 |
 |
January 31 2008
From The Times
January 2, 2008
Nigel Hankin
Former soldier who spent most of his life in
Delhi
and wrote a successful guide to the idiosyncracies of Indian English
A
young man who whistles at a woman is an “eve-teaser”. A female educator is a
“teachress”. World leaders “airdash” to meetings which are not brought
forward but “preponed”. These are some of the glorious oddities of Indian
English revealed by Nigel Hankin in his book Hanklyn-Janklin: A Stranger's
Rumble-tumble Guide to Some Words, Customs and Quiddities Indian and
Indo-British, first published in 1992 and soon to appear in a 5th edition.
The
title is a nod to Colonel Henry Yule's Hobson-Jobson (1886), the classic
glossary of Indian words, and to the Hindi habit of using rhymes such as
party-warty or chai-wai (tea). Some of Hankin's entries are not so much archaic
as evocative of the peculiaries of Indian life. We read, for example, of an
“ear cleaner”: “An urban itinerant professional gentleman identified by
his small red turban into which are tucked his instruments: tweezers, probes and
buds of cotton wool.”
Revealed
too are illuminating, if sometimes debatable, etymologies. “Doolally”, for
instance, Hankin says, derives from Deolali, the dock near Bombay whence
soldiers were invalided home. Khaki comes from Khaak, Urdu for dust or ashes and
came into use at the uprising of 1857. The origin of rumble-tumble, slang for
scrambled eggs, is more obscure.
Hankin
said that the book was “intended as background information for the stranger
residing in India, to give meaning to facets of life which otherwise might seem
perplexing. I would like to think that it may also be useful to those outside
the country concerned with Indian affairs.” It has won praise from Indians as
well as visitors.
Nigel
Bathurst Hankin was brought up by his grandmother in Bexhill, Sussex, after the
early death of his father, and her Victorian attitude formed his outlook on
life. He first arrived in India en route to Burma with the Army in 1945. The war
ended before he got beyond Bombay, but he decided to stay, falling in love with
the climate and the bustle.
After
Independence he joined the New Indian Army as a captain to stay in the country.
Later he had an eclectic career, including running a mobile cinema. He worked
for about 20 years for the British High Commission, where among his duties was
showing diplomats and their wives the sights of Delhi.
After
he retired, this became his source of income. He was known as a guide to
“working Delhi, not tourists' Delhi”. One of the most interesting parts of
the tour was the wholesale market. Through narrow, dingy alleys, the gangly,
white-haired six-footer would make his way dodging labourers carrying gunny bags
on their heads, cycle rickshaws, carts, stray dogs and cows and often
accompanied by the stench from open urinals. The shopkeepers knew him well and
would greet him with “Ram Ram Tau” (uncle).
Hanklyn-Janklin
was the result of two decades of collecting unusual Indian-English words,
beginning in the 1960s. “A doctor at the British High Commission in Delhi gave
me a list of 20 Indian words he'd read in his newspaper and asked me what they
meant,” he recalled. “I suddenly thought if he wants to know, others might
too.”
Hankin
never considered returning to Britain. “I returned for three months in 1982 to
visit my brother but it was so dull I went home after a few weeks,” he said.
“I missed the chaos.”
Despite
this, however, Hankin never assimilated into the Indian way of life, remaining a
detached observer. Even after more than 60 years in India his breakfast
consisted of cornflakes, eggs and bacon; dinner always began with soup. This was
brought to him by the same servant for 40 years.
Nigel
Hankin, author of Hanklyn-Janklin, was born on March 14, 1920. He died on
November 30, 2007, aged 87
*****************************
January 27 2008
We are indebted once again to
Kailash for bringing the following stories of City tours of the following cities
Delhi, Bangalore, Calcutta and Bombay
· The Hidden City
Ever had one of those
moments when you wonder why on earth you live in this urban mess, when you could
be breathing fresh air on a farm in New Zealand? It's time for some time
travel.
Delhi
These neighbourhood walks are guaranteed to make you fall in love with the
forgotten secrets in your backyard. Rumours abound in Delhi about a relic from
the Raj, who, if found, will give the best tours of the city. Not
run-of-the-mill Red Fort runs, but tours from the perspective of a true insider
of 50 years, who will take you anywhere and teach you everything. But he's
simply a whispered rumour to most people in Delhi. And he insists he wants to
keep it that way. "Please don't mention how to contact me. I already have
enough business." (A quick Google search will, unfortunately for him,
reveal his secret.) Finally, after a few weeks of waiting, my group meets the
man-Nigel Hankin-in Chanakyapuri. The thin, 87-year-old Hankin takes one look at
us and asks where the car is. We glance at each other. We need a car for a
walking tour? "Are you joking? Delhi is 30 miles across! The city itself is
seven miles round! No car…" he rages. Hankin, only slightly slouched, in
pressed slacks and shirt, likes things done "the Nigel way", as
Manjeet Nanner, a repeat client says. Unfortunately, we set up the tour through
written notes, so he didn't have the chance to tell us what his way is. A taxi
is hurriedly hired, Hankin's disappointment is soothed (until, that is, I ask to
stop for water: "You didn't bring any water?"), and off we drive to
our walking tour. Hankin will take you wherever you want to go and
discuss-albeit reticently at times-what you want to discuss. Interested in pre-Mughal
architecture? You'll stick to South Delhi for the day. Need to brush up on the
flora and fauna? Hankin will quickly point out the only lane in Delhi where the
Flying Fox roosts or the Canna lily in bloom near India Gate. If you don't have
a specific place in mind, or period to study, Hankin will take you on the
We-Do-What-Nigel-Thinks-Best tour. And since the man gives the distinct
impression that he does know best, we willingly follow him. Hankin guides the
taxi driver around his favourite points of interest in New Delhi, including the
crematorium to see a corpse awash in sprays of river water, the Gurdwara Bangla
Sahib to pray and Kingsway Camp to visit "George". We dine at the
Maiden hotel in Civil Lines, where he oversees the "pigs at the
trough" (i.e. us). Finally, full on the buffet, we get to the walking part
of the walking tour: a mad dash through Old Delhi. Of the 12-odd places we
visited, only four had been seen by anyone in our group before. Shopkeepers
shout "Ram, Ram!" to him and workers give him extra space as he winds
through the dark alleys. On the second floor in the spice market, he laments the
changing face of Delhi, for the fifth or sixth time that day: "It all used
to be so peaceful and beautiful. Thirty years ago, this was a very upscale home
and it had a beautiful garden here." Hankin came to Delhi in 1947 and has
never left, luxuriating in his adopted city, first as an officer in the British
army and then at the British High Commission, where he "moved paper from
one table to another." He often took ministers' wives out for casual tours
of the city, ordered to keep them out of the ministers' way until at least 5
o'clock. When he retired 20 years ago, Hankin continued the tradition for anyone
interested, six days a week, year round. Though, now that he's nearing 88, he
claims he's trying to cut back to four days. He takes us to familiar spots and
places we've never seen, like the colourful by-lanes of Khari Baoli and Gadodia
market, old Delhi's spice den. His tour finally brings me to the 14th century
step well which I pass by every day to work, but never visit. Hankin's Delhi is
glimpsed down secret corridors and peered at over locked fences. Plus, he's a
wealth of knowledge, be it of King George's procession, where to buy nitric acid
or how the salt residue on the crematorium's brick marks the last good monsoon
in Delhi. And, best of all, I now know where to go if I ever need an axle for my
tractor. (For groups of up to five, Nigel requests Rs2,200 and lunch, which
costs around Rs1,000 per person.)
(Sadly Nigel Hankin died two months ago)
Bangalore
Melissa A. Bell Arun's Bangalore Between 7am and 10am on Sundays, Arun Pai
hits the climax of his marketing spiel. For a captive audience of CEOs,
vice-presidents, anonymous tourists and sharp citizens, Pai sexes up beleaguered
Bangalore. Brushing aside the IT stars and the traffic smokescreens, he shows
them a city that lived a couple of hundred of years ago. "The Sunday
morning Victorian Bangalore walk (at Rs495 per head, including brunch) isn't
even profitable any more, but it's the best introduction to what we do,"
says Pai. "If anyone calls me up with questions or inquiries for a
special-interest group, I simply invite them to our signature walk."

