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MEMORIES
Life is nothing but events and memories of our past. Down the lane of time the events we go thought, become past memories – Good, bad or Ugly, they all teach us and leave an impression on us and others too. Here we will try and recount other readers memories of Jhansi, other events or just nostalgia that may be of interest. Reading the below will certainly bring back nostalgic memories for a lot of readers, you will learn, just as we did when we collected this information, marvel at things we did not know of, read real history as it happened for the local people. There are a few articles where readers have requested information which now YOU may be able to assist them with. Emails and contacts are not provided here for privacy reasons. You can still assist them find lost ones, dear to them.
Of special note are A necklace photo supplied by Martine Janah from California, USA, showing the revolutionaries of the 1857/58 sepoy mutiny, of which I had no idea it existed. And a letter supplied by Sarah Johnson –rather a military certificate of great importance as it records the Battle for Jhansi, by British army personnel, something to note of, from the other side. Other information is also relevant to us all, so read on, and notice the excitement of readers like yourself, their nostalgia, and their memories all in their original words. The subscriber’s name & residence town are also mentioned.
Martine Janah - Los
Angeles, California, USA
Hi Phil,
G'day to you
too! I would be honoured to have my comments entered into your
guest book. For the record, let me add one more thing, so
it’s complete...
"Great website
Firoze! I'm a deracinated Belgian/French-Bengali deracinated
Indian living in Los Angeles, CA and happened to come across your
site. I am an admirer of the Rani of Jhansi who is a young
heroine like Joan of Arc. Indomitable courage, and leadership at
a very young age. It is particularly relevant to me as a female.
I happen to have
a necklace made in Rajasthan or Gujarat, of hand painted Indian
miniatures. Each of nine silver frames contains a portrait of the
leaders of the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. Eight kings, and the one
queen, the Rani of Jhansi, are on it. It is very precious, and an
antique. You will notice that this was called a Mutiny, not a
Revolt, due to the implications of insubordination, versus repression
of a people. It was the same in Los Angeles, when we had the
Rodney King Riots, versus the Rodney King Revolt.
Thank you for
preserving history, especially from the point of view of the conquered,
not the conquerors as it is frequently written. Good job
and kudos for your most excellent site!!
Martine Janah
Los Angeles, CA
90501"
Please feel free
to print all, or part, of this as you see fit. I am going to
peruse your site some more as I enjoyed it immensely. I really
like the fact that this young brave woman finally gets a page in
history alongside men.
Martine
Above necklace shows the Revolutionaries
of the 1857/58 revolt or War of Independence
This seems to be a priceless heirloom
Martine writes:
This was not
bought on the web. The Indian jewellery dealer who sold it to me
at the
Santa Monica Gem Show in Los Angeles, California, comes to this show 4 times a year. He normally sells copies of antique silver jewelry - medallions, folk painted miniatures or pure silver,
some old coin copies, and general jewelry for the masses. Every
once, in a while, he has an antique or two. I take him aside and
tell him I'm not one of the ghora-lok (white folks, meaning
Anglo-Americans) but from Bengal, and what real antiques does he have
for me? Then he shows me his treasures with much higher prices.
I paid US$225 for
this about 10 years ago. He had no reason to lie. He told
me it was an old piece (over 100 yrs old), and had the portraits of all
the rajas of the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857, and the one Rani of Jhansi as
well and pointed her out. I have not verified this, so if you do
some research and find the names of the Rajas, we can dig up pictures
of them and compare. They are all quite individualistic, so
should be easy to identify. The one smelling the rose looks like
Raja Ramohan Roy from Bengal who did a lot to eradicate the practice of
Sati, as I remember from my history books. My historical facts
are a bit shaky. I need to do some reading to validate what I
believe.
Viraf Phiroze Mulla -
Mumbai, India
 Hi Firoz, -
OFCOURSE I do remember you, how can I forget you. It was your
photographs of the WP & WG class of steam locomotives and the WDM2
hauled Grand Trunk Express which you clicked at Jhansi which inspired
me to click trains and into a different stream of RAILWAY HOBBY. You
know Sarosh Mehta - we both do railway trips together to pursue our
hobby.
My wife clicked
this attached picture of mine when we took a weekend trip on the oldest
working steam locomotive - THE FAIRY QUEEN which was built in 1855.
Regards,
Viraf Mulla.
Godrej employee,
Vikhroli
NOEL DIAS - EX JHANSI,
NOW NAGPUR INDIA
Sent: Sunday, 15 July 2007 8:21 PM
HI PHIROZE,
I WORK IN THE
MERCHANT MARINE & MY SHIP IS IN GUANGZHOU, CHINA. I LIVED IN JHANSI
FROM 1985 TO 1988.
AT THE MOMENT IM
GOING THROUGH YOUR WEBSITE TO TELL YOU WHAT A WONDERFUL JOB YOU HAVE
DONE IN KEEPING THE MEMORIES OF YOUR COMMUNITY IN JHANSI ALIVE.
I LIVE IN NAGPUR
A STONES THROW AWAY FROM DINAZ BHAMGARAS HOME AND OLD UNCLE PESI
PESTONJEE STILL COMMUNICATES WITH MUM AND DAD. I REMEMBER KASHIMARA AND
PERSIS MANECKJI BUT, WONDER IF THEY REMEMBER ME AFTER ALL THESE YEARS.I
ALSO REMEMBER ADI BABA, (THE LOCAL HERCULES/PAHELWAN) AND
WELL.............I COULD GO ON AND ON WITH ALL. THE HAPPY
MEMORIES I HAVE.
IN JHANSI I LIVED
IN THE OFFICERS COLONY BEHIND THE BETWA CLUB AS DAD WAS, IN THE
RAILWAYS. DINAZ AND HER SISTERS WOULD PASS OUR HOME ON THEIR WAY
TO SCHOO.(I TELL ADIL BHAMGARA THAT I KNEW HIS WIFE LONG BEFORE
HE EVEN KNEW HER NAME).ADIL WAS A YEAR SENIOR TO ME AT THE S.F.S SCHOOL
NAGPUR.
SADLY I HAVE NOT
BEEN ABLE TO RETURN TO JHANSI EVEN FOR A VISIT IN THE LAST 20 YRS. GOOD
JOB PHIROZE & I WISH YOU AND YOUR FAMILY THE VERY BEST.
SINCERLY,
NOEL DIAS
(ILL BE SENDING A
SMS TO DINAZ I WONDER IF SHES SEEN HER PIC ON YOUR WEBSITE).
HI FIROZE,
I'VE ATTACHED 2
PICS WHICH COULD ADORN YOUR WEB PAGE. THE PICS WERE TAKEN OUT IN THE
50'S
WHEN THE STATUE OF OUR LADY OF FATIMA WAS TAKEN AROUND DIFFERENT CITIES
IN INDIA.
BOTH THE PICS
HAVE A PARSEE LADY (WEARING A WHITE SAREE, SCARF & CARRYING A
HANDBAG) STANDING REVERENTLY NEAR THE STATUE, SHE'S IN THE RIGHT HAND
SIDE OF THE PIC. I HAVE NO CLUE WHO SHE IS AND POSSIBLY YOU DONT KNOW
AS WELL SINCE IT WAS BEFORE OUR TIME. THEY WERE TAKEN OUT
SOMEWHERE IN CIVIL LINES JHANSI, I GUESS.
ONE PIC HAS
THE LATE BISHOP FENICH OF MALTA WHO CONSTRUCTED THE SHRINE.
THESE PICS
BELONGED TO THE OLD DR JOE RIGHTON WHO PASSED AWAY ALL ALONE IN 1988 IN
R.NO 13 OF THE JHANSI HOTEL. AFTER HIS DEMISE THEY WERE ABOUT TO BE
DUMPED IN THE BIN WHEN I GRABBED THEM.
I HOPE YOU CAN
IDENTIFY THE LADY.
