tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82773970685119866882024-03-17T22:32:42.107-07:00Kolar Gold Fields - NOSTALGIAMemories of a glorious childhood spent in Kolar Gold Fields. KGF was known for its colonial ambience and came into existence as early as the 16th century.Bridget White-Kumarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06915481782782910400noreply@blogger.comBlogger233125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8277397068511986688.post-45625239897353052082022-11-29T02:59:00.000-08:002022-11-29T02:59:41.462-08:00MAKING KALKALS AND ROSE COOKIES AT CHRISTMAS TIME IN KOLAR GOLD FIELDS <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeuF7x2HHRwdvOgoTFGJ8Bl4oM-kWBPc2HPSM5Up1ea0zgxm5JDfkdpoTJXSbpuIcNActr_plJQ3cecU80WFw8xkpw9pYqjM2m-mAMb79nr2YKtE3-FpcImXpAxUikyMtdTgi90whequYYpmWmuTcm-6q8WK79wc_k4I8UnOMlu1AI9de_euiDE9r1/s5120/KalKals%20Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2880" data-original-width="5120" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeuF7x2HHRwdvOgoTFGJ8Bl4oM-kWBPc2HPSM5Up1ea0zgxm5JDfkdpoTJXSbpuIcNActr_plJQ3cecU80WFw8xkpw9pYqjM2m-mAMb79nr2YKtE3-FpcImXpAxUikyMtdTgi90whequYYpmWmuTcm-6q8WK79wc_k4I8UnOMlu1AI9de_euiDE9r1/s320/KalKals%20Collage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmSu06VhO9-Y5kEavzAu50QJphc3qtK_MJyO_xA9vWaC--5y8Vomjrm0IUfE3rpckYxuXamCVy3NUDSRIUF4T_tVtPp90xQYUH56l4gRGHcGJ2s7JfShe6P7rnFVV95se2Q2RKaEcRrZV9wsliAncJriYXOUCsDQK-SmAgA4nhCaqBe3aGnRVcL1it/s5120/Rose%20cookies%20collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2880" data-original-width="5120" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmSu06VhO9-Y5kEavzAu50QJphc3qtK_MJyO_xA9vWaC--5y8Vomjrm0IUfE3rpckYxuXamCVy3NUDSRIUF4T_tVtPp90xQYUH56l4gRGHcGJ2s7JfShe6P7rnFVV95se2Q2RKaEcRrZV9wsliAncJriYXOUCsDQK-SmAgA4nhCaqBe3aGnRVcL1it/s320/Rose%20cookies%20collage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 28px; font-weight: bold;">MAKING KALKALS AND ROSE COOKIES AT CHRISTMAS TIME IN KOLAR GOLD FIELDS</span><p></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">One of my strongest childhood memories of Christmas time in KGF is of us children sitting around the dining table making KalKals. We’d compete with each other to see who rolled the most kalkals. (Kalkals are made from sweetened dough and look like small shells which are later deep fried in oil and sometimes covered with icing sugar).</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s3" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleEmphasizedBody; font-weight: bold;">KALKALS or KULKULS </span><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">are prepared</span><span class="s3" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleEmphasizedBody; font-weight: bold;"> </span><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">all over India at Christmas time. </span><span class="s3" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleEmphasizedBody; font-weight: bold;">A </span><span class="s4" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleEmphasizedItalicBody; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">variant of ‘Filhoses Enroladas’ a Portuguese Christmas Sweet,</span><span class="s5" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody; font-style: italic;"> </span><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Kalkals are delicious, crunchy inch-long curled or shell shaped sweetened fried treats. Sugar and flour are combined with eggs, milk and butter to a soft dough and then small marble sized balls of this dough are rolled on the tines of a fork or a comb to form a shell or a scroll, then deep fried in hot oil. The dough is sometimes rolled out and cut into different shapes such as hearts, spades, diamonds etc with cutters or a knife and then deep fried in hot oil. The Kalkals / Kulkuls are later frosted or coated in hot melted sugar syrup.</span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Making Kalkals is a time consuming process and thus requires many hands in its preparation. Hence a few days before Christmas, a separate day is designated as </span><span class="s3" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleEmphasizedBody; font-weight: bold;">‘Kalkal Day’</span><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> when every member of the family spends a few hours rolling out his/her portion of the kalkal dough. While one doesn’t know how the name ‘Kalkals / Kulkuls’ got its nomenclature it is probably because of the “curls” of this particular Christmas Sweet.</span></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">We children would wait for the Christmas holidays to begin so that we could all help our mum in the preparation of the Kulkuls, Rose Cookies, etc, We’d all sit around the dining table and each of us would take a lump of dough and spread it on a fork to make as many kulkuls as possible with it. These kulkuls were like small shells. To make other shapes, we would also roll out the dough and cut out various shapes like hearts, clubs, diamonds, etc with the cutters. It was fun competing with each other to see who made the most. My mum would start frying the kulkuls as soon as we completed a good number, and would keep frying till all the kulkuls were fried and a huge heap was kept on the table to cool. She’d then frost them when they were cold, by pouring hot sugar syrup on the kulkuls. We had a lot of fun helping to make the kulkuls, and sometimes even our non-Christian friends would join us and help us in this happy task. Of course, a good portion of the fried kulkuls would go into our mouths while helping to make them.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHWwCj_8GsIkYQRBmEoOX9ZI8SUPhFNy3FT1I_8sWhBodlbma7lAgDCn0wFDmUKUeyMi7NV_JkZla5V8FaCmHP67i87387HbmdmpM8XtOzh9V6JJVUebe_IPDL_FLpnuQq4MNZNx8aO3KF5s1yl7d9aoUWf0bH2u0SWofiv3hqAA80eb4T72VRcLmu/s570/C65B6ECA-ABE8-4E73-BAB6-B5A117D7CA89.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="570" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHWwCj_8GsIkYQRBmEoOX9ZI8SUPhFNy3FT1I_8sWhBodlbma7lAgDCn0wFDmUKUeyMi7NV_JkZla5V8FaCmHP67i87387HbmdmpM8XtOzh9V6JJVUebe_IPDL_FLpnuQq4MNZNx8aO3KF5s1yl7d9aoUWf0bH2u0SWofiv3hqAA80eb4T72VRcLmu/s320/C65B6ECA-ABE8-4E73-BAB6-B5A117D7CA89.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="p3" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><span class="s3" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleEmphasizedBody; font-weight: bold;"></span><br /></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s3" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleEmphasizedBody; font-weight: bold;">Rose Cookies are delicious fried Anglo-Indian Christmas Treats. </span><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Though</span><span class="s3" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleEmphasizedBody; font-weight: bold;"> </span><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">named as Cookies, they</span><span class="s3" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleEmphasizedBody; font-weight: bold;"></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">are not cookies in the strict sense as they not baked but deep fried in hot oil. </span><span class="s3" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleEmphasizedBody; font-weight: bold;">Rose Cookies</span><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> are also known as Rosette Cookies, Rosa Cookies, etc and are prepared with a sweetened batter consisting of Flour, Eggs, Vanilla Extract and Coconut milk. </span><span class="s4" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleEmphasizedItalicBody; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Believed to be another culinary legacy left by the Portuguese in India, they are known as</span><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> </span><span class="s4" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleEmphasizedItalicBody; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Rose de Coque or Rose de Cookies in Portugual. (They are also known as Rosettes in Sweden and Norway). </span><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">The crisp cookies are made by plunging a special hand-held </span><span class="s3" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleEmphasizedBody; font-weight: bold;">‘Rose Cookie Mould’</span><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> or </span><span class="s3" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleEmphasizedBody; font-weight: bold;">‘Rosette Iron’</span><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> lightly coated with a sweet batter into hot oil. The</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Rose Cookie Mould or Rosette Iron is a long handled gadget with intricately designed iron moulds of different flowers such as roses and daisies. The Mould or Iron is heated to a very high temperature in oil, dipped into the batter, then immediately re-immersed in the hot oil to create a crisp shell around the hot metal. The mould or iron is shaken slightly, till the Rose Cookie gets separated from it. The delicate golden brown, light and crispy cookie thus separated from the mould /iron floats to the top and is taken out from the hot oil with a flat porous spoon. Though a time consuming and laborious process, Rose Cookies are incredibly delicious</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Now a days, people prefer to buy the Rose Cookies, Kalkals and Cake from the local stores and bakeries. The old thrill of making them at home is now fading as families are getting smaller and people breaking away from tradition. These precious memories of Christmas in our childhood days in KGF will remain in forever.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p>Bridget White-Kumarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06915481782782910400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8277397068511986688.post-32619583645850245082022-04-08T19:34:00.004-07:002022-04-08T19:34:44.487-07:00IMPERIAL BAKERY, CHAMPION REEFS, KGF <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIbSsJgh35QXl5u4zPzACehB-acq1qhOPzBHUrjudd1JkG6_-o9znkIMH3ntMxfAbz3yl9r6VHs5J5A36aCaNinPd026ebnyFkXyYokHX0J1norTZ6lYCD7wcFC_wTRREntV4ewkw1MT_lN5nbwt4FMW8wncbWmXPRBYyQJZR3vRLGZ5MO3xbeoHDo/s1600/B48D1A29-89DA-476A-9FB1-42209594A504.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIbSsJgh35QXl5u4zPzACehB-acq1qhOPzBHUrjudd1JkG6_-o9znkIMH3ntMxfAbz3yl9r6VHs5J5A36aCaNinPd026ebnyFkXyYokHX0J1norTZ6lYCD7wcFC_wTRREntV4ewkw1MT_lN5nbwt4FMW8wncbWmXPRBYyQJZR3vRLGZ5MO3xbeoHDo/s320/B48D1A29-89DA-476A-9FB1-42209594A504.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; caret-color: rgb(101, 101, 101); clear: both; color: #656565; font-family: Lora, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">This is a picture of the <span style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: "Book Antiqua"; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">‘New Imperial Bakery and Victory Confectionery Stores’</strong> in Champion Reefs which is situated just opposite the Company Hospital. My late brother John White is standing before it when he last visited KGF in the year 2019. It is a fourth generation Bakery and Store that is still in existence and being managed by the great grandson of the Founder and Owner. </span></div><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; caret-color: rgb(101, 101, 101); clear: both; color: #656565; font-family: Lora, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: "Book Antiqua"; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">It’s almost Holy Week, and with it, nostalgic memories of the delicious Hot Cross Buns that we used to get from this bakery when we were children. This Bakery and Store in the good old days, was any child’s delight with huge glass bottles filled with different kinds of sweets, biscuits, toffees, stick jaws, buns etc. The Egg Sweets, ‘Wording sweets’, lollipops, Jujips, Almond Sweets, etc were all so delicious and enticing. Since it was just opposite the hospital, no hospital visit was complete without visiting this delightful place. Parents often had to bribe their kids to take their medicines with promises of goodies from the New Imperial Bakery. Besides these exciting sweets in bottles, the trays of Mutton and Vegetable Puffs, Buns, biscuits, cookies and other savouries was a gourmet's delight. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; caret-color: rgb(101, 101, 101); clear: both; color: #656565; font-family: Lora, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11pt; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Our daily bread was also ‘home delivered’ every day at 4 o’clock in the evening. The <b style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">‘Bread Man’ </b>brought the freshly baked loaves in a large Wooden Box tied on the carrier of his bicycle. This bread was delivered from this <b style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">‘New Imperial Bakery and Victory Confectionery Stores’</b> for more than 35 years!! </span><span style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11pt; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The loaves of bread were always still hot from the oven when he brought them. These loaves were sold whole not sliced and just before dinner every night my mum would slice the loaf and leave it on the table for us. <b style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Like the mincing machine, each Anglo-Indian family had their own bread board and bread knife to slice the bread. </b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; caret-color: rgb(101, 101, 101); color: #656565; font-family: Lora, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11pt; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The payment for the bread that was delivered every day was done on a monthly basis. Every house had their own page in the ‘Bread Man’s’ long<span style="background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>account book, and entries would be made as to the number of loaves of bread and buns bought by them against the date. During the first week of the succeeding month, the representative of the ‘New Imperial Bakery and Stores’ would make the rounds for receiving payment of the bread delivered during the month. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; caret-color: rgb(101, 101, 101); color: #656565; font-family: Lora, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11pt;">The bakery made special Hot Cross Buns filled with plums for Good Friday and our Baker would deliver them along with the bread on Maundy Thursday. We’d have to place an order as to the number of buns required about 10 days in advance. Since Good Friday was the day of fasting and abstinence we normally ate these Hot Cross buns for breakfast and dinner with a little butter.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; caret-color: rgb(101, 101, 101); color: #656565; font-family: Lora, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11pt;">This is a small excerpt from my book KOLAR GOLD FIELDS DOWN MEMORY LANE </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-position: 0px 0px; border: 0px; caret-color: rgb(101, 101, 101); color: #656565; font-family: Lora, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua"; font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></div>Bridget White-Kumarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06915481782782910400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8277397068511986688.post-69674670499560987872022-03-28T23:17:00.003-07:002022-03-28T23:17:37.034-07:00OUR GARDENS IN KOLAR GOLD FIELDS <p><span style="font-family: times;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">THE GARDEN IN OUR MINING HOUSE IN KGF</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">(This is an excerpt from my book Kolar Gold Fields
Down Memory Lane)</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEia32dHb-27m1oN2GZP35PDKzIllHdzRlEidtqn1RNIyQJekIaozo7Y32rArY-a40r2QbTduohzmm77e3hpbvmIbLfZ4INF4gM8IsOQG80Von2AwvJe56SEMfys0McLHE6IkKCuWfMGGg-Jh1Mo9IfLf5l4t6-byWnyc16Ht09ageXij2FhHmo8zmxR" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEia32dHb-27m1oN2GZP35PDKzIllHdzRlEidtqn1RNIyQJekIaozo7Y32rArY-a40r2QbTduohzmm77e3hpbvmIbLfZ4INF4gM8IsOQG80Von2AwvJe56SEMfys0McLHE6IkKCuWfMGGg-Jh1Mo9IfLf5l4t6-byWnyc16Ht09ageXij2FhHmo8zmxR" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;">Our mining house was in Nandydroog KGF, just opposite the Skating Rink. It was an independent Bungalow
surrounded by a huge garden with lots of plants and trees. Our garden was
always a profusion of colors, with huge beds of lovely flowering plants and
shrubs in the front and back gardens. Asters, Daisies, Lilies, Roses, Cannas,
Tiger Lilies, Spider Lilies, St Joseph’s lilies, Phlox, Hollyhocks, Cockscombs,
Hydrangeas, Marguerites and Pansies were some of the flowering plants in our garden, besides
the Jasmines, and Frangipanis. We didn’t have to go to a florist to buy a
bouquet of flowers for anyone’s birthday. We had ample flowers in our own
garden to make beautiful bouquets!!!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgNUFJXmQ86DfhWv1mg2dwKhQrQTCMa17WPKMzO-GmY1p3pqrKL_PJbJxNbFW7ArmIWcpKwlzu_I-GGNbuOZGmpJSM1F3siif4tQLb485_Zg_enlTlUUfdEY1OSXXwRZuaEz_HWX7ZGLbniLoRGvttieG5TeCZha6D0ac9i74GcXeAbONtiGoFmMD4l" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="780" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgNUFJXmQ86DfhWv1mg2dwKhQrQTCMa17WPKMzO-GmY1p3pqrKL_PJbJxNbFW7ArmIWcpKwlzu_I-GGNbuOZGmpJSM1F3siif4tQLb485_Zg_enlTlUUfdEY1OSXXwRZuaEz_HWX7ZGLbniLoRGvttieG5TeCZha6D0ac9i74GcXeAbONtiGoFmMD4l" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;">Our garden was lovingly tendered to by Yellappa our gardener or
‘Mali’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yellappa was part of our family
for almost 25 years. He singlehandedly looked after the garden for many years
but as he grew older his son Muniappa assisted him. Our garden was always a
profusion of colours, with huge beds of lovely flowering plants and shrubs in
the front and back gardens because of Yellappa’s efforts.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times;">As young children we’d follow Yellappa around the garden and beg him to
pluck the green mangoes and guavas from the trees for us. He was fiercely
possessive of his garden, and we were not allowed to pluck any flowers without
his permission. Every day he would cut a bunch of mixed flowers and roses and
give them to my mum, to place in the vases and gardenias in the Drawing Room.