Starting with a half-minute silence under the porch of the Holy Trinity Church,
at one end of the super-busy M.G. Road, 37-year-old Pai urges the group to look
through the archway into an avenue that, from that angle, fits every
straight-and-narrow concept of colonial construction. Suddenly, it isn't so hard
to imagine, circa 1791, a garrison marching down the street, intent on the
Bangalore Fort, where Tipu Sultan reigns as the only threat to British supremacy
in the south. Part extempore actor, part pop historian, part brilliant marketing
tactician, Pai prides himself on customizing Bangalore-and, increasingly,
non-urban Karnataka-to suit every taste. During the recent India International
Coffee Festival, which drew Starbucks director Colman Cuff and Ernesto Illy of
Illycaffe to the city, Pai drew up a By/2 Coffee Tour (by/2 being the local
equivalent of Mumbai's cutting chai), which steered clear of Koshy's and Café
Coffee Days and headed to the legendary MTR for an experience of coffee by the
yard. If that sounds suspiciously like making India sound exotic, Pai is quick
to defend himself: "This was a group that knew everything about coffee,
from beans to baristas. But this method of cooling the coffee was something they
had never seen before." If Pai can be pinned down to a single designation,
it would probably be this: The Man Who Helps You See What You Look At. Over the
past couple of years-Bangalore Walks, largely a one-man show, was launched on 1
August 2005-any number of Bangalore's own, and visitors, have perceived the
significance of the missing name in the church plaque commemorating martyred
Hussars (an elite British regiment) and appreciated why Bangalore is the only
city outside Germany to celebrate Oktoberfest. Exhaustive research, including
long chats with elderly residents, meticulous networking ("especially with
the security staff," grins Pai) and umpteen dry runs ensure every new tour
is a hit. "My walks are about a-ha moments," says Pai. His own
epiphany came after an itinerant youth spread across IIT Madras, IIM Bangalore
and Arthur Andersen in Delhi and London. "Watching the Beefeaters at the
Tower of London, I realized we knew all about the Battle of Trafalgar, but
nothing about the Battle of Bangalore." If it's an urban jungle out there,
Pai is the GPRS. To culture, history and a lot of fun. (For details, log on to www.bangalorewalks.com)
Kolkata (Calcutta)
Sumana Mukherjee Akhil's Kolkata At 8am, 67-year-old Akhil Sircar, a man of
small frame, waits for me at the corner of Beadon Street, North Kolkata. We meet
him for a tour of old mansions that has been North Kolkata's pride since the
days of the Raj. Sircar's familiarity with the nooks and corners of these
meandering by-lanes is unmistakable, as is his wry sense of humour and passion
about their architecture and conservation. Most of these houses are about 150
years old, and my naive questions about their history are answered by
reprimanding words-"Europeans and Americans were far more interested in
architecture than us Indians, you know." A teacher of architecture and town
planning by profession and an enlisted conservation architect of the Kolkata
Municipal Corporation, he is still fighting lawsuits for the preservation of
structures that would otherwise be razed to build multi-storey buildings.

Sircar
began these tours 10 years ago, with the initiative of Conservation and Research
of Urban Traditional Architecture, a Kolkata-based organization. Most of his
tours, conducted largely during winter, cover two routes: in and around
Dalhousie Square, and the other starting at the Beadon Street post office
(earlier, the private theatre of Chatu Babu, son of Ram Dulal, the most famous
businessman of North Kolkata) and ending at Raj Bati, the royal family mansion
of Raja Nab Krishna. We proceed along the second route. Sircar is full of
anecdotes from the Colonial era-traders, agents, zamindars and governor generals
abound in his stories. Our first stop: Ram Dulal's family estate. The story goes
that Dulal once earned a fortune by selling a sunken ship and built a house for
his family, another for his mistress and a few Shiva temples scattered around
this neighbourhood. The Mitra House at Dorji Para lane once had an open roof.
All these mansions have an outer courtyard, an outhouse and an inner courtyard.
Other emblematic features include a Thakurbari (holy shrine), always facing the
north or the east, Venetian blinds, timber beams, cast iron work in balconies
and classical motifs of cherubim and stained glass work on walls and pillars. A
little ahead, Sircar identifies a house whose pillars were recently broken down
for a car parking area in its inner courtyard. Many descendents of these
families now sublet their premises to hosiery shops, printing presses and
goldsmiths. Through a three-dome masjid and verandahs like open wharves, we
emerged at the Blacker Square, once cursed with a series of plagues. Our walk
ends at the decrepit Raj Bati. Around its side walls, Sircar leads us to a
sprawling entertainment hall, where the Raja entertained the British because
they were barred from entering the main house with the holy shrine. Adjacent to
it is a wall with holes carved into them. "The women of the house were
forbidden to attend parties that took place in this hall. So, they would peep
through these holes and satisfy themselves," Sircar says. Imagine the
stories these walls would have been privy to. (For details, log on to www.iisd.com)
Mumbai (Bombay)
Aishwarya Iyer Abha's Mumbai "Thank you for calling the Bombay Heritage
Walks, please note that we will resume our Sunday public walks from June
2007..." It's not the most promising introduction to the BHW, but then
persistence has to be a part of the regime when you're trying to track down Abha
Bahl, our young Mumbai expert. It doesn't help that her office is a nest at the
back of her in-laws' legendary Punjabi Chandu Halwai Karachiwala store in South
Mumbai. But then a sweet shop, with a 112-year-old history, is an appropriate
address for one of the founding ladies of one of the city's oldest heritage tour
guide associations. "We're heritage ambassadors, the public link between
NGOs, architects, academia and government agencies," says Bahl.

Once you
trace this 32-year-old mother, you realize she's a professional architect who
unwittingly happened on the politics of Mumbai's heritage conservation. Bahl and
her partner, Brinda Gaitonde, first set up the tour in 1999 when they were fresh
architecture school graduates. Now there are 1,500 people on their mailing list
for information on the walks. So, what's a straight-laced southsider doing
running around the city for permissions from babus so tourists can look at the
finer points of properties like the Victoria Terminus? "I love this city,
and it's about more than just tourist maps, it's about spreading awareness for
the place we live in," she says softly. Despite her political correctness,
Bahl has a pet project-Khotachiwadi. The hamlet of 19th century Portuguese-style
homes right in the heart of South Mumbai's trading district Girgaum, is BHW's
trademark route. And Bahl's favourite crusade. "The Portuguese rule of
Bombay wasn't worth much, except for the neighbourhood architecture they
inspired, and Khotachiwadi is the best example of that. We can't afford to lose
it,"says Bahl. Today, the area is under threat from builders who want
cost-effective and profitable high rises in place of quaint brightly-coloured
homes with wooden eaves and wrought-iron staircases. And as one family after
another has given way, the 40 houses that used to dot this tiny by-lane five
years ago have been reduced to just 32 today. The Khotachiwadi story, which
began when the British handed a plot of agricultural land to a farming lord,
Dadoba Waman Khota, first came to Bahl's attention in 1998, when she worked on a
project commissioned by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region-Heritage Conservation
Society. Today, Bahl, an urban design graduate from Berkeley, and her team of
five, leads tours through the city, from walks around Mumbai's Fort and banking
areas to the offbeat Khotachiwadi route. "Our most special private tour was
for Chelsea Clinton, while she accompanied her father, President Clinton, to
India in 2000. The hotel called us," she says, obviously proud that BHW has
never touted its services. But it's the last thing on her mind as she weaves in
and out of Khotachiwadi's tiny side streets that aren't large enough for even
two shoulder-to-shoulder. In a crisp white salwar-kameez, her feet in
sequin-studded mojris, she's breathless as she checkpoints the sporadic features
of the community: the local wafer company that sits between a cross embedded in
its backyard and a Ganapati on the front lawn, the polychromatic facades of the
houses, the Goan-Portuguese style interiors, and sudden sprouts of open spaces
in the middle of the cloistered neighbourhood. Bahl's last stop on the tour is
house number 29B, which has just fallen to a builder's cranes. "I have to
see this for myself," she says. The construction workers have dug out a
massive ditch where a house with a pretty porch once stood. "They're
building a basement car park," she says. There's bound to be a mailer going
out about this soon. (Bombay Heritage Walks charges Rs100 per head for adults
and Rs50 for students, while special groups of five are charged Rs2,500. For
more details, email info@bombayheritagewalks.com.) Manju Sara Rajan Copyright ©
2007 HT Media All Rights Reserved
Return
to top of page
*******************************
March 6 2007
Kailash again has come up trumps with this
description,
and we thank him.
Enjoy your next Currie
please
February
16 2007
We are again indebted to Kailash
for spotting this realistic look at language today, and to amuse us Thank you
Kailash
|
It's
Hinglish, innit?
|
|
By
Sean Coughlan
BBC
News Magazine
|

