VOLGAMADHI HILLS - ANOTHER POPULAR PICNIC SPOT IN THE OLD DAYS

 

The Volagamadhi Hills were quite close to Champion Reefs. We could see these Hills from our school St Joseph’s Convent. Every year during the Lenten Season, the Stations of the Cross is conducted on these hills. There is a legend that Tippu Sultan made a passage through these hills from Srirangpatna near Mysore in order to escape from the British. Just before the hills there was a beautiful natural lake and it made a perfect picnic spot and was a favourite fishing spot as well. The water from this lake was pure and crystal clear and it was used by the villages nearby for drinking and cooking.

 

The Volagamadi Hills in old days were covered with Borum Bushes, Jambolena / Jamlum and other trees. Many youngsters from KGF would go in groups to spend the day in these hills playing hide and seek in the small caves dotting the hills and climbing  the trees to search for bird nests. They’d shoot at the monkeys and crows and knock down the borums and jamblums from the trees with their catapults. When it was time to go back they would take home the baby mynahs, parrots, and squirrels that they were able to catch to keep as pets. Some of these youngsters (their faces sun burnt and mouths stained purple with eating Jamlums) would come back laden with broums, Jamlums  and guavas. They would generously share these spoils with their friends who didn’t accompany them and sometimes their mum’s would even make wine from the Jamlums that their son’s brought from their trips to the hills!!

 

I remember the many times we went to the Volagamadhi Hills as children –  sometimes from School and also during the Lenten Season for the Stations of the Cross. Quite nostalgic thinking about those golden days.

 

BIG BANYAN TREE NEAR KGF - SOME CHILDHOOD MEMORIES OF PICNICS

 

The Big Banyan Tree just outside KGF, on the KGF - Bangarapet Road, (close to where the Bharat Earth Movers Ltd., factory stands today), was a popular picnic spot in the good old days. On Sundays and holidays many Families from KGF would pack up snacks, sandwiches and drinks and head to the ‘Big Tree’ as it was fondly known. to spend the day there and then return home in the evening.  The Big tree was also the place that most newly married couples drove to after their weddings before the reception just to spend an hour of quality time together as new man and wife.  

 

In those days, the surroundings were calm and serene with hardly any traffic or pollution. There was a huge natural pond neat the tree and the water was always fresh and cool. While the elders relaxed and enjoyed their beer and cool drinks and exchanged gossip, the children would enjoy themselves hugely running and catching and teasing each other and riding the cycles that they hired by the hour from the nearby village  Some of them would bring their swimming costumes along and take a cool dip in the pond. The Big Tree was also home to a number of birds  especially big bats or flying foxes.

When I was studying in St Joseph’s Convent, many school picnics were arranged at this  idyllic spot, The students would be taken class wise or section wise and each student would bring their own picnic lunch. There were small shops selling jaggery toffees, Jigg nuts (ground nuts), cut mangoes with chillie powder, panichakke etc. After stuffing our selves with all this forbidden trash and eating our home packed picnic lunch besides playing and shouting ourselves hoarse, we’d return home tired, happy and sun burned after our long day in the sun.

 Sadly the Big Banyan Tree doesn’t look so big now. The pond which was sheltered by its branches is now dry. The traffic and sounds have increased and frightened the birds and flying fox away. Litter and garbage make this once beautiful spot an eyesore and its no more a Picnic Spot. Shops and houses and the BEML Colony  have come up around its periphery and its as busy as the centre of town.

 

BETHAMANGALA - CHILDHOOD MEMORIES OF POPULAR PICNIC SPOTS NEAR KGF

Bethamagala is a small town in Kolar District, about 5 miles from KGF. It has a large man-made lake and is the underground source of the Palar River.  Bethamangalam as it was known earlier, was afavourite picnic destination close to KGF.  Hordes of people from KGF would flock to KGF to spend the day in the serene and beautiful surroundings of the Bethamangala Lake. Swimming, fishing and boating were the added attractions. As children, it was our favourite picnic spot where the School took us for picnics. The water works had a beautiful garden around it and the youngsters loved swimming in the reservoir. However, this idyllic spot was also the place for a number of tragic swimming accidents, and the water works had many notices pasted all around warning people of the dangers.