CHEERS MATE,
NOEL
St. Judes Church, Jhansi is a very popular pilgrim
venue for the devoted who come to attend the fair in October each year
from the far corners of the world.
Hi
Firoze, I managed to identify the lady in the pic I had
sent you; she's the late Mr's Mirza. Brenda Flower from Jhansi had
visited me and recognised her, however she does not know her first
name.
Date: Mon, 16 Jul
2007 13:56:24 +0800
HI PHEROZE,
HOW NICE TO HEAR
FROM YOU. WELL THERES A LOT I HAVE TO PEN SO I BEGIN RIGHT AWAY.
FIRSTLY I VISITED
PERTH EVERY 15 DAYS, YES EVERY 15 DAYS FROM 1996 TO 2002 AS I WORKED ON
CATTLE BOATS N WE'D LOAD CATTLE OF THE WELLARD RURAL TRADE CO,
UNFORTUNATELY I GOT TO KNOW ALL THE GOOD PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE ONLY
AFTER 2002.I WAS ON THE FAMOUS SHIP THE "UNICEB" THAT LOADED 70,000
SHEEP IN 1996 ONLY TO CATCH FIRE AND SINK A WEEK LATER. I WAS FOR 3
DAYS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN WITH BAA_BAA BLACK SHEEP AND PLENTY OF
WATER, WATER EVERY WHERE, RESCUED AFTER 3 DAYS.
WHEN YOU TALK TO
PESI UNCLE PLS TELL HIM IM THE SON OF JOE & GLADYS DIAS OF NAGPUR.I
REMEMBER YOUR BRO FAROKH BUT NEVER MET HIM PERSONALLY HE LIVED NEAR THE
BAIDYANATH OWNERS HOME IN CIVIL LINES OPP THE WEST COMPOUND.
HEY YOU MENTIONED
IN YOUR WEBSITE ABOUT THE LATE COL SETHNA. MY FRIEND IT’S A SMALL
WORLD. WE BOUGHT FROM THEM A PAIR OF TIBETIAN TERRIER PUPS THROUGH PESI
UNCLE IN 1986. WE NAMED THEM CHIP AND DALE. CHIP DIED 2 YEARS LATER BUT
DALE SURVIVED TILL 1998.
IN PERTH THERES A
SHIPPIE WITH WHOM I HAD SAILED IN 1990 NAVAL OONWALLA FROM B'BAY HIS
WIFES NAME IS ABAN THEY MOVED TO PERTH SOMEWHERE IN THE EARLY 90'S. A
DAMN GOOD SWIMMER, WHO ALMOST MADE IT, TO THE INDIAN TEAM, FOR
THE 82 ASIAN GAMES.
ALSO IN PERTH IS
LEELA WOODS WHO LIVED IN THE SAME HOME WHERE PEGGY CANTEM LIVES NOW AND
YOU CAN READ ABOUT PEGGY CANTEM ON THE WEB, JUST GO TO GOOGLE AND TYPE
PEGGY CANTEM, THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL WILL BE MAKING A PROGRAMME ON THE
JHANSI CEMETRY WITH PEGGYS ASSISTANCE AS IT HAPPENS TO BE THE 150TH
YEAR OF THE MUTINY.
DO YOU KNOW
BHEROZE RABARDI OF NAGPUR, HER SIS LIVES IN SYDNEY?
PHIROZE DO ADD MY
COMMENTS ON YOUR WEBSITE AND IF THERES ANY THING I CAN DO TO ENRICH IT
PLEASE DO LET ME KNOW. AS I FIND IT TO BE A MASTERPIECE.
ALSO IN
AUSTRALIA, THERES, FALI POACHA OF NAGPUR. FALI AND I BELONG TO THE SAME
MASONIC LODGE (BHOOT BANGLA) AT NAGPUR, THOUGH NOW HES AN ABSENT
MEMBER. HIS COUSIN KUSHROO WAS MY CLASSMATE IF I VISIT PERTH ILL GIVE
YOU A CALL AND WILL BE EVER TOO GLAD TO TALK ABOUT JHANSI.
IM ENCLOSING SOME
PHOTOS TAKEN ON MY SONS FIRST COMMUNION DAY , MY WIFE AND I ARE IN
IDENTICAL SUITS, AND IN ONE PIC (EXTREME RIGHT) THERES A
CHILD(LIGHT PINK FUR COAT) HOLDING SOMETHING IN HER HAND AND ABOVE HER
AND PARTLY HIDDEN IS HER MOM WITH HER HANDS ON THE CHILDS
HEAD...........KNOW HER????????????????ALSO IN THE PIC IS NAVROZE
MEHTA, THE BOY WITH SPECTS, EXTREME LEFT OF THE PIC, HIS GRAND DAD WAS
A DRIVER AND HIS DAD PERCY WAS MY CLASSMATE.
IN THE FAMILY PIC
WITH MY WIFE N KIDS IS DAD, MOM AND MY SIS ANNA MARIE WHOS IN MAURITIUS.
PHIROZE MY FRIEND
I CAN GO ON AND ON AND ON BUT ILL SAVE SOME DATA FOR THE NEXT TIME,
WONDERFUL HEARING FROM YOU.
AND, AS THE SAY,-
DOWN UNDER. CHEERS MATE.
ALL THE VERY BEST
TO YOU ALL,
SINCERLY,
NOEL
Back to top
FREDRICK LAWSON –
ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA
 FEROZ
Have just
finished viewing your site on Jhansi, provided by my uncle Walter
Gibbins, and must blame you for making me homesick.
Yes, I was born
in Jhansi and lived in the railway area, first on Garhia Road and then
later in a house on Institute Square. My Dad served on the railways as
a senior guard and Mum taught at St Marks. I must congratulate you on
doing such a fine job with your site.
Now coming to
Parsi friends, I had Baji Kolah and Percy Pestonji in my class. There
was also Hoshi and Harvesh Jehangir though my memory of them is not as
clear. What happened to these guys?
I made a trip
back to India some years ago and everything had changed, though Jhansi
still retains the old magic. Wish I could buy my old railway house and
spend half the year there!
Keep up the good
work and get in touch when you can.
Best wishes to
all your family,
Frederick Lawson.
12/09/2007
Hi Phil,
Thanks for replying to my mail and also for the news on old friends in
Jhansi.
You will be pleased to hear that I received a letter from Pesi this
week. I was wondering if he received mine some time ago but he was away
on holidays in Bombay. Anyway, he is fine and getting on with life. It
was good to hear from him and the latest news.
I have lived in Australia for forty two years, most of my life, but I
still feel I belong in Jhansi. Must get, some info from you, on
hotels etc if I finally make another trip.
There are a few Jhansi families in Perth, I'm not sure if you know
them. The Ellwoods lived close to Jhansi railway station, Webbs on Over
Bridge Road and Kings on Brock Road. Maybe the names of the roads have
changed by now!
Not much more to report from here, I keep in touch with two old friends
who now live in Delhi. India is certainly changing and too fast for my
liking. Hope they can improve at cricket.
Fred.
Sent: Saturday, 8 November 2008 8:40 AM
Hi Firoz,
I have been going through some of my Dad's old railway friends in
Jhansi, well before your time, and have come up with the name Dumasia.
All I know is that he was Parsi and shared a house with my father and
another friend Austen Singh. As far as I know, he was also a guard
on the railway and on retirement lived close to Sipri Bazaar.
If you have any information on this man, first name unknown, please get
back to me.
How are you and all your family in Perth? Do you ever meet up with any
old Jhansi folk? There are quite a few families there.
All the best, from us.
Frederick. (Adelaide)
Hi Phil,
Thanks for your reply. I am not sure if Austen Singh had a motorcycle,
at least he did not have one when we were there. I remember when I
visited Jhansi in 1983,he lived in the same line of houses near Sipri
where Mr Dumasia used to live. I heard from Pesi Pestonji that Austen
Singh had passed on some time ago. All three of these guys (including
my Dad) shared a house as bachelor's on Over Bridge Road.
