Mumbai: Mumbai's largest Christian cemetery, the Bombay Christian Burial Ground, also called the Sewri Christian Cemetery, will have a logo for the first time in its 160-year-old history.

The logo, created by Chris Fofandi, a member of St Joseph's Church, Vikhroli, was chosen from 63 entries submitted by church members from across the city. It features the core events in the life of Jesus Christ that are central to the Christian faith.

Reverend Vijay Davidson, priest-in-charge of Christ Church, Byculla, and a trustee of the Bombay Christian Burial Ground, said, "Usually we have logos for all our schools and our institutions. So when I saw the gate at the cemetery it was empty without a logo or any symbol. So I proposed a logo to the trustees," said Davidson.

Not all trustees saw the need for a logo when the cemetery had been without one since 1864 when it was founded as a burial ground for European residents of Mumbai. After support from some trustees, it was decided to organise a logo competition among members of the different Christian denominational churches that share the 30-acre burial ground.

The winning logo is a symbolic representation of the birth of Jesus, his crucifixion, death, and resurrection, said Davidson. “This visual journey reminds Christians of Jesus's love and the salvation he offers, reinforcing faith and hope in God’s eternal promises," said Davidson.

The logo will be fine-tuned before it is formally inaugurated. Christians are happy that their largest cemetery is getting a logo. "So far there was no logo. The competition for the logo design brought the community close to," said Cyril Dara from Christian Reform United Reform Association (CRUPA) which has been fighting to protect the cemetery from encroachments by surrounding slums and in opening the burial ground for the burials of nearly 600 covid victims.

The cemetery is historical as it was the city's botanical garden before it was converted into a burial ground. The botanical garden was shifted to Byculla and is now the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Udyan and Zoo.

Among the illustrious personalities buried at the cemetery are Frederick Williams Stevens, architect of the UNESCO-listed Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus), and George Wittet who designed the Gateway of India.