Could someone kindly tell me what English language newspapers were in circulation in Cochin/Malabar in the 19th & early 20th centuries and whether any are available for research in situ or on line. Thanks Sy

G'day folks, Off on another trail......? My thanks to Gp Capt Kapil Bhargava (Retd) for giving me permission to post this article to The Raj List. I'm sorry that due to Roostweb Policy, the pictures do not reproduce. ooroo Begin forwarded message: From: "Gp Capt Kapil Bhargava \(Retd\)" <kapil@kbhargava.com> Beginning of Aviation in India A peep into its early history By Gp Capt Kapil Bhargava (Retd) In 2003 the whole world celebrated the centenary of powered flight. But we Indians had to wait for a few more years to observe the centenary of flight in India. It took just seven years, almost to the day, for the first aircraft to get airborne at Allahabad in UP. There was hectic activity to bring planes to India and show them off in December 1910. First off the block was His Highness the Maharaja of Patiala. He sent his British Engineer CW Bowles to Europe to look at the new art or science of flying and bring a couple of planes back with him. Bowles returned to India in December 1910 with a Farman biplane made in England and a Gnome-Bleriot monoplane fitted with two seats. Apparently in Europe, France was the first to get into the business of flying. The Farman was also a French design but built in England by a Thomas Holt, recognized as the father of the aviation industry in England, in collaboration with Farman Brothers of France. Fortune did not favour Patiala and neither of these aircraft became the first to get into the air. In early December 1910 a party from Belgium and two from England also came to India with several aeroplanes. Their idea was to showcase flying and naturally exploit any business opportunities that might arise out of the demonstrations. The first of these to land in India was from Coventry’s Humber Motor Company, famous for its cars especially used by the police in UK. It included a leader, Capt WG Windham, two pilots - one French and one English, and two mechanics also one French and one English. The Humber Company asked the team to proceed to Allahabad immediately after it landed in Bombay by a merchant ship. This group with all its packing cases set off for Allahabad with the intention of demonstrating the aircraft at the Industrial & Agricultural Exhibition due to be held there shortly. It arrived on December 5 and assembled the planes in five days at a polo ground right next to the Exhibition Grounds. A local newspaper reported the first flight in India as follows: - “The first actual flight was successfully attained by Mr. Davies in a ‘Bleriot’. On the 10th of December Mr. Davies had the machine ready and early in the morning circled the polo ground at a height of twenty five or thirty feet” The paper added, “ Thus Allahabad has had the distinction of giving the lead not only in India, but also to the whole of Asian Continent in connection with the latest of scientific wonders”. The aircraft ready to fly weighed five hundred pounds without the pilot and cost £ 550/=, just under Rs 7,500/= at the rate existing then. Surely this amount was affordable by many people at the time. The second aircraft flew the next day, December 11, 1910, under the control of the French pilot Henri Pequet and carried the first air passenger in India. He was one of the sons of the Maharaja of Benares, obviously an intrepid young man. But The Statesman of Calcutta, a newspaper still very well respected, published a different version of the flights in Allahabad. Its issue of December 18 reported that Henri Pequet made the first flight in India on December 17. According to the paper, Pequet flew the biplane over the confluence of the Ganges and the Yamuna (Sangam) and also over Allahabad Fort. The newspaper expected regular display flights to begin on December 20 over the Exhibition Grounds and continue displays till January 6, 1911. The possibility of joyrides being given was also mentioned. By then it was estimated that a total of five hours of flying had been accumulated covering almost 50 miles. Henri Pequet was paid £.50/= per hour of flying, provided each flight lasted longer than two minutes. He is today recognised, especially by knowledgeable stamp collectors, as the pilot to carry world’s first airmail