I remember Austin's son David who was in St Mark's with us. If
you happen to be in touch with Pesi Pestonji, he is likely to know
about Mr Dumasia. I am pretty sure he had the first house in the same
line as Jacob's, Austen Singh and others as you left Sipri (on your
left) to get to the railway station.
If you want the latest news on who comes and goes in Jhansi, Mrs.
Cantem in Civil Lines is the expert. We keep in touch and I am amazed
at the number of old Jhansi folk, mainly from the U.K. who have
returned to visit their old home.
Anyway, I am hopeful that some news will finally emerge.
Best wishes to you and your family,
Frederick.
(Incidentally I finally managed to locate Richard Ellwood in Perth)
BANGALORE THEN - N - NOW
This site is
quite interesting.
www.geocities.com/Athens/2960/index.html
GEV OGRA - Ex JHANSI,
NOW USA
 Hay Firoz,
Thanks for your prompt reply and was great hearing from you almost
after say 15/20 years. T his is all because of the Jhs Parsi website
which my niece Persis forwarded to me from Dubai. Well its work in
progress and I am sure you will add a lot of stuff incl. so many
families which were the integral part of our community.
eg.Battiwala's , Goody & Phiroze Pestonji, Anklesarias,
Kohinas, Jalnawalla's &Manekji's etc.Well I will send
you the attachment in detail in my next email.
The business I own is called Successories which is a franchise and so I
have a retail outlet and a website which you already know. This is my
6Th year in business. Prior to that I worked for Godrej as you
know and I left for Dubai & Muscat for 5 years to manage Godrej
dealerships out there.
Good to hear that Rosie’s daughter has got married recently. Well
frankly I have not seen Rosy in ages & perhaps I last saw her was
when we all studied together at her place under the able guidance of
Nautiyal Master. I so vividly remember you in your brown coat quietly
sitting in the corner studying hard out of fear while we were fooling
around. Boy I will never forget those good ol days.
Pallu is doing fine and is managing Inger sol Rand in Gujarat .He has a
daughter Ferzin who just graduated in Finance Management and is now
working for Reliance Financial Services. How is Fakku? I guess he is in
Dubai.
Give me some more news about Jhs. wallas. I heard Kerman’s wife
passed away some time back. By the way, sorry to know about Keki uncle.
He uses to be my Dads school friend in my childhood I saw many pictures
of your dad & my old man together and i do remember he use to call
my dad Ustad. How is Rati aunty
is she still in Jhs?
Firoz, I did reply to your email promptly but some how it did not go
through. Some bad news from Jhs. Dina Engineer passed away 2 days back.
Behram & Percy her sons are in Canada and perhaps you know that.
Their father & her husband Adi Engineer passed away around 6 months
back.
Well I have to go so talk to you later.
Gev OGRA
JOAN D’SILVA - Ex
Jhansi now PUNE, INDIA
 Dear Firoz
I was browsing the internet and happened to come across your website on
the Parsis in Jhansi. It is really fantastic. Although you
say you still have to do more research, I can see that already you have
spent a lot of time, effort and research.
I am not a Parsi but, like you, I too am a Jhansi-walla. Although
I have travelled the length and breadth of India, Jhansi holds a
special place in my heart. Seeing the pictures, especially of the
steam engine and the tonga brought back many nostalgic memories of when
I was young in Jhansi. I know it is a website of the Parsis but
since you have included other pictures as well, it would be nice if you
could also think of including and mentioning the Jhansi Bund (Railway
Dam) and Abbotts Dam where we all used to go for picnics.
I was pleased to see the names of Zarine Bhagat, Arnavaz Pestonji and
Bapsi Mirza who were in school with me. I was also pleased to see
a message from Walter Gibbins. I remember him when he lived on
Garhia Road close to my parents' home.
I doubt if you will remember me and you must be wondering who I
am. My parents were Winoo and Maud D'Silva. My father was a
Mail Driver and we lived on Garhia Road and then Chapel Road.
After my father retired, he built his own house close to where Dhunji
Anklesaria lives now but now my parents are no more and the house has
been sold. I have worked all over India for the last 36 years and
am now retired and settled in Pune (close to Bombay). One of my
closest friends when I was young in Jhansi was Adrienne Conlan who used
to live in Perth and now has moved to Albany.
Keep up the good work Firoz. I wish you the best of luck in your
future endeavours. If I can give you any inputs, I shall be happy
to help.
Best regards,
Joan
Photo 1:
Joan’s parents in Jhansi- Maud and Winoo
D'Silva
Photo 2: Joan
with her sons in Jhansi around 1990
Photo 3: Joan and
grandchildren in Pune now
Photo 4: Her sons
Llyod & James
SANJAY KOHLI – ex
Jhansi now KANSAS CITY, USA
Dear Firoz,
I am speechless to find you on Internet. I am so glad to know about you
on web parsisofjhansi.com
Please send me your phone number I will contact you soon. More later.
Regards
Sanjay Kohli
Senior Software Developer - Spencerreed Group Inc.
President: Indo American Chamber of Kansas City,
Vice President: India Association of Kansas City,
Secretary: Hindu
Temple & Cultural Centre of Kansas City
Secretary:
Charleton Place Home Owners Association, Kansas City,
Founder: www.KcSunderkand.org
Back to top
WALTER GIBBINS –
ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Walter Gibbins and his family were in
Jhansi for a long time, made long lasting friendships and people still
remember Walter with great pride & affection. After leaving Jhansi
he settled in Adelaide where he lives with his wife & daughter
Susan & her husband. He has fond memories of Jhansi. He has
contributed interesting articles for our website also
Hi Firoz, Attached our wedding
photograph taken outside St. Mark's Church, Jhansi.(now a primary
school) From right. Mr Fred Lawson, Mail guard Jhansi, his wife
(my wife's sister) Mrs C Lawson. Mr & Mrs Cyril Fernandez, Lesley
my sister, my wife's Uncle Mr Laffrey, Mr J Silver, Mrs U Silver ( my
wife's sister) Mr R Alderson my father-in-law, My beautiful wife
Brenda,& the ugly bloke, Lynn Alderson ( my wife's younger
sister) Mrs A Alderson Brenda's Mother. Shirley my sister (Now living
in Perth)
My wife Brenda and her sister Mrs D
Fernandez were teaching in the convent and her sister Mrs C Lawson was
teaching in St Mark's School.
Photo1 .Wife
Brenda, Walter, and our daughter Suzanne. Photo 2 our friends,
Francis D'cruz Driver Jhansi, died a few years ago, wife Thelma and
children still living in Jhansi. ----- Photo 3 Cyril Fernandez (
was a mail driver Jhansi) his wife Mrs D Fernandez ( my wife's sister)
and the 2 children.
Lucky escape from
fast train on platform. Amazing India
ELITE CINEMA JHANSI
http://bollywood501.com/blog/2005/02feb/21-theater2-elite.htm
Jhansi walas will
love this. It is an interview with the film operator of the famous
ELITE cinema. How melodramatic is that
Filed under: Miscellaneous, Politics — Pragmatic @
8:21 am
The Field Marshal quoted the Bible and
offered to resign…
There are many stories, some true and some apocryphal, about
India’s legendary soldier - Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw. It is
common knowledge that India’s military campaign in 1971 to
liberate Bangladesh was delayed on professional military advice,
against the wishes of the political class. It is delightful to revisit
the anecdote in the words of the lead historion of the dramatis personae.
The Field Marshal narrated this incident as a personal example of moral
courage, at the inaugural Field Marshal KM Cariappa Memorial Lecture in
October 1995 at Delhi.
