My Heritage Chronicles

When we talk about the fountains of Mumbai, The first picture that comes to our mind is a very ornate and beautiful fountain called "Flora Fountain" named after the Greek Goddess of flower and spring "Flora" located at what was once the heart of Bombay. Digging deeper into its history, It was interesting to know that the architectural beauty was meant to be for Victoria Gardens but was placed at the exact location of one of the three gates of Bombay fort when it was demolished in 1860. This was an ornamental fountain, but we also have fountains and pyaav built across Mumbai in the 19th century by philanthropists, civic bodies, etc which was a humanitarian response to the water needs of the working and labor class. There were fountains which were very simple structures while some were architectural beauty which also vitalized the public space. The important aspect is the location of the pyaavs which were strategically built along with the old tram network or major

It is hard to imagine any Jewish landmark in Mumbai and Pune which doesn't have Sassoon family connections. David Sassoon - A Baghdadi Jew was treasurer of Baghdad when he had to flee his city from the persecution of the ruler of Baghdad - Daud Pasha. He arrived in Bombay in 1832 and over a period of time became a wealthy businessman trading in cloth, jute, and opium. He and his family have been instrumental in building synagogues in Mumbai and Pune as well as many prominent buildings like David Sassoon library, Masina hospital, Sassoon docks, Bank of India building in Fort area of Mumbai as well Sassoon hospital, Lady Rachel Sassoon dispensary in Pune to name a few. Counted in one of the old areas of Mumbai - Chinchpokli, It lies on the central railway line of Mumbai local trains. While traveling by train one can notice some monuments as soon as trains cross the Chinchpokli station. These are the mausoleums of the Sassoon family in a Jewish cemetery. This cemetery was bui

I had read about an article published in afternoon tabloid few years back on British era cannons lying on the streets of Bombay which were used differently like bollards or territorial markers differentiating the "White Bombay" from the native "Black Bombay". The article literally rang bell in my ears for it was something different or "hatke" as compared to regular heritage monuments, buildings & religious hubs in Bombay that I usually cover in my heritage exploratory walks. One one of the Sundays I set out to rediscover these hidden heritage which probably has been lying around for over 150 years.  It is said that in city of Mumbai alone there could be over 250 cannons lying in nook and corners of the city, hidden in plain sight and ignored by passerby. On basis of information from the article from years back, I started my journey from outside the Masjid Bunder station on the west side. The railway station on central and harbour lines of Mumb