24/02/2008 The colonial era, seen both as a legacy and a burden, informs much of Christopher Taylor's photographs of Kolkata and Mumbai. http://www.hindu.com/mag/2008/02/24/stories/2008022450100400.htm ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

Download Royalty-free Stock Images of antique historical city plans "Plan de Goa " (Plan of Goa) by Jacqes Nicolas Bellin, originally published in Paris, about 1750. The original is a copper engraved plan with recent hand colouring and has two flattened vertical folds. The size of the original is 35 x 21.5 cms including title, plus margins. http://stock-images.antiqueprints.com/stock/city-plans.html ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

Apologies to the List - most of whom will probably be delighted at my ENORMOUS blooper ! The email was one destined (I thought) to a well loved friend and we understand one another so that we can make light of events and people whom we hold dear. John and Helma ARE a delight and their company, as well as the computer fiasco - fiasco because he is of course expert - was all part and plan of a lovely day. Sorry John ! P.S But I DO get headaches and stiff neck et all when confronted with wretched computers. Wishes Sally

Salaam Beth bhain ! Yesterday came and went and the day's events turned out well ! Helma (who is Dutch and a housewife freak - I had been 'warned') was altogether gracious and good company. She ate up at the restaurant John and I took them to and came home to bed and private TV watching (she likes Home and Away et al) and then sound asleep while John F footled for an aeon with our computer. Having been a computer teacher during the last working phase of his life, he kept up a monotonous patter in the middle of which, he would toss me a question (I was supposed to have been paying attention) and oh dear Beth - I was back at Dow Hill with a wretched Victoria 'boy' daring me ! Sometimes - I would surprise him but mostly, I came down with clenched teeth and stiff neck with a headache for a chaser ! He made a botch of something discarding altogether, a programme which his nibs did not see fit and installed another which would not work and then - the 'battle' was on - "I do not like to be beaten." said he ! At which point I said "Look here - I don't CARE if you have broken my computer - just STOP. You can fix it when you come back to Perth another time!" John is stubborn and at long last - the 'thing' worked. John is interesting to listen to (thank heavens for he never draws breath)) and we stayed back in a cleared dining hall laughing at his New Guinea anecdotes which I could follow having lived there myself. My John was red in the face with laughing and that pleased us all no end ! All in all - a lovely day. P.S I have been recuperating ! Then dear my Beth - what's up ? What small adventures have you found yourself in?! I think it is time for another ear to ear chat and tomorrow is Sunday and I shall (I hope I remember) make the call and hope your telephone woes are now all well . Bought readymade minced beef and aloo chops at a gourmet today, along with ball curry and egg curry soooo - all I have to do is make rice for the next few days. Luverly ! Oh - no - I have not tried as yet, any of the recipes from the page I sent. They just look nice to drool over! ' Challa bye with love Poppadum bhain. (I don't altogether relate to the following - my own era gets in the way but it is pleasing to see that aspects of the 'old' mores remain and are appreciated and not altogether discarded. What think you?). I love city living but - Perth is lagging. Subject: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] Fw: Calcutta > For some to enjoy > > Molly > > Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2008 2:12 PM > Subject: Calcutta > > > > Subject: Yea - Calcutta > > By Suhel Seth > > After several years, I spent six nights in Kolkata, which, thankfully > enough, were like spending six nights in > heaven after the kind of lives we lead in the Delhis and Mumbais of the > world. There are no pressures of work; > there is almost an embedded fait accompli in people's demeanour, which > many a time suggests that this is the pace we follow, and bad luck to you > if you don't like it. I also had the luxury of spending these six nights > in unbridled comfort at what is certainly the finest resort hotel in > India: the ITC Sonar Bangla. > > The editor of this paper, M. J.Akbar, thankfully agrees that the charm > of Kolkata has still not dimmed, which > is why the last time he and I were in Kolkata together we spoiled > ourselves at the various impromptu > dinners that were held in our honour. > > There is also a certain basket of values that never escapes Kolkata. > The city just doesn't care who you are as long as you, at some time in > your life, have been a part of it. Which is why even the empty barstools > at the LightHorse Bar at Saturday Club tell you tales you may have heard > aeons ago. The butter chicken at Kwality's tastes just as good and thank > god the ever evolving Priya Paul has done nothing to modernize the cuisine > of Flury's which still serves up the best rum cakes and chicken patties! I > went back to some of our theatre haunts and remembered with great > affection the time I spent with Ashoke Viswanathan savouring the Afghani > chicken at Sutripti or partaking of Bacchus' generosity at Chota > Barrister. > > I even drove past the famed Lover's Lane several times just to relive > those moments when we would sneak our > girlfriend of the time to play hooky under a starry sky until the > ubiquitous Kolkata sergeant would show up on his well-preserved Bullet > motorcycle [ It happened to me ! I was parked in a car though... ]. I > watched with fondness the various cricket matches going on in the Maidan > and the same Maya Ram pao bhaji being advertised with gusto. I took an > afternoon off and strolled within the corridors of Jadavpur University and > was delighted to see Tommy Hilfiger stickers outside the SFI office: even > the communists have realized the worth of Tommy. > > But has Kolkata really changed? Have the people become smarter in terms > of making the best of every > opportunity? I think not. > > And this is why Kolkata is still such a special place to be. > > The only place where a lunch is incomplete without a Campari; where > there is a distinction between the dining room and the smoking room and > where round-collared T-shirts still find no acceptance in club bars. > > There is also a certain panache that Kolkata has with regard to the > music you hear. Item girls and Daler Mehndi have still not replaced Barry > Manilow or for that matter Nat King Cole. > > There are hundreds who can still recite their school song and have > preserved their College blazers and not > replaced them with some foreign brands. > > Where photographs are in photo frames and not in cupboards, so that you > can litter your drawing room with garish vases. > > It is this about the city that makes it so special. > > I took long walks in the malls only to witness for myself, first-hand, > the consumerism that has invaded Kolkata and then I thought to myself, why > not. If Kolkata can erect malls and frequent them without forgetting the > Victoria Memorial or the National Library, then more power to its > collective elbows. I smiled when I saw the queue of people trying to enter > the American Centre. In no other city are libraries as crowded as cinema > halls. And that is because Kolkata still has a mind when all others are > busy losing theirs. > > Many years ago I was part of a movement called 'Concern for Calcutta' > and it delighted me no end to see that Ward 63 was still sprinkled with > the work that CC, as it was known then, was doing. It is perhaps the only > city in the world which has a nature study park in, the costliest real > estate of that city. I went to Dalhousie Institute and saw an impromptu > quiz just as I went to CC & FC and saw prompted drinking happening. The > other unique dimension about this city is, if you belong here, you are > never a guest when you return. > > The family asks you no questions: it merely expresses unbridled delight > in seeing you back. You can walk into > dinners and parties alike; to cricket matches and merchant's cup soccer > matches on the back of your past. > Kolkata doesn't really care about the present or what you are up to! > > The visit was even more special because I staged two shows of our > English play Alipha: and the memories rushed back of a time when I would > be staging a play almost once every three months. The halls as beautiful > and the audience as well-behaved. No one picking up his or her mobile > phone and screaming Advani or Sonia. Just watching what they've come to > watch intently and with the respect it deserves. > > Sometimes, only sometimes, I wish we could throw the residents out of > Delhi and replace them with Kolkatans. The purging would mean so much to > all of us. But then when one ponders, one is gratified that Kolkata is > still a city of remarkable joy. Of prose and passion. Of poetry and > phuchka. Of people and, thankfully, no prejudices. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Post free auto ads on Yello Classifieds now! Try it now! > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Sell your car for just $30 at CarPoint.com.au. It's simple! > > > -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Listen now! New music from the Rogue Traders. > > ------------------------------- > 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 Molly - I did indeed enjoy the article about Kolkata as seen through the present day writer's vision although, I do not relate because the Calcutta of my era gets in the way. Nevertheless, what seems clear, I am please to note, is that aspects of the old mores which existed in that wonderful old city, live on - thanks to those who appreciate and do not altogether discard, what was established by generations which preceded in another time. Good old Calcutta/Kolkata ! Ta for sharing Wishes Sally Stewart ----- Original Message ----- From: "Molly & Louis Hamilton" <l_ehamilton@iprimus.com.au> > For some to enjoy > > Molly