There is a very
thin line between being dismissed and becoming a Field Marshal. In
1971, when Pakistan cracked down in East Pakistan, hundreds and
thousands of refugees started pouring into India, into West Bengal,
Assam and Tripura. The Prime Minister held a Cabinet meeting in her
office. The External Affairs Minister Sardar Swaran Singh, the
Agriculture Minister, Mr. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmad, the Defence Minister,
Babu Jagjivan Ram and the Finance Minister, Yashwant Rao Chavan was
present. I was then summoned.
A very angry, grim-faced Prime Minister read out the telegrams from the
Chief Ministers of West Bengal, Assam and Tripura. She then turned
around to me and said, “What are you doing about it?”
And I said, “Nothing, it’s got nothing to do with me. You
didn’t consult me when you allowed the BSF, the CRP and RAW to
encourage the Pakistanis to revolt. Now that you are in trouble, you
come to me. I have a long nose. I know what’s happening.”
I then asked her what she wanted me to do.
She said, “I want you to enter Pakistan.”
And I responded, “That means war!”
She said, “I do not mind if it is war.”
“Have you read the Bible?” I said.
The Foreign Minister, Sardar Swaran Singh asked, “What has Bible
got to do with this?”
I explained, that the first book, the first chapter, the first words,
the first sentence God said was, “Let there be light” and
there was light. Now you say, “Let there be war” and there
will be war, but are you prepared? I am certainly not. This is the end
of April. The Himalayan passes are opening and there can be an attack
from China if China gives us an ultimatum.
The Foreign Minister asked, “Will China give an ultimatum?”
And I said, “You are the Foreign Minister, you tell me”. I
told them that my armoured division and two of my infantry divisions
were away. One in the Jhansi/Babina area, t he other in Samba and the
third one in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. I mentioned that I will
require all the road space, all the railway wagons, the entire railway
system to move these formations to the operational areas and that
harvesting was in progress in the Punjab and UP and they would not be
able to move the harvest which would rot; and I pointed out to the
Agriculture Minister that it wouldn’t be my responsibility if
there was a famine. Then I said, “My armoured division, which is
my big striking force is supposed to have 189 tanks operational. I have
got only 11 tanks that are fit to fight.”
The Finance Minister, who is a friend of mine asked, “Sam why
only 11?”
So I told him, “Because you are the Finance Minister. I have been
asking you for money for over a year and you say you haven’t got
it!”
And finally I turned around to the Prime Minister and said that the
rains were about to start in East Pakistan and when it rains there, it
pours and when it pours, the whole countryside is flooded. The snows
are melting, the rivers would become like oceans. If you stand on one
bank, you can’t see the other. All my movement would be confined
to roads. The Air Force, because of climatic conditions would not be
able to support me. Now Prime Minister, give me your orders. The grim
Prime Minister with her teeth clenched said, “The Cabinet will
meet again at four o’clock”.
The members of the Cabinet started walking out. I being the junior most
was the last to go and as I was leaving, she said,” Chief, will
you stay back?”
I turned around and said, “Prime Minister, before you open your
mouth, may I send you my resignation on grounds of health, mental or
physical?”
She said, “Every thing you told me is true”.
“Yes! It is my job to tell you the truth” I responded,
“and it is my job to fight, it is my job to fight to win and I
have to tell you the truth.”
She smiled at me and said, “All right Sam, you know what I
want?”
I said, “Yes, I know what you want!”
[Field Marshal KM Cariappa Memorial Lectures 1995 - 2000, Lancer
Publishers & Distributors, Delhi, 2001]
Three cheers to
the old soldier! The only regret - I wish all of us had compulsorily
read this at school, among all the mythological and faux historical
fables, as a living illustration of moral courage.
From Ravinder
Malhotra - ex JHANSI now DELHI, INDIA
|
|
Hi Firoz,
I have just been
forwarded a message from a old friend from Jhansi who has along with
his family settled in Adelaide.
I am Ravinder
Malhotra and I studied in St. Mark's High School, Jhansi till my Senior
Cambridge in 1965.The Principal during our time was Mr T E Allan and
our English teacher was one Mr. V C Francis, unpopular with the
children but to who I owe my eminence. I am a poet, and have been
conferred the title of "The Living Treasure of Delhi". I have also
dedicated my first book of poetry, "Life's echo" to him.
I had a class
mate Rona Pestonji who decided to do High school and thereafter I was
told he shifted to Bombay and lost contact. I am interested in tracing
him out. Does he belong to the same family? If he does I shall be
obliged if you could direct to me his contact details: ED note : Rona
Pestonji , my cousin & a great jolly person , passed on at an early
age, in sad circumstances around 1990, trying to assist others) St
Marks Dawn Picture |
I also recollect
that one Mr. Pestonjee was a close friend of my grandfather. Mr.
Pestonjee used to carry out auctions for my grandfather. Are you
of the same family.
Since you are
located at Perth, may I call upon you for a favour. I had another class
mate, an anglo indian named Richard Elwood who shifted and settled in
Perth. His elder sister was named Christabel. Would you have any clue
to their where abouts. Best
regards,
Ravinder
Malhotra Naraina Vihar New Delhi
 Hi
Firoz,
Thank you for a
quick reply.
I have been
sending mails to a lot of people settled in Perth, on their last known
address. I was sceptical about your contact details too, but
nevertheless proceeded to do so. Finally someone replied !
Yes, the
1965 batch was the last for Senior Cambridge. Our teachers were
Hindi - Mr.
Phillips, Biology -Mr Dhar, Chemistry - Mr. Lal, Physics - Mr.Thakore,
English - Mr. V.C Francis, Health Science - Miss. S Paul, Mathematics-
Mr. TE Allan ( The principal) I wonder if any of them taught
you.Mr. Phillips could have.
It is nice to
know you excelled in your academics. Jhansi had no dearth of talent and
during my research I find people from my town have done exceedingly
well in life too.
No, it is not
Walter Gibbens. It is Frederick Lawson. His mother taught in St. Marks
and he studied in the school till they decided to move out. I think he
is in touch with Walter. I am settled in New Delhi and have a couple of
serviced apartments for visiting expatriates and upper end
tourists.
I have traced out
and am in constant touch with nearly all my class mates except a girl
by the name of Zareen Choksi. Her father Col.(Dr) Choksi was
posted in Jhansi in 1963. If my memory serves me right the family
originated from nasik. I have an old pic which I am forwarding along
with this mail.
She is the girl
with specs standing, her younger brother is kneeling and her sister is
standing in the last row on the left, the one with short hair. See if
you can manage a lead on this too.
Shall await your
attention once you are through with your pending work.
I am presently
compiling data for a book on Jhansi. Let me see how it shapes.
Do keep in
touch, Best regards,
Ravi
New Delhi 5/09/2007
Back to top
RADHA NAIR - PUNE
 |
Dear Firoz and Mahrukh Pestonji,
I am Radha, a
free lance write based in Pune. I need your help.
I came across
your website by accident and found that you have maintained a wonderful
website on the Parsis of Jhansi, I was wondering whether you would be
able to give me Zerin Ankles aria’s e-mail ID as I wish to write
to her.
Also, I am
doing a feature on Roshan Menon,
a broadcaster who worked with All India Radio in the '50's. I idolised
her as a child, and still do.
I have been
trying very hard to get information on her , from people who
worked with her or knew her unfortunately, all these people are
in heir eighties, and so can remember very little about her or those
wonderful days.
If you could
please help me with inputs, or guide me to people who could give me
information on this wonderful lady, I would be deeply indebted to you.
Radha Nair |
Dear Firoz,
Such a pleasure,
receiving a letter from you. Thank you for that fabulous
attachment” Amazing long train. ‘The pictures are simply
stunning against the spectacular backdrop of sheer mountain faces, and
while the train crosses bridges.
