In India, mapping during the early 17th century focused much on the polity of the Mughal Empire. Those maps emphasised the seat of Mughal power in the northern plains and showed the Mughal territories west of the Indus, especially Punjab, the Hindu Kush, and occasionally Afghanistan, but the peninsula was omitted. The southward expansion of Mughal power under Aurangazeb (reigned 1658- 1707) in the late 17th century led to the merging of the two regional framings in the early 18th century; the European cartographers extended their maps of the empire to incorporate the peninsula. History of Maps Mapping the Maps : 1600-1700 AD http://www.gisdevelopment.net/history/1600-1700.htm --- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

Teaching John Ovington's A Voyage to Surat in the Year 1689 in the AP World History Course Peggy J. Martin Del Rio High School Del Rio, Texas John Ovington, "A Voyage to Surat in the Year 1689," in Sources of World History II, 2nd ed., ed. Mark A. Kishlansky (New York, Wadsworth-Thompson, 1999) p. 108. With its strong emphasis on commercial and cultural interactions, the Advanced Placement World History course is enriched by student exposure to the accounts of traders and travelers. From the 15th to the 18th centuries, Indian Ocean trade provided the stage for a rich drama of commercial and cultural interchanges. The Indian Ocean tale weaves together encounters among South Asians, East Asians, Islamic peoples, Africans, and Europeans, and thus provides an ideal opportunity to emphasize both emerging globalization and contacts between many cultures. One account of such interactions is provided in "The City of Surat and Its Inhabitants," an excerpt from John Ovington's A Voyage to Surat in the Year 1689. Ovington's travelogue provides students with a European trader's point of view as he confronts the world of Islam during the Mughal rule of India. Its themes and habits of mind supplement the study of the years 1450-1750. The selection fits into the greater global context by challenging students to place themselves in the position of a meeting of the Western and Islamic worlds against a backdrop of one of the world's most ancient civilizations. http://chnm.gmu.edu/worldhistorysources/d/108/whm.html --- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

Oh boy, do I remember the DHR (Darjeeling Himalayan Railway)and its gasps of steam! It took me and my schoolmates up to Darjeeling for 9 months' incarceration in boarding school,and then later back down to the plains for our 3-month holiday with our parents on the plains. It made such an impression that I wrote about it in a book about my own and others' schooldays in India. The 'toy train'. as we called it, was a joyous form of transport coming home, but somewhat sadder on our way up at the beginning of the school year! No doubt hundreds of children experienced similar train journeys as they went up to the various wonderful Indian hill stations for their education at such schools, many of which still exist in India to-day despite the departure of the Brits. So we did leave one or two good legacies, didn't we? Hazel Craig

Dear all It's been a while since we updated you on the additions to the FIBIS searchable databases. Volunteers are constantly transcribing records and uploading photos, maps and other images, so make sure that you check back regularly. For example in the last month we have added: - List of HEIC Officers given Brevet Rank in the King's Army, 1798 - Madras H.C. Servants' Salaries in 1766 - All Madras Residents 1763 - The War Services of Officers of the Bengal Army 1863: C to E - The War Services of Officers of the Bengal Army 1863: F to I - A photo of 5th Battalion, 8th Punjabi Regiment c. 1925 - European Officers - A photo of 5th Battalion, 8th Punjabi Regiment c. 1925 - All Officers - List of Officers of 5th Battalion, 8th Punjabi Regiment circa 1926 You can search the databases for these amongst half a million records and nearly 500 images at http://search.fibis.org. Best regards John John Kendall FIBIS Database Coordinator

Dear Listers, http://www.rediff.com/money/2004/jan/03spec3.htm Here you will, in a nutshell, read the story of the feverish speculation and share mania in Bombay in the 1860's, caused by the sudden rise in the demand for Indian cotton, following upon the Civil War in America. It destroyed some fortunes like Premachand Roychand, who is today chiefly remembered for the famous Rajabai Tower, a landmark of the Fort area of Bombay, which he built. Out of the ruins caused by bursting of the bubble following the end of the Civil War, there arose new fortunes like the House of Tatas. They are today one of the top Industrial conglomerates in India and have worldwide operations. Among their more well-known operations are brands like Tetley Tea, Jaguar cars and the Taj Mahal Hotel of Mumbai. Their most recent success story is a new small car built by them called 'Nano'. They would like to price it around Rs 1 lakh (Rs 100,000), equivalent to USD 2,500. Arvind Kolhatkar, Toronto, July 08, 2008.