|

English
and Hindi mesh in Mumbai
|
Hinglish
- a hybrid of English and south Asian languages, used both in Asia
and the UK - now has its own dictionary. Is it really a pukka way to
speak?
Are
you a "badmash"? And if you had to get somewhere in a hurry,
would you make an "airdash"? Maybe you should be at your desk
working, instead you're reading this as a "timepass".
These
are examples of Hinglish, in which English and the languages of south Asia
overlap, with phrases and words borrowed and re-invented.
It's
used on the Indian sub-continent, with English words blending with
Punjabi, Urdu and Hindi, and also within British Asian families to enliven
standard English.
A
dictionary of the hybrid language has been gathered by Baljinder Mahal, a
Derby-based teacher and published this week as The Queen's Hinglish.
|

Goodness
Gracious Me used Hinglish
|
"Much
of it comes from banter - the exchanges between the British white
population and the Asians," she says.
"It's
also sometimes a secret language, which is being used by lots of British
Asians, but it's never been picked up on."
And
in multi-cultural playgrounds, she now hears white pupils using Asian
words, such as "kati", meaning "I'm not your friend any
more". For the young are linguistic magpies, borrowing from any
language, accent or dialect that seems fashionable.
And
the dictionary identifies how the ubiquitous "innit" was
absorbed into British Asian speech via "haina" - a Hindi tag
phrase, stuck on the sentences and meaning "is no?".
Birmingham
balti
It's
also the language of globalisation. There are more English-speakers in India
than anywhere else in the world - and satellite television, movies and the
internet mean that more and more people in the sub-continent are exposed
to both standard English and Hinglish.
|

Balti
- bucket or curry?
|
This
collision of languages has generated some flavoursome phrases. If you're
feeling "glassy" it means you need a drink. And a "timepass"
is a way of distracting yourself.
A
hooligan is a "badmash" and if you need to bring a meeting
forward, you do the opposite of postponing - in Hinglish you can "prepone".
There
are also some evocatively archaic phrases - such as "stepney",
which in south Asia is used to mean a spare, as in spare wheel, spare
mobile or even, "insultingly, it must be said, a mistress," says
Ms Mahal.
Its
origins aren't in Stepney, east London,
but Stepney Street in Llanelli, Wales, where a popular brand of spare tyre
was once manufactured
But
don't assume that familiar Asian words used in the UK
will necessarily translate back. "Balti" will probably be taken
to mean bucket in India rather than a type of cooking, as this cuisine
owes more to the west Midlands than south Asia.
Ad
land
In
south Asia,
Hinglish has been given a modern, fashionable spin by its use on music
channels and in advertising. And it's appeared in the UK on programmes
such as Goodness Gracious Me and the Kumars at Number 42, with a
catchphrase about "chuddies" (underpants).
|

|
IMPORTED
FROM INDIA

Pyjamas,
caravan, bungalow
Doolally,
cushy, dinghy
Pundit,
thug
|
The
exporting of words into English has also caught the attention of the south
Asian media, with the Times of India reporting: "Brand India
has shaken, stirred and otherwise Bangalored the world's
consciousness." Yes, "to Bangalore" is another Hinglishism,
meaning to send overseas, as in call centres.
The
arrival of Hinglish and the influence of Indian words on English are also
a reflection of the rise of the Indian sub-continent as an economic
power-house.
Language
expert David Crystal has described India
as having a "unique position in the English-speaking world".
"[It's
a] linguistic bridge between the major first-language dialects of the
world, such as British and American English, and the major
foreign-language varieties, such as those emerging in China
and Japan."
But
there are much older crossovers between English and the languages of the
Indian sub-continent, with many words imported from the soldiers and
administrators of the British Raj.
These
borrowed words include "pundit", originally meaning a learned
man; "shampoo", derived from a word for massage; "pyjamas",
meaning a leg garment and "dungarees", originating from the
Dungri district of Mumbai.
Even
the suburban-sounding "caravan" and "bungalow" - and
the funky "bandana" and "bangles" - were all taken
from Hindi words.
Pick
and mix
It's
not only the south Asian languages that have fused with English to take on
a new identity.
|

