A fifth-generation Anglo-Indian has built up an envious collection of photographs that depict the transformation of Visakhapatnam from the humble fishing village of Vizagapatam to the booming metropolis that it now is.

John Castellas, who was born and brought up in the city, talks about his penchant for history and his collection of rare photographs, some of which date back to the 1870s.

Avid historian

Born in Soldierpeta, Mr. Castellas migrated to Australia after finishing his schooling at the St. Aloysius High School. He retired after a 40-year career as an aerospace engineer, first with Boeing and then with Qantas Airways. After retirement, he devoted his attention to documenting the history of his birthplace.

The pictures are rare, and will strike a chord with locals. Mr. Castellas will tell his story, and showcase some of his photographs, at a meet titled ‘Postcards From Vizag – Our Story, Our Heritage’ at The Park on Saturday, in association with Jayshree Hatangadi.

Oldest picture

Mr. Castellas says the oldest picture in his collection can lay claim to be the first-ever picture of the city clicked by the Hughes Brothers of Madras for the Maharaja of Vizianagaram.

The picture, dated 1875, depicts Vizagapatam as a fishing hamlet, with Col. Blackmore’s Bungalow (now a lighthouse) overlooking the village from the other side of the river (which is now the entry channel to the port).

A few of the pictures, such as the half-built Ross Hill Bungalow with the expanse of Upputeru (swamp) in the backdrop, St. Aloysius School with the old lighthouse in the foreground, the beach road built by Sir Arthur Cotton that cuts through palm groves, and the Old Collector’s bungalow (now Queen Mary School), are sure to transport viewers back in time.

Other pictures that stand out are the ones depicting the 1923 cyclone that devastated the town, and the French maps of the town with scales that indicate the Kotaveedhi area, beach road and fort.

Painstaking effort

“It took me four years to gather the information and the pictures. Most of the history from the 18th Century is documented by the British, the French and Catholic Missionaries, but they are in bits and pieces and need to be collated,” Mr. Castellas says.

“The photographs were gathered from various old gazettes and documents in England and France, and the other prime source is the collection of photographs clicked by the Hughes Brothers of Madras and some local photographers such as C. Mooneswamy Mudaliar and Rathnam,” Mr. Castellas says.

Mooneswamy Mudaliar was the grandfather of P.R. Narayanaswami, the former Sports Director of Andhra University.