The Postcard
A postcard that was published by Nicklis & Mather of Niagra Falls. The card was posted in Niagra Falls using two 1 cent stamps on Monday the 3rd. August 1908. It was sent to:
P. R. Stanbrook Esq.,
42, Montagu Road,
Hendon,
London NW,
England.
There was no message, as the recipient's name and address stretched across the divided back of the card.
Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls is 27 km (17 mi) northwest of Buffalo, New York, and 69 km (43 mi) southeast of Toronto, between the twin cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Niagara Falls, New York.
Niagara Falls was formed when glaciers receded at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation (the last ice age), and water from the newly formed Great Lakes carved a path over and through the Niagara Escarpment en route to the Atlantic Ocean.
Niagara Falls is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States.
The largest of the three is Horseshoe Falls, which straddles the international border of the two countries. It is also known as the Canadian Falls.
The smaller American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls lie within the United States. Bridal Veil Falls is separated from Horseshoe Falls by Goat Island and from American Falls by Luna Island, with both islands situated in New York.
Formed by the Niagara River, which drains Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, the combined falls have the highest flow rate of any waterfall in North America that has a vertical drop of more than 50 m (160 ft).
During peak daytime tourist hours, more than 168,000 m3 (5.9 million cu ft) of water goes over the crest of the falls every minute.
Niagara Falls is famed for its beauty and is a valuable source of hydroelectric power. Balancing recreational, commercial, and industrial uses has been a challenge for the stewards of the falls since the 19th. century.
Khuda Bakhsh
So what else happened on the day that the card was posted?
Well, the 3rd. August 1908 was not a good day for Khuda Bakhsh, because he died on that day.
Sir Khan Bahadur Khuda Bakhsh OIE FRAS, who was born on the 2nd. August 1842, was an Indian advocate, judge, philosopher, revolutionary freedom fighter, scholar and historian from Patna, Bihar.
He was the founder of the Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Library, and Chief Justice of Nizam's Supreme Court of Hyderabad from 1895 to 1898.
Khuda Bakhsh maintains a strong legacy across the Islamic World for his contributions to Literature and History.
-- Khuda Bakhsh - The Early Years
Sir Khan Bahadur Khuda Bakhsh was born into a prominent noble family in Patna, Bihar. He was brought up under the guidance of his father, Sir Muhammed Bakhsh, a famous advocate and Zamindar from Patna.
His family was distinguished in scholarship, and one of his distant ancestors, Qazi Haibatullah, took part in compiling the Fatawa 'Alamgiri.
The House of Bakhsh were the official record-keepers who were given the responsibility by the Mughal Emperors of recording day-to-day activities across the Mughal Empire.
Khuda's father was a lawyer working in Bankipur, and although he was not wealthy, due to his passion for Persian and Arabic literature, he had amassed a collection of 1,400 manuscripts.
Khuda Bakhsh later added to this collection.
Khuda initially studied in Calcutta under the care of a Nawab Amir Ali Khan Bahadur. However his father's illness meant that he was recalled home to Bankipur to start work in order to help his family financially.
-- Khuda Bakhsh's Career
Khuda started his career as a Peshkar in 1868. He later became the Government pleader of Patna in 1880.
During this time his father became very ill. In his dying breath, he asked his son to open a public library. Khuda inherited 1,400 manuscripts from his father.
In 1890 Bakhsh built a two-story library which was inaugurated in 1891 by the former Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal, Sir Charles Elliott. Bakhsh donated his manuscripts and books to the public on the 14th. January 1891. He later expanded the collection to 4,000 manuscripts and 80,000 books.
He became the first director of the library, and remained in that position until his death, except for a brief period from 1895 to 1898 when he served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Hyderabad.
Khuda Bakhsh was a great friend of Shibil Nomani and Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, with whom he worked in order to introduce multiple reform in the education system of British India.
Sir Khuda Bakhsh was approached by representatives of the British Museum who made a stunning offer to purchase his collection, but he declined. He informed V. C. Scott O'Connor, an orientalist based in Edinburgh, England:
"I am a poor man, and the sum they offered me
was a princely fortune, but could I ever part for
money with that to which my father and I have
dedicated our lives?"
No. The collection is for Patna, and the gift shall
be laid at the feet of the Patna public".
The library was designated as an institution of national importance on the 26th. December 1969 by an act of Parliament.
-- The Death and Legacy of Khuda Bakhsh
Khuda Bakhsh was a very simple man with great vision and commitment. He died at the age of 66 on the 3rd. August 1908, and was laid to rest in the library grounds.
The Khuda Bakhsh Award for scholars for their lifetime achievements in the fields in which the library specializes was created in his honor in 1992.
Mahatma Gandhi commented on the legacy of Bakhsh:
"I heard about this beautiful library nine years
ago and I've been looking forward to seeing it
ever since.
I was very happy to see the priceless treasure
of rare books here. I pay tribute to the great
founder of this library who has spent every
penny to give this invaluable treasure to India."
The historian, Jadunath Sarkar, referred to Khuda Bakhsh as the "Indian Bodley" in reference to Thomas Bodley, the founder of the Bodleian Library in Oxford.