from Allahabad to Naini just across the Yamuna river, and back to Allahabad. He carried 6,000 odd letters and postcards, many of which were addressed to celebrities worldwide, including King George V in England. If you can find one of these postmarked covers or stamps with the words “First Aerial Post”, you can sell it today for the price of a flat or a house. Calcutta, the capital of British India before it was shifted to Delhi, was not far behind in making aviation history. But perhaps news at the time did not travel between cities fast enough. The Statesmanof December 21, 1910 said that the second flight in India was at Tollygunj, a suburb of Calcutta on December 20. Baron de Caters flew the Bleriot monoplane over Tollygunj Club for fifteen minutes. The same day the Baron flew with a lady passenger, Mrs NC Sen, who thus became the first woman in India to get airborne. The paper had also claimed that Mrs Sen was the first woman in the world to fly in a plane. But this claim was quite wrong, as by then in the West it had become fashionable for society ladies to casually drop their news of having dared a ride in a flying machine. For December 28, Baron de Caters organised a flying display at Tollygunj. This attracted almost all the able population of Calcutta willing to forego work or other pleasures for a day. The Baron did the first few flights in the Farman, gave rides to two ladies and several gentlemen. While this was exciting enough, the next day, December 29, Jules Tyck set two national records in his Bleriot. He became the first to fly over the city, including directly over the Government House. The second record was set when he climbed to all of 700 feet above ground level. But Calcutta was in for more excitement. On January 6, 1911, a huge crowd gathered at the Maidan to witness Henri Jullerot display his Boxkite developed by the British & Colonial Aeroplane Company of Bristol, England. The crowds were reported the next day to have been in excess of 100,000, perhaps even more than seen now-a-days at Eden Garden for one day international cricket matches. Seats at the Race Course’s Grand Stand of the Maidan were exorbitantly priced at Rs 5/= each! The flight was cheered with gusto. But the show concluded fast enough as the Boxkite had to be dismantled and taken to Aurangabad by train to demonstrate it to the Indian Army. Obviously, just like the armed forces the world over, Indian Army was quick to realise the military importance of new technology such as flying machines. The Boxkite was assembled in open ground next to the Aurangabad railway station. Perhaps world’s first reconnaissance flights took place in it on January 15 and 16 to report on the forces opposing a Cavalry Brigade in the ongoing exercise. The pilot, Henri Jullerot sat on the spar of the leading edge of the lower wing with his feet on a rudder bar. The observer, Sefton Branckner sat close behind, a bit higher and with his feet around the pilot. The reconnaissance sorties were highly successful. But except for a few generals, including the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army and the Chief of Staff, most army officers did no think that the aeroplane had much use for them except perhaps for limited reconnaissance of enemy positions. This attitude persists till today, only slightly moderated due to introduction of aviation within the army itself. Meanwhile Baron de Caters and Jules Tyck took their aircraft around the country and gave displays at many towns. The show in Bangalore was on February 3, 1911 and in Madras on February 18. The First World War soon interrupted any progress of aviation in India for a while. Two Indians distinguished themselves in this war. Inder Lal Roy joined the Royal Flying Corps in April 1917 at the tender age of just over eighteen years. After receiving his training and the King’s Commission, he joined No. 56 Squadron in France but was shot down in December. He was given up for dead but gained consciousness surrounded by dead bodies. After recovery he returned to flying and shot down nine German planes before losing his life in his last air combat. