HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013

WISHING EVERYONE A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013 WITH THIS SPECTACULAR DANCE PROGRAM - "SHADOWLAND":

Video source: YouTube

INSPIRING ENTREPRENEUR

This is the story of Arunachalam Muruganantham - a man who fought against poverty, social taboos and age-old beliefs. A man who persisted in his endeavour to beat the multinationals and break the stranglehold they had on the sanitary napkin industry, so that poor, rural women could also buy and use a reasonably priced hygienically made product, available at an affordable price.


The story of this workshop helper has been found to be inspiring by many. Some people have commented that their faith in humanity was restored after seeing the video clip. This poorly educated man has told his story in broken English in a humorous style of his own to an educated audience and he has held business school graduates spellbound with his grit, determination and above all, a total lack of greed for quick money and a burning desire to serve the poor women of rural India.


His story is given below in the video:

Credits: http://www.inktalks.com/ and YouTube

GENERAL MACARTHUR AND EMPEROR HIROHITO – EVERY INCH A KING !

The surrender of the Empire of Japan on September 2, 1945, brought the hostilities of World War II to a close. General Douglas Macarthur, Supreme Commander of the US forces, presided over the surrender ceremony on board the USS Missouri. He officially accepted Japan's surrender on 2 September 1945, and oversaw the occupation of Japan from 1945 to 1951. As the effective ruler of Japan, he oversaw sweeping economic, political and social changes. 

In his memoirs General Douglas MacArthur wrote about his first meeting with Emperor Hirohito after the end of the Second World War.

Shortly after my arrival in Tokyo, I was urged by members of my staff to summon the Emperor to my headquarters as a show of power. I brushed the suggestions aside. “To do so,” I explained, “would be to outrage the feelings of the Japanese people and make a martyr of the Emperor in their eyes.

No, I shall wait and in time the Emperor will voluntarily come to see me. In this case, the patience of the East rather than the haste of the West will best serve our purpose.”

The Emperor did indeed shortly request an interview. In cutaway, striped trousers, and top hat, riding in his Daimler with the imperial grand chamberlain facing him on the jump seat, Hirohito arrived at the embassy. I had, from the start of the occupation, directed that there should be no derogation in his treatment. Every honor due a sovereign was to be his. I met him cordially, and recalled that I had at one time been received by his father at the close of the Russo-Japanese War. He was nervous and the stress of the past months showed plainly. I dismissed everyone but his own interpreter, and we sat down before an open fire at one end of the long reception hall.

Emperor Hirohito, in formal morning attire, pays precedent-shattering visit to Supreme Commander Douglas MacArthur at headquarters in Tokyo - Image Source: Google Images

I offered him an American cigarette, which he took with thanks. I noticed how his hands shook as I lighted it for him. I tried to make it as easy for him as I could, but I knew how deep and dreadful must be his agony of humiliation. I had an uneasy feeling he might plead his own cause against indictment as a war criminal. There had been considerable outcry from some of the Allies, notably the Russians and the British, to include him in this category. Indeed, the initial list of those proposed by them was headed by the Emperor’s name.

Realizing the tragic consequences that would follow such an unjust action, I had stoutly resisted such efforts. When Washington seemed to be veering toward the British point of view, I had advised that I would need at least one million reinforcements should such action be taken. I believed that if the Emperor were indicted, and perhaps hanged, as a war criminal, military government would have to be instituted throughout all Japan, and guerrilla warfare would probably break out. The Emperor’s name had then been stricken from the list. But of all this he knew nothing.

But my fears were groundless. What he said was this:

“I come to you, General MacArthur, to offer myself to the judgment of the powers you represent as the one to bear sole responsibility for every political and military decision made and action taken by my people in the conduct of war.” A tremendous impression swept me.

This courageous assumption of a responsibility implicit with death, a responsibility clearly belied by facts of which I was fully aware, moved me to the very marrow of my bones. He was an Emperor by inherent birth, but in that instant I knew I faced the First Gentleman of Japan in his own right.

[Source: http://ymarsakar.wordpress.com/2007/08/07/macarthur-and-hirohito-destinies-of-men-and-nations/]

A LITTLE-KNOWN BRAVEHEART – ANNIE CLEMMER FUNK

“I am the Resurrection and the Life, sayeth the Lord; he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die.”