Turning
out the vote in Spanish and English
|
There
is Spanglish, used in parts of the United
States where people shift seamlessly between Spanish and English, and
where hybrid words are created - such as a sign "No hangear"
meaning "No hanging around."
Advertisers
in the Far
East use a form of fractured English too, as much for its visual impact as
its meaning.
But
this pick and mix approach should be embraced not resisted, says Ms Mahal.
It's natural and inevitable that languages will adapt and change to
whatever is around.
"There
might be puritans in any culture who say you can only be the master of one
language, and that you shouldn't try to cross two languages. But do we
only have one fixed identity? I don't think so, I think we can step in and
out of different identities - and we can do the same with languages.
"People
might say this is my language, this is way it has always been. Well, it
hasn't. Shakespeare's English was different from Chaucer's. The evolution
of language is never going to stop."
Add
your comments on this story, using the form below.
As
George Orwell wrote in 1984, the fewer words we have, the more restricted
our thinking becomes. With this in mind, I embrace the evolution and
expansion of any language (especially the one I use). Adding words to your
language, allows for more freedom of thought and expression. However, it
does also mean you need a better spellchecker.
DS, Bromley,
England
We
have always used a mix of English, Gujarati and Swahili in our everyday
language. It is so embedded that we do not realise it. So all this is
natural and continues to evolve as more mixtures of languages occur. It's
great listening to people in Kenya
and those here as well those from India. We just mix more as we expand use
of the internet as well.
Kiran Chauhan, Leicester
I
love the integration of foreign languages into the English language. It's
one of the reasons I studied it, and one of the reasons etymology was my
favourite subject. Let's face it, English is a mish-mash of foreign
languages with added dodgy pronunciation and spelling!
Martje Ross, Lancaster,
UK
This
is gruntling news - a most appointing story for anyone who enjoys flirting
with language. And let's not overlook the claims of Honklish and Singlish
too, lah! All those dynamic Chuppies (Chinese-speaking upwardly-mobile
people) can't be wrong . . . !
Tom, Lewes
The
latest fashionable version of Thai also contains a lot of English words.
To the with-it crowd, "chill chill" now means relaxing and
"hiso" (from high society) posh. For example, a commonly said
phrase "pai nang chill chill kan"
translates to "let's go and lounge around."
Nophol T., Bangkok,
Thailand
I
would query the origin of "innit" as from "haina". My
father told me off for saying innit in the sixties, it is from "isn't
it", especially around Bristol.
Check Dirk Robson's books, Krek waiters peak brissle, and Eurekal.
Dave Gibbs, Weston super Mare, England
As
a British Asian, I grew up in West
London in the late Sixties/early Seventies, whilst my cousins grew up in
the West Midlands. The origin of the word, "init" is pure
Brummie - and we (in the South) adopted it after listening to our cousins.
Gurmit Flora, London
I
agree with Dave Gibbs about the origin of "innit". In rural
Gloucestershire I was being corrected by my parents well before 1950 for
using innit istead of isn't it.
Les Giles, Great Missenden, Bucks
The
previous comments about "innit" being from "isn't it"
are indeed correct, but your respondents have missed the point being made.
English has many forms of these so-called "tag questions"
depending on the sentence: "isn't it", "aren't we",
"weren't they", "don't you". Hindi has just one
("na" or "hai na"), just as French ("n'est-ce
pas") and German ("nicht wahr") do. The usage being
described is that these English speakers now use "isn't it"
(reduced to "innit") in ALL cases, and not just where you would
expect it grammatically. The suggestion is that it's the way it's being
used that has been influenced by other languages, not the etymology of the
word itself.
David E Newton, London
To
Dave Gibbs and Les Giles: The article doesn't claim "innit"
comes from "haina". It only states "innit" was
introduced into Hinglish as an invariant tag (in the same way "haina"
is used in Hindi), i.e. a tag that can substitute any other kind of
English tag (English: "We've seen this movie before, haven't
we", Hinglish: "We've seen this movie before, innit").
Wim Vandenberghe, Hässelby, Stockholm
Very
good article. You can also add other Indian words like cash (From kasu -
Tamil), catamaran (Kattu maram - Tamil), mango (mangai - Tamil),
juggernaut (jegannath -Sanskrit).
Arun, Stratford,
London
Another
example of the erosion of Britishness. Why isn't there an article on how
Asians that come to Britain
are becoming more British, instead of the locals becoming more foreign?
Why is the BBC so terrified of Britishness?
John Alexander, Portsmouth
I
had always wonderd why there is a pub in Southall called "Glassy
Junction". Now I know. Thank you for enlightening me!
Steve Burns, Reading
Hinglish?
Sounds good to me. Language should be alive. And to Mr Alexander of Portsmouth
- I might live in Quebec but I still consider myself a Brit. Its just that
my concept of "Britishness" includes using local French argot
terms in my everyday speech. Learn to live with it.
Chris, Verdun,
Quebec
It
is the greatest strength of the English language that it adopts anything
it can use to enrich itself. This is one of the reasons why English is
such dominant language internationally and why it is supremely well suited
to the production of poetry and literature of so many varieties. Hinglish
is a wonderful example of a living language in action, evolving to meet
the needs of its speakers. I can't wait to call somebody at work and
"prepone" a future meeting!
Amanda, Bradford,
UK
A
very good article indeed. Indians have no doubt got their language
embedded into English but in doing so they have also made their
language(at least spoken one) 'corrupt'. You would see more and more of
younger generation speaking English rather than their mother tongue (which
could be one of the hundreds of languages India
has). Let us take the case of Kashmir (where I am from). Kids are actually
discouraged to speak Kashmiri (their native language) by their
parents/elders which I feel is disgusting. No doubt English is a must in
today's world but not at the expense of one's mother tongue. This has
reached to the point in Kashmir where over 95% of people cannot write
Kashmiri and a slighlty smaller percentage cannot read their language. By
the way, I can read Kashmiri to some extent but cannot write it, which I
really feel sad about.
Saqib,
England
Well,
I am originally from Wales,
and can certainly vouch for the strong existence for a 'Wenglish' (mixture
of Welsh and English). Great fun to use and just another way of expressing
oneself.
Ruth, London
It
is all well and good enriching languages, but I think the Indians have
gone one step too far to try and destroy thier own language. If you listen
to an Indian news broadcast one in Hindi and the other one in English you
will find that the news in Hindi uses a lot of English words and the news
in English is pure English.This applies to all programmes whether it is in
Engand or India.
Ram Maharaj, London
English
is so rich because it has never been crystallised like German or French.
As long as it keeps growing and developing it will remain predominant as
the most democratic language of all. However, people in Britain
must accept that it is no longer our language and that we will one day be
simply speaking a dialect of a much wider common tongue.
Andy Crick, Oxfordshire,
UK
Fascinating!
I was checking out the BBC take on our election and found a new source of
interesting news stories. We do not say "Innit" here in the US,
but the use of the word "like" cannot be, like, described, like,
you know?
Whitney Wetherill, Clinton
Town, Hunterdon County, New Jersey, USA
On
the derivation of 'caravan'. Does this have Indian roots or Arabic. There
is a city in Tunisia
named 'Kairouan/Qairouan'. Arabs may have borrowed it from he Indians like
the numerals though...
Khan, London
This
is a truly delightful piece. English, whilst basically a Germanic
language, is already a glorious concoction of French, Nordic, Latin, Greek
with trace elements of Celtic and much else besides. I see no reason to be
other than grateful that we have such a wonderful language and additional
Hindi elements will only add to its richness. English is a prime example
of Saussure's principle of diachronic change. Long may it be so.
Dr Ian Sedwell, Weymouth
Don't
forget Franglais, Chinglish, Konglish, Janglish, Singlish and Texmex.
These dialects will always appear where main languages meet.
Glenn , St
Helens
|
|
February 16 2007
A
DIE HARD FAN GETS UNDER BRUCE'S SKIN
Veenu Sandhu
New Delhi, January 27
ARMED WITH a photograph of Bruce Willis and a couple
of thousand dollars, John Joseph Conway, a 43-year-old
firefighter from Chicago, checked into Sir Ganga Ram
Hospital on Tuesday. He had a bizarre request to make
to hospital's plastic surgeons: he wanted to look like
his hero Bruce Willis.
Now, recuperating from his three-hour-long surgery,
which cost him $1,600, Conway says, "I am a
firefighter... I need to look the part. I wanted to
improve my jawline. Bruce Willis has a nice, strong
jaw."
Dr. Vivek Kumar, one of the three plastic surgeons who
operated upon Conway on Thursday, says: "After he
contacted us on e-mail, he said that as a man who
jumps into burning buildings, people in the community
look up to him and he needed to maintain his macho
image." The doctors studied his face for three days to
give him the look he wanted.
A couple of hours after the procedure, the fireman
says he is "very satisfied". He plans to bring his
63-year-old mother here for a $1,500 face lift. "My
40-year-old sister, who is studying to be a teacher,
will follow." Between the three of them, the Conways
will pay $4,600 for the medical procedures,
post-operative care and hospital stay here. Back
home, it would have cost them $40,000.
The Conways are part of the burgeoning influx of
medical tourists flocking to India's hospitals,
because treatment is not only cheap but also at par
with the best in the world. This is Conway's second
trip for surgery to India. He was last here in April
2005 for an eyelid surgery that cost him one-fifth of
what he would have had to pay in the US. "With the
money I saved, I got to see a new country - incredible
India," he smiles.
vsandhu@hindustantimes.com
Return
to top of page
India's
rickshaws
Colonial yokes are not bad for all
Feb 1st 2007 | KOLKATA
From The Economist print edition
The world's last rickshaw-pullers are battling against
extinction
SOME very poor men, perhaps 18,000 of them, went on
strike in Kolkata on January 24th to protest against a
ban on their livelihood, ostensibly imposed for their
own good. Much good may it do them. The Communist
government of West Bengal has long wanted to outlaw
rickshaws, of the original man-pulled variety, that
now exist only in Kolkata. Last December it did so, on
the grounds that man-powered transport was inhuman.
But what else are the thousands of rickshaw-wallahs,
in one of the world's poorest cities, to do?
Beg, is the best guess of a group of rickshaw-pullers
on Debendra Ghosh Road, a typically crowded alley in
central Kolkata. Like most of their fellows across the
city, they are migrants from Bihar, India's poorest
and third-most populous state. Earning around 150
rupees ($3.50) a day, with an average fare of 20
cents, they are not flush. But with an annual income
of a little over $1,000, after paying rent on their
rickshaws, they make roughly double West Bengal's
average. “I may not like it, you may not like it, but
I have children to feed,” said Mahendra Paswan, a
rickshaw-wallah for 26 years, with bare feet, a
blue-check lungi, and six offspring in school.
West Bengal's government sees the rickshaw trade as an
outworn symbol of the colonial yoke. “A disgraceful
practice that flourished when the British lorded over
the people,” is how Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, the chief
minister, has described it.
The rickshaws are used by Kolkatans of all classes,
especially in streets too narrow for taxis. But the
chief minister, despite his Marxist mantra, has been
furiously opening the state to business over the past
six years. His vision, which includes making West
Bengal one of India's top three producers of
information technology by 2010, is apparently
incompatible with the herd of “human horses” on
Kolkata's streets.
The rickshaw-pullers are going down battling. When the
government started destroying unlicensed rickshaws a
few years ago, they formed themselves into a union to
fight the ban. “We are all faced with ruin,” lamented
Mr Paswan, who fears that cycle-rickshaws, which the
government says it wants instead, are even more
arduous to operate. In the meantime, Mr Paswan can
offer a pleasant trot across Kolkata, an excellent way
to view to view the city's fine colonial buildings.
Return
to top of page
*******************************************************************
November 1 2006
