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Richard Orange says the Indian tea industry is enjoying a revival — but that the traditional tea-planters’ way of life, established by the British, is passing into history There is not much to distinguish Dhanesheva Kurmi from the rest of the crowd at the Hautely Tea Estate, a remote garden an hour and a half’s bumpy drive from the Assamese town of Jorhat.

Richard Orange says the Indian tea industry is enjoying a revival — but that the traditional tea-planters’ way of life, established by the British, is passing into history There is not much to distinguish Dhanesheva Kurmi from the rest of the crowd at the Hautely Tea Estate, a remote garden an hour and a half’s bumpy drive from the Assamese town of Jorhat. Dressed in ill-fitting Western trousers and grubby shirt, he looks as though he has just finished a heavy day pruning bushes. But for three years since the estate’s owner Lalit Borah ran out of money, and the management packed up and left, Kurmi has been running the show.

Every morning, the estate’s 11,000 sari-clad tea-pickers, shielded from sun and rain by their conical japi hats, have trudged as usual along muddy red-earth paths to pick the next set of bushes. ‘We knew how to do it by ourselves,’ says Kurmi matter-of-factly. ‘We have the experience — when the plants become ready to pick, you have to pluck them within six to seven days.’

As president of the workers’ union, Kurmi collected and weighed the leaves, then sold them to the next-door tea estate, depositing the proceeds every fortnight in a bank in nearby Golaghat, which paid the workers’ wages. At first it went well — everyone turned up for work, money came in, salaries went out, and after the first year Kurmi had banked Ł17,000 profit.

Hautely is one of nearly 140 tea gardens in India that were abandoned during a five-year slump in the tea market from 1999 to 2004. Overproduction at home and competition from new tea-producing regions such as Vietnam and the Philippines kept prices depressed. It wasn’t until this year that they rose back above 1999 levels.

This June’s harvest — which produces the best and most fragrant teas of the year — is selling at well over 100 rupees per kg, compared to around 60 rupees in the dark days of 2003.

This return to profitability has brought the industry back to life. All but 22 of the closed gardens have reopened. The Indian government has pledged 40 billion rupees (nearly Ł500 million) to subsidise a huge replanting programme. But the tea industry has come back changed, purged of many of the vestiges of its old paternalistic culture.

An hour after we arrive, a four-wheel-drive trundles up. Girish Sarder, a tea-trader from Jaipur in Rajasthan, emerges. Flanked by two advisers and sporting mirrored aviator sunglasses, Sarder signifies a new order for Assam. He had arrived that week to take the estate off Kurmi’s hands, after striking a 14-year management contract with the estate’s receivers under which he escapes the estate’s past liabilities and, so long as he pays the workers and provides benefits on agreed terms, he keeps any profits. With liabilities of five times the estate’s asset value, this may be the best Hautely could hope for. ‘It’s in bad shape,’ Sarder says. ‘If somebody makes a change, it can be rescued. But any change can only happen when labour co-operates.’ On a healthy tea estate, the bushes are tightly packed, forming a green carpet of foliage three feet above the soil. Even a novice can see something is wrong at Hautely: here the bushes are old and many have died, so in parts of the estate they only sparsely dot the ground. The annual crop has fallen by two fifths since the workers took over, and the price they receive for their leaf has fallen from 9.6 rupees per kg to 8.25 rupees. After his three-year struggle to hold things together, Kurmi recognises the need for proper ownership. ‘We welcome the new management. We are workers and we should concentrate on working only.’

Kurmi could not afford to provide his co-workers with free medical treatment, he says, which meant several of them died. Last year, when a plague of insects devastated the crop, forcing him to mortgage part of this year’s harvest to the next-door estate, the bank began to look for a new owner. But Sarder — a member of India’s hardheaded Marwari business community — is not here for humanitarian reasons. ‘If I have captive production, I can get tea at a minimum price, and I can sell it at a maximum price,’ he explains. ‘We are not affected by the ups and downs in the market because we are traders.’

Half an hour’s drive from Hautely at the Bukhial estate, the old-world charm of the tea-planter’s life is very much in evidence. A red setter puppy bounds across a neatly trimmed lawn to meet us at Sandeep and Shalini Nagalia’s sprawling 1930s bungalow. Nagalia, educated at the Doon School — known as the Eton of the East — exemplifies the old-style gentleman tea-planter. Impeccably maintained, Bukhial is regarded as one of Assam’s finest estates. Once or twice a week, Nagalia jumps in his four-wheel-drive Tata Sumo and drives the 45 minutes to the Ganshree Club, which serves 16 surrounding estates. ‘In the olden times, it was a very different world,’ he says. ‘In those days they only had the club, now we’ve got DVDs and the internet. But more or less the same traditions continue today, although people aren’t as keen on the club as they were earlier.’

The British didn’t bring tea to Assam. The Singpho tribe were drinking it for centuries before we showed up (their tea, smoked inside bamboo tubes, is now sold around the world as a gourmet brew). But we did build the industry. Within a decade of the first London sale of Assam tea in 1839, the riverboats on Assam’s Brahmaputra river had filled up with young Brits looking to make their fortune. With them, they brought the planters’ lifestyle of clubs, golf courses and pedigree dogs.

That life lingered on in Assam long after India’s independence in 1947. Bukhial’s last British owners, the Guthrie family, only sold out in 1987, and when Sandeep started his career as a tea-planter in the 1980s, his visiting agent was a Mr C.D. Smith. John Mackenzie, the last British tea-planter working for Goodricke — which is India’s last significant British-owned tea-growing company — retired in the mid-1980s. At the Jorhat Club the Union flag still hangs forlornly behind the bar and the visitors’ book is crammed with the memories of Englishmen who spent their childhoods on the nearby gardens. One recalls a Christmas Day in the late 1960s when his father, dressed as Santa, landed a small plane on the club’s polo ground to hand out presents.

Arun Singh, Goodricke’s chief executive, argues that the British also established a sense of obligation among planters towards their tea-pickers. ‘Running a tea garden is like running a mini-city,’ he says. ‘You’re responsible for the peoples’ welfare, their births, their deaths.’ British planters uprooted the forefathers of Assam’s 600,000 tea-pickers from their villages far away in Orissa and Bihar, making the workers uniquely reliant on their employers for welfare. ‘That culture hasn’t changed,’ Singh says. ‘The manager is still looked at like a father figure.’

But in others ways the culture is changing, complains Amrit Singh, a Sikh who owns two small estates. ‘Since these Marwaris captured 60 to 70 per cent of the industry, they just started producing as much as they can, and they don’t care about the bushes.’ This is a little unfair: at Hautely, Sarder has big plans to invest. He wants to spend about Ł30,000 a month over ten years to bring the garden up to scratch, replanting 100 hectares with the highest quality tea bushes. ‘You come back after two years,’ he says. ‘You’ll see the difference.’

But at the Tocklai Tea Research Centre in Jorhat, Dr B.K. Goswami agrees that in the last 20 years there has been little replanting. For a tea bush, production peaks at between 15 and 40 years: many bushes in Assam today are more than 100 years old and more than a third date from British rule. ‘At present, the replantation rate of the tea industry is very poor,’ Goswami says. ‘Less than 1 per cent a year. We want to get it to 5 per cent a year, and that will require a lot of government financial assistance.’ Now that state subsidies are available, Goswami thinks Assam is entering a new era.
‘The first generation of plantation started from 1823, the second generation was around 1950. This is the third generation.’And with it is coming a new generation of planters. Sarder is convinced that the commercially switched-on owners like himself hold the keys to the industry’s future. ‘Tea is like a black diamond,’ he says. ‘Only a diamond-dealer can see what the true value of a diamond is, and only a tea-trader can see the true value of tea.’

This story of a famous Field Marshall was taken from the Daily Telegraph of July 4 2008

Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw

Officer who won an MC in Burma and in 1971 led Indian forces to victory over Pakistan.

