Shrove Tuesday

What is it?

Shrove Tuesday (also known as Pancake Tuesday or Pancake day) is the last day before the fasting period of Lent and is celebrated by Christians and others alike by consuming lots of pancakes. Shrove Tuesday comes from the word shrive, meaning absolve and is observed by many Christians who traditionally give something up for Lent and think about their walk with God and what amends need to be made. Chocolate is a usual favourite to give up during Lent, which then leads to a huge chocolate fest at Easter!

When is it?

This moveable event is determined by Easter. It is the seventh week before Easter each year and is the day in February or March immediately preceding Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent). In 2017 this falls on Tuesday 28th February. 

History

It’s centuries old and used to last a week before Lent but the custom of eating pancakes on Shrove Tuesday dates back to the 16th century. Christians repent of their sins in preparation for Lent. Some parish church ring their bells, known as the shriving bell, to call people to confess their sins.

Pancakes are a way to use up rich foods such as eggs (symbolising creation), milk (symbolising purity), and sugar, before the fasting season of the 40 days of Lent.  Fasting emphasises eating plainer food and refraining from food that would give pleasure (such as chocolate and meat). 

Pancake Races

Pancake races are common and usually organised by community groups or pubs. People race through the streets tossing pancakes into the air and catching them in the frying pan while running. There are usually rules about how many times the pancake has to be flipped or having to stop and pick up a dropped pancake. Fancy dress is also a common feature of these races, particularly men dressing up as women (but maybe that’s just the ones I’ve attended!).

Every year in London the Rehab Parliamentary Pancake Race takes place on Shrove Tuesday.  Teams from the House of Commons race against the House of Lords and the Press. They compete for the title of Parliamentary Pancake Race Champions in a fun relay race. 

Shrovetide Football

Also known as mob football. It’s crazy and it’s pretty difficult to keep up with which team is winning. It’s a community event dating back to the 17th century. The practice mostly died out in the 19th century after the passing of the Highway Act 1835 which banned playing football on public highways. A number of towns have maintained the tradition including Ashbourne in Derbyshire (called the Royal Shrovetide Football), near to where we live in the U.K. Pretty much everyone steers clear of the town unless you are taking part. Traffic is stopped and pubs are full from early morning as participants ready themselves for the brutal battle ahead. Shops board up for the two days to avoid damage.

The game is played over two days on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday from 2pm to 10pm. The game is started by the ball being thrown in by a local celebrity or visiting dignitary. In 2003, HRH The Prince of Wales started the game. If the ball is gaoled before 5:30pm the game is restarted from the town centre. The ball is usually carried, like in rugby, although kicking and throwing are also permitted. The ball carrier is usually in the centre of a huge scrum of people and manoeuvred to their own goal. The goals are 3 miles apart. The goal scorer has to tapped three times on the goal area and then is is carried on the shoulders of their team to the courtyard of The Green Man Royal Hotel. The two teams are called the Up’Ards and Down’Ards depending on which side of the river you live. The rules are pretty thin on the ground so practically anything goes. You can’t kill someone (that’s an actual rule!), you can’t carry it in a car or similar and sacred grounds (churches, graveyards etc) are strictly out of bounds. Play after 10pm is also forbidden.

It’s a huge local event which is covered in the local TV news and papers. Participants are usually easy to recognise after the event as they are battered, bruised, crushed and generally hungover!

Pancake Day

We’ve had fun frying pancakes, tossing them and eating them. I enjoy mine with the traditional lemon and sugar. Zahra likes Nutella on hers. Rez likes ice cream and jam with his. 

Whatever you do, wherever you are, enjoy your pancakes. 

Mahashrivarati

When is it?

It is an Hindu festival celebrated during the Hindu month of Phalgun which marks the end of the winter season on the first full moon day of the lunar month, which usually falls in the later part of February or March. It is on Friday 24th February in 2017.

What is it?

