Solitary Reaper of Greener Pastures

Accomplished right-hand batsman, competent medium pace bowler, prolific mentor, sought-after coach, visionary corporate leader, and committed ESG stakeholder, he is all bundled into one potent force, and there’s much more to his charisma, which becomes intuitively apparent to the discernible observer. 

 

Meet James Allenby (Jim to friends and acquaintances), Managing Director, Parvate ESG, and Eden Partners - ESG Funding and performance. It was Mumbai Indians star Tim David’s recent IPL dazzle that got the media interested in Jim (as Tim's coach and mentor), which is how I knew about him. On a deeper probe, I sensed his exceptional value prop which is undeniable, notwithstanding the less-than-phenomenal returns it has fetched him in pure cricketing terms. As an individual though, he has soared high in diverse fields which is celestial justice for the hard yards he put in on the cricket field.   

 

Even a cursory glance at Jim’s cricketing career reveals a consistent pattern where his unassuming but phenomenal talent was not rewarded in commesurate measure, in what seems an elusive mix of bad luck and unfair situations: 

only one game on debut for the Durham Cricket board followed by a lull of three years;  

a league record of 266 in a 45 over match playing for Brandon cricket club following occasional appearances despite being the founding team member of Leicestershire; 

a resurgent stint for Leicestershire in 2006 which scripted his first-class and County Championship debut; the first player in Twenty20 Cup history to claim four scalps in four consecutive deliveries in 2008, sadly followed by a duck while batting, which ruthlessly reduced the milestone match to a lost cause for Leicestershire; 

named Glamorgan's player of the year in 2012, and consistent topper in batting averages in succeeding seasons, and yet not made part of the England national team;

Three eventful seasons for Somerset but no material gains, save for quality exposure at the highest level and sterling achievements in white ball cricket;

The roots of his effort went as deep as they could go, but the fruits on the higher branches eluded him at crucial junctures. Well, to put Jim’s success in perspective, it is clear and evident that England’s (and Australia’s) cricketing loss has clearly been the planet's ESG gain, besides that of several young cricketers who have moved up the value chain of excellence under his watchful eyes as a coach and mentor.  
 
 
 
Excerpts from my freewheeling conversation with Jim:
 
 
Your passion for sport is the defining feature of your career. When did it all begin? 
 
As a child, I had many interests apart from cricket (which was always my first love and choice) like football and soccer. I was also fond of fishing. Age 12 onwards, I took to Golf as well.  Having grown up in the Metro area of Perth in Western Australia, we were blessed with lot of open spaces surrounded by hills. Cricket was the principal sporting endeavour during the summers, and football and soccer in the winters. We Aussies are lucky to have very well defined seasons; we can design the calendar of our sporting pre-occupations accordingly.   
 
I regularly played cricket with my dad and two elder brothers. In fact, I played cricket all the time, before school, after school, and at school.  I developed my competitive skills playing in the backyard, in trying to counter a lot of short pitch stuff my brothers threw at me to get me out. This was the one of the most enjoyable spans of my life when every weekend was about some sporting endeavour. Even today, at 41, I relish playing cricket with the family whenever time and occasion permit. Our mum joins in as well. 
 
I have fond memories of my alma mater, the Christ Church Grammar School, which is one of the leading institutions in Australia. Cricketers like Ashton Turner studied here after me and Stuart McGill before me. Academically, I did well and Math was my favourite subject. I had several role models, both within the family and outside of it. Dad and mum had the biggest influence on my formative years and from the cricket world, I idolized greats like Steve Waugh and Dean Jones.

 
 
400 games of professional cricket in different countries – your credentials in sport are undoubtedly awesome. What inspired you to look at a career off the playground after such an impressive track record as a cricketer? 
 
It has been really fulfilling having played more than 400 games of professional cricket all over the world. As a player, you of course don’t look at the numbers but looking back in time, I feel truly happy about the achievement. I always tried to my best playing in different geographies of different time zones, which called for not just skill but tenacity which alone ensures longevity. Together with the 100 plus county cricket that I played in England and the 200 odd professional matches at home, all these cricketing encounters  will always remain enduring highlights of my career. Even post my playground days, this zeal and zest for action has kept me busier whether as a coach, manager or corporate leader. 

 
 You help current and future players achieve their goals. How do you approach you role as a coach and mentor? 
 