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), the first Indian to receive the honour. The other famous Indian pilot was Sardar Hardit Singh Malik, who had also joined in April 1917. He was wounded in November but returned to flying in time for the defence of London. He was demobilised after the war and had a really distinguished career as a diplomat. He was, not long ago, the senior-most citizen playing golf at the Delhi Golf Club. The Royal Air Force inaugurated its first station in India at Ambala. But the Indian Air Force (IAF) was launched by an act of the Governor General on October 8, 1932. The A Flight of No. 1 Squadron came into existence on April 1, 1933 under the command of an RAF officer on deputation. Its senior-most Indian officer was Pilot Officer Subroto Mukherjee who later became IAF’s first Indian Commander-in-Chief as an Air Vice Marshal and then took over as the Chief of Air Staff as an Air Marshal. His successor was Air Marshal AM (Aspy) Engineer. Aspy Engineer had started his flying career rather early. He and RN Chawla were the first Indians to fly a De Havilland Moth from India to England. They left on March 3 and arrived on March 20,1930. Aspy’s return flight from England was to contest for the Aga Khan Prize of £ 500 for flying between the two countries in either direction. JRD Tata took off in a Gypsy Moth on May 3 from Karachi for England. They crossed each other at Aboukir in Egypt where Aspy was in some trouble due to problems with some spark plugs. JRD helped him out. Aspy arrived in India when JRD had just reached Paris. Presumably because he took longer, JRD Tata came second to Aspy who won the Prize. But JRD was never a loser. After protracted negotiations with the Government of India, he started his airmail service under the name of Tata Aviation, later to become Air India. He piloted the first carriage of mail from Karachi to Bombay on October 15, 1932. The initial efforts at passenger carriage in India were limited to British owned or funded airlines, such as the Indian Trans-Continental Airways and Indian National Airways. But as the need for more air travel facilities became paramount, permission was given to almost anyone wanting to start an airline. This resulted in a profusion of quick start airlines, which competed with each other perhaps by cutting fares and downtime for maintenance. Soon enough the situation became untenable. Eventually the Air Corporation Act of 1953 was passed nationalising all airlines. Air India International took over the international traffic and Indian Airlines Corporation the domestic. While the two national airlines still operate, the domestic scene changed recently once again as a result of economic reforms. The prospects of passenger and cargo traffic in India can only be described now as rosy. Meanwhile in December 1940, Seth Hirachand Walchand launched Hindustan Aircraft Limited (HAL) with the help of an American and the State of Mysore. Dr VM Ghatage, India’s first aircraft designer soon joined the company and designed the G-1 Glider, the first such venture in India. However, due to World War II, the G-1 did not get used and Dr Ghatage became the first to start teaching aeronautical engineering at the Indian Institute of Science. He rejoined HAL after independence and designed India’s first powered aircraft the HT-2. In time, HAL became a Corporation with several Divisions in the country. The first fighter aircraft designed in the country was the HF-24, though a German team led by Prof. KW Tank largely managed it. Many aircraft types have been produced under licence and in large numbers. Lately the country has come into its own in designing aircraft, engines, avionics and accessories. The success story of indigenous designs restarted with the ALH, now named Dhruv, a helicopter for all the defence services and also meant for civilian use. This has been followed by the Light Combat Aircraft and the Intermediate Jet Trainer. India has so far produced transport aircraft only under licence from foreign sources. These include the Avro-748, Dornier Do-228 and the Partinavia. But recently National Aerospace Laboratories developed the Saras, a twin turbo-prop commuter aircraft. It is expected to obtain its certification in the next two or three years. HAL is also likely to embark on the development of a Light Armed helicopter and a100- seater aircraft with capabilities for other roles, perhaps in collaboration with Russia. The prospects of aviation in India are on the right path and should gladden the heart of any aviation enthusiast. © Copyright Gp Capt Kapil Bhargava (Retd). All rights reserved.

