Prashant Bhatt's notes

Walks during Fall

Posted on October 27, 2014 by prashant bhatt

Planted the 3rd square from the North end on the east side
of the garden
From the diary of Daniel Read-May 5,1796 (1)

Wilket Creek Park Central Don Toronto

The Toronto Botanical Gardens in Edwards garden-Wilket Creek park area of Central Don has a very interesting library. I spent some peaceful hours reading about the evolution of landscapes and gardens for historic buildings. This reminded me of the many lovely hours over the decades I have spent walking and reading in such parks, gardens in India, Libya, Malta.

Sunny Brook Park, Central Don-Toronto

Wilket Creek Park – Central Don Region-Toronto

The Lodhi gardens and Humayun tomb areas of Delhi have many interesting memories. Sitting on the tomb steps of Bada Gumbad-Sheesh Gumbad- (The Big Tomb, the Glass tomb) have kindled many discussions. The Lodhi gardens was inaugurated on April 9,1936, and was known as Lady Willingdon Park. It was earlier a village of Khairpur. The area has a bridge with eight arches -Athpula- which is one of the few structures of the period of the reign of Akbar. Four generations of our family have walked in this area .

In Libya, the eastern and western Libyan coastlines reflect their Greek and Roman pasts. The ancient city of Cyrene is modern day Shahat and has some lovely slopes which merge into the blue-green Mediterranean. Walking these paths makes one feel closer to persons like Simon of Cyrene who helped Jesus carry the cross. The Tobruk war cemeteries have beautiful gardens associated with them. The Commonwealth, German and French cemeteries are all unique in their own ways. The gardens associated with the Shara Mansoori cemetery of Tripoli-the Italian times cemetery and the Commonwealth war graves cemetery have led to many interesting links and associations with families who made Tripoli their home, 30,50 ,100 and even 150 years ago.

Ras Al Hilal, Eastern Libya

The Maltese coastlines have some beautiful gardens-and areas for walking. The Xlendi area of Gozo is particularly peaceful in the winters. An ancient ship wreck was discovered here a few decades ago. The Calypso cave overlooks the Ramla bay, where legend has it that Ulysses spent many years, on his way back from Troy. The oldest free standing structure known to man -The Gjantiga temples are another interesting spot in Gozo.
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In next note, I recall some personal gardens in Pune, Banaras, Delhi regions.

1.In possession of New Haven Colony Historical Society ,New Haven, Connecticut
Sourced from Landscapes and Gardens for historic buildings
Rudy Favretti, Joy Putman Favretti, American Association for State and Local History

Nashville-1976

Other blogs of interest

1.Lodhi gardens-Delhi- Exploring the seeds of Time

Exploring the seeds of Time

2.Walks in Malta again

Walks in Malta again

3.MINT TEA IN TRIPOLI

Mint tea in Tripoli.

INTIMATE LINKS

Intimate links

Posted in Everyday History, life | Tagged Canada, Diary, Fall, Indian Diaspora, Malta, Mediterranean Everyday History Society, Tripoli, Walks | Leave a comment

A 200 year old work table

Posted on October 18, 2014 by prashant bhatt

As we went around the work-tables in our house, and I told my fifteen year son to write a list of items which have cultural significance and link to the family- he quickly wrote about his Laptop.

That set me thinking- “Yes , a laptop is a worktable of the 21st century- and I wonder what would our ancestors 200 years ago think of such a device. But do write something more personal.”

IDEAS -THEME GALLERIES

Museums are places where one can gain many amazing perspectives-thoughts and ways of looking at different
aspects of life.

THE WORK TABLE

The work table was a piece of furniture used specifically by women who would group around it to sew, do needlework or play games. The work table also had a more personal purpose , as in this example which is fitted with an adjustable writing board. It is a reminder of the lost art of personal writing where, through letters, diaries and journals, women contributed greatly to the preservation of memories of the past
Work Table- Thomas Nisbet 1777-1850
Saint John, New Brunswick- Maple-Mahogony silk-1815
Sigmund Samuel Trust
Royal Ontario Museum, 100 years

As we went around the work-tables in our house, and I told my fifteen year son to write a list of items which have cultural significance and link to the family- he quickly wrote about his Laptop.

That set me thinking- “Yes , a laptop is a worktable of the 21st century- and I wonder what would our ancestors 200 years ago think of such a device. But do write something more personal.”

Then he wrote about the many joint journals we have written together and we went through some of them, the photo-diaries of yesteryears and listened to the guitar notes. He also listed his guitar in the items of cultural significance, and to make the example more specific we went through the guitar notes of his guitar teacher- Mr.Maben Oswald of Orlem-Malad, Mumbai and then listened to the music notes of Mr.Tony Pace of St.Venera –Malta.

MABEN SIR…MUMBAI-INDIA- 2008

Over our many journeys we have collected many artifacts which symbolize different civilization currents. As part of project to seek a personal connection and memory, for past few days, we have been listing them, and also going through the photo-albums.

1- India

My father’s medals- the Indian Army medals , got through the decades of service in the Army medical corps. Now they sit, framed in our home in Mississauga, Ontario. The medal of 1965.(he was in the Eastern front in that operation) The 1972-25th year of Indian independence. Medals for service in the North East . The Sri Lankan Peace Keeping force-1987.

Linked with the history of the Indian subcontinent, this personal family memory carries many interesting layers of our legacy- the formation of the Indian nation and its progress.

2. Libya

Tripoli

Went through the framed photograph of the Idris Palace. Many long hours spent walking around this monument. There was a time when the
palace gardens were not surrounded by walls and we could walk through them. King Idris ruled Libya after independence from Italian colonialism, was deposed in 1969 by Muamar Gaddafi. 2011 saw a bloody turmoil which resulted in the removal of the dictator.
Professionals from the Indian subcontinent have made Tripoli their home. Some of the first teachers in the Medical faculty were from India.

TRIPOLI- ARCH OF MARCUS AURELIUS- 2009 MAY

Temple of Zeus- Cyrene-Modern day Shahat.

A plate representation of this ancient temple when this part of modern Libya was part of the ancient Greek empire. Many interesting memories came back, of walking in the ancient hill temples facing the blue-green Mediterranean..a quiet October afternoon

3. Malta

Went through the book on the 75th anniversary of St.Edward’s College-Cottonera-2004. Housed in a building which was a military hospital, the school memory book has many interesting articles relating to its history, the experiences of students, teachers, administrators. The school shifted to Medina during the years of the Second world war

Father Mintoff’s Peace lab is a unique place, etched on our memories. Here are the two boys, in the Peace lab with
the Franciscan monk, and a bust of Bapu (March 2012)

4. North America

Showed them a lion. They correctly identified it as the logo of Art Institute of Chicago. This institution also houses the Fullerton Hall which is famous for the 1893 speech by Swami Vivekananda. It has one of the best collections of impressionist paintings in the world. Remembered the special exhibition of Supper at Emmaus- by Caravaggio which I saw there a few years ago.
Caravaggio was based in Malta.
– – –

Amongst the personal artifacts, Sagar’s paintings now adorn our walls, along with reproductions of some of the impressionist masters.
The memory of a work-table around 200 years ago, gave some interesting discussions.
Can you make a list of some interesting things in your home, and write about their cultural significance?