As a coach, I feel very happy seeing many of my students doing well at the national and international level, some for Australia and some for other nations. As regards the chemistry between mentor and mentees, the fact is that players choose their mentors, and not the other way round. So, the mentor can’t force his thoughts on to the players, and being a mentor is so different from being a coach. With the former, the trust factor is very high, the relationship is long term, and the conversations are not restricted to on-field aspects like skill and technique, but matters off it as well, on elusive challenges of motivation and temperament. If the trust is anywhere near what it should be, a mentee can talk on any aspect of his life and work with the mentor. That is when most of the potential translates into performance.   

 
 Having observed Tim David very closely during the IPL, it is evident that he has carved a niche, much of which is yet to be unleashed. Could you briefly trace the voyage of your protégé from raw talent to stand out performer. 
 
 
Tim David is a great example of one of the most successful cricketers of the younger generation doing phenomenally well in T20 franchise cricket, notably the IPL. This should help him scale greater heights in the time to come. 

To talk briefly about his voyage, I spotted his talent when he was only five and I was a coach at the holiday cricket clinics. Even at that tender age, he was keen to experiment: one day, he bowled spin, the other day seam, and played different shots as a batsman. On many occasions, he batted through the innings unbeaten, which showed his hunger to excel on the cricketing field. No wonder, he has scored huge amount of runs and taken many wickets at different levels, whether school, club or franchise. 

Later, when I worked with him closely on his game, he was quick to absorb insights both in terms of skill and temperament, and evolved as a cricketer, which has helped him stay put even during the trying times when others were selected ahead of him, and he was denied opportunities despite the humungous talent he possesses. I am truly happy in the manner in which he has risen above his circumstances to carve a niche in IPL. It is indeed heartening that we still work together and relish conversations on cricketing and non-cricketing matters, whether in person or through WhatsApp.  
 
 
I am sure there would be many more players who have benefitted from your actionable insights. 
 
As a coach, I am happy with most of the players I have worked with. In the Aussie squad that played in South Africa, I coached three players who batted in the middle order at one point. I have also been coaching a few of the West Australian female players and it feels great to see them performing to the best of their potential, finding a new gear in their game, and committing to a style of cricket that is high risk with high reward, but far from being reckless. 
 
 

Among the current crop of international cricketers, who are the ones who have impressed you most in terms of their evolution over the years, inherent talent and temperament, and command over the art and science of the game.      
 
One thing I can say with certainty; the game is getting so much better by the day, especially in white ball cricket with its significantly amended rules which  leaves no room for mediocrity in any aspect. Bowlers, batters and fielders have to be on their toes all the time, ditto in T20 cricket. I guess there would not be many former players who would agree with me that the game is getting better (laughs), but I truly love watching the new mavericks find unconventional methods to outwit the opposition with bat and ball.
 
 It makes me happy not just as a coach but also as a spectator enjoying the proceedings without analysing them.  I love watching SKY (Surya Kumar Yadav) unleashing his talent on the cricket field. As regards bowlers, I love watching anyone with genuine pace, like Nortje from South Africa. 
 
 
You have experienced a rich diversity of cultures spanning Australia, UK, India, UAE and Pakistan. Could you recall a few instances where the diversity startled you, I mean in terms of different approaches to the game, different sporting sensibilities, different talent and temperaments, and different administrative environments governing cricket.   
 
 
I have had several interesting experiences working in Australia, England, India, UAE and Pakistan. For someone like me, who is naturally inquisitive about why things are the way they are, the exposure to different environments, and different administrative and governance styles has been very enlightening.  
 
For example, in the UK, you just play so much that you don’t train as much as one does in Australia. This implies you travel and play in quick succession which calls for fixing problems on the go. In Australia, significant time is devoted to training and working on weaknesses in focused sessions. Of course, each approach has its merits and I was fortunate to experience all of them. 
 
In Asian countries like India and Pakistan, I was mesmerised by the passion for sport and the freedom available to crickets to chart their paths to excellence, given the loosely structured training setups. In recent times, with more attention being given to the structure, individual and team performances have peaked commensurately. 

India, for example, is currently the number one team across formats. Further, modern day cricket is getting less diverse across geographies as standard styles of coaching and training are being adopted by most cricket playing nations under the tutelage of international coaches.    

 
Your career track record is incredible – from sales assistant and storeman to the MD of Parvate group. What have been the achievements dear to your heart, and is there something you would have done differently if you were to start all over again.             
 
