Prashant Bhatt's notes

Bradley Museum-50 years

Posted on June 25, 2017 by prashant bhatt

The many manifestations and significance of having a Community museum were spoken about. Later, over the strawberry cake and lemonade , we went through some personal memories associated with this Museum.

Then we walked through the Anchorage-the house of Captain Skinner, where there is a Cup, given to him for his participation in the Napoleonic war in Malta. This brought back personal memories of our own association of staying two years in Malta, and the many walks we had in Valletta, Sliema, Gozo came alive.

Anchorage-Bradley Museum-the cup presented to Captain Skinner for his participation in Napoleonic wars -Malta

Celebrating 50 years of Bradley Museum

On The Significance of the Community Museum- some interesting insights by Mayor Bonnie Crombie

Some personal memories of our family’s association with Malta

Posted in Canada 150 years | Tagged Malta, Canada 150, Bradley Museum 50 | Leave a comment

Around Father’s day-2017

Posted on June 18, 2017 by prashant bhatt

I purposely use the word have rather than had when talking with the kids about their dad. I want them to appreciate that even though Tom isn’t here with us physically, he is alive with God, and they still have a dad

McGuiness, Cheryl. Beauty Beyond the Ashes: Choosing Hope After Crisis (pp. 205-206).

Howard Books. Kindle Edition.

Around –Father’s Day-I read the above lines from Cheryl McGuiness’s book, which had been given as the example of growth through pain- in John Maxwell’s book-15 laws of Growth. Having a relationship with a loved one who has passed away, and using books as a framework to shape our thoughts, made me write a Father’s day message to my sister in India.

FATHER’S DAY

The memories of a scooter in which he would take us for rides when we were small, the Khirkee cantonment in the seventies and the prayer-outings to Parvati-temple of Pune. These memories of childhood, cement our ties , now that our parents are no longer physically with us.

BOOK DISCUSSION

My father introduced me to libraries, inculcated the love of the written word in me, and over the years, this has enriched life in many ways. Having a Reading-Book-Club is a way to further enhance the reading process, what a particular work informs-educates about the human condition.

2016-LEPTIS MAGNA-LIBYA…Going to open spaces and Reading, gives a different flavor to the Reading journal. Over the years, these Reading-Thinking places have added great richness to life.

Cherry McGuiness, wife of Tom McGuiness-the co-pilot on 9/11 tragedy, was invited by well meaning friends on Mother’s day, but the experience turned sour. So, as Father’s day came she planned a more private intimate setting, and after dinner-spent several hours going through the collection of Old family photographs.

She writes.

The disaster of Mother’s Day gave me the resolve I needed to take control of Father’s Day the next month. I reassumed family leadership and planned an event that would focus on Jennifer and Tommy and the great dad they have. (I purposely use the word have rather than had when talking with the kids about their dad. I want them to appreciate that even though Tom isn’t here with us physically, he is alive with God, and they still have a dad.) On Father’s Day 2003, the three of us came home after church and worked together to make a special meal. We had a great time in the kitchen, enjoying each other’s company as we cooked. After dinner we spent several hours going through our collection of old family photographs. I had purchased a number of new photo albums, and we spent the evening sorting and organizing our family pictures. In the process we remembered in a positive and joyful way the many wonderful years we had with Tom as a husband and dad.

McGuiness, Cheryl. Beauty Beyond the Ashes: Choosing Hope After Crisis (pp. 205-206). Howard Books. Kindle Edition.

CURRENT GENERATION

As we gathered our thoughts around Father’s day for the present generation, we went through some memories of yester years and walks which we have done through different places where we stayed. Due to our stay in different places, we have been associated with monuments-institutions in their vicinity.

