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| − | =A brief history=
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| − | [https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/news-media/mumbaimirrored-the-colonial-ipl/articleshow/71239976.cms Boria Majumdar, Sep 22, 2019: ''Mumbai Mirror'']
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| − | The Bombay Pentangular's popularity reflected the emergence of the city as India's commercial capital from the 1920s onwards.
| + | =A brief history= |
| | + | ==1887-2019== |
| | + | [https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/news-media/mumbaimirrored-the-making-of-the-citys-grandest-edifice/articleshow/71267677.cms BCCL, By Kamal Mishra and Urmi Chanda-Vaz, Sep 24, 2019 ''Mumbai Mirror''] |
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| − | The first sign of cricket’s commercial viability in India was evident as early as the 1920s. This was linked to the emergence of Mumbai as the commercial nerve centre of the country. It was the economic potential and glamour associated with the Bombay Pentangular Tournament played in Mumbai that was at the root of this viability. Widely popular in colonial India, the Pentangular was controlled by the communal Gymkhanas of the city. It had its origins in the Presidency matches of the 1890s, initially played between the Europeans and Parsis but grew over time to become the Pentangular, with the inclusion of the Hindus in 1907, the Muslims in 1912 and the ‘Rest’—comprising mainly Christians and Anglo-Indians—in 1937. Despite considerable opposition, the tournament continued into the 1940s, to be finally abolished in January 1946.
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| − | The common perception is that the Pentangular was abolished because its communal team structure was anathema, given the evolving shape of Indian nationhood. However, it is recorded that in 1924, when the Muslims won the Pentangular (then the Quadrangular), the Hindus joined them in their victory celebrations. This was a period when relations between the two communities were at a low in the aftermath of the failure of the joint Non-Co-operation/Khilafat agitation. Against this backdrop, Mohammed Ali Jinnah had praised the brotherly feeling between the two communities on the sporting field of the Pentangular. | + | The modern history of Mumbai cannot be written without the dazzling chapter that is the Chhatrapati Shiva ji Maharaj Terminus. |
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| − | Things did not change in the next two decades. Assess the eyewitness account of the 1944 Pentangular between the Hindus and the Muslims, which the Muslims won with less than five minutes to spare: 'Unprecedented scenes of jubilation followed. Ibrahim, the hero and architect of the Muslim victory (he had carried his bat for 137) was chaired by the and carried shoulder-high all the way to the pavilion. Never before had the Brabourne stadium witnessed a match so thrilling and exciting as this. Communalism was nowhere in evidence and everyone, including the Hindus, cheered the Muslim team at the end of the match. Merchant, the Hindu captain, went to the Muslim dressing room and hugged Mushtaq Ali warmly with the words, “Well played Muslims, you deserved to win. It would have been a sad day for cricket if you had lost".’
| + | To me, it is such a perfect piece of architecture that my mind inevitably turns to the Taj Mahal to invoke metaphors of beauty.” |
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| − | That the Pentangular was a pivotal aspect of Mumbai life in the 1930s and 1940s is evident from the extensive coverage it received in contemporary publications. It was following the founding of the BCCI in 1928 and institution of the Ranji Trophy in 1934— under the aegis of the BCCI—that the movement against the Pentangular gathered momentum. Echoing the sentiments of the anti-Pentangular movement, the Bombay Chronicle of 27 November 1935 declared: ‘Communal tournaments were, perhaps, necessary at a certain stage in the history of Indian cricket. Scarcely conducive to the growth of healthy nationalism, it is time they were given a decent burial.’ J.C. Maitra, the paper’s sports editor, consistently wrote in support of the Ranji Trophy and against the continuation of the Pentangular. J.M. Ganguly, a well-known sports journalist, propounded an identical view in his article ‘Quadrangular Cricket: A plea for its abolition': ‘When the Quadrangular matches were conceived and started times were different; the sports atmosphere was clear and unclouded by communal and sectarian feelings... Victory in the Quadrangular was not taken as a communal victory, but merely as the result of a better performance by the winning side, and which did not leave any rancour or mean jealousy... Those happy days are now gone, thanks to those self seeking leaders who want to gain their ends by raking up communal fanaticism, and who would not rest on their oars after doing all the mischief they could in the political sphere but would go out in search of new fields and pastures green. Even the sacred field of sport they would not leave unmolested.’