Manekshaw [right] at a parade in 2004 with General NC Vij,
Chief of the Indian Army Staff

Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, who has died aged 94, played a key role in India's victory over Pakistan in the 1971 war between the two nations.

The partition of 1947 that brought independence to India created an East and West Pakistan separated by 1,000 miles of Indian territory.

In 1970 the East Pakistan general election was won by the Awami League, led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman; but the refusal of the Pakistani President, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, to concede defeat led to unrest in the capital, Dhaka.

Mujibur's spokesmen declared the independence of East Pakistan (henceforth to be known as Bangladesh) in March 1971, a move supported by the Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi. The subsequent intervention in East Pakistan of the West Pakistan Army led to 10 million refugees crossing the Indian border, and tensions between Delhi and Islamabad rose to a peak.

On December 3 1971 Pakistan attacked airfields in north-west India and war broke out.

Manekshaw had become Chief of Staff of the Indian Army in 1969. As war loomed, he resisted great political pressure to attack the Pakistani forces prematurely, arguing in characteristically outspoken fashion that it was essential that they hold back until the monsoon was over.

He also urged that possible Chinese involvement must be forestalled by delaying until the mountain passes were blocked by snow.

Some senior politicians wanted to sack Manekshaw and go to war at once, but he warned Indira Gandhi that if they had their way, the country could be humiliated, its troops, artillery and equipment at a standstill, bogged down in the monsoon mud. She rejected his offer to resign and followed his advice.

When war came, Indian troops, well trained and properly supplied, marched on Dhaka while guerrillas loyal to Mujibur harassed the Pakistani troops in the countryside.

Dhaka fell, and on December 16 Lieutenant-General Abdullah Khan Niazi, the commander of Pakistan's Eastern Army, surrendered and was taken prisoner together with more than 90,000 soldiers and civilian personnel. The war established India as the regional superpower and led to the creation of Bangladesh as a separate nation.

Sam Hormusji Framji Jamshedji Manekshaw, the son of Parsi parents, was born on April 3 1914 at Amritsar, Punjab. He was educated at Sherwood College, Nainital, before being accepted by the Indian Military Academy at Dehra Dun.

In 1934 he was commissioned into the Indian Army and was attached first to the Royal Scots. In the Second World War he served in Burma and won an MC in February 1942.

As a captain in command of "A" Company, 4th Battalion 12th Frontier Force Regiment (4/12 FFR), he was ordered to counter-attack the Pagoda Hill position, the key feature on the left of the Sittang bridgehead, which had been captured by the enemy. The counter-attack was successful despite 30 per cent casualties. Manekshaw was severely wounded shortly after the position was taken.

After recovering from his injuries he attended Staff College, Quetta. He rejoined 4/12 FFR in Burma and was again wounded. In the final phase of the war, he served as a staff officer in Indo-China and helped to rehabilitate Allied PoWs after the Japanese surrender.

In 1947 fighting broke out in Kashmir after tribesmen supported by the Pakistanis made a series of violent incursions into the region. Manekshaw, a colonel in the Military Directorate and responsible for operations throughout India, was said to have devised a masterly strategy for defeating the raiders while lying in his bath.

After commanding an infantry brigade, Manekshaw became Commandant of the School of Infantry and Colonel of 8 Gurkha Rifles. He commanded a division in Jammu and Kashmir before moving to the Defence Services Staff College in 1959 as commandant and then took command of a corps in the north-east.

His astute handling of an insurgency in Nagaland while he was GOC-in-C Eastern Command was recognized by award of a Padma Bhushan – one of India's highest honours – in 1968. He received a Padma Vibhushan in 1972 and, in January 1973, after nearly four decades of military service, was promoted Field Marshal, one of only two Indian soldiers ever to reach that rank.

A great individualist who affected a blimpish manner, Manekshaw was so popular that Indira Gandhi was believed to have asked him whether reports that he was planning to take her place were true.

He is said to have replied: "You have a long nose. So have I. But I don't poke my nose into other people's affairs." After retiring from the Indian Army, he served on the board of several companies, among them the Oberoi group of hotels.

He married, in 1939, Silloo Bode. She predeceased him and he is survived by their two daughters.

Manekshaw [right] at a parade in 2004 with General NC Vij, Chief of the Indian Army Staff

February 20 2008
Once again our thanks to Pradhuman Bhati for supplying this story

The two articles below have kindly been supplied by Pradhuman Bhati,
son of Guman Singh who was in the tea industry as a planter from 1956
to 1984 and worked for Jorehaut Tea Co Limited and later for Amgoorie
India Limited (Goodricke Group Limited). Guman and his wife Pushpa are
happily retired and living in Jodhpur, Rajasthan Pradhuman's uncle
Thakur Jagat Singh was also in tea and worked for the Williamson Magor
Group, but he passed away in 2001.

This article reproduced from the Telegraph,
Dated. 15th February, 2008

Briton renews Assam connection
- Anthropologist Audrey Cantile to visit village on which she wrote a book

ANUPAM BORDOLOI

Audrey Cantile

Guwahati, Feb. 6: A British anthropologist who calls herself “a daughter of Assam” and has authored a treatise on the land, its people and customs, is returning to her roots decades after she bade goodbye.

Audrey Cantile is especially keen to visit Panbari village of Golaghat district, which formed the backdrop of The Assamese. The 322-page tome was published in 1984 and is acknowledged as a comprehensive piece of research.

Born in Shillong — then in Assam — to a civil service officer, Audrey is now 85 and a part-time teacher at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. But neither age nor distance has dimmed her longing for the land of her birth.

“I spent my first six years in Jorhat, where my father was the deputy commissioner. So, in some ways, I consider myself a daughter of Assam,” Audrey told The Telegraph in an email.

The anthropologist’s son and daughter will accompany her to Panbari on February 13. She will attend an interactive session at Cotton College in Guwahati the same day before returning to London.

Audrey’s return to Assam is being facilitated by London-based Rini Kakoti, legal and social counsellor for ethnic minority Asian communities in the department of social services.

“I met Audrey first in 1998 and invited her to Sankardev’s 550th birth anniversary celebrations in London, organised by the Assamese community. The knowledge she has on the saint-reformer is mind-boggling. Since then, we have been inviting her to visit Assam,” Kakoti, who is in Guwahati, said today.

Audrey’s father Sir Keith Cantile received knighthood after spending his “whole working life in the province (as it was then) of Assam until his retirement in 1947”. He spent many years as deputy commissioner of the Khasi and Jaintia Hills and wrote a short monograph on Khasi law. He was also a keen collector of butterflies and published a book on the butterflies of eastern India.

The anthropologist’s Assam connection was extended when she married Thomas Hayley. The couple stayed on after 1947 and Hayley became the first deputy commissioner of Sibsagar (now Sivasagar) district after Independence. They left in 1950, though Audrey did return a couple of decades later for her research.

“My father spoke with great affection of old Assam, a land of outstanding beauty...where there was ample grazing for cattle and villagers ate two-year-old rice because it tasted sweeter. Those days have gone. But what remains is a far greater asset, the character and disposition of its people,” Audrey wrote.

Kakoti said her return to the state would give her a chance to look at and feel “a new Assam, quite unlike what she had left behind so many years ago”.

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An Article on Tocklai, in The Hindu,
on 1st February, 2008

Tea times at Tocklai

The proud history of the world’s first tea research station situated in a remote corner of India.

Perfect to the T:
The Tocklai Experimental Station.

Santanu Sanyal

Nearly 100 years ago, the world’s first experimental tea research station was launched in a remote corner of India. The Tocklai Experimental Station was founded by the Indian Tea Association (ITA) at Jorhat, Assam, as early as 1911. Subsequently, several other tea research institutes sprung up in Sri Lanka, Kenya and even in South India. But Tea Research Association, as the Tocklai-based station is called today, remains the parent body of all such institutes in the w orld.