John, Your posting invoked memories of the movie called 'Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines' about a flying race between London and Paris. I remember to have seen it in the 1960's. Arvind Kolhatkar, Toronto, March 10, 2008.

----- Original Message ----- From: "Arvind Kolhatkar" << One interesting story out of the Ghadr movement is that of Dr Pandurang Sadashiv Khankhoje, a young man from Vardha near Nagpur. After retirement he came back to India in the 1960's and settled in Nagpur. I remember to have read all this in the 1960's when his somewhat exotic life-story drew attention from newspapers. >> ========================== I was not even in my teens when Dr Khankhoje died in Nagpur. However, as his house was not far off from the place where we used to stay at that time, I remember my father telling me about him occasionally. Later on, I quite often used to see his widow (a Mexican lady), either shopping or taking evening walks. She stayed on in Nagpur for a long time after his death - all alone and rather aloof. Somebody who knew the couple later told me that she used to smoke heavily and play cards with a few close friends. I think she returned to Mexico in the 1980s. Must have been nearly 80, I guess. (Their daughter Maya lives in Canada.) Dr Khankhoje was one of those unfortunate freedom fighters, whose sacrifice Gandhi-Nehru and their political disciples had deliberately refused to acknowledge. In recent years, his biography has been published in Marathi (his native language), and it gives a moving account of the hardships he had had to suffer, and the indignities heaped upon him by his own countrymen in post- Independence era. He was forced to leave India during the British regime and finally settle in Mexico, where he gave up politics and worked as an agricultural scientist. His ''return'' from exile to the sovereign republic of India had a touch of Greek tragedy about it. A character persecuted by Fates. The British had branded him a persona non grata, someone not to be allowed to set his foot in this land. BUT THAT WAS BEFORE 1947. When Dr Khankhoje applied for a visa to visit his motherland (with a view to settling here permanently), our government, invoking THAT pre-1947 ban, rejected his plea. It took him about five years and untold mental anguish to finally convince the authorities that he was no longer a threat to the British Raj! And this was in 1955 or thereabouts! (Why does this remind me of Orwell's 1984?) Khankhoje is an unusual surname. It has a Moslem touch about it, though he was a Hindu Brahmin. One of his ancestors was a professional spy-killer and intelligence officer (the 007 of his times), in the service of a Maratha king of Poona in the 18th century. His job was to search for ('khoj' in Urdu means 'search') and destroy as many Afghani Pathans (collectivelly known as Khans) as he could. Those Khans were the notorious footpads, brigands, marauders, and of course mercenary soldiers of fortune, roaming throughout India with impunity, a chronic pain in the nether anotomical parts of our assorted kings, princes, and chieftains. This guy was so successful in his mission that his grateful boss gave him the title ''Sardar Khan-Khoje'' (Khan catcher) - which later became his family name. Sadly, there is not much about Dr PSK readily available on the internet. ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

Hi Michael, Maybe is it how you spell it, as I said I do not know if the spelling is correct. Thanks for your reply and really look forward to hear from you and the list. Regards, Glynis ----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael Richards" <mrichfam@hotmail.co.uk> To: <india-british-raj@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, March 10, 2008 5:36 PM Subject: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] William James Millett I envy Peg's visit to Auckland House, Glynis. My mother was a pupil there until December 1929. Some of the early staff were from Cheltenham Ladies College in England, and Auckland House became known as 'The Cheltenham College of India' It had very high standards (academic and otherwise). You mention Samaranpur - might this be Saharanpur, UP (Google's suggested alternative)? Regards, Michael _________________________________________________________________ Share what Santa brought you https://www.mycooluncool.com

I envy Peg's visit to Auckland House, Glynis. My mother was a pupil there until December 1929. Some of the early staff were from Cheltenham Ladies College in England, and Auckland House became known as 'The Cheltenham College of India' It had very high standards (academic and otherwise). You mention Samaranpur - might this be Saharanpur, UP (Google's suggested alternative)? Regards, Michael _________________________________________________________________ Share what Santa brought you https://www.mycooluncool.com