It is an Hindu festival celebrating the Hindu god, lord Shiva, known as the great destroyer of the universe. On this day he and his wife Parvati are worshipped by young girls and some men in the hope of getting a perfect mate for themselves; because this is the day Shiva and Parvati were married.The Maha Shrivarti festival marks the convergence of Shiva and Shakti (which means ‘power’ or ’empowerment’ and represents the dynamic forces that are thought to move through the entire universe).

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How is it celebrated?

The festival is mainly celebrated by offering Bael leaves to Shiva together will all day fasting and an all night vigil called jagaran. All through the day devotees will change “Om Namah Shiva” being the mantra of Shiva. Penances are performed in order to gain ‘boons’ in the practice of yoga or meditation in order to reach life’s highest good steadily and swiftly. The positioning of the planets is also supposed to raise ones spiritual energy more easily and the ‘powerful’ ancient Sanskrit mantras are supposed to increase greatly on this night. The ideal time to observe Shiva Pooja (prayers) is at Nishita Kala which a complicated calculation of time but is usually within an hour each side of midnight. Nishita kala is the time Shiva appeared on earth in the form of a linga. On this day all Shiva temples the most auspicious lingodbhava puja is performed.

Mahashrivaratri in Southern India.

It is celebrated widely in the temples all over Karnataka. Shiva is considered to be the Adi ( first) Guru from which the yogic tradition originates. According to tradition, the planetary positions on this night create a powerful natural upsurge in energy in the body. It is believed to be beneficial for spiritual and physical well being to stay awake throughout the night. 

The Dwadasha Jyothirlinga Temple will be kept open from 6am on Friday 24th February till 6am on Saturday 25th February. During that time several rituals related to the festival will be performed on the temple premises.

The Impu Sangeetha Samsthe, a non profit organisation which promotes music, has organised a musical marathon in Bugle Rock Park in Basavanagudi. Professional singers will will perform Kannada film devotional songs continuously from 9am on Friday 24th to 1am on Saturday 25th (16 hours) without any breaks. They are hoping to raise funds for Aparna Seva Samsthe which provides free dialysis for the poor.

In Bangalore hundreds of extra buses are being laid on for the festival… ensuring more traffic jams here. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (‘BBMP’) issued a notice on 21st February banning the sale of any kind of meat in the city on 24th February. The civic body has also banned the slaughtering of any animals on the day of the festival in the city.

The mythology 

A hunter having failed to find any prey in the forest climbed a bel tree towards the evening to spend the night there. Whilst drinking some water he dropped some on the shiva lingam hidden beneath some bushes at the bottom of the tree. A doe came to the spring to drink water and the hunter too his aim but seeing the mutual love for each other in the doe’s family he let them all go unharmed. In the morning lord Shiva appeared before the hunter and blessed him, saying that when he had sprinkled water on the shiva linga and thrown bel leaves on it he had unwittingly worshipped lord Shiva. As a consequence lord Shiva bestowed wealth and prosperity on him. From that day the shiva lingam is worshipped on the day which has become known as Maha Shrivrati.

Legends

This is the favourite day of lord Shiva as he married Shakti, and his greatness and supremacy over all other Hindu gods is highlighted. It also celebrates the night when he performed the cosmic dance named ‘Tandava’. The Tandava is a vigorous dance believed to be the source of the cycle of creation, preservation and dissolution. 
On this day Shiva also saved the world from the disasterous effects of poison from the tumultuous sea by consuming it all. Shiva stopped the poison in his throat using his yogic powers but his neck turned blue due to the effects and is known as the ‘blue throated’ as a consequence.

Interesting fact

The Tripundra refers to the three horizontal stripes of ash , and sometimes a dot, applied to the forehead of Shiva worshippers. These stripes symbolise spiritual knowledge, purity (or will) and penance (spiritual practice of Yoga) (or action). They also represent the three eyes of Shiva. It is a reminder of the spiritual aims of life, the truth that the body and material things shall become ash at some point and that self realisation and knowledge is a worthy goal.

Aero India 2017

What is it? 

