Tuesday, August 28, 2012

150 years VIctoria Terminus or Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, formerly Victoria Terminus, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and historic railway station which serves as the headquarters of the Central Railways in Mumbai, India.
Designed by Frederick William Stevens with influences from Victorian Italianate Gothic Revival architecture and Indian (Mughal and Hindu) traditional buildings, the station was built in 1887 in the Bori Bunder area of Bombay to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria. The new railway station was built on the location of the Bori Bunder Station[3] and is the busiest railway station in India,[4] serving as both a terminal for long distance trains and commuter trains of the Mumbai Suburban Railway. The station's name was changed to its present one in March 1996 and is simply known as VT (or CST/CSTM).


Bori Bunder (alternatively "Bori Bandar") was one of the areas along the Eastern shore line of Mumbai, India which was used as a storehouse for goods imported and exported from Mumbai. In the area's name, 'Bori' mean sack and 'Bandar' means port or haven (in Persian); So Bori Bunder literally means a place where sacks are stored. In the 1850s, the Great Indian Peninsular Railway built its railway terminus in this area and the station took its name as Bori Bunder.On 16th April, 1853 the Great Indian Peninsula Railway operated the historic first passenger train in India from Bori Bunder to Thane covering a distance of 34 km, formally heralding the birth of the Indian Railways. The train between Bori Bunder and Thane was 57 minutes it was a distance of 35 km apart.
The station was eventually rebuilt as the Victoria Terminus, named after the then reigning Queen, and has been subsequently renamed Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CSTM) after Maharashtra's and India's famed 17th century king. Though the shortened name is now CST, it still continues to be referred to as VT by the masses.
The station was designed by the consulting British architect Frederick William Stevens(1848-1900). Work began in 1878. He received 1,614,000 (US$29,213.4) as payment for his services.[1] Stevens earned the commission to construct the station after a masterpiece watercolour sketch by draughtsman Axel Haig.[1] The final design bears some resemblance to the St Pancras railway station in London.[1][5] GG Scott's plans for Berlin's parliament building had been published four years before, and also has marked similarities to the station's design.[6]
It took ten years to complete[5] and was named "Victoria Terminus" in honour of the Queen and Empress Victoria; it was opened on the date of her Golden Jubilee in 1887.[5][7] It cost £260,000 when it was finished in 1888, the highest for any building of that era in Bombay.[6] This famous architectural landmark in Gothic style was built as the headquarters of the Great Indian Peninsular Railway. Since then, the station came to be known as Bombay VT.
Originally intended only to house the main station and the administrative offices of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway, a number of ancillary buildings have been added subsequently, all designed so as to harmonise with the main structure. A new station to handle main line traffic was erected in 1929. The original building is still in use to handle suburban traffic and is used by over three million commuters daily. It is also the administrative headquarters of the Central Railway.
In 1996, the Minister of Railways, Suresh Kalmadi, changed the name of the station to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus[8][9] in honour of the great Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji.
In 2008, the station was featured prominently in the Academy Award winning film, Slumdog Millionaire. In 1956, the station was also featured in the film C.I.D. during the song 'Yei Hai Bombay Meri Jaan'.
[edit]Terrorist attacks in 2008
Main article: 2008 Mumbai attacks
On 26 November 2008, two terrorists entered the passenger hall of the CST, opened fire and threw grenades at people. The terrorists were armed with AK-47 rifles. One of the terrorists, Ajmal Kasab, was later caught alive by the police and identified by eyewitnesses. The attacks began around 21:30 when the two men entered the passenger hall and opened fire,[10][11] The attackers killed 58 people and injured 104 others,[11] including a police officer, Tukaram Omble; their assault ending at about 22:45.[10] The CCTV captured the attack, and the evidence was used to identify and indict Kasab.
[edit]The structure