The British Government had built the Water Works in Bethamangalam in 1903 for filtered water to be supplied to the KGF Mines through huge pipelines from here.  The Bethamangalam  Lake was a popular spot for sailing, fishing. and a beautiful picnic spot for the British population in KGF. A Sailing Club was established here around 1905, and it had a good number of Britishers and Europeans as members. A beautiful Club House was constructed, which had a well stocked Bar, a reading room, a Billiards and Snooker Room as well as a Swimming Pool. The Sailing Club had a fleet of canoes and Row boats, and served as a berth for private boats and canoes also.

 

The Bethamangalam Club House was later converted into the Government Guest House.

 

 

Just before Bethamangala, there is a small temple town called Kamasandra which is famous for its Temple dedicated to the Lingam of Lord Shiva. It is called the Koti Linga Temple as it has almost one crore  Lingas offered by devotees .

KGF MINING HOSPITAL - Drs. Ffrench and Rowntree

The John Taylor and Sons Company with the co-operation of the O’Donnell brothers, Dr T J O’Donnell and J D O’Donnell, established a well equipped hospital in 1880, to cater to the medical needs and emergencies of the miners and their families. It was centrally located in Champion Reefs. Dr T J O’Donnell was the first Chief Medical Officer of the Hospital and served as the CMO for more than 25 years.  

 

Dr. Rowntree and Dr. Ffrench then worked in the Mining Hopsital as the Chief Medical Officer and Assistant C M O respectively. This is a photograph of Drs. Rowntree and Ffrench in 1952.

 

 

 

The hospital was staffed with eminent British and Indian doctors and British and Anglo-Indian nurses.

The hospital wards were named after the erstwhile British bosses such as Gideon Ward, Henry’s Ward, Morgan ward, etc.. Medical Treatment was provided free of cost for the miners and their families. A well maintained Maternity Unit was also later established in a separate wing of the Hospital.

 

 

 

 

ELECTIONS IN KGF IN 1960’s - MR. C M ARUMUGAM

The current Election Season and the hectic canvassing that’s going on at the moment , brings to my mind memories of early elections in KGF. In those days, KGF was a dual member constituency and the Left Parties ie the CPI and the CPI(M)won 4 times. Leaders such as K S Vasan (1952),  M C Narasimhan (1957), S Raja Gopal (1961) were all elected with thumping margins from the Mining areas. Mr. T S Mani won the elections in 1985. The other seat from KGF was a Reserved One and was contested by many parties.

 An amusing memory that I have of my childhood in KGF is of Mr. C M Arumugam, who was the MLA from KGF for the Reserved Seat  for many terms. He belonged to the Republican Party of India. The symbol of the Republican party of India was the ‘Elephant’ symbol.  Mr. C M Arumugam was quite a big made man with a dark complexion. Just before the elections he would come round to all the houses in KGF canvassing for votes and promising a lot of improvement in the lives of the miners. However once he won the election, he conveniently forgot his promises.

While he went round canvassing for votes house to house, he always engaged Mr. Gallyot’s Band to accompany him and his supporters. While the Band provided the entertainment for the kids, Mr Arumugam would respectfully request the grown ups to vote for him.

Mr Arumugam won quite a few elections.  Whenever he won the elections and was made a Member of Parliament, his supporters brought him into KGF on an elephant and of course accompanied by Mr. Gallyot’s Brass Band playing all the victory marches and latest film tunes.

 Our house was on the main road to town, so the procession had to pass our house. It was quite exciting for us to watch Mr Arumugam sitting so majestically on the elephant. However, when he lost an election, he and his supporters just slunk into KGF unnoticed.

 Mr Arumugam once built a statue of himself and installed it in a beautiful park in KGF near the High Court on the road between Oorgaum Station and Robertsonpet. However this did not go down well with the other political parties in KGF so he had it removed it and installed a statue of Dr Ambedkar the Savior of the Dalits in India instead.

