36. Built the Cheapest Cooperative Society in Thane

Contributed by: Rohini Abhyankar

Shankar (Aba) Marathe was born in Kaasa, Ratnagiri in the year 1928.

He came from a poor family where the primary source of income was ‘bhikshuki’ (local priesthood).

He had seven brothers and two sisters.

Now he has two sons who are both well established in their respective professions.

He remembers the day when the cooperative society that he had worked so hard to get built was inaugurated and the Auditor remarked that to his knowledge, that was the most inexpensive society in all of Thane. Here is how the story was narrated to me by Shri. Aba Marathe…

I used to live in a very dilapidated worn down house. I lived there for 16 years, and one day I came across a piece of vacant land that was for sale. The owner was a member of the Bohari community and he was associated with the rubber industry. I decided to build a cooperative society on that land and resolved to make it very affordable to everyone willing to join the cooperative.

We did some calculations and decided to sell the accommodations at cost price at the rate of Rs. 50/sq. foot. All arrangements were made and it was time for us to buy the land for a cost of Rs. 75,000 and start the construction, but for some reason the owner of the land started dilly dallying when it came to signing the papers. I was worried. The work could not begin till we had the possession of the land. I was very concerned. I gathered up all my courage and went and met with the collector. He reviewed all the documents and telephoned the land owner at his office and firmly warned him that if the papers were not signed by the coming Friday the collector would sign them on behalf of the owner. This did the trick. After a lot of hard work the society was completed. A statue of Shivaji now graces the society grounds. It was a matter of pride and joy for me that I was instrumental in providing decent, affordable housing to the members of the cooperative. The auditor even remarked that as far as he knew, this was the least expensive society in the entire city of Thane.

I have lived here happily for the past 37 years.