Yes, I have traversed a different path for sure. My first job happened while I was at school when I stared washing cars for some spare money as a 13 year old. Then I moved to the warehouse as an assistant. In England, alongside playing cricket, I was working in a café and also cutting grass. I shuffled many jobs just to be able to sponsor my passion for playing cricket. 
 
I had a very settled 15-year span as a professional cricketer. Later, while setting up different businesses, whether as coach or sustainability champion, I hugely drew from my leadership skills on the field, which are no different from the entrepreneurial mindset one needs for business. I am proud of the fact that I have nurtured great working relationships with people across different environments, many of which have developed into lasting friendships.       
 
Talking of regrets, towards the end of my playing career, I had a very settled life in Cardiff as the captain of the white ball teams at Glamorgan, (which is why it still feels like a second home to me.) I decided to move to Somerset to try and win a county championship there. It didn’t work out exactly the way I wanted, although I managed to become the captain of the white ball team, played with legends like Chris Gayle, Mahela Jayawardene, and helped formulate a new white ball strategy for Somerset which proved a game changer. However, in hindsight, I feel I should have stayed back in Cardiff for its idyllic charm and a more simpler, and hence more fulfilling, life. 
 

 

 
ESG specialist at Eden Partners – that career switch stands out on your resume. 
 
Eden Partners is into asset management and operates an ESG fund out of the European Union, a heavily regulated hedge fund with a very strong sustainability focus. My job is to help the fund and its portfolio companies maintain unflinching commitment to sustainability initiatives including net-zero targets. In my experience, ESG is an eternal voyage as improvement is invariably a moving target, which is why I love the job. I am glad I have likeminded partners all over the globe including India and we all work in a collaborative manner thar are surely ripe with outcomes that will do their bit to help our planet become a better and greener place to live in. I would sum up my role as a truly humbling experience.    

Can you briefly summarize your catalytic role as Managing Director of Parvate Collective? 
 
 
As MD of Parvate Collective, or Parvate ESG as we have now rebranded ourselves, I have had a very enjoyable three-year stint in a fascinating company that belongs to a fascinating industry. We have grown 10 to 20 fold in the last two years in terms of clients, partners, and staffers. Going forward, we will collaborate as a multidisciplinary team of lawyers, bankers, accountants, or insurance professionals to offer sustainable solutions to our clients such that they stay relevant and credible in the modern business landscape. I relish my role as a catalyst binding the team together and helping them serve the larger cause of the collective, which is no different from the job I did as the captain of various cricket teams.   
 
 
What are your thoughts on the current state of ESG maturity? What must be done by the powers-that-be across the globe to avert a looming crisis that threatens to harm the cocoon and constitution of our planet, defying all our climate pledges. 
 
Talking of the current level of ESG Maturity, I feel this is just the beginning. Given the moving goal posts, it is not easy to get settled in this space, In the last three months or so, there have been a lot of international agreements on the criterion and standards which will bring uniformity and focus to the climate change mitigation efforts worldwide. This will help us keep a fine balance between business outcomes and environmental outcomes.      

 
 
 How do you rate the progress on transition finance worldwide. Is ‘greenwashing’ on the wane or still a threat? 
 
I think the progress on transition finance has been rapid across the globe. Companies are now more focused on their ESG targets and in a better position to achieve them. ESG earlier had to face the criticism that people in it were unsure of what they were doing which is now no longer the case. Science-based research is getting more credible and available Greenwashing is indeed a grave concern. Talking of our initiatives at Eden and Parvate, we have zero tolerance for greenwashing in any form. All our actions and decisions are evidence-backed. AI has ensured we have the right metrics in place. Going forward, more and more transition projects and low-carbon commitments will benefit from tailored financing mechanisms. 
     
 
Apart from the equity route, can innovative debt instruments help make ‘brown to green’ transitions a lucrative business opportunity worldwide. 
 
Equity route has been a huge motivator for ESG businesses but a lot of action is now happening on the debt front too. We are seeing a lot of banks in Australia offering better rates to businesses with well defined ESG plans, structured processes and fool-proof compliance. Lending institutions and insurance companies are now more supportive of players who are mitigating their risks and future-proofing their businesses.

 
What is your blueprint for the future both on personal and professional fronts? 
 