2010-Dec-Walks together-Xlendi Gozo see Friends of Bouazizi – Year End diary-2011 Meeting –Tripoli Reading Group- 2011- http://wp.me/piL5Q-iP

2009-SABRATHA-LIBYA – DIARY BY THE SEA

READING-THINKING PLACES…Sabratha-Libya-2008…many lovely hours, spent Reading-Discussing -The Tripoli Reading Group

2010-XLENDI-GOZO-MALTA..Manna dey-songs, some of my father’s favorites, I later sang with my sons, walking by the Mediterranean

2015-RIVERWOOD-MISSISSAUGA-CANADA..book discussions

READING PLACES- RIVERWOOD:19.6.16: But the slave of Khalaf’s letter was not of the company of the consequential people like wazirs,sultans,the chroniclers,and the priests –the people who have the power to inscribe themselves physically upon time…in his instance it was a mere accident that those barely discernible traces that ordinary people leave upon the world happen to have been preserved. (From Amitav Ghosh’s –In an Antique Land) ..Readings in Riverwood-in the morning- on the bench in memory of Zachary Jelovsek,(1995-2014)..Taken much too soon.

MERCHANT OF VENICE Many lovely hours spent at Port Credit- Discussing Nuances of Literature How Shakespeare created characters such as Shylock and Falstaff, who outgrew the confines of their play, and talk to people through the centuries. …………revenge! I’ll treat you as badly as you Christians taught me to— and you’ll be lucky if I don’t outdo my teachers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_5adzpdkdw

MUSEUM JOURNALS-AND READING PLACES

The love of the written word, and going to Museums-shaping them as “Thinking Places” were two gifts my father gave me, which I tried to pass on to my sons

Other related posts

Museums with Children http://wp.me/PiL5Q-24

End Note: The words of Karl Khandalawala come to mind..many lovely hours spent walking these galleries of Prince of Wales-Chatrapathi Shivaji Museum-Mumbai

If my work enables even a few of my countrymen to realize the greatness of Indian painting and Art I will feel I have not labored in vain- Karl Khandalawala-Crusador for Indian art and culture

Through these Reading -Discussion Journals, logs of museums-Thinking places we have been to together, we maintain a living link between many generations of our family.

Posted in Canada 150 years, life, Walks | Tagged Amitav Ghosh, Canada, Cheryl McGuiness, Diary, Indian Diaspora, Malta, Shakespeare, Tripoli Reading Group, Walks | Leave a comment

Around Mother’s Day-2017

Posted on May 14, 2017 by prashant bhatt

“India was the motherland of our race, and Sanskrit the mother of Europe’s languages: she was the mother of our philosophy; mother, through the Arabs, of much of our mathematics; mother, through the Buddha, of the ideals embodied in Christianity; mother, through the village community, of self-government and democracy. Mother India is in many ways the mother of us all”.

Will Durant-American Historian

I went for some walks to -Thinking Places-and reviewed some Mother Energies.

My father lost his mother when he was around five years old, and his elder cousin sisters- Padma Buaji and Saraswati Bua-ji being the most memorable amongst them, shaped his thinking and family life in many ways.

So, as I look back on these past months,when their grandsons got married, I reflected on the many Mother energies which went into shaping the family .

REMEMBERING I-611 AND B 1260..AND House number 4-Upper Kaithu

On 28.2.17 my nephew Rohit got married, on 18.4.17- my nephew Mudit got married and on these occasions I remembered some places associated with their grandmothers- Padma Dobhal and the Dobhal Family of 1-611 Sarojini Nagar and Saraswati Dabral- and the Dabral Family with their journeys through Moradabad, education, and B 1260 Palam Vihar.

They are my father’s sisters- and the mind’s eye went back to the time when the Bhatt family would stay in House number 4, Upper Kaithu Bazaar- Shimla and pray at Kali Bari and Jakhoo Temples of Shimla..

28-2-2017-Delhi-My elder brother Shri Yogendra Dobhal and Nirmal Bhabhi-ji blessing the newly married couple-Rohit Dobhal and Prabhjeet Kaur-Dobhal

–MY FATHER’S SISTERS..

MY FATHER’S SISTERS…….2015-At Taj Mahal-Saraswati and Laxmi Bua-ji, their links with Agra and Meerut and the many family discussions and teachings we all gained over many loving meals at B-Block 1260 Palam Vihar

MY FATHER’S SISTERS ……..2012- 4-UPPER KAITHU BAZAAR-Bhatt family memories-my father’s sisters-Savitri bua ji on a visit-pilgrimages to Upper Kaithu Bazaar with Surendra-mama ji and my sister Priti Dutta nee Thapliyal

MY FATHER’S SISTERS……1999…C 1804 PALAM VIHAR.. Padma Bua ji ,(Padma Dobhal) with my mother and Sanjoo Bhai’s son, and Bhabhiji and Mamta-Sagar

MY MOTHER’S SISTERS- C 1804 PALAM-1999-October

1999- MY MOTHER’S SISTERS- PALAM VIHAR with Abha and Meena mousi-jis and Smarika and Shounkie Nawani

PRAYERS-CEREMONIES-PALAM VIHAR- APRIL 2017

Family prayers-B Block 1260-Palam Vihar-18-4-17-marriage of Mudit and Nidhi, with Shashi Bhabhi-ji and Saraswati Buaji.