Interestingly, however, the seeds of tea research were sown even before 1911. The scientific department of the ITA, then entirely controlled by European tea-planters, was launched in 1900 with the appointment of Dr H.H. Mann, who worked out of the laboratory of the Economic Chemist to the Government of India at Indian Museum in Calcutta. At the initiative of Dr Mann, a field experimental station was set up at Heelaleak, Mariani. In 1906, an entomologist was appointed at Cachar, the tea-growing area in the Barak Valley, Assam. The experimental station at Tocklai was set up to centralise the work of various branches.

During World War I, the scientists were called upon to participate in active service. After the war, some of the scientists came back and decided to increase the number of European staff at the station. Accordingly bacteriologist, chemist, biochemist, botanist and agricultural officers were appointed. In 1930, the Empire Marketing Board agreed to bear half of the cost of botanical research at Tocklai for five years.

But the Great Depression of 1931 dealt a blow to the tea industry and with it Tocklai was also hit. The Calcutta central office was closed and the services of some of the scientists were dispensed with. In 1935, a Commission headed by F.L. Engledow, Professor of Agriculture, Cambridge, was appointed to inquire into the functioning of Tocklai. Its findings fully endorsed the policy of the Indian Tea Association. Between 1937 and 1939, several recommendations were implemented, including formation of the London Scientific Advisory Committee, initiation of an annual conference of planters’ representatives, and appointment of new staff. But work at Tocklai suffered again during World War II.

In 1948, ITA broke into two and Pakistan Tea Association was formed following the Partition of India in 1947. In 1951, the ITA’s chemical laboratory was set up in London to investigate the chemistry of made tea.

Tocklai boasts several achievements down the decades, right from introduction of annual prune and pest-control prior to 1950, down to the development of bio-pesticides, package for pest control and establishment of pesticide residue laboratory during the 1990s.

The achievements in the past three years have been many. A model tea factory functions within the TRA campus in Jorhat, processing technique has been modified to enhance brightness of tea liquor and a scattered matrix developed based on withering and fermentation behaviour which help blend different cultivars having uniform behaviour during processing. TRA also has to its credit several laurels in the fields of diversification, field practices, plant improvement and biotechnology.

It has been identified as the nodal institute for five multi-institutional projects funded by the Department of Biotechnology to the tune of Rs 5 crore. One of these projects would help release clones in four years. At present, nearly 60 per cent of the tea gardens in the North-East are covered by TRA-developed clones. The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers has for the first time awarded Neem Mission Mode Project to develop neem kernel extract formulation to reduce pesticide load in tea.

TRA is also associated with several international projects, including one on understanding the molecular mechanism of Darjeeling flavour in association with Kyoto University, Japan; and a project on remote sensing and GIS inputs for pesticide scheduling, fertiliser scheduling, and drainage and irrigation planning in partnership with ITC, Netherlands. Discussions are on with Cranfield University for a project on soil health. It is also exploring EU funding for certain projects. “Our standard of research is at par with that in any other top-class research institute but our problem is that we’re not articulate enough to market ourselves,” says Dr M. Hazarika, Director of TRA.

But not everything is hunky dory at TRA. What started as an industry-funded venture has now turned largely into a government institute with its usual problems. Industry funding is now limited to around 30 per cent of TRA’s resources. This is presumably because, as Dr Hazarika explains, tea industry is no longer homogeneous. Resource crunch remains a permanent headache, with 90 per cent of available funds going to staff salaries. Yet the employees are not happy because their retirement benefits do not include pension. “We need more funds and more young research scientists because the average age of our existing scientists is rising,” Dr Hazarika observes, adding, “the authorities concerned must take a proper view in this regard”.

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January 20 2008

Again we have to thank Romesh Bhattacharji for providing
us with these Photographs of the historic Meerut cemetery, and
his lovely daughter in law and grand daughter Keya for being
part of our history lesson.

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January 6 2007
We have to thank Romesh Bhattacharji for providing us with
these Photographs of the historic Karnal cemetery

The first 3 pictures are of the 180 year old Karnal Cemetery. The steeple
of the church that is seen is the only part remaining. The rest of the
-church was dismantled and set up in Ambala in 1842, where it
remained till it was bombed in the 1965 Indo-pak War. The graves
are being repaired and soon the cemetery will be worth a visit.
Karnal is on the Grand Trunk road that goes all the way till
Peshawar in Pakistan and was started by Sher Shah Suri and
finished by Akbar, the Great Mogul, linking the Bay of Bengal
with Kabul.

These Photographs of Shillong were sent in by Romesh Bhattacharji
of Jop's wedding in Shillong at All Saints Church in the heart of
Shillong.

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December 7 2003
From the Calcutta Telegraph

We are grateful to Dilsher Sen, of McLeod Russel’s U.K. Office who tells us of
their new web site www.mcleodrusselindia.com He rightly feels that some of
our readers may be interested in viewing.

Dilsher goes on to point out that McLeod Russel India Limited today is the
world’s largest tea plantation company and comprises of tea estates that were
originally part of McLeod Russel-Makum Namdang Group, Moran Tea Co Ltd,
Doom Dooma Tea co. Ltd, Macneill and Barry Limited and Williamson Magor
& Co. Limited with whom I believe you and many of your readers were once
associated.

Dilsher advises that his Email is dsen@mcleodrusseltea.com should any of
our readers wish to get in touch for any reason.

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The Editor of www.koi-hai.com would encourage all readers to have a good look at the
FASS web site , the sentiments are wonderful, but the task will be a great challenge.

I am happy to offer the www.koi-hai.com site as a medium for help in communicating
to as many people who have a love for the State and who would support it's achieving
a successful future

Friends of Assam & Seven Sisters (FASS)
website www.friendsofassam.org

Tej Hazarika tells me that FASS is Rajendra Barua's vision and initiative that has resulted
in US and subsequently, Guwahati chapters. Online email discussion list is drawing some
the most alert minds from the northeast to it with most practical look at how to turn things
around and a hard look at the reality.

The new FASS website has been created and I quote from the
“Home Page of the site

This is a non profit non governmental organization, an international ‘think tank ‘
Which is aimed at providing an inspirational energy and motivating force for
overall revival and development of North East India in all it’s spheres. During
the British Raj and until after India’s independence, the North East India, except
for Manipur, Tripura, and Sikkim was under one geographical name of Assam.
After Independence however, several new States have been formed. Along with
the new States one also sees the rise of various insurgent groups in the North
|East which are still continuing unabated. Overall the entire North East region
suffers from acute underdevelopment in spite of its rich natural resources
compared to the rest of the country. We believe among various other factors it
reflects poorly on the governance of the North East by central political leadership
and a lack of proper local leadership on the other combined with lack of
understanding of the cultures of the region with the required sensitiveness

Against this background Friends of Assam & Seven Sisters (FASS) offers a
common platform for all friends and well wishers of North East to respond and
work for the common good of the peoples of the North East and make the
North East shine in its own glory which is its due

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"The Indian delegation provided us with really useful advice," a Taylors
spokesman said.
But the India team also cautioned that growing the plants would not be
a cup of tea either."

"We were told that it will be no mean feat to nurture bushes which usually
flourish in the tropics, requiring hours of continuous sunshine each day,
" a company spokeswoman said.
"However, a tea garden in (the county of) Cornwall is already successfully
cultivating tea, something we hope to recreate, only in an even more
northerly UK location."
The Head of Tea Buying at Taylors, Ian Brabbin, says that tea is usually
named after the region it's grown in. "So with a bit of patience, luck and
advice from India, in a few years time 'Yorkshire Tea' really will come from
Yorkshire!"
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October 15 2007
                                                            The Calcutta Key

                         This is a document prepared for American troops in 1945--
                         advice on How to behave with a mass of great detail
                 An interesting look back at thoughts and attitudes 62 years ago

  The City Itself. Known by reason of its population as the "Second City of the British Empire," Calcutta is a little over 30 square miles in area, including suburbs, and extends over ten miles from north to south; the 1941 census (how they ever counted them is beyond us) established the number of people here as being 2,108,891. Now that you are here, increase that figure by one. The city crowds itself together on the left bank of the River Hooghly; and it is one of the largest shipping centers in the world. The terrain is generally flat, the height above sea level being 16 to 19 feet. You might like to know that Calcutta (and you right now) are located about as far north of the equator as is Havana, Cuba.