The centenary (1912 – 2012) of the worst maritime disaster in history is being remembered around the world on 14^th/15^th April. On the night of 14^th April, 1912, the giant ocean liner, the Titanic, pride of the Cunard White Star Line and claimed to be ‘unsinkable’ by its builders, went down in the icy waters of the North Atlantic after colliding with an iceberg.

The Titanic Starting on Her Maiden Voyage, 10 April, 1912

Over 1,500 people perished in the disaster and only 750 odd could be rescued  by the Carpathia and other liners and the lifeboats of the Titanic.

April 15, 2012 is the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, just five days after it left Southampton on its maiden voyage to New York.

Not many people are aware that there is at least one Indian connection in the Titanic disaster. As reported in the Times of India dated 14 April, 2012 and other websites, there is a small town called Janjgir-Champa tucked away in a remote corner of Chhatisgarh. It is difficult to believe that such a place could have sent a passenger to England for the luxury liner Titanic.

However, this indeed happened and the passenger was a missionary lady called Annie Clemmer Funk, who had made this town her home. Her name bears an uncanny similarity to Anne Frank of Holland, who also died a tragic death at a young age during World War II. Annie Funk was among the 1,500 souls who perished on board Titanic on April 15, 1912. Annie was on her way to visit her ailing mother in America.  

She served as a missionary in the Central Province (a part of which is today’s Chhatisgarh) of India from 1906 to 1912. After several assignments in the USA, she volunteered to go overseas. We can imagine her courage and the tremendous dedication she showed to her work in selecting such a remote area of India in 1906 without any previous experience of the country or its people. Her belief in the Lord sustained her. A photo of Annie is given below:

Annie arrived in India as a Mennonite missionary in 1906 from America and served in Janjgir-Champa on her mission. In 1908, she opened a one-room school and hostel for poor girls and taught 17 students initially. She also learnt Hindi during her India stay so that she could communicate better with her students. The school was later renamed as Annie C. Funk Memorial School.

Not much is left of Annie's school with only outer walls surviving the wreckage of time but her story is a legend in Janjgir-Champa. All that is left of Annie's time here is a small plaque that describes her brief but extraordinary life and her tragic death on board the liner.

 Her work at Janjgir Champa was interrupted one day by a telegram, which urged her to come home to as soon as possible, and that her passage was paid. She was not told that her mother was close to death. From Janjgir-Champa, Annie reached Mumbai via rail and boarded a ship for England. She was to take the 'SS Haverford' from Southampton for America but the ship was laid off because of a strike by coal labourers.

She was guided to another ship - a new one called the Titanic. Some were saying this was a modern marvel that "God, himself couldn't sink." Though it cost more, Annie was assured that passage on the Titanic would get her home in record time. She boarded as a second class passenger after paying ₤13. The ship sailed from Southampton on the 10^th April, 1912. It is reported that she celebrated her 38^th birthday on the 12^th with her co-passengers.

On the 14^th April, near midnight, the ship struck an iceberg, in spite of repeated warnings. The "unsinkable" dream ship began to sink into the icy waters of the North Atlantic Ocean, about 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland.  Although elaborately furnished, sadly, it lacked an essential safety feature -- sufficient lifeboats for all 2, 207 passengers. It was immediately evident that many would not be saved. What about Annie? An unconfirmed report has it that Annie Funk, already seated in a lifeboat, gave up her seat to another woman - a mother with children. Whether true or not, those who knew her said, "That would be just like Annie." Annie, along with 1500 others, perished in the greatest catastrophe yet known. The mighty Titanic was no more. The date was April 15, 1912.

A memorial to Annie was erected at the Hereford Mennonite Church Cemetery in Pennsylvania. Its inscription reads:

ERECTED BY THE EASTERN DISTRICT CONFERENCE OF THE MENNONITE CHURCH IN MEMORY OF ANNIE C. FUNK MISSIONARY IN INDIA 1906-1912 DAUGHTER OF JAMES B. AND SUSAN FUNK BORN APRIL 12, 1874. DIED APRIL 15, 1912 AGED 38 YEARS AND 3 DAYS. SHE WAS COMING HOME ON HER FIRST FUR- LOUGH, WHEN DEATH OVERTOOK HER IN THE WRECK OF THE STEAMSHIP TITANIC OFF THE COAST OF NEWFOUNDLAND.- HER LIFE WAS ONE OF SERVICE IN THE SPIRIT OF THE MASTER-"NOT TO BE MINISTERED UNTO BUT TO MINISTER.

