Viewing the Exhibition of Colonial Maps at the Asiatic Society, Bombay

Viewing the Exhibition of Colonial Maps at the Asiatic Society, Bombay.

Bombay, Thursday, April 19, 2022.

The weather in Bombay is truly blistering at this time. April and May are the two most horrific months when it comes to the heating of the Indian sub-continent. I am torn between my desire to get out and explore the city and partake of its treats before the fury of the Southwest Monsoon winds hit us and a desire to stay put indoors in air-conditioned comfort. Eventually, it was exploration that trumped laziness and I set out to see an exhibition about which I had heard a whole lot from a whole lot of friends.

By 12. 15pm, I was at the steps of the Asiatic Society. I took a fast train from Bandra Station and then, braving the heat, walked to Horniman Circle where the Asiatic Society in located. Inside, in the austere Darbar Hall whose rounded walls are encircled by the oil-painted portraits of various worthies, the exhibition was mounted. It was entirely managed by a company called ‘Past Perfect’ that employs professional conservationists. The exhibition is entitled ‘Meandering Through a Mapped Canvas” and it features rare maps of Bombay and India as created in colonial times—British, French and Portuguese. 

At a time when navigation and maritime exploration led to colonial conquest, five Western European powers began a systematic movement to ‘claim’ newly-discovered lands for themselves. Thus was born colonization and its twin brother, Colonialism. In an attempt to show off their recently-acquired territory, cartographers lost no time creating maps to send back to the home country. Although there were probably maps made in India before 1652 (after all the Portuguese colonized Goa in 1498 and the British East India company had begun trading in Surat from 1600 itself), the earliest map in the exhibition dates from the mid-seventeenth century. As might be expected, they are in a dismal condition. Bombay’s heat and humidity, lack of climate-controlled storage space and simply the impact of Time have taken their toll on the maps that are uniformly sepia-toned and so fragile that they are falling apart. It is only the expertise of professional conservationists that have saved them and placed them on display. 

Among the many maps that are part of this collection one sees those depicting areas of India that were involved in the Sepoy Mutiny of 1858, plague maps depicting areas of Greater Bombay that were affected by the deadly scourge at the end of the 19th century and a superb railway map of British India that gives a wonderful idea of the rapidity with which the rail network was constructed by the British from 1855 onwards. In addition, the ones that caught my eye depicted White Town in French-possessed Pondicherry, the Portuguese possession of Salsette stretching down the West Coast of India and a map of Greater Bombay depicting regions from Mahim down to the southernmost tip of Colaba (long before Nariman Point was even conceived). 

Curatorial notes help the viewer navigate the show and allow one to pause with a magnifying glass (supplied by the organizers) to peruse a particular area that strikes the imagination. I was particularly thrilled to find the road on which I was born, the road on which the church in which I was baptized  stands in Mazagoan and the road on which my school is to be found on Clare Road in Byculla.  Needless to say, these roads carry the names with which we all grew up—names of colonial officials such as Clare and Nesbit—and give the viewer a very good idea of the manner in which the area has been altered as much as the names of its roads have. It was a superb walk down Memory Lane for me, made all the more poignant because I was alone and left with the intensity of my nostalgia. Yes, we were allowed to take pictures and I did take a couple. 

The exhibition is nicely laid out on specially designed wooden structures each of which houses a couple of maps. Curatorial notes and commentary from the two curators who conceived and laid out the exhibition, Sanghamitra Chatterjee and Dipti Anand accompany each of the exhibits. Another key figure in this exhibition is conservationist Amalina Dave without whose delicate touch and finely thought-out decisions these maps (or what remains of them) could never have been preserved for the centuries to come. Sadly, none of these accomplished women were credited on the nice pamphlet that was available for distribution nor on any of the displays. It would have been nice to give credit where it was due.

I am deeply excited by the use of this space for this exhibition—certainly it was the first one ever of its kind that I have seen (but then I have only just returned to remain long-term in Bombay). It is very likely that such exhibitions are commonplace. In the event that this is the first time, I can only hope there will be many more such displays. After all, the Asiatic Society probably owns an absolute treasure trove of books, manuscripts, newspapers, journals, legal papers, maps, and the like and, in the manner of the continuous exhibitions that are held in places such as the Pierponte Morgan Library in New York City and the Weston Library (part of the Bodleian Library) in Oxford, it is my hope that we, the good citizens of Bombay, can enjoy such perusing on a regular basis. 

I have to say that after I left the precincts of the Darbar Hall (which was mercifully air-conditioned), I stood on the Neo-Classical steps of the Town Hall looking down upon traffic as it whizzed past Horniman Circle.  The heat hit me like a slap in the face and I actually had difficulty breathing! However, I simply had to get to Yazdani Bakery to buy myself one of those wonderful white bread loaves it sells as I could see visions of ham and cheese sandwiches dancing before my eyes—as I simply cannot abide the thought of hot meals in this weather. 

That mission accomplished, I beat a hasty retreat into the nearest air-conditioned retreat I could find—Starbucks—and downed a bucket-sized iced chocolate, stacked with ice and topped with whipped cream! It was the best liquid lunch I could possibly have imagined.  Any thoughts I might have had of exploring the neighborhood were wiped clean from my mind as all I wanted to do was get back on the train and home to sleep off the rest of a brutally hot afternoon.