  Government. Unless you intend running for office all you need to know is that the Municipal Administration is seated in the Corporation of Calcutta which consists of 93 Councilors and 5 Aldermen, or a total of 98 in all.

  Climate. The climate here is far from perfect; although any of you who have soldiered in Louisiana won't mind it much. There are three seasons which are commonly referred to as the Hot Weather, the Monsoon, and the Cool Weather. The Hot Weather lasts from March until the latter part of June. The first part of the season is not too unpleasant since it is very dry; after the first days of May, however, the humidity increases and it is very sticky. During the Monsoon there is a small drop in temperature, with the heavy tropical rains cooling the atmosphere; this rainy season (average rainfall 67 inches) last from the latter half of June until the end of September. From the end of the Monsoon until the Cool Weather begins in November it is hot and damp. Ah, the Cool Weather, with its days that are clear and warm and its evenings that are cool enough to permit the wearing of woolen clothing. Paradise! The Cool Weather in Calcutta offers what might be termed an ideal climate; the dampness and heat of the remainder of the year have evoked many less flattering descriptions.

  Extremes. The statistically inclined reader will want to know that the highest temperature ever recorded in the city was 111.3 degrees on 31 May, 1924 and the lowest was 44.4 degrees on 28 January 1899. The humidity ranges from a minimum of 75% to a maximum of 96%. Happy?

PEOPLE IN CALCUTTA

  You see a number of different types of Indians on the streets of the city, and curiosity stirs in you as to who they are and what they are. The war, with the changes that it always brings, brought some of these people to Calcutta; nevertheless, most of them were always here, persons from many parts of the country drawn here by Calcutta's importance as a port and business center. Let's take a look at several of the types most prominent to the newcomer's eye.

  The Local Man. Being a Bengal he usually has no headdress. Of the Bengalis only the Muslim wears a fez, and even he does not wear one all the time. The Bengali is that chap who wears a sheet-like cloth which you will see draped about his waist and legs, with the ends of the cloth tucked between the legs - sometimes winding up in a flowing, folded end that hangs in front. The shirt-like garment is worn outside the lower one. (Remember those jitterbugs back home who thought they were starting a new fad by allowing their shirttails to hang outside their trousers?)

  The Man From Punjab. The man with the turban and the well-kept whiskers, he is a Punjabi, usually one of the Sikhs from Punjab. You will find him seated behind the wheel of a taxi; for he has almost succeeded in monopolizing the local taxi-cab business, a most lucrative one. Since he is probably a Sikh, don't offer him that friendly cigarette; smoking is against their custom, and your gesture of friendship may be taken amiss. Fierce-looking fellow, isn't he? As a matter of fact he is quite a warrior, as more than one Axis foe has unwillingly learned. His attitude toward you? Well, aside from the attempts to manipulate that taxi meter, he is quite willing to meet you halfway as one of your Allies.

The Laboring Man. Who is he, that somewhat dirty, ill-clothed fellow, that sweating

fellow, who hauls you to your destination in a rickshaw, the amazing individual who lugs a load of you-name-it-he'll-carry-it in a basket on his head, the one who struggles through the over-crowded streets with a heavily loaded bamboo push cart? In the majority of case that laboring man is a Bihari immigrant to Bengal. Sometimes he comes from Orissa or United Provinces. It is only rarely that you will see a Bengali so employed. The work is hard and of a drudging nature, and the pay is poor; these men eke out an existence from day to day.

The Homeless Man. At some time or other while you are here you will witness the sight of a crowd of men, women, and children who seem to move together like a herd of sheep. They huddle together, or they rush across the street in a mob, or they gather in a group shouting and jabbering - they are new arrivals in the city. Driven here by the famine, by flood, drought, or other causes, they come from Bengal itself, from Bihar, Orissa, or Assam. Homeless, helpless, hopeless when they reach Calcutta, they fare as men have always fared, in that the able-bodied and the strong among them as usual survive and soon find their way into the immense labor corps around the city - the rest, they soon vanish - some die in the epidemics, others just disappear.

The Caste System. Newcomers to India are apt to refer too glibly to the caste system without actually knowing what it is. The following is a good definition to learn and to take home with you; Simply put, the caste system implies that birth determines irrevocably the whole course of a Hindu's social and domestic relations, and that he must through life eat, drink, marry, and give in marriage in accordance with the usages of the community into which he was born. And by the way, you might write home that the shackles of caste are slowly but surely falling away.

OUR ALLIES
Relations With Our Allies. To heck with any more big fancy talk on this subject. Instead, how about getting right down to rock bottom? Do you want to fight another war? Or do you want your children to fight another war? Those "No's!" came fast. And it's all just as simple as that. The only way to avoid future wars, and also to end this one more quickly, is to establish good relations between nations. Good relations? Yeah, we could stray to that fancy lingo at this point, but we won't. All there is to good relations is that you think well of that fellow in the other country and that he thinks well of you. That's all. It sounds almost too easy, doesn't it? Well, it isn't - it's hard! To think well of that guy in the other country you've got to understand him; and learning to understand him requires day-after-day, year-after-year plugging. That goes for him, too. Now that we've reached the bottom, what have we got? Understanding the other fellow, which includes a willingness to understand, is the foundation on which to build good relations between nations.

You Look At The Indian. You look at the Indian daily, you pass him on the streets, his life touches yours constantly. But do you actually see him, do you get a picture of what makes him tick, or do you brush him off in your mind as "That darn native who... ?" (He is an Indian, not a native, by the way - and you, being a non-Asiatic in a country where all such visitors are for convenience classed as Europeans, you are a 'European.') You do see that the Indian is different from yourself. Granted. But - do you see that that difference between the two of you does not give you a reason to criticize the Indian? Do you try to realize that the Indian's dress is not strange for India? Rather, it fits the climate here. The Indian thinks his turban to be sacred and does not want it touched. Is that silly to you? Okay, soldier, how'd you like to be back in the States sporting a new light-gray, snap-brim felt and have some stranger come along and casually reach up to finger it? When the stranger had picked himself up ... ! Many Indian women object to their hands being touched even in a friendly handshake. Perhaps you may feel the same way about the French custom of kissing you on both cheeks. Kissing you, the nerve of the guy! Everywhere, in streams, ponds, or under public fountains, you will see Indians taking baths by pouring water on themselves; although they have their own standards and their own instincts for cleanliness, a great number of Indians consider a bathtub to be dirty. Queer of them, isn't it? Ha ha! Some of our own States once outlawed the use of bathtubs as being immoral. To repeat, yes, the Indian is different. But instead of merely noticing that difference and judging it hastily, suppose we take a good long second look and attempt to understand the fellow's customs and ways of living. Remember, it is an age-old failure to laugh at things that you do not understand.