I am very open to all plans on the way forward. Travel remains a top priority for me; I will continue to go places and experience new environments. I have a fantastic family, and I love watching my two kids grow up and spend time with my lovely wife. I am also keen to travel across India very soon. I have fond memories of the time I spent there in early 2023. I have built enduring relationships with many folks from India and other parts of Asia and the world. 
 
I look forward to pursuing both personal and professional opportunities. It is just so important to get better as a person, to consider different points of view, to listen more than you talk, and keep an open mind to differing points of view because no one knows everything. We are often guilty of staying in our little bubbles or spending excessive time on social media or overreacting to unpleasant situations like a bad day at office or home, or getting engulfed by our inhibitions and prejudices. 
 
I am passionate about dealing with situations that force you to innovate or think different – like say, finding a way to communicate in a room full of people who you haven’t met before. I look forward to spend more and more time meeting new people from different cultures and exchange notes on life and work, sharing insights and learning novel approaches. 
 

How was Mumbai born?

Mumbai’s birth was an outcome of an explosive central type eruption with lava and debris thrown upwards with full force, unlike the quiescent eruption responsible for the formation of the Deccan trap from layers of volcanic lava (that eventually create basalt rocks).

The tell tale signs of Mumbai’s birth are found in the diversity of rocks post the massive explosions. The hills of Kanheri and Jogeshwari are made of Agglomerate rocks made of angular lava fragments of different sizes and shapes. The mines of Kurla and Malad are rich in Rhyolite rocks, tailor made for construction work. A variant of this rock, Trachyte, is found in Kandivali mines. The Sanjay Gandhi National Park in Borivali has ample stocks of Pitchstone, a dull black glassy volcanic rock of higher water content which is remarkably erosion-resistant. Mahakali Caves in the Andheri suburb of Mumbai is made of Tuff, a rock comprised of volcanic ash. It was also found in large volumes while a tunnel was being dug for the Bandra sewage plant. 

Popular belief is that the volcanic explosion split Mumbai into seven islands – Bombay (comprised of Walkeshwar, Girgaon, Fort, Dongri), Mazagaon, Shiv-Matunga-Parel, Worli, Mahim, Little Colaba (Old Woman's Island, originally Al Oman named after the Omanese Arabs who inhabited the region), and Colaba. 

However, Tim Riding, a  postdoctoral fellow at the University of Edinburgh and a well known Indian Ocean colonialism researcher, contends that Bombay was not seen as seven islands until the nineteenth century. The archipelago (group of islands with the sea around them) was reckoned as one island by the English, and four by the Portuguese. On the other hand, there are references that suggest that Greek geographer Ptolemi referred to the seven islands as ‘Heptanesia’. 

Whatever the name and number, life in the Mumbai Islands was exceedingly difficult in the seventeenth century as they were an filthy expanse of muddy swamp and foul stench, and hence a staple breeding ground for mosquitoes, flies, and other insects that caused epidemic after epidemic. 

What is the little known chronicle of the Quit India Movement hosted and hoisted in Mumbai?

On August 7th and 8th of the year 1942, a historic session of the All India Congress Committee under the presidentship of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was staged at the Gowalia Tank Maidan (later rechristened August Kranti Maidan). On August 8th, Mahatma Gandhi gave the clarion call of “do or die” as also “Quit India”, the vintage slogan coined by the towering socialist leader Yusuf Meherally (the epic phrase “Simon Go Back” was another brainchild of his.)

Gowalia tank, as the name suggests, was originally an underground tank frequented by Go Walias (cow owners) to bathe their cows. Later, a maidan was built on the tank premises but the old name remained. Gowalia Tank was reportedly a major Tram Terminus too. In close proximity to Gowalia Tank Maidan is Mani Bhavan, Mahatma Gandhi’s Mumbai residence, as also the headquarters of the Indian National Congress. 

At the AICC session, the lame terms put forth by Sir Stafford Cripps at the behest of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill were outrightly rejected, but notwithstanding the ‘Quit India’ and ‘Do or Die’ slogans, it was unanimously decided that negotiations with the British should continue in parallel in expectation of a favourable turn of events. 

However, Mahatma Gandhi was arrested at Birla House in the wee hours of August 9 which was followed by the detention of another 50 leaders. Consequently, violent protests erupted all over the country. Underground activity was the hallmark of the Quit India movement and its Mumbai masterminds included Purushottamdas Trikamdas, Ram Manohar Lohia, and Achyutrao Patwardhan. Usha Mehta, and Chandrakant and Vitthal Jhaveri operated the secret Azad Radio of the Congress party for 90 days at a stretch. Nanik Motwani of Chicago Radio provided the needful technical assistance.   