Aero India is India’s biennial international airshow and defence exhibition. 50 countries and hundreds of companies attend as well as thousands of visitors to watch the acrobatic displays of the jets.

When and where is it?

Tuesday 14th February to Saturday 18th February at the Yelahanka Air Force Station. It is 7km, less than 5 miles, from our house. The airshow times are 10am to 12 noon and 2pm to 4pm. It is far too hot for spectators to be out in full sun between noon and 2pm…but we were and we felt it!

Preparations

Jets have been arriving over the last few weeks and practice displays started around 4th February. The action increases in the afternoons with many displays being practised over the final weekend before the show commenced. The final full day of practice was Sunday 12th February. Many locals have been watching from the bunds at the edge of the airfield in the searing 37C heat. School children have been watching from their classrooms and playing fields as the flight path goes directly over them. (This would not be allowed in the U.K. in case of any accidents).

The sale of meat has been banned in the whole area for a week before the airshow. This is to ensure that the incorrect disposal of meat doesn’t attract birds which may cause a bird strike to a jet and cause an accident.

The roads around the airforce base have been quickly resurfaced and some rubbish has been cleared away. The perimeter wall has been painted white in the final run up to the show. A temporary elaborate entrance has been erected and roads have been replanned.

MOD advert in the Hindu newspaper on the first day of the airshow

The Air Show

The first day was quiet. Having heard many jets flying low practising over the previous week I had expected deafening noise on day one, but this was not to be. Apparently the helicopters took to the skies and displayed. There were many spectators on the bunds at the edge of the airfield watching. It turned out that many people who had bought tickets for the event had been denied access and tickets cancelled without notice. 

Spectators outside the airfield

Saturday 18th February – the journey

4 hours sat in traffic for a journey that would normally take 10 minutes. Two wheelers took to the pavements to get through. The airport flyover was closed to all but VIPs causing a traffic jam. Police had no idea where cars where supposed to go or where to collect tickets. We were given instructions to go to Gate 2. At Gate 2 we were surrounded by at least 8 police men banging in the car and telling us to move on- but to where? We pulled over further down and asked and were directed to Gate 5. That would mean a U turn and be stuck in traffic again. This was the actually traffic management plan. Whilst stuck in traffic our driver asked the people in the car next to us – only then did we get correct information. Park the car at Gate 5, collect tickets and enter via gate 2.

The field was massive and no one was controlling the parking. Whilst Rez joined the massive queue to collect tickets we joined the even bigger circular queue to get the bus to Gate 2. Some people tried to merge the queues just as we neared the buses but the police were quick to intervene with their batons separating the queues back out. As it turned out just as we got to the front of the queue for the bus Rez had just collected the tickets. Perfect timing.

The massive queue for the bus

A short bus journey later we disembarked and walked into the base. After being crushed and pushed through various queues and scanners and checks we finally made it into the exhibition area and joined another queue for the ladies loos. Two toilets (filthy and flooded) for the whole exhibition area. We stood in the searing temperatures and waited and waited. Finally we were able to use the filthy floooded facilities – out of desperation.

Static display areas

Lots of planes on display and lots of companies in the buildings. There were some impressive jets and planes.

Ice cream sellers and sweetcorn sellers but no real food available. Only coke or water available and no shade. We later discovered there were food tents back near the entrance to the exhibition area – but there was no signage anywhere to indicate that.

The displays

The displays were of course excellent. The jets are always very impressive as are the synchronised display teams. There were even wing walkers doing a synchronised display which was particularly impressive. The very low flying is something we don’t get to see in the UK either.

Aero India 2018?

There are rumours that the air show will be held in Goa in future so that may well have been the last air show in Bangalore. The traffic management won’t assist in their bid to hold it again in Bangalore. Only time will tell what will happen in the future. We certainly won’t be able to experience it again in any event.

Neralu Festival

What is it?

Neralu (meaning “shade” in Kannada) is an annual crowd funded, citizen initiated, tree festival in its third year in Bangalore. Entry is free to all.

When is it?

