India's first cooperative housing society starts century celebrations

Each one of the 10-odd people gathered at Saraswat Cooperative Housing Society on Tuesday took a trip down memory lane; they all have stories to share about their forefathers. And there's a reason for all the reminiscing.

The Grant Road society, which is India's first cooperative society (and also possibly Asia's), is set to complete 100 years in a few months. The celebrations have already started.
On March 28, 2014, the members began the centenary celebrations with a satyanarayan puja. It will complete a century on March 28, 2015, the day it was registered.

Formed by eight members of the Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmins, a community belonging to Karnataka, the society set a threshold of sorts in Bombay Presidency, later Maharasthra state. It formed the first community-based housing society, formed by-laws that inspired rule books, and provided a tenants' cooperative society, unlike the ownership cooperative society. A tenants' cooperative society survives on partnered responsibility of all members, who have to pay at regular intervals for the society to come up.

"The initiative was taken by Rao Bahadur SS Talmaki, a prominent member of the community, along with seven others," said 93-year-old PM Kumtha, the society's oldest member. The society has five buildings and 42 flats. While the first three buildings came up in six months after registration, the other two came up a year after it.

Comprising two bedrooms, a hall, a kitchen and an attached bathroom, the flats stood out from the same in chawls made for the working class. The enterprise was lauded by visiting dignitaries of various countries, including Maharashtra's longest-serving chief minister VP Naik, then governor of Bombay Lord Wellington, and chairman of Bombay Improvement Trust J Orr. It was made by and for the community members with their own money.

"Members supervised the work on the building too," said Shrikant Talegari, 55, whose uncle was one of those who supervised. Talegari's forefathers were among the first occupants, and generations of them have continued staying there. Some are seeing their fifth generation grow up in the society.

"A few members have moved out though," said Suman Kodial, who moved into the society 44 years ago as a new bride. Considered educated, middle class and into service, the members who stayed on have seen themselves diversify and progress with time.

"There was a time when we used to study in Marathi medium schools. As time passed, many switched to English medium, moved abroad and, instead of taking up banking or judiciary, went into other enterprising professions," added Kodial.

The community prides itself in educating its women and keeping them on par with the men. "In fact, it is the daughters-in-law and daughters' club that looks after the society's daily affairs," said Vidya Kodian, 68, who too came to live in the society as a newly-wedded woman.

Katta — the informal gathering of the society's women — is held every evening. "Discussing household stuff is a no-no. We are into spirituality, or we talk about the philanthrophic activity we do as a community," said Kodial.