APRIL 2017 ..Prayers and family gatherings- Mudit and Nidhi Dabral wedding-18-4-17

—

SOME LEGACY THOUGHTS-CONVERSATIONS

Places, persons, and family memories associated through generations came to mind- as I recollected the many mother energies which go into shaping the family legacy.

Delhi-1968- me on the lap of my Dada-ji-Bhawani Shankar Bhatt-with Jeevan Chacha-ji, my mother-Nirja Bhatt -nee Uniyal sitting beside him and my father Prem Narain Bhatt standing in background.

—

Remembering some conversations with Guddu-Bhai- (Shri Yogendra Dobhal) in Lodhi Gardens -Delhi..we have met there over the years, whenever I return to India, we embrace each other with tears in our eyes, and he lightly scolds me- Return-what less do you have in India- in a way which only an elder brother can scold..mixing rebuke with great affection

Posted in Family Marriages | Tagged Canada, Indian Diaspora, Mother's Day | Leave a comment

Every Object has a story

Posted on March 22, 2017 by prashant bhatt

BRADLEY-MUSEUM- Mississauga

Click on image to see bigger version

Riverwood-Winter Walks-Canada-2016-December

At the same time, we have retreated from public spaces of our old neighbourhoods into the private spaces of our automobiles, the anonymity of our high-rises, the security of our gated-communities, and the isolation of our urban homes. Because of almost total reliance on the automobile, we find it inconvenient to ship and live in our older neighbourhoods, and we too often use their streets as one-way speedways to get us everywhere else.

Bill Manson- Local historian of Hamilton

in Foreward to –Footsteps in Time,

Exploring Hamilton’s Heritage Neighbourhoods.

The false fire-alarms at the Art Gallery of Hamilton- AGH- got us talking and Bill Manson told that he has written four books on the local history of Hamilton, which he says he started exploring a bit more closely since he retired sixteen years ago. His talks on Expanding the Circle: Robert Davidson and the Ancient Language of Haida Art and Sara Angelucci: Piece Work were well researched and informative and give a window into what it means to be a Canadian living in the 21^st century, in the year of celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday.

CANADIAN MUSEUMS AND PUBLIC SPACES

By living in an area-one gets associated with many aspects of that region.

As examples- have shown the videos of Dhari Devi temple and Alaknanda in Garhwal Himalayas- an association which comes with our family base in Palam region of Delhi

Or the Maltese Chapels and Museums which came with our association with the Sweiqi-St Julian region of Malta.

Walks through the Toronto Zoo, Royal Ontario museum and Port Credit area came with the association with Mississauga.

As Canada observes it’s 150^th birthday, here are two slideshows –Royal Ontario Museum and Art Gallery of Hamilton

ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM

OUR INDIAN ORIGINS

Ganga- Shivpuri region-Garhwal Himalayas… Uttarakhand, India See Blog-
What is Satsang
https://prashantbhatt.com/2011/12/06/what-is-satsang/

Touching base with the Garhwal Himalayas-when I visited my father’s cousin sister, she took me to the Dhari Devi Temple, where our family has been associated for centuries and many generations. She remembered the time when her children were small- and they used to come for a picnic to Dhari Devi. Now both –Divyanshu and Mitali are studying in Dehradun. Joshi-ji is preparing for his retirement next year, and he told his children to first secure base with one qualification which will earn them some stability and later build on that and buttress one’s academic portfolio. Both children are following that realistic bottomline approach and slowly expanding their Horizons. Our families go back a long way, and many associations over the decades , which add depth and perspective and identity came alive as we spent a quiet evening. The Alaknanda flows nearby. This is where our ancestral village is. In the Garhwal Himalayas, before the Ganga is formed- at Devprayag. Meditated on the meanings of Satsang, over the years.

