Skip to main content

Featured Post

The Vaishnodevi Experience 2023

My first trip to Vaishnodevi was unimpressive. Climbing was hard, and it only served to highlight how badly out of shape I was, while my in-laws managed to cope so much better. Further, I hadn’t quite realized that the cave experience wouldn’t be the same as I had imagined, since the original cave was only opened at certain times a year, and that we only entered a newly created tunnel, one far easier to access, and hence more manageable with the crowds that thronged the mountain shrine. The resulting experience at the shrine, for barely a fraction of a second, hardly compared to what I had expected / imagined / heard about. So, for me, Vaishnodevi was like any other temple, nothing to write home about, something that was reflected (though not explicitly mentioned) in the blog post I wrote then.
3 comments

Storming Sewri Part 3 - The Sewri Christian Cemetery


It’s been a while since I wrote about my Sewri Walk with the Travel-Logs. My short trip to Coorg and all the unfinished work I found when I got back, resulted in the blog being neglected for quite a while. My son’s holidays begin next week, which implies that I will have even less time for the blog, so here is the next part in the Storming Sewri Series –

Flamingoes and the Fort – these were the two things I could count among the things I knew about Sewri. It was only when I ventured with our informative guides further inland, towards the heart of Sewri, that I realised just how little I knew about my city. Our first stop was at the Sewri Christian Cemetery.



I have only been inside one cemetery in my life – the Banganga Goswami Cemetery, where Shankar’s great-grandfather, who took Sanyas (renounced the world), is buried. You can read the post I wrote about it here. The Sewri cemetery was the first Christian cemetery I was visiting, and frankly speaking, I was completely overwhelmed!

I wish I could show you the cemetery as it is....unfortunately, photography isn’t allowed, so I just have to describe it as well as I can.... Close your eyes then, and think of a simple, unpretentious gate. At first glance, it looks like a garden. It was, after all, a garden at one time – belonging to the Horticultural Society, and converted into a cemetery following the plague epidemic in the late 19th century.

A path runs through the land, dividing people, even in death. One side is for the Catholics, the other for Protestants. The division doesn’t end there. Rich and poor alike might all turn to dust at the end of the day, but status and wealth does seem to linger on, seen in the tombstones and the space chosen for the resting places. Amidst the intricately carved tombstones lie nameless ones, simply marked. Family vaults tell us of generations who lived and died here, while angels atop tiny graves mark the place where children rest, having seen too little of life.

Amidst the unknown and faceless are people whose names live long beyond their life spans. Here lies Frederick William Stevens, architect of the Victoria Terminus (now Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus). His grave is simple, and it is only by blowing away the dust that we can read his name. In a farther corner is George Wittet, the architect of the Gateway of India. Also here is Joseph Baptista, who was the Mayor of Mumbai in 1925, but who, more interestingly, was the lawyer who defended Veer Savarakar. He was also a labour leader who took up the case of the mill workers. In such august company are also recent personages, such as Francis Newton Souza, the artist, and Dom Moraes.

Walking through a cemetery is something that, not unnaturally, brings up thoughts of death. Being a Hindu, I am so much more comfortable with the idea of turning into ashes, and reuniting with the elements, my name etched in memories, rather than on stones. However, there is no escaping the fact that tombstones do serve a purpose – as milestones in the path of history.

Coming up: The final part on the Storming Sewri series.

Labels:
Location: Sewri, Sewri East, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400015, India

Comments

  1. R Niranjan DasApril 10, 2013 at 3:27 PM

    Nice post on an interesting place.

    http://rajniranjandas.blogspot.in/2013/04/jain-temples-of-wayanad.html

    ReplyDelete
  2. Slogan MuruganApril 10, 2013 at 5:50 PM

    Hi,
    It's a wonderful place and I have shot some images there a long time back when they allowed cameras in. However, I didn't click many then :(

    here are few images:
    http://www.mumbaipaused.blogspot.in/2012/11/shivdi.html

    http://www.mumbaipaused.blogspot.in/2011/08/colaba-causeway-sewri.html

    http://www.mumbaipaused.blogspot.in/2011/08/sakharam-lanjekar-marg-sewri-christian.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarApril 10, 2013 at 9:25 PM

      Thanks so, so much for sending me the links.... I dont know how I managed to miss these posts on your blog... Its such a fascinating place, and I would love to know so much more about the people buried there. Wish they would allow us to click photos again.