Dear All, :: :: Sorry to be such a nuisance, but I have just spoken to Peg Fargher who is :: coming over to India with her family next month and has just given me this :: information. :: :: Her mother - Mrs. Mary Elizabeth BOBB, died 17 October 1982 could be : buried :: in the York Cemetery, Prithviraj Road, New Deli. Could this be correct??? :: :: Peg says that there was a lot of looting and her moms grave may not have : the :: white marble on her grave anymore, however she would love to know what the :: grave number is. :: :: William James MILLETT died 16 march 1921 in Samaranpur? Hope I spelt that :: correctly. :: :: Gee - thanks so much for any information that you kind folk send me. :: :: Peg is going to see the old house she used to stay in as a child, the :: school, in Shimla, called Auckland House so I cannot wait for her to come :: back home for me to see all the pictures. :: :: Regards, :: Glynis MILLETT-CLAY :: South Africa. :: ----- Original Message ----- :: From: "Michael Richards" <mrichfam@hotmail.co.uk> :: To: <india-british-raj@rootsweb.com> :: Sent: Sunday, March 09, 2008 9:26 PM :: Subject: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] William James MILLETT :: :: :: :: Glynis asks about where William James Millet is buried. Since she : mentions :: that he worked in the Rawalpindi area, I checked for an entry in Susan :: Farrington's 'Rawalpindi Cemeteries & Churches'. There is no entry, :: unfortunately. However, he could have been buried in one of the : cemeteries :: of the nearby Murree hill station. :: I have also checked the website www.indian-cemeteries.org without success. :: It is possible that BACSA (British Association for cemeteries in South : Asia) :: may be able to help - their webpage is www.bacsa.org.uk. :: I can find no record of his death on the British Library site. :: :: Good luck in your quest, Glynis! :: :: Regards, :: :: Michael :: _________________________________________________________________ :: Who's friends with who and co-starred in what? :: http://www.searchgamesbox.com/celebrityseparation.shtml :: :

Dear All, Sorry to be such a nuisance, but I have just spoken to Peg Fargher who is coming over to India with her family next month and has just given me this information. Her mother - Mrs. Mary Elizabeth BOBB, died 17 October 1982 could be buried in the York Cemetery, Prithviraj Road, New Deli. Could this be correct??? Peg says that there was a lot of looting and her moms grave may not have the white marble on her grave anymore, however she would love to know what the grave number is. William James MILLETT died 16 march 1921 in Samaranpur? Hope I spelt that correctly. Gee - thanks so much for any information that you kind folk send me. Peg is going to see the old house she used to stay in as a child, the school, in Shimla, called Auckland House so I cannot wait for her to come back home for me to see all the pictures. Regards, Glynis MILLETT-CLAY South Africa. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Michael Richards" <mrichfam@hotmail.co.uk> To: <india-british-raj@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, March 09, 2008 9:26 PM Subject: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] William James MILLETT Glynis asks about where William James Millet is buried. Since she mentions that he worked in the Rawalpindi area, I checked for an entry in Susan Farrington's 'Rawalpindi Cemeteries & Churches'. There is no entry, unfortunately. However, he could have been buried in one of the cemeteries of the nearby Murree hill station. I have also checked the website www.indian-cemeteries.org without success. It is possible that BACSA (British Association for cemeteries in South Asia) may be able to help - their webpage is www.bacsa.org.uk. I can find no record of his death on the British Library site. Good luck in your quest, Glynis! Regards, Michael _________________________________________________________________ Who's friends with who and co-starred in what? http://www.searchgamesbox.com/celebrityseparation.shtml

Dear All on the List, I have been reading some interesting mail and this one I just have to reply to. My husbands step great grandfather William James MILLETT was also an Civil Engineer who studied in Newcastle University. He was a bridge Inspector in 1884 for the Punjab Northern State Railway (PNS) in the Rawalpindi district. I have more info on him. Would love to share. However, his granddaughter who is 84 and her family are actually going to India next month and would love to find out where he was buried. Can this list assist ? Thank you and take care, Glynis MILLETT-CLAY South Africa. ----- Original Message ----- From: <Haztwin@aol.com> To: <india-british-raj@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, March 06, 2008 5:13 PM Subject: Re: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] Civil Engineer - Railways - India : Dear David, : : I'm in the throes of researching for a possible book on the lives of people : in India connected with Indian Railways. : I have devised a questionnnaire and wonder if you would be interested in : answering any questions, in which case I could send you a copy. Let me know. : Salaams - Hazel Craig : : : : : :

