bearing in mind that I'm just a simple seaman, the photo of that 'elepahnt porch' makes sense. You board the elephant from the first floor! Chris ----- Original Message ----- From: "Alex Noel-Tod" <anoeltod@tiscali.co.uk> To: <INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, March 06, 2008 9:12 AM Subject: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] Elephant porch ? > Can anyone help with the origin of the architectural term 'elephant > porch', which was/is used to describe the entrance porch to many buildings > in the colonial style (particularly in India) ? > > A good example of an elephant porch can be seen at Doveton House in > Chennai (Madras), described on its webpage as a "stately Georgian > colonial mansion with a lofty elephant porch", see: > http://womenschristiancollege.org/doveton.htm > > Did the term derive from the fact that the columns of the porch were tall > like elephant's legs ? Or maybe because it looked like an elephant with > howdah on top , as the roof of the porch sometimes formed part of an upper > storey verandah ? Or was it because the porch appeared high enough for an > elephant to walk under ? Or, simply, just because it was large (ie > elephant sized) ...? > > My father's (unpublished) autobiography refers to the house in Madras > where he was born in 1908 as "a large house, with a spacious compound, and > the sine qua non of an 'elephant porch' ..." > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.21.5/1314 - Release Date: > 05/03/2008 18:38 > >

Hazel, I will certainly try your questionnaire. David -----Original Message----- From: india-british-raj-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:india-british-raj-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Haztwin@aol.com Sent: 06 March 2008 15:13 To: india-british-raj@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] Civil Engineer - Railways - India Dear David, I'm in the throes of researching for a possible book on the lives of people in India connected with Indian Railways. I have devised a questionnnaire and wonder if you would be interested in answering any questions, in which case I could send you a copy. Let me know. Salaams - Hazel Craig ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

I have someone in my family tree who was a civil engineer who worked for various railway companies in India. He was born in Calcutta in 1891. I know that he completed a course at The School of Practical Engineering at Crystal Palace, London in 1914. I understand that this school was extensively used for the practical training of civil engineers for employment on railways throughout the Empire. I also understand that such courses were of two years duration so he would have been 21 when he started. On completion of the course he worked for a railway company in London for a few years followed by a period on railway construction in the Belgian Congo then back to India by the mid 1920s working for M&SM Railway and others. Oral family history says that prior to his time at Crystal Palace he was at Oxford University but they have no record of him. Can anyone suggest what engineering studies he would have had to complete, and where, before he took the course at Crystal Palace? David

Clock on address below to see a picture of an Elephant porch. Come to your own conclusions. http://womenschristiancollege.org/doveton.htm Alfred Vieyra.

Dear David, I'm in the throes of researching for a possible book on the lives of people in India connected with Indian Railways. I have devised a questionnnaire and wonder if you would be interested in answering any questions, in which case I could send you a copy. Let me know. Salaams - Hazel Craig

Axel, Interesting question, that! Personally, I had never earlier heard of 'elephant porch'. One would feel tempted to say that the elephant porch was so named as it would accommodate a whole elephant with a howda - a sitting box - under it. Riding an elephant was a sign of status and was a privilege that the ruler would bestow on important grandees. A rich trader, for example, could not buy an elephant for personal use just because he had the money for it! Having an elephant porch at the entrance of a mansion would advertise its owner's status to the world. However, I would not think that elephant porches in large houses of Raj times really indicated that the person living in the house had his own elephant. A horse and a carriage were much more practical means of transport. I think an elephant porch would just mean a tall porch. Arvind Kolhatkar, Toronto, March 06, 2008.

Can anyone help with the origin of the architectural term 'elephant porch', which was/is used to describe the entrance porch to many buildings in the colonial style (particularly in India) ? A good example of an elephant porch can be seen at Doveton House in Chennai (Madras), described on its webpage as a "stately Georgian colonial mansion with a lofty elephant porch", see: http://womenschristiancollege.org/doveton.htm Did the term derive from the fact that the columns of the porch were tall like elephant's legs ? Or maybe because it looked like an elephant with howdah on top , as the roof of the porch sometimes formed part of an upper storey verandah ? Or was it because the porch appeared high enough for an elephant to walk under ? Or, simply, just because it was large (ie elephant sized) ...? My father's (unpublished) autobiography refers to the house in Madras where he was born in 1908 as "a large house, with a spacious compound, and the sine qua non of an 'elephant porch' ..."

http://tinyurl.com/2ewb5r ooroo If you don't hear the knock of opportunity - build a door. Anon.

http://tinyurl.com/2qv4ny ooroo If you don't hear the knock of opportunity - build a door. Anon. ooroo If you don't hear the knock of opportunity - build a door. Anon.