I reached home at 4.00 pm, switched on the air-conditioner and gave myself up to the blissful peace of an afternoon nap to the accompaniment of the AC’s hum. It had been worthwhile, after all. I have no regrets that I made the journey into town on a commuter train in such dreadful weather. For the sheer (and now very rare) joy of seeing a well-curated exhibition is indeed a pleasure for which I will scale mountains, if the opportunity arises .

Until next Thursday, I wish you happy exploring…  

Thursday Trudging in Bombay (Mumbai): Town Hall, Horniman Circle, St. Thomas Cathedral

 Thursday, March 17, 2022

Bombay

 

Thursday Trudging in Bombay (Mumbai): Town Hall, Horniman Circle, St. Thomas' Cathedral

 

         

            With another Thursday coming around, my thoughts turned again to a gad-about in downtown Bombay. This time, since my friend Maria had a day off from work, she decided to accompany me. I was very glad of her company as we made plans to set off by train—by far the fastest way to get in and out of the city. After all, who wants to sit in traffic, even if one is in the air-conditioned comfort of an Uber, right? 

            So I awoke, went through Morning Prayer from Canterbury Cathedral with the Rev. Robert Willis, breakfasted on muesli and coffee, showered and rushed off to a dental appointment that was scheduled at 9.30 am. I was there on the dot and by 10.30 am, my molar filling was done and dusted. I hopped into a rick and headed for Bandra railway station where Maria, having bought her ticket, was waiting for me. I have a quarterly first class pass and do not need to buy a ticket each time I use the trains. 

            I had a surprise for Maria before we boarded the train and she had no clue what was in store! I took her to the first platform, at the far end of the station and showed her the brand-new showpiece of Bandra station—escalators to take passengers up! She simply could not believe her eyes! In fact, she had been arriving at a commuter railway station after absolutely ages and could not get over the fact that an expat from America had to re-introduce her to the commuter rail system in her own city! Of course, we boarded the escalator and I enjoyed my first ride in it! A great step forward and one that needed to be photographed for the record!

            We found our platform and, five minutes later, we were on the train, headed to Churchgate Station.  Needless to say, we were there in less than half an hour in a compartment that was almost exclusively ours! Maria could not get over how clean and spotless everything was! She said that the transformation to the Bombay rail service is simply hard to fathom! 

            On the train, I had made a call to my friend Shehernaz who volunteers at the Asiatic Society of India which is located in the Town Hal. I have not seen her since I arrived in Bombay more than a year ago (thanks to Covid restrictions). She was as eager to meet me as I was to see her. We coordinated our arrival and she told me she would make the time to see me before going off for her meeting. 

            Once we arrived at Churchgate Station, we decided to walk the 15 minutes to the Town Hall which we would make the first stop. In fact, we were following Walk No. 1 which is the first one of the Fort Walks in a book of the same name by Sharada Dwivedi and Rahul Mehrotra which I had bought a few years ago. I am delighted that I finally have the chance to use it and, as always, I intend to finish taking all the walks—once a week on Thursday. 

            And thus it was that we arrived at our First stop: The Town Hall.

 

Exploring the Town Hall and the Headquarters of the Asiatic Society of Bombay:

            There is something so imposing about Bombay’s Town Hall that has entirely to do with its imposing Neo-Classical facade. Even as a child, when I used to be in a BEST bus sailing past it on weekend outings with my parents, I remember being completely struck by the antiquated appearance of one of Bombay’s most striking buildings. It is characterized by 30 steps that take you to the first floor that opens out into the huge Reading Room of the State Central Public Library and Reading Room. However, we chose to enter by the side entrance (as we were going to meet Shehernaz before beginning our own self-guided tour). 

            But here are a few facts about the Town Hall: It was completed in 1833, being designed in Neo-Classical style by Colonel Thomas Cowper to symbolize might & authority while the East India Company still had control of the trading port of Bombay. At this time, there were no structures at all. The building was constructed to face the wide open space that formed the Bombay Green—on which, in fact, the city’s first theatre had already been constructed (in 1769). In course of time, the building began to serve as the Headquarters of The Asiatic Society of Bombay (there was already an Asiatic Society in Calcutta—remember how fond Governor-General Warren Hastings had been of Indian languages and culture?). To distinguish itself from the Calcutta organization that simply calls itself The Asiatic Society, this one is called the Asiatic Society of Bombay (now Mumbai)—however, other than the name, they are not connected in any way. 

            The Asiatic Society of Bombay was founded in 1804 as The Literary Society.  It amalgamated with the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain in 1829. The role of the Society was to be a keeper of Records pertaining to the city of Bombay. Hence, it has an enviable collection of archival material relating to the origin and development of the city and suburbs through the centuries. In recent years, the Society has received a sizable grant from the Government of India which has permitted it to digitalize its entire holding—a massive undertaking indeed—and one of which the staff is very proud. Serious academic researchers as well as casual readers are on the roster of the Society as members and their access to the collection is entirely beneficial in every possible way.