It takes place when most of the trees are in full leaf or bloom. In 2017 the festival is taking place on 18th and 19th February.

Where is it?

All over Bangalore but the centre of activities in Cubbon Park where a festival of stories takes place and NGMA campus on Palace Road.

What happens?

There is story telling, art installations, walks, talks,games, music, street play, dance performances and drawing all designed to explore the trees in the city. The event begins with walks led by botanists, naturalists and tree experts to introduce people to trees throughout Bangalore. This is followed by talks, workshops and performances all day long on 19th February.

More details

Www.neralu.in or Facebook.com/neralufestival

Jallikatu- the taming of the bull

What is it?
Jallikatu is a traditional part of the Pongal (harvest festival) celebrations each year in Tamil Nadu. It is a bull taming event which is supposed to preserve the indigenous breeds of cattle such as the Jellicut. The untamed bull is used for breeding. The event can be traced as far back as 400-100BC.

What’s the issue?

It’s been banned since 2014. This was seen as an assault on the culture and pride of the Tamil Nadu people. Protests began just after Pongal when clearly the Tamil Nadu people were fed up of not being able to hold a traditional event.

Legalities

In 2013 the Animal Welfare Board of India watched Jallikatu events looking at the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act to ensure it wasn’t violated.  It has been banned since 7th May 2014 when the Supreme Court decided to uphold the the notification issued by the Ministry of Environment in 2011 to add bulls to the list of animals whose training and exhibition is prohibited. In 2015 the government issued an executive notification that granted exemptions from restrictions on the use of bulls as performing animals in traditional sports.

In late 2016, after a meeting with the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Prime Minister Modi  tweeted that he would be supportive of the the Tamil Nadu government  who had the power to treat Jallikatu as a traditional sport. Whilst doing so the Tamil Nadu state government would have to ensure there was no cruelty to the bulls during this event.

The state legislature subsequently passed legislation on Monday 23rd January in a special assembly to make Jallikatu legal again.

As at Wednesday 25th January the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Bill 2017 had been passed by the Assembly and was with the President to evaluate if it contradicted with the Constitution of India. The Supreme Court held a hearing of the challenges against the new law on 31st January. As a consequence of of the law passed by the Tamil Nadu state assembly, an interim application was made by the Attorney General to withdraw its notification from January last year which would bring bulls back into the category of performing animals under the 1960 Act.

On Tuesday 31st January the President assented to the amendments to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960 to allow Jallikatu. The Supreme Court also refused to stay the new state law as petitioned for by some pressure groups; The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Tamil Nadu Amendment) Act 2017 is for the preservation of a variety of bulls as well as culture.

Protests

Thousands of peaceful protesters gathered on Chennai’s Marina on 16th January in a spontaneous protest demanding that the Tamil Nadu government and the Indian government allow Jallikatu. A bandh was declared on 20th January and everything shut down in support of the protests. Some schools and colleges also closed as a result. Tamil Nadu culture and  identity is felt by the protestors to be under threat. The protests gathered pace from a social media protest to an actual protest. It appears to be leaderless as a result. The protestors were initially mainly students but as families joined the protests the solidarity of the people of Tamil Nadu became apparent.  Speakers appeared talking about Tamil Nadu race, identity, culture and jallikatu. Volunteers distributed food and water in the searing heat. Newspapers reported that anti establishment slogans were shouted and there was anger directed at the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and the Prime Minister of India.

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) was a target on social media. PETA has stated that the bulls used in Jallikatu are subjected to cruelty and are tortured both physically and mentally. They concluded that the sport was a direct contravention of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. 

It was all peaceful until the protestors stood their ground, even after the practical solution was found, and the police resorted to violence. As a consequence violence broke out across the Tamil Nadu state. The Hindu newspaper even reported that some police “not only used excessive force but also tried to match the rioters in lawlessness by attacking two -wheelers and setting fire to auto rickshaws”. The state government was slow to react and treated the protests as a breakdown of law and order. 

