Heritage church adds to Kasba Peth’s diversity

Kasba Peth, according to written history and archaeological evidence, is one of the three tiny hamlets where Pune was born. It is also the place where the city finds its heart beating, in the vibrant Ganeshotsav, in the lanes of tradesmen, Shaniwarwda, wadas, old temples and mosques, with history and geography merging and mixing.
Yet another gem of diversity is nestled in a tiny bylane of Kasba Peth, a gothic-style church that stands tall with its 350-strong membership.
“Some members of the Christ Church in Rasta Peth moved out in 1962 and started visiting different churches while scouting for a new space. The Scottish Mission handed over the structure to us in 1967 and since then, the structure at Pavle Chowk is Brother Deshpande Memorial Church,” Raju Christy, a member, said.
The church was named in the memory of Ramchandra Prahlad Deshpande who spent his life spreading Christianity and serving those in need. “As per records that I could trace, Deshpande was at Christ Church between 1927 and 1947. He worked hard for the welfare of the downtrodden. His sermons were interesting and people looked forward to listening to him. Londe had spent time with him and was mentored by him at Christ Church. Thus, when the Church membership split and we found this structure, Londe named it after Deshpande,” Christy added.
According to Ravindra Gaikwad, caretaker of the church since seven years, Deshpande, who hailed from a village near Nagpur, moved to Pune in 1917.
“He came from a staunch Brahmin family and met a lot of opposition when he embraced Christianity. Deshpande had an in-depth study of the Bible, which made him change faith. He moved to Pune and devoted his life for Christianity and social service. He died in 1949, many years before this structure was even converted into a church,” Gaikwad said.
When the structure was first acquired, a school named St Peter’s School – affiliated to the Zilla Parishad, was run on the premises in the morning while sermons and services were held in the evenings.
“The school was shut down over a decade ago and the premises have been converted into a full-time church. We also have a hall and sufficient outdoor space which we provide for weddings in the families of our members,” Gaikwad explained.
According to him, the Brother Deshpande Memorial Church was also once the place of worship for the Korean expatriate community. “The members of the Korean community living in Pune used the Church for worship as well. They even ran a Sunday school for children from their community over here. However, they stopped coming to this church about 5 to 6 years ago as they dispersed to different localities in the city,” Gaikwad said.
The church is a Grade II heritage structure by the Pune Municipal Corporation. “We undertook large-scale renovations at the church in 2018, during which the roofing and interiors were changed and the entire place was polished. We had to seek permission to undertake renovations since this is a heritage structure. The original structure is untouched. We spent almost Rs 1.25 crore on the renovations, collected from our members,” Christy said.
From the outside and inside, the church looks like any other, with wooden pews on either sides of the aisle. Stacks of the Bible, printed in Marathi, are neatly lined up on a window sill to the right side of the Church.
However, inside the church sits another astonishing artefact which is as old as the Church – a black piano resembling a large harmonium with its peculiar lid and carvings on the rear. According to Gaikwad, the piano is still used during Mass and prayers. “Some snags had developed with the pedal of the piano but we got it repaired recently,” he said.
According to Christy, almost none of the members of the church live in Kasba Peth. “ They live in different parts of the city- Katraj, Wadgaon Sheri, Rasta Peth and many others. The distance has never deterred our members from attending the church every Sunday morning. Since inception, the local residents have been welcoming and supportive of the church and our members,” he said.
Gaikwad said the church is carrying forward the work done by Deshpande. “We help anyone who comes knocking on our door. Be it providing food or monetary help, the church has been trying to help those in need. Youths, who have run away from home, have sought support and we do whatever we can to help them,” Gaikwad said.