Annie is being remembered in the US on the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. A documentary titled 'Remembering Annie Funk' is scheduled to be screened in her homestate, Pennsylvania, according to the Mennonite Heritage Centre website.

I think that, on this 100^th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, we must let the world know of the priceless story of a Mennonite woman who gave herself to the people of Janjgir, India and perhaps, died sacrificing her life to save another.

In the timeless prose of Charles Dickens, “It is a far, far better thing that I do than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.”

Acknowledgements: Thanks are due to the Times of India, The Hindu and the website of the “Mennonite Church, USA, Historical Committee & Archives” for the information used here. I would also like to thank Google Images for the picture of the Titanic.

SIR A. R. BANERJI - A FORGOTTEN CIVIL SERVANT - CONCLUDED

Sir Albion’s career is a bit hazy after 1929. Not much information is available on the Internet except that he suddenly surfaces at the World Congress of Faiths (WCF), 1936, London, as the Honorary Treasurer. From 1936 to his death in 1950, it is difficult to get information about him. I would like to know whether his illustrious career abruptly ended in 1929, when he left Kashmir, or it took a different course.

We know that he was a thinker, philosopher and author, who thought about a wide range of subjects: spiritual matters, social problems, the poverty of India, political affairs and a host of other things. It is possible that he inherited his father’s leanings towards social service.

He became a prolific author, having written several books. An incomplete list is given below:

The Cover of one of his books is shown below:

From the information available about him, it is clear that Sir Albion Rajkumar Banerji was no ordinary man. He was highly educated, and an able and just administrator, who served several Indian princely states with distinction. It is clear from the above list of books that he was concerned about the India of his time, the poverty of the people, social injustice, political oppression (although he was himself a member of the so-called “steel frame” of the British Raj, the Indian Civil Service or the ICS). Also, it appears that he was deeply interested in Hindu philosophy and spirituality.

I would like to know more about this gentleman who passed away, probably in Calcutta, sometime in 1950. The place and date of his death could not be confirmed from the information on the Net.  There seem to be differences of opinion. I shall be grateful to anyone who reads this if he/she could provide me with further details about his life and work from 1929 to his death in 1950.

Coming back now to what I stated in the beginning of this post, during the course of my researches on Sir Banerji, I wrote to one of the gentlemen who had  posted an article about him on the Web for more information. He responded positively and we found that we had common interests. This was some months ago and today we correspond regularly on various subjects which interest us. What I found interesting was that all this could happen because I enquired about Banerji Road in Kochi and the picture of Sir A.R. Banerji hanging in the museum at the Hill Palace near Kochi. A long gone ICS officer helped to bring together two people – thank you, Sir Albion and may your soul rest in peace!

Acknowledgements:

·          http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albion_Rajkumar_Banerjee

·          http://www.enotes.com/topic/Albion_Rajkumar_Banerji

·          http://cochinblogger.wordpress.com/2011/08/23/who-was-the-banerjee-in-banerjee-road/

·          http://muralirvarma.blogspot.com/2008/05/sir-albion-raj-kumar-banerji-ics.html

·          http://wn.com/Albion_Rajkumar_Banerji

·          http://www8.open.ac.uk/researchprojects/makingbritain/content/albion-rajkumar-banerji

·          http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Necrothesp/Honours_Lists/1925_Honours_Lists#section_7

·          Ref.: http://www.edinburgh-gazette.co.uk/issues/13713/pages/927/page.pdf

·          http://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n89-199421

SIR A. R. BANERJI - A FORGOTTEN CIVIL SERVANT - PART TWO

In AD 1911, during the Delhi Durbar of the King Emperor George V and Queen Mary, Sir Albion Raj Kumar Banerji was honoured by  the title, the Companion of the Indian Empire, CIE.

