Bandra Heritage Walk and Celebrating Feast of Christ the King with Dad

Sunday, November 25, 2018
Bombay

Bandra Heritage Walk and Celebrating Feast of Christ the King with Dad

      Namaste from Bombay!
      I had the most exhausting day--so exhausting that I will be skipping my session at the gym tomorrow.
      It began at 6.30 when I awoke to race through the drafting of a blog post. A quick cup of coffee with one cracker and I was out the door to take a rickshaw to get to the Bandra Fort for the 8.00 am start of a Heritage Walk.  I was super excited.  This was part of the Celebrate Bandra Festival and I had signed up for it.

Meeting my Fulbright Host:
     The Fulbright Program has a sign-up activity that allows Fellows to link up with past Fulbrighters in the city in which they are based so that they have a 'friend' to guide them forward.  My assigned host was one Monica James who had received a Fulbright award to do her Masters in Communications in Seattle.  She was currently working at Teach for India. Although we had made plans to meet weeks ago, she had to cancel as a family emergency took her to Dehra Dun from where she hails.  She has only just returned to Bombay and got in touch. Since my registration for the walk entitled me to bring a companion, I invited her to join me.  As she is new to Bombay herself (has only been here two years is really new to Bandra--has only been here a few months), the walk offered both of us a chance to get to know something of the suburb and each other as well.

Taking a Heritage Walk of Bandra:
  The walk was given by  a young man and lasted two and a half hours. You must be really physically fit to take this walk as it involves the climbing of hills and endless standing while you listen to his commentary. I found it way below standard but then I am used to taking walks in some of the greatest cities in the world with renowned historians. I found it historically inaccurate at many junctures (we were told that 16th centuries sailors got scabies instead of scurvy) and that the English "were jumping with joy" when they received the seven islands of Bombay as part of "a Portuguese princess'" dowry. Incorrect. They were at their wit's end and did not know what to do with the mosquito-infested islands that were inhabited by crude, illiterate fisherfolk called Kolis that had been recently converted to Catholicism by the Portuguese. They, therefore, decided to lease the islands in a hundred year lease to the East India Company who, recognizing Bombay's commercial potential through its deep water harbor, decided to lease it after the great success of Fort St. William in Madras. None of this was mentioned . No dates were mentioned anywhere and several key historical personages such as Francisco de Almeida of Portugal, Katherine of Braganza, Adil Shah of Bijapur, Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain and Vasco da Gama were not mentioned at all or were referred to as "one princess", "some Portuguese guy" and "a British lord". Basically the entire tour was pitched at kindergartners. God give me strength!

