It's sad to think of the graves disappearing, but it isn't confined to India. Here in Oz, there are many old pioneer cemeteries which went under as Sydney expanded. I suspect that in the early days of the colony here, the problem was much the same as that in India, i.e. there simply weren't enough resources available to properly care for the living, let alone the dead. Then, of course, we have funds in India being channelled into the nuke program &ca. I'm guessing that they aren't all that bothered with graves given the huge population &ca. Meanwhile, is there a possibility of people in the West, whose ancestors are buried in India, clubbing together to raise funds to tidy up the cemeteries? But having said that, perhaps the greatest memorial to our European ancestors in India, would be for those funds to be channelled instead, towards improving the lot of the poverty-stricken ones left behind in India??? The future for some of them is looking pretty bleak, folks. And I'm sure that charities such as CAISS (Calcutta), Smile Cares (Chennai), or CTR (pan-India) would be eternally grateful for any help at all. Okay, guys, I'll hop off my soapbox now!! :)) Cheers, Lynne. :)) ----- Original Message ----- From: "Arvind Kolhatkar" <akolhatkar@rogers.com> To: <india-british-raj@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, May 19, 2008 2:58 AM Subject: Re: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] Neglected graves > Dear Listers, > > On the subject of graves, let me put down what I know from personal > experience. > > In my hometown of Satara, there is a graveyard, properly walled and gated, > which contained several British graves of the early 19th century, when > there > used be sizable British military presence in Satara. (The military was > later withdrawn from Satara, leaving a number of standing bungalows in the > area that is called Satara Cantonment even today, though there has not > been > anything like a real cantonment for more than a century.) > > I had, out of curiosity, visited the graves a couple of times several > decades ago. At that time, many graves were standing in good repair and > the > headstones could be read. I remember one in particular of a young > lieutenant who drowned in the river Venna. (This is a small river of > about > 30 miles length that rises in the Mahabaleshwar Hills and joins the bigger > Krishna just outside Satara. I was surprised that it could drown anyone!) > > I paid a visit to the same site last year. The surrounding wall and the > gate still stand and the site is supposed to be under the charge of the > Police department. Of the graves, only blocks of masonry remain. Almost > all headstones have disappeared. I could read only two: > > To the memory of James Arthur Lester, died 25th September 1851, aged 6 > months and 10 days > Sacred to the memory of Captain Henry ---nson 25th Regiment---who died > at---aum on the 15th October 1839. Aged ---years. This tomb is erected > by > his brother officers. > > Arvind Kolhatkar, Toronto, May 18, 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 > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG. > Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.23.16/1428 - Release Date: > 5/12/2008 7:44 AM >

Just as a matter of interest - the Queen Victoria Markets in Melbourne is built on a very old cemetery. There is no sight of any graves at all however, I heard that at the break of dawn when the stall holders are putting up their stalls, many of them have had "sightings" of some those long departed making their way to different sections of the blank space at the back of the market. In my young days Cemeteries were sacred places but I guess as time goes on, communities and circumstances change and new comers to the area have no knowledge or understandably, little interest. I feel that a walk through an old cemetery gives one an insight into the past of a town and is so very interesting. I have heard "first hand" of an occasion when my friend's uncle had a rather harrowing experience. He rode his bicycle home from work during the early hours of the morning and he had no choice but to ride through Park Street which vended it's way between the South Park and French cemeteries on either side, both of which had been closed for many many years. He was literally "chased" home this particular night by something or someone he couldn't see. Fortunately he lived quite near by and so raced home in an awful fright. >From then onwards he avoided that route home at night. It was a section of Park Street that was always very dark, even on the sunniest of days, the sun never seemed to peep through the tall trees on either side and it certainly gave one a rather errie feeling even during the day. Molly Sarstedt-Hamilton, Townsville, Australia Researching - Sarstedt/Hitchcock/Osborne/Cullen/Pringle/Vargas/Hamilton/Slark/Samworth/Fury/Short/Lawcock/Smith Beautiful autumn weather at present