Amid the mayhem, Aruna Asaf Ali managed to hoist the freedom flag at Gowalia Tank defying the heavy police cordon, and Kasturba Gandhi addressed a meet at Shivaji Park in Dadar. An ailing Mahatma Gandhi was released from captivity on May 6, following his 21 day fast at the prison. He stayed at the cottage of Jahangir Patel in Juhu and conducted crucial meetings with senior leaders from there.  

From August till October, as many as 3450 people were arrested in Mumbai, 37 people lost their lives, and 502 sustained serious injuries. The British squarely blamed Gandhi for the violence and casualties, but he outrightly dismissed the unfair allegation, and very unlike his normal stance, he did not condemn the violent protests of the natives.    

It is interesting to note how the police handled the law and order situation during the Quit India clashes. Since the protesters planned to make free use of hand grenades and desi bombs, the government appointed a special Sabotage Branch of the C.I.D. under the stewardship of an upright Maratha inspector. He understood the gravity of the situation and instructed his troops to bear in mind that the protesters were not criminals but freedom fighters representing a cause, and hence the need to exercise leniency in full measure. Consequently, many protestors were released without charge, and the arrested were duly produced in court. Barring exceptions, the desi police staffers exercised exceptional restraint in locking horns with the tricky circumstances.

Later, when an interim Congress government was set up in 1946, many complaints of police atrocities were made to Mumbai home minister Morarji Desai who examined each case scrupulously before giving the Sabotage Branch a clean chit. The head of the Sabotage Branch was none other than Babasaheb Gawde, the illustrious founder of Mumbai’s Maratha Mandir, a legendary charitable institution open to people of all castes and classes to help them become visionary leaders.

Motivated by different reasons, a few Indian leaders opposed the Quit India movement. . Congress leaders Kanhaiyalal Munshi and C. Rajagopalachari had stepped down from their positions prior to the launch of the movement.  Noted Humanist M. N. Roy proclaimed that India’s real enemies were Fascism and Nazism and hence pledged support to the British in its world war campaign. Dr. B. R. Ambedkar felt it was inappropriate to spread terror in such unruly fashion at a delicate hour. V. D. Savarkar was not opposed to Indian youth joining the British army under the policy of responsive cooperation. The communists openly opposed the Quit India movement barring its Navjeevan Sangathna faction which wholeheartedly backed Gandhi 

The contrarian views of all these prominent leaders were based on their sincere beliefs about what was best for India and her larger cause, and their opposition to the Quit India movement didn’t make any of them any less of a patriot than the rest.

Why is August 1, 1920 etched in Mumbai’s history as the day of an irreparable loss, and the end of an epoch-making era?

This was the day Lokmanya Tilak – father of Indian unrest as the British called him – breathed his last in Sardar Griha, the iconic guest house near the bustling Crawford Market, which was his Mumbai den since many years. 

The great man was cremated in the crossed-legged Padmasana position, which is a tradition reserved for holy men. Given the unprecedented turnout – of more than 2 lakh people – the funeral was performed on a sandalwood pyre at Chowpatty beach, not at a crematorium.  

Later, a memorial was built in close proximity to the funeral place through the efforts of Vithalbhai Patel and Barrister K.F. Nariman. Noted sculptor Raghunath Phadke carved the statue, and a chest was buried 30 feet deep underneath comprising Tilak’s turban, footwear, robes, and a copy each of his magnum opus Gita Rahasya and the N C Kelkar-authored biography.

D V Athalye’s book “The Life of Lokmanya Tilak” (with the foreword by Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das, days before his arrest) is one of the best resources detailing the day’s proceedings:

From Monday night (26th July), the fever took a decidedly serious turn and it was found that the base of his right lung was affected and the fever developed signs of pneumonia. Wednesday morning, the temperature was normal and the pulse regular. This was a happy sign. 

But in the afternoon, his heart began to show signs of weakness. He lost all consciousness and became delirious. On Thursday at about 5 p.m., he had an attack of angina pectoris which threatened to be serious and fatal but, thanks to the timely efforts of the doctors, he was pulled out of it. 