Our thanks to Kailash for the following twos stories, and letting us see how others see us !
CURRY
PROTECTS AGEING BRAIN’
New York: A diet containing curry may help protect the
ageing brain, according a study of elderly Asians in which increased curry
consumption was associated with better cognitive performance on standard tests.
Curcumin, found in the curry spice turmeric, possesses
potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
It’s known that long-term users of anti-inflammatory
drugs have a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, although these
agents can have harmful effects in the stomach, liver and kidney, limiting their
use in the elderly.
Antioxidants, such as vitamin E, have been shown in protect
neurons in lab experiments but have had limited success in alleviating cognitive
decline in patients with mild-to-moderate dementia.
Dr. Tze-Pin Ng from National University of Singapore and
colleagues compared scores on the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) for three
categories of regular curry consumption in 1,010 non-demented Asians who were
between 60 and 93 years old in 2003. Most
of the study subjects consumed curry at least occasionally (once every 6
months), 43% ate curry often or very often while 16% said they never or rarely
ate curry.
They found that people who consumed curry
“occasionally” and “often or very often” had significantly better MMSE
scores than did those who “never or rarely” consumed curry.
“Even with the low and moderate levels of curry consumption reported by
the respondents, better cognitive performance was observed,” Ng and colleagues
report.
Curry is used widely in India
and the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease among India’s elderly ranks is
four times less than in US.
Return
to top of page
November
1 2006
ASH’S
NEW FAN IS ‘DEVDAS’CAMERON
Vijay Dutt --London, October 18
AS ANY Indian fed on Bollywood lore will tell you, think
Devdas and you cannot but think Paro. Now,
even the British stiff upper lip is quivering in agreement.
Which is why, when Indophile David Cameron, known as the
Tory answer to Tony Blair, was “re-christened” Shriman Devdas Cameron at a
pre-Diwali reception at Bhaktivedanta Temple in Watford by Gauri Das, president
of ISKCON in Britain, pat came the reply,” I am told the name Devdas is very
popular in Bollywood. I hope the
next time I go to Mumbai I will be able to meet Aishwarya Rai.
That Aishwarya was Paro to Shah Rukh Khans’ Devdas in
Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s movie might have been lost on many Britons but Cameron
is a well-known Indophile – he has even started a blog on his travels to India
this September. And going by this
remark, he seems to know his Bollywood.
The Tory leader was delighted at the array of rituals
that welcomed him at the Temple and went around showing his “Kaleva” – a
red thread – on his right wrist. To
the over 200 members of the Hindu community, he said, “I hope this would be my
lucky charm for the Prime Minister’s question Hour.” He also promised to
take special care of the small statue of Lord Balaji which was presented to him.
In his keynote address, Cameron praised India and the
role of the Indian community in Britain. “The
festival of lights sends a message of hope and optimism that all of us, of
whatever faith, can embrace enthusiastically. Much of what I have to say to you… is about the kind of
Britain I want to see for everyone. But
first, I’d like to say something about the Hindu community. It’s no surprise that you have become such a successful
part of British society.”
He pointed out, “Many of the values that Hindus brought
with them when they arrived here are those traditionally associated with
Britain: tolerance, honesty, enterprise, and respect for the law.”
“Hindus make up 1 per cent of the population of England and Wales but only
0.025 per cent of the prison population. You
live independently of the government but never shirk from contributing to
society.” The BJP would love Cameron. There
were more paeans to the unemployment of any minority community.
And you help to strengthen (aspects) that have been in decline here, such
as commitment to the family. Hindus
are more likely to stay married than people from any other community in
Britain.”
Heralding a change in the Tory approach so far on
selection of parliamentary nominees, Cameron said, “I also want to see more
Hindu MPs….In the past ten months I’ve moved my party back to the center
ground of British politics. People
deserve a real choice of government. I
will make sure that there is always a sensible and moderate alternative to vote
for.”
He warned of the challenges ahead. “I have no doubt
that Hindus will play a full part in meeting those challenges.
Not just in the fields of business and enterprise, where this community
have made an amazing contribution out of all proportion to its size.
But also n the public sector where so many Hindus serve as doctors, as
chemists, as civil servants”.
Cameron was full of praise for “the dynamism of the
Indian economy and the vibrancy of Indian democracy.
There is a “clear sense that here is an emerging super power” and
reiterated that” I want to see a new special relationship in the 21st
century between Britain and India. Not
simply because of our shared heritage, values and the English language.
But also because of the challenges we face together.
Key issues such as the impact of globalisation and the threat of
terrorism. And, of course, the need
to create and maintain successful, pluralist, multifaith democracies.”
Return
to top of page
*******************************************
September 20 2006
COFFEE
BRAND REPLACES SIKH IMAGE
Yudhvir Rana / TNN
Amritsar: Sikhs here are pleased
after a Scottish coffee brand changed the label on its jars that showed a Sikh
servant serving coffee to a Scottish soldier.
Reports said the new label on ‘Camp’ now shows a Sikh drinking coffee
along with a Scottish soldier.
After the incident, Sikhs are hoping that their incessant
campaign to acquaint the world with their distinct identity would not only
restore the turban’s pride but would also help in lowering incidents of hate
crime against their community.
Welcoming the move, Ajaybirpal Singh Randhawa, Shiromani
Akali Dal (SAD) municipal councilor and secretary general of the party, said,
“With the Scottish company changing the label of their product, incidents of
racism against Sikhs are likely come down.”
“Filmmakers here should take lessons from the incident and stop
portraying Sikhs in comic roles. A
sub-committee has been constituted to search the internet for denigrative images
of Sikhs and take appropriate measures to change them,” Randhawa said.
Shiromani Youth Akali Dal (Badal) president Gurpartap Singh
Tikka said the party had issued messages to its units across the world to
intensify the movement to restore their pride and motivate Sikh youths not to
cut their hair.
“We have asked them to identify similar denigrative
images of Sikhs and take up the issues with concerned authorities,”
Tikka said. Similar
instructions have been issued to SYAD leaders in India.
“It is a matter of pride for us and we will hold a rally in support of
turban pride,” he said.
DIGNITY RESTORED: As
opposed to the old label, new label on Camp shows a Sikh drinking coffee along
with a Scottish soldier.
**************************************************************
September 20 2005
THE
ROYCE ROLLS BACK
The good times are back again? Once upon a time in India, a Rolls-Royce was the ultimate in
luxury and maharajas thought nothing of buying half a dozen at a time.
But with independence, this emblem of British rule stopped being sold in
India. The maharajas lost much of
their power, status and money and the market for 1 m pound cars dried up.
The Rollers were left to rust, or sold to Europe and America.
Now, with the Indian economy
expanding at a dramatic rate and the ranks of wealthy entrepreneurs swelling,
the Rolls (now owned by BMW) is ready to make a comeback, says Jeremy Hart of
The Sunday Times, London. In May,
Rolls-Royce joined luxury brands including Ferrari, Porsche, Louis Vuitton,
Dior, Chanel and Bulgari and opened its first Indian showroom.
Mumbai’s Navnit Motors hopes ultimately to sell 30 Rolls-Royces a year,
especially if the luxury tax, which adds 107% to the Rs.3.5 crore cost of a
Roller, is cut. Last year Yohan
Poonawalla, 34, owner of a biotech company, bought the first modern Rolls-Royce
Phantom sold in India.
In its glory days of the 1920s and 1930s, Rolls-Royce
executives coined the phrase “doing a Mysore”, referring to the Maharaja of
Mysore who bought his Rollers in batches of seven. India was one of Rolls-Royce’s biggest markets, making up
20% of global sales. Indian princes
demanded custom-built models for tiger hunting, “purdah” models with thick
curtains on the windows, and jewel-encrusted ones that had to be guarded during
trips to the garage to prevent pilfering.
Return
to top of page
**********************************************************
May5 2006
Once
again we have to thank Kailash for keeping us
informed, the use of the word Scotch has been left as is,
but should say Scottish when referring to people with
roots going back to Scotland and Scotch when referring
to the greatest drink
Kailash writes:
Following appeared in the Hindustan Times
recently,enjoyed reading the one on John Kenneth Galbraith
who was US Ambassador during 60-62, highly respected and
trusted American here even in cold war years.
SCOTCH WIT
AN INTELLECTUAL giant who stood six feet eight inches
tall, taught Economics at Harvard University, served
as ambassador and was a member of think-tanks under US
presidents, would be expected to be a serious person.
But not so John Kenneth Galbraith, Former US envoy to
India, who died on Sunday at the age of 97. In his
book Ambassador'ss Journal he wondered why most women
in underdeveloped nations had overdeveloped bosoms.
Galbraith was a Scotch-Canadian and proud of it. He
recounted his early days in The Scotch, a book meant
to please the author and not the people. But it had
the typical Galbraith touch, brilliant wit and humour
and full of whimsical nostalgia. He recounts that
first names like John, Jim, Malcolm and Dan abound
among his fellow men. But there was no confusion.
Because there were Big Johns and Little Johns, some
Black Johns and regrettably there was a Lame John, a
Dirty John and a Bald John.
While some Scotch Canadians believed in large
families, others pondered over the question whether a
wife was really economically essential. The moral
code was strict in the community, and to father an
illegitimate child was to be an outcast. An
adventurous Macllum boy who was courting one of two
sisters would sneak into the girls’ badrbedroomnce, to
avoid a suspicious father, the young man hid himself
between the two sisters under the sheets and by
mistake got the wrong sister pregnant. Of course, he
did marry her but his standing in the clan went down,
explains Galbraith.
Courtships and illicit affairs were difficult in the
community because of the lack of suitable meeting
places. Even normal endearments sounded out of place
when most men referred to their wives as ‘my auld
woman’ or ‘my auld lady’ A swain could not take his
girl to the barn because that would make his
intentions clear. The region was bitterly cold for
most of the year and undressing fully was difficult.
With passion sidelined, the main Focus was on earning
money. The Scotch worshipped money for its own sake.
They earned it and did not spend it wastefully. As Galbraith explains, the
Scotch agreed with Dr Johnson’s views,
“A man, who keeps his money, has in reality, more use for
it, than he can have by spending it.”
The community was heavily dependent on farming.
Tapping maple trees for syrup was a major event. A
team of two Scotch found that commercially produced
syrup lacked the flavour and switched back to the
traditional method. The syrup was kept in open tubs
which attracted falling leaves, moths, a couple of
field mice and their droppings. When this concoction
was boiled, the original flavour was restored.
This humour was the essence of Galbraith’s life. The
Scotch is an unalloyed delight. It has the flavour of
the traditional maple syrup.
Return
to top of page
***********************************************
March 29
2006
255
YEARS ON, CLIVE’S GIANT PET DIES
IN KOLKATA ZOO
Kolkata: When he was born, the Americans were still
plotting their independence, the French fiddling with
the concepts of justice, equality, liberty and
fraternity. The British were sailing for far-off
lands on wooden ships powered by sails.
When he died, Voyager had already set off on its
10-year journey to Pluto. Two hundred and fifty five
years – that’s how long Addwaita lived, spending his
early years in Robbert Clive’s garden and his last 130
years or so in the Kolkata zoo.
The giant Aldabra tortoise was possibly the oldest
animal on earth. He died in the zoo on Wednesday
morning, of liver failure. He’s survived by no one.
He had been a bachelor all his life.
The story goes that British seafarers brought Addwaita
along with three other mates from the Seychelles
Islands and presented them to Clive. The four lived