OLD LOYAL AND AFFECTIONATE WORKMEN OF KGF

 

 

My dad Sydney White was an Underground Engineer in Nandydroog Mines. He was in charge of the Section dealing with the Hoists, pipes and sand stowing functions underground. He had about 300 miners working under him. He was a strict disciplinarian as well as a kind Boss. His workers were all loyal and hard working men who served their Boss and the Company faithfully and diligently.

On New Year’s Day every year, all the workers from his section would assemble at our house early in the morning to wish my dad and seek his blessings for the year ahead. They would place garlands of flowers made of roses, jasmines, marigolds and lilies around his neck, shake hands with him, then seek his blessings by touching his feet. They continued this small homely function every year till my dad retired from the mines. The Foreman and the Maistry would give a long speech in Tamil, and all of them would clap their hands loudly and cheer.
My mum would then serve Coffee and snacks to all of them, which they accepted with love and gratitude. Sometimes they brought smaller garlands and garlanded all of us too!!  We would feel quite thrilled with all the attention and adulation. They would also give each of us either an apple or a Mosambi (sweet lime) and then everyone would pose for a group photograph.

In the above photgraph taken in 1965, my dad, mum, my brother John, my sister Maryanne, Mr Daniel - my dad's Writer  and I are seen sitting and some his Section Workers are seen behind.

However, before they placed a garland around dad’s neck, they would first place a beautiful garland of lilies and roses on the picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the sitting room. Dad’s workers were so humble and affectionate. They considered themselves part of our family and we shared in joys and sorrows. They carried us as babies, watched us grow up, attended our weddings, and were inconsolable when our parents passed away.

A few of these loyal and affectionate men who are now more than 80 years old are still in touch with us and visit us regularly. We specially remember Mr. Vishwanathan, affectionately call “Viswa”by us. He can be seen in the photograph below together with my dad, my brother John, Mr Rajan, Murthy, Sam, Lakshmana etc at the Safety Week Celebrations in 1970 at the Gymkhana Grounds.

 

 

 

WAR MEMORIAL IN KGF NEAR THE CENTRAL TELEPHONE EXCHANGE

THE WAR MEMORIAL IN KGF NEAR THE CENTRAL TELEPHONE EXCHANGE

A war memorial 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

Not many from Kolar Gold Fields know about the significance of this War Memorial. This Memorial was erected to commemorate and remember the   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 11^th of November every year on Remembrance Day.

In earlier days a grand Memorial Function was held every year at this War Memorial in KGF. However after the Mines were nationalised 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. 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.

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.

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 arranges for Free Medical Checkups and Health Camps

These are a few Pictures of the Functions held on Remembrance Day by the PRASAD CHARITABLE TRUST KGF. This Trust is doing some invaluable work to help the down trodden and poor miners in KGF. May God bless Mr. Prabhu and his family for starting this Trust

A Short Note on the History of Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day, also known as Poppy Day or Armistice Day is a Memorial Day 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.

Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November every year to recall 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. (However, World War I officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on 28 June 1919⁾

Remembrance Day or Armistice Day was specifically dedicated by King George as a day of remembrance for members of the armed forces who were killed during World War I.

This day is also known as Poppy Day 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 "In Flanders Fields”.

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

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COPIES OF MY BOOK KOLAR GOLD FIELDS DOWN MEMORY LANE AVAILABLE AT :

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CRICKET TOURNAMENT AT THE BOMBAY CAMP 1947-48

Here is another old Photograph of the Oorgaum A Cricket Team who were the winners of the Cricket League and Knock Out Tournament for the seasons 1947-48 and 1948-49 played at the Bombay Camp. Mr Walker, the Suptd of the Champion Reefs Mine and also the President of the League is seated in the middle and  Mr Ronnie nailor the Captain is beside him. Also part of the Team are Mr Antic and Mr. Stoke. This is specially for you Corneilia. (Mr and Mrs Nailor were our neighbours in Nandydroog and after they left for the UK, Kesari and his family became our neighbours)
This photograph along with many others was sent to me by Mr Roger Shrimpton the nephew of Mr Walker from the UK

 

KGF GYMKHANA CLUB - GOLF TOURNAMENT DECEMBER 1956

KGF Golf Tournament - KGF Gymkhana Club vs Madras Gymkhana Club played at KGF on 15th and 16th December 1956. Happy to say that the Tournament was won by the KGF Golf team. Below is a photograph of the Winning team. I'm sure some of you will remember the faces and names.

