Wednesday 29 August 2012

Cooke and Kelvey


There were the Cooke and Kelvey shopkeepers at Janpath from which HH Shri Mahaprabhuji used to get new watch straps of leather, and where he used to salute the Gateman even before the Gateman could salute him. Also their was a  peculiar watch of Shri Nathji, which would  stop working again and again and is sent to Cooke and Kelvey many a times. They repair it and return it, but the watch stops working as soon as Shri Nathji ties it around his wrist!
Perhaps the watch is merely an excuse that Shri Nathji is using to give the shop His Blessings.
 The exact address of this shop is 3, Scindia House, Janpath.  You can also call them for directions at Ph 23314095. Founded by Robert Thomas Cooke and Charles Kelvey in Calcutta a year after the first war of independence, the establishment was the final word in elegance. No colonial household was considered tasteful without its silverware cutlery. Its silver caskets were presented to the Prince of Wales during his Calcutta trip in 1875. Nurtured by seven successive owners before finally passing into the 'native' hands of the Khemka family in 1946, the passion for quality remains unchanged.
The modest exterior of the Cooke & Kelvey showroom at Connaught Place stands in sharp contrast to the boastfulness betrayed by the owners of its legendary clocks. Mr. T S Chatterjee, the showroom's manager for over  30 years. And he is most likely to be blessed by Shri Nathji as he was the manager of the shop when Shri Nathji used to pay a visit. He is shown in the photo displaying a grand Silver cutlery set at the shop. The shop has continued to prosper immensely and it seems Shri Nathji had blessed them.
 They have served the likes of Rajiv Gandhi. One of their oldest patrons is a former Maharaja, Karna Singh of Kashmir. Sharmila Tagore, from the house of Pataudi, likes to shop for photo-frames. Before leaving for the Dhaka SAARC summit, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh purchased few artifacts as gifts for heads-of-state. Recently silver trophies were delivered to the Chief of Army Staff. "Chief Minister Sheila Dikhit is a frequent customer to the shop, so are the many commoners. 
The shop is famous for their unique silver ware and  watches.  Each year around 80 artists, most having picked the craft from fathers and grand-fathers, delicately temper more than thousand kilograms of silver into intricate designs in a Kolkata workshop. The perfection hushes the visitors to speechlessness. Be it the 6-armed candle stand with a lady standing on malachite stone, or a fruit bowl balanced on the backs of three elephants, or the festive Aarti Thali with exquisite blue-and-white enamel work. They sell such as, Tulips and Hibiscus, bracelets and key-chains, liqueur tankers and cruet sets - all in 92.5 sterling silver.

Friday 24 August 2012

Chander Book Depot and Cambridge Book Depot



There were Chander Book Depot and Cambridge Book Depot, the two bookshops in the city, which had received Shri Nathji's special attention during the children’s school days. Not only had Shri Nathji purchased School Books from them but also comics and storybooks. The proprietor of Cambridge Book Depot had once said: “Shri Nathji loves me most in Mussoorie!” Indeed this was the experience of all who met Shri Nathji. His love was so great that it made each person think that he loved him most of all.
In 2004, HH Priya Nath to the house of Shri Chander Bhan Varma, the proprietor of the Chander Book Depot. It was the first time that HH Priya Nath was visiting anyone’s home at Mussoorie in years. Chander was ill, and HH Priya Nath had a premonition that he was going to leave the world, even though his illness was not serious at all. Priya Nath gave Chander a picture of Shri Nathji and asked him to keep it in front of his bed. Chander asked Priya Nath to leave his blessings behind.
Within the next few days, Chander left the world in peace. Priya Nath missed the man whom he had seen sitting at the door of his shop, Chander book Depot, ever since the days of his childhood, when he had purchased comics from the man’s shop.
Both these bookstores are still in Mussoorie at the same locations in Kulri Bazaar.  Sunil Arora is now the present owner of the oldest book shop of Mussoorie, the Cambridge Book Depot.

India Gate


India Gate was the most popular outing destination for Shri Nathji when He used to stay in the winter months in Delhi with Mahamateswari and Pran Anthji and Priya Nathji. Later also when he  permanently settled in Delhi at  Saryodaya Enclave, He frequented the India Gate.
The India Gate is the national monument of India. Situated in the heart of New Delhi, the India Gate was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. It is inspired by the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. It was built in 1931. Originally known as the All India War Memorial, it is a prominent landmark in Delhi and commemorates the 90,000 soldiers of the Indian Army who lost their lives while fighting for the Indian Empire, or more correctly the British Raj, in World War I and the Third Anglo-Afghan War. It is composed of red and pale sandstone and granite. Originally, a statue of George V of the United Kingdom stood under the now vacant canopy in front of the India Gate, but it was removed to Coronation Park together with other statues. Following India's independence, the India Gate became the site of the Indian Army's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, known as Amar Jawan Jyoti ("the flame of the immortal soldier").

Yusuf Sarai


While staying at Saryodaya Enclave Shri Nathji used to go to Yusuf Sarai, which was close to their locality. This locality in South Delhi, accommodates both residential as well as market places. The main road in this area is Sri Aurobindo Marg. It is on the stretch between AIIMS / Safdarjung Hospital on one end and Green Park Metro Station on the other. The stretch has shops on either side. On one side, it leads to 'Mandir wali gali', a flea market and on the other side, a road leads to Niti Park. The area is termed as an urban village. Yusuf Sarai is famous for its economically priced guest houses.

Green Park Market


While staying at Saryodaya Enclave Shri Nathji used to go to Green Park Market to make purchases. Green Park is a affluent locality, in the South Delhi district of Delhi, India. Today it is known as an important shopping districts of Delhi, the Green Park market. It was established in early 1960s and today has all the amenities of a cosmopolitan culture along with large residential and commercial areas and many religious places. Green Park is considered by some as the "lungs" of Delhi, as it is near one of the largest green areas in the city.