A fine turn of phrase - "Gasps of steam" Express India Gasps of steam Monday , July 07, 2008 at 03:44:57 Print Email To Editor Post Comments Darjeeling Himalayan Railway nicknamed Toy Train completed 127 years of service on July 4. City-based photographer Kumar Mangwanitakes us to the place where steam engine still thunders the undulating land Sitting at wooden bench befitting the Circa station in Darjeeling I waited for the locomotive which was about to transport me back in time to an era where trains sweetly whistled, slithering along the tracks, emanating white puffs of smoke from their vents. And as the little mass of the blue steam engine pulled into view maneuvering a bend I wasn't alone to gape at the antiquity of it. Hundreds of eyes accustomed to the look of modern day trains went round in surprise. Jaws dropped and eyes went wide as the tiny blue carriages rolled on the platform bringing to view a completely unusual site. While the archaic engine kept idling and sneezing out with a whoosh and bursts of white smoke dissipating between its iron wheels the train driver satiated it's hunger shovelling coal into it's furnace. A backgrounder on the history of this particular train equipped me with the knowledge that this was one of the newer engines built around 1920, the 804, ‘Queen of the Hills.' Compact but mighty enough to drag 35 tons along the tracks, whereas the original ones built in 1881 could just boast of 7 tons drag load. The outlived Colonial Raj left behind their impressions upon this soil not with the purpose of the country's progress but because of their affinity to tea. It made them line up this 83 km track from Siliguri to Darjeeling. Till the late 1800, horse drawn carts transported tea down the tortuous `Hill cart' road to Siliguri, which was the nearest railhead then. Franklin Prestage, of Eastern Bengal Railway Company and Ashley Eden, the Lieutenant-Governor proposed the alignment, and groundwork began in 1879. Completed in stages, the entire line to Darjeeling opened for traffic on July4 1881. The earliest locomotive came swanked with wooden benches and canvas canopies built in Manchester, England. Running between Siliguri to Darjeeling the line is a remarkable feat of engineering which includes switchbacks and loops. Batasia Loop, at a distance of five kilometer from Darjeeling is a popular spot for picnickers. The technique of constructing the track on hilly terrain was adopted from the ways of an Austrian specialist, Chega who avoided digging through tunnels and lengthened the tracks through loops, wherein the track curved across a bridge over its own line, thus giving the traveler unhindered view of the majestic Himalayas. Ghum, at 7407 ft, the second highest station in the world is about six kilometers uphill from Darjeeling. The exposed brick masonry and pretty eaves boards, give the station a complete ancient feel. A brief halt at Ghum and then the train progresses again. Inching at first, breathing out clouds of smoke, it picks up momentum as the carriages gradually roll by. From Ghum it takes at least thirty minutes before the journey gets concluded at Darjeeling. The steam locomotive being a notorious water guzzler takes brief halts for its thirst, 40 gallons to a mile, water dischargers along the line attend to its service. The ride on the Toy train is a romantic approach to the mysterious Himalayas, a fact summed up on silver screen, with many Bollywood and Hollywood stars endorsing it in an air of romance. Famous personalities have had their joy rides on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR). Mark Twain described his ecstatic trip of 1895 as "the most enjoyable day I've spent on earth". ooroo If you don't hear the knock of opportunity - build a door. Anon.

Hello all I have just heard from my cousin in the UK. 12 July 2008 AI Reunion Dance for the BNR (Bengal Nagpur Railway) for the Railway Colony of ADRA. Venue: Hockey Club, Kings College Road, Ruislip HA 471Z HA - 7pm to 1am. Tickets 12 pounds per head including buffet and a light band. Contact: Desmond Francis, Phone: 079 304 42490 Molly Sarstedt-Hamilton, Townsville, Australia Researching - Sarstedt/Hitchcock/Osborne/Cullen/Pringle/Vargas/Hamilton/Slark/Samworth/Fury/Short/Lawcock/Smith

----- Original Message ----- From: "Karoo" <karoo4@bigpond.com> To: <india-british-raj@rootsweb.com> Cc: "Email List for Victoria &amp; amp; amp;Dow Hill Schools" <vsdh@lists.blackcatnetworks.co.uk> Sent: Saturday, July 05, 2008 2:18 PM Subject: Re: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] Obit - Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw MC(Retd)Chief of Staff of the Indian Army > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "John Feltham" <wulguru.wantok@gmail.com> > To: "iaf" <iafhistory@yahoogroups.com>; "Raj" > <INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ-L@rootsweb.com>; "vsdh" > <vsdh@lists.blackcatnetworks.co.uk> > Sent: Friday, July 04, 2008 10:28 PM > Subject: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] Obit - Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw MC > (Retd)Chief of Staff of the Indian Army > > > Here is a para from Charles Allen's "'Plain Tales of the Raj' ( of which > I > opine, every one of us > has a copy ! ) > > "Nowhere was partition more bitterly resented than in the Indian Army : To > us it was the heartbreak of heartbreaks. We felt it beyond credence. We > had united these dozens of different castes, creeds, colours, beliefs > under > one flag. We had united them under one regimental colour. It took us two > hundred years to build that up, and for that to go literally at the stroke > of a pen - it was something that one will never get over.' Perhaps no one > felt this loss more than Claude Auchinleck, whose duty it was to divide > the > Indian Army into two: 'All Indian Army officers hated the idea but we did > as we were told. They had to be split and then all the equipment had to > be > split with everything else. What it meant was that regiments like my own, > half Hindu and half Moslem. were just torn in half - and they wept on each > other's shoulders when it happened. " > > Such the life of a soldier and - Manekshaw's ? > > Wishes > Sally > My uncle who was commandant of the R.I.A.S.C. school at Kakul at Partition, said it was the most distressing experience he had in his 30 years in the army. Chris