Introduction to the book - ''Goa and the Revolt of 1787'' Concept Publ. Company, New Delhi, 1996. [First English edition of «A Conjuração de 1787 em Goa» published by J.H. da Cunha Rivara in 1875. The translation by Mr. Renato da Cunha Soares in «XCHR Studies Series Nº 6» was sponsored by the Pinto Family. The book carries an Introduction by Dr. Teotonio R. de Souza, the founder-director of the Xavier Centre of Historical Research (1979-1994). The book with 290 pages, also includes an updated genealogical map of the Pinto family.] Online at http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/1503/1787.html ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

25 January 2008, Friday http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=129629 ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

EDUCATION IN INDIA Lecture is Brooklyn by Miss Mary Carpenter. NYT, June 10, 1873, Wednesday 1489 words At the request of several prominent clergymen and citizens of Brooklyn, Miss Mary Carpenter last evening delivered an address on "Education in India," particularly as regards women, in the Church of the Savior, Brooklyn. [snip] Download the pdf file from here: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9506EFDC143AE63BBC4852DFB0668388669FDE&scp=17&sq=poona&st=p ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

For some to enjoy Molly Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2008 2:12 PM Subject: Calcutta Subject: Yea - Calcutta By Suhel Seth After several years, I spent six nights in Kolkata, which, thankfully enough, were like spending six nights in heaven after the kind of lives we lead in the Delhis and Mumbais of the world. There are no pressures of work; there is almost an embedded fait accompli in people's demeanour, which many a time suggests that this is the pace we follow, and bad luck to you if you don't like it. I also had the luxury of spending these six nights in unbridled comfort at what is certainly the finest resort hotel in India: the ITC Sonar Bangla. The editor of this paper, M. J.Akbar, thankfully agrees that the charm of Kolkata has still not dimmed, which is why the last time he and I were in Kolkata together we spoiled ourselves at the various impromptu dinners that were held in our honour. There is also a certain basket of values that never escapes Kolkata. The city just doesn't care who you are as long as you, at some time in your life, have been a part of it. Which is why even the empty barstools at the LightHorse Bar at Saturday Club tell you tales you may have heard aeons ago. The butter chicken at Kwality's tastes just as good and thank god the ever evolving Priya Paul has done nothing to modernize the cuisine of Flury's which still serves up the best rum cakes and chicken patties! I went back to some of our theatre haunts and remembered with great affection the time I spent with Ashoke Viswanathan savouring the Afghani chicken at Sutripti or partaking of Bacchus' generosity at Chota Barrister. I even drove past the famed Lover's Lane several times just to relive those moments when we would sneak our girlfriend of the time to play hooky under a starry sky until the ubiquitous Kolkata sergeant would show up on his well-preserved Bullet motorcycle [ It happened to me ! I was parked in a car though... ]. I watched with fondness the various cricket matches going on in the Maidan and the same Maya Ram pao bhaji being advertised with gusto. I took an afternoon off and strolled within the corridors of Jadavpur University and was delighted to see Tommy Hilfiger stickers outside the SFI office: even the communists have realized the worth of Tommy. But has Kolkata really changed? Have the people become smarter in terms of making the best of every opportunity? I think not. And this is why Kolkata is still such a special place to be. The only place where a lunch is incomplete without a Campari; where there is a distinction between the dining room and the smoking room and where round-collared T-shirts still find no acceptance in club bars. There is also a certain panache that Kolkata has with regard to the music you hear. Item girls and Daler Mehndi have still not replaced Barry Manilow or for that matter Nat King Cole. There are hundreds who can still recite their school song and have preserved their College blazers and not replaced them with some foreign brands. Where photographs are in photo frames and not in cupboards, so that you can litter your drawing room with garish vases. It is this about the city that makes it so special. I took long walks in the malls only to witness for myself, first-hand, the consumerism that has invaded Kolkata and then I thought to myself, why not. If Kolkata can erect malls and frequent them without forgetting the Victoria Memorial or the National Library, then more power to its collective elbows. I smiled when I saw the queue of people trying to enter the American Centre. In no other city are libraries as crowded as cinema halls. And that is because Kolkata still has a mind when all others are busy losing theirs. Many years ago I was part of a movement called 'Concern for Calcutta' and it delighted me no end to see that Ward 63 was still sprinkled with the work that CC, as it was known then, was doing. It is perhaps the only city in the world which has a nature study park in, the costliest real estate of that city. I went to Dalhousie Institute and saw an impromptu quiz just as I went to CC & FC and saw prompted drinking happening. The other unique dimension about this city is, if you belong here, you are never a guest when you return. The family asks you no questions: it merely expresses unbridled delight in seeing you back. You can walk into dinners and parties alike; to cricket matches and merchant's cup soccer matches on the back of your past. Kolkata doesn't really care about the present or what you are up to! The visit was even more special because I staged two shows of our English play Alipha: and the memories rushed back of a time when I would be staging a play almost once every three months. The halls as beautiful and the audience as well-behaved. No one picking up his or her mobile phone and screaming Advani or Sonia. Just watching what they've come to watch intently and with the respect it deserves. Sometimes, only sometimes, I wish we could throw the residents out of Delhi and replace them with Kolkatans. The purging would mean so much to all of us. But then when one ponders, one is gratified that Kolkata is still a city of remarkable joy. Of prose and passion. Of poetry and phuchka. Of people and, thankfully, no prejudices. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Post free auto ads on Yello Classifieds now! Try it now! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sell your car for just $30 at CarPoint.com.au. It's simple! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Listen now! New music from the Rogue Traders.