(This  is something that resonates with the UK. The police used to march alongside protestors ensuring the peace was kept; now they turn up in riot gear and “kettle” peaceful protestors and thus ensure violence. It is disturbing that democracies treat their people this way.)

By Tuesday 24th January the police, with the assistance of a retired judge and a group of lawyers, spent hours convincing the remaining 300 protestors to leave. They eventually agreed to do so after the police confirmed they would not be classified as “anti nationals” or labelled as extremists. The marina beach in Chennai was clear for the Republic Day celebrations on Thursday 26th January.

Jallikatu 

The current form of Jallikatu appears to be the bull running wild whilst many young men try and grab and hold on to the hump or the tail.Traditionally it was one man against one bull. It is a key event in Pongal and Tamils claim it is essential to preserving the idigenous bull species (the cost of modern veterinary practices is prohibitively expensive). It is a rural way of life and part of the Tamil identity – it is a historical and cultural practice. 

On Sunday 22nd January a bull tamer and a spectator were gored to death by bulls and 129 spectators injured in a Jallikatu event in Raapusal Village in Pudukottai. On Thursday 26th January a Jallikatu was held in a village in Ariyalur despite being refused permission due to “improper safety arrangements”. 80 people were injured.  On Sunday 29th January (the last Sunday of January) another Jallikatu event was held in Karungulam village, as part of the Anthoniyar Pongal festival. This was the first officially permitted event which was heavily monitored but still 35 people were injured in the seven hour long event with 400 bulls participating.

The rules are strict and the bulls as well as the tamers have to undergo testing the day before as well as the day of an event.They are checked for alcohol consumption, injuries and age. Bulls should be between 3-7 years old and tamers should be at least 18 years old and weigh at least 50kgs (7.8stone). Any bulls with sharpened horns are blunted and any ground glass on the body of the bull is removed. In fact all decorations on the bull are now banned and tamers have to wear uniforms. Owners are given only 90 seconds to release their bull and a tamer has to hold on for 20m. Prizes include gold coins, cash and consumer goods.

Hori Habba and Kambala

The massive campaign for Jallikattu and a similar campaign for Kambala (a traditional folk sport of a buffalo race in coastal Karnataka) has provoked similar campaigning in Shivamogga for Hori Habba – another “bull taming” event where participants attempt to catch the bull. Demands that the ban be lifted on Hori Habba were made on Monday (23rd January). The district administration in Shivamogga took the unilateral decision to ban the event under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals rule. 

The Karnataka government has decided to table a bill to legalise Kambala and bullock racing. The Titled Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Karnataka Amendment) Bill 2017 was tabled on 10th February and seeks to ensure that no unnecessary pain or suffering comes to the animals.

Kambala is a sport which is linked to the social and religious sentiments of the locals. There is also a proposal to amend the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act to allow bullock cart racing , again a traditional sport in rural Karnataka. Bunt Sangha president Chandrahasa Rai organised a buffalo race Karbalain Freedom Park in Bangalore as it is a traditional sport of Tulunadu and bovines are not ill treated during the sport he says. 

On Saturday 28th January 2017 hundreds of people marched with 300 buffaloes in Moodbidri demanding the lift of the Kambala ban. They did not race, respecting the court order. Kamabala being slightly different than Jallikatu has not ever had any fatalities (people or buffaloes) in its history. In Kambala the buffaloes race along a 130m -150m slush track and tests the skills of the handler and the age of the buffaloes. Kambala are organised in weekends from the end of November and continue for 4 months. It is a very lucrative sport for handlers who receive about 5,000 INR (£60) per race. The money is needed as it costs about 700 INR a day for the upkeep of the buffaloes during race season. They are pampered pets with a special diet, oil massages and special bathing pools for them.  The Dakshina Kannada buffaloes could be elevated to breed status by the National Bureau of Animal Genetics, giving access to funds for research and development of the buffaloes.

