Image courtesy: Mid-Day.com
Mumbai:
Cancer consumed Eustace Fernandes, creator of the Amul moppet on March 11. The adman, who was 75, lives on through the hugely popular Amul girl he created.
"Yet," says Amin Shaikh (29), "Eustace created two people - the Amul girl, his daughter and me, the relatively unknown real-life creation Amin, his son." Although Shaikh is not a blood relation, he calls Fernandes his surrogate father.
The city is teeming with Amins - little boys, many of them runaways, living on filthy railway stations, eking out a living on the streets. Shaikh says, "My life was exactly like that. I ran away from home when I was five. For three years, I lived at all the railway stations in the city. When I was eight, I was rescued and adopted by Sneh Sadan, a home for street children in Andheri. It is a remarkable place run by Jesuits."
Shaikh was at Sneh Sadan till he was 18. He studied till class seven, and then worked as a newspaper boy and finally set up his own newspaper stall at Chakala in Andheri.
When Amin was 18, Sneh Sadan officials told him he would have to work at Eustace Fernandes' (who was familiar with Sneh Sadan) house.
Shaikh says, "I was in-charge of looking after the house. I learnt English from hearing Eustace and his friends from all over the world speak. I became Eustace's driver too. Eustace would always introduce me as his Man Friday, never his servant. He would boast about my smallest achievements. He never married but he had his children, the Amul girl and me."
The boy whose world was a street home, travelled to Europe with Eustace. "It broadened my horizons." Eustace bought him a car. "I now work as a private driver. I've named my agency Sneh Travels, after Sneh Sadan," says Shaikh.
Bandra is rife with rumours on whether Eustace, who was single, has left this plush flat to Shaikh, who only says, "I am going to my own house," of the new property he bought at Mahakali Road in Andheri.
Amin says, "I want to start my own coffee shop, called Bombay to Barcelona, to signify the special connect between this city and Spain." Shaikh is sure Eustace will be watching from above and saying: "Well done, my son, Amin. The coffee is Utterly, Butterly, Delicious."
"Yet," says Amin Shaikh (29), "Eustace created two people - the Amul girl, his daughter and me, the relatively unknown real-life creation Amin, his son." Although Shaikh is not a blood relation, he calls Fernandes his surrogate father.
The city is teeming with Amins - little boys, many of them runaways, living on filthy railway stations, eking out a living on the streets. Shaikh says, "My life was exactly like that. I ran away from home when I was five. For three years, I lived at all the railway stations in the city. When I was eight, I was rescued and adopted by Sneh Sadan, a home for street children in Andheri. It is a remarkable place run by Jesuits."
Shaikh was at Sneh Sadan till he was 18. He studied till class seven, and then worked as a newspaper boy and finally set up his own newspaper stall at Chakala in Andheri.
When Amin was 18, Sneh Sadan officials told him he would have to work at Eustace Fernandes' (who was familiar with Sneh Sadan) house.
Shaikh says, "I was in-charge of looking after the house. I learnt English from hearing Eustace and his friends from all over the world speak. I became Eustace's driver too. Eustace would always introduce me as his Man Friday, never his servant. He would boast about my smallest achievements. He never married but he had his children, the Amul girl and me."
The boy whose world was a street home, travelled to Europe with Eustace. "It broadened my horizons." Eustace bought him a car. "I now work as a private driver. I've named my agency Sneh Travels, after Sneh Sadan," says Shaikh.
Bandra is rife with rumours on whether Eustace, who was single, has left this plush flat to Shaikh, who only says, "I am going to my own house," of the new property he bought at Mahakali Road in Andheri.
Amin says, "I want to start my own coffee shop, called Bombay to Barcelona, to signify the special connect between this city and Spain." Shaikh is sure Eustace will be watching from above and saying: "Well done, my son, Amin. The coffee is Utterly, Butterly, Delicious."
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