I love
train journeys, ---not the cramped ones we are forced to undertake
today courtesy the Indian railways, but what they used to be in the
'50's and 60's. The romance of the Railways is one of life's undying
pleasures. Will you please share your grandfathers railway stories with
me/ Nothing would give me more pleasure! I am including a story by
Anvar Ali Khan which I hope you will enjoy.
God bless you for
your BIG heart.
Radha
Trains That Whistled in the Night
Remember the
railway journeys of your childhood?
Anvar Alikhan
I was born into a railway family. My
grandfather used to be on the old Nizam's State Railway and that meant
I grew up in a large, high-ceilinged railway colony bungalow, pervaded
by the faint, gritty, blue-grey fragrance of coal dust. Where a vintage
HMV gramophone played Juthika Roy and K L Saigal. Where the dinnertime
conversation was about such all important matters as the 327 Down and
the 106 Up. And where I would wake up in the middle of the night to the
long, sweet, slowly dying call of a train's whistle, as it rushed down
the nearby tracks, and away into the darkness.
It was the theme sound of my
childhood...
Some of my earliest memories revolve
around going on tour with my grandfather in his railway saloon. Or
"going on line", as it was called. The saloon itself was a rather grand
affair, with a kitchen and a pantry (where Abdullah, my grandparents'
cook, presided), a bathroom, complete with a full length bath tub, and
-- what fascinated me most -- a huge, old fashioned valve radio in the
living room, with a "magic eye device", and the names of exotic faraway
radio stations written across its bandspread (Nanking, Batavia,
Alexandria, Bucharest, Leopoldville...
Only slightly less exotic, I suppose,
were the names of the places we ourselves visited when we "went on
line". Names like Bezwada and Dronachellam, Vicarabad and Kazipet. Some
of them held secret, hidden meaning for me. Like Guntakal, it always
seemed to me, was the sound that a train makes as it pulls slowly out
of the station. (Guntakal-Guntakal-Guntakal). And Kachiguda was the
same train, having picked up speed. Kurnool, meanwhile, was clearly the
sound of its whistle. (Thus, Kurn-o-o-o-l!)
My memories of those early childhood
train journeys are, at best, arbitrary. I remember things like the
taste of hot toast, as it can be made only by railway caterers,
slightly blackened, and tasting deliciously of the charcoal fire it was
toasted over. I remember the old signs in railway compartments, warning
you against accepting food, drink or cigarettes from strangers, as they
might be drugged (an edifying thought, that). I remember the privilege
of being taken by my grandfather to inspect the engines of trains, and
being introduced to the engine drivers -- men, invariably, with
tattooed arms and large sooty handkerchiefs knotted on their heads. And
then there was the even greater privilege of being allowed to wave a
guard's flag for him, to signal the train to start. (At age five, I
recall, it gave me a sense of vast power to have an entire train move
-- or not move -- at my personal whim.)
I also remember man-eating tigers.
Or to be precise, a man-eating tiger.
Its snarling head graced my grandparents' dining room wall: it had been
shot by my grandfather, apparently as a public service -- his role as a
freelance shikari on the occasion being merely an adjunct to his duties
as a railway official out "on line". That was the kind of world it was.
Trains That Whistled in the Night, 2
Remember the railway journeys of your
childhood?
Anvar
Alikhan
If I spent my childhood on trains, I
suppose I also grew up on them -- in more ways than one.
By now I was at boarding school -- and
the first taste of independence one had in life was on the train,
travelling from home to school and back, unsupervised and unhampered by
grown-ups. It was in those brief two and a half days between Calcutta
and Ajmer that we, aged 11 and 12, first began to emerge as men of the
world. Seasoned, swaggering professionals, who knew all the ins and
outs of train travel.
The distinguishing mark of such a
traveller was a huge, old fashioned khaki bedding roll -- the bigger
the better. As soon as you boarded the train the routine was you
unrolled this onto an upper berth -- upper berth, mind you -- so you'd
be undisturbed by the masses. Then you changed immediately into a
loose, striped night suit (no matter what time of day or night), and
occupied somebody else's window seat. You were now equipped to savour
every pleasure of the coming train journey, to the fullest....
Chief among these pleasures was the act
of getting off at every wayside station and swaggering aimlessly along
its platform. Then, as the train began to move (and this was the real
objective of the exercise), you'd run alongside, and board it at the
very last moment possible -- swinging yourself on board with studied
nonchalance, and thereby causing admiration and envy among fellow
passengers. Another mark of the maestro was an intimate knowledge of
the specialities of every little station along the way; the tea at so
and so place, the pakodas at such and such place. This was a business
of esoteric, and you had to steer clear of the merely commonplace.
There was no premium, for instance, on knowing that Allahabad was famed
for its guavas -- any fool amateur could tell you that much.
Then, of course, there were the good old
A H Wheeler stalls that played such a significant role in our
adolescent lives. We'd buy all our James Bond books there -- sources of
much inspiration for our man of the world act. (Ian Fleming was still
alive and writing then and there'd be a new title out every summer
holiday: Rs 3.50 if you bought the Signet edition, Rs 2.50 for the Pan
edition). I remember, too, all those other books -- the Perry Masons,
the Carter Browns, the Mickey Spillanes, and the Neville Shutes. But
that was not all, for it was courtesy A H Wheeler & Co that we
received our early, but fairly well rounded sex education...
It would happen like this -- at the very
first large station the train stopped at, we would all troop out to the
A H Wheeler thela. There, after close scrutiny and much whispered
consultation, we would finally decide on one of the sexual manuals on
display in a corner. We would then contribute equally towards the price
of the book, all four or five of us, and the transaction would be
completed. What followed after that was a copybook example of public
school discipline and ingenuity...
Once back in the compartment, the book
would be ceremoniously handed over to Amit, who, aged 13, was the
senior most of us. He would start reading it -- and every time he
finished with a page he would quickly tear it out. This fluttering page
would then be passed down the line, boy to boy, always strictly in
order of seniority, until it reached young Devapriaya, the junior most,
whose duty was to read it and then immediately fling it out of the
window. Thus when we reached our destination it was always with a
considerably enriched general knowledge, but, more importantly, not a
shred of incriminating evidence.
On one occasion, however, we came to
grief. Two young army lieutenants sharing our compartment took it upon
themselves to confiscate our book. They claimed we were too young to be
probing the secrets of the Kama Sutra; we knew the real motivation was
that the bastards couldn't wait to get their hands on the book
themselves. It was finally surrendered to them with much reluctance and
ill will, and we sulked and muttered darkly, I remember, all the way
back to Calcutta.
Many years have passed since then; too
many years, perhaps. Adolescence slowly gave way to adulthood -- which
is now giving way to incipient middle age. A loss of innocence has
turned to full-blown cynicism at the world and its affairs. There have
been many transitions. Many journeys, too, but less and less of them, I
find, by train. The pace of life is different now...
I sometimes sit and think to myself that
what I'd really like to do one of these days is to take a nice long
train journey, once again. It does not have to be to any particular
place; anywhere will do, as long as it's far enough. And then I shall
travel like the true professional I once was -- with an enormous, old
fashioned bedding roll, a loose, striped night suit, a surahi and a
couple of vintage Perry Mason novels (where can one find them nowadays,
I wonder?) I shall get off at all those little wayside stations, drink
tea and eat pakodas on their platforms. And then, as the train begins
to pull out, I shall climb back on at the very last moment -- with as
much nonchalance as is still possible. It's the only way to travel,
really.....
Back to top
Trains That
Whistled in the Night, 3, Fast Facts
Great Railway Journeys Through India Indrail Pass
Great Rail Journeys Through India
India possesses one of the largest railway systems in the
world. Unbelievably some 10,000,000 people ride India's 11,000 odd
trains everyday between 7,085 stations. Journeying by train through any
part of the Indian countryside is very enjoyable and the scenery very
attractive. But we recommend, arguably, some of the most scenic or
enthralling journeys to take within India:
·
Kalka, Himachal Pradesh -- Simla,
Himachal Pradesh :
A ride through beautiful mountainscape.
