KOLAR GOLD FIELDS DOWN MEMORY LANE - PAEANS TO LOST GLORY - By Bridget White
History abounds with tales of
mankind’s fascination with Gold. The yellow metal has been considered precious
from times immemorial and this fascination is reflected in various references
of mining the world over.
Kolar Gold Fields,
affectionately known as KGF had a very sizable European and Anglo-Indian
population who lived and worked there for generations. Messrs. John Taylor and
Sons a British Mining Company owned the K G F Mines for more than a century
since 1852. It was well known for its
Colonial ambience with elegant bungalows replete with huge gardens, green
lawns, and many Clubs with Tennis and Badminton courts, Golf courses, Dance
Halls, Swimming Baths, etc. It was called “Little England” and was unique for
its secular and egalitarian society not found anywhere else in the world.
It was one of India’s
earliest industrialized towns, which had electricity supplied to it from a
captive power plant, good water supply, well-equipped hospitals, schools, etc.
The 19th and the early 20th century saw the KGF mines
booming and flourishing and it employed almost 4500 employees in its hey days.
In what was once a desolate,
waste, rocky terrain, a large and flourishing town sprang up which was provided
with most of the conveniences and comforts of life at that time. All this was
possible due to the perseverance and foresight of a group of British pioneers
who were successful in their quest for gold.
“Kolar Gold Fields – Down Memory Lane” undertakes a nostalgic
journey right from the days of the origins of the Kolar Gold Mines, its
historical and mythological connections, the arduous
and difficult lives of the miners in those early days, the growth of the mines
under the British Company of John Taylor and Sons, its gradual decline,
and the ultimate closure of the once prosperous Kolar Gold Mining Company in
2003 after it was taken over by the Government of India. Thus ending a golden
chapter in History, which now lies buried in the annals of time.
It then moves on to give the reader a brief insight
into the lives of the Anglo-Indian Community (a living legacy of the British
Raj) in the early days of KGF. It brings out vividly the glorious and
cosmopolitan life led by that tiny vibrant community in KGF who lived in
sprawling bungalows with beautiful gardens and domestic helpers at their beck
and call. It recalls the grand Christmas Balls and Dances held at the Skating
Rink and the Jam Sessions and Pound Parties in Buffalo Lodge.
It finally focuses on my own
childhood memories of growing up as a young Anglo-Indian child in KGF in the
1950s and 60s - home, family, school, playmates, entertainments, games,
picnics, etc. It recalls memories of old familiar haunts and landmarks of KGF
and the people who were an indispensable part of life in those days. This golden period of KGF post Independence was the period
of transition, when the influences of the best of old Colonial India merged
with the new emerging independent India.
This book succeeds in capturing and preserving for posterity the
nuances and ethos of a bygone era in that once
glorious vibrant place called Kolar Gold Fields, and at the same time keeps it alive in the hearts of its erstwhile
inhabitants, which still beats for it.
This Book is a small attempt
on my part to record for posterity, the story of this once vibrant place and
keep it alive in the hearts of its erstwhile inhabitants, which still beats for
it. It is a small Legacy that could be passed on to future generations.
Published by:
AUTHOR HOUSE
UK LTD
ISBN 9781452044590
Reprinted
at MATHA PRINTS, Bangalore
Price
Rs 260.00 (India only)
Contact Bridget White-Kumar for copies : Ph 9845571254
Copies also at available at Gangarams Book Bureau, M G Road,
Bangalore.
Also available online from Amazon.com, Author House.com and
other online Book Stores
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