 

Function at RAJ BHAVAN KARNATAKA - Presenting a copy of my KGF Book

These are few pictures of the Function held at the Raj Bhavan Karnataka onWorld Anglo-Indian Day 2nd August 2011.

On the Dias with the Governor and Mrs Baradwaj and other Dignatries

 

Shaking hands with the Governor

Presenting a set of my books to Mrs Hans Raj Bhadwaraj while his Excellency, the Governor, Sri Hans Raj Bhadwaraj looks on

 

 

 

 

 

Mrs Bhadwaraj reads the Title of the Book

 

 

 

Wishing the Governor at another Function on the 2nd Aug 2012

 

 

 

DHOBI IN KGF

MEMORIES OF THE DHOBI IN KGF - A small excerpt from my book KOLAR GOLD FIELDS DOWN MEMORY LANE

 Apart from the regular domestic helpers at our home in KGF, there were several other indispensable people who were ‘compulsory appendages’ to our daily lives. ‘The Dhobi or laundry man’ was one such person.

The Laundryman or Dhobi would visit our home once a week in KGF to collect the dirty linen. Bath towels, Bed linen, curtains, kitchen cloths, and other heavy items were given to the Dhobi for washing and ironing, as these items being too heavy could not be washed at home. We had no Washing machines in those days. He would also collect the lighter clothes that were washed at home, and take it for ironing..

It was quite a procedure when the Dhobi came. There was a special dhobi’s account book. The Dhobi would spate each garment and make piles of them according to their nature. Each item of clothing was listed separately with the number of items written beside them. (For example:  Bed sheets – 8, Pants -5, Dresses -10, Towels- 6 etc.) We would take turns to write the Dhobi Book when he came.

After he had finished listing the dirty linen and making it into a huge bundle, the  dhobi would lay  out the  freshly washed and  ironed  clothes which he  had  taken the previous week and lay  them out neatly on a  clean bed spread  or carpet. Then the accounting would begin in reverse order. This ritual would be  repeated every week.

The charges varied for each item of clothing / linen and once a month, the dhobi’s account would be settled. He would get a lump sum payment for all the washing and ironing that he had done through out the month.

The Dhobi would mark a unique symbol or character on the garments / clothes belonging to a particular household. Every family’s clothes had a personal Identification Sign which the Dhobi would mark on the clothes given to him for washing. It would be marked in Black Indelible Ink and no amount of scrubbing would get it off.  Even though hundreds of clothes belonging to different people were washed and dried together at the dhobi Ghat, no one’s clothes would get mixed up due to the unique marking code that the dhobi had for each family!! Amazing.

Normally, the Dhobi would come on a cycle or carry the bundle of clothes on his head. However, if he had many households to visit on a particular day, he would bring his faithful donkey along to collect the dirty laundry from his customers. He would roll the dirty in a huge bundle with a bed sheet and tie it on the donkey’s back

The Garments were washed in the Dhobi Ghats where water was stored in huge Barrels and Drums. The dirty linen was stone washed and beaten with a heavy stick and many a time, buttons and bows would fly off into nowhere.  

Sometimes the linen needed to be bleached, so the garments and white sheets were immersed in huge vats of boiling water to which a generous amount of Bleaching Powder or ‘Dhobi’s Dust’ was added to give the linen the shining whiteness. However, many a time due to dis-proportinate  use of bleaching powder, many of his customers would suffer from skin irritation called ‘Dhobi’s Itch’ or ‘Jock itch’.