The Future

These issues are still not resolved and are likely to rumble on until decisions are finally made. The balance between keeping traditional  and historical cultural events can be maintained whilst ensuring the safety and welfare of the animals partaking in them. There has to be a meeting of minds and possibly concessions on both sides so that important cultural traditions are not lost forever, but animals that are part of these traditions are also protected.

The 205th Lalbagh Flower Show

The Lalbagh Flower Show is an annual event held in January each year around Republic Day (26th January). We missed it last year as we simply weren’t aware of it. As a consequence I was determined to get there this year, despite the warnings of huge crowds. We arrived early at 10:30am (it opened at 10am) and it was already very busy. By the time we left just after midday it was heaving with people. The newspapers subsequently reported that there were 105,000 visitors on Republic Day. That doesn’t surprise me.

Beautiful Bengaluru

Beautiful Bengaluru is a campaign to motivate school children and volunteers to keep Bangalore free from rubbish. That’s no mean feat. The city is littered with rubbish. (See what I did there!). Representatives from the campaign were at the entrance to Lalbagh to highlight the issue and to educate visitors. Vendors on site (and there were plenty of them) had to use eco friendly plates (leaves) and bags(cloth). Unfortunately whilst most of Lalbagh had been kept free of litter, there were pockets of rubbish left on the less well trodden paths. There were plenty of people employed to clean up – but they only cleaned up litter on the busy paths or main routes round Lalbagh. I couldn’t help thinking that if they couldn’t event get one hard clean after such a high profile campaign and effort, what hope did they have for the rest of Bangalore? It was successful though as they seized 100kg of prohibited plastic products and collected fines totalling INR25,000 from those littering during the ten days.

Flower Gol Gumbaz

Gol Gumbaz is the mausoleum of Mohammed Adil Shah, Sultan of Bijapur. The tomb, located in Bijapur, Karnataka was completed in 1656 by the architect Yaqut of Dabul. The flower version at the Lalbagh glass house was a stunning spectacle. (I thought it was the Taj Mahal though.) 

Crowd control

The crowds in the glass house were being controlled  by police and we had to walk through a metal detector to get in (after we had already been through one to get into the park itself). The crowd control was minimal at best. It was rammed and quite claustrophobic. Police were blowing whistles and using sticks to usher people along and encouraging them not to take so many flipping selfies! We shuffled our way through, being pushed and squeezed and, in Zahra’s case, grabbed too. The flower show attracts a lot of people and some of them are from the villages outside of Bangalore.  A lot of villagers have never seen white people before. As a consequence Zahra was pinched and squeezed on her face and ears. It’s supposed to be a sign of affection but they do not ask, they squeeze and pinch hard and frankly I don’t want to think about how clean their hands aren’t. It got a bit too much for Zahra when two young men grabbed her and pinched her ears hard. Rez had a word. That word got quite vocal. The police intervened and sent the men on their way after ticking them off. An unpleasant experience but we didn’t let it dampen our spirits.

The Talipot Palms

These are commonly known as century or fanpalms and are about 30m tall. They are a threatened species but Lalbagh has 12 of them on site. This year three of them have come into Flower, just in time for the show, how very obliging of them! They’re about 30m tall and they flower once in every 60-80 years and I don’t know what the odds are of three of them flowering at once.  After flowering they will produce a “marble like fruit” and in less than a year the palms start drying up.

Recycling

Now the flower show has come to an end, all the flowers, all 500,000 of them, will be composted back into the soil. The 48 tonnes of organic waste will be composted within Lalbagh gardens itself.

Photos

Thousands gather on the hill temple

Topiary elephant

Topiary garden

A little late finishing!

Close up of the side of the Gol Gumbaz

Crowds in the glass house

The living wall

Dad and daughter at the flower Gol Gumbaz

The highlight of the show – the flower Gol Gumbaz

Buckets of flowers

Zahra and the tunnel of hearts (just after it started drizzling)

The flowering peacock

A rural village scene

The History and Architecture of Bangalore

‘The History and Architecture of Bangalore’ was the title of the speaker meeting organised by the Overseas Women’s Club (‘OWC’) of Bangalore. The meeting was held on Tuesday 23rd January at the beautiful Shangri La Hotel in the Caprese Restaurant on the 18th floor (which has stunning views across Bangalore Palace grounds). I went along because frankly I was fascinated to hear more about the city we have lived in for over a year. There are some stunning examples of architecture but some are very poorly maintained (if at all) and the rubbish and filth everywhere detracts from these wonderful places. I wondered how he was going to present this city of huge contrasts.