            As Shehernaz had not yet arrived, we had a chance to cool off and await her entry. When she did come along, we settled under a ceiling fan for a chat and spent about 15 minutes with her—after which she had to run along for her meeting. This left Maria and myself a chance to explore the premises on our own.  

            We began at the bottom of the extraordinary horse-shoe shaped dual staircase that leads up to the main floor. This allowed us to take in the grand view of Matthew Noble’s larger-than-life size seated marble sculpture of philanthropist & educationist Sir Jaganath Shankershet—British spelling Sunketsett! We clicked pictures of the Sunketsett sculpture from different angles. On the top floor (which was under renovation and a bit of a mess), we saw a superb sculpture of Sir Jamshedjee Jeejeeboy (Sir JJ), one of the greatest & most philanthropic of Bombay’s industrialists. Statues of his worthy self are sprinkled in many parts of the city and on this single afternoon, we spied two! The white marble one in the Asiatic Society is by Marochetti. He wears the Parsi dugli—a heavy hat on his head—and sits in a large and very ornate chair (almost a throne). His name also came up last week, on my last jaunt, as he was the main financier behind the Sir J.J. School of Arts (which is named after him). The famous J.J. Hospital near Dongri also bears his name. More wandering around the balcony took us to sculptures by John, Lord Elphinstone and Sir Bartle Frere (for whom Frere Road was named), who was instrumental in carving out the colonial plan for the construction of Bombay. There is also a sculpture of Charles Norris, who worked in the East India Company and died in 1842. He wears classical Greek garb (as was very much the fashion when administrators were being immortalized for posterity in stone or paint). These sculptures are in superb condition (because they are indoors and protected from the elements and because they are lovingly cared for by the sincere staff of these wonderful edifices). 

 

The Interior of the Asiatic Society Library:

            We then sauntered into the working administrative offices of the Asiatic Society which are actually placed in the grand, elongated, double-galleried library. I was completely taken by the design of this library as it echoes completely some of the world’s finest libraries—from Duke Humphrey’s Library of the University of Oxford to the famed Trinity College Library in Dublin, Ireland, etc. What’s more, the entire room is clad in fixtures crafted entirely of black Burma teak—an extraordinarily expensive and almost extinct material today. The bookcases were crammed with books, each one of which is carefully cataloged and numbered so that, using the online resources and catalogue, one can now easily retrieve a book from the stacks in minutes! A very kind and helpful librarian very proudly put us through the paces and showed us how much the institution had modernized itself in recent years. I was also struck by the glorious milk-glass globes on the lighting fixtures—all of which are original to the building. To enter into spaces like these is to wander into a bygone era. I’d had this experience a day previously at the Parsi-founded Ripon Club (named after another Bombay colonial worthy, Lord Ripon) opposite the Fort campus of the University of Bombay, where the black ebony furniture, lights and ceiling fans had transported me to a long-lost past.  

            We were allowed to wander out on to the large balcony overlooking the main road below from which I had a magnificent view of a towering skyscraper clad entirely in white marble. This is the new Reserve Bank of India Building, completed in 1979. It stands directly opposite the original Reserve Bank of India building that dates from the early 1900s.  I spent almost 3 years working on the 23rd floor of this new building on the Editorial board of the bank’s quarterly house-journal, ‘Without Reserve’ while doing my Masters in English by evening classes at the nearby Fort campus of the University of Bombay. Lovely memories! Of course, I took a few pictures and then Maria and returned inside.

 

Examining the State Central Library Public Reading Room: 

            The next thing we examined was the Main Free Public Reading Room of the State Central Library. This is the main part of the Town Hall and consists of a very bright and very spacious Reading Room concealed inside a very wide terrace. Louvred windows with slats to allow light and breeze to enter the room are also an attractive visual addition to the building. We saw several people sitting at the black Burma teak carved tables and either reading or looking at the phones. Along the sides of the room are stands holding a large variety of daily newspapers in varied languages. These are specifically designed to allow patrons to stand and read the newspapers and to turn the papers at will.  This was the whole point of the public Reading Room—a wonderful Victorian concept that brought literacy and reading material to the poorest of the poor (if only they had the time to wander into Reading Rooms of this kind).  The British created them all over Great Britain. There are several sprinkled around London where they are named after John Passmore Edwards, a public philanthropist, who believed sincerely in bringing reading material to Britons and created and paid for buildings devoted entirely for this purpose in London and in Cornwall (where he spent his childhood). 

            At one end of this Reading Room is a raised stage—I am sure the space was used for public meetings during the Victorian and Edwardian Ages. At the other end of the room is a splendid marble sculpture of Mountstuart Elphinstone, administrator & educationist. He championed the cause of education in India. My beloved alma mater, Elphinstone College, at Fort is named after him. He is not to be confused with John, Lord Elphinstone, whose sculpture is seen in the Asiatic Society next door—he was a colonial administrator.

            We had one more room to view—the Durbar Hall. But my friend Shehernaz’s meeting had already begun inside and all I was permitted was a brief glimpse into it. I found it to be another room with a stage (probably also used for large meetings—including perhaps rallies that fought for Indian Independence) with a large number of gorgeous oil-portraits on the walls. 