Similarly, huge vats of Indigo were also kept ready to soak the clothes to give it the final dazzle of whiteness. Thereafter all the garments were dried on many lines in the hot sun. The next day would be ironing day and all the washed clothes / linen would be neatly ironed with huge and heavy coal irons. The dhobi would then come again to every household and the process would be repeated.

The Dhobis were the forerunners on the Indian subcontinent to modern professional Dry Cleaners and mechanized laundries. Since the dhobi charges are much lower than those of dry cleaners, they are still popular with most households. We can now see Dhobis who specialize in Ironing at every street corner and they are in great demand every day.

KGF - EARLY LIVING CONDITIONS

During the early years of the John Taylor and Sons Company, the workers lived in Miners lines that were actually Tin shacks with little or no ventilation. They had no facilities and no access to clean potable drinking water, toilet facilities, etc. They just used the open fields to do their business.

The unhygienic living areas also added to the spread of epidemics. Malaria was rampant with the large scale breeding of mosquitoes in the swamps. The illiterate men placed their trust in native medicine men when they fell ill, who promised a quick cure for their ailments, as the medical facilities were not readily available.

A new social evil also took root with the brewing and sale of illicit County liquor or ‘Sarai’ by unscrupulous elements. The miners soon became victims of these vices. They needed to drown their sorrows and relax after their hard and frightening day’s work.

This illicit Country Brew was made by fermenting lots of stuff including old batteries, dirty and polluted water, spoilt fruit and vegetables, molasses, jaggery, malt, mentholated spirit, etc. Sometimes this illicit and spurious brew became a ‘Killer Brew’ and many men succumbed to the reactions brought on by consuming it.

Another social evil that surfaced were the innumerable mobile Gambling Joints. The families of the miners were the ones worst affected by this social curse as the meager earnings of the men were fritted away by gambling and drinking, leaving them to starve.

WORKERS IN THE EARLY DAYS OF KGF

An excerpt from my book KOLAR GOLD FIELDS DOWN ME MORY LANE

In the initial years of the John Taylor and Sons Company, the early miners worked in hazardous and humid conditions underground often risking their lives. They went underground in a bucket let down by a rope practically crawling down the shafts with only candles to illuminate their way. It was much later that oil lamps were used to light their way under ground.

They had to work in the dark, dangerous and cavernous underground passages, often bare headed or wearing flimsy hats made of cane. Some of them just covered their bare heads with a towel or a piece of cloth.

The temperatures were very high under ground and often touched 67 Degrees Centigrade. It was literally like working in hell and their bodies were often burnt black with the heat. Many of them developed heat sores and boils but carried on their wok never the less.

The early Miners also had to handle explosives with their bare hands at high risk to themselves. Several of them met grisly ends when the explosives went off accidentally and many fell to their deaths in the deep tunnels.

The underground tunnels were damp, dark and unhygienic, so epidemics like plague and cholera were also rampant due to the poor working conditions. These workers risked their lives to mine the gold that made the John Taylor and Sons Company richer by the day!

WORKERS IN THE EARLY DAYS OF THE KGF MINES

An excerpt from my book KOLAR GOLD FIELDS DOWN ME MORY LANE

In the initial years of the John Taylor and Sons Company, the early miners worked in hazardous and humid conditions underground often risking their lives. They went underground in a bucket let down by a rope practically crawling down the shafts with only candles to illuminate their way. It was much later that oil lamps were used to light their way under ground.

They had to work in the dark, dangerous and cavernous underground passages, often bare headed or wearing flimsy hats made of cane. Some of them just covered their bare heads with a towel or a piece of cloth.

The temperatures were very high under ground and often touched 67 Degrees Centigrade. It was literally like working in hell and their bodies were often burnt black with the heat. Many of them developed heat sores and boils but carried on their wok never the less.

The early Miners also had to handle explosives with their bare hands at high risk to themselves. Several of them met grisly ends when the explosives went off accidentally and many fell to their deaths in the deep tunnels.

The underground tunnels were damp, dark and unhygienic, so epidemics like plague and cholera were also rampant due to the poor working conditions. These workers risked their lives to mine the gold that made the John Taylor and Sons Company richer by the day!