in Clive’s sprawling Latbagan estate at Barrackpore.
Three of the tortoises died in the foreign environs.
But Addwaita survived. A tortoise of simple habits, a
vegetarian quite happy eating wheat bran, carrot,
lettuce, soaked gram, bread, grass and salt Addwaita
didn’t need much more. Not even a partner.
For the past few days he hadn’t been keeping well.
“We were keeping a close watch on him. A special
attendant had been engaged. He had developed a wound
on his chest. A crack also developed around the
wound,” said forest minister Jogesh Burman. But
finally, it was liver failure. “This morning, zoo
keepers found him immobile. Immediately, the zoo
director was informed. Officials rushed there with
the vet who was treating him. He was declared dead,”
said a senior zoo official.
“He was cremated, but his shell will be processed and
preserved in the zoo,” said the forest minister. It
was Burman who had given him the name – Addwaita.
Return
to top of page
******************************
March 18
2006
This
is part of the story below about Chris Patten;s daughter which was missed on the
first
communication of February 6
An academician-politician, and father of an actor who has
invoked feelings of intense patriotism among thecountry’s youth in Rang
De Basanti – Chris Patten ishere on a mission
Last time, the world saw him, Hong Kong’s last governor-general Chris Patten
was bidding a teary goodbye to then British colony, Hong Kong. The year
was 1997. Nine years down the line, the
academician-cum-politician is in news for a completely
different reason. He is the father of Alice Patten –whose character Sue
started a revolution not just in Rang De Basanti but in the hearts of the
Indians too.
“I have been coming here for two decades now and I
amhappy that Alice has continued the tradition,” says the proud papa. “A
little before her audition, she was asked if she’d be comfortable with Hindi.
After all, she had to speak that language in the film. Without
telling them, she took a quick lesson that same afternoon and gave the audition
in Hindi itself. That must have impressed the film-makers and, of
course,her being a linguist helped,” Chris recounts.
Needless to say, Alice got the role. “I was happy that not only was she
acting in an Indian film, she was also acting with finest actors of this country
like Aamir Khan and Om Puri,” adds Patten.
Talking about the intense feelings of patriotism that the film evokes, he says,
“This is something that people anywhere can identify with. The feeling
of patriotism is so strong that it can get to anyone in
any part of the world whether you’re Indian or British.” And Rang De
Basanti has today taken over his other favourite Hindi film, Lagaan.
“Both the films have been terrific. They represent the fact
that Indian films are not for just mass entertainment, they’re serious stuff.
And films like these are making
people across sit up and take notice.”
Now that the daughter has done her bit for India. It’s dad’s turn.
“India is the largest liberal democracy which will, one day, change the world.
Consequently, we want to strengthen relations between
the two countries in different spheres and attract more students from India to
our universities,” he says. It was during his days at Oxford that
Patten’s political innings began. The most memorable moment, however,
remains his stint in Hong Kong. “I was there
as the governor for almost five years and must say it was most exciting to be
part of an important moment in the history,” he says.
PURNIMA SHARMA
____________Return
to top of page_____________
February 6 2006
EMPIRE’S LAST
DAUGHTER BACK IN LIMELIGHT
THE ROUTE to fame in Britain for most actors,
it seems, is via Bollywood. The latest example is Alice Patten, daughter of the
Chancellor of Oxford University and the last British Governor in Hong Kong. She
had never been written about or interviewed as much for her acting talents as
after her stint in Rang De Basanti.
Ironically, she is the girl who had cried as
Hong Kong blipped out of the Empire. “I became a symbol that day.” She
reminisces. “The human face of a little bit of history.”
On her stint in Bollywood, she says, “Bombay
is extraordinary, but there is hierarchy you will never find in London.
Return
to top of page
__________________________________________________
February
28 2006
Kailash
kindly sent this from the Khaleej Times of today
India
renames Assam state to Asom
(Reuters)
28 February 2006
GUWAHATI, India -
The government in India’s restive Assam has renamed the state Asom, saying
Assam was the corrupt version of its original name used by British colonial
rulers.
“We have decided to revert back to Asom which
was used by the indigenous people instead of Assam, a corrupt version left by
the Britishers,” state government spokesman Himanta Biswa Sarma said on
Tuesday.
Assam is in India’s remote northeast and was
ruled by the indigenous Ahoms for six centuries from 1228. Ahom means
”uneven” as the region has many hills.
The original name came from the Ahom dynasty which
ruled before the British occupied the state more than 150 years ago and set up
tea gardens and oil refineries.
In the past 26 years, thousands of people have
died in separatist violence in the state, linked to the rest of India only by a
tiny strip of land.
The powerful rebel group, the United Liberation
Front of Asom (ULFA) -- fighting for independence for the the state of 26
million people -- has been writing the spelling of “Assam” as “Asom”
since the outfit was formed in 1979.
In the past decade, several Indian cities have
been renamed to reflect local cultures, such as Bombay to Mumbai, Madras to
Chennai and Calcutta to Kolkata.
Return
to top of page
********************************************
February 18 2006
It
is interesting world we are living in, what will happen in the next ten
years?
The two items below are in continuation of the the grandson of Henry Ford's
venture in the Himalayas.
Thank you Kailash for keeping us informed of items of interest which are
not usually reported in the international press
GODS TO DECIDE SKI RESORT FATE
RAVEENA Aulakh
Manali, February 15
FORD VERSUS Kullu gods has reached its finaround.Snow and
rain battered Manali is preparing for the clincher in style. The bone of
contention is a $150 million Himalayan Ski Village (HSV) project, slated to come
up on the outskirts of Shuru and Prini, two villages in Manali.
A brainchild of Alfred Ford, grandson Henry
Ford, the resort has pitted the local oracles against the maverick Iskcon
devotee, who goes by the Indian name
of Ambarish Das.
Representatives of nearly 300 Kullu deities will congregate on Thursday for a
“Badi Jagati Puch (grand convention)” to decide the fate of the $300 million
venture.
The ski blizzard has been raging through the
slopes for almost two months now.Ever since the deal was inked. HSV demanded
water rights from the streams and grazing land, which the villagers resisted.
Other issues include environmental degradation, felling and
apprehension over the use of chemicals to preserve snow on the slopes for a
longer period. The resort, which Ford has
promised will give the Swiss destinations are run for their money, will be
spread across 100 acres.
HSV proposed, but the Gods disposed. In an
unusual request, the Jamlu Devta, through his oracle, demanded a “Jagati Puch”
for a final say. “That’s just what I am doing,” clarifies former BJP MP
Maheshwar Singh, the erstwhile “king” of Kullu, the caretaker of the chief
deity of Raghunathji Busy preparing for the “Puch” at Naggar Castle,
he brushes off allegations that the proposed village has become a veritable
political yo-yo.
“There is a ski-lift near Jagatsukh. No one opposes it,” he says. But this
“Jagati Puch”, he says, is “not because the Gods re against development
but because they don’t want their sacred land, in the upper reaches, to be
desecrated”.
KULLU ‘GODS’ VETO FORD’S
$500-MILLION SKI VILLAGE PLAN
By Jagdish Bhatt / TNN
Kullu: The “gods” have spoken. Alfred Ford
cannot make his $500-million Himalayan Ski Village here.
Devis and devtas of Kullu valley gathered on Thursday to pass a judgment on Ford
and his ambitious plans for a ski resort in this scenic region. And they were
clearly not impressed with either the Ford scion’s grand venture or his
frantic claims of being a Hindu.
Ever since Ford announced his project for the
area, propelled adequately by local politicians, the region has been ravaged by
a fierce debate that has pitted profit against piety.
Descendant of the erstwhile Kullu state,
Maheshwar Singh, who also doubles up as the vice regent (first servant) of Lord
Raghunath and a BJP leader, had earlier said that all the gods and goddess would
congregate on this day to decide – through their human mediums – if Ford
could go ahead with the resort.
“In the jagati (congregation of gods), we
had invited the various devtas and devis of the valley. Over 90%of the about 175
deities who had come here were against the proposed ski village,” Singh, a
former BJP MP, said triumphantly. Singh further remarked, “The gods of
the region have given their view. There is no platform above the jagati and at
least at the religious level the verdict is final.”
Going a step further, Singh said that “each
of the deities” had been spoken to and the view on the project being inimical
to the interest of the people was unanimous. The deities apparently also
said they would leave the place and the people will have to live without their
blessings if the go-ahead was given for the ski plan. The jagati on Thursday was
called after a gap of 36 years, the last being held in 1970 when the valley was
hit by a famine. Jagatis are held only to decide in case of exceptional
situations.
There are others, though, who say the whole
thing is a BJP-engineered hogwash.“We will get better livelihood, more
facilities and enhanced infrastructure if the resort comes up,” said Teja
Thakur in Solang Valley. “Villagers here do realize the good things
that will come with this,” Thakur said.
Return
to top of page
***************************************************
CONFRONTED BY KULLU ‘GODS’,
FORD INVOKES HIS
AMBARISH DAS ID
While Harry Ford’s company is battling over
an overhaul plan that involves laying off 15,000 workers and shutting down
plants across the United States, thousand of miles away, his great-grandson is
embroiled in a curious controversy that has pitted him against local gods.
A $500 million project proposed by Alfred Ford
and approved by the Congress-led Himachal Pradesh government, to turn some of
the hills into a ski resort, is confronted by the local deities of the area.
First it was Jamlu devta, the most important
deity of Kullu, who “advised” the locals against the project through an
oracle. He also asked king of the erstwhile Kullu state, Maheshwar Singh, to
hold a congregation of all devtas on the issue. Singh is the ex-chief of BJP’s
state unit and a former party MP.
The latest salvo that the company has to
defend itself against is that the promoter isn’t a Hindu. Jamlu devta too had
‘warned’ that the project would bring in people whose beliefs were not in
tune with Hinduism and they would ‘pollute’ the area.
These charges have led the promoters of the
project to
highlight the ‘Hindu’ credentials of Henry
Ford’s great grandson. Incidentally, Alfred Ford, chairman of the Himalayan
Ski Village company, is a devotee of Lord Krishna, a teetotaler and a
vegetarian. Married to a Hindu woman from West Bengal for over 20 years, he is
known as Ambarish Das in Iskcon circles.
“When Alfrred Ford visited Kullu valley two
months ago, he went to all temples that he could, to pay obeisance to deities as
they were his priority over business,” the company’s senior director Ajay
Dabra said.
Return
to top of page
******************************************
February
4 2006
Kailash has once
again provided us with a piece of history and we thank him
The
Railway serving Darjeeling has been operating for well over a century and here
is the reports of what has happened since
Smitten
by the magic of a ride on the DHR (now a Unesco world heritage property) 10
years ago, British railway baron and chairman of Chiltern Railways Adrian
Shooter bought the world’s oldest-surviving DHR locomotive – model number
778 built in 1889 by Sharp
Stewart and Company, Manchester – to restore it to perfect condition and run
it in his personal garden.
The Indian government had sold off the locomotive to Hesston Steam Museum in
1960, not realizing what it’s worth would be 40 years later, after being
declared a world heritage by Unesco.
Shooter shipped the locomotive in a container from the US to a steam rail
workshop in Tyseley. Birmingham, where he got it restored to perfect running
condition. He now runs the train in his private garden. He has laid tracks over
1.5 km, making the loop in the shape of the number eight. He has also
built a station that looks exactly like the original Sukna station in Darjeeling
besides laying a pathway that criss-crosses over the rail tracks, exactly the
way it is in Darjeeling.
He has also purchased an Ambassador car to run along the train, a common sight
in Darjeeling.
Here
are a few photographs taken from the website
http://irfca.org/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=20463