 

The Presence of Hermes in the Asiatic Society:

I was not able to take a picture of the Durbar Hall, but as I was exiting the Hall, my eye was caught by a most unusual decoration on the wall—a frame with a picture in bright, shocking pink. I took one glimpse at it and recognized it immediately as a framed silk scarf by the Parisian couturier, Hermes. And indeed I was right. 

            This stunning silk scarf by Hermès, Paris, was specially commissioned by the Asiatic Society of Bombay (if you look right down at the bottom in the center you will see it printed in the design).  It is titled ‘Le Danse du Cheval Marwari’—the Dance of the Marwari Horse!!! I was just fascinated by my find and could see a mild connection as the beautiful showroom of Hermes is at Horniman Circle, right outside the Town Hall. It was only later that Shehernaz informed me that Hermes is a generous benefactor of the Asiatic Society and has provided a great deal of grants and funding for the Society’s projects. This framed scarf pays tribute to that brilliant collaboration.

            On our way out of the Town Hall (we decided to use the main doors and descend the grand stairs), we stopped for a moment on the wide balcony and made a startling discovery. According to my book, this was the exact spot from which the Proclamation of Queen Victoria was read out to the people of Bombay in 1858! It gave me goosebumps to think of that historical moment when power passed from the East India Company to the British Crown and when Queen Victoria titled herself Empress of India! Of course, we had to take a picture at that historic spot.

 

Viewing the Horniman Gardens from the Town Hall:

            As I have already explained, the Town Hall dominated the Bombay Green and indeed, until circa 1864, before the design and construction of Horniman Circle, was the only structure of its kind in the area. In 1864, however, Mountstuart Elphinstone and Bartle Frere came up with the idea of designing the nucleus of the city of Bombay by making the Town Hall its very center. Facing the Town Hall would be a circular garden which was named for Lord Elphinstone and became known as Elphinstone Circle. It was conceived entirely in line with the grand squares that had sprouted up in London during the glamorous 18th century—a tradition that continued into the 19th century. 

And where there is a square (or a circle), there is bound to be a garden! And immediately, I was able to see a wealth of similarities in the design of the Horniman Circle Garden and those of London’s best-known public parks. Indeed, when Victoria Park was laid out and designed in the East End, it was created in an attempt to bring lungs to the farthest reaches of the city that housed some of the poorest of London’s poor folks. It was named after the reigning monarch, but the features were similar to those found in Hyde Park or in Green Park. At Horniman Circle, they include the spectacular wrought-iron garden gates, identical to the ones found in London’s Victorian parks. There is also the solid wrought-iron fencing that encircles the garden. Taken together, you have the best examples of what is called ‘street furniture’. There are also gorgeous wrought-iron lamps and lamp posts flanking the garden gates—all crafted in ornate Victorian style. At one time, they were probably gas-lit; no doubt, the arrival of electricity changed their strength and character. After Independence, the name of Elphinstone Circle was changed to Horniman Circle after Benjamin Guy Horniman, editor of the Bombay Chronicle—the entire archive is held at the Asiatic Society—who actively championed freedom of the Indian press during the struggle for home rule.

            The buildings around Horniman Circle were designed by James Scott. They are all of four storey height with the ground level colonnaded and arcaded (like Connaught Circus in New Delhi). Once the Circle was laid out, it made sense to create a garden inside and in 1869, huge trees such as the banyan tree, were planted to bring stature and greenery to the space. I was delighted to find, upon visiting the garden (after lunch) that it is used in exactly the same way that the London parks are used today—by office-goers who need to get a breath of fresh air, munch on their lunch or relax before returning to their stuffy offices.

 

Lunch at Bademiya’s:

            By this point in our rambles, our tummies beckoned urgently and Maria made the suggestion that we adjourn for lunch. She had a place in mind—Bademiya’s, a restaurant that is run by the Kebab King of Bombay. Bademiya, a Muslim mendicant (according to the notes on his large menu card) started his career selling grilled kebabs on skewers on the pavement in one of the side-streets outside the Taj Mahal Hotel in Colaba. So great was the quality of his food that word spread and soon, the well-heeled drove by in their fancy to cars to pick up his delicacies. No longer was Bademiya a purveyor of kebabs for the lowly. His reputation soared with his prices and it was not long before the need to set up a regular restaurant sprang to mind. I am not sure when this eatery opened, but it has an enviable location at Horniman Circle where, no doubt, in the days before the pandemic, it catered to the vast office hordes of the area.

            On the afternoon in question, there were only four other patrons when we walked in. We surveyed the menu, asked for cold Cokes to get us started (as the Bombay heat, at the moment, does have a tendency to parch) and then went for the Baida Roti (Egg flatbread) for which he is famed. I chose the Mutton Baida Roll while Maria went for the chicken choice. And indeed they were superb. The mutton and chicken were boneless and mixed with a variety of flavorful Indian spices (not necessarily fiery ones) and eaten with the delicious base in which they were served, they were like giant stuffed parathas. They made an excellent meal, but, as is usually the case, portions are larger than Maria and I can finish and we invariably end up requesting doggie bags. What a great place for a reasonably-priced meal in the heart of the city!