He specially cut yellow and pink roses for the vases that were placed on the Alter
of the Sacred Heart.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;">Our garden also had a number of fruit trees such as
mangoes, guavas, custard apples, goose berries, papaya, Jack Fruit etc. All
these trees had been lovingly planted by my grandmother Nana Maud and later
nurtured by mummy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The jackfruit trees
bore delicious jackfruits that were huge and as sweet as honey. Since the trees
bore so many jackfruits, my mum would distribute the jackfruits to the workers
who worked under my dad and to all our neighbours, friends, servants, etc. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPgVNrcPH3olD-TvzYYn2xhtWuI9yvcPlwBRX5f6rELCvMsaSQSnZXOoq3hA2zPjJ1DMCzMuAtTekc7lsz3ZSEvvecAhEglY1Ku1LcT4R1LBpD9q3Bk3TbijHTjm6Z49zazHEKEwapAlyXpeZQKd3Q2b7dEF0wvdM2XoikOw1-m2id2WQBOUlsNBpo" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPgVNrcPH3olD-TvzYYn2xhtWuI9yvcPlwBRX5f6rELCvMsaSQSnZXOoq3hA2zPjJ1DMCzMuAtTekc7lsz3ZSEvvecAhEglY1Ku1LcT4R1LBpD9q3Bk3TbijHTjm6Z49zazHEKEwapAlyXpeZQKd3Q2b7dEF0wvdM2XoikOw1-m2id2WQBOUlsNBpo" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: 12pt;">During the Mango season, mummy would use some of the
green mangoes to make pickle and ripen some of the mangoes for us. The rest of
the mangoes were distributed among lots of people as the trees bore so many
mangoes. The guava trees, Custard apple trees, Gooseberry trees and papaya
trees too were always laden with fruit. We had quite a variety of fruit to
choose from every day. The lime trees always bore a profusion of juicy limes on
them and there was no dearth of lime juice or lime pickle in our home as my mum
always made use of our own homegrown limes. I still remember the sweet smell of
the lime blossoms from our lime trees when they were in season.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;">We also had a few Curry leaf Trees and Drumstick trees
in the back garden The curry leaves were used for seasoning the curries and
Pepper Water. The Drumstick tree bore long and tender drumsticks. Mummy would
cook the Drumsticks along with meat or in a Dhal Curry and the drumstick leaves
were turned into a delicious ‘Foogath’ which is a vegetarian side dish. Our gardener
also grew green chillies, Coriander greens, Fenugreek greens, Mint and
Coriander in a small kitchen garden on the left side of the garden. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;">With so many trees in our garden we were quite adept
at climbing the guava and mango trees when we were children. These trees also
made excellent hiding places for us during our games of Hide and Seek and
Police and Robbers. The mango tree in front had a broad branch from which my
dad hung a swing with a wooden seat for us. We spent many happy hours swinging
from this mango tree shaded by its copious branches. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;">All these trees attracted a number of birds and insects.
Squirrels,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sparrows, Crows, Ravens,
Mynahs, Pigeons, Parrots, Koels, etc flitted about and feasted on the mangoes
and guavas during the season. Butterflies, dragonflies, garden lizards and even
snakes could be seen in our garden. Daddy built a small bird bath out of an old
aluminium basin in the back garden and the sparrows and crows drank their fill
and splashed in the basin of water. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our garden also
had sufficient space for Fowl Runs and Hen Houses. The guava trees were right
next to the fowl runs / hen coops in the back garden, so it was very easy for
us to climb onto the roof of the Fowl Runs using the branches of the guava
trees for support, and cut as many guavas as we wanted. We spent many happy
hours perched on the hen house roof munching green guavas. Needless to say,
eating these many green guavas had its own effect on our tummies!!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;">My mum was fond of rearing hens, chickens, ducks and
even turkeys. We had quite a number of White Leghorns, Rhode Island Reds, Black
leghorns as well as many Country Fowls. The eggs laid by these hens were used for
our breakfast every day. When she noticed that a particular hen was nearing the
‘Broody’ season she would save all the eggs and mark them date wise. She would
then arrange the eggs on a bed of soft sand, in a deep basket or ‘Makri’ and
the hen would sit over the eggs for 21 days. We would eagerly wait for the eggs
to hatch. She would leave grains and water near the hen so she wouldn’t get
hungry.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;">I still remember the delight and happiness we felt
when the eggs hatched and the tiny chickens came out. The hen would then get
very protective of her chicks and keep them under her for at least 10 more
days. If any of us went close, she’d try to peck us as she presumed that we wanted
to take away her chicks!!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;">After about 10 days my mum would shift the mother hen
and the chicks to a separate Fowl Run. These little chicks would slowly grow to
be hens or roosters, and they would either be used for the table or again to
hatch more chicks. The circle thus went on.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;">My mum also reared Turkeys and ducks for Christmas and
for our First Holy Communions. The turkeys and ducks reared in our house were
always big and well fed. They were fattened up with a special diet of oil
cakes, ragi and grain. The oil cakes were known as <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">‘PUNAK</b>’ in Tamil and we loved saying this word ‘PUNAK’. My mum was
very particular about the health of her poultry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She would always check and ensure that their
eyes were bright, their nostrils dry, their feathers shiny and they were active
and alert. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;">Any deviation from this would mean that they were sick
or under the weather. She would immediately separate the affected bird from the
others and give it some Omum water or some other medicine. The hens were fed
with grains such as wheat, millets, and also some household food and vegetable
scraps. With all this special attention, our poultry were really tasty and well-nourished
birds when they finally landed up on our dining table.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: times;">These are all just memories now. The gardens in the
mining houses are all barren and dry due to shortage of water. We were lucky to
have spent our childhood in KGF where we had such big houses and all the
facilities provided by the Mines. </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>Bridget White-Kumarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06915481782782910400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8277397068511986688.post-10609950998278455132021-11-16T20:43:00.019-08:002021-11-16T21:22:45.882-08:00CHRISTMAS TIME IN KOLAR GOLD FIELDS <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lg7GiAH4ejg/YZSLhnSIPSI/AAAAAAABYCQ/VTofR_PRTaU0VM6JFoZUUKzw4dpp7XeCgCLcBGAsYHQ/s293/Christmas%2BTree%2Bold%2Bhouse1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="293" height="220" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lg7GiAH4ejg/YZSLhnSIPSI/AAAAAAABYCQ/VTofR_PRTaU0VM6JFoZUUKzw4dpp7XeCgCLcBGAsYHQ/w305-h220/Christmas%2BTree%2Bold%2Bhouse1.JPG" width="305" /></a></div><span style="text-align: left;">CHRISTMAS
TIME IN KOLAR GOLD FIELDS</span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">An excerpt
from my book Kolar Gold Fields Down Memory Lane<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Christmas time was the most enjoyable time of the year in
Kolar Gold Fields when we were growing up. The month of December was the most
awaited month, as the whole of KGF would be humming with activity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each Mine would have their own Christmas Tree
Function and Dance. The Nundydroog Mine Function (which was the Mine where we
lived) was always held on the 2nd Saturday of December and we would all eagerly
wait for this day. The sports events were conducted on the grounds in front of
Mr. Price’s House as Mr. Price was in charge of conducting the sports. The
tracks would be drawn with white lime powder and the sacks for the Sack Race
would be procured and kept ready. We took part in many of these events such as
the 100 metres flat race, the lime and spoon race, balancing the potato on our
foreheads, skipping race, sack race etc. We invariably won prizes for the 100
Metres Flat Race, Skipping, etc. These prices were a princely amount of Rs
10.00 for the First Prize, Rs 5 for the Second prize and Rs 2.00 for the Third
Prize. After the sports events, there was a small Prize Distribution Function.
Mrs Price, would give away the prizes to the winners.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">After the Sports we would have the Christmas Tea and a
Cultural Programme at the Skating Rink. The highlight of the evening was Santa
Claus arriving in a sleigh to distribute the gifts to the Children. We loved
this part of the programme as we always got the toys or gifts that we wanted
since my dad would put down our names for gifts for each of us. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A funfair or carnival was also held in the compound of the
Skating Rink simultaneously, with lots of side shows such as The Lucky Arrow,
Ringing the Bottle, Skittles, Ringing the Duck, Belling the Cat, Pinning the
tail on the Donkey etc. Daddy would buy us tickets for the Side shows and we’d
try our luck at all the stalls. We’d be besides ourselves with joy, if we won
cakes of soap, bottles of jam and tomato sauce etc as prizes on the Lucky
Arrow., and in the Lucky Dip. Sometimes we would land up with almost 20 bottles
of jam or tomato ketchup that all of us won at the Lucky Arrow. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">There were also a number of Food stalls selling
mouthwatering delicacies such as cakes, Vegetable Sandwiches, Curry Puffs,
Bondas, Vadas, Hot stuff, etc., besides lemonade, Ginger Beer, Soda, etc., from
our very own Mining Soda Factory. There were also vendors selling cotton candy,
ice candy, balloons, windmills etc. We would thoroughly enjoy ourselves with
all the activities besides gorging on the wonderful snacks that we bought with
our prize money. It was with regret that we went home at 7 30 Pm when the
sideshows closed down and the workers had to get the Skating Rink ready for the
Christmas Tree dance at 9 o’clock.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Christmas Tree celebrations just like this were held in
the other Mines also on different days. Daddy would take us for the sideshows
and other entertainments at these different mines. Ofcourse we couldn’t take
part in the sports events and receive a gift from Santa Claus as we didn’t
belong to that particular mine.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The month of December also saw us getting ready for
Christmas, shopping for dress materials and visiting Pansy Tailor to get our
dresses tailored. We normally had 3 new dresses or outfits for the festive
season. One dress for the Nandydroog Mine Christmas Tree Function, one for
Christmas day and one for New Year Day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some times our parents made a trip to Bangalore to buy the material for
our Christmas dresses from Fazals and Adam Sait Stores and our shoes from
Reliance Shoe Shop all on Commercial Street. Our Christmas shoes would
invariably be a white pair so as to match all our new frocks. In case they
couldn’t fit in a trip to Bangalore, then we went shopping for dress material
in our own market in Robertsonpet Town from <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mohanlal, Sohans, Bhora and some other shops which
also had quite a good selection of dress materials to choose from.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>Pansy Tailor was the most sought-after Ladies Tailor and Dress
Maker in KGF. He was always deluged with stitching orders for dresses this time
of the year, by almost all the Anglo-Indians in KGF for the various dances and
for the Christmas. He warned all his customers to bring him their Christmas
tailoring orders before the middle of November so that he was able to plan his
schedule. He was a fantastic dressmaker and never disappointed anyone, most
often sitting late into the night with his assistant Gopal to help him so as to
deliver the dresses to his customers on the dates he promised to give them.
Pansy Tailor’s actual name was Eshwar
Rao, but since he spoke English with a funny accent, and walked like a lady, he
was nicknamed ‘Pansy Tailor’ and the name just stuck. In fact we still refer to
him as Pansy tailor even though he’s now no more. Besides Pansy Tailor, Sham
Rao and his brothers were also good Ladies Tailors. Kanappa Tailor and Mohan Rao
Tailors were the famous Gents Tailors in KGF.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My mum would start the preparation of the traditional sweets
and treats that are a part and parcel of Christmas a fortnight before
Christmas. Kalkals and Rose Cookies, Fruit Cakes, Coconut Sweets, the Christmas
Pudding, Bole Cake, Dodol, Beveca, Marzipan Sweets, Peanut Fudge, Cashew nut
Fudge, Murkus or Rice Crispies, Adarasams or Fried rice pancakes etc., were
some of the goodies that were prepared in abundance by her. The house and
neighbourhood would smell enticingly. One of my strongest childhood memories,
is this enticing aroma of the preparation of these Christmas Goodies. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8E_aKpoGI-M/YZSGQVMP3AI/AAAAAAABYAw/eLRQUurrOAIYEAJas8_MuvF_bbsXvkHxgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/Christmas%2BCake%2BNew%2B4%2Bpg.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8E_aKpoGI-M/YZSGQVMP3AI/AAAAAAABYAw/eLRQUurrOAIYEAJas8_MuvF_bbsXvkHxgCLcBGAsYHQ/w276-h320/Christmas%2BCake%2BNew%2B4%2Bpg.jpg" width="276" /></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We children would wait for the Christmas holidays to begin
so that we could all help our mum in the preparation of the Kulkuls, Rose
Cookies, etc, We’d all sit around the dining table and each of us would take a
lump of dough and spread it on a fork to make as many kulkuls as possible with
it. These kulkuls were like small shells. To make other shapes, we would also
roll out the dough and cut out various shapes like hearts, clubs, diamonds, etc
with the cutters. It was fun competing with each other to see who made the
most. Mummy would fry the kulkuls as soon as we completed a good number, till all
the kulkuls were fried and a huge heap was kept on the table to cool. She’d
then frost them when they were cold, by pouring hot sugar syrup on the kulkuls.