PRAYERS AT DHARI-DEVI- 12 km North of Srinagar –Garhwal Himalayas

ALAKNANDA- Chamoli region –Garhwal Himalayas

EXPLORING NEIGHBOURHOODS
I went through parts of the books –Footsteps in Time and History of Transportation in Hamilton, with my sons, and we decided to have a relook at some of the Neighbourhoods with whom we have been associated with before coming to Canada in 2012. As many chronic immigrants tell – Five years is regarded as a new immigrant here. It takes a few years to figure out life over here.
Because of our association with the Sweiqi- St Julian Neighbourhood of Malta , we were associated with some art movements of Southern Europe and got a feel of European civilization first hand. Living in a place is different from visiting it for a few days. Getting into the system of schools, transport, housing made us explore the layers of community involved in the St.Edward’s college Cottonera, the Museums and Theatres of Malta.
Malta-Museum of Fine Arts

The Chapel of St Edwards, Cottonera

Gozo Citadel

INTERROGATING LAYERS
As I thought about the words of Bill Manson, a life long educator, who used to teach theatre, about the anonymity of the lives, and the works of artists like Sara Angelucci which give voice to the anonymous worker, her meaning of Alchemy came to mind.

“I think of the hands of the sewers in Piece Work as mano d’oro [hands of gold]. Like alchemists they transform one element into another; their exacting labour turns fabric into dollars, dollars into bread.”
Sara Angelucci

These intimate works, made me recall some walks in different neighbourhoods I have had over the years, and connecting with our ancestral village in Garhwal Himalayas, or the landscapes and chapels of Malta and the associations which come with our life in Mississauga, Ontario

Posted in Canada 150 years | Tagged Canada, Diary, Indian Diaspora, Malta | Leave a comment

Reflections-through architecture, learning, talks

Posted on March 1, 2017 by prashant bhatt

The home is the lens, through which we get our first look at marriage and all civic duties. It is the clinic where , by conversation and attitude, impressions are created with respect to sobriety and reverence, it is the school where lessons of truth or falsehood , honesty and deceit are learned, it is the mould which ultimately determines the structures of society

Perry Webb-quoted in Today Matters-by John Maxwell

Around the birthdays of my nephew Mayank (27.2.2002) and son Sagar (28.2.1999) I went through some walks and conversations of yesteryears, with architecture as a focus.

Mayank doing Rolly Polly-Purana Quila-Delhi-October 2011

Some journeys-Click on Images to view larger versions-comments

2006-AKSA-MUMBAI

WALKS- 2004-LEPTIS MAGNA (Modern day Khoms)-Libya..The birthplace of Roman Emperor Septimus Severus

2009 Sabratha..A diary by the Mediterranean sea

GOZO CITADEL See blog- MUSEUMS WITH CHILDREN https://prashantbhatt.com/museums-with-the-children/

TRIPOLI ZOO-2009

RIVERWOOD-OCT 2014

FIRST TIME IN MALTA-SEP 2010

GJANTIGA TEMPLES ..GOZO-2010 DEC

Chapel-St.Edward’s Cottonera

WITH NIKOLA TESLA- NIAGARA-US SIDE-OCT 2014

Purana Quila-Delhi

VT-Mumbai

goze_tour_des_geants_lemaitre_univers_pittoresque_n02

Gjantija Temples-Gozo-Malta- 19th century drawing-Source-Wikipedia

The Rolly Polly my nephew did in the garden tombs of Delhi region- Purana Quila- in October 2011 when I visited Delhi after an eventful year, staying in Libya-through the NATO backed civil war, and losing my mother, is still fresh in my memory.

That was the year, I deepened my connection with some institutions in Malta, through my sons studying there, the St.Edward’s college-Cottonera- and the Maltese Indian Community through their Yoga Satsangs at the San Gjwann Centre. (Sukh Sagar). The architecture of Gjantija temples of Gozo-the oldest free standing structure known to man, and the Chapel of St Edwards which was earlier a storage during the times of the Knights of St John came to mind. I had met Sagar’s mother for the first time, in a World Heritage Site-the Victoria Terminus of Mumbai- in 1993.