·
New Delhi, Delhi -- Agra, Uttar Pradesh :
The Taj Mahal is visible from your railway bogey as you pull into Agra.
·
New Delhi, Delhi -- Jaipur, Rajasthan --
Bikaner, Rajasthan - Ajmer, Rajasthan -- Jodhpur, Rajasthan -- Udaipur
Bikaner - Jaisalmer, Rajasthan:
A ride aross the Rajasthan deserts where the quaint villages and the
colourfully dress Rajasthani people provides a fascinating backdrop.
This hopping journey (you will have to change trains) can accomplished
in any order.
·
Calcutta, West Bengal -- New Jalpaiguri,
West Bengal -- Darjeeling, West Bengal:
A winding toy train journey of eight hours through beautiful jungles
and hillside.
·
Calcutta, West Bengal -- Puri, Orissa:
The train travels along the coast for a good portion of this journey.
Vishakapatnam, Andhra Pradesh -- Bhubaneshwar, Orissa:
The train meanders around the shores of the magnificent Chilka Lake.
·
Guwhati, Assam -- Rangapara, Assam --
North Lakhimpur, Assam - Murkong Selek, Assam:
Many stretches of this journey is accomplished along the Brahmaputra
river.
·
Silchar, Assam - Dharmanagar, Nagaland:
Great views through lush countryside in a very remote part of India.
·
Bombay, Maharashtra - Pune, Maharashtra:
Beautiful views of the ghats and the Sahyadri mountain range. One can
travel by a double-decker train.
·
Cochin, Kerala -- Alleppey, Kerala --
Kottayam, Kerala -- Trivandrum, Kerala:
A short journey through the awesome Kerala backwaters.
·
Mettapulayam, Tamil Nadu -- Ootacamund,
Tamil Nadu:
A toy train ride up the forested Nilgiris.
·
Mangalore, Karnataka -- Mysore,
Karnataka:
The countryside and jungles make this route quite unforgettable.
·
Trichur, Kerala -- Kanyakumari, Tamil
Nadu:
A wonderful way to see Kerala.
·
Mysore, Karnataka - Kanyakumari, Tamil
Nadu:
A gorgeous journey through a rather vast section of South India.
Dear Firoz,
I read
a magical article on a train ride in Wales and my thoughts turned
to your grandfather. In his memory, I am sending you this
piece, which I hope you will enjoy
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2009/may/30/wales-rail-travel-trains-steam?page=all
"This magical
little train forces you to slow down and join an era when the pace of
life and its human scale was very different from today. Never mind the
Age of the Train; this is the Age of the Trundle."
As you are
interested in Railway stories may I suggest you have a look at these
websites. I found them delightful
http://irfca.org/~apub/index.htm Apurva's Indain Railways
websitehttp://windyskies.blogspot.com/2007/10/colaba-evening-at-piccadilly.html
Windy skies Anil
Purohit's blogspot.
I am sure you
will find much that will delight you.
radha
ADALE PATEL - MUMBAI
INDIA
A good article on
history of Parsis with rare photographs.
Google Earth
Community: Parsis- The World's Smallest "Nation"
STEPHANIE DICK (ELLIS)
– Daughter of Jimmy Dick of JHANSI now DELHI, INDIA 
Sun 23/11/2008
5:58 PM
dear sir,
This is with
regard to some corrections with regards to some details- Dick family..
if interested pls contact me.
Jimmy Dick needs
to be changed to Jamshedji Jehangirgi Dick.. who started out as a
fireman and retired as Shatabdi Driver. Incidentally he was India's
first Shatabdi Driver. Katy was a nurse (his sister) was not an
airhostess and was the personal nurse to the late Raj Kapoor's father
and married to Bob D'Souza (Indian Air Force.) later navigator with Air
India. His younger sister was Ms Parvez Dick who was an airhostess with
Indian Airlines and is now settled in Canada.
Thanks for taking
note.. btw my dad is really well known as Baba..
Stephanie
Ellis
d/o Jamshedji
(This is my
reply to Steffi s above email. Readers will note her enthusiasm and
charm for life, very infectious)
G'day
Stephanie,
Thank you for
your email. Lovely to hear from you. Please
don’t call me SIR, we used to play together when we were
kids, when u used to visit Dhun Aunty, yr granny. May be u have
forgotten. I am Farokh/Fakkus elder brother from Jhs, if it jogs yr
memory.
Appreciate your
corrections that are a great assistance as I am not too familiar with
yr Dads family side. Yr Dad is also very famous still, for his driving
etc and he used to take us to Delhi then slow the train down for us to
jump out, glorious days indeed.
Yr paternal
granny was living opposite to us in civil lines if u remember it, and I
owe a lot in life to her love and teaching to us when we were kids. I
also had the privilege of hosting her in Bb when she used to stay with
me in Vikhroli and her cooking and energy to the last was out of this
world, I miss her positive attitude in life and her self reliance and
independence. She was a very beautiful lady in her youth , but as she
grew older her beauty grew more inwards and what a personality. She
specially came down from Jhs to BB for our elder sons navjote in 1999
and that was very touching. Unfortunately soon after she left us all,
which was so shocking for me? Also we r in the midst of modifying the
web also. So yr corrections will be very good for us. Enjoy Life
Firoz K Pestonji
She replied:
FIROZ ! Oh my
god! oh man! this is so good!!! of course i remember u and i am
steffie.. the eldest, then comes Sharon who is in England but on
holiday at perth even as we speak.. mitchu is here in delhi with me and
so is darryl and rayboy too... i just returned from jhansi.. dad came
in so i went back with him for 24 hours to see my mum and when i go
there i generally go with him to visit all the parsi graves as i go to
see my nana dhuns grave.. so we go to visit all i knew too.. its a
routine we have.. i am surprised at the prompt reply from u.. forgive
me all the grammatical errors and shortforms....
i will let dad
know of this communication with u as when i was there in jhs mr abbot
gave him the printout.. so i saw the heading and first thing as i came
back to delhi i opened early parsis of jhansi...
i will try and
get u the photos too.. i remember uncle ronnies wedding where my dad
was having dinner and sunoo mavellwallah and rosy bhagat were standing
behind him... but ronny uncle and all should have the pics of us as
children...
oh i am so
excited at receiving this mail... and all said and done im proud of
being a half parsi. hope to hear from u...
and keep in
touch.. if u want i can write of our early days as kids .. the churning
of ice cream , i have great memories of them good ole days..take
care... u used to look after uncle ronnies house nah? see i remember
steffie
Date: Monday, 24
November, 2008, 7:00 AM
hey there my
aussie new friend!
i came about this
when i think my dad must have picked up this printout from boyces house
abt the parsis in jhs.. i happened to be in jhs that night and was
packing to leave for delhi and he threw it on the table.. i asked what
is this and he said oh something abt theparsis of jhs.. i opened it and
made it a point to note down the id and the first thing i did when i
got to my computer in delhi was to look it up and one thing led to
another and here we are.
i have married a
christian boy i was in love with from childhood. I did not have kids
out of choice though i love them. reasons for that too,,, more of that
later,, i was bringing up my own bros and sisters and then their chn..
so its just me and my hubby.. hes a pvt tutor,its my grandmother's and
Santos family blessings that i am still alive and kicking
Still i pray and
i work very hard,, i dont own a house of my own,,, i do have a maruti
van very very old and i hardly drive it. i have a scooter,,, bajaj cub
which i bought in jhs one year after my marriage in 84 and i still ride
it all around and the engine has not been opened to date.. God bless my
Ram Pyari as my school kids call it.
