President’s Letter
As I write this letter for BACSA’s Spring Mailing, I realise that we have just passed the halfway point of the 2020’s and that, in consequence of the elections held in the West in 2024, the political landscape for the rest of the decade is a little clearer. Importantly, we will have a Republican President serving a second term in the White House. For so long as the Republicans also hold a majority in both Houses of Congress, he will have an opportunity to bring about meaningful change to the war in Ukraine, to the conflict in the Middle East and to Western relations with the People’s Republic of China. Whether that is change for the better remains to be seen and, either way, may not greatly affect the work BACSA does in the Indian sub-continent and elsewhere in South Asia. The political landscape has not altered much in Pakistan, or Burma but perhaps the same cannot be said of Bangladesh and India. In Bangladesh, the fall from power of Sheikh Hasina so soon after winning a fifth term in office has been a watershed and it is not yet clear what direction the country will take. In India, the mixed fortunes of the BJP in the General Election and continuing tensions with China – not least over the shared border and the impact of the Brahmaputra River dam project – may lead to a softening of the government’s policy of non-alignment with the West. At the very least it is to be hoped that the government will become less suspicious of charitable organisations who support projects in India and will relax the obstacles to receipt of foreign currency which make the funding of such projects so difficult.
Wherever it tries to get a project off the ground, BACSA has to contend not only with national politics but also with local conditions. Access to a cemetery is sometimes difficult. On occasion there are issues of safety and security. Engaging and supervising a suitably skilled workforce is always a challenge. Our projects in Pakistan are a good example. We are most fortunate to have retired Major General Syed Ali Hamid as our Punjab & North West Province Area Representative. He has recently promoted and overseen the restoration of graves at Chillianwala and is currently embarked on conservation of the cemetery at Malakand. Aside from his drive and enthusiasm, work at these sites would not have been possible without his many contacts in the military and civil administration. The Malakand project is being funded equally by BACSA and the Commonwealth Heritage Forum (CHF). One of the stated aims of the CHF is to facilitate the conservation of built heritage throughout the Commonwealth by providing opportunities for learning conservation skills. BACSA’s Conservation Manuals have the same objective and we look forward to a fruitful collaboration with the CHF in the coming years.
I should mention two other significant projects which BACSA is supporting. One is the restoration of the tomb of Colombo Sahib in Dhaka. The other is the restoration of the cemetery of St Mary’s on the Island in Chennai.
For the identity of ‘Colombo Sahib’ see Rosie Llewellyn-Jones’ article in the Spring 2025 edition of Chowkidar. The tomb is thought to be earlier than he and to date from the late seventeenth century. It is one of the finest memorials in Bengal and its restoration is long overdue. Work started in 2024 with funds from BACSA and a subsequent cash injection from the CHF. The project would not have happened without the tremendous input and dedication of our Area Representative for Bangladesh, Professor Dr Abu Syeed M. Ahmed, and his immediate predecessor, Waqar Khan.
Phase 2 of the St Mary’s project, which involved conservation of the tomb of botanist James Anderson (1738-1809) and the laying of new cemetery pathways, was completed last summer. The work is being carried out for BACSA by expert conservators, Jeernodhar of Mumbai, with renowned heritage architect, Ravi Gundu Rao, acting as consultant. BACSA is now considering what it can afford to include in Phase 3.
Unexpected changes in local governance sometimes cause problems. Maintenance of the cemeteries in Kolkata, including South Park Street Cemetery and Lower Circular Road Cemetery, is the responsibility of the Kolkata Christian Burial Board (CBB). Early last year, all the members of the CBB were suddenly dismissed by the Government and a new Board was appointed. This temporarily disrupted plans by BACSA and the CHF for conservation of some of the historic graves and resulted in some inappropriate work being done by a local conservator. However, I am pleased to say that the new CBB is now on top of the situation. It has re-launched the CBB’s website which acknowledges the role BACSA has played, and continues to play, in conserving graves in its Kolkata cemeteries and we are confident of a good working relationship with the Board’s new Chairman (http://christianburialboardkolkata.com).
BACSA begins the second half of this decade in good shape. New members are roughly matching members we lose. Our finances are never quite enough for all we would like to do but have remained solid, albeit in an increasingly expensive world. However, there are still posts to be filled on the Executive Committee, including that of Events Officer and Cemetery Records Officer.
We are also looking for someone to take over the organisation of our General Meetings. If you feel that you could make a contribution to the running of BACSA in these or other roles, do please contact the Chairman or the Honorary Secretary.
In 2027, BACSA will celebrate its 50th Anniversary. The Executive Committee will shortly be considering how best to mark that occasion. Half a century is a milestone which must cause us to take stock. Family links with the Indian sub-continent have moved on a couple of generations since Theon Wilkinson saw the need to establish BACSA. But the built heritage the British left behind, including the cemeteries, graves and memorials remain as part of the history. The remains of kin who died 5 or 10 generations ago deserve as much respect as those of our grandparents and great-grandparents. I feel it would be a fitting tribute to Theon if we could ensure that, by 2027, our membership still numbered more than 800 at least half of whom represented those succeeding generations i.e. were under the age of 70.
So, my message for 2025 is: ‘Get Recruiting!’
Mark Havelock-Allan
January 2025