Bandra Heritage Tour Route and What I Learned From it:
 1. We began at the Bandra Fort. It was built as a Portuguese fortification in 1640 and called Castella de Aguada as it was a spot from which fresh water was available after tidal pools receded. Agua is Portuguese for 'water'. It was built after the Mahim Fort (1517) and was followed by the Worli Fort (1675). No dates were mentioned at all by the guide but a hand out was given to us--from which I quote these dates (I cannot vouch for their accuracy).
2. The environs of the Fort were just fabulous.  At its highest ramparts, which involves a steep climb, you are parallel with the Bandra Sea Link which stretches off to the Fort at Worli. On the way down, we passed through the most gloriously landscaped tiered gardens that reminded me of the Generalife Gardens in Granada, Spain, and the downhill walk I took in Rio in Brazil--probably the lush tropical vegetation had something to do with that.
3. I learned about the significance of Sir Bomanjee Jeejeebhoy after whom B.J. Road, one of Bandra's seafront promenades, is named. He was a wealthy 19th century Parsi industrialist who lived till the early 20th century--again, I am not responsible for historical inaccuracy. He was also a philanthropist (which is what all wealthy Parsis of that vintage were as I am discovering from my field research in the Western Performing Arts) and made handsome donations for public improvements.
4. We walked to the Band Stand where military bands actually played once upon a time. It still stands and gives the area its name.
5. I discovered a gorgeous black basalt stone and granite structure with arched portico overlooking the Band Stand which was a shelter for destitute Parsis built by Sir BJ. During World War II, it became a refuge for Polish orphans who, together with other European children, were being shipped out of Europe to escape the Nazi blitzkrieg. We were shown a black and white photograph of them to authenticate the detail.  One of the members of the group reported that last year, one of those orphans had returned to Bandra to retrace his childhood footsteps. I found this entire segment fascinating and deeply enlightening.
6. We climbed up the steep mountain that is called Mount Mary and arrived at the exterior of Mount Mary's Basilica. We could not go inside as it was a Sunday and Mass was on. We paused at the Oratory across the street and then moved to the church porch where we were treated to a bunch of legends that prevail about a particular statue (that he kept referring to as an "idol") of the Virgin Mary with scepter (that he kept mispronouncing as "skep-ter) and orb (that he kept referring to as a "globe"). It is little details like this that separate the mediocre from the fabulous when it comes to global tour guides. I did not buy any of the legends and dearly wish that tour guides would stick to established historical facts rather than dwell on folkloric nonsense.
7. We walked down the hill to St. Stephen's Church (which he mis-pronounced as St. Stip-in's Church). This is a Protestant (I believe Anglican) Church, built in the mid-1800s and is the only non-Catholic Church in Bandra. It attracts all non-Catholic denominations such as Anglicans and even Marthomites or Syrian Christians. We could not go inside as church service was on.
8. We descended the steps leading to Mehboob Studio. Even though we passed by the huge sculpture of a man behind an ancient movie camera at the corner, we did not pause there and no mention was made of this historic Bandra landmark on a tour in a country that is crazy about movies. I found that a terrible omission.
9. We arrived at Raanwar Village. Mention was made of the various Bombay 'pakadees' or hamlets that the Portuguese built for their employees that subsequently came to be called 'East Indians'.  Some of the better preserved ones in Bombay are at Matharpakadee in Mazagoan, Kotachiwadi in Girgaum (where my friend Marianel lives in a splendid refurbished two-story ancestral home filled with carved Portuguese rosewood furniture and antiques), Pali Village in Bandra and Amboli in Andheri (I recently attended a reading by novelist Ivan Arthur of a novel that is set in Amboli).
10. Note was made of the interesting architectural features of the houses here that surround Raanwar Square--the community gathering point in days gone by.  Many of them are falling apart (as the current owners lack the funds to maintain them) and some had collapsed completely. There is the mandatory cross in the center at which community rosary used to be said. We noted the staircases that are built on the exterior of structures to lead to higher floors--Renzo Piano who designed the Pompadour Center in Paris (Musee de L'Art Moderne) must have taken the idea of placing staircases, elevators and escalators on its exterior facade from these structures!!!
11. We arrived at the Main Raanwar Cross where mention was made of the plague epidemics that decimated Bandra's population from the late 1800s and into the early 1900s. Vague comments were made about the reason for building the crosses (the guide did not know himself!).  Mention ought to have been made that they were built in Thanksgiving for saving those residents that survived the Black Death--in imitation of a custom that had sprung up in Europe in the Middle Ages, eg. Charing Cross in London.
12. We arrived at the former Jude Bakery--no mention was made of the iconic bakery and how it had served Bandra's needs for decades nor why it had closed down.
13. We finished at AI Bakery where the Rs. 100 we had paid bought us a bottle of water plus whatever baked goods we could eat there. I chose a Chicken Makhani Roll and a Chicken Mayonnaise Roll (both great) but when I stopped at a spot to eat them, it was so riddled with flies that I simply had to leave.
     By then it was 10.30 and Monica who is probably in her late 20s, slim as a reed and fully attired in walking gear, was beat!!! We hailed a passing rickshaw as she looked ready to drop. She was affected by the climbing and the heat. I, on the other hand, found the lack of humidity completely pleasant and had no problem with the temperature or the climbing at all. It was actually pretty pleasant walking weather for Bombay! I hated to tell her that I had hiked for four hours on the Great Wall of China only a few months ago!
     At the end of the walk, I decided that if and when I come to live in Bombay, I will bone up on local history and give these tours myself. Kaushik told me he charges Rs. 800 per person per tour--for the Celebrate Bandra Festival, the tours were free.  Good Lord! There is a fortune to be made if I can leverage my great love of history and my knowledge of art and market myself effectively. It is an idea I certainly intend to explore.

Back Home for Brekkie:
     I ate a very late brekkie at 9.30am--I was starving and ready to eat a horse. Downed with two cups of coffee, my unusual breakfast was delish.
     Fortified with a big meal, I placed an order for lunch for Dad, Russel and myself at the Bandra Gym.  Since their Seafood Festival is on, we decided to order fish and seafood. I chose Prawns Caldine (which is Shahnaz's favorite dish) and two whole Stuffed Pomfrets--one was stuffed with green chutney and the other with Reichad Masala. I also bought a naan for Russel and a paratha for Dad--no carbs for me. From my house, I took over a whole container of spiced potatoes that I had not eaten yet.
     Then, I began to clean my house and for the next half hour, it kept me full occupied and very exhausted. But, by the end of it, I had a sparking home.
     I merely sat to find a movie to watch on Netflix by Googling 'Best British Movies on Netflix' and to edit my Examiner article for publication when Samir from the Bandra Gym told me that my order was ready for pick-up.
     I dressed again, walked to the Gymkhana, picked up my food and arrived at Dad's place at about 12. 30 pm. in time for lunch.  We had the best meal as we feasted on the most delicately cooked fish and seafood and potatoes and had Thums Up to down it all.