Pls dont think i
am half the cook my grandma was .. but i can still give u khana..God
bless u and your family
You do know that
i have relatives from mummies side in perth? and some old anglos from
jhansi.. called Webb. Look up ur local directory.. The corner red
beautiful bungalow that led to the gully of my grannys house,, that was
owned by sinclairs who were the relatives of the Webbs and got them to
Australia nearly forty years ago ,,, somewhere thereabouts.
Do u know the
only thing i have of my dhun nana besides my grandfathers easy chair? a
little bell which has Ahura mazda on the stem.. and i keep it on my
altar,
Sarah Johnson - UK
(Ed –
This is an important letter, as is providing a glimpse of a document
about a person who fought against the Ranee of Jhansi in the 1858
battle. In fact the Hussars, to which the gentlemen fought with, killed
the Ranee of jhansi. The dates mentioned are correct and recorded
historically along with events.)
23 Oct 2008
I came across
your website and wonder if you can be of help. My relative served
in the Hussars in some of these wars and I am trying to transcribe his
war papers, the bits in bold with *** are the words I cannot make
out? Have you any ideas for the correct place names. Sorry
if this is not something you feel you can help me with?
23 Oct 2008
Hi again, thought I would send you these notes I have on Thomas ...
Army No. Private 759 - 14th Kings Regiment, Light Dragoons
Enlisted 15th March 1841 age 18 years 9 months
Medical report shows: Suffers from Rheumal, chronic since 1847 - caused
by constant exposure and hard military service for 19 years in India,
and not increased by vice or misdemeanour. Discharged 2nd August 1860
because of Rheumal
Won Punjab Medal 1849, Chelsea Pensioner
The Punjab Medal was a campaign medal approved in 1849, for issue to
officers and men of the British Army and Honourable East India Company
who served in the Punjab campaign of 1848-49 - operations which ended
in the British annexation of the Punjab.
The medal was approved on 2nd April 1849, authorised for all who served
in the Punjab between 7th September 1848 and 14th March 1849.[1] Three
clasps were authorised, although no medals were awarded with all three
clasps.[2] No unit qualified for both the clasps Mooltan and
Chilianwala.[3] The medal was issued without a clasp to those units
that were present in the Punjab but did not take part in fighting.[4]
#759 and also won the Indian Mutiny medal for the 1857-9 campaign
G'day Sarah,
Thank you for your email. Wonderful ,to hear from you.
Your relative was involved directly in one of the most decisive
battles for the freedom of India, the 1857 Mutiny as per the British
& the action he took against the Rani of Jhansi, was decisive in
keeping the British in India for another 90 years literally. Also it
shook the East India company from its foundation and the British
Government of the time had to intervene and take control etc
If u can scan the document s and email to us would be
great and if we have your permission we can even load them on our
website. That’s if u agree to it
Also i presume yr translation under is from said
document. I have corrected below what I can think as correct from yr
translation. Please do keep in touch and if we can assist will be
great. I am thankful for you to have contacted us on this. Do keep in
touch Pl read below also for corrections.
Please contact us if you require any other
information. Enjoy Life
Phil
Back to top
ACTUAL TRANSLATION OF ORIGINAL
ABOVE DOCUMENT, AS BEST POSSIBLE, DONE BY FIROZ PESTONJI
With regard to the CHARACTER & CONDUCT of No 759
(or 75 G) Private Thomas Gear the board have to report ---------it
appears that his conduct has been Very Good. That he is in possession
of Four Good conduct Badges, has never been tried by Court marshal and
has one entry in the right Defaulters book
Served with the Army of the Punjaub (Punjab) in
1848, TG (Thomas Gear )was present at the affair at Ram Nuggur (British
way of writing RAM NAGAR ,Translates to Town of Rama the Mighty Hindu
God) & at the Battle of Chillianwalla (town in old Punjab) and
Goojerat (Gujrat) special service.
Present at the Surrender of the Sikh army, the
Occupation of Attoch & Peshawar (Both of these are now part of
modern Pakistan) ,and the Expulsion of the Affghans (Afghans) beyond
the Kyber Pass (This was a fierce battle between the British forces and
the Afghans where the British army had major losses also and lot of
bravery was displayed). Received a medal for services in the Punjab
Campaign, a Bar for the Battle of Chillianwalla and one for the Battle
of Goojeratt (Gujarat, am not sure of this really)
Served in the
Expedition
of 1857
Served with the Central India Field force in 1857-58,
under the command of Major General Sir Hugh Rose ,KCB, was
present at the capture of Rabghur 29th January, action of
Barodia (Baroda ? ) 30th January, freeing Muddenpore
(Madanpur) pass 3rd March, battle of the Betwa 1st
April, siege and capture of Jhansi 5th April, action of
Koonch 7th May, Battle of Gollowbe (Must be Gwalior) , 22nd
May advance on and capture of Calpee (Kalpi/Kalpee) and pursuit of the
Rebels 23rd May, capture of Morar Cantonment 16th
June, Recapture of town and fortress of Gwalior 14th or 19
th June 1858.
At Kolapure or Kalpee in 1844-45 (Kalpee is a town in
the area he has been mentioned earlier)
(Or is this a signature A K Capere or A Kolapere
or A K Lapere, u need an expert on handwriting to decipher this.
My concern is the year mentioned 1844-45. As previously all other
records mentioned in proper ascending order why this is backtracking to
1844/45 is not clear.)
PERCY KARANI - MUMBAI, INDIA
Date: Sun, 21 Sep
2008 05:22:03 +0530
Subject: Article from The Telegraph: Calcutta
You have been sent this article from The Telegraph, Calcutta
Wedding trousseau, the Parsi style
Jamshedpur, Sept. 19: After wearing saris of Bengal, Orissa,
Maharashtra and south India to your relatives [1] 019 weddings, if you
want something unique then head for the Parsi Association Hall at
Sakchi. | Read
Page url:
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080920/jsp/jharkhand/story_9858906.jsp
SUE DARLOW - ITALY / UK
GALLERY 4
HAS A PICTURE OF PESI PESTONJI FROM JHANSI.
Be sure to scroll through the
other "picture galleries" 1 through 6 on the right-hand banner.
Pretty nostalgic!
http://www.anothersubcontinent.com/contemporaryparsis.html
HARNEET SINGH –
DELHI, INDIA
This is an amazing article for History
buffs- to do with the Ranee of Jhansi
First Australian novelist, his life in India Harneet Singh
New Delhi,
September 3: And all this while we thought that cricket is the most
common denominator between India and Australia! A certain gentleman
called John Lang achieved so much more than just a World Cup trophy.
Lang who?
Don’t worry too much if you have never heard of him, chances are
he is a stranger to even Steve Waugh. Thank god for Rory Medcalf then.
Yes, the most
well known Australian in the Capital—in capacity as the First
Secretary, Australian High Commission— Medcalf has unearthed
another fellow Australian who has a strong Indian connection.
Medcalf has been
researching on John Lang since January 2003 and plans to bring out the
results of his quest in a book. He made a presentation on Lang at a
day-long symposium- Portraying India: Image, Identity, Myth at India
Habitat Centre on Wednesday.
So, who is John
Lang? He was the first Australian novelist who lived in India in the
mid 1800’s. What’s more, Lang
was also the court lawyer of Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi. Perhaps,
he was also the first Australian to sue the East India Company on
behalf of an Indian businessman.
Says Medcalfe,
‘‘As a diplomat I have always wanted to point to
longstanding links between India and Australia. But I had no idea that
one of the most prolific chronicles of mid-19th-century India was the
first Australian-born novelist. He knew and portrayed India intimately
in the years before the transforming events of the 1857
uprising.’’
By
Medcalf’s accounts, Lang was quite a character! Not only just a
writer, he was also active in Indian society, journalism, culture,
business and law. The title of one of his later Anglo-Indian novels was
‘‘Too Clever by Half’, which Medcalf feels sums him
up perfectly. Of Jewish origin, Lang went to Cambridge to study law but
was expelled. He started his law practice in Sydney but it never really
took off. Having published anonymous slurs about the failings of other
lawyers, he was ostracised and there was nothing left for him but to go
to India.
