Readers' Forum
Memories of Indore
I was born in Indore in 1944 at the Robertson Nursing Home run by British nuns and headed by an Army surgeon named Col Nicholson.
My uncle the late Behramshah Anklesaria and my maternal grandmother Shirinbai Lakdewalla had a joint business called the Pioneer Dairy Farm, with milch cattle and poultry. It was well planned and had the latest equipment with hand driven cream and butter making machines. In those days even the cups for the cream and paper for wrapping the butter came from England.
From my earliest days I recall that every evening a group of Parsi families would meet at our house for a game of badminton as well as bridge, seated at our giant dining table, using plastic counters instead of coins. Often, they would stay for dinner.
Milky Way, a restaurant-cum-theater with a big Mickey Mouse depicted as churning out ice cream on the name board was owned by Homi Ragina and his wife. Another open air theater was owned by Uncle Savak who later went to England by road in his old station wagon. He had lost one hand in an accident but still drove his family overland to England. A recent issue of our Indore newsletter carried a write-up about Uncle Savak’s son donating money for Cawas Hall and our fire temple.
My uncle the late Behramshah Anklesaria and my maternal grandmother Shirinbai Lakdewalla had a joint business called the Pioneer Dairy Farm, with milch cattle and poultry. It was well planned and had the latest equipment with hand driven cream and butter making machines. In those days even the cups for the cream and paper for wrapping the butter came from England.
From my earliest days I recall that every evening a group of Parsi families would meet at our house for a game of badminton as well as bridge, seated at our giant dining table, using plastic counters instead of coins. Often, they would stay for dinner.
Milky Way, a restaurant-cum-theater with a big Mickey Mouse depicted as churning out ice cream on the name board was owned by Homi Ragina and his wife. Another open air theater was owned by Uncle Savak who later went to England by road in his old station wagon. He had lost one hand in an accident but still drove his family overland to England. A recent issue of our Indore newsletter carried a write-up about Uncle Savak’s son donating money for Cawas Hall and our fire temple.
Khorshed and Daisy Lakdewalla in Rajasthan in 1938
There were also very reputed medical doctors like Dr Dandas, gynecologist Dr Motibai and Dr Jehangir Pohewalla, father of pediatrics in Madhya Bharat. I also remember a Boga family. My dear uncle Nariman Anklesaria opened a bicycle showroom and held the agency for imported cycles like Raleigh, Humber and later on Eastern Star and Atlas of India. My late aunt Dolly Anklesaria was also in the same business and used to deal with British customers. She was a good badminton player. My cousin the late Cowas (Kali) Anklesaria’s wife Saker still lives in Indore.
Dr C. ANKLESARIA
Kota, Rajasthan
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From the archive