The Indian Looks At You. For a long time India looked across the seas toward that shining example, America. And now, right here in their own country, Indians are looking at Americans, they are looking at you. And what do they see? Fine strong men wearing clothes of a general excellence, possessing am abundance of material things, equipped with countless mechanical devices - men who have everything and yet are without the normal affections of the non-Indian dealing with the Indian. Your naturalness is noticed and admired. You offer a cigarette to a rickshaw wallah, and the Indian is astonished. You bewilder him in many ways. But out of the first mist of bewilderment there comes to the Hindu the realization that the American is endowed with feelings that are very much human. You are a possible friend to him - a hope for the future. You startle him from his torpor of pessimism. You provide him with a contrast. Your kind, frank, honest behavior open up for the Hindu a new vista of optimism; and on the whole he is more than prepared to accept you as a shining example, as a true friend. That poses a problem for YOU. Are you going to tear yourself and your country down in the Indian's eyes, or are you going to conduct yourself so that the Indian can keep his shining example, his hope for the future?

  You Versus The Indian. The two of you are bound to meet head-on at times. You're a guest in this country. Sometimes you get out of line by not acting like a guest, and at other times the Indian doesn't treat you like one. It's happening every day, everywhere, and it will continue to occur until someone outlaws human nature. You don't understand the Indian's objections to your own free-and-easy attitude towards the opposite sex. He thinks that your conduct is adolescent - you think that it's fun. A Hindu fails to understand your attempts to speak his language, and immediately you size up all Indians as being dopes. How many of you stopped to reflect that that Indian might be a brilliant scholar in his own language? A taxi driver cheats you, or tries to, and the salesman at the local bazaar gives you the sticky end of the stick in a bargaining deal; at once you are tempted to say that the country is filled with bandits. Sure, there are some cheats and rogues here. But do you recall visiting some city back home and having an American taxi driver ride you around twelve blocks when the direct route to your destination was only four? Or attending that convention to discover that coincidental with the arrival of you and your brother what-nots all the prices in town had taken a sudden jump? All of which leads to the conclusion that you'll run into a certain amount of friction in all your travels, whether they be into the next state back home or across the seas into a foreign country. That limitless stuff, human nature, just seems to spread itself like the oceans - all over the world. And so while you are a guest here in India it would be generous to refrain from judging the many by the few, it would be wise to remember that these are human beings in many ways less fortunate than yourself, and it would be well to consider that even when the Indian can't understand your attempts to speak to him he can understand your kindly attitude and your smile.

  India After The War. You already know that India is one of the main arsenals as well as principal bases for the war against Japan. What you may not have stopped to realize is that after the war, in any permanent plan for peace that includes (and must include) Southeast Asia, India must and will assume a prominent role. You are a practical person from a practical nation. You can see that it makes common sense for anyone to cultivate a lasting friendship with India. Go to it, then. YOU - you're the one who is going to do it. It is part of YOUR JOB.

  Bickering Without Bleeding. What applies to you and India, likewise holds true for you and all other nations. In regard to all of our other Allies it is safe to say that there are many little differences between them and us. But in getting down to cases we are all interested in one thing: we want the end of the war, this war and all wars. Surely then, you agree that it is foolish to spoil some of the good you are doing over here by allowing yourself to become irritated by minor differences in manners and ways of living. Find interest in those different customs. Put them away in your memory as something to tell the folks back home. Or, if you're stubborn and must be irritated, then give yourself and us a break by keeping your irritation to yourself. YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO BICKER WHILE ONE SOLDIER STILL HAS TO BLEED!
3

TRY THESE "DO'S" FOR SIZE:

  1. Avoid political discussions.
  2. Act here with the same common courtesy you use at home.
  3. Guide the other fellow's conduct; 'breaks' reflect on all.
  4. replace "Hey you!" with "Bhai!" of "Brother!"
  5. Discuss Indian customs out of their sight and hearing.
  6. You're in Rome. Keep your ways; let the Romans have theirs.
  7. Keep your temper; the Indian will keep his.
  8. An attitude of respect leads to 'breaks' being forgiven.
  9. Take pictures only of the laboring classes (and then only if they consent); upper-class Indians don't like to be photographed.
10. Look at passing British and Indian women without tossing remarks at them. Four out of five women over here are offended by "yoo-hoos."

Religion. One of the "Four Freedoms" for which the American Army is fighting is that of Religion. Public worship, one of the privileges of religion, is available for you at any of the following places:

Catholic Sunday Services. 142nd General Hospital, Southern Ave. Mass 0730, 0900.
  Chaplain Thomas A. Whelan.
Camp Hooghly - Garden Reach Rd. Mass 1100.
  Chaplain Thomas A. Whelan.
Orphanage, Dum-Dum Rd. Mass 1215.
  Chaplain Joseph J. Carroll.
Replacement Depot, Camp Kancharapara, Mass 1000.
  Chaplain Father Pew.
Camp Tollygunge. Mass 0900, 1830.
  Chaplain Joseph J. Carroll.

Catholic Weekday Services. 142nd General Hospital, Southern Ave. Mass 0645.
  Chaplain Thomas A. Whelan.
Camp Tollygunge. Mass 0630.
  Chaplain Joseph J. Carroll.

Protestant Sunday Services. 142nd General Hospital, Southern Ave. Worship 1030.
  Chaplain Albert R. Colburn.
Orphanage, Dum-Dum Rd. Worship 0900.
  Chaplain Thomas I. Liggett.
Replacement Depot, Camp Kancharapara, Camp No.1, Worship 1100.
  Chaplain James D. Salmon. Hospital Worship 1430, Chaplain James D. Salmon; Camp No. 2, Worship 0930, Chaplain John L. Dier, Worship 1930, Chaplain John L. Dier.
Camp Tollygunge. Worship 1000, Song Service 1930.
  Chaplain David W. Lowenaar.

Protestant Weekday Services.
  Karnani Mansions, etc.

Jewish Services. 28th Air Depot, Barrackpore, 1830 Mondays.
  Chaplain David Seligson.
Maghen David Synagogue, 109 Canning St. 1930 Fridays, 2000 Saturdays.
  Chaplain David Seligson.
142nd General Hospital. 1100 Saturdays.

Service Activities at Civilian Churches. St. Paul's Cathedral, Chowringhee Rd. Social 1930 Sunday.
Carey Baptist, 31 Bow Bazar St. Young People's Meeting at 1930, Sunday.
St. Andrew's, Dalhousie Sq. Canteen open daily.
Methodist Church, Sudder St. Canteen open daily; open house after Sun. Eve. Service; "Forces Fellowship" 1900, Tuesday.
Judean Club, 3 Madge Lane. 2030, Fridays; Sabbath gathering for servicemen.
Baptist Mission Home, 44 Lower Circular Rd. Social, 1930, Thursday.
Christian Science, 30b Chowringhee Rd. Soldiers' Meeting, 1st and 3rd Wednesdays, 2000.
Salvation Army, 31 Park Circus Row. Social, Tuesday, 2000.

  * Notes on the foregoing: All of the above listings were correct at the time of going to press; naturally, however, such times are subject to constant change, and therefore it is advised that you consult the weekly Church Calendar and the Church Notices in Saturday's "The Statesman" for the latest available data. In "The Statesman" you will also find a complete listing of civilian church services. Regarding the merit of any individual church or church function consult the Base Chaplain or his assistant; feel free to consult them either in person or by telephone at the Hindusthan Building.

SHOPPING
Hi Rube. Trot out your sense of humor and make way for a few insults: You would not buy the Brooklyn Bridge on a visit to New York. Of course not. For you have no hayseed in your hair. What is that stuff clinging there then? Can it be that you have arrived in India with seaweed in your hair? Could be, since - GI and officer alike - you have certainly gone on one hog-wild spending spree right here in Calcutta.

Hold That Rupee. You are probably buying in such large quantities because you believe that you are getting rare merchandise extremely cheaply. Therefore, you might like to know that you will be able to purchase most of the items back in the states after the war, and probably at lower prices. And especially is Calcutta not the best place for souvenir or gift buying, inasmuch as few of the articles are produced in this region, which means the transportation has added greatly to their cost; furthermore, the large and transient military population has been purchasing in such huge quantities that price tags now come equipped with their own individual skyrockets.