 

Exploring St. Thomas’ (Anglican) Cathedral: 

            One of my favorite places in the entire city of Bombay is St. Thomas’ (Anglican) Cathedral.  Although I grew up in Bombay, I only really became acquainted with the Cathedral after I left Bombay. During the years that I would return to the city as an expat, I always made it a point to visit South Bombay and St. Thomas’ Cathedral was always on my list of places to visit. Indeed, no visit to the city seemed complete to me without factoring in a visit to this spot.

            The Cathedral dates from 1718—this makes it the oldest Anglican Cathedral in Bombay (the Afghan Church at the southernmost tip of Bombay was constructed later in the 19^th century). By this time the earliest administrators of the East India Company and the members of the British army posted in the new trading post of Bombay needed a permanent place to worship. While the original building might have been humbler, the beautiful, triple-tiered, square-spired structure, is a much grander affair. 

            You enter the quiet front garden of the church and are transported immediately to a sacred space. But even before you enter the gates, you are struck by a beautiful, antiquated structure in the garden. This marble fountain outside the Cathedral was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott who also designed the Library Building at the Fort campus of the University of Bombay (the one with the Rajabai Clock Tower)  which I had used throughout my college years in Bombay& the Chapel of Exeter College, Oxford (where I did doctoral research). It is no longer a working fountain but it is beautifully preserved. I find it quite striking in design as it seems to be inspired by the various ‘crosses’ in the UK—such as Charing Cross in London, Banbury Cross in Banbury (made famous by the nursery rhyme) & the Martyrs Memorial in Oxford.

            When you do enter the cathedral, you are completely taken by the air of quiet reflection, even when there are no services in progress. There were a few people scattered around the church engaged in silent prayer.  Maria and I moved to the very front so that we could take in the details of the exquisite stained glass windows. We also noticed the pew on which Mother Teresa (now St. Teresa of Calcutta) had sat during her visit to the Cathedral. 

            And then we began our tour of the spectacular Victorian mortuary sculptures that line the walls of the church. These are dedicated to those colonials who served the cause of the Empire, either as soldiers or as administrators. As was the custom of the time, they are remembered in the church in the form of grand marble sculptured monuments that were sculpted in England and shipped to the colony of Bombay. Names, dates, places associated with their births and deaths and the causes of their deaths are carved into them. As we strolled from one monument to the next, I noticed a repetitive pattern: a number of monuments that feature angels or mourning vestal virgins or female Muses. There were a great deal of monuments featuring Urns (urns being the receptacle that hold our mortal remains in the form of ashes). Military motifs were common symbols in these funerary monuments too as a great number of the fallen dead died on colonial battlefields in India. It is important to note the military standards, cannons, cannon balls, rifles & revolvers.

My very favorite of all the funerary monuments in the Cathedral is dedicated to John Duncan, Governor of Bombay. It symbolizes the abolition by the British of infanticide in Benares & Kathiawar. Because Benaras is the holy city of Hinduism, the British (and Duncan, in particular) in their mission probably solicited the cooperation of the Hindu Brahmins who run the city. Hence, the monument features a Hindu Brahmin as well as a classical Greek female figure—probably representing Westernization.  I love the juxtaposition of the Hindu & Christian figures represented by the Brahmin & the classically-garbed woman. It is probably the only Christian mortuary monument in the world featuring a Hindu Brahmin! I also adore the little cherubs at the base—representing the children saved from infanticide. The realism of the sculpture moves me deeply.

Before exiting the cathedral, I noticed the Baptismal Font (still in use) which dates from the 1600s—I noticed at least 5 types of stone used in its design.

 

On Foot Back to Churchgate:

            By this time, we were read to call it a day and began walking back to Churchgate Station. On Sir P.M. Road, as the distinctive monument called Flora Fountain came into view, I noticed how beautifully she rose between the turrets of the Central Telegraph Office and I just had to take a picture. Recently cleaned and refurbished, the fountain gives its name to the entire area. It is a true poem in marble as it celebrates the Greek goddess of flowers, Flora, and is surrounded by skeins of flowers and other classical Greek motifs. 

            On the street as we made our way ahead, I noticed two more sculptures. One more of Sir JJ. This one in black bronze is on the street—alongside the Oval Maidan between Flora Fountain and Churchgate Station. Bombay’s street sculpture is truly remarkable. On this one afternoon, I passed by sculptured statues of Lokmanya Tilak and Mahadev Govind Ranade—both eminent freedom-fighters--standing opposite each other.

            Finally, just before we entered the station to board our train, I noticed one more building that took my breath away.  The striking black & white facade of the HQ of the Western Railway designed in Indo-Saracenic style with contrasting black granite & white stone sits right outside Churchgate Station. In fact, few know that Churchgate got its name because there was a gate (at the site of the station today) through which you would pass on entering the premises of the Church (later Cathedral) of St Thomas.

            A few minutes later, we were on the train headed home and so ended another installment of my Thursday Trudging! In the Ladies First Class compartment (which Maria and I had entirely to ourselves), we had a very comfortable ride home to Bandra station where we hopped into a rick that dropped me outside my building. It had been a most marvelous day and one truly well spent.  