Glynis asks about where William James Millet is buried. Since she mentions that he worked in the Rawalpindi area, I checked for an entry in Susan Farrington's 'Rawalpindi Cemeteries & Churches'. There is no entry, unfortunately. However, he could have been buried in one of the cemeteries of the nearby Murree hill station. I have also checked the website www.indian-cemeteries.org without success. It is possible that BACSA (British Association for cemeteries in South Asia) may be able to help - their webpage is www.bacsa.org.uk. I can find no record of his death on the British Library site. Good luck in your quest, Glynis! Regards, Michael _________________________________________________________________ Who's friends with who and co-starred in what? http://www.searchgamesbox.com/celebrityseparation.shtml

Mahatma Gandhi's was a controversial persona - he was loved, respected, worshipped - and hated, disliked, and criticised in equal measures. Even in hindsight, many years after his death, he still remains an enigma. Read the following that shows him in a not-too-flattering light: (Rather long, I'm afraid.) *** March 8, 2008 The Unknown Gandhi: His military service. Debunking the movie. Shedding light on support for colonialism, empire, racism, and Hindu religious dogma. by moinansari Sergeant Major Mohandas K. Gandhi was awarded Victoria's coveted War Medal for his support of the British wars. Behold the prophet of non-violence. *** http://rupeenews.com/2008/03/08/the-unknown-gandhi-his-military-service-debunking-the-movie-shedding-light-on-support-for-colonialism-empire-racism-and-hindu-religious-dogma/ ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

Hi I have been researching a Baptist family based in Calcutta and in Benares. The Benares family attended the Secrole Baptuist church, which was in a suburb of Benares - does anyone know wheree I might find a picture of this church and/or of the burial ground which would have been used by the members? Ceri Harris

The Victoria Cross valued at £99,000 20 January 2008 By John Edwards IT is almost unheard of in the world of military medals. The highest honours given by Britain and America are being sold by a Bridlington trader for a combined six-figure sum. Within hours of going on the market, they were attracting interest from around the world. The original Victoria Cross medal Chris Dixon is selling dates back to the 1850s and is priced at £99,000. He is also offering a United States of America Congressional Medal of Honor from the American Civil War for £5,600. Mr Dixon, who is based in Prospect Street, Bridlington, said: "These items are very rarely seen in public. "Both medals are the highest decoration awarded by Great Britain and by the Congress in the USA. "On average, approximately five Victoria Cross awards will come on the market per year and likewise the Medal of Honor. "So, as you will appreciate, I am delighted to be handling both of them at the same time." The medals were bought from a private collection this month and will be on display and for sale at the York Coin, Medal and Stamp Fair at York Racecourse tomorrow and on Saturday. The US medal can also be bought from the company website at www.dixonsmedals.co.uk When the Victoria Cross went on the website on Monday evening, it immediately attracted international interest. The medal was originally awarded to Sgt Joseph Brennan and is offered with his original soldier's book showing his allowances and clothing, a copy of a photograph of him wearing his medal and the programme of a show for the benefit of his widow and orphans. The American honour was given to Pte J Davis in the 1860s for capturing an enemy flag after a skirmish. It also comes with details of his service, which saw him taken as a prisoner of war and shot in the knee. JOSEPH Brennan was born near Truro, in Cornwall, in 1836, the son of Augustine and Maria Brennan. He joined the Royal Artillery at Woolwich at the age of 17, giving his occupation as a clerk. He landed in India in August 1857 and in the following year formed part of Sir Hugh Rose's Central India Field Force which set out to eliminate rebels and mutineers in Jhansi and Gwalior. The rebels were threatening British counter-insurgency operations further north. His actions in April 1858 earned him the Victoria Cross "for marked gallantry in bringing up two guns of the Hyderabad Contingent, manned by natives, laying each under a heavy fire from the walls and directing them so accurately as to compel the enemy to abandon his battery". In 1871 he married Mary Eliza Broomfield and they had two children - Alexander Charles Augustus, born in 1871, and Margaret Elizabeth Mary, born in 1872. Sgt Joseph Brennan died of pneumonia at Shorncliffe Camp, Folkestone, later that year and he was buried at the military cemetery there. http://www.bridlingtonfreepress.co.uk/news/The-Victoria-Cross-valued-at.3676283.jp ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