The Cochin State Manual written by Sri.C.Achyutha Menon I Edition 1911 is an authoritative work on the erstwhile Princely State of Cochin. In the preface to the book, Mr.Menon writes as follows:

‘The Manual owes its being to the present Diwan of Cochin, Mr.A.R.Banerji, I.C.S. Not only did the idea originate with him, but the work itself was started under his orders and carried out under his supervision. Although the book is thus an official publication, I am solely responsible for the correctness of the facts and comments contained in it.’

In the book, Southern India by Playne Wright Somerset, originally published in London by Foreign and Colonial Compiling and Pub. Co, 1914-1915, the following could be found:

‘A.R. Banerji CIE, of the ICS was appointed Diwan in May 1907 and no previous holder of the office has succeeded to the same extent in gaining the confidence of a Rajah, in promoting the welfare of the State and in securing the affection of the people. There is universal feeling of the deepest regret throughout the State that this very able official is now retiring, and he will be remembered in Cochin for many years to come as one who has laboured for the moral intellectual and temporal good of the whole community.

The country was hampered by heavy debts and by many difficult problems when Mr.Banerji took up reins of office, but he has the satisfaction of knowing that the revenue of the State has greatly increased during the tenure of his Diwanship; that the various departments are in smooth working order; and that those frowning rocks of complex problems and the crippling effects of a depleted treasury have been safely passed. His successor is J.W.Bhore of the ICS who has been Under Secretary in the revenue department of the Madras Government.”

After a great stint in Cochin, Sir Banerji served as Diwan of Mysore from AD 1922 to 1927. Owing to historical reasons, the Diwans of Mysore were an integral part of the administration of Mysore from 1881 to 1946. Sir Banerji was responsible for the constitutional reforms inaugurated in Mysore in 1922 under the great maharajah Sri Krishna Raja Wodeyar IV who was one of the most celebrated rulers among the Indian States. Paul Brunton, the philosopher and mystic traveler , who has many wonderful books to his credit,  had stayed with the Maharajah and has paid eloquent tributes to the philosopher-king as a role model for rulers over the world.’”

It is also reported that Ernakulam enjoys piped water supply today thanks to the efforts of A.R. Banerji. Yes, the scheme under which water is brought to Ernakulam from the Periyar River was his brainchild.

Albion Rajkumar Banerji was awarded the Star of India for his services to the Empire in June, 1921, while he was serving as the Diwan of Mysore. The Royal proclamation to this effect is reproduced below:

CENTRAL CHANCERY OF THE ORDERS

OF KNIGHTHOOD.

St. James's Palace, S.W. 1,

3rd June, 1921.

The KING has been graciously pleased, on

the occasion of His Majesty's Birthday, to

give orders for the following promotions in and

appointments to the Most Exalted Order of the

Star of India:

To be Companions of the said Most Exalted

Order:

Albion Rajkumar Banerji, Esq., C.I.E.,

Indian Civil Service, First Member of the

Executive Council of His Highness the

Maharaja of Mysore.

Albion Rajkumar Banerji  was further honoured with a knighthood (Knight Bachelor) in the Birthday Honours List gazetted  on 03 June, 1925.

After his assignment in Mysore, the British Government sent Sir A.R. Banerji to the troubled State of Kashmir as the Prime Minister in 1927. He resigned from his post in 1929 (being the first and only person  holding that post to do so on moral grounds) following differences with the Dogra monarch on the latter's lavish lifestyle that was sustained by a poor population. He wrote:

“Jammu and Kashmir state is labouring under many disadvantages, with a large Mohammedan population absolutely illiterate, labouring under poverty and very low economic conditions of living in the villages, and practically governed like dumb driven cattle. There is no touch between the government and the people, no suitable opportunity for representing grievances... The administration has at present no or little sympathy with people's wants and grievances...”

SIR A. R. BANERJI - A FORGOTTEN CIVIL SERVANT - PART I

I am appending this to my last post on our Kerala trip. A very important development in my life took place during this visit in October, 2011. A long gone ICS officer was instrumental in my making a new friend online. It came about this way.

While driving through Kochi city one evening, our driver casually mentioned that the arterial road we were passing through was called Banerji Road. Since I was from Bengal, I was intrigued by the Bengali name of Banerji. I wondered how the road in Kochi came to be named after someone from distant Bengal.  Our driver did not know. Nor could we find the reason from anyone else that evening. The question remained in my mind.