WHO HOLDS THE REINS IN INDIA The Hopeless Minority of Natives Who Have Responsible Positions in the Administration By LAJPAT RAI published: July 2, 1916, Sunday New York, June 29, 1916 To the Editor of The New York Times: In his attempt to defend the British Government, Rustom Rustomjee charges me with having told only "half the truth, which is almost worse than utter falsehood." The basis of this charge is that, according to him, I have "forgotten to mention other services, such as the judicial, in which the Indian element preponderates." [snip] ======== Download full text (927 words/pdf), by going here: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9801E6DF1E3FE233A25751C0A9619C946796D6CF ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

I wonder if anyone might help identify the unit in which chaplain I W Shaw served in. I've recently been contacted by somebody who has this interesting artefact of a wooden cross made from a tree near the infamous Bibighar well from the Indian Mutiny. It can be seen on my website at: http://www.britishempire.co.uk/forces/armycampaigns/indiancampaigns/mutiny/c awnporecross.htm The inscription on the base states: "made out of a tree wch (sic) stood near 'the Well' at Cawnpore 1857 (signed) I W Shaw Chaplain" The owner is actually prepared to donate it to a regimental museum - but only if we can identify which unit might be interested in acquiring it. Any help would be gratefully received. Stephen Luscombe stephen@britishempire.co.uk http://www.britishempire.co.uk

----- Original Message ----- From: "Chris Duff" Those of us familiar with the county of Derbyshire will know Peveril as a mini-mountain in the Peak District. It would be interesting to know the connection between Peveril Peak, Hong Kong and Peveril Peak, Derbyshire. ======================================== Two things. First, a correction. That ''(named after a peak in HK)'' in my mail was a typo - I didn't realise I'd added the << in HK >> part, till I saw your message. It should have been just << named after a peak >>, with a full stop at the end. Thanks for pointing it out. [Philip Peveril John was the eldest brother of PGW and the "Peveril" part was due to his being the first white child born on the Peak in HK, which reminded his mother Elearnor of Scott's "Peveril of the Peak".] Secondly, arising out of this, I wonder if some expert can tell me about the salary-pension structure of those in the Colonial Service in the late 19th - early 20th centuries. PGW's father Henry Ernest Wodehouse was a colonial magistrate cum civil servant in Hong Kong. But the government paid his salary in Indian Rupees. When he retired and went back to England, they paid him his monthly pension - also in Indian Rupees. And since the Rupee-Pound exchange rate was highly unstable even at that time, the actual amount he used to get (after converting his Rupee-penison to GBPs), varied from month to month. My question is, what was the rationale? Why did they pay the HK civil servants in Rupees? Was the practice confined only to the eastern part of the Empire? And how long did it last? Till 1947? 1997? Just curious! ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