The Speaker

The speaker for this meeting was Chandra Mouli who was born and raised in Bangalore. He has a printing and publishing business as well as an outward bound events and training company. He has many interests outside of work and is a graphologist and a Pranic Healer (energy medicine which uses the life force to balance, harmonise and transform the body’s energy processes).

The Talk

The title of his talk was ‘Bangalored’. Something which I would have known if I hadn’t been ‘Bangalored’ myself on the way there, getting stuck in horrendous morning traffic for a couple of hours and being late. As it turned out, that didn’t matter too much. Mr Mouli found himself ‘Bangalored’ when his carefully prepared slideshow of Bangalore’s architecture refused to cooperate. Everyone was having a late start that morning. 

He commenced his talk without visual aids and it did not detract from the fascinating facts and an encyclopaedic knowledge of Bangalore that he shared with us. Some of his knowledge is from personal experience which has been added to over his lifetime of living in Bangalore and researching its history.

Some Fascinating Facts

I could not possibly list all the details of all the knowledge imparted to us that morning but I am able to share a few nuggets for you to enjoy.

• Brigade Road was the first one way street in India – made one way to stop accidents with drunks staggering in the road!
• Residency Road saw the first wood fired pizzas in Bangalore and the whole of India when in 1940 Mrs Decosta (who was married to an Italian) started a pizzeria and Italian guest house. She continued for 29 years until 1969.
• In 1857 UB City’s United Breweries started brewing their own beer (for the British) for the first time in Bangalore and the whole of India. Previously the Brits had to wait 6 months for their beer as it was exported by ship to Mumbai and then transported to Bangalore. 
• St Joseph’s school is opposite UB City – blatantly flaunting the law which now states that alcohol and cigarettes cannot be sold within within 100 yards of school. St Joseph’s is a Victorian building and used to be a torture house for prisoners which also had a guillotine opposite. Rather than destroying a beautiful building the decision was made to use it for good in the future and it became a school.
• Bangalore was the first city to introduce a toll gate in Yelahanka. People coming into the cantonment area had to pay a small fee.
• Lavelle Road (connecting Mahatma Gandhi Square and Richmond Circle) was named after Mr Michael Lavelle. Mr Lavelle was  a geologist and soldier who got a whiff that there is gold in Kular (40 mins away from Bangalore) and wanted to buy the land in Kular. Permission was granted in 1874 for the right to mine for 20 years. The Kolar Gold Fields came into being. The anecdote Mr Mouli told us included that permission had to be obtained from HM The Queen and Mr Lavelle snuck into the contract at the end that he could keep whatever he found on or under the land!
• One of the facts that is disputed is that Bangalore became the first city in Asia to have electricity in 1905/6.  (The Bank of Bengal in Kolkata had an electricity supply in 1898). A Global tender was floated in Bangalore in 1905, and won by British, for the building of a hydro electric plant. This is thought to be the first global tender in the world. The hydro electric plant is situated in Shivanasamudra. Power still runs well from this. Mr Lavelle is the person believed to be behind the push for electricity.
• Bangalore had a plague / epidemic in the city in 1898 so the government set up a new area as a planned suberb in Malleshwaram, where Mantri Mall is today. As a consequence many people moved out off the then city centre to this new suberb. The Kadu Malleshwara temple in Malleshwaram is where the area gets its name from.

There were very many more facts and stories that Mr Mouli shared with us over the course of the hour or so. It was a very informative and interesting morning and well worth being stuck in traffic for hours to get there.

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Mr Chandra Mouli in full flow delivering fascinating facts