The Right Way - And The Wrong Way. There are two ways to buy in Calcutta (if buy you must); you can buy at FIXED PRICES or you can BARGAIN for merchandise. Certain reliable, well-established stores in the city have a fixed-price scale, which simply means that there is no lookout posted to watch for your arrival. In all the other stores and in the markets or bazars a deliberately high price is quoted you for an article, and it is then up to you to argue the price down to somewhere within reason - without in the process losing your reason. You seldom win. If you leave any shop in India confident that you out-smarted the salesman, then be sure of this: YOU DIDN'T! You can profit by the experience (paid for) of other American soldiers. Buy sound products in reliable stores at fixed prices.

  The Minor Sport. In partial contradiction of foregoing advice, and advocated as a part of your adventures in India, don't neglect to try bargaining (in a small way) as the accepted minor sport east of Suez. But in doing so, avoid street peddlers and side-street stalls and instead, visit the New Market where you will find a real interest in the bazar itself as well as get a kick out of horse trading with the salesman over their great variety of wares.

  A Running Start. The salesman you will meet in that stall in the New Market has been making his livelihood at bargaining for a number of years; so maybe you won't mind accepting a little advice to take along with you to in part combat his years of experience. For instance, never display anger. The Indian regards that as a sign of bad sportsmanship and is inwardly contemptuous. Anger to him is as bad as lying or stealing is to you. And so if you do not want to spend time in bargaining, merely name a price that you are willing to pay and then walk off if it is not accepted. If the salesman follows you out of the stall, then you may be fairly sure that he will sell the article at your price. On the other hand, if you are in a mood for bargaining you can start off by naming a price as ridiculously low as the salesman's was outrageously high; then the two of you can have fun working the figure up and down until it reaches a level that won't stick you too badly. Don't expect to be too successful. The best you will get out of it is that the merchant will let you have his way.

  Some Left Jabs. In self defense demand cash receipts every time you make a purchase in the New Market. Asking for a cash memo sometimes serves to make the dealer lower the price immediately. If not, and if you have been too badly cheated, the receipt will come in handy to identify the transaction when you are making your complaint to the Market Inspector whose office is at the rear of the Market. There is an ordinance that controls certain

articles at fixed-price levels; but extremely few souvenir or gift items come under this heading, and so it offers you little protection. If you do chance to buy one of the staples of life, however, those which are price-controlled, then you can demand to see the control price list and compare the asking price of the salesman with the listed one. Remember that in the New Market you must bargain. The dealer expects you to do so. Although of late he has found so many gullible American soldiers that he is tending more and more to ask high prices and to stick to them, not bothering to play his game of bargaining since he feels sure to sell to the next sucker. YOU.

  Ivory. Watch your step. Frequently it is only treated bone that will shatter or split. Real ivory has a definite grain and mellows with old age. Even experts can be fooled on it, however. Crumbled bits of bone are reaching Seventh Heaven every day instead of the alleged ivory that you sent on the way. Your girl will not be amused. Need your wife's reaction be mentioned?

  Jewels. Synthetic stones are a racket everywhere. Double that and you've got the situation here. As for any real diamonds that are sold to you, a good part of them are being imported right from the States purposely to be sold to you over here. Figure out for yourself where you could buy them cheaper.

  Avoid. Gold and gold ornaments are not a good buy in the present market. Rugs - stay away from them unless you're sure you know your stuff.

  Textiles. Your number one buy in the Calcutta area. They're made in this vicinity, for one thing. Buy sarees, for instance. Sarees are the Indian woman's outer garment, a strip of cotton or silk some 54 inches wide and 6 to 8 yards long. Your girl can make them into dresses, coats or hangings. Or buy linens, lingerie, brocades - look over the shop's complete textile line for something that appeals to you.

  Silver. Silver ornaments are a good buy. The designs are hard to duplicate at home, unless you happen to live down near the Mexican border. The engraving work here is especially good. If you buy silverware, watch the finish - Indian Silversmiths are apt to leave the job not quite done.

  Try. Brassware is attractive and safe - if you don't mind being handed the job of polishing it when you are once more back home. Leather is not cheap - far from it in Calcutta - but some of the work is interesting in design. Teakwood items are welcome back in the States. Get the deeper carved boxes, etc. The shallow carving is a mark of a cheap veneer job.

(Note:-In the following paragraphs you will find listed some of the Military, European, or Indian stores in Calcutta that can be safely recommended; space prevents listing all of the reliable stores.)

  Post Exchange. To secure an interesting and a reasonably priced gift or souvenir go to your own Post Exchange store. The PX stocks only reliable merchandise and tries to undersell most competitors by as much as 20%. Furthermore, a large staff of highly trained buyers is hard at work to buy for you directly from the manufacturers in an effort to eliminate all middleman costs. The Army has got rid of these curios shop concessionaires. You are urged to go to the PX for your full money's worth.

  Department Stores - European. The stores listed immediately below are department stores much like the ones you know back in the States. Prices are often not the lowest, but the products are reliable; and here as elsewhere you pay something for that reliability. Excellent service - no bargaining. You can cool off and relax inside even if you don't really want to shop.
  Whiteaway Laidlaw & Co., Ltd., 7 Chowringhee Rd., 0900-1730 weekdays, 0900-1300 Saturday.

  Army & Navy Stores, Ltd., 41 Chowringhee Rd., 0900-1730 weekdays, 0900-1300 Saturday.
  Hall & Anderson, Ltd., 31 Chowringhee Rd., 0900-1730 weekdays, 0900-1300 Saturday.

  Department Stores - Indian. These are department stores that are patronized by the Indians of the middle and upper classes. The values are good here; again, however, you pay something for reliability. Fixed prices - no bargaining. Wide selection of gifts and souvenir items. Your trade is welcome. Indian items, also imports.
  Bengal Stores, Ltd., 8A Chowringhee Place, Grand Hotel Buildings, closed Thursday, open 1400-2000 Friday, 1030-2000 all other days.
  Kamalalaya Stores, Ltd., 156 Dharamtalla Street, closed Thursday, open 1200-2000 Friday, 0800-2000 all other days.

  Souvenir Stores - Indian.
  Indian Textiles Co., Great Eastern Hotel Arcade, 0900-1830 weekdays, 0900-1430 Saturdays.
For soldiers with a well-lined wallet. Prices definitely not low. Beautiful textile line, unusual old jewelry pieces and old paintings, other Indian items of high quality. Fixed prices - no bargaining.
  The Good Companions, 13C Russell St., 0900-1300 & 1500-1730 weekdays, 0900-1300 Saturday. An outlet store for Indian Missions. Moderate prices. Fine lingerie and linens. Other gift items. Fixed prices - no bargaining. Profits go to good causes.

  Dressmaking:
  Paris Dress Makers, 7C Lindsay St., opp. the New Market. Uniforms or dresses made or altered. Good service at fair prices to American girls in the services.

  Dry Cleaning:
  Livewire Cleaners Ltd., 1 Corporation St., 0800-1800 weekdays, 0900-1400 Saturdays. Work guaranteed. 3-day service.

  Films & Developing:
  Bombay Photo Stores, 34 Park Mans., Park St.
  Camera Exchange, 17/2A Chowringhee Road.
  Kodak Ltd., 17 Park St.
  Popular Pharmacy Ltd., 167 Russa Road, Bhowanipore
  Quick Photo Service Co., 157B Dhurrumtolla Street
  Thacker, Spink & Co., Ltd., 3 Esplanade East

  Hair Dressing (Barber Shops to You):
  You'll find them everywhere. Within the in-bounds area almost any of the hair dressing shops will give you reasonably good service. Take a look inside and judge for yourself according to the appearance of the place, but don't expect to see modern polished fixtures like back home. Any enlisted or officers' club usually have as good or better service.