| + | Sunil Udasi is clearly a man in love, and the object of his affection is the Chhatrapati Shiva ji Maharaj Terminus. He has worked out of it for 16 long years in different capacities for the Central Railway, having been their Chief Public Relations Officer until last month when Mirror spoke to him during CSMT’s most elaborate, ongoing conservation and restoration drive yet. He knows this UNESCO heritage structure like the back of his hand, and his pride and joy in it are palpable. A recently-released coffee table book titled ‘Treasures at the Terminus’ that he has co-edited with Senior PRO, V Chandrasekar, is a testimony to his love for and bond with the structure. |
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| − | From the 1930s, coverage was mostly negative, reaching a climax in December 1940 when Mahatma Gandhi spoke against the tournament. On being met by a select delegation of the Hindu Gymkhana at Wardha, Gandhi had remarked: ‘Numerous enquiries have been made as to my opinion on the proposed Pentangular cricket match in Bombay advertised to be played on the 14th. I have just been made aware of the movement to stop the match. I understand this as a mark of grief over the arrests and imprisonments of the satyagrahis, more especially the recent arrest of leaders.’ He thereafter went on to add: ‘I would discountenance such amusements at a time when the whole of the thinking world should be in mourning over a war that is threatening the stable life of Europe and its civilisation and which bids to overwhelm Asia. And holding this view I naturally welcome the movement for stopping the forthcoming match.”
| + | It will be no exaggeration to say that every Mumbaikar has a stake in CSMT – at least functionally. Most are aware of its World Heritage Site status, but for the millions of pairs of eyes that pass through this terminus everyday racing to catch a seat in the next local, its beauty is at best a blur. However, British architect Frederick William Stevens’ marvellous creation offers plenty to stare at. |
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| − | Yet there was no waning of interest in the Pentangular matches. Confirming this, The Times of India reported the day after Gandhi’s statement: ‘With Bombay’s great annual cricket festival only a few days ahead, the Pentangular fever is at its height, a height that has rarely been attained before. Large crowds watched all the three trial matches played over the weekend. . . Although rumours had been set afoot that there would be a serious attempt made by a large procession of students to compel the authorities to abandon the trial more than 500 enthusiasts gathered on Saturday afternoon for the start, and the number was almost doubled the next day.’
| + | ''' Chugging into urbaneness ''' |
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| − | Gandhi’s stand provoked considerable opposition from the small Hindu cricket clubs of Mumbai. Many of these clubs subsisted on the profits accruing from the Pentangular. They had already invested their meagre capital in securing seats at the Brabourne Stadium, the venue for the tournament. Abolition of the tournament would ruin the clubs.
| + | The story of the busiest and arguably the most beautiful rail terminus in the world has been told many times, but every retelling warrants a quick recap of how it all started. |
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| − | Interestingly, the cricketers too remained vociferous supporters of the Pentangular. In November 1940, Wazir Ali, the captain of the Muslim team, issued a press statement asserting ‘the tournament is not in the least anti-national and will and must go on in the interests of Indian cricket.’ The next year, C.K. Nayudu issued the following statement against the pronouncements of Vizzy and the Maharaja of Patiala: ‘There is no valid reason why the Pentangular tournament in Bombay should be stopped. On the contrary it is absolutely essential that it should be run in its present form if we do not want to see the funeral of Indian cricket.’ Following Nayudu, Mushtaq Ali came out in support of the Pentangular: ‘When politics are introduced into sport, which should never be the case, communal feelings are aroused. It is not the game played by persons of different communities which give rise to such feelings. As for the Pentangular it has always promoted a very healthy spirit of rivalry and inculcated sporting spirit among players and the public. Ripples and roars of genuine applause have greeted good performances without distinction.’ Vijay Merchant, Vijay Hazare and C.S. Nayudu, all cricketers of repute, expressed similar views.