KAAGAD MAT PHADO

Last year, Sagar learnt how to read-write-speak-listen to Gujarati, while studying the weekend classes at Rick Hansen School. This was something he was not able to do, despite many years in India, because he grew up in his early years in Delhi region, where we used to talk Hindi, and then shifted to Tripoli (where he picked up some Arabic) and later stayed in Mumbai where his grandparents would talk in Hindi. Canada gave him the opportunity to revisit his roots in a different way, as he explored the nuances of his mother tongue, and also the temples-spiritual traditions of Gujarat, the Dwarkadish temples and the Palitana temples. (these were part of the presentations which the children made on the final day of their course)

Dwarkadeesh Temples-Gujarat-Source Wikipedia

Palitana Jain Temples-Bhavnagar-Gujarat-Source Wikipedia

That brings me to the Kaagad Mat Phado- Do not tear away the paper (of immigration) decision which we made in 2012 and decided to give our children a chance and go at Canadian citizenship, though as mid career professionals we had some idea of the rampant unemployment, under employment and accreditation issues which professionals face in the Canadian system.

NARRATIVES

As the children enter their teenage years, the immigration cycles and high school cycles being completed, looking at some architecture which we discussed, visited, and recalling some conversations around our decisions and journeys, made me see the Big Picture in a different way.

QUESTION FOR APPLICATION

Recall some conversation, place you were associated with, reflecting on which gave you a window at different aspects of life, society.

Posted in Diary | Tagged Diary, Family, Indian Diaspora, Libya, Malta, Walks | 2 Comments

New Memories Project

Posted on February 12, 2017 by prashant bhatt

“Maintain your relation with your sister. If someone returns after 20 years, and wants to then rebuild that relation, he will find that people have moved on in life.” Roughly paraphrased from a discussion with my friend and chartered accountant Mr.Vijay Kumar before leaving for Canada in 2012-July. Vijay-ji is my friend and guide in many ways, he knows me more than anyone else in a way. He told me long ago- there are things you tell your CA, which even your family members will not know. Over the years and decades, I have found the truth in his assertion.

Applying his words in my context, I have maintained a –New Memories Project– with my sister and extended family in India. This is an area in which I am still growing, have many weaknesses, and limitations, but do an effort in that direction. Talking to my sister, following the life of her children, and also meeting-and sitting in the park with my father’s sister, helped me develop a perspective of the way life has shaped up.

B block-Palam Vihar-December 2016-Saraswati bua ji-my father’s sister. With her we talked about Shimla, Meerut, Kankarkhera, Delhi and many family journeys and associations. I met some of my mother’s friends, who used to sit with her, in the evenings in the park at B Block

PERSONAL MEMORIES REQUEST

Around the birthday of my sister, 10.2, I got a request to write about some personal memories related to my father-a Cardiac anesthetist. Sifting through the notes of yester years, I found a series of articles I had written for my sons, in which I had written about the different facets of life in the different decades of his life,from pre school-early school years in Shimla, high school-premedical and medical college studies in Delhi-Agra and the graduation from medical college-joining the Indian Army Medical corps and marriage, and going into specialization and superspecialization.

1970-Bhatt Family-with my sister

PERSONAL MEMORIES– In the blog- Their eyes were my eyes- (August 2015) I had gone through some aspects of generations, See link http://wp.me/piL5Q-T3 )

As my sister celebrated her own birthday, now seeing her own children go through the high school years, the mind’s eye goes back to the Delhi of 1980s when we were high school students. We shifted to Delhi from Pune, where we did our preliminary schooling-and were associated with schools organized by the Pune Diocese. The culture of Delhi, a much larger city than Pune was different, and being North Indians we had many direct links with our extended family here.

IDENTITY-FUN, FREEDOM, FINDING ONESELF.

In the blog-Journeys together(June 2016) http://wp.me/piL5Q-13t we examined some journeys in India, Egypt, Canada and the talks with my sons, using the occasion of the birthday of my father, reading some works of literature and trying to relate these to our contexts.