The next morning, we started by road for the hill town of Munnar, famous for its lush green landscape dotted with tea gardens. On the way, we stopped to visit the famous Hilltop Palace of the erstwhile Rajahs of the Kingdom of Cochin. The palace itself was quite large though not as opulent as those of the Mughals found in Delhi, Agra and elsewhere in northern India. There is a museum on the first floor where pictures and articles from the days of the kingdom are displayed. While walking through the museum, my attention was drawn to a portrait of a young man in formal dress with many decorations on his chest. He cut a smart figure and I was drawn to the inscription at the base of the painting which said, Sir A. R. Banerji, Diwan of Cochin, 1907-1914. I had found the Banerji of Banerji Road at last!

As we were in a hurry to get on to Munnar and further south in our tour of Kerala, I could not make any further inquiries at that time. The matter had to wait until we completed our tour, about a week later.

On my return to Delhi, I did a systematic search on the net to get more details about Sir A.R. Banerji. I found quite a bit of information in different blogs and other websites. His background is interesting.

Albion Rajkumar Banerji was born of Indian parents in Bristol, England in 1871. His father was Sasipada Banerji and his mother’s name was Rajkumari. Sasipada Banerji was born in 1840 in Baranagore near Calcutta and grew up to be a reformist Hindu. He married a young girl of 13 at the age of 20. In 1861, he joined the Brahmo Samaj  and was involved in the social reformist movement in Bengal.

He met the English educationist and reformer Mary Carpenter during her visit to India in 1868 and went to England on her invitation with his wife. A son  was born to them on October 10, 1871 in Bristol (some sources say London). He was named Rajkumar after his mother and the name ‘Albion’ was prefixed to his name, probably because he was born in England. Upon his birth, he was hailed as the first Brahmin baby born in Britain and a letter was sent to Queen Victoria by Mary Carpenter informing her of his birth.

Albion Rajkumar Banerji later returned to India in 1872 with his parents and subsequently studied at the then famous school “General Assembly’s Institution”, which was inspired by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland and started by the Rev. Alexander Duff, a young and dedicated missionary, who arrived at Calcutta, India’s colonial capital at that time, to set up the first English medium institution of India.

Albion later graduated from the University of Calcutta and went to England for higher studies. He obtained a Master’s degree from Balliol College, Oxford University and cleared the Indian Civil Services examination (the famous ICS) in 1894. In 1895, he took up his first posting as the Assistant Collector and Magistrate in Madras Presidency.

SIR ALBION RAJKUMAR BANERJI

Rajkumar was later appointed as the Diwan of Cochin and served there from 1907 -1914

 A lot of research has been done on this period in his life and is reported in

 http://muralirvarma.blogspot.com/2008/05/sir-albion-raj-kumar-banerji-ics.html

The same is reproduced below without any changes:

“After his studies in England, Albion joined the Indian Civil Service, the elite group of civil servants in India. It is interesting to recall that 500 such officers ran the British Indian Empire stretching from Baluchistan to Burma. The ICS officers comprised the administrative backbone of British rule and its officers – both English and native – were largely incorruptible, known for their intellectual integrity and unwavering impartiality. So just was their tenure in remote, rural districts that even today, several decades later, their names are invoked with reverence, even by those who never knew them.

Mr.Banerji had a most distinguished career and was the Diwan, the role equivalent to that of the Prime Minister, in two princely states, viz. Cochin and Mysore. Between AD 1907 and 1914, he was the Diwan of Cochin under Maharajah Rama Varma XV, (Ozhinja Valiya Thampuran meaning the one who abdicated the crown) who reigned from AD 1895 to 1914 and brought much prosperity to the State.

OUR TRIP TO KERALA - FINALE

BACK TO KOCHI

We left kumarakom on our way back to Kochi, thus completing a full circle. We reached the outskirts of Kochi after a drive of about two hours. We stopped at "Fort Kochi" which is an area of water-bound regions located towards the south-west of mainland Kochi. It is famous for its Jewish quarter, the Dutch Palace and the "Chinese fishing nets" - the last introduced (Wikipedia)by the Chinese explorer Zheng He . 