| + | The growing trade activities of the East India Company in and around the island of Bombay compelled the British to consider building a railway system in the mid-1800s. After years of deliberation and planning, the Great Indian Peninsula (GIP) Railway became a reality and in the 1850s, as the first trains became operational, they ushered in the urbanisation of the area. A snippet from a newsletter published in October 1852 gives us an idea of how thick the atmosphere must have been with excitement at the arrival of all things railway. Published in the context of the construction of the original Bori Bunder station, it reads: “The terminus will occupy the parade ground of the Native Infantry regiment lying near the dhobies’ line. The road from Mazgaon to Fort George will be closed for vehicles and also for passengers until a footbridge is put across; all the traffic must in future go round by the road in course of construction between the regiment lines and the dhobi lines.” (So, Metro isn’t the only thing and we aren’t the only ones suffering!) |
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| − | Interestingly, it was the commercial potential of the Pentangular that escalated tensions amongst the communal Gymkhanas that organised it. During the 1937 tournament, there was severe disagreement over the allocation of seats in the Brabourne Stadium, the new venue. The CCI, owners of the Brabourne Stadium, had allotted an equal number of seats to all the participating Gymkhanas. This provoked opposition from the Hindu Gymkhana, which, with a membership much larger than its Muslim, Parsi and Catholic counterparts, preferred an allocation on the basis of the membership strength of each Gymkhana. A larger share of seats would bring a larger share of the gate receipts. As the CCI and the other Gymkhanas did not accede to this demand, the Hindus decided not to field a team in the competition of 1937.
| + | But in about 30 years, the wooden structure at Bori Bunder that had been serving as the station had turned ramshackle and wouldn’t do anymore. In 1882 it was pulled down to be replaced with a new station called Bombay Passenger Station. But newer and grander plans were afoot. |
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| − | The controversy over radio commentary was also indicative of just how much of a cash kitty the Pentangular was. Radio commentary from the Pentangular was banned and replaced by commentary of the less popular Ranji Trophy. In response, the All India Radio merchants came up with the following statement: ‘The trade views this development with deepest concern. The trade is in the best position to judge the great interest taken all over India in these running commentaries of Bombay’s famous cricket festival and views with apprehension a move that gravely affects its business.’
| + | ''' Facts, figures, figurines ''' |
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| − | They urged a review saying,‘There is still ample time to arrange for the famous broadcasts and thus make available to the public of India the commentaries that are the most looked forward to radio events of the year by every class, community or creed.’
| + | A massive train terminus was envisioned and building it was to be no easy task. The sea had to be pushed back and the roads realigned to accommodate what was to be the grandest structure Bombay had ever seen. In 1861, an agreement was signed between the Bombay Government and the Elphinstone Land and Press Company to reclaim two-thirds of the land of Moody Bay. A few years into reclamation, the GIP directors appointed the talented Frederick William Stevens from the Public Works Department to draw up the perfect plan. His design impressed everyone and was even selected to be exhibited at the Royal Academy, London in 1881. |
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| − | Even the Bombay Chronicle, arguably the most vocal detractor of the communal Pentangular, was unable to discount its mass appeal. While branding as alcoholics those who attended the Pentangular —they were apparently drawn to it as drunkards to a pub — the Chronicle itself failed to boycott the tournament. On December 23, 1940, when the anti-Pentangular movement was gathering momentum, the Chronicle reported Pentangular matches on the front page under the heading ‘Rest to meet Muslims in Final’. The Ranji Trophy, which was also being played in the city, was relegated to the sports page. In fact, protests against the 1943 Pentangular came to be tempered because part of the profits of that year’s tournament was to be donated for relief operations in famineridden Bengal. Pushed onto the backfoot, the Bombay Chronicle reported, ‘In view of this decision many of the opponents of the past have decided to allow the tournament as a necessary evil.’
| + | Construction started in 1878, and ten years later with Stevens’ vision, able assistance from Indian engineers like Sitaram Khanderao Vaidya and M. M. Janardhan, artistic embellishments by Mr. Gomez and the students of JJ School of Art, the craft of Indian karigars, local labour and a princely expenditure of Rs 16,35,562, the magnificent structure was ready. It was completed in 1888, and was christened the Victoria Terminus (VT) to honour 50 years of the monarch’s rule. Steven’s piece of architecture, built in the high Victorian Gothic style, was acclaimed not only for its perfect design and functionality but also its on-point aesthetics. |
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| − | During the Pentangular matches the Brabourne Stadium was often packed to capacity, while the 1935 Ranji Trophy final in Mumbai attracted a mere 1,000 spectators a day. In 1944, the number increased to 4,000, still way behind the 25,000 attendances at the Pentangular. In his book Indian Cricket Uncovered, Berry Sarbadhikary alluded to this unfortunate reality: ‘If Bombay and Madras were to play a championship match in Calcutta today, a capacity crowd would, I know, attend it. Madras, I believe, would do equally well for a Bombay and Bengal encounter at Madras. But not so in the home of Indian cricket! That is the pity.’