world’s
oldest-surviving DHR locomotive – mo del number 778 built in 1889 by Sharp
Stew art and Company, Manchester
DHR
loco 19B at Tyseley, Birmingham, on 19 Jan. 2003, following its move from the US
to the UK. Photo by David Churchill.
Date: 2003-03-28
Another shot of the DHR loco 19B. On
the right is Adrian Shooter, who purchased the locomotive. Photo by David
Churchill.
Date: 2003-03-28
One
more look at DHR loco 19B. Photo by David Churchill.
Date: 2003-03-28
and
a report from Wales
The
Ffestiniog Railway's FR50 Gala (30 April - 2 May 2005) had a distinctly Indian
flavour.
Star of the
three-day event was Adrian Shooter's restored Sharp Stewart 0-4-0ST No 19. Built
in 1889, the splendidly restored locomotive, complete with its two newly built
carriages, was in action on all three days and later also worked a special
charter train up to Tan-y-Bwlch.
Adding further colour to the event, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society (DHRS)
transformed the Ffestiniog's Minffordd Station into 'Sukna' - a station on the
DHR - complete with such authentic local touches as prayer flags, and Indian
station signs. For hungry or thirsty passengers there were stalls selling such
Indian travel necessities as chai and samosas, mango juice and Cobra beer.
Said DHRS Chairman David Barrie "We were delighted to support our
Ffestiniog Railway friends with such a major event. The DHR deserves all the
publicity it can get and by seeing No 19 and visiting 'Sukna' we hope that many
other people will be encouraged to plan a trip to the line'
Return
to top of page
******************************************************
We are yet again indebted to Kailash our Delhi
Correspondent
for passing on to us these two interesting items--thank you Sir
January 12 2005
Assam
digs up Stillwell tree
RAHUL Karmakar Guwahati, January 5
ASSAM IS digging its roots with gusto. After ferreting out the descendants
of Lady Curzon and Robert Bruce – the tea pioneers – last year; it has
tracked down the “offshoots” of two American soldiers who helped pave the
historic Stillwell Road linking India and China during World War II.
Officials said Ron Bleeker and Otto G. Metheke III would figure in the line-up
of 50 foreign invitees to the Dehing-Patkai festival, a three-day ethnic
carnival, slated from January 7 at Lekhapani in eastern Assam’s Tinsukia
district. Forefathers of most of these 50, mostly Britons, were part of
American General Joseph Stillwell’s band of builders, who laid the 1,738 km
road connecting Ledo in Assam and Kunming in China’s Yunnan province.
“A bit of research and networking helped us locate the descendants of those
involved in building the road,” said Assam forest minister Pradyut Bordoloi.
The minister said he would have ideally liked to invite Gen Stillwell’s
descendants, but they could not be traced. Part of the Stillwell Road, now
dilapidated, runs through Bordoloi’s turf Margherita.
“While Bleeker’s father was a foot-soldier, Metheke’s father was an army
doctor posted at a hospital in Namduang Gate near Zero Point, the road’s
origin,” Bordoloi said. Tinsukia district authorities said the decision
of invite the pioneers’ descendants was to draw global attention to the plight
of the road in view of New Delhi’s “Look East” policy. Both India
and China have been trying to reopen the link to give border trade between
India, Myanmar and China a leg-up. A recent report said using the road
would slash the distance between India and China from 6,000 km to 1,300 km.
Return
to top of page
________________________________________________
January 12 2005
Harrods
brings exotic tea from China, at 8.5 pounds a cup
By Chris Brooke Daily Mail, London.
It is almost as expensive as a glass of champagne.But at 8.50 pounds, Harrods is
promising to present connoisseurs with the perfect cup of tea. The store
is to start stocking Tieguanyin tea, a rare Chinese variety which sells for
1,700 pounds per kilogram – or around 8.50 pound per cup. Believed to be
the most expensive in Britain, the tea is said to have an
exceptional aroma and taste.
Those who stock up their caddies with Tieguanyin will comfort themselves with
the fact that the same tea leaves can be used seven times without any
significant deterioration in quality.
It is said to have a ‘sweet and smooth’ taste with ‘notes of autumn
fruit’. The tea produces a 'fragrant, orchid like aroma’ when poured.
To brew a perfect cup of Tieguanyin, fresh mineral water should be boiled to
exactly 100C, or 212F, then poured rapidly on to the leaves in a teapot.
About five grams of the tea should be used per brew and the third of the seven
servings will give the best flavour.
Hafizur Rahman, senior tea buyer for Harrods, said the Chinese tea had a
magnificent taste.
High in antioxidants, which remove harmful chemicals from the body, it was a
very healthy drink, he said. “Of the thousands of teas I have tried this is
one of the best,” he added. Tieguanyin is almost three times the price
of Harrods’s previous most expensive tea but the store expects a strong
demand. “The tea connoisseur will be interested,” said a spokesman.
“There are people who consider really good tea like a fine wine. At the
end of the day, wine is just fermented grape juice but people pay a lot of money
for it because if gives them pleasures.” Tieguanyin is a premium variety
of oolong tea which comes from Anxiin the Fujian province of China.
Daily Mail, London.
Return
to top of page
January 2006
Kailash has very kindly forwarded some interesting Delhi
photos--Thank you for taking the time and trouble to show us today's pictures