 

NEW YEAR EVE CELEBRATIONS IN SKATING RINK KGF - "Auld Lang Syne"

 HAPPY  NEW YEAR 2013

Memories of  New Year’s Eve in KGF (An excerpt from KOLAR GOLD FIELDS DOWN MEMORY LANE)

The 31^st of December was another occasion to celebrate in KGF. A huge New Year Eve Ball was always held in the Skating Rink to bring in the New Year. Just like the Christmas Shows local Anglo-Indian Bands or bands from Madras or Bangalore were engaged to play for it. People from Madras, Jolarpet, Bangalore and Mysore flocked to KGF for the New year dance. It was always a time of great fun and merriment and the music kept the folk dancing till their knees and back hurt!

A huge bonfire was lit outside the Skating Rink. At midnight an effigy of an old man representing the old year was thrown into the bonfire at midnight and firecrackers were lit to signal the start of the New Year and fresh beginnings!!

And then the band would play the old haunting song "Auld Lang Syne"

"Auld Lang Syne" is a Scottish  poem written by Robert Burns in 1788 and set to the tune of a traditional folk song. It is well known in many countries, especially in the English-speaking world; its traditional use being to celebrate the start of the New Year at the stroke of midnight. By extension, it is also sung at funerals, graduations and as a farewell or ending to other occasions. The international Boy Scout youth movement, in many countries, uses it as a close to jamborees and other functions. The song's Scots title may be translated into English literally as "old long since", or more idiomatically, "long long ago” / days gone by" or "old times". Consequently "For auld lang syne", as it appears in the first line of the chorus, might be loosely translated as "for (the sake of) old times".

So for all those who have forgotten "Auld Lang Syne” here are the words.

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And days o’ lang syne!

Chorus:
For auld lang syne, my dear
For auld lang syne,
We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet
For auld lang syne!

We two have run about the hillsides
And pulled the daisies fine,
But we have wandered many a weary foot
For times gone by.

We two have paddled (waded) in the stream
From noon until dinner time,
But seas between us broad have roared
Since times gone by.

And there is a hand, my trusty friend,
And give us a hand of yours,
And we will take a goodwill drink (of ale)
For times gone by!

And surely you will pay for your pint,
And surely I will pay for mine!
And we will take a cup of kindness yet
For times gone by!

 HAPPY  NEW YEAR 2013

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CHRISTMAS SWEETS AND TREATS IN KGF - ROSE COOKIES AND KALKALS

Christmas is a mixture of both religious and secular traditions in India and more especially in KGF in the olden days.  It’s a time of celebration, of family and friends, of feasting and socializing. Christmas is a fascinating mix of traditions that combines pre-Christian pagan rituals with modern traditions. Every family has its own customs and traditions while celebrating Christmas. Some of these customs and traditions are universal in nature while others may be a result of inculcating local practices and customs. Christmas is therefore the season for traditions, preserving old ones and creating new ones

 In India, Christmas food varies from state to state and communities. Christmas meals in Anglo-Indian families are quite elaborate, under whose weight a table can literally groan, starting   with appetizers and going on to 4 course or 6 course meals. Each family has their own traditional recipes for these dishes that are served on Christmas Day. A lot of traditional sweets are also prepared and exchanged with other family members and friends.

The traditional Christmas Fruit Cakes, Christmas Puddings, Marble and Chocolate Cakes, Yule Logs, kalkals, Rose Cookies, Fruit Cakes, Bole Cake, Dodol, Coconut sweets, Beveca, Marzipan Sweets, Peanut Fudge, Cashew Nut Fudge, mince pies and many other sweets and goodies and savouries such as Murkus, Adrasams, Panyarrams, etc are prepared specially for Christmas, a month or fortnight in advance, filling the house and neighbourhood with enticing smells. This is the time, when the whole house is in a festive mood, with the anticipation of Christmas, and every one in the family chips in to help prepare those heavenly delights.