| + | The building has beautifully carved wooden furniture, the famed Star Chamber ensconced within the dome, filigreed wrought iron grills, spiral and sweeping staircases, and multitude of clocks that seem to point to the CSMT’s past, present and future simultaneously. It also features exquisite carvings of animals, foliage, gargoyles, statues, medallions and numerous geometrical motifs. The lion and the tiger at the main entrance, Lady Progress at the apex, statues symbolising Agriculture, Commerce and Engineering on the south façade, are familiar figures. With so many marvels, most of us may not notice the empty canopy under the clock at the main entrance, which once held a 9 ft. 6 in. high statue of Queen Victoria. The statue was removed in the 1960s but where it is today, no one knows. |
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| − | Unable to contend with the growing popularity of the tournament, the BCCI convened an extraordinary general meeting in January 1942 to obtain the support of cricket associations countrywide for banning the Pentangular. Empty stands at the Ranji Trophy matches, contrasting starkly with attendances at the Pentangular, made the Board, patrons of the former, envious of the communal Gymkhanas. While the BCCI did its utmost to curb the mass appeal of the Pentangular and pushed for its abolition in 1946, the tournament never quite lost its popularity—as may be gleaned from the disappointment expressed over the lack of public support for the Ranji Trophy, even after the Pentangular was stopped in January 1946.
| + | ''' Changing identity ''' |
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| | + | This discarding of the symbol of monarchy didn’t stop with the statue of the Queen. In 1996, her name too was removed, when the building was renamed as the Chhatrapati Shiva ji Terminus (CST) and in 2017, the honorific ‘Maharaj’ was added to it, making it the Chhatrapati Shiva ji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT). |
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| − | =Refusal by Mahatma Gandhi to British India’s top cricket tournament=
| + | Naming conventions may be important to politics, but it is only the people and events of a place that confer upon it a certain kind of identity. The CSMT has borne witness to the passage of time, generations and momentous happenings in ways that it has morphed into a miniature of the metropolitan itself. Millions of migration stories, the frightening terror attack of 2008, and the memorable flash dance mob of 2011 among other things have all shaped CSMT’s persona in our collective minds. These have turned this structure into something that is as local as it is national. And today, when the Central Railway authorities lend the stunning canvas of this building for lighting up different causes, be it women’s issues, cancer awareness, LGBTQ rights and others, it also acquires a wonderfully contemporary and global flavour. |
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| − | [https://epaper.timesgroup.com/olive/apa/timesofindia/SharedView.Article.aspx?href=TOIDEL%2F2019%2F09%2F26&id=Ar00400&sk=7763DCCE&viewMode=text Sep 26, 2019: ''The Times of India'']
| + | Along with the meticulous efforts towards restoring the building to its former glory, space is being made for the issues of today, and so are provisions for the future. There could perhaps be no better metaphor for the ideal way in which cities and citizens must move forward. |
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| − | Mahatma Gandhi and cricket sounds a bit odd to start with. The Mahatma, never of any keen athletic disposition, trying his hand at what was a colonial import to keep the empire together wasn’t the most logical thing to do. Yet, he did have his run-ins with the gentleman’s game from time to time, eventually playing a serious hand in the discontinuance of the Bombay Pentangular tournament, the foremost cricket tournament in colonial India, where teams were named after communities: Hindus, Muslims, Parsis, Europeans and the Rest.
| + | [[Category:History|M |
| − | Kausik Bandyopadhyay in his work “Mahatma on the Pitch” puts it nicely, “It is interesting to explore the illusions of a sporting Gandhi, who played little but observed, told or wrote a bit about sports in general and cricket in particular.”
| + | MUMBAI: CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI MAHARAJ TERMINUS]] |
| − | | + | [[Category:India|M |
| − | More than a player, young Gandhiji was a much-respected umpire, an aspect of his childhood highlighted by Pyarelal in his biography of the Mahatma published in 1965. “On moonlit nights, parties of Hindu and Muslim boys assembled there from different quarters of the city and played games for an hour or so after dinner. He (Gandhiji) did not participate in them but loved to officiate as umpire and saw to it that the rules of the game were very strictly observed by those who engaged in them.”