We had a lot of fun helping to make the kulkuls, and sometimes even our
non-Christian friends would join us and help us<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>in this happy task. Of course, a good portion of the fried kulkuls would
go into our mouths while helping to make them. <o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hr3tvdlvsUc/YZSGs6lfcSI/AAAAAAABYA4/r6ftKxVJvIYE17_merK8o0Qf_CKDB2KDgCLcBGAsYHQ/s974/christmas%2Bgoodies%2B5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="974" data-original-width="730" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hr3tvdlvsUc/YZSGs6lfcSI/AAAAAAABYA4/r6ftKxVJvIYE17_merK8o0Qf_CKDB2KDgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/christmas%2Bgoodies%2B5.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Making the Doldol (a black rice halwa) at Christmas time was
especially exciting for all of us as this particular sweet dish needed more
than 3 hours to prepare and had to be stirred constantly. We would all take
turns to stir the gooey mixture till it reached the right consistency. Making
coconut sweets was another treat. All of us would fight to scrape the residue
left over in the pan.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CuSEdY7n1ic/YZSG6OYmzEI/AAAAAAABYA8/jLVWd8jtUDch9F0DbV5WPlKteLeKHX0KwCLcBGAsYHQ/s435/dodol%2B1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CuSEdY7n1ic/YZSG6OYmzEI/AAAAAAABYA8/jLVWd8jtUDch9F0DbV5WPlKteLeKHX0KwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/dodol%2B1.jpg" width="294" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">We also helped to churn the butter and sugar for the
Christmas Pudding and the Fruit cakes. In those days there were no blenders or
beaters and we churned the cake dough with the ‘Dhal Churner Stick’ or the
‘Mathu’ as it was called. We had to wait for our turn as each one wanted to put
their fingers in the bowl while churning and lick the cake dough as it was
getting smooth. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vUFczoCrZu8/YZSHCznx5KI/AAAAAAABYBA/dgvufyT4f7c9CXQFQHemkkua8NGffVVkgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/Christmas%2BCake%2Bnew%2B-%2BCopy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1357" data-original-width="2048" height="212" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vUFczoCrZu8/YZSHCznx5KI/AAAAAAABYBA/dgvufyT4f7c9CXQFQHemkkua8NGffVVkgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Christmas%2BCake%2Bnew%2B-%2BCopy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I mustn’t forget to mention the Grape Wine and Ginger Wine
that my mum made specially for Christmas. She would soak the Grapes and sugar
in the month of October so that it was ready for Christmas. The wine would be
strong and sweet and a dash of rum was added to it to give it a bit of punch.
She also made Ginger Wine at Christmas time. This Ginger Wine wasn’t exactly a
wine but more like a thick concoction that acted as an aid in digestion for all
the rich food at Christmas.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KkYu0OCt9BM/YZSHNboQw_I/AAAAAAABYBI/lBeKL11eaQUuVlRaFoyGggZNlCIzeiEVQCLcBGAsYHQ/s974/Ginger%2BWine%2B1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="974" data-original-width="974" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KkYu0OCt9BM/YZSHNboQw_I/AAAAAAABYBI/lBeKL11eaQUuVlRaFoyGggZNlCIzeiEVQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Ginger%2BWine%2B1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The week preceding Christmas, the whole house would be in a
festive mood, with the anticipation of Christmas. While mummy was busy
preparing the Christmas Sweets and goodies, my dad would begin to decorate the
house with coloured paper streamers, Chinese Lanterns, Balloons, etc, assisted
by Viswa, Murthy, and some of his other workers. They would help Dad to hang
the paper streamers, put up the star and arrange all the coloured lights. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We didn’t have artificial Christmas Trees in those days, so my
Dad would arrange for a Casuarina Pine Tree, and we would decorate it with
tinsel, coloured fairy lights, and silver and gold paper lanterns, baubles and China
ornaments. The Christmas tree ornaments were carefully stored away each year
after Christmas, and were taken out and lovingly hung on the Christmas tree
each Christmas. We had a beautiful China Angel that was always placed right at
the top with a beautiful silver star next to it. We’d then arrange wads of
Cotton wool liberally, on the branches to look like snow, and string fairy
lights all over the tree. Then all the Christmas gifts were placed under the
tree to be opened only on Christmas morning<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w2lOCj6D0Ik/YZSKsFL-fmI/AAAAAAABYB4/aVcL5wsjkz8j7Awoe2LZz_pRnOGzJdXDgCLcBGAsYHQ/s293/Christmas%2BTree%2Bold%2Bhouse1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="293" height="220" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w2lOCj6D0Ik/YZSKsFL-fmI/AAAAAAABYB4/aVcL5wsjkz8j7Awoe2LZz_pRnOGzJdXDgCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/Christmas%2BTree%2Bold%2Bhouse1.JPG" width="293" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">However, the most cherished part of our Christmas
arrangements, was doing up the Crib and placing it on the table just under the
altar of the Sacred Heart. My dad was very good at carpentry and he made a
lovely wooden permanent crib, which was fashioned like a small house with a
sloping roof. Every year we’d further decorate this crib, by placing straw on
the sloping roof to resemble a thatched roof. We’d paint dark brown slashes on
Brown paper and line the inside of the crib with this to resemble mud walls,
and strew straw and grass on the floor to resemble the shed where the Child
Jesus was born in.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We’d then fix a beautiful silver star on the roof of the
Crib and dad would fix a small light inside the crib which was on the whole
time. The Statues of St Joseph and Mother Mary would then lovingly be removed
from their protective coverings and placed in the Crib. The sheep and other
animals were placed at different locations in the crib and the shepherds were
placed a little way off. The statue of Baby Jesus was placed in the Crib only
after we returned from Midnight Mass, when we would all say a prayer and sing a
Christmas carol. The statues of the 3 wise men and their camel were added to
the Crib only on the 4<sup>th</sup> of January, the Feast of the Magi. <o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2EwLaQx58ro/YZSLMXjalQI/AAAAAAABYCE/mzFSVMCGO9clGqYP3l01Nk8Kd_Klj9EqACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Crib.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="777" data-original-width="1600" height="155" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2EwLaQx58ro/YZSLMXjalQI/AAAAAAABYCE/mzFSVMCGO9clGqYP3l01Nk8Kd_Klj9EqACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Crib.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Every year my dad would hang a huge star in front of our
house. The frame for this star was made out of metal wires and welded together
to form a star. This frame was covered with coloured kite paper or cellophane
paper. A light bulb was fixed inside and when it was switched on the star shone
bright and beautiful in front of our house welcoming one and all with its
light. The Star, Christmas Tree, and the Crib that were put up before Christmas
would remain well past the New Year and were dismantled and taken down only
after the 10<sup>th</sup> January.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Just before Christmas, my daddy accompanied by Issac our
house boy, would travel to Bangalore to buy the Christmas cakes from <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">‘SWAMYS BAKERY’</b>, a well known Bakery
and Confectionery Store in Bangalore. This shop was on <st1:street w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Broadway Road</st1:address></st1:street> near the Russel Market in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Bangalore</st1:city></st1:place> and was popular
with all the Anglo-Indians. All the Anglo-Indians would buy their Christmas
Cakes from here if they didn’t bake their own at home. Daddy would buy quite a
number of cakes and pastries, for us as well as to distribute to the
neighbours, servants, friends, etc. He’d buy Ribbon cakes with pink icing,
chocolate cakes with icing, Rich Plum cakes with almond icing, small assorted cakes,
cupcakes, cream rolls, doughnuts, short bread, muffins, etc. All these cakes
would be arranged in their boxes in a big black trunk so as not to crush them.
Dad and Isaac would then travel back to KGF by train and Isaac had to carry the
trunk on his head while bringing it back from the station. I loved the Soft
Sponge Cakes and the Ribbon Cakes with pink cream Icing that just melted in my
mouth. (Since there were no refrigerators in those days, we had to finish all
these delicious pastries in one week). <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>During the week preceding Christmas, groups of Carol Singers
of both the Tamil and English Groups would come around to all the houses
singing carols. The money they collected was used by the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Parish</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Church</st1:placetype></st1:place>
to provide new clothes and food for the poor in the parish.When the carol
singers came to our house, we’d join them in singing all the beautiful Carols.
It was such a lovely Christmassy feeling and made us all the more impatient for
Christmas day.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">On Christmas Eve, we invariably attended Midnight Mass. We would
dress up in our new Christmas Frocks, mostly lace dresses, specially tailored
for the great day by Pansy Tailor and my dad and brother would wear their
formal suits. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We would leave home at
around 10.15 and walk for Midnight Mass. It used to be very cold in KGF at this
time of the year so all of us would be warmly bundled up in our jackets and
coats. The Service usually began with a Carol Singing Service at around 11 PM
followed by the Christmas Mass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the
time the Service ended it would be almost 1.30 in the morning. After mass, it
was time to meet and greet the priests and all our friends. After midnight
mass, we would go home and have a small sing song session, and partake of some
delicious early Plum Cake and wine. By the time we finally went to bed it would
be around 2.30 in the morning. However, we’d be up early on Christmas Morning
to enjoy the day to its fullest. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">On Christmas day mummy would send out Trays of goodies to
neighbours and friends. All the men who worked with my dad would be given a
Bakshis or money gift, a set of clothes, Christmas sweets and treats, and also
a quarter bottle of Rum or Brandy. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
domestic helpers also got new clothes and a money gift, besides a big bag of
all the Christmas sweets and cakes.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Breakfast on Christmas morning was always Sausages, Bacon,
Eggs, Pancakes, Bread and butter etc. The Sausages were specially bought for
our Christmas Breakfast from the Bangalore Ham Shop on Mahatma Gandhi Road, in
Bangalore, when my Dad went to buy the Christmas Cakes. After breakfast, we
would then eagerly open our Christmas presents that were placed under the tree.
As kids our Christmas presents were mostly kitchen sets, tea sets, Building
blocks, Dolls, Coloured Balls, Nurse and doctor sets, crayons, painting books,
needle work sets, etc. My brother John got Mechano sets, Foot Balls, Cricket
sets, hockey sticks, Tennis sets, etc, and when he was a little older he got a
bicycle.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We usually had Christmas lunch at home as the Christmas
Dinner was always at “White Haven”, our Grand Parents house. My mum would
prepare a delicious lunch of some coloured special rice such as Coconut rice or
Mutton Pilaf or Chicken Pilaf, Chicken or Duck Vindaloo, ox tail vindaloo, salad,
and a Roast which was either Beef Roast, Ox Tongue Roast or Pork Roast. These
Roasts were usually left to cook the whole night on low heat or Dum on a
charcoal oven and would be browned on Christmas Morning. (The leftovers from
our Christmas lunch was always carried over to Boxing day lunch the next day
and invariably made into a DEVIL FRY OR CURRY. <o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AbXg70AzNLw/YZSHkBpRDrI/AAAAAAABYBU/tNK9Hj0rLQk61MgsSJ1nFCFa1Em7AATvACLcBGAsYHQ/s950/chicken%2Broast%2B9.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="950" data-original-width="712" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AbXg70AzNLw/YZSHkBpRDrI/AAAAAAABYBU/tNK9Hj0rLQk61MgsSJ1nFCFa1Em7AATvACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/chicken%2Broast%2B9.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Christmas Dinner was always at ‘White Haven’, our grandparent’s
home in Robertsonpet. The whole family would gather there for Christmas Dinner.
