MAPUSA: Never has the iconic Mapusa market worn such a deserted look. An eerie silence pervaded its streets on Monday as businessmen — from influential traders to humble vegetable vendors — downed their shutters in honour of chief minister Manohar Parrikar , who grew up in the North Goa town.“The entire Mapusa market has been kept closed as a mark of respect to our Manohar Bhaie,” president of the Mapusa Merchants’ Association Ashish Shirodkar, told TOI. Such was the solidarity, despite the fact that no official holiday was declared for private sector undertakings.Parrikar, who himself had businesses in Mapusa, harboured a certain fondness for his hometown even after he moved to Panaji and scaled the political ladder. That he would often be spotted relishing a bowl of fruits near the once popular Alankar Theatre, was testament to this.The overall development of the town was also close to his heart. “When Parrikar was chief minister, he would hold meetings with councillors and government officials every Tuesday. It gave pace to any work that was undertaken,” senior member of the Mapusa Municipal Council and former chairperson, Sandip Falari, told TOI.Sudhir Kandolkar, another councillor and former MMC chairperson, who is presently in the running for a BJP ticket for the Mapusa byelection, said Parrikar had a well-defined vision for the development of the constituency. “He conceptualised the downtown planning scheme. The focus was on a dedicated Ravindra Bhavan, a jogging park, warehousing facilities, multi-level parking complexes and shifting schools away from the heart of the town. He also sought that the Tar river be developed and that an artificial lake and community hall be set up,” Kandolkar said.Parrikar’s childhood friend and fellow partyman Francis ‘Babush’ D’Souza, was at the helm of affairs in the constituency almost simultaneously, which is believed to have drawn him to the town even more. Falari reminisced how, during D’Souza’s birthday celebrations, Parrikar - then chief minister - announced that D’Souza would be his deputy. “This showed how keen he was about Mapusa’s development,” he said.Incidentally, both D’Souza and Parrikar died little over a month apart from each other. D’Souza, who served the Mapusa constituency for five terms, lost his battle to cancer on February 14 at the age of 64.With their beloved Bhaie and Babush no longer around to spur the change that Mapusa so desperately needs, Mhapxekars have been left wondering about the future. For now, they will mourn the void created by two of the town’s beloved sons, who together held sway for close to 20 years.

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