Celebrating the Feast of Christ the King: 
     We merely had twenty minutes to rest before Dad and I had to leave for the Holy Hour at our church as Bombay celebrates the Feast of Christ the King with much fanfare and flourish. Each little neighborhood of our parish is assigned an hour for prayerful time in front of the Blessed Sacrament which remains exposed all day in our church. Our little village of 'Malla' was assigned the hour from 2.00 to 3.00 pm.  There was only a sprinkling of people in the church but I offered up my Holy Hour for the many favors my  family has received and keeps receiving daily.
    Out of church, I bid goodbye to Dad at his gate and left him to enjoy a T20 cricket match between India and Australia (India won!) while I got back home, took a nap, read the Sunday magazine section of The Times and went in for a shower.

Benediction and Procession:
     At 4.45 pm, I returned to Dad's place and together we left for the Benediction in the church that was followed by a procession in our neighborhood between the villages of Sherly and Rajan. Bandra of old was filled with these 'pakadees' or villages that were inhabited by the East Indians and we have four of these in our praish--Sherly, Rajan, Malla (under which our building falls) and Pali. These villages were at one time filled with modest, single or two-story bungalows and dozens of chickens and pigs. I recall seeing loads of pigs and piglings when we passed through the village of Malla en route to our building in years gone by. From these came the old saying, "In Bandra, if you throw a stone, you will hit a pig or a Pereira." It was not meant to be derogatory in any way. Most East Indians reared pigs and took orders for roast suckling for special occasions--and many still do.  The pigs have all but disappeared now as are many of the little bungalows. I understand that there is now a halt called to building activity and land, that most precious commodity which was once owned exclusively by Bandra's Catholic East Indians--have fallen into other hands--this explains the cosmopolitanism of the suburb today. Where bungalows once stood, you now have high rise apartment buildings that have brought in spectacular affluence but changed the landscape of the suburb completely.
         The procession was very impressive in size and heft. It was led by 'flower girls'--the new first communicants. I remember being 7 years old myself, having just received my communion and strewing flowers on to the streets of Mazagoan where I then lived at what we used to call 'The Thirteen Hours' Adoration'. Today, they do not use this term and the feast is simply referred to as the Feast of Christ the King.  We processed in twos along the left side of roads filled with traffic that was regulated to allow us to cross. At the very end, under a grand canopy, our parish priest, Fr. Colman Carlos, held the Blessed Sacrament while attended to by a bevy of altar boys. Throughout the procession, we prayed, sang hymns or recited a litany.  It was all wonderfully prayerful and inspiring and I loved it.
     The procession went on and on...and on. I was really worried that Dad would collapse at the end of it.  He is 88 years old and still takes on these physical challenges even though he admits at the end of them that he is exhausted. We finally arrived (after about 45 minutes of circuitous walking) at what is called the Fernandes Compound where an altar had been erected. As everyone took their seats (Dad gratefully sinking into his), the guest priest who would give a special sermon came to the altar.  He was one Fr. Charles Rodrigues and he preached probably the best sermon I have heard in India so far.  His diction, intonation, content were simply impeccable.  Full marks to him for keeping me fully engaged for about 12 minutes which seemed to fly. I loved every second of this sermon too.  Thanks Dr. Colman for giving us a preacher whom it was a sheer pleasure to hear.
     Dad and I were really lucky to find a passing rickshaw when the prayer service ended. Dad was really beat and asked for a cold Coke when we reached home.  We all treated ourselves to a cold drink as we sat chatting with Russel and telling him all about the Adoration. He was full of questions.  
     It was then time to have dinner and we had a repeat of the afternoon's seafood feast. It was past 8.30 pm when I wished everyone goodnight and left.
     Back home, I spent a long time videocalling Llew and catching up with our respective weekend news.  Then I served myself some ice-cream and started to watch the British film Calibre which was so brilliant, I actually watched all of it because I could not bring myself to stop.  Please catch it on Netflix if you have not seen it already.  It is set in the Scottish Highlands and amidst the glorious mountain scenery, the plot unfolds in a manner that keeps you at the edge of your seat.
     It was past midnight when I went off to sleep after what had been a physically fatiguing but very enjoyable day and a great end to a superb weekend.
     Until tomorrow...