All these Festive Treats are legacies of the various European invasions in India. The Portuguese influence on Indian food was felt as early as 1498, when Vasco da Gama entered India. Various Christmas and Festive Sweets such as Kalkals, Dodol, Bebinca, Fritters, Coconut cookies, Egg Custards, etc are also of Portuguese origin and are prepared every year in every Christian home all over India.

However, the traditional Christmas Fruit Cakes, Christmas Puddings, Marble and Chocolate Cakes, Yule Logs, Fruit Cakes, Bole Cake, Marzipan Sweets, Peanut Fudge, Cashew nut Fudge, Mince Pies and many other sweets and goodies are the legacy left behind by the British. Many other Indian Savouries and sweets are also prepared at Christmas time in Christian Homes. While Cakes and other baked delicacies are some times bought from the local Bakeries, no Christian family in India particularly the Anglo-Indians would let Christmas go by without preparing Kalkals and Rose Cookies at home, assisted by the whole family.

Each family had their own traditional recipe for making the Christmas cake, which was sometimes handed down from generation to generation. The dry fruits and nuts that went into the Christmas Cakes were chopped finely well in advance and soaked in Rum and were normally baked 3 or 4 weeks earlier and then iced just before Christmas.

Just as the fruit had to be soaked in rum much in advance, the grapes for the home made wine had to be soaked in October to be ready for Christmas. Ginger Wine however, was prepared just before Christmas. Ginger wine wasn’t exactly a wine. It was more a ‘Cordial”. A little Ginger wine was drunk as a digestive to wash down all the rich food that was consumed over the festive season.

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, Rose Cookies, Fruit Cakes, Coconut Sweets, Christmas Pudding, Bole Cake, Dodol, Beveca, Marzipan Sweets, Peanut Fudge and Guava cheese and a lot of other goodies were prepared in abundance by her. The whole house would smell enticingly.

One of my strongest childhood memories is the enticing aroma of the cakes baking in the oven at Christmas time in KGF - 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).

KALKALS or KULKULS are prepared all over India at Christmas time. A variant of ‘Filhoses Enroladas’ a Portuguese Christmas Sweet, Kalkals, (always referred to in the plural) are crunchy inch-long curled or shell shaped sweetened fried dough Sweets. 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.

 

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 ‘Kalkal Day’ 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.

Rose Cookies are delicious fried Anglo-Indian Christmas Treats. Though named as Cookies, they are not cookies in the strict sense as they not baked but deep fried in hot oil. Rose Cookies 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. Believed to be another culinary legacy left by the Portuguese in India, they are known as Rose de Coque or Rose de Cookies in Portugual. (They are also known as Rosettes in Sweden and Norway). The crisp cookies are made by plunging a special hand-held ‘Rose Cookie Mould’ or ‘Rosette Iron’ lightly coated with a sweet batter into hot oil. The

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

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 memories of Christmas of the days in KGF will remain in our memories for ever.

COTTON CANDY (BUDDDHI - KA-BAAL / AJJAN GADDA) AND PANJU MTTAI / BOMBAY MUTTAI

An excerpt from my book KOLAR GOLD FILEDS DOWN MENORY LANE

Eating cotton candy or candy floss is any child’s idea of a treat and as kids we too loved eating cotton candy and staining our tongues and lips bright pink. The soft pink cotton candy was called “Pangi Muttai” The ‘Pangu Muttai’ Man sold the bright pink soft Cotton Candy, in a tin box with glass sides. He carried the box with the help of a strap which he hung from his shoulder. The bright pink cotton candy was neatly arranged in small square blobs in rows in his Tin Box. He would take out the cotton candy carefully from his box and give it to us on pieces of newspaper.

This brightly coloured sweet was enough to entice any child and we were no exception. For us it was like eating sweet soft clouds made by angels and fairies. One blob of this heavenly sweet in our mouths and we could feel the sweetness filling each and every pour as it slowly made it’s way through the entire body. Every successive blob took us closer and closer to heaven. Our tongues would tingle in delight as the soft billowy cloud slowly melted and the residue stuck to our teeth. The Cotton Candy just melted in our mouths leaving us craving for more.