If you are a Kipling/Kim fan, you won't need any other hint. If you don't know who was Lurgan Sahib, just read on ... -- Harshawardhan, a die-hard Kim fanatic In the oasis David Morphet on a Kipling discovery Saturday December 31, 2005 The Guardian Snipped from http://books.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,16488,1675395,00.html In the melée of Bombay, we would never have found the cemetery on our own. With the three of us squashed into a tiny auto-rickshaw, we threaded past endless bazaars, shrines, factories, half-dug drains and half-made roads, until at last we came to a pair of iron gates painted a lurid green. Beyond them was the oasis of "Sewree Christian Cemetery" - several acres of calm in Bombay's cacophonous surroundings. We were conducted down rows of monuments commemorating expatriates dating back to the reign of Queen Victoria. --- "And by the way, the very next grave is that of Lurgan Sahib." "But," I said, "Lurgan Sahib was a fictional character." "Ah, but closely based on the man who lies here," came the reply. We examined the flat white marble slab. It recorded the death in Bombay in 1921 of Mr AM Jacob of Simla, who had been born (no date given) "at Diarbekir - Turkey". That was all. At one point, Jacob had become rich through his trade in precious stones, but a court case involving sale of a diamond to the Nizam of Hyderabad had ruined him and he died in poverty. In the book, Kim tries without success to discover who Lurgan really was. Jacob's precise services to the Raj are still unknown. Nor has the curio shop in Simla been identified. Mysteries remain. [SNIP] ========= ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

Monday, Jun 05, 2006 S. MUTHIAH on Madras' Tamil tombstone Reader K.R.A.Narasiah has become an indefatigable sleuth in helping out this column - and in the process has re-discovered the oldest Tamil tombstone in `British Madras'; `Portuguese Madras' might have a Tamil tombstone or two, and if they exist, I have no doubt now that Narasiah will find them for me. The tombstone that he has found - and photographed to accompany this piece - was the one mentioned in Miscellany (April 3), that of Thaniappa Mudaliar aka Lazarus Timothy, one of the "founders of Pondicherry". This tombstone is one of the 101 paving the front courtyard of St. Mary's in the Fort. It is located almost at the eastern end, just outside where the organ is sited. Covered with earth and debris, it was cleaned up for his picture by Narasiah and, though the lower part is missing, has enough of the inscription visible to clearly reveal what I had quoted on April 3. What seems curious at first is the fact that the tombstone of a Roman Catholic is found in a Protestant church, midst those of the early Anglicans of Madras. But thereby lies the story of Madras's first cemeteries and churches. The oldest British cemetery in South India was in what was known as the Guava Garden; today, the Law College occupies the site. In the Fort, St. Andrew's, a church predating St. Mary's by nearly 50 years, was a Roman Catholic shrine which Fr. Ephrem de Nevers, in a nice touch of early ecumenism, allowed the Protestants in the Fort to use for their separate worship. Thaniappa Mudaliar was one of those buried in St. Andrew's. After the French occupation of Madras (1746-49) and their subsequent siege of the city after its rendition (1758-59), the English decided to raze the Guava Garden cemetery the tombs of which had provided the besiegers protection, and St. Andrew's Church, whose clergy the British felt had aided the French. The tombstones from both were re-located in 1763 where they now are. They were dug up in 1782 to be used as gun emplacements on the ramparts when Hyder Ali threatened Madras. And they were put back, helter skelter and many broken in the process, in 1807. It was the decision to respect the ecumenism of St.Andrew's that led to its tombstones finding a place in St.Mary's. Thaniappa Mudaliar, it appears, was a Mylaporean who teamed with Francois Martin, the founder of Pondicherry, when the latter lived in San Thomé during its occupation by the French. Thaniappa Mudaliar's descendants were also dubashes of the French East India Company, I now find. His son Moutiappa aka as Antonio aka André helped the French bring back to Pondicherry the weavers who had fled during the Dutch occupation. Moutiappa's grandson, Pierre Kanagaraya Mudaliar, obtained for the French the right to mint Arcot rupees and negotiated with the Raja of Tanjore and acquired Karaikal for the French. Kanagaraya Mudaliar - known as a member of the Motha family, a contraction of Timothy - and the famed Anandarangapillai, Governor Dupleix's dubash, were always at odds, particularly as Jeanne Dupleix favoured the Mothas. The descendants of both families, I hear, still live in what is now Puducheri. Incidentally, Cotton's Inscriptions... of Madras mentions another early Tamil tombstone in the City. It states that the tombstone of Muthu Nayakar, in what is now St. Mary's Cathedral in Armenian Street, is the oldest in the church. Muthu Nayakar, the son of Babu Nayakar, was christened Francisco Muthu Nayakar and was known as Francis. He died on November 11, 1751, and the inscription states that he belonged to the "Kavarais (a caste) of Madras" and was "aged over 50 years". http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2006/06/05/stories/2006060500440500.htm ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