Facade of CST.
The station building was designed in the High Victorian Gothic style of architecture. The building exhibits a fusion of influences from Victorian Italianate Gothic Revival architecture and traditional Indian architecture. The skyline, turrets, pointed arches, and eccentric ground plan are close to traditional Indian palace architecture. Externally, the wood carving, tiles, ornamental iron and brass railings, grills for the ticket offices, the balustrades for the grand staircases and other ornaments were the work of students at the Sir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy School of Art. The station stands as an example of 19th century railway architectural marvels for its advanced structural and technical solutions.
The VT was constructed using high level of engineering both in terms of railway engineering and civil engineering. It is one of the first and is considered as one of the finest products of the use of industrial revolution technology merged with revival of the Gothic Revival style In India . The centrally domed office structure has a 330 feet long platform connected to a 1,200 feet long train shed, and its outline provides the skeleton plan for building. VT's dome of dovetailed ribs, built without centering, was considered as a novel achievement of the era. The interior of the building was conceived as a series of large rooms with high ceilings. It is a utilitarian building and has had various changes required by the users, not always sympathetic. It has a C-shaped plan which is symmetrical on an east-west axis. All the sides of the building are given equal value in the design. It is crowned by a high central dome, which acts as the focal point. The dome is an octagonal ribbed structure with a colossal female figure symbolizing Progress, holding a torch pointing upwards in her right hand and a spoked wheel in her left hand. The side wings enclose the courtyard, which opens on to the street. The wings are anchored by monumental turrets at each of their four corners, which balance and frame the central dome. The façades present the appearance of well proportioned rows of windows and arches. The ornamentation in the form of statuary, bas-reliefs, and friezes is exuberant yet well controlled. The columns of the entrance gates are crowned by figures of a lion (representing Great Britain) and a tiger (representing India). The main structure is built from a blend of India sandstone and limestone, while high-quality Italian marble was used for the key decorative elements. The main interiors are also decorated: the ground floor of the North Wing, known as the Star Chamber, which is still used as the booking office, is embellished with Italian marble and polished Indian blue stone. The stone arches are covered with carved foliage and grotesques.[12]
Internally, the ceiling of the booking hall was originally painted blue, gold and strong red on a ground of rich blue with gold stars. Its walls were lined with glazed tiles made by Maw & Co of Britain.[13] Outside, there are statues representing Commerce, Agriculture, Engineering and Science, with a statue representing Progress on the central dome of the station.[13] A statue of Queen Victoria beneath the central dome has been removed.[13]
CST has 18 platforms - 7 are for locals trains and 11 are for long distance.[14]
Rumours persist that the design for Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in Mumbai was originally designated for Flinders Street Station. However, no convincing evidence, other than architectural similarities to other buildings in their respective cities, has been produced to support the rumour.
Plans are underway to upgrade Mumbai CST (along with Pune Jn. and Nagpur Jn.) by means of a public-private partnership.
[edit]Suburban Network

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus
Mumbai Suburban Railway station
Station statistics
AddressDr Dadabhai Naoroji Rd, Dhobi Talao
Coordinates18.9400°N 72.8353°E
LinesCentral Line, Harbour Line
StructureStandard on-ground station
Platforms7
Other information
CodeST
Owned byMinistry of Railways, Indian Railways
Fare zoneCentral Railways
The network of suburban trains (locally known as locals, short for local trains) radiating out from this station is instrumental in keeping Mumbai running. The station serves long-distance trains as well as two of the suburban lines-the Central Line and the Harbour line. It is the westernmost terminus of Central Railway. On the Central Line the trains terminate at Kurla, Ghatkopar, Thane, Dombivli, Kalyan, Ambarnath, Badlapur, Karjat, Khopoli, Asangaon, Titwala, and Kasara. While on the Harbour Line, the trains terminate at Bandra, Andheri, Mankhurd, Vashi, Belapur and Panvel.
CST has 18 platforms - six are for locals trains and 12 are for long distance.

Moghul Masjid A Pond of Memories



through
a picture
i tried
to freeze
the shias
thanking
the almighty
for his bounty
on their knees
the first
zanjir matam
washing
the blade
sweet memories
the shabbedari
busheri matam
hussain chesho
ya mazloom
hussain and peace
the mourning birds
the weeping breeze
dewdrop of tears
from the trees

Shooting Moharam..The Inner Angst of My Pain My Self Expression

240,961 items / 2,024,735 views


I began shooting Moharam about a few years back.. if I had not taken up photography to get rid of my inner angst my inner pain , which I will not give an explanation but I was a victim of alcohol abuse and I gave up alcohol completely thanks to my familys faith in me.. their prayers that pulled me through...I would have ended up in a lunatic asylum.. I was bad case ..

I needed an intoxication to replace my thirst , that the the psychiatrist felt could have an healing effect on me I chose the camera and met Habib Nasser Baqar they their friends changed my life further..

I began documenting Moharam.. not just for the Shia more fervently for the Non Muslim friends and later my foreigner friends , not being a preacher , not being just a Shia but also a human being..

I began this task,, and shot Moharam in most of the major cities from Mumbai the starting point to Lucknow Delhi Mehmoodabad Kolkatta Hyderabad and Chennai Chehlum in Hussain Tekri Jaorah.

Those days perched above the Amin Imambada gates thanks to Nasser of Lucky Hotel a single camera body I shot from one place color film, color slide and black and whites on Delta Ilford ..I got my black and white rolls processed at Huzefar Rassiwala Mahindra Patil , got my prints done by Satyendra Dalvi Bhai Humne for color and spent a fortune sending these prints to camera club circuits along with late Prof BW Jatkar and Mr KG Maheshwari..

Than everything changed I gave up analogue photography sold all my film cameras bought the Nikon D 80 and learnt photoshop I still type with one finger , and later a sword wound at Delhi made it impossible to type with my right hand but it is one finger tpying till date .

