The Narinda Cemetery of Old Dacca – Lecture and Dinner at the East India Club
Thursday 31st July 2025, from 6.00pm
March 2025:
(1) Mr Waqar A Khan (Founder of Bangladesh Forum for Heritage Studies; BACSA’s (former) AR)
(2) Father Albert Thomas Rozario (Bishop’s representative)
(3) Mr Charles Greig (Art Historian; BACSA ExCo Member)
(4) Professor Dr Abu Sayeed Ahmed, Asia-Pacific University (Conservation architect; BACSA’s AR)
(Photo courtesy of Mr Charles Greig)
Paul Dean, the Acting BACSA Events Officer, has supplied the following details of a BACSA celebratory evening, with Lectures and Dinner at the East India Club, in London:
‘BACSA has recently concluded a project for the conservation of what used to be known as Colombo Sahib’s Tomb in Dhaka, Bangladesh, but ought, more appropriately, to be called the Narinda Tomb, since it is to be found in the cemetery in Narinda.
This has been a much anticipated project for a number of years which was initially slow to get off the ground but, thanks to the energy and expertise of BACSA’s Area Representative (AR), Professor Dr Abu Syeed Ahmed of Asia-Pacific University, a noted conservation architect, and his team, the work is now almost complete.
The project has been undertaken by BACSA in collaboration with the Christian Burials Board of Dhaka and the Commonwealth Heritage Forum.
We are holding a celebratory dinner at the East India Club, 16 St James’ Square, London SW1Y 4LH on Thursday 31 July, which will be preceded by lectures about the tomb and the project by BACSA members Dr Rosie Llewellyn-Jones MBE and Mr Charles Greig. For more information about the project, please see the BACSA website news items posted on 28 December 2024 and 25 March 2025‘.
Booking and payment details
The lecture is open to BACSA members only. The cost of the lecture is £20.00; the Indian-themed two-course dinner, preceded by a selection of Indian Street food with chutneys, is £45.00. Drinks are extra and payable at the bar. Bookings and payment for either the lecture alone, or lecture and dinner, can be made online under the Events tab on the BACSA website. (If you wish to pay by cheque, please contact Paul Dean, Acting Events Officer, at www.chairman@bacsa.org.uk for instructions). The booking deadline is 24 July 2025.
To join BACSA please visit the Join page on the website.
(1) October 2020: Mr Robin Chatterton Dixon, the then British High Commissioner to Bangladesh, visiting the Narinda tomb
(2) October 2024: Members of Prof Ahmed’s team cleaning the stonework
(3) March 2025: The Narinda tomb revealed!
Paul Dean
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Diary Dates
BACSA Newsletter readers, family and friends may be interested in the following events:
| Date / Time | Event | Place |
| Sunday 8 Jun 2025, 2:30pm | The Chattri Memorial Service ‘Dedicated to the Indian soldiers who fought on the Western Front during the First World War’ | The Chattri Memorial, Standean Lane, Patcham, Brighton BN1 8ZB. Click here for further details. |
| Wednesday 18 Jun 2025, 10:30am | BACSA Visit to Belmont House | Belmont House, Throwley, Faversham, Kent ME13 0HH. Click here for further details, and to make a booking. |
| Saturday 28 Jun 2025, 10:00-16:30 | FIBIS (Families in British India Society) Open Meeting and Annual General Meeting | Union Jack Club, Sandell Street, London SE1 8UJ. Click here to register for this free event. |
| Monday 7 Jul 2025, 5:00pm for 6:00pm | ‘A Slashing Onslaught – Sir Charles Napier in India’ BIHT (The British in India Historical Trust) Lecture by Prof Peter Stanley | The East India Club, 16 St James’s Square, London SW1Y 4LH. Click here for further details, and to make a booking. |
| Thursday 31 Jul 2025, 6:00pm for 6:30pm | ‘The Narinda Cemetery of Old Dacca’ Lecture by BACSA Executive Committee Members Charles Greig and Rosie Llewellyn-Jones | The East India Club, 16 St James’s Square, London SW1Y 4LH. Click Events to register and book tickets. |
| Sunday 5 Oct 2025 – Friday 17 Oct 2025 | British India: The East India Company & Mutiny Tour A 13-day tour in India led by Dr Rosie Llewellyn-Jones | Delhi, Meerut, Lucknow, Cawnpore, Serampore, Calcutta. Click here (or ring 020-8901-7320) for further details. |
| Thursday 16 Oct 2025, 11:30am | BACSA General Meeting (Members only) | Union Jack Club, Sandell Street, London SE1 8UJ. Further details (including registration instructions) will be published nearer the date. |
| Sunday 26 Oct 2025 | 150th anniversary of CSI Christ Church, Salem to include ‘Holy Communion Service, a Congregation feast and a concluding ceremony’. All are welcome to attend the church’s sesquicentennial celebrations – including descendants of former congregation members. | CSI Christ Church, Fort Road, Salem, Tamil Nadu, India. For further details, please contact: ‘csichurchsalem@gmail.com‘. |
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(Suggestions for BACSA website news items, volunteering opportunities and diary entries, are always welcome – please send them to ‘comms@bacsa.org.uk’.)