We’d all assemble at ‘White Haven’ early in the evening. My dad would arrange
for either Parker’s car to take us there or we’d go in Sabu’s jatka. All of us
cousins would have a lot of fun singing, playing, exchanging greetings and
gifts, eating cakes, sweets, kulkuls, Rose Cookies and generally having a whale
of a time while the men sat around with their Whiskeys and Wine catching up
with all the news. Nana and all the aunts would be quite busy getting the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Turkey</st1:country-region></st1:place>
ready, basting it, preparing the stuffing with carrots, peas, bread etc.,
chopping onions and tomatoes, preparing the salads, etc. They also had a chance
to share family gossip and news.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Then all of us would gather around Nana’s Dining Table and
tuck in to the delicious food. Christmas Dinner was always Turkey Roast with
Stuffing and Gravy in the good old days accompanied by Pork vindaloo, Duck
Vindaloo, steamed vegetables, mashed potatoes, bread, dinner rolls, Christmas
pudding, Cakes, Sweets, etc There was always fun and banter and small competitions
as to who would get the ‘lucky bones’, the gizzards, ‘the pope’s nose’, the
neck etc. (However, later on, when Turkey was in short supply and became more
expensive, the Turkey Roast was replaced by Duck Roast or Chicken Roast for
Christmas Dinner). <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;">Nana
served the Christmas Pudding at the end of the Christmas Dinner. Just before
serving it, a glass of brandy or Rum would be poured over it by papa and then
it was lit with a match stick. The lovely blue flame for those few minutes,
would encompass the pudding and the heat would help the rum or brandy to soak
in. For those who didn’t care for a piece of the pudding there was always
Christmas sweets, fruit etc. </span>We would then return home at around 11
o’clock with our stomachs full, tired out after a long exciting day. That
night, after a very happy and tiring Christmas Day , a sense of sadness would
set in that the day which we waited for and anticipated was over so quickly and
we would then have to wait for another year for Christmas again!!!<span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 13.5pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UbEjDvnj8aA/YZSH2KSxVNI/AAAAAAABYBc/OEWDaRt54_8pvUb5o4mnKJY3MiRbw2Z5wCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/christmas%2Bpudding.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="640" height="250" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UbEjDvnj8aA/YZSH2KSxVNI/AAAAAAABYBc/OEWDaRt54_8pvUb5o4mnKJY3MiRbw2Z5wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/christmas%2Bpudding.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><br /><p></p>Bridget White-Kumarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06915481782782910400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8277397068511986688.post-66500900415111362782021-04-14T20:25:00.007-07:002021-04-14T20:51:56.704-07:00St JOSEPH'S CONVENT CHAMPION REEF, KGF <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YfbhnS2VdEo/YHe0z_8EfII/AAAAAAABEv4/RFrEn_oTEGsxSgr66nDK0gw8X0U-grpTACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/St%2BJoseph%2527s%2BConvent%2B%2528Black%2Band%2BWhite%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1546" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YfbhnS2VdEo/YHe0z_8EfII/AAAAAAABEv4/RFrEn_oTEGsxSgr66nDK0gw8X0U-grpTACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/St%2BJoseph%2527s%2BConvent%2B%2528Black%2Band%2BWhite%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #656565; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #656565; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="color: #656565;">St Joseph’s Convent Champion Reefs, was established more than 165 years ago. I'm sharing below a writeup about the origins of St Joseph's Convent Champion Reefs from the Official website of the St Joseph of Tarbes Bangalore about the Origins and history of the Convent and School. As mentioned, in the official website, 2 schools (ie one English Medium and one Tamil Medium School) were started in the premises of the St Mary's Church in Champion Reef which was damaged in the Rock Burst of </span><span style="color: #656565;">23rd Jan 1952 which completely destroyed the Church and the Convent and School. The Church was later rebuilt and renamed Our Lady of Victories Church, while the school was shifted to the Bungalow of Mr Arthur Taylor . This is the Link to the Official Website </span></p><p><span style="color: #656565;">http://www.sjtbangalore.in/k-g-f-champion-reefs.html </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #444444; font-size: 15px; text-align: left;">The impact of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Bangalore and Coonoor was felt far and wide like the fragrance of the rose. Calls came from everywhere. In the year 1904, there were Frs. J. Fraysse, J. F. Pesscin, and G. Lazaro taking care of the vast Catholic population in the entire K. G. F. area. Fr. Fraysse, the parish priest, invited our Sisters to Kolar to open a school for the children of the Mining Officers who were almost all Europeans and Eurasians. There were several local people who migrated from Dharmapuri and other places to work in the mines. Their children also needed a school.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: 0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #656565; font-size: 16px; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #444444; font-size: 15px;">Mother Marie Flavie, the Regional Superior of Bangalore at that time, responded to this call with the consent of the Superior General. Four European Sisters and one Indian Sister were selected to take up the mission. They were : Mother Marie Beatrix, Srs. Marie Dorothee, Marie Angeline and Teresa of Jesus – all three Europeans and Sr. Marie Anselmina ( Indian ). The community was blessed and inaugurated on the 9th of January 1904. Two separate schools were started – the European school for children of the Officers with 22 children and an Indian school for children of the mining workers with 6 – 7 children, in St. Mary’s Church compound, on January 15th 1904. </span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #444444; font-size: 15px;">Many Sisters, young and old, have worked in this Institution with great zeal.</span><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: #f9f9f9; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #444444; font-size: 15px;">In the year 2004 the Champion Reefs community and school celebrated the centenary of its foundation. Stepping into another century, the Sisters have envisioned not only to enlighten 4,500 students in the campus but also to empower women and to redress the pangs of the fangs left on miners. The toil of the Sisters has taken shape not only in education, but also in a boarding house for about 70 poor girls, medical care of the aged, the midday meal programme, house visiting and pastoral activities.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: 0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #656565; font-size: 16px; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #444444; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: 0px 0px rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #656565; font-size: 16px; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NGF92ggjmtw/YHe4VTdlSvI/AAAAAAABEw8/KBfCzHnROzUMleSjsiuD9ut4FaPYkkrigCLcBGAsYHQ/s621/St%2BJoseph%2527s%2BConvent%2Binscription%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="367" data-original-width="621" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NGF92ggjmtw/YHe4VTdlSvI/AAAAAAABEw8/KBfCzHnROzUMleSjsiuD9ut4FaPYkkrigCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/St%2BJoseph%2527s%2BConvent%2Binscription%2B1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; color: #444444; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></div>Bridget White-Kumarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06915481782782910400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8277397068511986688.post-32133064704341080772019-11-20T19:04:00.000-08:002019-11-20T19:04:18.357-08:00St. Joseph’s Convent, Champion Reefs , Kolar Gold Fields <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9f3Ifx_WJK8/XdX7HiVr6GI/AAAAAAAAz5s/FJCe3QlDL1A5nXPrPSJIOVD8k32YHJJUACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/5A7AF392-88DC-4AA4-934B-6B39EBA1A2ED.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9f3Ifx_WJK8/XdX7HiVr6GI/AAAAAAAAz5s/FJCe3QlDL1A5nXPrPSJIOVD8k32YHJJUACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/5A7AF392-88DC-4AA4-934B-6B39EBA1A2ED.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Sharing a photo of our 7th Std Class in St Joseph’s Convent sent to me<br />
by my Friend Jane Rajaratnam Hoover. Such nostalgia looking st all our dear friends<br />
We were around 12 or 13 years old. Mrs Hazel Sesarego was<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D1a2Z0M5kWY/UAF9p6slnQI/AAAAAAAAG8w/NloiyMt10No/s1600/KGF+Trip+with+Gita+020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; color: purple; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; background-color: white; border: 1px solid rgb(102, 0, 0); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" /></a></div>
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our Class Teacher. </div>
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Below is a short excerpt from my book</div>
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Kolar Gold Fields Down Memory Lane </div>
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I was privileged to have studied in <place w:st="on"><city w:st="on">St Joseph</city></place>’s Convent school at Champion Reefs. St. Joseph’s Convent which established more than 105 years ago. The school celebrated its centenary year in 2004-05. The Convent school had well equipped Science laboratories. There were separate physics labs, chemistry labs, Botany and Zoology labs. The libraries had a vast collection of reference books, Story books, Novels as well as rare and old manuscripts. </div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0k7a8yMGYCU/UAF_KjHmVhI/AAAAAAAAG9M/YBjQrRHMV_k/s1600/KGF+Trip+with+Gita+022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: purple; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; background-color: white; border: 1px solid rgb(102, 0, 0); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0980392) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" /></a></div>
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Our schooling years were great thanks to our wonderful teachers. The teachers were all highly qualified and were kind as well as strict. They instilled the basic human values in us that still hold good today. They taught us the importance of hard work, dignity, honesty, integrity and to strive for excellence in whatever we did. They motivated us to rise above the mediocre and strive for bigger things. Many of the old students of <place w:st="on"><city w:st="on">St Joseph</city></place>’s Convent also hold high positions in various parts of the world. They are teachers, doctors, engineers, computer professionals, etc around the world.</div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 11pt;"><b>Some nostalgia about St Joseph's Convent KGF - Buying tuck from the Tuck Women</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 11pt;">Our school, St Joseph's Convent, Champion Reefs, KGF, didn’t have a Canteen or cafeteria. Every child had to carry her own packed lunch to school. My mum usually packed chapattis or sandwiches for us in plastic Tiffin boxes. Chapattis with butter and sugar or jam was our favourite choice for lunch. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 11pt;">We had ur lunch in our class rooms or we ate it sitting on the benches under the huge trees in the school garden.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 11pt;">Besides our plastic Tiffin boxes, we also carried our own water to drink in brightly coloured plastic water bottles with long shoulder straps. Some times when we didn’t carry our bottles to school, we just drank water straight from the taps in the school compound and didn’t worry about picking up any germs from the tap water!!!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 11pt;">Our school didn’t have a tuck shop either so to speak. However, the cooks in the convent kitchen made delicious ground nut toffee for sale almost every day. We had to stand in line to buy squares of this toffee every day after lunch, through the Trellis of the Convent Kitchen. The Jaggery toffee with the chunks of roasted groundnuts in it was delicious.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 11pt;">Some of my most memorable and happy memories connected with my school days at St Joseph’s Convent are of buying the forbidden tuck from the Tuck Women who always sat on the road outside the school gate with baskets of Green Mangoes, Borums, Gutty palams, Pani Chakke, Pattani, boiled Groundnuts etc.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 11pt;">We were actually forbidden from buying anything from these Tuck Women, but their wares were so tempting that we just couldn’t resist the temptation. The thrill of disobeying the teachers and nuns to eat the ‘forbidden fruit’ was a great ‘high’ for us.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 11pt;">For just 4 annas or 25 paisa, we could buy tuck such as green mangoes, green tamarind and guavas (which we ate with chilli powder and salt), Borums and Gutty palams (I don’t know the English word for this fruit but they were small purple fruit the size of small plums), Luckily we didn’t suffer from any tummy upsets or illness after eating all this junk.</span></div>
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Bridget White-Kumarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06915481782782910400noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8277397068511986688.post-45868893726363399932019-03-24T23:01:00.000-07:002019-03-24T23:01:01.208-07:00ANGLO-INDIAN WEDDINGS IN KGF DURING THE 1950S AND 60S - Nostalgia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">MEMORIES
OF ANGLO-INDIAN WEDDINGS IN KGF DURING THE 1950S AND 60S - Nostalgia<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">An excerpt from my book KOLAR GOLD FIELDS DOWN MEMORY LANE </span></b></div>
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Anglo-Indian weddings in KGF when I was
growing up were grand occasions. They were homely and full of fun. Since KGF
was such a small place, every one knew each other. Most of the Anglo-Indian
families were invited for every wedding either from the bride’s side or the
bridegroom’s side. Invariably, almost all the Weddings Receptions in Kolar Gold
Fields were held at the Skating Rink.</div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Preparations for an Anglo-Indian wedding
would start months in advance and decisions were taken by both families as
regards the theme, the venue, etc. The colours of the wedding, the theme, the
Church Service, the Hymns to be sung at the Wedding, the number of Bridesmaids
and Bestmen, the number of Flower Girls, the venue for the Reception, the Menu
for the Reception Dinner, the wedding favours, the decorations, the Centre
Piece, the Entrance Piece, etc were all serious issues that were discussed
threadbare and decided after a joint consensus.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The total expenses for the wedding would be
worked out and budgeted and the expenses shared equally by both families.
Unlike other Communities, Anglo-Indians dont believe in the concept of Dowry
and hence there are no demands from the Bridegroom’s side for money or gifts.
It was left to the Bride’s family to give their daughter and new </span>son-in-law whatever they could afford to
give them.</div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The wine for the great day was either
prepared by the Bride’s family or ordered from another Anglo-Indian family. The
cake and its design was also discussed by both sides and then an order for the
same was duly placed with the Cake Maker or Bakery. Depending on the number of
guests invited, slices of the wedding cake, wrapped separately in cellophane
paper was also ordered. All these preparations went on in full swing and were
ready by the time the wedding day drew near.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The Bride’s wedding Dress, a flowing snowy
white gown and dresses of the flower girls, bridesmaids, the bride’s mother and
other family members, were normally tailored in Kolar Gold Fields by the local
tailors who were expert dress makers. These tailors could copy any pattern or
design given to them and most often they would design the wedding dresses
themselves. Some of the more affluent ones had their wedding dress and the
Bride’s maids and flower girls dresses tailored in Bangalore or Madras.</span> <span lang="EN-US">Some lucky brides who had relatives abroad
got their wedding dresses either from the UK or Australia. The Bridegroom’s
suit and the suits of the Bestmen, Page boy, and other male family members were
also tailored at KGF.</span> </div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The actual wedding day was full of fun and
activity right from the morning. The Bride and the bridesmaids had their makeup
and hair done by one of the Anglo-Indian ladies who were experts in hair
dressing at the bride’s residence. We had no Beauty Parlours in those days, so
its was a friend of the bride who normally did her make up for her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The bride wasn’t allowed to see the
bridegroom on the day of the wedding as it was considered inauspicious or
unlucky. Meanwhile, all the men and boys in both families would go to the
Church and the Skating Rink to decorate it for the reception. The flowers<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>for the Church was usually brought in from
Bangalore. In no time at all it would be time for everyone to leave for Church
and it was time for the wedding. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span>The wedding service was always solemn and
touching. The bride would look radiant and the bridegroom handsome. Many in the
congregation would be seen wiping a tear, as weddings always have the habit of
making people cry. Emotions are always high at weddings. All too soon the
wedding service would be over and the couple were now man and wife.</div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span>After the church service, the bride and
bridegroom normally went for a drive to have some precious moments alone
together before the reception. Their drive was invariably to the Big Tree a
little outside KGF by which time all the guests would have gathered at the Hall
for the Reception. The Reception was always a homely joyous affair and everyone
had a good time. Liquor was invariably served and the bar would remain open
till the end of the Reception. The Wedding March, the Waltzes, the Fox Trots,
the Birdie Dance, The Cha Cha, Salsa, etc had everyone joining in and tapping
their feet to the music played by one of the local Anglo-Indian Bands.</div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><o:p> </o:p></span>Before the end of the reception, all the
young unmarried girls would gather in a circle and the bride who was blind
folded, would throw her bouquet for them to catch. The lucky one to catch the
bouquet was considered to be the next bride. </div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Likewise, all the young unmarried boys,
gathered in the same way, and the bridegroom’s Buttonhole Favour was similarly
thrown to the group. The young man who caught the favour would then be paired
with the young girl who caught the bride’s bouquet and they went round the Hall
to the tune of the wedding march.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The community in those days followed the
adage that ‘<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Marriage was for keeps’</b>
It was considered a sacrilege to remove the wedding ring under any
circumstances. Divorce or Separation was unheard of. The very word “Divorce”
was not even uttered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of the older
Anglo-Indian Folk married when they were very young and their parents instilled
in them that marriages were forever and hence they stuck together inspite of
everything. They took their marriage vows seriously and lived together in good
times and bad, in sickness and health, till the demise of either one of them.