 

Teaching in the Evening and off to my Soup Kitchen Duty:

            I had enough time to actually take a 20-minute nap before I engaged my student for her private zoom tutorial. When I was done, I rushed off to my Soup Kitchen Duty after which I went straight to church for the 7 pm evening Mass. I was then home for dinner and some TV before I brushed and flossed my teeth, did a bit of reading and called it a night. 

            Thanks for being my companion on these armchair travels. 

Until next Thursday…

 

 

 

 

   

        

             

    

 

      

Discovering Foy Nissen's Bombay, Brunch at the Yacht Club and Another Interview

Saturday, March 23, 2019
Bombay

Discovering Foy Nissen's Bombay, Brunch at the Yacht Club and Another Interview

     Namaste from Bombay!
     I had such a lovely Saturday! It was the perfect combination of leisure and work and it filled me with a sense of accomplishment. I am also beginning to feel that sense of urgency to accomplish work when the knowledge that time is fleeting hits you--the fact that soon I will not have access to all these people here in Bombay is starting to worry me... I have miles to go before I sleep.
     That said, I had much to accomplish today. I awoke very early--about 3.00 am (if you can believe it!) and since I could not get back to sleep, I got to work and transcribed another interview as I am still trying to catch up. Then a quick breakfast of muesli and coffee later, I dressed comfortably, carried a bottle of water and my camera, and was off. I was headed to the city for my 9.00 am appointment on the steps of the Town Hall at Fort for my guided historic walk to discover Foy Nissen's Bombay.
     I took a bus and a train (sadly, I had to change trains as the one in which I jumped terminated at Dadar--I had to change platforms before getting into one that ran all the way to Churchgate). There, I found a cab and made it to the appointed spot at the appointed hour with time to spare.

Who was Foy Nissen And Why Was the Tour Named After Him?
     So who was this man with the strange name and why was the tour named after him? At the outset, let me say that I knew Foy. His last name is a result of the fact that his grandfather was Danish. At some point, marriage with an Englishwoman brought the family in contact with England where, I believe, Foy's father was born. He was a British civil servant at the time of the Raj and his work brought him to India. Foy was born in Poona. The family moved to Bombay when he was a child. He studied at the Cathedral and John Connon School where his mother was a teacher. He then left for England for University. He earned his Bachelors and Master's degrees at the University of Cambridge after which he returned to Bombay, his first love, where he began working at the Times of India and developed his hobby as an amateur photographer and amateur historian. Later, he took on  a full-time job at the British Council (which is where I got to know him, about thirty years ago, when I was being given a British Council Scholarship to go to Oxford).
      Foy lived in the same building called Olympus on Altamount Road in Bombay, for most of his life, the neighbor of two spinster sisters called the Mehra Sisters who looked after him as the years went by and especially through the dementia that plagued him and eventually took  his life. He made them executors of his will and his estate and they turned over the bulk of his books to the Asiatic Library and the bulk of his photographs to the Jehangir Nicholson Foundation that was named after a Parsi collector who had amassed a vast modern art collection that is now in the possession of the foundation that is named after him.
     The Jehangir Nicholson Foundation and the Prince of Wales Museum (now called the Shivaji Museum) are running an exhibition, for the first time, on the photographic work of Foy Nissen, who passed away last August. The walk was organized by a company called Bombaywalla which is headed by an Oxford-educated historian called Simin Patel (whose father is Jehangir Patel, Editor of the magazine, Parisana, that I had interviewed a few days ago). Simin did her Ph.D. at Balliol College, Oxford, under the guidance of historian Polly O'Hanlon, the subject of her thesis being 'Colonial Bombay and the Parsis of Colonial Bombay'. She is currently working on a book on the Irani Restaurants of Bombay. I have followed her on Twitter for a long time and have gotten to know quite a lot about Bombay's older monuments through her writing and her passion for the city, which I share. Meeting her was a real delight as she turned out to be a very sweet and very knowledgeable person. I must also state that I was put on to her by my friend Murali Menon who is based in London and who is an avid reader of my blog and her's! These global Twitter and blog contacts are also very interesting to me.