  Jewelry, Watches, Watch Repairing, Silversmiths:
  Anglo-Swiss Watch Co., 6 & 7 Dalhousie Square (East) 1000-1730 weekdays, 1000-1300 Saturdays. Average repair of watches 2 wks. Swiss watches for sale.
  Cooke & Kelvey, 20 Old Court House Street, 0900-1730 weekdays, 0900-1300 Saturdays. Average watch repair 2-3 weeks. Wide selection in all types of silver items. Engraving specialists.
  Hamilton & Co., Ltd., 8 Old Court House St., 0900-1300, 1500-1700 weekdays, 0900-1300 Saturdays. Two months for watch repair. Expensive gifts of high quality.
  Saxby's, Great Eastern Hotel Arcade, 0930-1730 weekdays, 0930-1400 Saturdays. American watches repaired 2-3 weeks. Swiss watches for sale.
  West End Watch Co., 16 Old Court House St., Repair only. Service 2-4 weeks. repaired 2-3 weeks. Swiss watches for sale.

  Music & Musical Instruments:
  T. E. Bevan & Co. Ltd., 21 Old Court House Street, 0900-1730 weekdays, 1000-1300 Saturdays. Excellent stock of recordings, limited supply of sheet music, some musical instruments & repair.
  C. C. Saha, Ltd., 170 Dharamtolla St., 1000-1900 weekdays & Sat., 1000-1400 Thurs. Recordings. Repair.

  Opticians:
  James Murray & Co., Ltd., 5 Old Court House St., 0900-1800 weekdays, 0900-1300 Saturday.
  Lawrence & Mayo (India) Ltd., 11 Gov't Place, East, 0900-1730 weekdays, 0900-1330 Saturday.
  Walter Bushnell, Ltd., 21 Old Court House St., 0900-1800 weekdays, 0900-1330 Saturday.

  Pharmacists:
  Bathgate & Co., 17, 18, 19 Old Court House St. 0900-1800 weekdays, 0900-1300 Saturday. A thoroughly reputable store. Don't expect to get that ice cream soda here.

  Photography:
  Bourne & Shepherd, 141 Corporation St., opp. Regal Theatre, open daily except Sundays. World's oldest photographers. Competent work. The prices are definitely not low, but you get your money's worth.
  Studio Nash, Ltd., 37/39 Park St., 0900-1800 weekdays, 0900-1400 Saturday.
  Thacker, Spink & Co., Ltd., 3 Esplanade, East, 0900-1730 weekdays, 0900-1400 Saturday.

  Pressing & Mending:
  Enlisted men are referred to their American Red Cross clubs for free service while you wait. For officers: Any hotel can furnish this service, or you can find it everywhere in little side-street shops.

  Radios & Radio Repairs:
  C. C. Saha, Ltd., 170 Dharamtolla St., 1000-1400 Thurs., 1000-1900 weekdays and Sat. Will repair most makes of radios in 3-4 days.
  Chicago Telephone & Radio Co., Ltd., 25 Chowringhee Rd., 0930-1830 weekdays, 0930-1500 Sat. Repair service by following day when possible. Recordings for sale.
  Radio Supply Stores, Ltd., 3 Dalhousie Sq. East, 1030-1830 weekdays, 1030-1530 Sat. Repair all makes if parts available, 7-12 day service. Spare parts sold. Public Speaking equipment.
  N. B. Sen, 11 Esplanade East, 1000-1900 weekdays, 1000-1400 Sat. 1 week for repair estimate, an additional several days for the work itself.

  Shoemakers:
  Morrison & Cottle, Chowringhee Mans., 30C Chowringhee Rd., 0800-1800 weekdays, 0800-1400 Saturday.
  Cuthbertson & Harper, 10 Gov't Place, East, 0800-1800 weekdays, 0800-1430 Saturday.

  Stationery & Books:
  MacMillan & Co., Ltd., 294 Bow Bazar St., 0800-1800 weekdays, 0800-1430 Saturday. Excellent line of books.
  Newman, W., & Co., Ltd., 3 Old Court House St., 0900-1730 weekdays, 0900-1330 Saturday. Fairly complete line of stationery items. Fountain pen repair. Late fiction in regular and in cheap editions. Some drafting tools.
  Oxford Book & Stationery Co., 17 Park St., 0900-1830 weekdays, 0900-1330 Saturday. Books only - for sale and lending library. Large stock.
  Thacker, Spink & Co., Ltd., 3 Esplanade East, 0900-1730 weekdays, 0900-1400 Saturday. Stationery, printing, pen repair, book.

  Showers:
  You enlisted men who have hit the city adorned with a bit of India's own, try your American Red Cross Clubs for a free shower, with soap and towel furnished.

  Sporting Goods:
  Army & Navy Stores, Ltd., 41 Chowringhee Rd., 0900-1730 weekdays, 0900-1300 Saturday. Games and sport equipment.
  Pioneer Sports, Ltd., 25 Chowringhee Rd., 0900-1900 weekdays, 0900-1930 Saturday. Complete line of sporting goods except for tennis and golf balls. All item manufactured by concern itself. (Note: Do not expect Indian-made equipment to match that made back in the States.)

  Tailors & Haberdashers:
  (Note: Try any of the department stores previously listed.)
  Bright & McIvor, Grand Hotel Entrance, 0900-1800 weekdays, 0900-1300 Saturday.
  Harman & Co., 11 Gov't Place, 0900-1730 weekdays, 0900-1400 Saturday.
  Phelps & Co., Ltd., 21 Old Court House St., 0900-1730 weekdays, 0900-1300 Saturday.
  Ranken & Co., 4 Old Court House St., 0900-1730 weekdays, 0900-1300 Saturday.
  Samuel Fitze & Co., Ltd., 26 Chowringhee Rd., 0900-1730 weekdays, 0900-1300 Saturday.

  All of the stores listed above were picked because they sell at fixed prices, carry sound merchandise, and have reputations of reliability. We do not attempt to state that stores not listed are not reliable; in many cases selections were made for shopping convenience. Now and then you may buy something cheaper elsewhere, since reliability is always added overhead to the merchant who stocks it. For aid in easy shopping you might note that there are two central shopping districts in-bounds to you; One group of stores centers on or near Old Court House Street with the Great Eastern Hotel as a reference point; the other group centers on or near lower Chowringhee Road with the Grand Hotel as a reference point. Good Hunting! And don't buy any wooden Indians.

Let's Talk It Over. If you have just arrived in India, or if you have been up country and have come down here for a brief respite, you are equally in need of a little rest and relaxation. You want to have as much fun as possible while you're here? Surprise: that is exactly what the Army wants for you, too. Unfortunately, in comparison with American standards, there is a limited amount of recreational facilities in Calcutta; but everything that is here is yours. Enjoy it but don't abuse it. You have a date with Calcutta; treat her like a lady and you will find her to be one.
In the following paragraphs you will be told where you can go and what you can do. (Editor's Note: If you do not like our advice, have your fun trying to find us to tell us where to go and what to do.)

  Getting There. It sounds silly but you are going to be told how to get there before you will be advised where to go (The old Army way of doing things.)

  The G.I. Way. G.I. trucks and buses leave on schedule for nearly all military installations in the Calcutta area; they depart from the Hindusthan motor pool during the day and from the motor pool across the street from the Grand Hotel during the evening. Inquire at your own camp for the exact times of departure or ask the M.P. on duty at the motor pools in the city.

  Trams and Buses. Heartily recommended as first-aid measures for your wallet. They go to all parts of the city, run often, and are quite comfortable. The trams only charge one anna between transfer points. Ride in the front car. Esplanade is the central and main terminus. From there cars can be had for all routes.

  Rickshaws. Good for that short hop across town. Pay only three annas per mile, with the addition of a two anna tip if you see fit. Ride only one to a rickshaw - that chap pulling it is a human being.

