Heritage walks and outreach programme on the cards as St Thomas Cathedral -- the 'church' from where Churchgate gets its name -- preps for tercentenary celebrations
The nave of Fort's St Thomas Cathedral, which celebrates its 300th anniversary since its first service on Christmas Day, 1718. Pics/Pradeep Dhivar
Our first visit to Fort's iconic St Thomas Cathedral, 15 years ago, wasn't a particularly memorable one. Being 40 minutes late for an hour-long heritage walk meant having to lose out on all the interesting nuggets of trivia that was shared by the wise, silver-haired guide who was a history professor at one of SoBo's elite colleges.
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Of the many gems that we missed during that session, one that intrigued us the most was the back story about a marbled memorial that honoured one of the city's longest serving governors, Jonathon Duncan (he held the post for 16 years until his death). The memorial comprises a dhoti-clad Brahmin and a statue depicting the symbol of justice. This was set against the backdrop of a marble banyan tree while a group of smiling cherubs rounded off this curious scene. It irked us that we missed out on a historic footnote.
The first row of the church has the original chairs where King George V and Queen Mary sat during a service prior to their departure for the Delhi Durbar in 1911
The opportunity to get a closer look arose again last week, and who better than the Presbyter in charge of St Thomas Cathedral, Reverend Avinash Rangayya, to throw light on the fascinating Indo-Anglican memorial. "Duncan was a visionary who abolished infanticide in India… those cherubs denote this good deed. He was an Indophile — the Brahmin and the banyan tree depict his deep association with India, while the statue portrays his fairness in judgement despite being a colonial ruler."
A hat-trick
This walk is a special one, too. The cathedral enters its tercentenary year (it opened for service on Christmas Day, 1718) and the Reverend insists on playing guide. "We plan to introduce heritage walks, school outreach programmes, and create a general sense of awareness about its intrinsic role with Bombay's emergence as the Urbs Primus in Indis [Latin: foremost city in India]. A postage stamp will also be issued. We are in talks with CSMVS to organise a public exhibition. Parts of the outer façade, including its stained glass panels, are being sensitively restored," the Reverend elaborates. "On October 6, we will have a grand service to celebrate St Thomas' birthday," he adds, brimming with enthusiasm at the 150-odd parishioners' zeal to make it a success.
The cathedral's iconic belfry
"We have Richard Cobbe [Chaplain of Bombay from 1715–20] to thank for completing this historic structure," remarks Dr Kamal Jadhav, PR in charge of the celebrations. "While the groundbreaking was way back in 1676, work was stalled due to lack of funds that were possibly diverted for other needs of the British East India Company. The enterprise of this 30-something chaplain ensured it was built," the Reverend reveals, as we stop to imagine the world in those times — the Mughals still ruled over north India and Mozart wasn't even born.
The memorial of Indophile Jonathan Duncan
As we leave, the non-operational fountain near the exit piques our interest. And so we ask the Reverend if now might be the perfect time to restore it. "Yes, we'd like to," he admits, and with a broad smile, signs off, "Oh, and by the way, this was built thanks to the benevolence of Sir Cowasji Jehangir Readymoney, a Parsi entrepreneur. If this cathedral didn't set the precedent for a cosmopolitan Bombay, pray, then what did?"
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