Friday and the whole of Saturday, he continued in the same unconscious state of mind with uncertain and irregular pulse and a weak heart. Suddenly at 10-30 P.M. on Sarturday night, his heart began to show signs of exhaustion and his breathing became hard, and at last at 12-50 a.m., Sunday, August 1st, 1920, the cruel hand of Death snatched him away.

The funeral of the Lokamanya was as memorable as his life. It has been thus graphically described by a contemporary: 

"It was one o'clock at midnight. All round was peace and calmness. There was a little drizzle of rain and men, not knowing the disaster that was to overtake them on the morning of the next day, were having a sound and sweet sleep. But the mysterious power, 'which rules the world was wide awake, and stealing a march on the subconscious man, carried away one of the most honoured, respected and beloved of the people.

Never before in the history of Bombay, was such a scene of universal grief witnessed. People had begun to flock near Sardar Griha from 7 in the morning and by 8 a.m., there was no room for anybody to go up to catch his last sight. The labourer had left the mill, the Marwari his account-book, the Bania his purse, and every man and woman was out to see the last of their be- loved leader. 

Musalmans, Parsees, Christians deserted their homes to pay their respects to a man, who had sacrificed his all at the altar of the country and suffered heavily for bravely defending her cause. In his lifetime, Mr. Tilak was the recipient of many popular demonstrations of goodwill but the triumphal march of a dead Tilak through the streets on August 1st, 1920 was more magnificent than any during his life-time. 

In the funeral procession were seen Mr. Gandhi, Mr. Shaukat Ali, Dr. Kichlu, Mr. Jamnadas, Mr. Banker, and many other prominent citizens of Bombay. Two special trains from Poona brought a number of Mr. Tilak's friends and devoted followers. They claimed that Mr. Tilak's body should be cremated at Poona. The people of Bombay insisted on getting the honour to themselves and in the end they won and cremated him, by special arrangements, on the sands of the Back Bay. 

The body was gently placed on a pyre of sandalwood, so lovingly and liberally supplied by the Parsi traders; and at sun-down, the last earthly remains of the Sun of Maharashtra were reduced to ashes!" 

The unexpected death of a personality of the magnitude of Lokamanya Tilak united, for a time, all parties, and all India mourned for the eternal loss of her great son. Even the Anglo-Indian Press, taken as a whole, expressed appreciation of their life-long opponent. 

Thousands of memorials to the Lokamanya have been suggested and raised in different parts of India. But the grandest of them all is the one for which Mahatma Gandhi moved from city to city and province to province, collecting huge sums during the eventful months of April, May and June 1921." 

Who was David Gostling?

Photo courtesy: Tata Power

Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, towering philanthropist and founder of the Tata Group, had set four goals for himself: set up a flourishing iron and steel company, incept a world-class learning institution, build an iconic hotel, and construct a hydroelectric plant. All projects sprung to life post his demise save for the Taj Mahal Hotel which came into being during his lifetime. 

The protagonist of this post envisioned the idea of Jamsetji’s hydroelectric dream. The story of how it was made a reality is a saga of folklore stature.

During that era, Bombay was known for its bustling trade in cotton. No wonder, the soft and fluffy natural fibre was fondly called ‘white gold’. Thanks to the smoking chimneys of cotton and textile mills that were abuzz with action, powered by the coal, oil and steam engine-powered machines, the rampant pollution was giving the city a dark, smoggy, and sinister look. Jamsetji yearned to rescue his beloved city from the toxic refuse, but his wish seemed a distant dream then as the electrification of factories had not taken root; it had just about begun in Calcutta around 1879.   

The seeds of transformative innovation that eventually fulfilled Jamsetji’s dream were sown by renowned architect David Gostling, the brain behind many a enduring Gothic creation, sprawling landmarks like the Western Railway headquarters, Police headquarters, Army Navy Building, Grindlays Bank building, and the Blue Synagogue of the Jews. (Refer to https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-back-story-mumbais-gothic-architecture-splendour-sudhir-raikar/?trackingId=YAHPG5VPR5abCQQBFss1XA%3D%3D for more on Mumbai's Gothic splendour)

Gostling proposed the use of rainwater flowing off hilly terrains to produce hydroelectric energy. From 1894 till 1899, he did numerous inspections in and around Lonavala noting water levels, lines and contours, as also drawing ups strategic maps and blueprints. After painstaking research, he outlined a grand plan of building lakes and dams on the strong, hard and earthquake resistant topography of the Sahyadri mountain range. Duct lines would facilitate the transfer of the stored water from Khandala to Khopoli, a fall from 1734 feet at a pressure of 680 pounds per square inch and generators installed at Khopoli would produce hydro electric energy. Jamsetji immediately approved the plan but sadly, both he and Gostling could not see their dream come true in their lifetime. 