So this post is a tribute to my Gurus my friends who played an important part in molding me including my Camera Club Photographic Society of India now celebrating its 75 year.

I became an incorrigible Internetter made a lot of friends from abroad friends who fascinated with the essence of Moharam in India , Shiasm actually come down to shoot our pain every year.

And thus began my tryst with my faith.. my inner expression as a poet so I get pretty upset when I am clobbered by hate comments by bigots racists in my community too.. for shooting other religion other ethnicity and so I hesitate getting friendly or adding new friends .. see my stuff move on whether you like it dont like it it is my vision my camera my parentage that makes me do what I do.

If I hurt your sense sensibility inadvertently I apologize as that is not the end or intention of my photography .

I have choked my comment box at Flickr .. kept it open friends at Facebook where I have rejoined after a 11 month gap.

I disallow comments because you did not shoot what I shot , you were not my target audience at all .. my pictures are public because I shot this publicly.. I am not into debate dialogue regarding my religiosity you have issues with my faith my customs go to a Shia scholar sort it out .. dont chew my brains .

If you ridicule people in my pictures I shall simply black you .. this is for Facebook dudes irrespective of who you are I dont mock your faith your religiosity I give it respect and more respect when I shoot it as a photographer I become more human than you can ever be ..

These are old pictures a set called Scanned Memories I shot on film the Epson scanner was a gift from a friend to scan my slides film .. but when bad times came I sold the scanner to a friend ..

I still have all my negatives slides as memories of an era that I am not willing to forget as a street photographer .I have a lot of prints to that have won acceptance at the various salons .. all part of old time nostalgia.

And because I had great Gurus all Hindus the cream of photographic ancestry I placed the camera in the tiny hands of my grand daughters .

Marziya Shakir 4 year old shoots on Canon EOS 7D and Canon EOS 60D.
Nerjis Asif Shakir 1 year old is learning to shoot the streets on Canon EOS 60D .

In my family now everyone has become a photographer thanks to my grand daughters.

I Shoot a Pain A Pain That Does Not Go



during moharam
the shia month
of mourning
from karbala
into our hearts
into our souls
into the very poetry
of life it flows
our freedom
of expression
our pain
known as
ghame hussain
the entire world
knows .. our
poetry our prose
from a seed
into a plant
it grows
a path
a mission
our faith
our destiny
we chose
children of
zehra
on the soul
of humanity
our tears froze

Why we bleed is a question they always ask..

240,961 items / 2,024,729 views


1400
years pain
terrorism
at karbala
we take
them to task
enemies
of hussain
are enemies
of humanity
we reveal
those faces
hidden
behind masks
our unstoppable tears
our unstoppable blood
our unstoppable pain
a feeling healing flask

The Spectral Soul of a Beggar Poet ..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=Galm8knCITE&NR=1

The Master of The Ring Paying Tribute To The King of Kings

My Barefeet From 10 Am To 4 Pm ...shooting the pain passion of Christ

14 Stations of the Cross God Friday Lenten Walk 2012

I Come To Sacred Heart Church To Shoot Good Friday 14 Stations of the CrossShooting the Soul of Poetry Through PicturesShooting the Soul of Poetry Through PicturesEvery Year I Walk Barefeet With Jesus Christ on Good Friday..Every Year I Walk Barefeet With Jesus Christ on Good Friday..Every Year I Walk Barefeet With Jesus Christ on Good Friday..
The Beggar Poet of Mumbai..On a Journey of Peace Hope HumanityI Am As Close To Jesus as You Are To Him Perhaps MoreThe Beggar Poet Shoots The 14 Stations of The Cross 2012The 14 Stations of the Cross on Good FridayThe Starting Point of the Lenten Walk Sacred Heart Church Santa Cruz WestThe 14 Stations of the Cross on Good Friday
The 14 Stations of the Cross on Good FridayWomen of Jerusalem Weep Not For Me Weep For Thyselves and Thy ChildrenThe 14 Stations of the Cross on Good FridayI Am The Life and the ResurrectionThe 14 Stations of the Cross on Good Friday"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,Lord, do not hold this sin against them.The 14 Stations of the Cross on Good FridayWomen of Jerusalem..Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise (Luke 23:43)Their Walk is the Toughest ..In Hot Regzine

Nokia Indian By Birth Blogger By Choice

240,961 items / 2,024,552 views

Renie Ranvins
Indibloggers
techies
foodies
a single
voice
girls n guys
intelligent
smarty wise
a loaded dice
who is the lucky
one gets the
nokia mobile
as lucky price
each one tries
but all should
get it would
be the best
surprise
jesus christ
#nokiaapptasting
a tag asymmetrically
disguised digitalized
ms punam kaul
confused mind
held in a vice
to give or not
to give ..poetically
surmised by a beggar
poet head diagonally
sliced .. a poem
a picture both
resized

Mrs Punam Sinha My Fairy GodMother

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