BIG ERROR IN DATE MADE ON MY PART !!! MANEKSHAW WOULD HAVE BEEN APPROX 34 YEARS AT THE TIME OF PARTITION !!! ??? WOULD SOMEBODY PLEASE DO THE MATH ! MY WISHES AND APOLOGY. SALLY > > If Manekshaw was 94 years when he died this year (2008) then he would have > been in his > seventies at the time of 'partition' and a member of the then, Indian > Army.

----- Original Message ----- From: "John Feltham" <wulguru.wantok@gmail.com> To: "iaf" <iafhistory@yahoogroups.com>; "Raj" <INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ-L@rootsweb.com>; "vsdh" <vsdh@lists.blackcatnetworks.co.uk> Sent: Friday, July 04, 2008 10:28 PM Subject: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] Obit - Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw MC (Retd)Chief of Staff of the Indian Army > 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. When reading the article sent by John which detailed (in some brief) Manekshaw's career as a member of the Indian Army, I could not but help cast my mind back to another time about twenty years before the event of his 'victory' over Pakistan in 1971. If Manekshaw was 94 years when he died this year (2008) then he would have been in his seventies at the time of 'partition' and a member of the then, Indian Army. Here is a para from Charles Allen's "'Plain Tales of the Raj' ( of which I opine, every one of us has a copy ! ) "Nowhere was partition more bitterly resented than in the Indian Army : To us it was the heartbreak of heartbreaks. We felt it beyond credence. We had united these dozens of different castes, creeds, colours, beliefs under one flag. We had united them under one regimental colour. It took us two hundred years to build that up, and for that to go literally at the stroke of a pen - it was something that one will never get over.' Perhaps no one felt this loss more than Claude Auchinleck, whose duty it was to divide the Indian Army into two: 'All Indian Army officers hated the idea but we did as we were told. They had to be split and then all the equipment had to be split with everything else. What it meant was that regiments like my own, half Hindu and half Moslem. were just torn in half - and they wept on each other's shoulders when it happened. " Such the life of a soldier and - Manekshaw's ? Wishes Sally .

Owning Fred Bremner June 29, 2008 http://pakistaniat.com/2008/06/29/pakistan-owning-fred-bremner-photographer-photograph/ --- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

http://users.cyberone.com.au/clardo/india_and_burma.html --- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

I am looking for an obit of Colonel Henry Thomas Harris Baber who died on active service at Gingaw/ Gangaw in Burma on 24th May 1891. Baber was Col of the 29th Madras Native infantry at the time of his death and was the great Grandson of Lord Harris. (Father Henry Fearon Baber, Mother the Hon Maria Cameron formerly Harris). Any suggestions would be most welcome Thanks Tony Mooar in bitterly cold Christchurch New Zealand

LDT. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/2242405/Field-Marshal-Sam-Manekshaw.html Officer who won an MC in Burma and in 1971 led Indian forces to victory over Pakistan. GETTY/AFP 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. Sam Manekshaw died at Wellington, India, on June 27. He married, in 1939, Silloo Bode. She predeceased him and he is survived by their two daughters.

>From the message forwarded by John: <Can any of the readers send me links to similar accounts of 1971, Operation Vijay or Operation Meghdoot, let alone 948, 1962, 1965 or Operation Blue Star?> The History Channel here in Canada showed on June 25 last a documentary called 'Storming the Temple' on Operation Blue Star as a part of its series called 'Turning Points of History.' It was a Canadian and Ontario supported production in association with the History Channel. It is bound to be shown again sometime later as these are usually repeated after some gap. So be on the lookout... There was brief appearance of Mark Tully in it, as also of the well-known Sikh journalist and historian Khushwant Singh and Gen Brar (who had led the Operation). The documentary also had one or two persons who explained why the militant Sikhs and their supporters abroad felt the way they did. While on this topic, let me mention that the same History Channel just in the last two weeks showed another documentary titled 'Air India Flight 182' in the series called 'Disasters of the Century'. It was about the sabotage of that flight in 1985, following Operation Blue Star. It resulted in the entire plane disintegrating off the coast of Ireland and the loss of all passengers and crew. Arvind Kolhatkar, Toronto, July 03, 2008.

