VIZAG matters - Sohan Hatangadi's Blog

CLICK ON THIS LINK TO SEE DUSSERAH PANDALS IN KOLKATA 5-6 OCTOBER 2019 https://youtu.be/6PfxkThF8P0 Thanks to my hosts Sonali and Shivaji Gupto Roy, I got a chance to see some marvellous Puja Pandal art. I would have never imagined the beauty, the creativity and the spiritual passion this festival invokes. Truly Kolkata has been an eye-opener for me. Here is a video of what I saw. https://youtu.be/6PfxkThF8P0

Heritage walk - Ross Hill, Vizag Click on this link to see a video of the Heritage Walk https://youtu.be/x7ZB_L6FlSw Ross Hill Chapel, Mother Mary’s Church The entry to the harbour navigation channel of Vizagapatam is bounded on the west by the Dolphin’s Nose hill and on the east by three hills and the central and the highest hill amongst the three is named after a Mr. Ross who was a Sub-Judge who built a bungalow about 1848, on the hill which bears his name. In 1866, the then Bishop Msgr J.M. Tissot acquired the bungalow and on August 15, 1867, an altar was erected and blessed as a chapel,  by the then Vicar General Fr. Richard. Cyclones in 1870 and 1876 wrought havoc and affected the chapel too. Consequently, on 1st May 1877, a new statue of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart was placed upon the altar. The Church underwent many renovations to accommodate the increasing number of devotees. It was found that the Chapel on the Hill was too small, so Fr. Contat who w...

Click this link to see the video https://youtu.be/N2TgOuINXEg The world is deeply concerned about the misuse of  Single-Use Plastics. But our Simhachalam Devasthanam hasn't heard about it ... please watch and share this video. If you have access to the Devasthanam authorities tell them to forbid single-use plastics from their temple complex Click this link to see the video https://youtu.be/N2TgOuINXEg

Click the link below to see a video of despair and neglect Lawson's Bay, Vizag - once pristine now a filthy cesspool LAWSONS BAY - ONCE PRISTINE - NOW A NEGLECTED CESSPOOL Our beaches are destroyed by massive arrivals of rubbish from Vizag city via the geddas and nallahs (natural stormwater drains).  Our once pristine Lawsons Bay Beach is now a stinking cesspool of filth.  The solution is simple - capture every last bit of plastics and other rubbish before it reaches our beaches and shift it to landfills for recycling.  Increase the capacity of all Sewage Treatment Plants to handle present and future sewage arriving from our growing city.  Our GVMC talks so much bullshit but cannot get its act together on this simple basic requirement. It appears that they are insufficiently funded or incapable of getting the job done. Perhaps it is time to take this to the National Green Tribunal. Click the link below to see a video of despair and neglect Lawson's Bay...

Mr Buckley is out ... but come right in As kids in Vizag, most of us lived in "Soldierpeta" as Old Town Vizag was then called.  The area was well known for the active Anglo Indian community. We stayed in an old house (now pink - see pic) next to Mr Micheal Buckley' s home. Click this to see the video I have only fading memories of Mr Buckley. I remember him as a sunburnt man with kindly blue eyes. He generally wore khaki shorts and was frequently bare-chested as he pottered around keeping things in order. He worked around the house all the time, repairing things, making footpaths with bricks and cleaning drains himself in front of his home. He had a beautiful polished piano which he played to relax. He kept his house immaculately clean. A good man who made a lasting impression on the area with his work ethics. We, children, learnt early that we should never hesitate to do our own work -  even menial work. His once beautiful house, now in ruins, filled me with...