Jamsetji breathed his last in 1904 and Gostling died four years later. Jamsetji’s son Dorabji took their idea to fruition in 1911. This Tata project was hailed as the world’s largest hydroelectric project of the time. The foundation and cornerstone ceremony was held on February 8, 1911 at the hands of the then Bombay Governor Sir George Sydenham Clarke in the esteemed presence of dignitaries including Justice Davar, Yuvraj of Gondal state, Maharaja of Mysore, Byramjee Jeejeebhoy, editors of reputed newspapers, and key English officials.   

From the very next day, around 7000 labourers began toiling day and night in the Khandala-Lonavala mountain ranges, transporting, positioning and fitting iron pipes of seven feet diameter on the difficult terrain surrounded by dense forests. Today even after the passage of 110 years, these German-made pipes are dutifully going about their job of transporting the gushing water of astounding force without any breakage or leakage. The generators were sourced from America, while the generator wheel kits were imported from Switzerland. The wires for power transmission came from England. The significance of this monumental feat is evident from its era, a time when means and methods of transportation and communication were primitive by today’s standards, but the vision, resolve, commitment of stalwarts ran deeper by today’s standards.  

In 1915, when Lord Willingdon pressed the proverbial button at khopoli, Bombay’s Simplex mill dazzled in electric splendour. The Lonavala Dam was christened ‘Gostling lake’ to pay tribute to the visionary architect but he is today a forgotten hero. That we don't have a single photograph of this architect of metaphorical substance, leave alone a memorial, is akin to a Greek tragedy of epic proportions.    

I must thank renowned architect and ace chronicler Anand Naik of Lonavala for sharing invaluable information about David Gostling on social media, which was made available to me, courtesy of my friend Nitin Gupte, noted entrepreneur and design enthusiast from Pune.      

Who was the first Indian Fellow of the Royal Society of London?

A civil engineer par excellence, Ardaseer Cursetjee Wadia (1808 - 1877) was the first South Asian to be elected Fellow of the Royal Society, London.

Ardaseer belonged to the illustrious Wadia family of ship builders. Born in Bombay, he was the sole surviving child of Cursetjee Rustomjee, Assistant Builder in the East India Company’s Bombay dockyard, and Jerbai Cawasjee Bomanjee Kabrajee. Interestingly, Ardaseer had no formal education in science, not even a diploma. He has something more special – loads of inborn talent and a wealth of experiential learning, and he made the most of both! One of his sterling feats at the age of 26 was the illumination of his bungalow and garden using as many as 28 gas lights. The then governor of Bombay was one among the many VIPs to watch the spectacle.

He joined the East India Company service in 1822 and underwent training as a naval architect in the government shipyard. In good time, he was given the charge of Mazagaon shipyard. His keen interest in steam engines culminated in several firsts to his credit. He created a small steam engine, the first to be built in Bombay, to demonstrate the workings of steam to his curious fellowmen. He also built India's first ocean boat called 'Indus' which was launched on August 16, 1833.

In 1839, he travelled to England to study steam machinery. Thanks to his talent, he was elected an Associate of the Institution of Civil Engineering in 1840. Back home, he was made chief engineer and inspector of machinery at the East India Company’s Bombay Steam Factory. May 1841 proved a landmark month for him. He was made head of the steam branch of the Indian Navy (the first native to lead European men) and soon after, he was elected Fellow of the Royal Society. In 1851, he again went to England to monitor machinery enhancements. This time, he travelled via the United States, arguably the first Parsi to visit the US.

Post retirement, he had a stint as the chief engineer of Karachi’s Indus Flotilla Company. In 1868, he moved to London and stayed there until his sudden demise on November 16, 1877. During his autumn years, he was a senior trustee of the Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe. In 1873, he led a delegation of Bombay Parsis to meet the Shah of Persia during the latter’s visit to the Buckingham Palace for protesting against religious persecution of Zoroastrians in Persia.

Today, a blue plaque honours the towering significance of Ardaseer’s English villa in Richmond upon Thames. In 1969, the Indian Postal Service issued a stamp in his honour, bearing his inspiring portrait against the grand backdrop of his beloved Bombay docks.