Hello Listers, Re: <Our salaams. Bahut acha hai. Tume xxxxxx hona chaiye.> Translated it should read ' Our greetings. Very good/nice. You should be here.' The missing word represented by the xxxxx's should be 'idhar' meaning 'here.' Cheers & God bless Elsie On Wed, Mar 5, 2008 at 4:10 PM, <india-british-raj-request@rootsweb.com> wrote: > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: Urdu translation (David Railton) > 2. Re: Heritage Gallery of Signal and Communications at Poda... > (VIEYRAJ@aol.com) > 3. Re: INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ Digest, Vol 3, Issue 53 (Ali Khan) > 4. Hunting for 'Raj' roots (Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar) > 5. The secret chambers of Jadoo Ghar > (Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar) > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: "David Railton" <railton.david@btinternet.com> > To: <india-british-raj@rootsweb.com> > Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2008 16:12:13 -0000 > Subject: Re: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] Urdu translation > Thank you for your help. > > -----Original Message----- > From: india-british-raj-bounces@rootsweb.com > [mailto:india-british-raj-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Arvind > Kolhatkar > Sent: 04 March 2008 15:31 > To: india-british-raj@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] Urdu translation > > David, > > I think it reads: > > <Our salaams. Bahut acha hai. Tume xxxxxx hona chaiye.> > > I could not decipher the second word in the second line. It appears to be > an English word. The rest of it easy enough. It says: > > >Our greetings. Very good. You should be xxxxx.> > > Arvind Kolhatkar, Toronto, March 04, 2008. > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: VIEYRAJ@aol.com > To: india-british-raj@rootsweb.com > Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2008 10:04:21 EST > Subject: Re: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] Heritage Gallery of Signal and > Communications at Poda... > > In a message dated 02/03/2008 04:24:05 GMT Standard Time, > phyllis.danko@verizon.net writes: > > For those with India Railway interests. A short video of a new museum > at Podanur, Tamil Nadu > > > Thank you for this. And please, can anyone help me . In the early > 1940's, > could this building have been the South Indian Railway Officers quarters > allocated to the DTS (District Traffic Superintendent)? > > It is reminiscent of our home in Podanur during the three years my > father > was posted in Podanur as DTS. I don't remember the front 'half walls', > but > rather, balustrades and a large open verandah into the main part of the > house. > I recall there was at least one simlar house next door for the District > Engineer. Facing our home, and to its right one could walk to the > Railway > Colony and Railwaty Institute. > > As all this was over 60 years ago, my memory could well being playing > tricks! > > Thank you for any help. > > Joan Brown > > > > > > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: "Ali Khan" <salem@comsats.net.pk> > To: india-british-raj@rootsweb.com > Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2008 00:15:01 +0500 > Subject: Re: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ Digest, Vol 3, Issue 53 > > I can read Urdu. I am also a tennis player so the pic would interest me. > Please send me a copy. > Ali > > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: "Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar" <bosham@gmail.com> > To: <india-british-raj@rootsweb.com> > Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2008 13:01:30 +0530 > Subject: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] Hunting for 'Raj' roots > Monday, Mar 03, 2008 > > Hunting for 'Raj' roots > > Karen Shaw is looking for the Fort Cochin she knew as a child. > Showing Priyadershini S. the sepia tinted photos of the 40s and > 50s, she tells her the place has changed little. The year India got > freedom Karen Taylor, now Shaw, was born to Edward Hugh > Taylor (Jimmy) and Mabel Taylor (Joey), at Neyyar. Karen's > father was manager of Bonacad tea estate. Sixty years later, > Karen Shaw is back, clutching precious, sepia-tinted photographs > of Fort Cochin of the 40s and 50s. She is literally walking down > memory lane looking for those familiar sights she enjoyed as a > young girl. "Fort Cochin is all too memorable to me as we were > down here very often at my aunt's place. My aunt, father's sister, > Bess was married to Jack Kempson Hopkins, chairman and GM > of Aspinwall and Co. Limited, Cochin. My uncle and aunt were > married at the St. Francis church. We, my husband Gerry and me, > went through the marriage register and have taken a copy of the > marriage certificate." [snip] > > http://www.hindu.com/mp/2008/03/03/stories/2008030350480100.htm > > ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar > Nagpur, India > > > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: "Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar" <bosham@gmail.com> > To: <india-british-raj@rootsweb.com> > Date: Wed, 5 Mar 2008 13:26:47 +0530 > Subject: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] The secret chambers of Jadoo Ghar > Monday, Mar 03, 2008 > > Going past the Jadoo Ghar in Qudsia Garden does send > a chill down the spine for it is Delhi's oldest Masonic > Lodge hidden among tropical creepers. There is another > lodge in Janpath which runs a charitable dispensary, but > it lacks the aura of the one in the garden named after the > 18th Century dowager queen. [snip] > > http://www.hindu.com/mp/2008/03/03/stories/2008030350420200.htm > > > ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar > Nagpur, India > > > > To contact the INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ list administrator, send an email to > INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ-admin@rootsweb.com. > > To post a message to the INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ mailing list, send an email to > INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ@rootsweb.com. > > __________________________________________________________ > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ-request@rootsweb.com > with the word "unsubscribe" without the quotes in the subject and the body > of the > email with no additional text. > >

