All of us, every single man, woman, and child on the face of the Earth were born with the same unalienable rights; to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And, if the governments of the world can't get that through their thick skulls, then, regime change will be necessary.
Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara in Stone Town in the British protectorate of the Zanzibar (now part of Tanzania) on 5 September 1946. His parents, Bomi (1908–2003) and Jer Bulsara (1922–2016), were Parsis from the Gujarat region of the then-province of Bombay Presidency in British India. As Parsis, Mercury and his family practised the Zoroastrian religion. The Bulsara family had moved to Zanzibar so that his father could continue his job as a cashier at the British Colonial Office. He had a younger sister, Kashmira.
Mercury spent most of his childhood in India and began taking piano lessons at the age of seven. In 1954 he was sent to study at St. Peter's School, a British-style boarding school for boys, in Panchgani near Bombay. At the age of 12, he formed a school band, The Hectics, and covered rock and roll artists such as Cliff Richard and Little Richard. A friend from the time recalls that he had "an uncanny ability to listen to the radio and replay what he heard on piano".
It was also at St. Peter's where he began to call himself "Freddie", and in February 1963 he moved back to Zanzibar where he joined his parents at their flat.
Mercury and his family fled from Zanzibar for safety reasons due to the 1964 Zanzibar Revolution in which thousands of Arabs and Indians were killed. The family moved into a small house at 22 Gladstone Avenue, Feltham, Middlesex, England. Mercury enrolled at Isleworth Polytechnic in West London where he studied art. He ultimately earned a diploma in Art and Graphic Design at Ealing Art College, later using these skills to design the Queen heraldic arms. A British citizen at birth, Mercury remained so for the rest of his life.
3 comments:
Freddie Mercury was so great.
A fascinating personal story:
Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara in Stone Town in the British protectorate of the Zanzibar (now part of Tanzania) on 5 September 1946. His parents, Bomi (1908–2003) and Jer Bulsara (1922–2016), were Parsis from the Gujarat region of the then-province of Bombay Presidency in British India. As Parsis, Mercury and his family practised the Zoroastrian religion.
The Bulsara family had moved to Zanzibar so that his father could continue his job as a cashier at the British Colonial Office. He had a younger sister, Kashmira.
Mercury spent most of his childhood in India and began taking piano lessons at the age of seven. In 1954 he was sent to study at St. Peter's School, a British-style boarding school for boys, in Panchgani near Bombay. At the age of 12, he formed a school band, The Hectics, and covered rock and roll artists such as Cliff Richard and Little Richard. A friend from the time recalls that he had "an uncanny ability to listen to the radio and replay what he heard on piano".
It was also at St. Peter's where he began to call himself "Freddie", and in February 1963 he moved back to Zanzibar where he joined his parents at their flat.
Mercury and his family fled from Zanzibar for safety reasons due to the 1964 Zanzibar Revolution in which thousands of Arabs and Indians were killed. The family moved into a small house at 22 Gladstone Avenue, Feltham, Middlesex, England. Mercury enrolled at Isleworth Polytechnic in West London where he studied art. He ultimately earned a diploma in Art and Graphic Design at Ealing Art College, later using these skills to design the Queen heraldic arms. A British citizen at birth, Mercury remained so for the rest of his life.
And, of course, there will be a movie coming out about his life soon. I hope it is good.
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