A TYPICAL CHINESE FISHING NET

According to Wikipedia, the Chinese fishing nets are fixed land installations for an unusual form of fishing — shore operated lift nets. Huge mechanical contrivances hold out horizontal nets of 20 m or more across. Each structure is at least 10 m high and comprises a cantilever with an outstretched net suspended over the sea and large stones suspended from ropes as counterweights at the other end. Each installation is operated by a team of up to six fishermen. The system is sufficiently balanced that the weight of a man walking along the main beam is sufficient to cause the net to descend into the sea. The net is left for a short time, possibly just a few minutes, before it is raised by pulling on ropes.

Among all the common wealth countries of the world, the Jewish Synagogue, Kochi is the oldest existing synagogue. The prosperous Jewish trading community built it in 1568 AD.

The Jewish Synagogue, Kochi

In the mid 18th century, the clock tower was attached to the main building of the synagogue. The interior of the Jewish Synagogue at Kochi is adorned with Belgian chandeliers and grand lightings. 

After a quick lunch, we visited the "Kerala Folklore Theater and Museum", which contains unique works of art and ancient artifacts of Kerala, all apparently collected by one man. This museum turned out to be a veritable treasure trove and is strongly recommended for a visit.

Close Up - Kerala Masks

General View of the Mask Display

Ornate Wooden Ceiling & Chandeliers

Tanjore Style Paintings

Painting of Kathakali Dancers

The visit to the museum brought us to the end of our trip. It only remained to drive to the airport for our return flight. It was a very pleasant drive with coconut palms and greenery all around us.

After and hour or so, we arrived at the Kochi Airport and said Goodbye to our chauffer who had been our constant companion for about a week and had shown us so many beautiful things.

Cochin Airport (Image: www.cochinairport.org)

We checked in at the airport and boarded our flight after some time. We felt sad at going but silently made up our minds to return to "God's Own Country" someday.

OUR TRIP TO KERALA - PART THREE

ON TO KUMARAKOM !


We left Periyar at 9 am on the next leg of our trip, which would take us to Kumarakom. It would take about 3 hours and the drive was once again to be downhill. Kumarakom is an internationally famous tourist destination for its backwaters fringed with coconut palms.

The Kerala backwaters are a chain of brackish lagoons and lakes lying parallel to the Arabian Sea coast of Kerala. They consist of a network of interconnected canals, rivers, lakes and inlets, a labyrinthine system of over 500 km of waterways. There are many resorts around the backwaters and one can also stay in houseboats, which can be as luxurious as one wants.

Map of Kerala Backwaters
(Wikipedia)

We had planned to stay at a houseboat which would take us for trips all over the Vembanad lake, which is one of the largest lakes on the backwaters, covering more than 200 square kilometres. We passed through the bustling town of Kottayam and soon found ourselves at the landing stage where our houseboat was anchored.

Over the next 24 hours, we stayed in the houseboat and went on an extended tour of the lovely backwaters, including the Vembanad lake.

Our Houseboat "Shivam"

Living Room

Setting Out on the Cruise

Lovely Patterns of Nature

A Large Houseboat on the Vambanad Lake

Serenity

A Tourist Resort on the Backwaters

Moored Houseboat - Early Morning Scene

A Cruising Houseboat

God's Own Country

After cruising the backwaters the whole day, we returned to the anchorage in the evening. After spending a comfortable night in the houseboat, we went out again for an early morning cruise and returned at about 9 am. 

It was time to go, We thanked the staff of the houseboat and got into the car for the final leg of our trip.

To be continued ..... 

OUR TRIP TO KERALA – PART TWO

MORE ON MUNNAR

Apart from tea gardens, we found many beautiful flowers and ornamental plants in Munnar.

BREATHTAKING FLORA OF MUNNAR

THE TEA MUSEUM - MUNNAR

At the “Tea Museum” run by Tata Tea showed we learnt the tea manufacturing process demonstrated with a running pilot plant. We bought some processed tea of different types from the counter at the museum.

Later we stopped by a local dam with a huge lake behind it. Poor light prevented us from taking pictures here. By afternoon It started raining, not a torrential downpour but rather a thin, cold drizzle. The temperature dropped suddenly and we wanted to return to the shelter of our hotel which was located high on a mountaintop. We drove up a winding road and suddenly found fog creeping up from the valley floor.