----- Original Message ----- From: "Chris Duff" My step-father's grandfather was Benjamin Wilson HALLIFAX, .... had nine children and all were born in Darjeeling. .... Five of the boys went on to Balliol College, Oxford. ---- Henry Francis HALLIFAX joined ICS Central Provinces in 1893 and eventually became a Judge of the Chief Court. ---- Herbert Witten HALLIFAX left Balliol and became a mining engineer, working at a manganese mine at Ramlik, Central Province. He then joined the Province Water Department, and became Executive Engineer at Kamtree. =============================================== Well, the two places where Herbert Witten was stationed are not far from the city where I live, Nagpur (or Nagpore, as it was spelt then), which was the capital of the erstwhile Central Provinces. ''Kamptee'' is now actually a suburb of Nagpur, just 10 miles to the north, having a large army set up. At one time, it was a very important cantonment; but after 1857, the focus shifted elsewhere. The other place is RAMTEK - a small town, some 20 miles up north from Kamptee on the Jabalpur (Jubbalpore) highway. Lots of coal, manganese, and mica mines in the vicinity. There is an old book online at archive.org, reporting details of the construction of a water reservoir at Ramtek by the PWD. Do you know exactly when HWH was there? Re. Henry Francis, since the only Chief Court in the Central Provinces at that time was in Nagpur, he might have been a resident of this city. Do you know? ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

MACAULAY IN INDIA: MACAULAYISM AND THE DEVALUATION OF THIRD WORLD CULTURES February 19, 2008 http://cambridgeforecast.wordpress.com/2008/02/19/macaulay-in-india-macaulayism-and-the-devaluation-of-third-world-cultures/ ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

Dear all May be interesting. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080217/jsp/7days/story_8912464.jsp Best regards John

Oh gosh, Harshoo!! I now have the most amazing mind pics of you sitting there with three carefully permed strands of hair decorating a polished cranium!! :))) Cheers, Lynne. :)) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar" <bosham@gmail.com> To: <india-british-raj@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 6:58 PM Subject: Re: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] Hair today ... Re: Qld floods > PERManently! > > And it's not a ri-BALD truth!! :-) > > Sorry, but you started it. > > Cheers, > > --- Harshawardhan > > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "John FELTHAM" > >> ----- Harshawardhan (rapidly going bald) > > So your hair is waving? Waving goodbye? :-) > > > > ------------------------------- > 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: 269.20.7/1286 - Release Date: 2/18/2008 > 6:49 PM > >

----- Original Message ----- From: "Andrew Sellon" > <snip> (Lord Bosham, though a viscount and a future earl, is supposed to be the stupidest chap in the Wodehouse canon >>> Was it not the Viscount who lived in Blandings Castle who had a special affinity with pigs? I have to confess to never having linked Bosham, near where I used to live, with Blandings. ------------------------------- First, to bring this on line. P G Wodehouse had had a strong family connexion with India, as some of you might recall. His father was a British-Raj civil servant/judge and was posted to Hong Kong in late 1870s. PG's elder brother Peveril (named after a peak in HK) became a big-shot in Hong Kong police force. PG's other elder brother Armine was a lecturer in Bombay, Poona, and Benares between 1911 and 1925. He was actively associated with Annie Besant. PG's wife Ethel was in India with her first husband L Rowley, from 1905 to 1909. Rowley died near Kolar GF, and the young widow then went back to England and subsequently remarried PGW. Finally, PG's second cousin twice-removed was Sir Philip Wodehouse - he served as Governor, not only of the Bombay Presidency, but also of the Malay Federated States. All right! Now to briefly answer your q. - the pig lover was the Viscount's (Viscount Bosham) father - Clarence, 9th Earl of Emsworth. PGW spent some time in Emsworth (Hants) and was so deeply pleased with the area, that he named many of his characters after nearby towns and locales. Hence Lord Emsworth, Lord Bosham, Lord Havant, et al. The fictional Blandings Castle itself exists somewhere in Shropshire, on the banks of the Severn, not far from Bridgenorth and Shrewsbury. And that, I think, is all I dare to write about PGW on this list. Cheers, ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

