Friday, September 27, 2013

A FOOT BALL GREAT OF CHELSEA FOOT BALL CLUB WHO WAS BORN IN KGF - LEN DOLDING

A FOOT BALL GREAT OF CHELSEA FOOT BALL CLUB WHO WAS BORN IN KGF - LEN DOLDING

 


For those Foot Ball Fans especially supporters of the Chelsea Football Club, here is some Trivia about Desmond Leonard Dolding (13 December 1922 – 23 November 1954) an English footballer and cricketer who was born in our very own Kolar Gold Fields.
The English Football Giant, Chelsea Football Club had the distinction of having four Indian born Football players including a player who was born in Kolar Gold Fields who have represented their club during the yesteryears. Len Dolding was born in Kolar Gold Fields and played 27 games For Chelsea Football Club in the three years after the Second World War.
Born on 13th December 1922 in Nandydroog Mine, KGF, South India, Len Dolding served as a
bomb-aimer in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. He was a fine footballer playing as a winger for Chelsea Football Club (27 league appearances in 1946 - 1948) and Norwich City (12 appearances.
He was also a Cricketer and played for MCC for about seven years as a right-arm leg-break bowler. He was the 12th Man for the England Team in the Lord's Test of 1949. Sadly, he died at the age of 32 years  in a Car Accident on 23rd November 1954 in Wembley UK.  The Football and Cricket Scene lost one of their most talented Footballers and Cricketers.

Sunday, September 15, 2013

KGF TRAIN - BANGALORE TO MARIKUPPAM

This article from the Deccan Herald on the 13th September is quite humourous. It also high lights how versatile and willy our KGF locals are when it comes to suiting their own convenience.
On the jouney back to Marikuppam, there are invariably 4 or 5 unscheduled stops  caused by pulling the alarm chain in the train when the train reaches a certain locality or area. These passengers get "dropped" right at their doorsteps. Once the train stops, these "train stoppers" or "alarm chain pullers" just jump off the train, then very kindly pull the string to reset the chain and let the train carry on to its destination Marikuppam. The "Fine" for unauthorised stoppage of trains by pulling the Alarm Chain is Rs.1000/- but since the Chain pullers escape under cover of darkness, the Railway Protection Force is deprived of a nice fat amount!
I'm sharing the article below

Thursday, September 12, 2013

SOCIAL LIFE IN KGF IN THE EARLY DAYS


The Anglo-Indian Community in KGF had quite an active social life in the early days of KGF. They loved having parties and get togethers. Card games, Bridge and Whist Sessions were a regular past time in their homes when 3 or 4 families got together. Card Sessions and Whist Drives were also regularly arranged in the Clubs and Associations. They were all passionately fond of music and dancing.
 
 
Almost every person was musically inclined, and they played a variety of instruments. The English Grand Piano was the prized possession in many homes besides a number of musical instruments such as guitars, banjos, drums etc. Many of them were proud owners of a 2 band Radio and a gramophone or Radiogram. Records of old favorites such as ‘O Sol Mio’, ‘Fools rush in where Angels fear to tread’, etc, were very popular in those days.
They had a number of Rhymes and Ditties that they sang at parties and get-togethers. Any occasion warranted a party with much sing-song and dance. Parties at home were jolly, riotous affairs with everybody lustily singing old-time favorites such as ‘Roll Out the Barrel’, ‘When Irish Eyes are Smiling’, ‘She’ll be coming down the Mountain’, ‘Kookaburra sits on the old gum tree’, ‘Row, Row, Row your boat’, etc, accompanied by someone on the piano or Guitar or banjo. There would be much clapping of hands, stamping of feet and beating of pots and pans to keep time. The singing got lustier as the party wore on with the amount of booze being consumed. Their spirits rose higher as ‘the spirits’ went in!!!
Country Music was also a hot Anglo-Indian favorite besides Rock and Roll and Jazz. Most Anglo-Indian children grew up listening to these country songs on the radio or the lucky few who owned records and LPs played them on their gramophones or Radiograms. Popular Country songs in those days were ‘You’re the reason our kids are so ugly’, ‘All my Exs’ live in Texas’, ‘Cotton fields’, ‘She got the ring and I got the finger’, ‘Who’s gonna take the garbage out when I’m gone’, ‘At the Gas station of love, I got the self-service pump’ etc, etc.
Some of the Anglo-Indian boys looked and dressed like the popular film stars of that time such as Clark Gable and later like Elvis and Cliff Richards, sporting the same hair styles and side locks, while the girls resembled the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Doris Day and other Holly wood actresses with their distinctive features and fair skins. Jam Sessions, Pound parties, Go-Go Dances, Socials and Cultural Evenings were regularly organized, and there
was no dearth of entertainment for the Community in KGF in the 1940s to 60s. Sadly the KGF of today is very different to those wonderful times.

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