There were three different Bombay Muttai men selling 3 different types of Bombay ‘Muttai’. The word ‘Muttai’ means sweet in Tamil. All of them would call out ‘BOMBAI MUTTAI’ BOMBAI MUTTAI’. These sweet meats seem to have originated in Bombay and hence the name. The sound of the bell rung by the Bombay Muttai seller to denote his arrival was enough for us to grab some money from mummy and rush out of the house to buy this sweet.

One type of Bombay Muttai was ‘Old man’s Beard’ or “Boodhi – ka – Baal’ or ‘Grandma’s hair’ which was like a rough variety of cotton candy very much like human hair. This Indian version of Cotton Candy was also known as ‘Soan Papadi. It was soft, sweet, buttery, and very strongly flavored with ground cardamom. It was cream in colour and its texture was light, flaky, and quick to dissolve on the tongue. The seller carried this sweet in a glass bottle or a wooden box with a glass lid. He was careful not to expose the sweet to the air as it would get hard and lose the hairy texture. He had a collapsible table like contraption which was actually three thick bamboo sticks on which he rested the box or bottle while dispensing the sweet on small bits of newspaper.

Another variety of Bombay Muttai was a very bright pink and white striped candy that was wrapped on a long bamboo stick and covered with a sheet of plastic. The seller balanced the stick on one shoulder and supported it with one of his hands. While walking, he rang a small bell with the other hand. This candy was soft and malleable.

The Bombay Muttai man would take small blobs of this candy and transform it into different shapes such as watches, flowers etc depending on whatever shapes we wanted. He was quite creative in his designs and would complete the design in a few seconds.

The third variety of Bombay Muttai was a much harder variety of the striped candy. These hard candies were wrapped individually in cellophane paper and were usually bright pink or bright red. We’d have to suck them for a long time till they melted completely.

We just couldn’t bite them or break them as they were so hard. The last part of the sweet was sometimes sandy due most probably to the residue from the sugar or jaggery that was used to prepare it. Our tongues and lips would be stained red after eating these sweets.

The Cotton candy and sweets were prepared locally in small establishments and my mum was doubtful about the water used in their preparation and whether they were prepared hygienically. We were therefore not allowed to buy them.

However, this didn’t stop us from buying and tasting these bright pink sweets on the sly whenever we got a chance!! Thankfully we didn’t fall sick after eating it or else the secret of our eating it on the sly would’ve been out in the open and we would have got into ‘big’ trouble with mummy.

 

Christmas Season in KGF

Christmas time was the most enjoyable time of the year in KGF. A number of dances and variety programs were arranged during Christmas time, starting from the 2nd week of December and going on till the New Year.

Each Mine held their own Christmas celebrations. There were a variety programs such as sports competitions for the children, Fancy Dress Competitions, etc and a High Tea for the children with Santa Claus arriving in a special sleigh to distribute their gifts. Games of skill such as Hoopla, Ringing the Bottle, Ringing the Duck, Lucky Dip, Lucky Arrow, The Chocolate Wheel, Darts, etc were some of the sideshows of the event., followed by a grand Christmas Ball later.

The grand Christmas Balls were occasions to remember. The Dance Invitations would specify ‘Lounge’ or ‘Dress Suits Essential’ and woe betide anyone who turned up in their casual clothes!! So the men and boys would dress in their suits and Tuxedoes and the ladies and girls wore their prettiest dresses and gowns made of lace, silk and satin specially tailored for the occasion.

Local Anglo-Indian Bands or bands from Madras or Bangalore were engaged to play for the dances. The MC of the show would ensure that everyone had a good time and took part in the Square Dances and other group dances. The Jive, Fox Trot, Cha Cha, and Rock and Roll etc were popular dance steps.

The ever green Waltz was all the more popular as it gave couples a chance to hold each other closely and dance cheek to cheek!!! In between the dances the men would disappear to have a small ‘sly tot’ to recharge their batteries. The dances would go on throughout the night and sometimes end only at 5 O’clock the next morning, when they would head straight to Church for Mass.