FOG OVER THE TEA GARDENS

MIST COVERING THE HOTEL IN THE AFTERNOON

The next morning, we found that the fog disappeared as soon as the sun came up and the fantastic valleys with hundreds of green trees and mountain ranges stretching away to the horizon could be seen from the hotel window. Photography cannot do justice to nature’s infinite variety. Moreover, it was shot through a thick glass pane. Still, I think it gives some idea of the natural beauty of Munnar.

THE ROLLING HILLS OF MUNNAR

It was now time to say “Goodbye” to Munnar. Regretfully, we got in for the next leg of our trip, which would take us to the heart of the spice country.


THEKKADY, HERE WE COME !

The drive to Thekkady was all through hilly terrain. The roads were quite steep though most of the time, we were going downhill at a fast pace and holding our breath as we negotiated yet another hairpin bend.. After about 3 hours, we reached the town of Thekkady where a lot of the spices, for which Kerala has been famous for centuries, are grown. There are numerous farms which grow spices and sell them to tourists. We went round one of them and bought some pepper, cardamom, cinnamon and some essential oils extracted from different plants and trees like Eucalyptus.

Near Thekkady lies the famous Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. Set high in the ranges of the Western Ghats is the Periyar National Park and Tiger Reserve with a picturesque lake at its heart. Formed with the building of a dam in 1895, this reservoir meanders around the contours of the wooded hills, providing a permanent source of water for the local wildlife. Though it’s a tiger Reserve, tourists come here to view elephants, wild buffalo, wild boar, Sambar deer and very rarely, a tiger. We were told that the tiger population has come down to about 40 today.

Our hotel was fortunately located right inside the forest area very close to the wildlife sanctuary. In fact we saw a sambar deer near our hotel. There are excellent double decker launches for tourists onerom which one can comfortably observe wildlife as one cruises on the tranquil waters of the reservoir. This is, of course, subject to the weather. If it rains, it is impossible to see any animals.

THE LANDING STAGE FOR THE LAUNCHES AT PERIYAR

WILD ELEPHANTS

HERD OF WILD BUFFALOS

To be continued …..

OUR TRIP TO KERALA - PART ONE

PREAMBLE TO THIS POST
I have not contributed to this blog for some years now. This was not intentional. Life at the workplace had been, as they say these days, challenging when I was close to retirement. I retired in 2008 and relocated to my home town, about 1,500 km away. Putting down roots in a new place always comes with its own set of problems and it took us time to find our feet. Immediately after that, we had to shift again, this time in the same area where we lived but to a new house. Relocation we found was relocation, whether it was 1,500 km away or in the same town. We had to go through the process once again. At the end of it all, my wife and I were tired but contented at having settled down at last. One more factor was that, in the last 6 years, we were blessed with two lovely granddaughters. These were welcome events but needed a lot of travelling and consequent dislocation since our son and his wife live abroad.
Now at last I have started picking up the threads of my life on the net and that brought me to “My Page”, which is, of course, one of my blogs. I hope to be fairly regular this time and publish more posts with some degree of regularity. My readers, please bear with me.
OUR TRIP TO KERALA:
I am devoting this post to a short account of our trip to Kerala, a state in Southern India, popularly known as “God’s Own Country” on account of its scenic beauty. Our trip was fairly short and was devoted to visiting areas of interest in and around Cochin, or Kochi as it is called today.
My wife and I flew down by a morning flight to Kochi. We could see a coastline fringed with coconut palms from the air. The airport building at Kochi was beautiful – it was constructed in a traditional Kerala design- with lovely red sloping roofs covered with faux tiles. It was not a monolithic building but split into small sections, each with its own share of red roofs. All in all, it was a welcoming sight offering a traditional welcome to the visitor.
A map of Kerala state is given below. The map shows the different districts of the state. Kerala is divided into 14 districts. Kochi lies in the Ernakulam district. Our trip took us to various places in the adjoining districts of Idukki and Kottayam.
We stayed overnight at Kochi and started by road the next morning. Our destination was the hill town of Munnar, known for its cool weather and picturesque tea gardens. On the way we saw the famous Hill Palace which was built by the Rajas of Cochin in 1865. Today it houses a museum with many fine relics including precious stones and jewellery. Unfortunately, photography inside the palace is prohibited. I can only give a picture of the palace taken from the outside. The gardens surrounding the palace have rare medicinal plants.