A Walking Tour of Foy Nissen's Bombay:
     The tour cost Rs. 300 per head and Simin was on the steps of the Town Hall collecting money from participants when I got there at just before 9.00 am.  It was not long before we started the tour with a short introduction to Foy Nissen whose English relatives were actually on the tour with us--they were visiting Bombay from the UK and were able to add some tidbits to the commentary that Simin offered. 
     Following an introduction to Foy Nissen, we entered the Town Hall where the Bombay Asiatic Society is based. I had done an extensive self-guided tour myself of this space last October--but it was nice to be told about Lord Malcolm, former Governor of Bombay, whose marble sculpture dominates the vestibule upstairs. Foy adored books and adored libraries and he spent a great deal of time at the Asiatic Society Library pouring for hours over the records to be found here. We were able to see a facsimile copy of his library card (which I thought was a very thoughtful addition to our tour) before Simin told us a little bit about the marble worthies scattered about the place: Frere, Carnac, Sir Jamshedji Jijibhoy, Bombay's first baronet, etc. Sadly, we did not enter the Reading Room which rather surprised me! What is a library without its Reading Room? To see just the foyer was most disappointing to me: luckily, I had spent a lot of time here about six months ago and clearly remembered its gorgeous Corinthian columns with their freshly refurbished gilding, the grand chandeliers and the gorgeous round teak tables that accommodate modern-day readers just as they once did colonial ones.
     Past the Asiatic Society, we walked along the arcades of Horniman Circle, past the swanky showrooms of Hermes and Christian Louboutin to pause outside the Bombay Samachar Building and take a picture of the vintage Roller (Rolls-Royce) parked outside it--apparently belonging to the Editor, one Mr. Cama (according to Simin). We took a group picture there...I have to state that we were about 25 participants on this walk from different walks of life--there were lawyers, historians, journalists and simply people, like me, with a passion for Bombay and its colonial monuments. I met a cheese-maker named Mansi who was a former student of NYU--she did her Master's there and was quite delighted to meet me.
     Simin spoke about the garden at Horniman Circle especially the decorative, tall wrought iron gates and railings--these features had also caught my eye and reminded me very much of the gates of London's parks. I was especially reminded of Victoria Park in the East End that I had toured with my friend, the same Murali Menon mentioned above--also an amateur historian and lover of old buildings and local history. I have taken many an interesting walk in London in his company and I would dearly wish to meet someone else who shares my passion for these colonial parts of Bombay with whom I could stroll around at leisure.
     Just past Horniman Circle, we paused right opposite the premises of St. Thomas' Cathedral, Bombay's premier Anglican Church, and one of my very favorite places in the city. Although we stopped to take in the facade and Simin commented on the clock that dominates the tower stating that Foy would have been disappointed to see its black hands (as he always believed they ought to be gilded), again, I was disappointed that we did not go inside the church to admire examples of the most outstanding Victorian mortuary sculpture in the city. But then I realized that since Foy photographed mainly the exteriors of these buildings that was where we were being led and what we were being shown.
     From here, we walked along Sir Pherozeshaha Mehta Road towards Flora Fountain which has been recently refurbished and unveiled. The fountain was actually playing and we had a chance to see it up close and personal and to take in the name of the sculptor, one R.N. Shaw. carved into the top tier of the monument that features Flora, Roman Goddess of flowers with the four accompanying female icons that represent various aspects of agriculture--fruits, flowers, grain and foliage.
     Past the Fountain, we continued our walk along D.N. (Dadabhai Naoroji Road) in the direction of the Museum and arrived at Kala Ghoda where we stopped outside the Army and Navy Building which is one of the trinity of grand colonial buildings in that spot--the other two being the David Sassoon Library and Reading Room and, of course, my own alma mater, glorious Elphinstone College.
   Simin paused to tell us something of Foy's association with the Army and Navy Building which is named for the Army and Navy Stores which was one of the three department stores of which the city of Bombay could boast prior to Independence. The other two were Whiteway and Laidlaws (where my Aunt Alice, my Dad's sister, once use to work)and Evans-Fraser which is where The Bombay Store is now located (on Sir P.M. Road). As the Army and Navy stores was the most expensive of the three, Foy's parents only shopped there on rare occasions and he could only afford the rare cup of tea there. Simin dropped a nugget of fascinating information when she told us that the former colonial restaurant known as The Wayside Inn, in which, in my college days, I had often enjoyed fish and chips and where I had eaten Colman's mustard for the first time, had closed a few years ago.  Apparently, its counter was purchased by the David Sassoon Library and is used now as its main Reception Desk. I love these stories of the recycling of old furniture. A few days ago, the actor Vijaya Mehta had told me, in an interview, that when the Bhulabhai Desai Institute on Warden Road was being closed down, Bhulabhai Desai, the lawyer who had fought so many legal cases against the colonial British Government from his desk, had asked her if there was anything she would like from the premises. She opted for his desk--not only because it would always remind her of him but because it was a part of the Indian Freedom Struggle. I love stories like these that the people I am interviewing are sharing with me.
     Once we got to know what this part of Bombay meant to Foy, we were marched past the Jehangir Art Gallery into the compound of the Shivaji Museum where tickets were obtained on our behalf and we were led inside to see the actual Exhibition itself.

Viewing the Exhibition Called 'Foy Nissen's Bombay':
     I have now become very familiar with the Shivaji Museum and its layout, thanks to the many visits I have paid during the last six months as I have examined and studied its entire collection. This exhibition is on the second floor near the Textile Gallery. One is greeted by a large-scale black and white photograph of Horniman Circle that we had just traipsed through. Inside, there are only black and white photographs that are grouped thematically: still lives of the various sculptures of colonial men and women who had played a role in the development of the city--some are headless and all are in the Sculpture Graveyard at the Victoria Garden (the Bombay Zoo) where Foy made many visits just to photograph these remnants of our city's colonial past. There was a Religious grouping which features mosques, temples, churches, synagogues, even a Parsi Fire Temple. The architectural splendor of the monument groups around the Fort got pride of place on the main wall with a map graphically presenting their locations. There were also pictures taken outside Bombay as in places like Bhuj. I think the exhibition gave a very good idea of the obsession of this man with history, photography, architecture and the past. All lovers of Bombay ought to go and see this lovely little exhibition.
     What was also quite wonderful about this exhibition and could easily be ignored was the vitrine containing Foy's own actual cameras, cases, lenses, and other equipment with a couple of the rolls of negatives and his own hand-written instructions and cataloguing system that he had in place. It is these gems that add to the overall quality of an exhibition--so it is not just the photos alone that ought to have been pointed out to us but the equipment that he used (that he actually handled himself) through which these wonderful works were produced that any visitor ought not to miss.
     I have to say that I am glad to find what they call "walk-throughs" of art galleries (but what we call 'docent tours' in the West) now being given in Bombay. This one was given by Kamna, an employee of the Jehangir Nicholson Foundation. It left me wanting to know more about the Foundation and its work.