Thank you to all who responded to my query. It would appear to mean a girl of African descent. The document in which I found the term was a will of 1814 written in Chandernagore. In it the testator leaves her coffrey girls to named beneficiaries. Does this, perhaps, imply that although slavery had been abolished by Britain in 1807 there were still instances of it in India 7 years later? David -----Original Message----- From: David Railton [mailto:railton.david@btinternet.com] Sent: 02 July 2008 12:52 To: INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ (INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ@rootsweb.com) Subject: Coffrey girl I have recently found the term 'Coffry girl' in a document from India dated 1814. Can anyone please explain the meaning? David

David, You ask: <Does this, perhaps, imply that although slavery had been abolished by Britain in 1807 there were still instances of it in India 7 years later?> The kind of slavery abolished through the efforts of the anti-slavery movements in the first half of the 19th century - the type, for example, practiced in the Americas, or in North African countries such as Morocco, that brings to mind pictures of slave markets and shackled slaves and advertisements in newspapers for sale of slaves - did not exist in India at any time. That would be the short answer to your question. How does that explain your testator leaving his 'coffrey girls to named beneficiaries'? India did have a form of life-long labour where a person, in most cases a female, would be permanently attached to a family, whom we can, in a loose sense, call as the owners of that person. That person would be a servant of the family, living with it, albeit with a lower status. He or she would come into that situation by many ways. Poor families would, for example, leave their young children with rich persons in times of famine if they were unable to feed them or surrender a child in exchange for remitting a debt. The child grows, and knowing no other type of life and not equipped for anything else, would spend the rest of his or her life with the new family as a servant. They were not, strictly speaking, slaves and would not be bought or sold in an open market. Yet, they could be exchanged or sent away to another house as say, part of dowry with a daughter of the house. This was the class of society called 'Daasa' in the Classical times. The 'Sakhi' (female friend) that you frequently come across in Sanskrit literature or in the Indian classical music as sympathetic companion of the heroine (Sanskrit plays) or as the person who understands the torment caused in the mind of the singer by the absence of her beloved (a very common theme in Indian Classical music) would be a Daasee (female gender of Daasa). Girls, while still in childhood, came into houses of courtesans, were taught singing and dancing, and spent their lives in that profession, which bordered on prostitution, could also be 'sold' or exchanged. It is known that before gentlewomen came to India and brought Victorian morals with them, many of the English 'Nabobs' relaxed in the company of such females and were enthusiastic and appreciative watchers of 'nautches' (Indian dance performances). Looked at from this perspective, one can understand the coffrey girls being left to beneficiaries through a will. 'Coffrey' here may or may not mean African-born. They could just be dark-skinned and included in the generic meaning of coffrey, exactly as some racially-minded Europeans applied the contemptuous N-word to anyone who was dark-skinned and perceived by them to belong to an inferior culture. Arvind Kolhatkar, Toronto, July 02, 2008.

When I was very young I had a Black faced doll which was known as a Golly wog. A very dark skinned person who had curly hair was also sometimes called a Coffree or Coffree Gulla. I think the origin must have been kaffir (a slang word for a Black South African). We did not mean to offend anyone and in those days, people did not seem to be so touchy or petty. Joyce Munro -----Original Message----- On Behalf Of Haztwin@aol.com Sent: 02 July 2008 21:39 Subject: Re: Coffrey girl Could be a mixture. How about 'Coffee' meaning coffee coloured or black, to differentiate from Indians or other lighter-skinned people. In other words "A brown-skinned girl". The letter 'r' may have slipped in by chance or as a result of mispronunciation. Just a thought. Hazel Craig. ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message __________ NOD32 3194 (20080617) Information __________ This message was checked by NOD32 antivirus system. http://www.eset.com __________ NOD32 3194 (20080617) Information __________ This message was checked by NOD32 antivirus system. http://www.eset.com _____ I am using the free version of SPAMfighter for private users. It has removed 66 spam emails to date. Paying users do not have this message in their emails. Try SPAMfighter <http://www.spamfighter.com/len> for free now!

David asked: >I have recently found the term 'Coffry girl' in a document from India dated > 1814. Can anyone please explain the meaning? Surprisingly, Hobson-Jobson does not seem to explain this. However, a Coffrey Regiment in the Company Armies was made up of black men recruited (or taken?) from non-Indian sources, typically Mauritius, East Africa, etc. I have not seen the expression used as late as 1814, but it was common in the mid-late 18th century. Hope this helps Good Hunting! Peter Bailey Chairman Families in British India Society www.fibis.org

Could be a mixture. How about 'Coffee' meaning coffee coloured or black, to differentiate from Indians or other lighter-skinned people. In other words "A brown-skinned girl". The letter 'r' may have slipped in by chance or as a result of mispronunciation. Just a thought. Hazel Craig.