vehicle.The bus, carrying students of Universal High School, is seen trapped under the fallen tree as rescue teams, local residents, the driver and conductor rush to evacuate the children from the mangled vehicle.The rain-hit roadside turned into a rescue zone after the tree collapse left five students injured, including an 11-year-old boy who later succumbed to his injuries during treatment.Emergency personnel worked to pull out the children, including two students who remained trapped inside the bus, as the incident raised questions over roadside tree safety ahead of the monsoon.The incident occurred at 2. 58pm near a building on Road No. 11 when the bus was ferrying 13 students of Universal High School to their homes, officials said.Fire brigade and other agencies rushed to the spot and evacuated all students, including the two who remained trapped inside the school bus.The bus driver, conductor and local residents also joined the rescue efforts.The five injured students, all aged between 4 and 12 years, were rushed to a nearby private hospital.According to the hospital’s medical officer, 11-year-old Vihan Srivastava, who had sustained serious injuries, succumbed to his injuries during treatment, while the four other injured students are in stable condition.Mumbai mayor Ritu Tawde has ordered a detailed inquiry into the incident.According to the Mayor’s office, local civic officials informed her that pre-monsoon trimming of roadside trees in the area had been carried out.“The inquiry would examine whether recent cement concreting work on the road had affected the stability of the tree and whether any complaints had been received from local residents,” the release added.The mayor rushed to the accident site and reviewed the situation along with her deputy Sanjay Ghadi, local MLA Tukaram Kate and other officials.She said strict action would be taken if any negligence was found.Tawde met the family members of the deceased student at Zen Hospital and offered condolences.She also enquired about the health of the injured student admitted to the ICU and sought details of the treatment from the doctors.“Vihan Srivastava’s body has been sent to the civic-run Rajawadi Hospital for postmortem,” the release stated.Among the four injured students, a 10-year-old girl was discharged after treatment. Another four-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy are undergoing treatment, while a 10-year-old boy remains admitted to the ICU.“Doctors said all four surviving injured students are out of danger,” the release added.Police have registered a case of accidental death, an official added.

3 key questions in focus

Did cement concreting weaken the tree’s base?The civic inquiry will examine whether recent road concretisation work around the tree affected its stability. Officials will check if changes around the roots played a role in the collapse.Were there warning signs before the tree came crashing down?The probe will look into whether residents had raised complaints about the roadside peepal tree earlier. Authorities will verify if any concerns were recorded but remained unaddressed.Was pre-monsoon tree trimming enough to prevent the collapse?The investigation will examine the civic body’s claim that trimming work was carried out before the monsoon.It will assess whether the maintenance was adequate or if more action was needed.(With agency inputs)

Vijaya Mehta’s riveting, slice-of-life creations include the poignant teleplay ‘Hamidabai Ki Kothi’ and ‘Pestonjee’

Mumbai: Legendary theatre and film personality Vijaya Mehta, known simply as Bai to generations of theatre lovers and moviegoers, passed away at age 91 Tuesday.Born in Vadodara on November 4, 1934, Vijayabai found her calling as a teenager. She met theatre doyen Ebrahim Alkazi at age 18, whom she went on to consider her guru.Her riveting, slice-of-life creations include the poignant teleplay ‘Hamidabai Ki Kothi’. This narrative delineated the arrival of musical recordings by classical singers, and the consequential decline of live kotha culture. “People could just press a button and listen to songs, they would not visit the courtesans anymore,” she said.Her cerebral — not caricaturist — portrayal of the Parsi community in the Shabana Azmi-Naseeruddin Shah-starrer ‘Pestonjee’ drew partly from her second marriage to Farokh Mehta. Vijayabai’s first husband Harin Khote, son of Durga Khote, had passed away early.Her entry to Hindi cinema was facilitated by Govind Nihalani in his award-winning movie ‘Party’, which offered insight into the lifestyles of the rich and famous, and Shyam Benegal’s ‘Kalyug’. The first full length feature film she directed was ‘Rao Saheb’ in 1986 followed by ‘Smriti Chitre’.She was founder-member of the Mumbai-based theatre group Rangayan along with Vijay Tendulkar, Arvind Deshpande and Shriram Lagoo. Rangayan went on to shape the fortunes of experimental theatre.Her commitment to stage plays lasted a lifetime and Vijayabai became executive director of the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) in her later years. Her proactive presence moulded a milestone era in its history.“I was, in fact, involved with NCPA from its conceptualisation. I had attended the inauguration of Tata Theatre. I went on to organise several Indo-German collaborations of Indian classics from here. I organised workshops with international greats including Peter Brooks,” she said, at its 50th anniversary.Vijayabai’s eloquent artistic expression, sharp eye for detail, her keen sense of humour and the ability to draw out the best from stalwart performers like Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, Tanvi Azmi, Neena Kulkarni, Nana Patekar, and Bharati Achrekar has been much discussed.The world of Indian theatre and cinema is impoverished by her loss.