An heirloom replica of Gateway of India in a South Bombay bylane

Nestled in one of the quaint old bylanes of the six-foot-wide Bhendi Gali in Gamdevi stands the miniature replica of Gateway of India. The spot where Yeshwant Siddhi co-operative society is located now was earlier the ancestral palace of Raobahadur Yeshwantrao Harishchandra Desai — the superintendent manager of Gateway of India. Where a part of this replica stands six-foot-tall today used to be his courtyard.

Carvings and trellises on the miniature are completely identical to those on the original. The model is crafted from yellow sandstone, the same material the Gateway is made of. However, it's unfortunate that Yeshwantrao died before he could make the other side.

The sandstone found in Kharodi, Rajasthan, is water-resistant and the sole reason why the Gateway has been standing unaffected in diverse climatic conditions for the past 90 years. Only a handful know that the man who built the miniature was also the superintendent in the team that built the original Gateway at Apollo Bunder, for which work commenced in 1911, completed in 1923 and it was inaugurated in 1924 by then viceroy general of India Lord Reading.

A very passionate Suhas Desai and his wife Shobha (Yeshwantrao's descendents) retain all his treasuries, the miniature just one of them. "I never had the opportunity to meet him, but I want to retain this monument as gratitude towards him... it gives my wife and me immense pride to be able to be a part of it," says Suhas, who has now built a fence around the miniature to protect it from encroachers. The couple has also been successful in retaining a vintage lamp post, built in 1905, outside the society.

Born on December 11, 1876, Yeshwantrao studied elementary architecture from JJ School of Art.

"Dr George Mackinnic, the principal, was very pleased with his enthusiasm and offered him patronage for higher studies in the UK, but he did not accept it. He later joined the Public Works Department as an assistant engineer and then as an overseer. He served here for 35 years, up to 1927, after which he passed away in Pondicherry," remembers Suhas.

The Gateway was just one of Yeshwantrao's constructions, he also superintended the installation of the General Post Office, Sir Cawasji Jehangir Public Hall, Royal Institute of Science, Old Customs House, and Prince of Wales Museum.

The British government bestowed him with titles of 'Rao Sahib', 'Rao Bahadur' and 'Justice of Peace' for an outstanding career. In 1991, the lane beside Taj Mahal Hotel near Gateway of India was named Rao Bahadur Yeshwantrao Desai Chowk by then mayor Diwakar Raote.

The husband and wife, who have been taking care of the replica as if it were their child, are now themselves advancing in age. When asked who will look after the miniature after them, they proudly say, "Our daughter Maithili... she says she will take care of this legacy no matter what."

Gateway history in a nutshell
The foundation stone was laid on March 31, 1911 by then governor of Bombay Sir George Sydenham Clarke with Sir George Witette, the architect of the project. Between 1911 and 1923, work proceeded on reclamations at Apollo Bunder for the land on which the Gateway and the new sea wall would be built. The Gateway was constructed to commemorate the landing of their majesties King George V and Queen Mary at Apollo Bunder. The cost of this monument was a whooping Rs27 lakh at that time.