In an introduction to a photographic book titled 'Brahmins' (photos by Sandesh Bhandare), this is what Dr Pramod Kale writes, relating to migration into the city of Pune:
"The British Army of occupation [after Anglo-Maratha wars and the takeover from the Maratha Confederacy] had brought with it practitioners of various humblerl professions such as saddlers, boot-makers, cobblers from north India, and tailors, cooks, bakers, butlers and musicians from Portuguese Goa. There were myriad of people, mostly strangers, not speaking the local language and unaccustomed to the local ways. There were Hindus of various castes and creeds and non-Hindus of various faiths. They spoke different languages. They were totally different from the inhabitants of the old city. They, along with the soldiers, their families, dependents and servants formed the 'crowd' of the new settlement, The Camp. "Later in the [19th] century, Poona became the monsoon capital of Bombay Presidency, and the Governor's residence (Government House) was built at Ganeshkhind on the outskirts of the old city. The road to Ganeshkhind was occupied by large houses of worthies from all over the Presidency, merchant princes and professionals, influence seekers and political manipulators. The Aga Khan, Head of the Ismaili Sect, came here with his family and retinue. Sephardic Jews from Baghdad, the Sassoons came via Bombay. They built an imposing synagogue for themselves (Red Temple or Lal Deul). They later gave some money to the local Jewish community -- the Bene Israels from the Konkan coast -- to build a smaller synagogue of their own. The Sassoons gave money generously to the Government-run General Hospital which still bears the name. The Zorostrian merchant princes, the Parsees such as Readymoneys, the Petits, the Wadias, settled here in the bungalows and mansions." Btw, Dr Kale has also written insightfully and emphatitically on the Konkani tiatr (I doubt any Goan has done such work before him!). He's a regular visitor to Margao (currently at Woodlands) and is on 9822 782054. See: Various themes that interest me… Free Software, Goa, books, developmental issues… Tiatr… and a scholar from Pune http://fredericknoronha.wordpress.com/2008/09/25/tiatr-and-a-scholar-from-pune/ [Goanet] LINK: Dr Pramod Kale... http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/msg16887.html All the World’s a Stage http://oheraldo.in/pagedetails.asp?nid=15082&cid=14 -- FN * http://fredericknoronha.wordpress.com M +91-9822122436 P +91-832-2409490 http://twitter.com/fn On Facebook: http://www.new.facebook.com/people/Frederick-Noronha/502514643 "This is one small step for GaN.....one giant leap for GaN-kind!" - John Palmour
