Nishatganj Cemetery, Lucknow

The Nishatganj Cemetery is surrounded by encroachments on most of two sides. Where there's  no encroachments you have municipal flats stuck right up to the wall from where people throw garbage into the cemetery.( more)

Nishatganj Cemetery

Tombstones that are slowly disappearing!

Walter Burley Griffin

Walter Burley Griffin, born in 1876 in Maywood near Chicago, won in 1910 an international competition to design the capital of Australia, much as another non-Australian, the Danish architect  Joern Utzon, won the competition to design that Sydney icon, the Sydney Opera House.
As Australia was preparing for its bicentenary celebrations in 1988 a journalist, Graeme D Westlake visited Lucknow in search of Griffin's grave. At the time the Christ Church pastor was a Mr Suraj Masih, who gave Westlake a grave and plot number of the Nishatganj Cemetery. I (George Shepherd) came into the picture as the journalist visited the next best place, The Pioneer, which was housed in the building designed and built by Walter Griffin.
We found the number was to a 'kachcha' grave. I found it hard to believe that an American, of his standing, could, in 1937, have been buried in an unmarked grave. Mr Westlake was as incredulous but accepted the fact. Later an Australian High Commission official visited and then a senator Mr Teague, from South Australia made the trip carrying funds for a memorial that marks the spot today.
(Sunday April 21, 2013
I think Chicago has been 
replaced. Thought it's not visible in the top pic which is the latest. George Shepherd)

John Arthur Ellis 1836-1883

How long will this grave survive!
JOHN ARTHUR ELLIS,
Born 21st June 1836
Died 16th March 1883


(Aug 3, 2015: I should update
this pic if the grave is
still there)

Lilian Mishra nee Raymond

LILLIAN MISHRA NEE RAYMOND
BORN 3RD APRIL 1976
DIED 13TH JULY 2010

Lillian was the only child of
Bobby Raymond and 
Pamela D'Ravara. Bobby had passed
away a year or two before here.

Carlton Eugene Figg died 2008, Audrey Rachel Figg 1945-2014

CARLTON EUGENE FIGG,
BORN 12TH JANUARY 1943 
DIED 22ND NOVEMBER 2008 
                   **
Carlton grew up in Patna, Bihar. He later moved to Lucknow and joined The Pioneer, a century-old newspaper as a reporter, in (maybe) 1967, using Jaywalker as a pen-name for his column 'Around the Town'. He started out at a time when the civic authorities in Lucknow hadn't become 'thick-skinned' nor did reporters concoct stories. Most locals referred to him as Jaywalker. Carlton, who married Audrey Daniel-Palmer, had a brother who was also a journalist. Carlton was survived by his wife, two daughters and two sons.
He was Big Dada to his grand-children.

Audrey Figg who was in ill-health over the past
few years passed on in Pune(?). Her mortal remains
were brought to Lucknow where she was laid to rest at the side of her late husband, Carlton. 

AUDREY RACHEL FIGG
17TH JULY 1945-7TH JULY 2014




MUM, YOU TAUGHT US US TO LIVE
AND LOVE,
YOUR LOVING CHILDREN,
BRENDA, DEXTER, ERLE AND DENISE
GRANDCHILDREN

David Lyle Thoburn died 1905

The grave of David Lyle Thoburn in the Nishatganj Cemetery, Lucknow. Whether the grave survives today is not known. I was unable to discover what David's relationship was with Isabella Thoburn, in whose name IT College, Lucknow was founded.
Since I put this picture on my blog Lyle T has left a comment saying that David Lyle Thoburn was the nephew of  Isabella Thoburn.

On the grave:

 DAVID LYLE THOBURN
Born at St. Clairsville, O, USA 
Died at Lucknow August 3, 1905.
For 12 years a missionary of the
Methodist Episcopal Church
in Lucknow