Medcalf feels
India was just what Lang was looking for, ‘‘Lang found
himself in India. He began to grow up and started using his better
qualities. By what I can gather, Lang shared a more deeper affinity
with India. Sharing a colonial past— those days Australia was
also under the British rule— also helped.’’
Incidentally,
Medcalf discovered Lang through the stories of writer Ruskin Bond.
‘‘Ruskin Bond has kept his memories alive and I have build
up on his detective works. Another man who has helped me is an
Australian librarian called Victor Crittenden, who is researching on
him with a literary angle in mind.’’
Claiming to be
‘‘personally fascinated’’ with Lang, Medcalf
rates him quite high. ‘‘He was an extraordinary man who
translated Persian poetry, learnt Persian and Hindustani and owned a
newspaper called the Mofussilite in Meerut. He had the courage to sue
the East India Company on behalf of Indian banker Jyoti Prasad of Agra.
He even won the case. He was also the first foreigner to be invited in
Rani Laxmi Bai’s court.’’
Medcalf also
tells us that Charles Dickens commissioned Lang to write series of
articles after the 1857 mutiny. Called ‘Wanderings in India,
these accounts are, Lang’s most important text that can be found
today.
‘‘With
all his characteristics, Lang is someone who in the vibrant, complex,
democratic, intellectual, noisy, incredible work-in-progress of
today’s and tomorrow’s India would feel quite at home. But
it’s so sad that there is no portrait available of
his,’’ signs off Medcalf. The next working day after your
service
Flag of Jhansi’s
Rani 1857
Regno di Jhansi, Kingdom
of Jhansi, 1857-1858
Bandiera di stato alzata nel maggio 1857, nei primi giorni della grande
rivolta, quando Jhansi si dichiarò di nuovo regno indipendente,
restituendo il trono alla rani Laksmi Bai. Ammainata il 4 aprile dell'anno seguente
con la capitolazione del forte di Jhansi. Drappo di solito triangolare in proporzioni 2/3. Era una bhagwa
zenda maratta. Lo
stendardo della regina portava in più le armi, di forma non ben
conosciuta.
Translation of Italian to English :
State Flag
raised in May 1857, in the first days of the great revolt, when Jhansi
declared it was again an independent kingdom, returning the throne to
Rani Lakshmi Bai. The local Jhansi flag was lowered on 4 April
1858, of the following year with the capture of the fort of Jhansi. The
flag drape was usually triangular proportions in 2/3. bhagwa was a
zenda Maratha (Flag of Marathas ). Whether the banner of the Queen was
carried in at times of presentation of arms & weapons by soldiers,
is not well known.
FARROKH ANKLESARIA - USA
IMAGES
OF INDIA – THEN & NOW
http://www.imagesofasia.com/india.php
Dear Firuz:
Thanks for contacting me and sharing your fascinating website of
Jhansi, its history and the Parsis associated with it. How
amazing that we Parsis are found all over India and in so many parts of
the world. Did you know that
there was a Parsi who used to come to see Napoleon Bonaparte
everyday when Napoleon was imprisoned on the island of St
Helena.? The British Governor of the island stopped the Parsi
from visiting Napoleon. They kept Napoleon under a strict watch
as he had escaped from Elba previously. I read this in a
fascinating biography of Napoleon written by an English author.
You can have a look at our two websites: www.BestAgainstStress.com
and www.EnlightenedSentencing.org
The Enlightened Sentencing Project, is our non -profit organization
that caters specially to the needs of offenders. Offenders are sent by
the courts in St Louis to the Enlightened Sentencing Project.
It is to be noted that the Transcendental Stress Management program
that we teach is so effective that it is one of only four alternative
sentencing programs recognized by the State of Missouri. You can
have a look at the government website at the following link and scroll
to "St Louis" and "St Louis County"
http://www.mosac.mo.gov/Local_ASR.htm
Thanks again for taking the time to write
Firoz. I look forward to remaining in touch and perhaps meeting
you someday in Perth!
Farrokh Anklesaria
Director
Th Enlightened Sentencing Project
Back to top
Sunil Sharma
SATELLITE MAP
OF JHANSI
Hi guys,
Attached is the link for satellite map of Jhansi starting from
Elite cinema, had fun re tracing some of the routes leading to St.
Marks and pinpointing my home also. It seems nothing much has changed
in the railway colony , Army and Civil line area since last 45 years.
Enjoy,
Sunil Sharma
http://wikimapia.org/1455976/
DEBORAH NIXON – SYDNEY,
AUSTRALIA
 I was
looking at your website re the history of the Parsees in Jhansi, very
interesting. My Grandfather was a foreman on the GIP line and the
family lived in Jhansi for awhile I found amongst my father's things a
Farewell letter to my grand father from the European and Parsee
Staff at Jhansi I often wondered why the Parsees? Was the
railways a particularly big employer of Parsees? Anyway the family name
is Nixon and my g'fahter's name was Bundy (Bernard)
Nixon. Regards Deborah Nixon
Deborah
Nixon
Office of
the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Teaching, Learning & Equity)
University of
Technology, Sydney
 |
 |
Hi Phil I have
found a photo with names on it: Jhansi - 1929 Standing left to right:
B.V.Moghe, G.S.Garauker(sp?), N.K.Bhide, Ramnath-Dutley, D.R.Patki,
Durgacharan Parshan, Seated: the Nixons!
You say head gear
is indicative do you mean the black pillbox? I 'lost' the email where
you commented on the situation in 1929 maybe explaining the undertone
in the farewell letter was that the year Gandhi did the big train tour?
Thanks for your help. Please feel free to forward to Walter Gibbins if
you think it would be of interest Regards Deborah
Deborah Nixon
ELSSA Centre
Phil you say a
few look like pareses what identifies them as such: headgear clothes
... I know that Parsis have a link with Iran so do people look more
Iranian? I have read J Masters book post colonial critics put it
down but I'd say it was quite a good picture of the community and the
racism. My family did not identify as Anglo Indian but the very first
guy who went out there in 1788 married an Indian woman so we have a
weak ancient blood link to India!! Do you know of anybody who was
actually driving trains at Partition? Thanks for the website
fascinating stuff. Regards Deborah
My G'dad is in
the middle with the moustache and light coloured eyes! let me know what
you find in the photo! Regards Deborah
My G'father's
name was Bundy (no T as in Bunty) I thought it might have been after
the Bundy clock used when workers clocked on and off ... My family
worked all along the GIP line
Hi Phil
interestingly both farewell letters (1 from Jhansi 1 from Kalyan) are
typed and they both sign off from the 'Anglo Indian and Parsi staff
-Jhansi Running Shed' and 'The European and Parsi Loco. Running of
Kalyan' unfortunately no individual names. My G'dad then moved to Damoh
then to Bhusawal as you know railway people really moved around a
lot. I have got a great shot of Jhansi staff 1923 but will have to send
it from work I think the file is too 'fat' for my computer here at
home!! If not I can get a photocopy and send it to you. This is related
to my research I am doing a PhD looking at the railway colonies during
partition. My father's family were in India for 5-6 generations
YASMIN MEHERVANJEE
– PERTH, AUSTRALIA
EXCELLENT OLD PHOTOS OF
BOMBAY: s
Mumbai.pdf
(Please click)
FARZANA PESTONJI –
PERTH, AUSTRALIA
Firoz
PESTONJI’s daughter on the cover of a company magazine
BAKHTAVAR PERCY PESTONJI
– MUMBAI, INDIA
Happened to come
across this Z website which is loaded with good information about our
religion, prayers, history, list of all Darb-e-Mehr all over the
world with their Salgreh dates, etc. etc. etc.
http://www.officecorner.net/am/index_1024.htm
Love and Tandoorasti.
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