Poona’s summer-houses: Hub for tea parties, status, and affluence

Poona was dry during most of the year, and very different from that of stations on the sea coast, like Bombay. Due to its elevation and dryness, it was cold at night even in summer, and, hence, was the summer home of many Bombay residents. One of the striking features of the Poona summers was the tea parties organised by the wealthy in their summer-houses. Dating back to the mid-15th century, in the English language, the term ‘summer-house’ meant a structure in a house garden or a park, usually of quite simple and rustic construction, designed to provide a cool,…