Friday, March 28, 2014
BPW My postcard Sorry Im late
Ill be sending this to....
Would you believe it if I told you how difficult it is to find picture post-cards in Bombay? Half the shop-keepers didnt understand what it meant, and the others looked at me as if I had gone mad !
One guy asked me if i wanted a Picture of a postcard and the other said, you are the first person who has asked me for this since Ive opened my shop. I had almost given up hope when my dad went looking around for this one, he finally got me two cards that depict Bombays important landmarks.
The other hurdle I faced was due to my own forgetfulness. I was at my moms place whole of last week ( celebrating Varalakshmi nombu and devouring kozhakattais and vadais ), i had forgotten to carry the cord that connects the cam to the laptop. Hence couldnt post a pic of my card...Boo..hooo
Meeta told me I could post it when i reached my own place. And heres it..Im sending to A...friend hahaha
Its a picture of Flora Fountain. Completed in 1864, the Flora Fountain was erected by the Agri-Horticultural society of Western India out of a donation by Cursetjee Fardoonjee Parekh. Built in imported Portland stone, but now defaced with white oil paint, it was originally meant to be named after Sir Bartle Frere, then governor of Bombay. However, the name was changed before the fountain was unveiled. It stood in the center of the town as it then was. Now this area is the heart of the business district of the town.
Flora Fountain-Then
Flora Fountain-Now
This is what Mumbainet has to say about this structure-
"This is the very heart of Mumbai, circumscribed by stately colonial buildings that stand like proud old sentinels of a bygone era. Flora is the Roman Goddess of Flowers, her pretty alabaster face continually assaulted by grime and pollution. Next to her are a pair of torch bearing stone patriots that rise from the Martyrs Memorial nearby. Flora Fountain is now called Hutatma Chowk or Martyrs Square to honour those who died in the tumultuous birth of Maharashtra State. All around the square sit Mumbais infamous vendors selling just about everything under the blazing tropical sun -- from cheap nylon saris and ballpoint pens to herbal remedies and sexshop gewgaws. Tooting horns and traffic complete the chaotic picture, but through it all Flora manages to retain her serene composure."
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