Why was it called a lying-in hospital? Well, a Parsi woman could lie or stay here for around a month after she gave birth, meaning she could spend those 40 days of impurity in clean comfort. The rooms were well-lit and airy and trained medical staff were always in attendance. The hospital was for all Parsi women. People paid according to their capacity and those who were too poor for even that, received treatment and care for free.

It isn’t surprising then, that the hospital which started as a 50-bed facility made its founder Temulji a beacon of hope for Parsi motherhood. But soon he would become even more. Just a year into the establishment of the hospital, the Bombay Plague Epidemic occurred killing thousands. Temulji jumped into the fray again. In 1914, he was knighted for his selfless service during the plague.

Sir Temulji Nariman’s hospital did well for several years. Other birthing centres opened up too. Maternity death and infant mortality rates went down but as you know, so did the Parsi community’s birth rate.

In the 1960s, the PLIH closed its doors. Parsi mothers had become few and the few, were increasingly choosing more modern institutions.  For many years, the hospital was also caught in the midst of a legal tussle between the Bombay Parsi Panchayat and the Hospital Trust, both having different ideas about what to do with the building. Today, this charming heritage structure in Fort, Mumbai sits idle, awaiting its fate.

Thus, in 1791, Jonathan Duncan established the first Sanskrit College in modern India. The Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya in Varanasi is the oldest surviving Sanskrit college in India. It is now a University that is renowned for its library with a treasure trove of ancient Sanskrit manuscripts. And it owes its existence entirely to an Englishman!

But that wasn’t Duncan’s only achievement and not even his greatest. Perhaps his greatest contribution was the abolition female infanticide in Benares. Back then, the community of Rajkumars there, had a tradition of killing new-born female babies. Duncan summoned the community elders and convinced them that it was an unforgivable sin, especially according to Hindu scriptures. The Rajkumars signed a solemn agreement to give up this practice. Duncan realised that moral suasion was far more effective than legal enforcement in the cultural environment of India (Later, the British passed a penal law against infanticide during the leadership of Lord William Bentinck).

Lord Cornwallis was greatly impressed by Duncan’s achievements in Benares. When Cornwallis returned to England, he personally recommended to the Board of Directors that Duncan be made Governor of Bombay. Duncan served with distinction as Bombay’s Governor between 1795 to 1811. He had hoped to leave for England after retirement and even invested in a house in his homeland. But India, refused to let him go. He died in 1811, before he could retire, and was buried in St Thomas Church.

Jonathan Duncan’s memorial in Mumbai, stands as a quiet and beautiful witness to the possibility of harmonious and respectful existence, regardless of personal religious beliefs.

Join Storytrails in Mumbai on ‘The Bombay Story’ walking tour, and discover more stories hidden in plain sight in the Fort Area of Mumbai.