Sewri Christian Cemetery: A walk in the woods

There are parts of Mumbai, which one visits and wonders whether they are in the same city. The Christian cemetery at Sewri is one of these places. Nestled a few minutes away from the traffic of Wadala Chaar Rasta, the cemetery is an integral part of Mumbai’s history, and is the largest Christian cemetery in the city.
Originally built by Arthur Crawford, the first Municipal Commissioner of Bombay (as Mumbai was known back then) as a location for European burials in 1865, the cemetery has Indian Christians buried here too.
The Italian Connection
An interesting point to note is that a section of the cemetery is dedicated to Italian Prisoners of War, who were brought to India during World War II. During the War, these Italians were captured by British troops in Africa and were brought to Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai. The POWs who were brought to Mumbai were put up in Andheri. After they died, they were buried in the cemetery with a gigantic structure on top of a hill built in their memory. 

Space for all
Due to the size of the cemetery, there are different sections for different sects. In fact, due to the old rule, there is an entire part of the cemetery that has graves of the colonists who served the British Empire. Gravestones in this section look older and intricate. Carved on the gravestones are angels, stone hearts, cupids and anchors. 
Some of the famous names whose graves can be seen are FW Stevens, who designed Chhattrapati Shivaji Terminus (then known as Victoria Terminus), George Wittet, who designed the Gateway of India amongst others.
Also, because of the various beliefs followed by the Europeans, the section of the cemetery built for them is subdivided into Roman Catholic, Protestant, followers of the Church of England and followers of the Church of Scotland.

Epitaphs that are both sweet and strange
People have always paid tribute to their loved ones on the epitaph, and the number of messages seen at the cemetery range from being absolutely heart-warming to, in some cases, plain strange. Parents who have lost their children as young as five months have left epitaphs such as "Her stay on earth was short but sweet…", while Edward Mansfield, who died in 1891, has an epitaph that reads, “he died from the bursting of his balloon."

The November celebrations 
Every November 2, which is celebrated as All Souls’ Day, Catholics from across Mumbai gather at the cemetery to pay homage to those who have passed away. According to tradition, family members bring in something (usually a food item) that the deceased person loved, and put it in front of the grave. This is probably the best time to visit the cemetery, as it is cordoned off to public during the rest of the year.