Who is Alice Richman?

Who is Alice Richman?

As I walked into the garden , my eyes adjusted to the intensity of light droping from a torrid white to a more mellow blue filtering down through the now dense foliage ,in contrast to the shield less sky.
I walked at a slow yet calculated pace scanning the surroundings , which I must mention where not entirely new to me yet not familiar either. I have been here before once yet now it is strangely different.Yes it has rained and ,the soil has retained a certain moistness as cotton would if placed in front of an air conditioner in a humid coastal city .It is strangely different as I already said not to sound redundant but it is and I tell you as I can't put my finger on the reason. Yes then it was morning and now it is mid afternoon.
Under the apparent shade of the somewhat tall , aged dense woody tropical trees sat people ,some in pairs , some in threes some in larger groups and some like me where here alone.
Lovers sitting on dense unkempt grass , some in deep conversation others in deeper mood of silence.. but This should not preoccupy me , I was here for a reason.
I was here to find a place where I would rest my self and peer into my rather large technical book and study. After about minutes in the this unfamiliar yet growingly familiar place I found my self at what seemed to be raised stone plinth. In the centre to be which , appeared to look like a memorial from far which but on closer investigation was a grave...in the shape of a cross on this elevated surface. I sat my self on the stone plinth and worked on my as I mentioned on my "rather large" textbook. At first I didn't notice this strange marble cross on the ground ... But as time walked by my eyes fell on the following inscription -

"BORN MELROSE SOUTH AUSTRALIA NOVEMBER 13 1856 AND DIED AT THIS SPOT OF CHOLERA AT THIS VERY SPOT JANUARY 1886"


Curiosity got the better of me , as I got up walk around this central object and on the other side inscribed on the dark stone
" IN THE SACRED MEMORY OF THE LOVED"
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I did a rough calculation in my head the person in question was or is 30(not got beyond 30 at least) when he/she had died of cholera as I already mentioned..
A name came then came to sight a name Alice Richman on the front end was inscribed..
As went back to my place and then to my book.
I began to think.
A question resonated in my mind
Who is Alice Richman?

P.S -
Recycled ,edited and Improved from an earlier post




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7 comments:

amit ranjan said...

i am from delhi. went this christmas to pune. and visited alice richman. have been very intrigued ever since. i thought i could get an answer from you as to who alice richman is. but couldnt...

Anonymous said...

i wonder if you ll read this comment, and i wonder if you read the epitaph clearly. it simply says died of cholera here in 1882. i wonder how u imagined the rest.

Mukesh Anjankar said...

I had seen this curious grave nearly 10 years ago for the first time.I am also intrigued by this grave and would like to know more about Alice Richman,who she was and did she have any connection with the british goverment or its official.

Ranajit Patil said...

I m basically from kolhapur and settled in Pune ...same question was chasing me and come to know that Ms.Alice Richman was dauter of the then governer of Pune who were staying in stoned building of Pune university at that time.....still I am pursuing for details ......

Ranajit Patil said...

she was daughter of the then governer of pune who were staying in the main building of present pune university ,it was his palace.

Thuse For Electronics said...

Hi,

Today I went to this garden and for the first time I visited her tomb. I was also wondering who was she?
Milind Thuse, Aundh, Pune

Anonymous said...

Alice Richman, born 13th Nov 1856 was wife of James Fergusson, 6th Governor of Bombay from 1880-1885. James Fergusson married firstly Lady Edith Christian, daughter of James Broun-Ramsay, 1st Marquess of Dalhousie, in 1859. They had two sons and two daughters. Lady Edith died in October 1871, aged 32.

Fergusson married secondly to Alice (Olive), daughter of John Henry Richman, in 1873. They had one son. She died of cholera in Pune 14th January 1882.

Alice Richman was buried in Alice garden in front of then Governor's office in Poona, India (Presently part of Savitribai Phule Pune University, Pune, India). The burial still exist on reasonably good condition.