Soldiers marching by India Gate rehearsing
for
the 50th anniversary of Independence

Safdarjang Tomb, one of the last examples
of
Mughal architecture built

A Shop Keeper with trays of nuts,
legumes,pulses
for sale in Old Delhi

Birds eye view of fruit and vegetable
market

A typical crowd scene in busy Chandni Chowk

A statue commerorating Gandhi and the salt march of 1930

A fountain in a broad pool of water
outside the Lok
Sabha, the Delhi Parliament

Slightly crowded auto-rickshaw on road outside Delhi

A monument marks the spot of the assasination of
Mahatma Gandhi in Birla House

Protected sacred texts at a shrine of Nizam-ud-din Chisti.
Chisti was a Muslim saint who died in 1325

Sunday cricket on the flat grounds of Coronation Durbar

New Delhi Traffic

A view of New Delhi from Jama Masjid
minaret

Pottery figures at Sanskrit Museum of Indian terracotta

Magnificent Rajasthani moustache and the proud owner

The fairy Queen of Delhi reputed to be the oldest (1855)
working steam engine in the world

The elephants of Delhi are used mainly at festivals and
wedding parades

A 16th century eight-tiered bridge called ATHPULA in the
Lodi Gardens

Stores selling Rajasthani fabrics at Janpath market

Bangles for sale. The bangles are usually worn by married
women and smashed on the death of their husband

The Lion emblem on the gate leading to
Rashtrapati house in Delhi, the
President of
India's official residence

India (New Delhi) Nehru Place

The Grand Hyatt Hotel in New Delhi

The Lotus Temple New Delhi

Red Fort structure # 2
Return
to top of page
******************************************************************
October 26 2005
Kailash has diligently kept us abreast of what's happening
in the Tooth business and Tea Marketing
Thank you Kailash
Stories of Teeth
and Tea
1. INDIA RETURNS BRIT WOMAN'S SMILE
By Vividha Kaul / TNN
New Delhi: Her might not be a million dollar smile,
but it comes close. After mortgaging her house again,
spending 50,000 pounds and 400 hours on getting her
teeth fixed by dentists in UK, US and Denmark,
45-year-old Julie Pharro has finally been able to say
c |