| + | MUMBAI: CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI MAHARAJ TERMINUS]] |
| − | | + | [[Category:Places|M |
| − | It was only when the Parsi headmaster of his school at Rajkot, Dorabji Edulji Gimi, made participation compulsory in cricket and gymnastics that Gandhiji was forced to play these sports. This is evident from his autobiography where he writes, “I never took part in any exercise, cricket or football, before they were made compulsory.” Later in his life he did agree that “physical training should have as much place in the curriculum as mental training.”
| + | MUMBAI: CHHATRAPATI SHIVAJI MAHARAJ TERMINUS]] |
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| − | Gandhiji, however, did leave a lasting impression on Indian cricket when he weighed in on the Bombay Pentangular. On being met by a select delegation of the Hindu Gymkhana at Wardha in December 1940, Gandhi had remarked, “Numerous enquiries have been made as to my opinion on the proposed Pentangular cricket match in Bombay advertised to be played on the 14th. I have just been made aware of the movement to stop the match. I understand this as a mark of grief over the arrests and imprisonments of the satyagrahis, more especially the recent arrest of leaders.”
| + | |
| − | | + | |
| − | He went on to add, “I would discountenance such amusements at a time when the whole of the thinking world should be in mourning over a war that is threatening the stable life of Europe and its civilisation and which bids to overwhelm Asia. ... And holding this view I naturally welcome the movement for stopping the forthcoming match from the narrow standpoint I have mentioned above.’ It was only after this statement that he went on to condemn the communal organisation of the tournament, a denunciation given much publicity in the contemporary press. The Times of India carried a front page report on December 7, 1940, with the following headline: Mr Gandhi Against Pentangular Yet, there was no waning of interest in the Pentangular matches. Confirming this, the Times of India reported Gandhi’s statement the day after: “With Bombay’s great annual cricket festival only a few days ahead, the Pentangular fever is at its height, a height that has rarely been attained before. Large crowds watched all the three trial matches played over the weekend.”
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| − | When a resolution was tabled at the Hindu Gymkhana, calling for a withdrawal from the tournament, it had the support of only 70 members of the Gymkhana. The total membership of the Gymkhana stood at 900. This resolution was eventually passed by a small margin of 37 votes (280–243), particularly as a mark of regard for Gandhi.
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| − | Within a couple of weeks of Gandhi’s pronouncement against the Pentangular, the Maharajkumar of Vizianagram, one of the key patrons of cricket in colonial India, declared that, “Mahatma Gandhi has expressed unequivocally on communal cricket. He gave it as his considered opinion that communalism carried into the domain of sport is no happy augury for human growth. It is high time that we gave Pentangular cricket the burial it always deserved.” Other princes concurred. Following them, P Subbaraon, the BCCI president, declared, “Now that Mahatmaji has spoken, I feel free to say that the authorities will be doing the right thing if they abandon communal cricket.”
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| − | The Pentangular was eventually abolished in January 1946 making way for the Ranji Trophy as India’s foremost domestic tournament and this was possible to a large measure because of Gandhiji’s pronouncements against the Pentangular.
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| − | More recently in August 2015 the cricket boards of India and South Africa have named the trophy awarded for the India-South Africa bilateral series as the Gandhi-Mandela Trophy and it is fitting that the two countries are currently playing for this trophy as India celebrates the 150th birth anniversary of the Mahatma.
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| − | [[Category:Cricket|B | + | |
| − | THE BOMBAY PENTANGULAR]]
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| − | [[Category:India|B | + | |
| − | THE BOMBAY PENTANGULAR]]
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| − | [[Category:Places|B | + | |
| − | THE BOMBAY PENTANGULAR]]
| + | |
To me, it is such a perfect piece of architecture that my mind inevitably turns to the Taj Mahal to invoke metaphors of beauty.”
Sunil Udasi is clearly a man in love, and the object of his affection is the Chhatrapati Shiva ji Maharaj Terminus. He has worked out of it for 16 long years in different capacities for the Central Railway, having been their Chief Public Relations Officer until last month when Mirror spoke to him during CSMT’s most elaborate, ongoing conservation and restoration drive yet. He knows this UNESCO heritage structure like the back of his hand, and his pride and joy in it are palpable. A recently-released coffee table book titled ‘Treasures at the Terminus’ that he has co-edited with Senior PRO, V Chandrasekar, is a testimony to his love for and bond with the structure.