Monday, Mar 03, 2008 Going past the Jadoo Ghar in Qudsia Garden does send a chill down the spine for it is Delhi's oldest Masonic Lodge hidden among tropical creepers. There is another lodge in Janpath which runs a charitable dispensary, but it lacks the aura of the one in the garden named after the 18th Century dowager queen. [snip] http://www.hindu.com/mp/2008/03/03/stories/2008030350420200.htm ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

Monday, Mar 03, 2008 Hunting for 'Raj' roots Karen Shaw is looking for the Fort Cochin she knew as a child. Showing Priyadershini S. the sepia tinted photos of the 40s and 50s, she tells her the place has changed little. The year India got freedom Karen Taylor, now Shaw, was born to Edward Hugh Taylor (Jimmy) and Mabel Taylor (Joey), at Neyyar. Karen's father was manager of Bonacad tea estate. Sixty years later, Karen Shaw is back, clutching precious, sepia-tinted photographs of Fort Cochin of the 40s and 50s. She is literally walking down memory lane looking for those familiar sights she enjoyed as a young girl. "Fort Cochin is all too memorable to me as we were down here very often at my aunt's place. My aunt, father's sister, Bess was married to Jack Kempson Hopkins, chairman and GM of Aspinwall and Co. Limited, Cochin. My uncle and aunt were married at the St. Francis church. We, my husband Gerry and me, went through the marriage register and have taken a copy of the marriage certificate." [snip] http://www.hindu.com/mp/2008/03/03/stories/2008030350480100.htm ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

I can read Urdu. I am also a tennis player so the pic would interest me. Please send me a copy. Ali

Thank you for your help. -----Original Message----- From: india-british-raj-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:india-british-raj-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Arvind Kolhatkar Sent: 04 March 2008 15:31 To: india-british-raj@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] Urdu translation David, I think it reads: <Our salaams. Bahut acha hai. Tume xxxxxx hona chaiye.> I could not decipher the second word in the second line. It appears to be an English word. The rest of it easy enough. It says: >Our greetings. Very good. You should be xxxxx.> Arvind Kolhatkar, Toronto, March 04, 2008. ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Hi, If you send me a scanned copy i will give you a translation whether it is urdu ,persian or turkish. Firaq was one my teachers. skp --------------------------------- Sent from Yahoo! Mail. A Smarter Inbox.

>From http://www.kintespace.com/rasxlog/?p=864 Monday, March 3rd, 2008 Quote: ================== The End of Empires: African Americans and India by Gerald Horne A trailblazing book that details the close historic ties between Black America and India over the decades Pre-order now for $50.00 at Temple University Press (offer good until 7/1/08). Martin Luther King, Jr. who adapted creatively the doctrine of non-violent resistance developed by M.K. Gandhi in India is only the most visible representation of the rich ties that have existed between African Americans and India. This book seeks to explore the historic relationship between African Americans and India in the period leading up to the latter nation's independence in 1947. Just as enslaved Africans were the major source of wealth in the nascent United States, colonized India was the jewel in the crown of the British Empire. Author Gerald Horne draws connections between India and African Americans using economic measures, religious beliefs, and a relationship to the former Soviet Union. Based upon extensive archival research in India, the United States, and the United Kingdom, The End of Empires breaks new ground in the ongoing effort to "internationalize" African American History. Gerald Horne, Moores Professor of History & African-American Studies at the University of Houston is the author of many books. ======== Unquote ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

Megan, The letters are not distinct enough for someone who does not know the language to transcribe but I would guess that someone familiar with it could make sense of it. David -----Original Message----- From: india-british-raj-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:india-british-raj-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of megan mills Sent: 04 March 2008 11:47 To: india-british-raj@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] Urdu translation Hi, David if in Romanised Urdu why not transcribe for the List. cheers, Megan> From: railton.david@btinternet.com> To: INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ@rootsweb.com> Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2008 11:05:17 +0000> Subject: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] Urdu translation> > I have a postcard of a tennis club group probably taken in the 1920s in> Bangalore. It has a few words written on it which I guess are in Urdu (but> not in Urdu script).

The Government of India Act of 1935 by Naveed Tajammal Tuesday, March 4, 2008 http://thepost.com.pk/OpinionNews.aspx?dtlid=147807&catid=11 ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

Snipped from http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080304/jsp/opinion/story_8974805.jsp Tuesday, March 4 , 2008 THEATRE OF WAR - Dramatic reconstruction of events *** Not unexpectedly, 1857 marked a watershed in early British photography on India. The most important photographic record of the traumatic events of that year and the following was provided by a Corfiot Italian, Felice Beato - even though he arrived in India when British influence had been unquestionably established. *** ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

I have a postcard of a tennis club group probably taken in the 1920s in Bangalore. It has a few words written on it which I guess are in Urdu (but not in Urdu script). If there is anyone on the list who could translate for me I can attach the postcard to an email. I don't believe that what is written in particularly significant; it is curiosity alone that prompts me to ask. My guess is that it says something like "Greetings. Having a nice time in sunny Bangalore. Wish you were here"! David