We started going uphill shortly after the Hill Palace and shortly passed some lovely waterfalls, one of which is shown here.

We passed through winding roads with many hairpin bends, all the time steadily going up till at last we came to a very green area with tea gardens on all sides. The bluish hills stretched away to the horizon. It was a lovely sight.
We had finally arrived at Munnar.
Munnar town is in the Kannan Devan Hills ( KDH ) Village and is in the Idukki district of Kerala. The region in and around Munnar varies in height from 1,450 meters (4,760 ft) to 2,695 meters (8,842 ft) above mean sea level. Munnar enjoys a salubrious climate with the temperature ranging from 5-25 °C in winter and 15-25 °C in summer.
Munnar is essentially a tea town. Tea cultivation was introduced to Munnar in the colonial times back in the 19^th century and tea gardens now cover almost every hillside. The green tea bushes are a lovely sight. Towards the afternoon, fog starts to creep up from the valleys and covers the hilltops too in a very short time. It is a sight to see. I share a few pictures of the tea gardens of Munnar with you.

The tea leaves are plucked mostly by women and they can be seen working here. The tree plant is not a bush although it appears like that in the photos. The plants are deliberately pruned to get a good crop of leaves. Each tea plant has an economic life of about 40 years.

The next picture shows the afternoon fog creeping up the valley. Fog can be seen in the morning too (next picture) but usually goes away as the sun comes up.
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To be continued .....

THE STORY OF HOW A PICTURE OF THOMAS MUNROE CAME TO ADORN THE WALLS OF A HANUMAN TEMPLE NEAR CUDDAPPAH

By Rukmini Banerji, 'The Hindu', Sunday 03.08.08.




PHOTO: V GANESAN
Surprising inroads: A statue of Thomas Munroe in Chennai.

It was dark. Cuddapah was still quite far away. The gently sloping road ahead seemed to go on and on. “There is a temple on the way,” said one of our companions. “We must stop there. It is a small temple but a temple with an interesting story.”
The legend was that as Ram and Sita made their way back from Lanka to Ayodhya, Hanuman went ahead. He would search for a good place for the royal couple to stop and rest on their journey home. Not far from where we were was one such place. Hanuman had chosen a cave by the side of a river. To mark the spot, Hanuman hung a golden rope across two hill tops. So that from a distance the rope could be seen. The story continues. Ram and Sita did indeed stop at the cave. Grateful for Hanuman’s efforts, Ram etched a picture of Hanuman on the stone walls of the cave.

Centuries later
Hundreds of years later, in British times, Thomas Munroe was the Collector of Cuddapah. Travelling through the hills, late one night, he saw a gleaming rope of gold stretched from one hill top to another. “What is that” he asked his companions. “Why is there a golden rope hanging from one hill top to another?” There was a long silence. No one among Munro’s companions spoke. No one could see the rope that Munroe was referring to. No one had the courage to speak. Finally, an elderly man spoke up. “He who can see the golden rope is blessed. But he will die in a few months.” Thomas Munroe looked at his companions in disbelief and put the story aside as superstition. But it must have stayed with him. It is said that he even wrote about this incident in his diary. In a few months time, Munroe was dead.

We stayed silent. We could not see any golden rope over the river. The dark hills passed us by. Our thoughts going back and forth: the mythical story of Hanuman and the unlikely fate of Munroe. In some time we came to the temple. A small glow of light in the darkening night. There were hardly any people in the temple. A few priests were conducting the evening aarti.

It was easy to walk right into the inner sanctum of the temple. There was a carving of Hanuman on the stone walls. Parts of the carving had been covered in silver. Till today, Hanuman’s service to Ram was being acknowledged, celebrated and worshipped.

Taking his place

Out in the main hall, a few people sat on the floor listening to the aarti. High above on the walls were framed pictures. Most were of gods and goddesses. In the centre, prominently displayed was one of Ram and Sita. The glass framing the picture had been smeared with holy ash, haldi and kumkum. There was a garland of fresh flowers encircling the frame. Right next to Ram and Sita was a framed picture of Thomas Munroe. Like the gods and goddesses around him, he too was covered in haldi-kumkum and crowned with flowers.