They in turn passed this on to their children and grandchildren and were quite
scandalized when the present generation took their wedding vows lightly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Bridget White-Kumarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06915481782782910400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8277397068511986688.post-87120910289821165822019-01-29T05:09:00.001-08:002024-02-27T18:50:49.867-08:00THE SKATING RINK IN NANDYDROOG MINE, KOLAR GOLD FIELDS <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">THE SKATING RINK</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The Skating Rink</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> is situated in
Nandydroog Mine just next door to the Nandydroog Club and is a famous landmark
in KGF. The Skating Rink was the only big Auditorium or Party Hall in KGF in
the olden days and was the most popular venue for Wedding Receptions, Parties,
Get-togethers, School Functions and Concerts, Musical recitals, Meetings,
Dances etc.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">All the Mining Functions, the Christmas Dances, May
Queen Balls, Easter Ball, June Rose Balls, The Anglo-Indian Association’s
Annual General Meeting and Ball, New Year’s Eve Ball, Independence Day Ball,
The Republic Day celebrations etc, were all held at the Skating Rink. A
function was held there practically every month and it was a famous landmark
for all in KGF.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">In the olden days of the John Taylor and Sons
Company, this Hall was used for Ice Skating and Roller Skating and Ball Room
Dances by the British. Hence the name <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">SKATING
RINK</b>. The floor of the Skating Rink was highly polished and was as smooth
as silk and made an amazing dance floor. (It remains so even today even though
the building is in shambles. This goes to show the perfection and workmanship
of those olden times). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 11pt;">The Skating Rink was nothing more than a huge shed
with a stage and was not much to talk about. It had corrugated iron sheets for
the roof with a false ceiling of Tatty Cane. It actually looked like a rambling
old building from an old Country and Western Movie.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">It was the most popular venue for almost all Anglo-Indian
wedding receptions, Parties, get-togethers, Concerts, Musical Recitals,
Meetings, Dances, etc. Just before a dance, or a skating performance, white chalk
powder would be strewn on the floor to facilitate easy dancing movements for
the dancers.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Besides being used as a hall for functions and
dances, the Skating Rink was also an indoor Shuttle Badminton Court. We would
regularly play shuttle here during the holidays.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The Balls and Dances and social functions that were
held in the Skating Rink were the talk of the town. The Christmas Dances, May
Queen Balls, Easter Ball, June Rose Balls, The Anglo-Indian Association AGM
Ball, New Years Eve Ball, Wedding Receptions, Conferences, School Functions and
concerts, etc, were all held at the Skating Rink and there was a function
practically every month to look forward to.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Anglo-Indians from Bangalore, Jolarpet and Madras,
would also come for these Dances at Kolar Gold Fields. Local Anglo-Indian Bands
and Bands from Bangalore and Madras played at these dances and kept the people
on their toes dancing the night away.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Sadly, the Skating Rink which stood the ravages of
time for well over a hundred years is now in shambles. The inner walls are all
crumbling and the false ceiling of Tatty Cane is worn out in several places.
However people still continue to hold their functions in it and camouflage the
interiors walls with huge coloured Cloth and decorations. It will always remain
their ‘dear old Skating Rink’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Bridget White-Kumarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06915481782782910400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8277397068511986688.post-84237851867301568052018-08-27T05:47:00.001-07:002018-08-27T05:47:23.493-07:00St Joseph's Convent KGF - - Some Nostalgia - Buying Tuck - Green Mangoes, Jig Nuts, Borums etc <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><b>Some nostalgia about St Joseph's Convent KGF - Buying tuck from the Tuck Women</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 11pt;">Our school, St Joseph's Convent, Champion Reefs, KGF, didn’t have a Canteen or cafeteria.
Every child had to carry her own packed lunch to school. My mum usually packed
chapattis or sandwiches for us in plastic Tiffin boxes. Chapattis with butter
and sugar or jam was our favourite choice for lunch. We had our lunch in our
class rooms or we ate it sitting on the benches under the huge trees in the
school garden.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 11pt;">Besides our plastic Tiffin boxes, we also carried
our own water to drink in brightly coloured plastic water bottles with long shoulder
straps. Some times when we didn’t carry our bottles to school, we just drank
water straight from the taps in the school compound and didn’t worry about
picking up any germs from the tap water!!!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 11pt;">Our school didn’t have a tuck shop either so to
speak. However, the cooks in the convent kitchen made delicious ground nut toffee
for sale almost every day. We had to stand in line to buy squares of this
toffee every day after lunch, through the Trellis of the Convent Kitchen. The Jaggery
toffee with the chunks of roasted groundnuts in it was delicious.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 11pt;">Some of my most memorable and happy memories
connected with my school days at St Joseph’s Convent are of buying the forbidden
tuck from the Tuck Women who always sat on the road outside the school gate
with baskets of Green Mangoes, Borums, Gutty palams, Pani Chakke, Pattani, boiled
Groundnuts etc.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 11pt;">We were actually forbidden from buying anything
from these Tuck Women, but their wares were so tempting that we just couldn’t
resist the temptation. The thrill of disobeying the teachers and nuns to eat
the ‘forbidden fruit’ was a great ‘high’ for us.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 11pt;">For just 4 annas or 25 paisa, we could buy tuck
such as green mangoes, green tamarind and guavas (which we ate with chilli
powder and salt), Borums and Gutty palams (I don’t know the English word for
this fruit but they were small purple fruit the size of small plums), Luckily we
didn’t suffer from any tummy upsets or illness after eating all this junk.</span></div>
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Bridget White-Kumarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06915481782782910400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8277397068511986688.post-15503193307782939902018-06-15T06:16:00.001-07:002018-06-15T06:28:58.805-07:00COOKING ON FIREWOOD OVENS IN KGF<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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COOKING ON FIREWOOD OVENS IN KGF<br />
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">While we were growing up in KGF, the houses and
Bungalows didn’t have attached kitchens or kitchens that were part of the
house. The kitchens were always built off the dining rooms with a small covered
passage in between. This was because all the food was cooked over firewood and
hence the kitchen had to be separate from the main house so that the smoke,
fumes, soot, etc didn’t get into the house. Like the rest of the house, the
walls of the kitchen too, were painted white, but the ‘white washed walls’ would
get quite black with the smoke from the firewood ovens in no time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Cooking Gas was introduced in KGF only during the
1970s So most of the cooking was done on firewood ovens and a few light dishes would
be done on an electric stove. The fires in the ovens were always kept going in
our kitchen. At any given time, one could see glowing coals in the ovens. When
she needed to start cooking the food, our Cook Ayah would blow through a long
narrow metal pipe (or tube known as an <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">‘Oodankol’</b>
in the Tamil language) on the embers to rekindle them. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">A huge aluminum pot
filled with water was always kept on one of the ovens so that there was a
perpetual supply of hot water for use whenever needed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Besides the wood stoves and open ovens, we also had
iron ‘Sigris’ that were fired with coal. Some dishes such as Ox tail, Ox
Tongue, Beef Roast, Trotters etc which had to be cooked on a slow fire or “Dum”
were left to slow cook over the Sigri the whole night. There were no pressure
cookers in those days and hence they had to slow cook for several hours to make
them soft and tender.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">Our kitchen had a number of shelves filled with
lots of aluminum vessels or dekshis in various sizes, frying pans, etc. The big
dekshis were for cooking the Biryanis, roasts, etc, while the smaller ones were
used for cooking the curries, fries, pepper-<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">water, etc. Separate dekshi or pans was kept for
each type of dish that was prepared. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">There were also a few cooking utensils made of mud which
were called <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“Chatties”.</b> These Chatties
were used mostly for baking Hoppers and for preparing Fish curry. A special
ladle made out of half a coconut shell with a long wooden handle was used to
stir the Fish Curry in the Mud Chatties!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">After each cooking session, the utensils would be
covered with soot from the wood fire. Our ayah would scrub the dekhis and pans
with a mixture of powdered charcoal and soap and some ash from the oven. After
a good scrub they would once again shine brightly like polished silver. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "book antiqua" , serif; font-size: 11.0pt;">The enamel dining plates and dishes were also
washed using ashes and 501 Bar soap in those days. The glass crockery however
was washed with liquid soap specially procured from Spencers! The brass items
such as the water pots, pans etc, were scrubbed with a mixture of brick powder,
salt, tamarind or lemon rind to leave them sparkling and shining like gold!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Bridget White-Kumarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06915481782782910400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8277397068511986688.post-90509023273782039542018-04-22T04:45:00.000-07:002018-04-22T04:49:05.793-07:00SHANDY DAY OR MARKET DAY ON SUNDAY IN KGF<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I have lots of fond memories of the Shandy Day in KGF. When we were young we would accompany my dad to the Market in Robertsonpet as a treat on Sundays. The Market was named as Mahatma Gandhi Market. Sunday was ‘Shandy Day’ and the market was always filled with people. Traders would come in from all the nearby villages to sell their produce. Everything was quite cheap in those days. My dad would buy fresh vegetables and fruit required for the week and we would help to carry the bags.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sights and smells and the hustle and bustle of the market as soon as one stepped in was so exciting. It was a joy to see the mounds of fresh vegetables, fruits, bags of pulses, grains, sugar sweets, fried savouries, etc besides shops selling Plastic toys and games for just a couple of Rupees. Choosing what toy to buy with our pocket money of Two Rupees was quite a decision and we had to weigh the merits of a plastic or paper windmill against a spinning top or plastic gun.</div>
After the vegetable and grocery shopping was over, our next stop would be at Aleem Bakery or Omar Bakery for cool drinks and hot chicken or vegetable puffs. (I don’t think they made somasas as in those days) We’d then buy buns and coconut biscuits and muffins to take home. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The coconut muffins in Omar’s Bakery were especially nice as the muffins were filled with sweet, juicy coconut shavings and the outer pastry would just melt in our mouths!! The sponge cakes and Fairy cakes too were light and delicious.<o:p></o:p></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Jewel Coffee Powder Centre</span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> was just next to Aleem Bakery and my dad usually stopped there to buy the week’s requirement of coffee powder and tea leaves. The smell of fresh,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>just roasted coffee beans was just heaven!! With our bags laden with all the stuff that we bought in town, we’d take a jatka ride back to our house in Nandydroog Mine. It was time to wait for another week before we went to the Market again.</span></div>
Bridget White-Kumarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06915481782782910400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8277397068511986688.post-660520865698966162017-10-31T23:22:00.001-07:002017-10-31T23:22:08.411-07:00ALL SOUL'S DAY OR THE CEMETERY FEAST IN KGF<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua"; font-size: 11pt;"><b>ALL SOUL'S DAY OR THE CEMETERY FEAST IN KGF</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua"; font-size: 11pt;"><em><strong><br /></strong></em></span>
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua"; font-size: 11pt;"><em><strong>An excerpt from my book KOLAR GOLD FIELDS DOWN MEMORY LANE - </strong></em></span><em style="font-family: "book antiqua"; font-size: 14.6667px;"><strong>MEMORIES OF ALL SOULS DAY IN KGF - </strong></em><br />
<span style="font-family: "book antiqua"; font-size: 11pt;">All Souls Day falls on the 2<sup>nd</sup> of November every year. It is primarily a day for remembering the departed souls and is observed mainly by Catholics and Anglicans. </span>The official name of the celebration in the Roman Rite liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church is "The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed".<br />
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These are the graves of my parents Sydney and Doris White who are buried in the Cemetery in Champion Reefs in Kolar Gold Fields </div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua"; font-size: 11pt;">The All Soul’s day was also known as the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Graveyard Feast / Cemetery Feast or “Kalrai Thirunal”</b>(in Tamil).Even though it was a Christian day of remembrance for honoring the departed souls, it was celebrated as a Festival for remembering the dead even by non-Christians and people of other communities as well. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">This is one example of the communal harmony that existed between the different communities of KGF where its secular nature was unparalleled.</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua"; font-size: 11pt;">Tomorrow the 2nd November is All Soul’s Day, and it brings back many memories of this day in KGF when we were growing up. </span><span style="font-family: "book antiqua"; font-size: 11pt;">The Cemetery in KGF has the graves of three generations of our family on our paternal side. All my dad’s ancestors lived and worked in KGF since almost the beginning of the mines in the late 1800s. My dad’s forefathers came in from England and Scotland to earn a living in KGF and eventually died in this place.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua"; font-size: 11pt;">There are almost sixty graves of our family members in the Catholic Cemetery in KGF. The Cemetery also has a number of graves of other old families of KGF. There are also graves of many Britishers, Italians, French, etc. who were all employees of the KGF Mines and who died there either naturally or as a result of the Rock Bursts and accidents underground in the mines. Most of these graves lie unattended and forgotten as their dependents are no longer in KGF. </span><span style="font-family: "book antiqua"; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">A</span></span><span style="font-family: "book antiqua"; font-size: 11pt;"> week before All Soul'd Day, my dad would send a team of his workmen to the Cemetery, to repair, clean, paint and generally do up all the graves of our deceased family members. His workmen would work really hard painting the graves and getting the surroundings cleaned.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua"; font-size: 11pt;">On the morning of All Souls’ Day, we would all help to make around 75 wreaths at home, with silver oak leaves and flowers. Isaac our faithful house boy would make the outer Rings or circles out of mulberry branches and stems <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>from the garden. All of us would sit on the ground and arrange the silver oak leaves and ferns around the rings and fasten them with twine. Then the asters, lilies, daisies or roses (that were specially brought in from Russell Market Bangalore) would be arranged around the wreath and fastened with twine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua"; font-size: 11pt;">In the evening, we’d take all the wreaths and loose flowers to the Cemetery and go around placing the wreaths on the graves of our dear ones, pausing and praying for the repose of their souls. We would meet a lot of our friends and relatives in the cemetery that day as everyone had some departed member of their family buried in the Catholic Cemetery in KGF.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua"; font-size: 11pt;">Since, All Soul’s Day morphed in to a feast day for remembering the dead, there was a carnival like atmosphere around the 4 Cemeteries. Vendors selling flowers, candles, balloons, sweets, savouries, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After we visited all the graves and prayed for the departed souls, we would have a gala time buying balloons, blowing whistles made of pieces of bamboo, hair clips, plastic sun glasses, etc that the vendors sold outside the cemetery. It was a colorful and noisy feast with lots of people milling around and the vendors doing brisk business selling these toys, ground nuts, hot stuff, sweets, colored ribbons, glass bangles, flowers, candles, etc.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "book antiqua"; font-size: 11pt;">The All Soul’s day was also known as the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Graveyard or Cemetery Feast or “Kalrai Thirunal”</b> in Tamil. Even though it was a Christian day of remembrance for honoring the departed souls, it was celebrated as a Festival for remembering the dead even by non-Christians and people of other communities as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "book antiqua"; font-size: 11pt;">This is one example of the communal harmony that existed between the different communities of KGF where its secular nature was unparalleled.</span></b></div>
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Bridget White-Kumarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06915481782782910400noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8277397068511986688.post-85899422375852866932017-10-22T06:16:00.001-07:002017-10-22T06:16:26.463-07:00OLD FASHIONED KITCHENS IN KGF – SOME NOSTALGIA<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>OLD FASHIONED
KITCHENS IN KGF – SOME NOSTALGIA<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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In the olden days and even now-a-days, most of the houses in
Kolar Gold Fields didn’t have attached kitchens or kitchens that were part of
the house. The kitchens were always built off the dining rooms with a small
covered passage in between. This was because all the food was cooked over
firewood and hence the kitchen had to be separate from the main house so that
the smoke, fumes, soot, etc didn’t get into the house. Like the rest of the
house, the walls of the kitchen too, were painted white, but the ‘white washed
walls’ would get quite black with the smoke from the firewood ovens in no time.
