TRAIN ROBBERY

TRAIN ROBBERY Train robbery is too common to be described. Almost daily we read about it. But this is very tragic because she was going to Delhi , to receive President’s award on teachers’ day tomorrow! Rekha Saxena , Principal , Central School , Delhi. was coming to Delhi , along with her brother . At Mathura railway station, a tea vender entered their compartment and sprayed something , which made them unconscious. He took away her purse. I have no words to convey my anguish!

MODI ON PROBATION

MODI ON PROBATION The RSS ideologues have given one and half years to Modi ; if he fails to regain the confidence of the people, he may be asked to mend his ways or …? They are against his policy on land and also on labour . The right of workers , for which there was a hartal , on second of this month , may have to be protected. But , soon the results of the elections to Bihar assembly , due in October , will be known. The Patel revolution is bound to have tremendous effect on his populariry. Modi’s stars are descending.

ADMINISTRATIVE SET UP IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY

ADMINISTRATIVE SET UP IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY By AD 1800 , THE WHOLE OF CONTINENTAL INDIA HAD COME UNDER British sway. In the South , there were many Princely States , as they were called , but the land under Tippu Sultan came under their control , after the defeat of the sultan. After the failure of the Sipoy Mutiny , the Crown decided to stop direct annexation and sought the support of the local Kings , with the Resident Englishman controlling the rulers . The Punjab and Sind were one province ; the rest of North India another province called Bihar . In the south , Bombay and Gujarat was one province . Andhra , Madras , Mysore and Malabar of Kerala became one province. The provinces were under the control of Collectors , who were Englishmen . The administration was impartial and free from corruption . People were happy. The whole of south Asia , including Burma and Ceylon was under a single control of the Viceroy whose Headquarter was at Calcutta. This is because the first piece of land they got was in Bengal , after the Plassy war . The Capital was shifted to Delhi only recently in 1911. For the Viceroy , an imposing palace was constructed in waste land called New Delhi , the populated area being the old Delhi where the Mughal Palace stood. In 1936 the Government of India Act came and Burma and Ceylon were separated. The work in Government offices was in English and so they established the first school in what is now the Delhi school. Similar schools and colleges were eastablished in Bombay , Calcutta and Madras. In the south in Keralam Christians were prominent in bringing education to the masses. The British set up the postal system and telephone connections in British ruled Provinces. In 1853 the first train with engine running on steam power , with wood as fuel for heating the boiler , ran from Bombay to Kalyan. The project was financed by private British companies. People who watched it wondered-is it possible to lay iron rails throughout India? There were a few companies: Northern railway, North eastern railway , Bombay Baroda Central Indian Railway and South Indian Railway. They built the lines only in British territory. If a Princely state wanted it , it should pay the cost. To save money , they built metre gauge lines. Though it was a private enterprise , the Government insisted that certain items like salt and fodder must be carried at low price. There were three classes for passengers . First class for the white man , second class for Anglo Indians (children of white men in Indian women , mostly railway workers.) and third class for Indians . There was no ban for Indians to travel in first class. It was also decided that the accounts should be audited by the Controller and Auditor General of India. My first job was in this department . Our peons wore Government uniform with red turban and brass buttons and a cross belt. There is a joke that vegetable venders did not demand money from the peons thinking that they have powers of a police man! Revenue There was no income tax. It was decided to a lot land to the citizens and recover revenue , to meet administrative expenses . So the Surveyor General of India began to measure the land , using chains . Twenty two chains make one furlong , eight furlongs make one mile . These terms became redundant when the metric system came. In all land records the survey number is given for identification. It is said that the village patwari approached my ancestor and pleaded and persuaded him to take the paddy field in front of his house , free of cost. There is no previous adhar for our land! Princely States The states were free to rule , without interference by the British Resident . In Cochin State , where I was born , anchal (post office) system to carry letters from one office to another. These men used to run to the nearest post office. They were called anchalottakar (post runners). Te postal stamps were also different . Our State people were least taxed. The kings were austere in their dress and habits . It is said that there was only four annas (one fourth of a rupee) in the treasury ,when Divan Sankara Warriar took over charge! Corruption was unknown! There is a story that , after the merger of Cochin State with Travancore , my uncle , who worked as teacher, was surprised to see an unknown person with a basket full of costly fruits at his door. “Who are you? What is this?” He had come to plead for his daughter who had appeared in the tenth examination. My uncle (who was valueing the papers) literally drove him away. “Never come here again ; take away this basket ”, he shouted ! (to continue)