See blog – Walkers at Lullanagar (August 2008) to get an idea of the rich tapestry of life in Pune region, and the many things my father introduced and encourage me into.

https://prashantbhatt.com/2008/08/19/walkers-at-lullanagar/

PERSONAL MEMORIES-JOINT JOURNALS– In November 2016 went for some further walks with my nephew Mayank- http://wp.me/piL5Q-15F and brother-sister-stood at the Ashoka Pillar, where our parents had brought us when we were children.

In remembering the Banaras, Pune, Delhi years of my parents, and trying to see them in the framework of destinies, hearts, homes, histories and seeing how these relations developed the family, and continue to influence us to this day, I came to know a bit more about the word Legacy.

DHARI-DEVI TEMPLE REGION-SRINAGAR -GARHWAL

MY GRAND MOTHER- who passed away when my father was around four years old, had a brother- Mr Khanduri. I went on a pilgrimage to Dhari Devi temple-Srinagar Garhwal with Shri B B Joshi and Kiran Joshi-Kiran Joshi being the daughter of my father’s Uncle-Mamaji

Finding and nurturing these contacts with sisters-has added a richness to life.

Legacy is something handed down to you by a predecessor.

There are some civilizational and psychological constructs which are passed on by the life processes. Reflecting on the processes of family, career, relation of my parents in that phase of society, I think of the different resources which were available then and which are available now.

Character—who you are as a family, part of a group.

Relationships—who you know through your extended family and how that shapes you.

Knowledge—what you know about handling dynamics

Intuition—what you feel as conveyed by females and males.

Experience—where you’ve been in this journey of life with your partner.

Past success—what you’ve done with the educational, relational base you have built.

Ability—what you can do to develop a lasting platform, pass it on to next generation.

As I remember my parents I remember the many tangible-physical and also abstract-conceptual things which they passed on to me through their examples, experiences, energies. Thought about within the framework of family, I realize more than ever why family is supposed to be one of the most powerful words in the English language.

Riverwood-Winter Walks-Canada-2016-December

The writer John Maxwell talks about Thinking Places. In the past few months, I revisited some Thinking places-in Delhi and Mississauga regions to develop the new Memories project.

Posted in Diary, life | Tagged Delhi, Diary, Indian Diaspora, Walks | 4 Comments

Walks and conversations-Year end notes-2016

Posted on December 29, 2016 by prashant bhatt

“The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.”

Plutarch

Hitkar Himalaya Society- Mr.Sudhir Ranjan Bahuguna, Dr Panwar, Dr.Shrawan Rawat-Nagarasu-Chamoli-Uttarakhand, November 2016

Was going through some walks, conversations, experiences of 2016. Here are some video journals with Himalaya Hitkar society, in Uttarakhand, Garhwal Himalayas, India.

Mr.Sudhir Ranjan Bahuguna explains the origins of the Himalaya Hitkar society around 25 years ago, when there was an earthquake in Uttarkashi (1991).

“We are Pravasis- immigrants- living in the plains, in Delhi region, but our love for the hills brings us back here,” he explained, sitting over a cup of tea in Nagarasu , Chamoli a few kilometers before the Gauchar area. “This area served as a base for relief in 2013 when there were flash floods,” he told of more recent natural calamities.

About Hitkar Himalaya Society

He talked about the influences and inspiration of his father Shri Ram Prasad Bahuguna- a journalist-publisher of “Devbhoomi” a weekly which he ran from 1950 to 1990. His sons Mr.Sudhir and Mr.Sameer Bahuguna completed the vision of their father to run this weekly for 50 years. Many journalists and social activists were mentored by his father. The Uttarakhand government has instituted a yearly award for journalists in the memory of Shri Ram Prasad Bahuguna. He was inspired by his uncle Anasuya Prasad Bahuguna, who was one of the first lawyers of the Garhwal region.

Shri Anasuya Prasad Bahuguna- 18.02.1894- to 23.03.1943- one of the early influences on Shri Ram Prasad Bahuguna.

British India- around 1940- Shri Anasuya Prasad Bahuguna with Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Vijay Laxmi Pandit

British India- around 1940-

About Shri Ram Prasad Bahuguna

Listening to these experiences, the truth of the above mentioned words of Plutarch came to mind.- “The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.”

About the Gauchar Fair

Posted in Everyday History, Walks | Tagged Family, Indian Diaspora, Uttarakhand, Walks | 5 Comments