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<o:p> </o:p>I remember that the fires in the ovens were always kept
going in our kitchen. At any given time, one could see glowing coals in the
ovens. When she needed to start cooking the food, our Ayah would blow through a
long narrow metal pipe (or tube known as an ‘Oodankol’ in the Tamil language)
on the embers to rekindle them. A huge aluminum pot filled with water was
always on one of the ovens so that there was a perpetual supply of hot water
for use whenever needed. </div>
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Besides the wood stoves and open ovens, we also had iron
‘Sigris’ that were fired with coal. Some dishes such as Roasts, etc which had
to be cooked on a slow fire or “Dumm” were left to slow cook over the Sigri the
whole night. There were no pressure cookers in those days and hence they had to
slow cook for several hours to make them soft and tender.</div>
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<o:p> </o:p>Our kitchen had a number of shelves filled with lots of
aluminum vessels or dekshis in various sizes, frying pans, etc. The big dekshis
were for cooking the Biryanis, roasts, etc, while the smaller ones were used for
cooking the curries, fries, pepper-water, etc. Separate dekshi or pans was kept
for each type of dish that was prepared.</div>
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There were also a few cooking utensils made of mud which
were called “Chatties”. These Chatties were used mostly for baking Hoppers and
for preparing Fish curry. A special ladle made out of half a coconut shell with
a long wooden handle was used to stir the Fish Curry in the Mud Chatties!</div>
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<o:p> </o:p>After each cooking session, the utensils would be covered
with soot from the wood fire. Our ayah would scrub the dekhis and pans with a
mixture of powdered charcoal and soap and some ash from the oven. After a good
scrub they would once again shine brightly like polished silver.</div>
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The enamel dining plates and dishes were also washed using
ashes and 501 Bar soap in those days. The glass crockery however was washed
with liquid soap specially procured from Spencers! The brass items such as the
water pots, pans etc, were scrubbed with a mixture of brick powder, salt,
tamarind or lemon rind to leave them sparkling and shining like gold!</div>
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Since there were no refrigerators in the olden days, all the
left over food, milk, etc were stored in the “Meat Safe”. A meat safe was a
compulsory piece of furniture in
Anglo-Indian homes in the olden days and every family a couple of them. We had
2 Meat Safes in our Dining Room. The Meat Safes were wooden storage cupboards
with steel wire mesh on 3 sides so that the air could pass through and keep the
food that was stored in it fresh. The back of the meat Safe was of wood. Since
the weather was cool in those days and there was no pollution, everything remained fresh in the meat safes
for more than a day. The legs of the Meat Safe were placed in ceramic bowls
filled with water or germaxin powder or Ant powder to avoid ants from getting
at the food in the meat safe. The Meat Safe’ was also quite necessary to
protect the food from cats and mice as well. </div>
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Another kitchen appendage that has also disappeared with the
older generation is the ‘Wooden Provision or Ration Box / Chest which occupied
pride of place in the passage just outside the kitchen door. This Provision
Chest / Box was about 5 feet in height and 4 feet in breadth and
housed tins of the various provisions and condiments that were required for
Anglo-Indian cooking. It was divided into many compartments for
rice, and dry provisions such as Dhal / Lentils, Red Chillies, Cumin seeds, coriander
seeds, spices, jaggery, etc. While these ingredients / provisions, gave out
their own unique smells, a combination of all of them together was just heavenly.
The smell from my Grandma’s Provision Box still lingers in my mind even after
all these years!!</div>
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Sadly the Meat Safe
and the Provision Box are now a part of history as they are arely seen
in homes these days. People prefer to have fancy refrigerators at home instead
of Meat Safes!!</div>
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Bridget White-Kumarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06915481782782910400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8277397068511986688.post-68204734696485378972017-04-29T01:31:00.002-07:002017-04-29T01:32:25.365-07:00APRIL SHOWERS AND MAY FLOWERS IN KGF<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2uPi-qcm0jQ/WQROhJL2uOI/AAAAAAAAQTk/3LUCSUM1sCME65fpM_dsjkHFSkg1IkULACLcB/s1600/May%2BFlowers%2Bcollage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2uPi-qcm0jQ/WQROhJL2uOI/AAAAAAAAQTk/3LUCSUM1sCME65fpM_dsjkHFSkg1IkULACLcB/s400/May%2BFlowers%2Bcollage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>APRIL SHOWERS AND MAY FLOWERS IN KGF</b><br />
Our beloved KGF is bathed in a sea of Red!!<br />
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There were(and still are) huge Gulmohar or May Flower trees all over KGF.<br />
The Gulmohar trees were huge, almost 30 to 40 feet in height with large branches spread wide to form an awning. These trees were prized for their ornamental value and for their shade. They usually flowered towards the end of April or beginning of May, soon after the first spells of rains in April. There was a popular saying in KGF that April Showers bring May Flowers. The riot of red flowers all over the place was a sight to behold. The bright red flowers had their own distinct smell. The delicate leaves comprising of small individual leaflets supported the clusters of red flowers so as to protect them during the day and they folded up during the evenings. The sepals and ovules after pollination formed long green pods which slowly matured. The ripe pods would split open into woody, boat-shaped forms. As Children e would collect these wooden pods and pretend they were boats and sail them in the water channels and drains.<br />
These are Gulmohar trees near the KGF Hospital last week<br />
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A close up of a bunch of May Flowers<br />
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A tree in all its beauty<br />
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Bridget White-Kumarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06915481782782910400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8277397068511986688.post-20731151609618671832017-04-05T05:35:00.001-07:002017-04-05T05:38:33.721-07:00Centenary of Kolar Gold Fields – Issuance of Indian Postage Stamp and First Day Cover <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Centenary of Kolar
Gold Fields – Issuance of Indian Postage Stamp.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<o:p> </o:p>In order to commemorate the Centenary of the Kolar Gold
Mines, the Indian Posts and Telegraphs Department had issued a special
commemorative Postage Stamp and First Day Cover on 20<sup>th</sup> December 1980</div>
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<b>Philatelic Stamp
Description</b> : The stamp depicts a miner drilling for ore along with
representation of molten gold being poured into a mould and a few gold bricks. </div>
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The first day cover shows old and new techniques of drilling
for ore against a mine head structure.</div>
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Stamp Issue Date : 20/12/1980</div>
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Postage Stamp Denomination: 1.00</div>
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Postal Stamp Serial Number: 0990</div>
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Postal Stamp Name: GOLD MINING</div>
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Stamp Currency: Rupee</div>
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Stamp Type: COMMEMORATIVE</div>
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Stamp Language: English</div>
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Stamp Overall Size: 3.91 X 2.90 cms</div>
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Postal Stamp Print Size: 3.55 X 2.5 cms.</div>
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Number of Stamps Per Sheet: 35</div>
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Stamp Perforations: 13 x 13</div>
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Postal Stamp Shape: Vertical</div>
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Postage Stamp Paper: Un-watermarked adhesive stamp paper</div>
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Indian Stamp Process: Photogravure</div>
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Number of stamps printed: 15,00,000</div>
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Stamp Printed At: India Security Press</div>
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<b>Stamp Information : I am reproducing the same matter as in the writeup </b></div>
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Kolar Gold Fields in the State of Karnataka are reported to
have been mined for gold during the last 2000 years or so. The gold lodes of
Kolar Gold Fields lie in a narrow bond of rocks of Dharwar Series. The
systematic mining for gold in this area during modern times was started by an
English mining firm, John Taylor & Sons in 1880. The mines were taken over
by the Government of Mysore in 1956 and by the Government of India in 1962. The
provision of railway connection in 1894 and availibility of electric power in
1902 from the first hydel power station in Asia at Sivasamudram played a key
role in rapid development of the mines. These are some of the depest mines in
the world, the deepest point being 3.2 Km below surface. Inclined and vertical
shafts have been sunk either along the reef or across the country rock. The
length of excavations underground in the form of tunnels, shafts, etc. total
about 1000 Kms. The gold-bearing ore is excavated in a carefully systamised
sequence and the shafts and tunnels are supported by steel arches lagged with
timber to ensure safety of mine workers. In view of very high stresses
ancountered in deep mines, excavations are also supported by granite, concrete,
timber amd mill-tailing fill as a safety measure. During the early period of
mining, the tenor of gold averaged about 40 grammes per tonne. During the past
century, approximately 46 million tonnes of gold-bearing ore has been extracted
yielding about 784 tonnes of gold. The present tenor of gold is about 5 grammes
per tonne. The present management, Bharat Gold Mines Ltd., a Government of
India undertaking, attaches considerable importance to measures providing safe
and hygienic working conditions. Instrumentation of working areas to monitor
possible violent rock failures, adequate ventilation, effective dust
suppression and fire fighting equpment are some of the measures which play
major roles in this sphere. Regular radilogical examination of workers and
sampling of underground ore for toxic dust are important industrial hygiene
measures undertaken by the management. At present about 12000 employees of
various categories are on the rolls. Being a labour intensive industry, massive
efforts are made to educate the workers in accident prevention. High priority
is also given to the welfare of the employees. </div>
</div>
Bridget White-Kumarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06915481782782910400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8277397068511986688.post-17727635262634639512017-01-26T22:00:00.000-08:002017-01-26T22:00:11.213-08:00KGF MINES REOPENING - NEWS ITEM IN THE BANGALORE MIRROR ON 27TH JANUARY 2017<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>KGF MINES REOPENING - NEWS ITEM IN THE BANGALORE MIRROR ON 27TH JANUARY 2017</b><br />
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Bridget White-Kumarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06915481782782910400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8277397068511986688.post-25507632396410189022016-11-11T21:36:00.001-08:002024-02-27T18:56:04.672-08:00WAR MEMORIAL IN KGF NEAR THE CENTRAL TELEPHONE EXCHANGE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>REMEMBRANCE DAY OR POPPY DAY</b> is observed on 11th November every year<br />
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></b>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o8sCxsveMaE/WCaqUFfZ-KI/AAAAAAAAPlo/SJvHak3G6PkINTJPWeA51NRfTqWBZtgrACLcB/s1600/War%2Bmemorial%2Bnear%2Bthe%2BCentral%2Btelephone%2BExchange.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o8sCxsveMaE/WCaqUFfZ-KI/AAAAAAAAPlo/SJvHak3G6PkINTJPWeA51NRfTqWBZtgrACLcB/s320/War%2Bmemorial%2Bnear%2Bthe%2BCentral%2Btelephone%2BExchange.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">THE WAR MEMORIAL IN KGF NEAR THE CENTRAL TELEPHONE EXCHANGE</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">A<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b>war memorial</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>is a building, monument, statue or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in war. We also have a War Memorial in KGF near the Central Telephone Exchange and the Central Workshops</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><u1:p></u1:p>. </span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Not many from Kolar Gold Fields know about the significance of this War Memorial. This Memorial was erected to commemorate and remember the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span> members of the armed forces who were killed in the line of duty during the First World War. These brave people are remembered and commemorated on the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">11<sup>th</sup><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>of November every year on Remembrance Day.</b></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Remembrance Day</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">, also known as<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b>Poppy Day</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>or<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b>Armistice Day</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>is a<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Memorial Day</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>observed in all Commonwealth countries since the end of World War I to remember the members of their armed forces who died in the line of duty.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><u1:p></u1:p>It </span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">is observed on 11 November every year to recall<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">the end of hostilities of World War I on 11/11/1918. Hostilities formally ended "at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month," in accordance with the ‘Armistice’ signed by representatives of Germany and the Entente between 5:12 and 5:20 that morning.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></b>(However, World War I officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on 28 June 1919<u><sup>)</sup></u></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Remembrance Day</span></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">or Armistice Day</span></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">was specifically dedicated by King George as a day of remembrance for members of the armed forces who were killed during World War I.<u1:p></u1:p>This day is also known as<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Poppy Day</b><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>as some of the worst Battles were fought in the fields of Flanders. Bright Red Poppies later bloomed across these battle fields and their brilliant red colour became an appropriate symbol for the blood spilled in World War 1. The Red Remembrance Poppy therefore became a familiar emblem of Remembrance Day due to the poem<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">"In Flanders Fields”.</b></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">In earlier days a grand Memorial Function was held every year at this War Memorial in KGF. However after the Mines were nationalized and the Government took over, the Ex Servicemen of KGF would generally gather on their own and pay tributes to the martyrs who laid down their lives during World War 1</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Later on only a few people observed this day and slowly, the Memorial began to get neglected with grass and other weeds growing all round it.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">However, in recent years, the Prasad Charitable Trust run by Mr. Prabhu and his family has now taken over the upkeep and Maintenance of this War Memorial.</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Every year a small Function is held near the Memorial and the Trust honours the families of those Ex Servicemen from KGF killed in Action and also<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>arranges for Free Medical Checkups and Health Camps<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "" , serif , "" , serif;">In India till today, the day is usually marked by tributes and ceremonies in Army Cantonments. A wreath and other flowers are placed at the foot of the Memorial by the Officers of the Indian Army and a small Memorial Service is observed. Memorial services are held in some churches</span></div>
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Bridget White-Kumarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06915481782782910400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8277397068511986688.post-60211937306644511272016-10-25T02:03:00.002-07:002016-10-25T02:03:46.766-07:00SABU - THE JTAKA / TONGA WALLAH IN KOLAR GOLD FIELDS <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Subsequent to my sharing of a childhood memory of the Jatkas or Tongas in the earlier days in KGF and more especially about Sabu, the tonga wallah, I received this message from Mr Naushad Ahmed<br />
"This excerpt made me nostalgic like most other excerpts you have shared. This one more as the humble jatkawala Sabu was my mom's 'Chacha, brother of my maternal grandpa. Sabu chacha, as we used to call him, lived in Oorgaumpet behind the Govt Kannada primary school near the famous Murugan temple. We too lived in Oorgaumpet those days. Whenever we had to go to our grandparents house in Robertsonpet, Sabu chacha's tanga was ready to take us. He never once charged us for a ride as he considered my mother as his 'beti' or daughter".<br />
Mr Naushad Ahmed subsequently put me in touch with his uncle Mr Gaffar who is the son of Sabu. Mr Gaffar works in the KSRTC and both he and I spoke at length about Sabu and KGF. Later Mr Gaffar's grand daughter-in-law also spoke to me and said their whole family were so happy to read my memories of Sabu and know that he is so fondly remembered. She has shared an old photograph of Sabu that I'm sharing with all of you.<br />
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I'm also appending my old post below<br />
<b>A small excerpt from my book KOLAR GOLD FIELDS DOWN MEMORY LANE on ' Jatkas and Tongas were the only means of transport in KGF in the olden days"</b><br />
Public transport was very limited when we were growing up as children in Kolar Gold Fields . We had no local bus facility to take us around the mines and to Robertsonpet, the Town. The only buses that passed through the Nandydroog Mine where we lived, were the long distance buses that came from Bangalore and Kolar via Bangarapet. These buses too were quite infrequent so no one really depended on them as a means of local conveyance.<br />
KGF also didn’t have a regular Taxi service. There were only one or two people like Mr. Parker, or Mr. Das from Robertsonpet who ran their old cars as Taxis.<br />