HISTORY-INDIA UNDEFENDED

HISTORY-INDIA UNDEFENDED A foreigner who studies our history, will be surprised to observe that this country never tried to defend itself. The Himalayas guard our northern border like a formidable fort; the seas protect the peninsular half . If it was England , we would never have been enslaved. Our failure is that we never felt we are one. There were a number of small kingdoms , always at war with the neighbours. When the French attacked Pondicherrry , others did not come to the help. Were they happy that it served them well? Baber was approached by disgruntled Rajputs , to invade India. He was reluctant but was persuaded to come to India. The fact is that it was the British East India Company that united various Principalities into a single Nation. In this sense , they are the father of the nation, not Mahatma Gandhi! When they departed from the scene , India was again divided into three different entities. Now we are busy fighting against Pakistan. Is it a curse? The real enemy is Nepal. The boundary between the two nations is a vast , thick forest , with hills and valleys which can never be guarded. It is a paradise for smugglers , Maoists and carriers of narcotics. The Central Government knows this but is helpless. Like the invasion of Sikim by Morarji Desai, can Narendra Modi cobble Nepal? The people will be happy . Even for salt , they look to India. Even as I write this , dozens of Nepalis have died there , demonstrating against their government. Before the revolution , the Kings of Nepal used to be blood relations of Indian Kings and ironically , it is the only Hindu Kingdom in the world. So the closeness is as near as that of Kashmir. More over , there are no Muslims here. (to continue)

KERALITES ARE CRAZY ABOUT DRAMA

KERALITES ARE CRAZY ABOUT DRAMA There are any number of troupes staging drama ; most village libraries have their own dramatists , including script writers. There are professionals famous throughout Keralam. KPCC is one of them . Their play “ningalenne kammunistaki’ (you made me a communist) became so famous that its leading star is still known as KPAC Lalita!a . The songs composed by one who never learned music were on the lips of all. The play was instrumental in spreading the message of communism in Keralam. I like Hindi music more than Malayalam tunes ; but the songs of this play is a thrill even now. There are drama festivals just like film festivals. Rarely did I see a drama , but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I like films . My wife and sister-in-law too share this mania . Now the TV has punched a hole in the film industry . Now the number of those who go to a theatre is much less. People watch the CD at home . There are houses where pornographic films are exhibited for earning money.

LOOKING BACK-AD1800

LOOKING BACK-AD 1800 If you could fly over India two hundred years ago , you will find a huge forest , extending from the North to the South. In the Times of India hundred years ago ( a column in the front page ), a letter shows that Coimbatore town was attacked by wild animals ! Even in my childhood , leopards used to kill cows from houses in Wadakancherry mother used to say. Her grandfather’s house was there. Even today peacocks abound there . At that time only a few cities were there . All the rest was forest. There were no railways or roads . People used to trudge along paths through the forest, even as they do in Wynad where many die by attacks of elephants. There were no bridges for rivers . Country boats ferried people across the rivers . At home we had several canoes made of mango tree , which float in water. (now , not a single canoe is there . ) The bullock cart was the universal carrier of goods . It is made of wooden chassis supported on wooden wheels with iron rims . It is made by local people. In the North , bullocks are used ; in the South , I have heard of caravans of carts drawn by buffalos. The driver may even go to sleep , but the animals know the way from Coimbatore to Trichur and never make a mistake. For ladies and old men there are carts with roofs and sides covered with bamboo skins. I have seen them in my childhood. When my father was bitten by a snake , he was taken to Trichur in such a cart. (I have described it in my earlier blog-Pages from my life) Irrigation was by using bullocks which draw a big drum , full of water , attached to the their neck by a strong rope , moving over an iron pulley. The animals move along slope , so they can get mechanical advantage. For small areas , a wooden bucket is drawn by a man. It is balanced over the pulley by attaching mud filled in a cage. Metallurgy India was famous for bronze lamps and cooking vessels . Our men developed metallurgy much before Europeans . Moradabad is famous for lamps . In Keralam , people knew how to make polished mirrors with bronze. Coins Obviously , there were no currency notes . Foreigners , including East India Company , paid gold coins for our goods. India was the richest country in the world . Mecaulley , who introduced English education in this country , says he could not see a single beggar in this land. Education Temples were the community centres where the upper caste people learned Samskrutham , astronomy , medicine and yoga. As the language was not spoken in india , Knowledge remained confined to the upper castes , mostly Brahmanas. There were no electricity or telephones. People lived in clusters of houses , protected by mud or stone boundaries. Each village was governed by a council of elders , sitting under a tree. This continues even today in the North . All houses had thatched roofs except the temples and mosques . Temples were made of granite or rubble . Taj Mahal is made of mud with facing marble slabs. In the South , granite is the only material , cut into squares and placed one over the other. People in the north wore long dhothis and shirts or blouses and wide skirts , all made in handlooms as cottage industry. In the South , even women were naked above the waists. (When the Raja of Travencore ordered that women should wear blouses , there were protests by them. Taylors did not even know how a blouse is made.) Simple pits with cross planks , were the latrines even in my childhood (to continue )