      Delete
  3. SudhageeMay 28, 2013 at 4:48 PM

    Sounds like a walk and exploration right up my street, Anu. :-)

    I completely support the decision to now allow photography inside the cemetery as I have seen too many places like these turn into stomping grounds for photographers to display their skills. At a recent walk in Bandra that took us through the St. Andrew's Church in Bandra, members of my group just walked over graves in their quest to get that perfect shot. One of them actually climbed up on a grave to photograph a neighbouring grave !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anuradha ShankarMay 28, 2013 at 7:35 PM

      You were the first person I thought of, when I visited this place, Sudha. You will love it!!! as to photography, i know, and agree with you... its sad to see photographers behave so irresponsibly. probably the reason is that these days, anyone with a camera is a photographer!

      Delete
  4. aakankshaMarch 17, 2015 at 1:12 AM

    Hello,
    This is a wonderful post. It does truly take you back to the cemetery.
    Being an avid explorer of lesser known places in the city myself too, I thought i would tell you about Jewish cemeteries in the city as well. There is one at Cinchpokli, Worli and Mazgoan. And at the Worli one, you can manage to sneak in some photos while at the Cinchpokli one which is right outside the station itself, it is allowed. It is somehow beautifully peaceful to be in the cemetary...not at all haunting or eerie.

    ReplyDelete
  5. UnknownDecember 21, 2017 at 4:58 PM

    I remember having read about an Western Railway man ,who chose to sleep on the cemetery ground, for years.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thanks so much for stopping by. Please leave a comment for me so that I will know you have been here....

Popular posts from this blog

Gokarna Part II – The Five Lingams

We continued our Gokarna trip by visiting four other Shiva temples in the vicinity, all connected to the same story of Gokarna. The story of Gokarna mentions the Mahabaleshwara Lingam as the one brought from Kailas by Ravana, and kept at this place on the ground by Ganesha. (See my earlier post- Gokarna – Pilgrimage and Pleasure). However, the story does not end here. It is believed that, in his anger, Ravana flung aside the materials which covered the lingam- the casket, its lid, the string around the lingam, and the cloth covering it. All these items became lingams as soon as they touched the ground. These four lingams, along with the main Mahabaleshwara lingam are collectively called the ‘ Panchalingams’ . These are: Mahabaleshwara – the main lingam Sajjeshwar – the casket carrying the lingam. This temple is about 35 Kms from Karwar, and is a 2 hour drive from Gokarna. Dhareshwar – the string covering the lingam. This temple is on NH17, about 45 Kms south of Gokarna. Gunavanteshw
8 comments
Read more

The Power of 8 - The Ashta Dikpalas and Ashta Vasus at Khajuraho

The four cardinal directions form the axis on which a temple is built, and are thus the basis of temple architecture. Leading from them are the eight directions, which are believed to be guarded by the eight guardians, or Ashta Dikpalas . In the temples of Khajuraho, great care has been taken by the sculptors to carve the Ashta Dikpalas on the walls, both inside and outside. They not only guard the temple, but also look over us as we circumambulate the shrine, protecting us by their presence. They are augmented by the Ashta Vasus , celestial beings which represent natural phenomena. Together, they enhance the idea of the temple as cosmos, enfolding within it, all the aspects of nature, both, on earth, as well in space.
4 comments
Read more

Rama Temple, Gokarna

To my right , the waves rush to the shore, eager to merge with the sand. To my left, the same waves crash against the rocks, their spray diverting my reverie as I ponder over the beauty of nature, and wonder what first brought people here. Was it this beauty that encouraged them to build a temple here, or was it the fresh, sweet spring water flowing from the hill here that made this place special? No matter what the reason, I am glad my auto driver brought me here. We are at the Rama temple in Gokarna, just a few minutes away from the Mahabaleshwara Temple, yet offering so different a perspective.
2 comments
Read more