The ‘Jakta’ Service was the only means of conveyance for many, many years. People either traveled in the jaktas or else just walked.<br />
The Jatka or Tonga or the Horse drawn carriages came into existence in mid 18th century through the traders of East India Company in Calcutta. It was originally conceived and built for use of the Company but soon spread to other places in India and soon became a popular means of transport for the common man. The Jatkas and Tongas were the most used mode of local conveyance in KGF from the early 1900s till the late 1970s. These Jatkas were fondly called ‘BANDIES’ by the Anglo-Indians which was an Anglicized version of the Tamil word “WUNDIE’.<br />
Whenever we needed to go to the market, church or to our grandparent’s house in Town, we invariably went by Jatka or Tonga. There was a Jakta Stand near the Oorgaum Railway station where one could engage a Jakta. We had a few known Jatka wallahs who we usually engaged on a regular basis. However, our favorite Jakta man was ‘Sabu’. Sabu was a fair skinned Muslim man with bright blue eyes which were always twinkling. Sabu knew our Saturday routine well, as we visited our grandparents in Town every Saturday. He’d come home with his Jakta exactly at 3.45 PM every Saturday, without being told and wait for us to set out at 4 o’clock. While waiting for us to get ready, he’d release his horse from the jakta and leave it to relax and enjoy a nosebag of grass and hay.<br />
Sabu’s jatka was our own personal limousine service in those days. John would sit in front of the jakta with Sabu and once in a way twirl Sabu’s whip with great flair. We three girls would sit breadth ways inside the jatka resting our backs on the sides and stretching out our legs. Mummy and daddy sat at the rear and hung their legs outside the jakta.<br />
Sabu loved his horse and his horse loved him in return and listened and obeyed his every command. Sabu knew a few English words and his famous one liner was “Giddy up a Ding Dong” .No one knows how or from where he learned this but his horse obliged him whenever he uttered these words by trotting faster, the bells tied around its neck jingling merrily. He always had a whip in his hand and would twirl it all the time but never once did we see him using it on his horse.<br />
Sometimes, Sabu and some other Tonga drivers would have races on the ‘Oorgaum Station to Robertsonpet Road’. They’d urge their horses to go faster and the horses too enjoyed this little bit of fun. His ‘Giddy up a Ding Dong’ would be uttered more often and his horse would oblige by throwing back its head and cantering faster. The horse also looked as it was enjoying the race and its mouth seemed to be smiling all the time.<br />
Of course my parents didn’t approved of this type of racing with all of us seated in the jatka with the risk of the horse slipping and all of us falling out of the jatka. So they’d sternly tell Sabbu to stop his nonsense and take us at a more sedate pace. Sabu with disappointment writ large on his face would have to obey them. Nevertheless we children enjoyed all the excitement.<br />
As the years rolled by Sabu’s horse grew sick and old and eventually died and he had to get another horse. Sabu also grew older and when Auto rickshaws were introduced in KGF in the late 1970s, everyone began using them and that was the death knell for the Jatkas and soon the old fashioned jaktas became redundant.<br />
The Jatkas are now used only to transport goods such as hardware, pipes, sacks of rice and pulses, electrical items, etc, instead of passengers. Sabu faced a lot of hardship as his means of livelihood was threatened. We hardly saw Sabu after that as we too began traveling by auto rickshaws instead of the jatkas. We later heard that Sabu became very ill and died. All of us were sad when we heard the news. It seemed like the end of an era.</div>
Bridget White-Kumarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06915481782782910400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8277397068511986688.post-24761828727182495272016-10-24T05:52:00.003-07:002016-10-24T05:52:44.021-07:00JATKAS / TONGAS - THE ONLY MEANS OF TRANSPORT IN KGF IN THE OLDEN DAYS <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Public transport was very limited when we were growing up as children </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">in Kolar Gold Fields</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">. We had no local bus facility to take us around the mines and to Robertsonpet, the Town. The only buses that passed through the Nandydroog Mine where we lived,
were the long distance buses that came from </span><st1:place style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Bangalore</st1:city></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> and Kolar via Bangarapet. These
buses too were quite infrequent so no one really depended on them as a means of
local conveyance.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">KGF also
didn’t have a regular Taxi service. There were only one or two people like Mr.
Parker, or Mr. Das from Robertsonpet who ran their old cars as Taxis. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><b><i>The
‘Jakta’ Service was the only means of conveyance for many, many years. People
either traveled in the jaktas or else just walked.</i></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The Jatka or </span><st1:country-region style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" w:st="on">Tonga</st1:country-region><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">
or the Horse drawn carriages came into existence in mid 18th century through
the traders of East India Company in </span><st1:city style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Calcutta</st1:place></st1:city><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">.
It was originally conceived and built for use of the Company but soon spread to
other places in </span><st1:country-region style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">
and soon became a popular means of transport for the common man. The Jatkas and
</span><st1:country-region style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Tongas</st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">
were the most used mode of local conveyance in KGF from the early 1900s till
the late 1970s. These Jatkas were fondly called ‘BANDIES’ by the Anglo-Indians
which was an Anglicized version of the Tamil word “WUNDIE’.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Whenever we
needed to go to the market, church or to our grandparent’s house in Town, we
invariably went by Jatka or </span><st1:country-region style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Tonga</st1:place></st1:country-region><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">.
There was a Jakta Stand near the Oorgaum Railway station where one could engage
a Jakta. We had a few known Jatka wallahs who we usually engaged on a regular
basis. However, our favorite Jakta man was ‘Sabu’. Sabu was a fair skinned
Muslim man with bright blue eyes which were always twinkling. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Sabu knew our
Saturday routine well, as we visited our grandparents in Town every Saturday.
He’d come home with his Jakta exactly at 3.45 PM every Saturday, without being
told and wait for us to set out at 4 o’clock. While waiting for us to get
ready, he’d release his horse from the jakta and leave it to relax and enjoy a
nosebag of grass and hay.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><i>Sabu’s jatka
was our own personal limousine service in those days. John would sit in front
of the jakta with Sabu and once in a way twirl Sabu’s whip with great flair. We
three girls would sit breadth ways inside the jatka resting our backs on the
sides and stretching out our legs. Mummy and daddy sat at the rear and hung
their legs outside the jakta. </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Sabu loved
his horse and his horse loved him in return and listened and obeyed his every
command. Sabu knew a few English words and his famous one liner was “Giddy up a
Ding Dong” .No one knows how or from where he learned this but his horse
obliged him whenever he uttered these words by trotting faster, the bells tied
around its neck jingling merrily. He always had a whip in his hand and would
twirl it all the time but never once did we see him using it on his horse.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Sometimes,
Sabu and some other</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><st1:place style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Tonga</st1:country-region></st1:place><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> drivers</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">would have races on the ‘Oorgaum Station to </span><st1:street style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" w:st="on"><st1:address w:st="on">Robertsonpet Road</st1:address></st1:street><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">’.
They’d urge their horses to go faster and the horses too enjoyed this little
bit of fun. His ‘Giddy up a Ding Dong’ would be uttered more often and his
horse would oblige by throwing back its head and cantering faster. The horse
also looked as it was enjoying the race and its mouth seemed to be smiling all
the time.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Of course my parents didn’t approved of this type of racing with all of us seated in the
jatka with the risk of the horse slipping and all of us falling out of the
jatka. So they’d sternly tell Sabbu to stop his nonsense and take us at a more
sedate pace. Sabu with disappointment writ large on his face would have to obey
them. Nevertheless we children enjoyed all the excitement. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">As the years
rolled by Sabu’s horse grew sick and old and eventually died and he had to get
another horse. Sabu also grew older and when Auto rickshaws were introduced in
KGF in the late 1970s, everyone began using them and that was the death knell
for the Jatkas and soon the old fashioned jaktas became redundant.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The Jatkas
are now used only to transport goods such as hardware, pipes, sacks of rice and
pulses, electrical items, etc, instead of passengers. Sabu faced a lot of
hardship as his means of livelihood was threatened. We hardly saw Sabu after
that as we too began traveling by auto rickshaws instead of the jatkas. We
later heard that Sabu became very ill and died. All of were sad when we heard
the news. It seemed like the end of an era.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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Bridget White-Kumarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06915481782782910400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8277397068511986688.post-16448035005157492412016-10-07T23:16:00.003-07:002016-10-07T23:27:32.698-07:00KOLAR GOLD FIELDS DOWN MEMORY LANE - Book Review by Dr. Beatrix D"Souza Member of Parliament Lok Sabha 1999-2004<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">KOLAR GOLD FIELDS</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">DOWN MEMORY LANE<br /> by BRIDGET WHITE</span><br />
<i><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Indian Editions - 2010 & 2014 Matha Printers & Publishers , Bangalore </span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Price: Rs 260 </span></i></div>
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<b><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit , serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">BOOK REVIEW - by Dr. </span><span style="font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: windowtext;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/beatrix.dsouza?fref=nf">Beatrix
D'Souza</a></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><b>Member of
Parliament Lok Sabha 1999 - 2004</b></span><b><span style="font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Kolar
Gold Fields , the name itself suggests not just a mining town but is evocative
of the lure</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">and romance of gold ; of fields of gold , hidden
beneath the barren rocky terrain which is the Deccan</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Plateau in Karnataka</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Bridget
White's book is a well -researched historical and sociological document, apart
from</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">being a personal Memoir.</span></i></b><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">According
to legend attributed to the Ramayana. Rama, Sita and Lakshmananwhen sent into
exile wandered in the forests of present day Avani village ,20 kms from what is
now</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">known as KGF . Rama chased and killed the Golden Deer
with his arrow. The deer fragmented, its pieces scattered and created the '
fields of gold ' <span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Gold
was first extracted in shallow pits by nomadic tribes who noticed the unusual
rocks. Gold</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">mining existed in the time of the Guptas, the Cholas
and during the reign of Tippu Sultan. The British</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Company, John
Taylor and Sons started mining operations in 1880. The Mines were nationalized
after</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Independence in 1956 and closed down in 2001 after 125
years of mining. </span></span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">As
a sociological document the book points to the presence of migrants from Andhra
( Telugu )Madras State ( Tamil ), Punjabis ( Watch and Ward), and Marwaris (Rajasthan
) who started businesses. Their descendants continue to live in KGF and
Karnataka. The Europeans at that time besides the British, were the Scots, the
Irish and the Welsh as</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">well as the Italians, the Germans and the Spanish. The
European women staying behind in their native countries, the men</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">married native women and the Anglo- Indian community
was further strengthened in this part of</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Karnataka or
erstwhile Mysore State. </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">In the 1920s the Mines employed 24,000, of which 400 were Europeans, 650 were
Anglo-Indian and the</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">rest miners and other workforce. The Anglo-Indians as
elsewhere in British India, served as a link</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">between the
Europeans and the other Indians whose language they spoke and understood. They</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">worked in middle level positions under the British and
after Independence in Administrative and</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Managerial posts . There were many A-I Covenanted officers who enjoyed special
privileges. The posts</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">were almost hereditary with the son succeeding the
father and occupying the Company bungalow. Mr Sydney White (Bridget’s father) was
a Covenanted officer. These three groups who worked together to amass huge
profits for the British Company, lived in clearly demarcated</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">social enclaves. While the Europeans lived in large
bungalows as did the Anglo-Indians, the miners lived in the</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Miners Lines in rows of tin shacks with little ventilation, no safe drinking
water or proper toilet</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">facilities. Epidemics were common. Illicit liquor
added to their woes. Their working conditions were</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">no better. In the early days, they went down the mines
in buckets with candles to light the way. Things gradually improved over the
years, especially after they formed Unions to protect their interests. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Anglo-Indians
in their bungalows with a British lifestyle and customs lived life to the</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">hilt in what came to be known as Little England. The men worked hard and were
known for their</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">efficiency and integrity. The women worked as Nurses,Teachers
and Secretaries or stayed home as</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">housewives. Not
only former KGF residents but all A-Is will recognise ourselves, our homes our food</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">and our lingo in Bridget's detailed and interesting
account of her childhood and growing up years .</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Our homes were
furnished in the same way with rosewood furniture, Planter's chairs, dinner
-wagons </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">and meat safes. We had glass bead curtains, crocheted doilies and brass
jardinieres . Foreign goods</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">were easily available like Dutch Ball cheese, Polson's
butter,Lea & Perrin Worcester sauce etc. at Cresswells that was owned by an
Anglo-Indian which also sold perfumes cosmetics and the famous Tony perm
lotion. They also</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">imported dresses for formal occasions. There were also
local tailors like Pansy Tailor (he walked like a girl ! ) who followed the
latest pattern books. Anglo-Indian women were excellent cooks and</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">had a retinue of servants to assist them in running
the house . <i>Bridget White herself is an
accomplished cook and through her cook books has attempted to preserve and
promote Anglo -Indian cuisine</i>. While the Anglo-Indian men were called Dorai
the women were called Missy. The men were always ' suited</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">and booted ' to fit the occasion. The women dressed in the latest fashion. They
wore hats and gloves</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">and carried parasols on their way to church . They
often had to listen to the good natured taunts of the</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">local urchins ( in Madras too ) :</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Missy , Missy Lol , Meenkara Mol . Aramoodi thenga , kaapikottai , manga</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><i>Bridget gives a translation</i> :</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">
“Lady, lady, you are the fisherman's
darling. He will give you half a coconut, coffee seeds</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">and mangoes</span></i><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">” </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">It must have originated in Madras as KGF is not a seaside town. It was not
ridicule and</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">A-I women knew the local people respected them as
nurses, teachers and employers. Small boys</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">enjoy a good
rhyme and there was no harm done. </span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">By
the end of the 19th century, KGF was a thriving township, one of India's first</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">industrialized towns with electricity, good water supply, well -equipped
hospitals and schools. A truly secular society places of worship sprang up . In
1885,the KGF Gymkhana was established. It was a</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">' Whites Only '
club. It was only in the late 1940s that Indian officers were allowed
membership. Other</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Clubs were the Nandidroog club, the Catholic club etc.