LOOKING BACK-AD1800

LOOKING BACK-AD 1800 If you could fly over India two hundred years ago , you will find a huge forest , extending from the North to the South. In the Times of India hundred years ago ( a column in the front page ), a letter shows that Coimbatore town was attacked by wild animals ! Even in my childhood , leopards used to kill cows from houses in Wadakancherry mother used to say. Her grandfather’s house was there. Even today peacocks abound there . At that time only a few cities were there . All the rest was forest. There were no railways or roads . People used to trudge along paths through the forest, even as they do in Wynad where many die by attacks of elephants. There were no bridges for rivers . Country boats ferried people across the rivers . At home we had several canoes made of mango tree , which float in water. (now , not a single canoe is there . ) The bullock cart was the universal carrier of goods . It is made of wooden chassis supported on wooden wheels with iron rims . It is made by local people. In the North , bullocks are used ; in the South , I have heard of caravans of carts drawn by buffalos. The driver may even go to sleep , but the animals know the way from Coimbatore to Trichur and never make a mistake. For ladies and old men there are carts with roofs and sides covered with bamboo skins. I have seen them in my childhood. When my father was bitten by a snake , he was taken to Trichur in such a cart. (I have described it in my earlier blog-Pages from my life) Irrigation was by using bullocks which draw a big drum , full of water , attached to the their neck by a strong rope , moving over an iron pulley. The animals move along slope , so they can get mechanical advantage. For small areas , a wooden bucket is drawn by a man. It is balanced over the pulley by attaching mud filled in a cage. Metallurgy India was famous for bronze lamps and cooking vessels . Our men developed metallurgy much before Europeans . Moradabad is famous for lamps . In Keralam , people knew how to make polished mirrors with bronze. Coins Obviously , there were no currency notes . Foreigners , including East India Company , paid gold coins for our goods. India was the richest country in the world . Mecaulley , who introduced English education in this country , says he could not see a single beggar in this land. Education Temples were the community centres where the upper caste people learned Samskrutham , astronomy , medicine and yoga. As the language was not spoken in india , Knowledge remained confined to the upper castes , mostly Brahmanas. There were no electricity or telephones. People lived in clusters of houses , protected by mud or stone boundaries. Each village was governed by a council of elders , sitting under a tree. This continues even today in the North . All houses had thatched roofs except the temples and mosques . Temples were made of granite or rubble . Taj Mahal is made of mud with facing marble slabs. In the South , granite is the only material , cut into squares and placed one over the other. People in the north wore long dhothis and shirts or blouses and wide skirts , all made in handlooms as cottage industry. In the South , even women were naked above the waists. (When the Raja of Travencore ordered that women should wear blouses , there were protests by them. Taylors did not even know how a blouse is made.) Simple pits with cross planks , were the latrines even in my childhood (to continue )