The Sentinels of Angre….Cdr Skandan Warrier & Cmde Sanjay Tewari
Meet the two banyan trees that have been sentinels of Bombay Castle for nearly three centuries, standing guard over the courtyard of the ancient fort ever since the city of Mumbai was a small fishing village
Meet the two banyan trees that have been sentinels of Bombay Castle for nearly three centuries, standing guard over the courtyard of the ancient fort ever since the city of Mumbai was a small fishing village
This is the story of two banyan trees that have been sentinels of Bombay Castle for nearly three centuries. These two trees have been standing guard over the courtyard of the ancient fort, now known as INS Angre, ever since the city of Mumbai was a small fishing village. Even in the lifespan of trees that is a long time, considering that mankind has not been so ‘kind’ to nature in the recent past.
But these trees probably have a different opinion about the men that they have seen over this period of nearly three centuries. They believe these people to be a different breed who not only nurtured them, but spared them the axe as well. And they are not merely the trees’ caretakers, they are the men of the Indian Navy who now shoulder the responsibility of the monumental fort – Indian Naval Ship Angre, the premier “stone frigate” of the Indian Navy. Just as these trees have watched over the goings on in the courtyard, the fort has stood witness to the history of this ancient land.
But these trees probably have a different opinion about the men that they have seen over this period of nearly three centuries. They believe these people to be a different breed who not only nurtured them, but spared them the axe as well. And they are not merely the trees’ caretakers, they are the men of the Indian Navy who now shoulder the responsibility of the monumental fort – Indian Naval Ship Angre, the premier “stone frigate” of the Indian Navy. Just as these trees have watched over the goings on in the courtyard, the fort has stood witness to the history of this ancient land.
These trees were here as mere saplings, their seeds flown in along with the winds that now caress their leaves, when Garcia da Orta built the Manor House on what was then one of seven islands of Bombay. What is now the armoury of INS Angre, was then the house of an eccentric Portuguese physician and botanist. The house was lightly fortified as it had been attacked several times by the Marathas, the Siddis, the Dutch, the English and roving pirates. With their imperial power in the region weakening due to the dominance of the British at sea, the Portuguese gave away the islands as part of the dowry of Princess Infanta Catherine of Braganza to King Charles II of England, with the native population having little say in the transaction. Under protection of the fort’s guns, the British first built a marine yard which grew into a dockyard, to consolidate their trade and then their hold over the rest of India.The sea lapped against the ramparts of Bombay Castle in those days. Land was slowly reclaimed from the sea and the islands became a small peninsula while the British strengthened the fortifications. The trees grew taller, protected by the walls that stood their ground against the elements and cannon alike.
They were witness to changing times, watching flags of different colours being hoisted and lowered on the mast of the castle’s Flag Staff bastion. They probably saw the ensign of the proud battle-proven erstwhile Indian Navy, being lowered for the last time in 1863. They watched fine ships being built by Parsi builders just over the walls in the dockyard, and saw their masts disappear from sight as they sailed for distant shores, some never to return again. They witnessed a world at war, where a non-combatant Royal Indian Marine went off to fight in converted merchantmen. They witnessed the re-birth of the navy in its avatar as the Royal Indian Navy in 1934. Perhaps they watched in stunned silence as the world, not satisfied by the carnage of a few years earlier went off to war once again. They heard devastating and deafening explosions from the Bombay Port nearby, when the walls of their home shook, the ground trembled and the sky literally rained fire and gold. Perhaps some of the falling debris even hurt these gentle giants.
If they could speak, they would tell you of a heroic, but short lived one-sided struggle between a handful of ratings and the might of the British empire. Perhaps they would be able to explain why the British finally decided to leave a land they had occupied for over two centuries. For it was indeed, the true owners of this land, sea and the sky above who sent the foreigners packing and the fort built by native hands under foreign supervision finally came back to its rightful owners. Surely their hearts must have swelled with pride as they finally saw their own flag over Flag Staff bastion. Once again their caretakers became the Indian Navy.
Bombay became Mumbai, the Indian Navy grew rapidly into a potent force in the world arena, new buildings came up within these walls and formed the nerve-centre of the Western Naval Command, while the trees continued to stand guard watching over the entrance and the armoury as they had done for so many years. With the hope that mankind will be kinder to nature in the days to come, the leaves on the trees rustle in the gentle sea breeze blowing through the ramparts and seem to say, “The winds of change will continue to blow, our Navy will continue to grow, the Indian flag will fly high behind us, this fort will stand and so shall we. There is much history yet to be written and we shall stand guard as always ..”
Bombay became Mumbai, the Indian Navy grew rapidly into a potent force in the world arena, new buildings came up within these walls and formed the nerve-centre of the Western Naval Command, while the trees continued to stand guard watching over the entrance and the armoury as they had done for so many years. With the hope that mankind will be kinder to nature in the days to come, the leaves on the trees rustle in the gentle sea breeze blowing through the ramparts and seem to say, “The winds of change will continue to blow, our Navy will continue to grow, the Indian flag will fly high behind us, this fort will stand and so shall we. There is much history yet to be written and we shall stand guard as always ..”