Heritage by so many names

So how was it The Easter show Apologies I mean the Easter servicerdquo Sir PM did a quick facesave with his friend before things went downhill He knew better than to irritate Lady Flora with such schoolboy gaffesLady Florarsquos near eyeroll when such instances occurred was all too familiar by now Choosing to ignore it she replied ldquoIt was memorable as usual I did a mini trail of sorts this timehellip I began at St Thomas Cathedral and then headed to Afghan Church and finally rounded it off at Holy Name Cathedral After all I felt it was perfect given we didnrsquot exactly celebrate World Heritage Day or the more official International Day for Monuments and Sites Oh Pheroze Why didnrsquot you answer your telephone I was keen that you accompany me at least for part of this special Easter WalkrdquoSir PM looked downcast He did have a longish Saturday siesta and told the missus to keep the phone off the ringer ldquoWell it was my fault entirelyrdquo carefully avoiding making any revelations ldquoThe Captain also joined me for a few halts before having to head back to Poonardquo That last sentence was particularly painful for Sir PM to hear but he could only silently kick himself in the shins for killing the opportunityHoly Name Cathedral during Christmastime PicFiona FernandezldquoSt Thomas despite being smaller than many other churches has a magical aura to it Plus the plaques on its walls make it a veritable museum You can spend hours learning about the military might of the British and in many ways develop a fair idea of the Empirersquos progress in Western India The Afghan Church was like a wonderland in sculpted glass Besides being a memorial for those who were martyred in the many Afghan Wars I believe it is home to one of the finest assemblages of sculpted glass art in Indiardquo Sir PM was feeling worse by the minute ldquoI missed something special here My Ladyrdquo he sighed Tell me did you also stop at the smaller churches along the stretch I believe there are a few historic siteshelliprdquo he prodded ldquoWe halted at Wesley Methodist Church that was built around 1840 and has a stunning stilloperational Conacher Organ from Huddersfield UK The church is an oasis cocooned in the din of a busy traffic signal outside with plaques stunning stained glass work and ornate carvings But before that we dropped in to the Bowen Methodist Church set up in 1889 in memory of American missionary and author George Bowen who was fluent in Hindi and Marathi The little churchrsquos spire and faccedilade tend to get lost in the grimy streetscape outline off Tulloch Road But the biggest fact I discovered is that during the 2611 attacks the church had played sanctuary to many seeking refugerdquo Lady Flora was loving this avatar where she was front and centre of the conversation while her friend listened intently the lone sore point was her companion lsquoThe Captainrsquo who seemed to have taken his place ldquoSo why did the Captain abandon yourdquo he enquired trying to dig deeper ldquoHe didnrsquot abandon me it was a command from his senior to return to Poona for an urgent task Hersquos promised to return He was actually hoping to meet yourdquo she smiled ldquoWersquoll see about thatrdquo Sir PM mumbled under his breath quickly changing the topic ldquoAnd was the RC Church in your planrdquo he asked hoping his bit knowledge of the area would make him sound a shade knowledgeable especially since he was the native hereldquoAbsolutely This church the padre told me was set up in 1853 and was the first church for stationed British Roman Catholics in the cantonment It is called St Josephrsquos but is popularly referred to as lsquoRC Churchrsquo I spotted two flags near the entrance belonging to the Bombay Battalion with the Queenrsquos Colours that date to 1893 Not too far away I stumbled upon the Bombay Baptist Church BBC established in 1911 by Sir Henry Procter Apparently the original church was set up in Byculla in 1867 and it eventually settled in the present structure And then the stunning ceiling frescoes at Holy Name Cathedral rounded off things nicely Itrsquos undergoing extensive renovation but to immerse ourselves in its historicity deserves a separate visitrdquoHoly Name Cathedral during Christmastime PicFiona FernandezSir PM tried to make amends for his absence ldquoI was pestering Viegas today when I rang him up to wish him for Easter to show us some of the hidden gems in Dhobi Talao and Marine Lines The area has already undergone massive change and I cannot imagine what will become of it in five yearsrsquo timerdquo Lady Flora was intrigued ldquoPheroze we must That would be wonderfulrdquoldquoAnd trust him to throw in a humorous anecdote along the way Apparently some of the locals refer to the Our Lady of Dolours Church in Marine Lines as lsquoDollarwallah churchrsquordquo Both were in splits as they heard the church bells of the Cathedral ring calling the faithful to prayer on Easter Sundaymiddayrsquos Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the cityrsquos sights sounds smells and stoneswherever the ink and the inclination takes herShe tweets bombayana Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomatOptionskeyd0ddb8ef8f1a62a8cdd22fac27fc5ea7formatiframeheight90width728params