Prof. Puran Singh brilliantly espouses the Sikh aspirations in 1928 Posted on February 15, 2008. [Open letter written by Prof. Puran Singh to Sir John Simon of "Simon Commission" fame. Puran Singh Studies, Punjabi University, Patiala] http://sikhcentre.wordpress.com/2008/02/15/prof-puran-singh-brilliantly-espouses-the-sikh-aspirations-in-1928/ ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

Dec 30,2007 From http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=4&id=210108&usrsess=1 100 years ago today News Item SCHOOL GIRLS' FIGHT A Remarkable Street Scene Bow Bazar Street, on Tuesday afternoon, was the scene of no little excitement over a fight among a party of about a dozen Eurasian girls between the ages of about 14 to 16 years. But for the prompt action taken by the police, the consequences might have been serious. The girls were pupils of one of the Anglo-Indian schools in the locality and had attended the prize-giving ceremony, held that day, attired in smart dresses. At the close of the function, while the gathering was dispersing, some of the girls passed some ugly remarks about another girl of West Indian parentage. A quarrel followed and the girls, about a dozen in number, were soon engaged in a general melee. Fisticuffs and kicks and hair pulling were freely indulged in. Hats were flung about in all directions and many of the smart frocks of the young combatants were torn into shreds to the accompaniment of volleys of violent language. An immense crowd of spectators assembled on the scene and appeared not a little astonished at the singular pugilistic exhibition. The fight lasted for about ten minutes, during which the tram car and other vehicular traffic was practically held up. Superintendent Merriman, accompanied by Inspector Cooper, on receipt of the news, hastened to the scene, when some of the combatants made verbal complaints and expressed their determination to continue the fight. On Mr Merriman threatening to lock them up, the girls dispersed. ============================= ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

Last time together at Bow Barracks Jan 01,2008 KOLKATA, Dec. 31: This was the last Christmas this year for the residents of the historic Bow Barracks, the symbol of the Anglo- Indian community in this city. And today it would be their last New Year's eve. The 90-year-old structure is to be razed to the ground. The 132 Anglo-Indian families residing in Bow Barracks in central Kolkata since the allied troops vacated the dingy quarters at the end of the World War II are to be relocated in different areas after the demolition of all the seven blocks. Their quaint lives inspired filmmaker Anjan Dutt to make Bow Barracks Forever ~ which won all-round critical acclaim. The beauty of the Barracks in Bowbazar first appealed to city architect- conservator Mr Manish Chakraborty. He took it upon himself to create awareness among people here about the invaluable heritage of the place, the historical importance of the deteriorating flats, which were built at the turn of the 20th century. The week-long Bow Barracks Festival took place in December 2000 and it was here that Dutt met Chakraborty. "This was the beginning of my association with the place. I would go back every Christmas to 'aunty' at the Barracks for her wine," reminisced the filmmaker. The wine-maker was the soul inspiration for Emily Lobo, the protagonist in Bow Barracks Forever. The story is of a tiny but resolute Anglo Indian community in the heart of bustling Kolkata trying desperately to keep alive its hopes, dreams, aspirations and its identity, as the world around them changes swiftly and tries to impose that change on them and their lives. It is a tale of heart breaking loneliness and immense courage. According to Dutt, Kolkata is not just a place for the Bengali. The "outsiders" have contributed to the city's music, festivities and food habits. "It's about finding one's home, and one's self in the world. Calcutta is Emily's home, as lousy as it may be. And the story encapsulates this pride of being a Calcuttan." The families in the Barracks this New Year's have made arrangements for revelry, which is expected to be tinged with emotion. Though happy at the idea of living in new homes, most of the families say they will miss the celebration of the New Year and Christmas together. The young members of the community though insist they will try to be here together in 2009 as well. "We will assemble here again in 2009 to celebrate New Year despite being scattered in different parts of the city," Mr Allen Lobo, the secretary of the Bow United Organisation, said. Mr Melvyn Brown, a chronicler of Anglo- Indian community in Kolkata, is against demolition of the barracks. "The one or two-room quarters, which were built on a three-bigha graveyard to accommodate Allied troops during the World War II, should be preserved as a heritage structure," Mr Brown said. But as the new must replace the young, the younger residents of the place feel the structures, which were declared unsafe two decades ago, should be knocked down. http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=22&id=210257&usrsess=1 ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India