Brunch with my Friend Kamal at the Yacht Club:
     I was done with the Walk and Museum Visit at exactly 11.30 am when I was just in time to make it to my next appointment--brunch at the Yacht Club to which my friend Kamal Mulla had invited me. I walked to the venue and then met her at the elevator as she was riding upstairs with two other ladies.  She introduced me to her friends Shireen and Meher and at the top, we ran into the guest of honor of the afternoon, a lady named Linda White, who was visiting Bombay from Montreal, Canada, before attending a conference in Delhi. There was one more person expected to join us later, Meenal Kshirsagar who is a retired French Professor at the University of Bombay and had graduated also from Elphinstone College in his heyday. Her husband has a senior position at the Shivaji Museum and she had attended the opening of the Foy Nissen Exhibition last week.
     The two other ladies (Shireen and Meher) happened to be visiting from London and I soon discovered that Meher is a good friend of my friend Firdaus (Dr. G) and the niece of my former professor of English (and good friend), the late Homai Shroff. I asked Meher if her surname was Toorkey and when she said Yes, I told her that her name has been in my phone book for thirty years--although I had never met her.  The reason she exists in my phone book is because, thirty years ago, when Firdaus and I were at Oxford, he had left to spend a weekend in London and would be staying at her place. Before he left, I had asked him for a contact number and he had given me Meher's! She is a concert pianist and music teacher in London and we had a lot to talk about as the afternoon went on.
     Most of us had the Mulligatawny Soup (most delectable!) and a sandwich (though I had the Chicken Lemon Pepper Salad) as I am staying high-protein in my diet. I had a diet Coke too and all of us passed on dessert.  There was never a dull moment as many of these ladies present had attended Queen Mary School and had stories to swap about their classmates and friends. I enjoyed the happy camaraderie around the table and even though I was meeting all these ladies (except Kamal) for the first time, there was so much to keep me stimulated that I wasn't left at a loose end for a minute.  What a lovey afternoon it was!
  
Back Home for Another Interview:                 
      We were all done by 2.15pm when I said my thanks and goodbyes and hopped into a bus from across the Museum that took me to Churchgate Station. I picked up a Waldorf Salad from Gaylords and took it home on the train to Bandra. A bus then took me to the Bandra Gymkhana where I had an appointment at 3.30pm with Danesh Khambata--only to discover the the gym is closed in the afternoon from 3.15 till 4.30 pm. So we made our way to Candies's, a teenage hangout which is a tad too noisy for me and not conducive to the conducting of an interview. We found a quiet corner away from the noise but in a non-air-conditioned part of the place where I was very uncomfortable as there was not even a fan there.
     My interview with Danesh went well, however, and I learned so much about the very interesting work that he and his partners are doing through a theater group called Silly Point Productions. He was kind enough to pick up a Chocolate Mousse for me and a coffee for himself although I told him I was on a strict diet and would not have anything to eat or drink as I had just finished lunch. I ended up having the mousse but I carried the cheesecake back home for Russel and Dad who enjoyed it. Danesh was wonderful to chat to--again, he is very unassuming and casual about what he and his mates have accomplished. I am realizing that a lot of Bombay's performers work with a group--this is the sort of group that offers camaraderie, lasting friendships and the support that actors need on the long struggle to get work, funding, etc. Unlike writers or actors in the States who seem to go for long periods of time with no work, these folks create their own working opportunities by writing their own material, then going out to find corporate sponsors who will fund their ventures, give them work and make them money. It is quite an amazing example of entrepreneurship and I am quite impressed by their efforts and their output.
     By the time I finished with Danesh, I was quite exhausted and decided to spend the evening with Dad and Russel. I was there for over an hour when I said bye to them. Dad was not going for the 7.00 pm Mass as he decided to go for the 9.15 Mass tomorrow which is to be followed by a Parish Quiz on the Bible (that both he and I are interested in attending).
     Back home, I finally had a chance to kick back and relax and I marked the arrival of the warm days by pouring myself a wonderful G and T which I enjoyed with a few nuts on which I nibbled as I watched a movie called Wild Oats with Jessica Lange and Shirley McLaine. It was not too bad actually and worth a few good laughs. I loved the role of the con man played by Billy Connolly.
     What is really amazing to me is that true to all predictions, it turned warm and humid the very day after Holi! So I guess the lovely weather of the past three months is a thing of the past and I will need to steel myself for the uncomfortable months ahead of me.  Thank goodness for my air-conditioned studio!
     Having accomplished so much today, I was ready to call it a day at 10.30 but after a long chat with Llew on the phone, it took me a very long time actually to fall asleep--during which time I watched a few episodes of Grace and Frankie. 
     Until tomorrow...