It will be no exaggeration to say that every Mumbaikar has a stake in CSMT – at least functionally. Most are aware of its World Heritage Site status, but for the millions of pairs of eyes that pass through this terminus everyday racing to catch a seat in the next local, its beauty is at best a blur. However, British architect Frederick William Stevens’ marvellous creation offers plenty to stare at.
The story of the busiest and arguably the most beautiful rail terminus in the world has been told many times, but every retelling warrants a quick recap of how it all started.
The growing trade activities of the East India Company in and around the island of Bombay compelled the British to consider building a railway system in the mid-1800s. After years of deliberation and planning, the Great Indian Peninsula (GIP) Railway became a reality and in the 1850s, as the first trains became operational, they ushered in the urbanisation of the area. A snippet from a newsletter published in October 1852 gives us an idea of how thick the atmosphere must have been with excitement at the arrival of all things railway. Published in the context of the construction of the original Bori Bunder station, it reads: “The terminus will occupy the parade ground of the Native Infantry regiment lying near the dhobies’ line. The road from Mazgaon to Fort George will be closed for vehicles and also for passengers until a footbridge is put across; all the traffic must in future go round by the road in course of construction between the regiment lines and the dhobi lines.” (So, Metro isn’t the only thing and we aren’t the only ones suffering!)
But in about 30 years, the wooden structure at Bori Bunder that had been serving as the station had turned ramshackle and wouldn’t do anymore. In 1882 it was pulled down to be replaced with a new station called Bombay Passenger Station. But newer and grander plans were afoot.
A massive train terminus was envisioned and building it was to be no easy task. The sea had to be pushed back and the roads realigned to accommodate what was to be the grandest structure Bombay had ever seen. In 1861, an agreement was signed between the Bombay Government and the Elphinstone Land and Press Company to reclaim two-thirds of the land of Moody Bay. A few years into reclamation, the GIP directors appointed the talented Frederick William Stevens from the Public Works Department to draw up the perfect plan. His design impressed everyone and was even selected to be exhibited at the Royal Academy, London in 1881.
Construction started in 1878, and ten years later with Stevens’ vision, able assistance from Indian engineers like Sitaram Khanderao Vaidya and M. M. Janardhan, artistic embellishments by Mr. Gomez and the students of JJ School of Art, the craft of Indian karigars, local labour and a princely expenditure of Rs 16,35,562, the magnificent structure was ready. It was completed in 1888, and was christened the Victoria Terminus (VT) to honour 50 years of the monarch’s rule. Steven’s piece of architecture, built in the high Victorian Gothic style, was acclaimed not only for its perfect design and functionality but also its on-point aesthetics.
The building has beautifully carved wooden furniture, the famed Star Chamber ensconced within the dome, filigreed wrought iron grills, spiral and sweeping staircases, and multitude of clocks that seem to point to the CSMT’s past, present and future simultaneously. It also features exquisite carvings of animals, foliage, gargoyles, statues, medallions and numerous geometrical motifs. The lion and the tiger at the main entrance, Lady Progress at the apex, statues symbolising Agriculture, Commerce and Engineering on the south façade, are familiar figures. With so many marvels, most of us may not notice the empty canopy under the clock at the main entrance, which once held a 9 ft. 6 in. high statue of Queen Victoria. The statue was removed in the 1960s but where it is today, no one knows.
This discarding of the symbol of monarchy didn’t stop with the statue of the Queen. In 1996, her name too was removed, when the building was renamed as the Chhatrapati Shiva ji Terminus (CST) and in 2017, the honorific ‘Maharaj’ was added to it, making it the Chhatrapati Shiva ji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT).
Naming conventions may be important to politics, but it is only the people and events of a place that confer upon it a certain kind of identity. The CSMT has borne witness to the passage of time, generations and momentous happenings in ways that it has morphed into a miniature of the metropolitan itself. Millions of migration stories, the frightening terror attack of 2008, and the memorable flash dance mob of 2011 among other things have all shaped CSMT’s persona in our collective minds. These have turned this structure into something that is as local as it is national. And today, when the Central Railway authorities lend the stunning canvas of this building for lighting up different causes, be it women’s issues, cancer awareness, LGBTQ rights and others, it also acquires a wonderfully contemporary and global flavour.
Along with the meticulous efforts towards restoring the building to its former glory, space is being made for the issues of today, and so are provisions for the future. There could perhaps be no better metaphor for the ideal way in which cities and citizens must move forward.
