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Journalism of Courage
A few days ago, the residents of Khadki in Pune held a condolence meeting to mourn and pay tribute to one of their own—Vivek Shinde, a crusader who fought for amenities for the Cantonment area and nurtured a passion for forts from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj era.
“Over 20 years ago, when we set up the Khadki Citizens Forum, Shinde played a key role not only in its establishment but also in taking up the cudgels for better civic amenities for the citizens. Because of his aggressiveness, things began to change in Khadki, and the Cantonment Board started to respond to citizens’ complaints. His death is a blow to Khadki and its residents,” Ashok Morwal, president of Khadki Citizens Forum, said, speaking at the event.
Shinde, 70, died of a heart attack at his home on October 4. He is survived by his wife, two sons and their families.
The condolence meeting on October 12 was organised by the Chhatrapati Seva Samiti, SVS Association and the Khadki Citizens Forum.
Shinde was born and raised in Khadki and was actively associated with the Khadki Citizens Forum. He was an active member of the Kille Sanwardhan Samiti, the Maharashtra Education Society, and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
“Though Shinde shifted his residence outside Khadki, he never lost touch with the area and its people. We used to live in the same building in the Saraf Bazar area for years. We were the best of neighbours and were always concerned about the development of Khadki,” Advocate S K Jain said.
Abhay Sawant, vice-president, Khadki Cantonment Board, said, “Forts were close to his heart. He worked closely with the Kille Sanwardhan Samiti to include the forts of Maharashtra in UNESCO’s World Heritage List.”
David Francis, vice-president of SVS High School, spoke about Shinde’s role in the education field. “He had good political contacts and enjoyed good relations with officials. He was a down-to-earth man. He achieved his riches through the dint of hard work, but never forgot his childhood friends and Khadki. He always wanted to do a lot for kids by helping them with education or with sports,” Francis added.