The Skating Rink, converted to host</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">weddings,
Balls, concerts etc is still a popular venue. Although there were well known
A-I dance bands there was Mr Gallyot 's Brass Band. The 15 musicians playing
western instruments, marched along the streets playing for Marwari weddings.
They also played for funerals. Mr Gallyot dressed up in bright satin jackets
and pants and wore a</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">colourful turban. The bandsmen also dressed up. For funerals they wore black. They
played a medley</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">of English marches and Tamil and Hindi film songs. I
remember that similar bands in Madras ( non A-I ) always</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">started with Come September !</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">
I have my own memories of KGF. My sister Barbara lived there for 30 years when
her</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">husband, Neslyn D'Gama worked at BEML. The first time
we visited my daughter Bettina fell out of the jutka. It was a peaceful place
with a leisurely lifestyle like the Bangalore of old. As an MP I visited KGF to</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">inaugurate the Computer Room I had funded at St Teresa
's School. It was a memorable visit with the nuns sending me a breakfast of
trotters and hoppers and to my sister's astonishment and my amusement</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></i><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><i><br />
arranging for police to guard the house the previous night!</i> </span><br />
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">There were many A-I
teachers. One I</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">particularly remember was Carol Chapman who continues
to live in KGF. With emigration thinning the ranks of A-I's and families moving
to Bangalore , the community</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">presence though small is significant especially in
Robertsonpet. The A-I's, descendents of the early</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">pioneering
families are happily settled in their own homes and retain and are proud of
their identity. There are still Dances and Housie and Christmas is a joyous
time with children coming home from</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">abroad. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">KGF
is still proud of its Olympic heroes & other sportsmen</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">like the hockey players the Booseys and Kenneth Powell
the athlete the first sportsperson to be</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">honoured with the
Arjuna Award in Karnataka. There were eminent cricketers like Ren Naylor and
John</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Snaize in the 1940s. <span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">The
Cyanide dumps still stand, silent sentinels of the mining past. A signboard at
the</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">entrance of the Nandydroog mine proudly proclaims ‘Welcome
to the land of gold’</span></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">I
enjoyed reading</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">this book and will add it to my collection on Anglo
India. Books like this one are necessary as they</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">keep history
alive. Change is the only constant. The old continue with their lives which
embody the</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">traditions that they hand down. The young seek new
avenues without losing sight of old values and</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">traditions and
in this way a community continues to survive. We reinvent not to die but to
continue</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></i><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><i><br />
to live. </i>Numbers don't matter. We have always been a small community but as
Frank Anthony has famously said we have contributed to our country of origin far
in excess of our numbers. Now</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">wherever we have settled we contribute to the
countries we have adopted, especially in the</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">multi -cultural
societies of today. With our mixed-race heritage we have lived all over India
and been</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">exposed to different religions, languages and customs.
In ourselves we have metamorphosed into two</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">world -views
and two cultures. This legacy of tolerance, of understanding is our legacy to
the</span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit" , "serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br />
outside world. Our children and our children's children will carry forward and
our community will continue to survive through them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Bridget White-Kumarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06915481782782910400noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8277397068511986688.post-42972952545380240132016-10-05T05:50:00.000-07:002024-02-27T19:19:43.333-08:00KGF CLUB - The First Club established in Kolar Gold Fields and the fourth oldest golf club in India.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This is is an extract from my book <b>KOLAR GOLD FIELDS DOWN MEMORY LANE</b><br />
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">In 1885, the British Mining Company of John Taylor and Sons established the first club in Kolar Gold Fields and named it the KGF Gymkhana Club. Bridget Kumar charts the history of the club. Among its members was T P Kailasam, one of the greatest Kannada playwrights.</strong></div>
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By the end of the 19th century, a sprawling British township was in place in Kolar Gold Fields and it came to be known as ‘Little England’ due to its British and Anglo-Indian population and its colonial ambience.</div>
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Being a British mining colony, the social life of people at KGF was greatly influenced by British culture. The region saw the establishment of quite a few Associations towards the middle of the 1800s, such as the Kolar Gold Fields Choral and Dramatic Society which organised plays and choral functions, The Royal Army Temperance Association, The Trades list, etc. These Institutes catered to the social and cultural needs of the local British and European population. </div>
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However, the need for recreational and sports facilities and clubs was greatly felt. In 1885, the British Mining Company of John Taylor and Sons established the first club in Kolar Gold Fields and named it the KGF Gymkhana Club. They built a 12-hole golf course and a beautiful Victorian Club House. This club was the first of its kind to be established in KGF and is ranked as the fourth oldest golf club in India.</div>
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It had its own polo, golf and hockey teams. The club was and still is affiliated to Indian Golf Union and is also affiliated to all the major clubs in India. The club house was equipped with a traditional bar, library, snooker and billiard rooms, tennis courts, shuttle badminton courts and a ballroom with a wooden floor – all built and completed in a period of just six months since the company had vast man power and resources to complete the project in record time.</div>
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The foyer of the club was decorated with many deer and bison heads on its walls, as mementos of hunting spoils by the members. The club was surrounded by a beautiful garden with well-maintained sprawling lawns and flower beds. The serene surroundings of the club, with the golf course on the side looked like a picture from the English countryside.</div>
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Unique golf course</strong><br />
Because of the hilly terrain of KGF, the 12-hole golf course was located in a winding picturesque landscape with bungalows and villas along its course. Unlike other golf courses which have putting greens, the KGF Golf Club had no putting greens. Instead it had ‘browns’ constructed of river sand in place of greens. The golf course had a number of natural canals cutting across the fairways lined by huge trees planted when the club was established and gave it the setting of a British country side.<br />
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<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The club house</strong><br />
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The KGF Club House has a regal colonial ambience. The old club house that is now more than a century old, was built of stone quarried from the area itself, with beautiful teak wood doors and windows. It also had a teak wood floor and the floor was always polished.The door handles, hinges and knobs and other fittings for the Club House were brought specially from England by the John Taylor and Sons Company, when the club was constructed. The solid brass door handles and hinges shone like gold all the time with constant polishing. The sterling silver cutlery and the beautiful crockery with the club’s emblem were also specially ordered and brought from Sheffield in the UK.</div>
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The KGF Club also had the distinction of having an exclusive ‘ladies bar’ just off the main lounge, where the ladies enjoyed their pims and sodas, gin and lime or vodka and orange juice, whiskey and soda, etc while catching up with the latest news and exchanging gossip.</div>
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The ladies lounge also had a huge grand piano and the ladies invariably gathered around it singing all the old songs and ballads while one of them played the piano. The gentlemen had their own bar to enjoy their evening drinks, and the ladies were strictly prohibited from entering it.</div>
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The KGF Club was famous for its English and colonial food in the old days. Mulligatawny soup, roast lamb with steamed vegetables, mashed potatoes, club sandwiches, cucumber sandwiches and caramel pudding were the main items on its menu.</div>
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<strong>In those early days, getting membership in the KGF Gymkhana Club was practically impossible if one was not British or European and was totally out of bounds for Indians. Only the British and European officers could become members. Even Anglo-Indian officers of the Company were refused membership to the KGF Club.</strong> </div>
<strong style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">T P Kailasam, an exception</strong><br />
However, in the 1930s, an exception was made in the case of a young Indian, a Tamil geologist who returned to Kolar Gold Fields after his studies in Ireland. His name was T P Kailasam (one of Kannada literature’s greatest playwrights), the son of one of the old timers in KGF. He charmed the British with his wit and impromptu singing and ball room dancing that he picked up in Ireland.<br />
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It was only because he was a “foreign returned” Indian who according to the British, knew his manners and etiquette, that he was given the ‘honour’ of becoming a member of the Club. No other Indian was allowed these liberties in the club. </div>
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However, in the 1940s, things began to change and the management realised that they had to change the rules to some extent. They made an exception that only Indian covenanted officers would be allowed membership of KGF Club. This trend continued even after the mines were nationalised and the British left KGF.</div>
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Over the years with most of the old members retiring from the mines and the eventual closure of the mines a few years ago, the KGF Club now allows membership to persons from outside KGF as well.</div>
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Bridget White-Kumarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06915481782782910400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8277397068511986688.post-78072590667612465082016-08-27T05:03:00.000-07:002016-08-27T05:03:00.955-07:00EDGAR SHAFT, OKLEY SHAFT, KOLAR GOLD FIELDS EARLY 1900<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Sharing some old photographs of Edgar Shaft, Oakley Shaft, Oorgaum Mine New Mill and an old map showing the lodes and mines of Kolar Gold Fields in early 1900.</b><br />
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<b> EDGAR SHAFT</b><br />
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<b> OAKLEY SHAFT </b><br />
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<b> OLD MAP SHOWING THE LODES AND MINES OF KOLAR GOLD FIELDS EARLY 1900</b><br />
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<b> OORGAUM NEW MILL </b><br />
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Bridget White-Kumarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06915481782782910400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8277397068511986688.post-67441101126741423242016-08-12T02:07:00.001-07:002024-02-27T19:20:58.233-08:00FREEDOM STRUGGLE - KGF MINERS TOOK PART IN THE FREEDOM STRUGGLE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As we approach the 69th Anniversary of India's independence let me share a small excerpt from my book <b>KOLAR GOLD FIELDS DOWN MEMORY LANE</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">'The Miners in KGF also took active part in the Quit
India Movement that was sweeping the whole country after the visit of Mahatma
Gandhi in 1942. They resorted to Tool-Down Strikes on many occasions. These
strikes brought the mining industry to a grinding halt underground and the John
Taylor and Sons Company suffered heavily. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The Mine workers and the other people of KGF now
joined together and were united in the cause of liberating the country from British
rule. Students, teachers, housewives, doctors etc also joined the movement. As
the movement for freedom gathered momentum, they began to sabotage communication
links and even removed the fishplates on the railway lines near Coramandel, thereby
cutting off railway links between KGF and Bowringpet (Bangarapet). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The Miners held huge demonstrations and took out
processions demanding freedom from the British. The agitation became so intense
that the British Police stationed in Kolar Gold Fields arrested many prominent
Trade Union Leaders and Political workers for inciting the people to revolt
against the British. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">KGF therefore played an important part in the</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Book Antiqua", serif; font-size: 11pt;"> Indian Independence
movement! </span><span style="font-family: "Book Antiqua","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">India gained her Independence from the British on the15<sup>th</sup>
of August 1947.' It was a day of great celebration in the whole of KGF. Our National Flag was hoisted at the Gymkhana Grounds where hundreds of workers gathered and cheered. Our national Flag flew proudly on every shaft and office. It was a victory indeed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Bridget White-Kumarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06915481782782910400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8277397068511986688.post-47706060432760218542016-07-09T06:22:00.001-07:002017-07-03T06:04:14.185-07:00EICHEILS OR FLYING INSECTS THAT COME OUT AFTER THE RAINS<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Some childhood memories of the monsoons.<br />
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The monsoons in KGF brought out a lot of creatures and insects as well. It was not uncommon to see garden snakes, lizards and other creepy crawlies slithering about in the open. Insects that come out in the monsoons normally have a short life span and we’d see them only during the months of June to October which is their mating season. Big black Bully Ants, red Ants, White ants, etc, were some of them that made their appearance and gave us a little trouble. The mosquitoes too seemed to increase and multiply during this season and they brought along their own misery.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xsz2M5C0N3w/UdPNm7KaLlI/AAAAAAAAIM8/h6OCitOPBfc/s1600/thunder+lillies+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; color: black; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration: none;"><br /></a>In the evenings just as the lights were switched on, hordes of flying insects or termites like big ants with white wings would flutter near the light bulbs. The yellow light of the street lights and people’s verandah lights attracted them. The next morning we’d see a carpet of dead insects with their wings detached lying around the lamp posts. Sometimes, they managed to invade the inside of our house and flutter near the drawing room centre light. We called these insects ‘Icheils’. My mum would fill a big basin full of water and place it on the floor directly in line with the centre light. We’d switch off all the other lights and the Icheils would see the reflection of the light in the water and try to fly into the basin of water and get drowned. Once we were rid of them we’d empty the basin of water with the dead insects in the garden. These Icheils didn’t bite or sting us but they were extremely annoying flying about everywhere. The got into our hair and if we weren’t careful they got into our nose and mouth as well!</div>
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Bridget White-Kumarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06915481782782910400noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8277397068511986688.post-63141565852325560162016-06-09T22:23:00.000-07:002016-06-09T22:23:44.735-07:00KOLAR GOLD FIELDS -The First Gold Mining Industry in India<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Kolar Gold Fields has the distinction of being the first Gold mining industry in India</b>. However sad to say that <b>KGF is now part of history and is little known by the rest of India.</b></div>
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My book KOLAR GOLD FIELDS DOWN MEMORY LANE is my small way of preserving for posterity, not only my memories of that once glorious vibrant place called Kolar Gold Fields, but also record its cultural history which has not been documented till now.</div>
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<strong>This is a book of national importance as it pertains to history, art and cultural heritage of a glorious period in the history of India</strong><strong>and Old Mysore Sate / Karnataka in particular</strong>. It <strong>deals </strong><strong>with a period of history that many people in India are not aware of. More over till now no one has ever brought out a book on KGF that focused on the social and cultural aspect of the place.</strong></div>
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<b>Kolar Gold Fields, affectionately known as KGF is a small mining town in Karnataka about 110 kms from Bangalore. It was originally owned by the John Taylor and Sons Company, a British Mining Firm for almost a century since 1852.</b> Kolar Gold Fields, had a very sizable European and Anglo-Indian population who lived and worked there for generations. 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. </div>
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It was called <b>“Little England”</b> and <b>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. as early as the 19<sup>th</sup> Century. </b></div>
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The 19<sup>th</sup> and the early 20<sup>th</sup> 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. </div>
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<b><i>KOLAR GOLD FIELDS – DOWN MEMORY LANE</i></b>, 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. </div>
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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. </div>
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It finally focuses on my 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.<b>. </b></div>
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<b>‘</b><b>We were special people living in this very Special Place’.</b></div>
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<b>The book </b><b>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.</b></div>
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<b>KGF could become a Tourist attraction and could be preserved as a monument to the pioneers of the Gold Mining Industry in India.</b></div>
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Bridget White-Kumarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06915481782782910400noreply@blogger.com0