  Gharries. By law, rates are supposed to be posted in the carriage. Ask to see the card. Pay one rupee, eight annas per hour or approximately twelve annas per mile. Tips are optional. It is an accepted fact that gharries and rickshaws get a little more at night - BUT ONLY A LITTLE. "Out-of-bounds" with women.

  Taxis. At last something as fast as prima-cord has been found: the local taxi meter. You will find taxis fast and comfortable - but expensive. If you ride one, be sure that the driver pushes the flag up and

down to clear the meter as you step inside. The taxi driver must accept a fare for anywhere within the city limits; he does not, however, have to drive outside of the city's limits. Don't let him bully you into an agreed price before accepting you as a fare at night or when it rains. The meter works at night, same rates; also when it rains. The fare, as with the gharry, is for all passengers, and not per person. Watch the meter. It should show one rupee after the flag has been lowered at the start of your trip. That covers the first mile. For each added Ľ mile the meter should register 4 annas additional. Tip unnecessary. Judge the distance covered and if it seems you are being gypped by a fast meter don't hesitate to complain. Call a policeman or take the taxi's number. And pay only what the ride was legally worth, ignoring the taxiwallah's screams of rage. He will try to embarrass you in public to make you silence him with gold - but you know that game of old. Violence of any degree is UNNECESSARY.

FOOD
  Let's Eat. Calcutta has some fairly glamorous looking and tasting dishes, but, naturally, the present food is not up to its pre-war standards. You will want to sample some Indian food and some Chinese items - and then you will be quite ready to hurry back to that good old American style of cooking. eat only at in-bounds restaurants. Even these you will find none too clean.

  Try. Christie's on Park St.
Firpo's on Chowringhee Rd., block above Grand Hotel.
O. K. Restaurant, Moti Sil St. near Dharamtolla St.
Great Eastern Hotel on Old Court House St.
American Kitchen, Humayan Pl. opp. New Empire.
Golden Dragon, Chowringhee Rd., near Park St.

  E.M. Only.
American Red Cross Enlisted Men's Clubs.
Continental Services Club, Continental Hotel.

SIGHTSEEING
  Rubbernecking. The day's young - Are you in a mood for a little sightseeing to start things off? If you are, there are a number of ways to give this city and vicinity a fast once-over. Let's take them one by one.

  Strolling Through. On you own, set off up through the Maidan. It is Calcutta's large, centrally located park that is flanked by a number of interesting buildings both public and private. Victoria Memorial is at the southern end of the park. And at the northwest extremity are the Government House and the Eden Gardens. These gardens offer a cool retreat during the heat of the day. Starting from the Maidan you can set off in any direction and find points of interest near at hand. Only remember: Memorial Park, in the Maidan, is "out-of-bounds" after sundowns.

  American Red Cross Daily Tours. There are a number of interesting sights to see in Calcutta that are not in-bounds except with official permission. And so, for this and for a number of other reasons, the most practical way to go sightseeing is to go on one of the daily tours arranged by the ARC E.M.'s Clubs. All reservations for these tours should be made early in the day at one of the two clubs, the Burra or the Cosmos (colored). For officers, tours are arranged at the Hindisthan Building. Red Cross guides. The following paragraphs will give you a glimpse of what you may expect to see:

  ARC Tour 1 includes a stop at Gov't House, which was until 1912 the residence of the Governor General and Viceroy, and which is now the home of the Governor of Bengal. Considered the most beautiful residence in Calcutta. On to the Ochterlony Monument which is 165 feet high. Exactly 218 steps to the top. To Kalighat Temple where animals are sacrificed to the Goddess Kali whose body was alleged to have been broken into 51 pieces, and whose toe supposedly fell here at this temple. Pilgrims make offerings here. The Goddess herself is worth seeing. Also you can see the Champa Tree where Hindu women come to pray when they desire sons. And off you go to the Sikh Temple. The Sikhs are followers of the ten teachers called Gurus; they, the Sikhs, have a great reputation as fighting men; they also abolished the caste system for themselves. To the Victoria Memorial which was opened by Edward, Prince of Wales, in 1921 and which was built with funds subscribed by the princes and people of India. Building closed for the duration.

  ARC Tour 2 includes a visit to the Black Hole of Calcutta whose story you already know. (You remember that in 1756 the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-dowls, attacked Calcutta and sacked the English Settlement. The story of the "Black Hole" in which was performed the amazing feat of squeezing 146 British men and women into a room in the Fort that measured only 22 feet by 14 feet, with only 23 persons surviving by the next morning, stands discredited today as a legend of the siege itself, which was real enough). On your way to the Nakhoda Mosque which is the largest Mohammedan mosque in Calcutta. (Excellent view of the city). To the Nimtalla Burning Ghats where the Hindus dispose of their dead by burning them in a sacred ceremony; the ashes are thrown into the sacred river, and the mourners go down river to purify themselves. Off to the Jain Temple which was erected in 1867. There is a lamp here which has been burning for 76 years. Then to the Temple to the Monkey God. Here you will see 24 Jain Gods. Jainism is the only one of the almost primeval monastic orders of India which has survived to the present day.

  Other tours arranged by the ARC Clubs include river tours, a jute mill tour, and a visit to the Thieves Market. The Puri tour lasting for eight days and taking you to Puri, a nearby beach, is a darn good bet for E.M. and officers on furlough or leave. Recreation and sightseeing are planned for you; or you may spend the days lolling around. Suit yourself. For all particulars and for tour tickets call at, or write, the American Red Cross Burra Club, 8 Dalhousie Square.

ENTERTAINMENT
  Hello Fun. You want to have fun? You know the ways, but you don't know the places? Check. The places are listed below, and the rest is up to you:

  Clubs for E. M. There are no finer places in this city to start, spend, and finish the day than in the clubs for enlisted men. You are offered rest, recreation, and food; and if you care for outside interests or pleasures, as much information as possible will be given you, and every effort will be made to find for you entries into places that might ordinarily be closed to you. See your current copy of Command Post for the weekly schedules of these clubs. The best are:
ARC Burra Club on Dalhousie Square.
ARC Cosmos Club on Dalhousie Square.
Continental Services Club, 12 Chowringhee Rd. Although not a club reserved exclusively for service men, the Y.M.C.A. at 25 Chowringhee Rd., also offers to E.M. and to officers, rest, recreation, food, snacks, and information.
  The Y.W.C.A. at 1 Russell St., opp. Imperial Bank, is not a service club either; but it does offer a Saturday night Dance Social for E.M. Adequate number of "Fems" on hand. Should go, guy. Cut that rug, scrape that varnish.

  Clubs for Officers. A number of private clubs in the Calcutta area have made available their facilities under various temporary-membership arrangements. They are good clubs. Respect the hospitality extended to you.
  Bengal Club, Ltd., 33 Chowringhee Rd., reserved for officers with a grade of Lt. Col. or higher, details at the club.
  Calcutta Club, 241 Lower Circular Rd., temporary memberships for officers with a grade of Major or higher, when introduced by a permanent member. Dues Rs. 10/- mo., deposit of Rs. 100 refundable upon termination. Bar, grill (dinner on 24 hr. notice to secretary), tennis, card rooms, library, Saturday Dinner Dance.
  Calcutta Swimming Club, 1 Strand Rd., temporary memberships for all officers. Rs. 10/- mo., limited quota, apply at 0900 hrs. daily for service memberships forfeited by others at expiration of 30-day period. Two pools, indoor and outdoor, bar, grills, badminton, deck tennis, exhibition polo. A must on your list of clubs to join.

Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw

Officer who won an MC in Burma and in 1971 led Indian forces to victory over Pakistan. Manekshaw [right] at a parade in 2004 with General NC Vij, Chief of the Indian Army Staff

Officer who won an MC in Burma and in 1971 led Indian forces to victory over Pakistan.

Manekshaw [right] at a parade in 2004 with General NC Vij,
Chief of the Indian Army Staff