Dear Listers, The Ghadr (Revolutionary) Party and its activities is a well-known but not much discussed part of the struggle of India against the British Rule, partly because the young men who were its followers were influenced by the Marxist ideology and also believed in violent struggle and both these have been out of favor with the mainstream struggle that followed the Gandhi-Nehru-Congress line. One interesting story out of the Ghadr movement is that of Dr Pandurang Sadashiv Khankhoje, a young man from Vardha near Nagpur. In the 1920's he had visited Moscow at the invitation of the Communist Party along with a few coworkers. He later visited Constantinople and eventually landed in the US. He had to leave the US too and went to Mexico and settled there. He obtained a doctorate in Agricultural Sciences there and served the Mexican Government for several years till his retirement. I believe the Mexicans still remember him for the significant contribution that he made to the Green Revolution there. After retirement he came back to India in the 1960's and settled in Nagpur. I remember to have read all this in the 1960's when his somewhat exotic life-story drew attention from newspapers. Arvind Kolhatkar, Toronto, March 07, 2008.

The war of India's Independence -- in America http://in.rediff.com/news/2008/mar/06bsp.htm ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

Sunday, January 22, 2006 THERE IS NO CAL BUT CAL! - Calling cities by their private names http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060122/asp/opinion/story_5749644.asp ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

''Hearts Divided In the Raj'' by Patricia McGready-Buffardi Paperback (6x9) ISBN 9781418424763 $ 16.00 Snipped from http://www.authorhouse.com/BookStore/ItemDetail~bookid~23656.aspx QUOTE: About the Author Born in Nagpur, India, in 1941, Patricia McGready-Buffardi jumped the prickly fences of two societies but like "pish-pash," a mushy but tasty mixture of over-cooked rice and lentils, popular with Anglo-Indian children across the vast subcontinent, she enjoyed a delicious concoction of both cultures...British and Indian. From the barren plans of Central India, living hard-by the railway tracks in her stationmaster grandfather's home, along the Great Indian Peninsula Railway, to an island home in Southern India with her naval officer father, she presents a kaleidoscope of her "mixed-breed" family, before and after The Raj. Moving from port to port, she provides comic relief in the form of an old English Vauxhall, her family's travels and travails frustrating but wondrous. Rich in detail, the memoir is a prism of days lost forever on the subcontinent, since the Anglo-Indian race is now almost extinct, with the inter-marriages of the new generation around the globe. The author has lived in the United States since 1966. With a Bachelor's Degree in English (Creative Writing), and working as a freelance columnist for the New Orleans Times Picayune (St. Tammany Edition), she finally felt ready to pen her memoir, which begins and ends in India. Although she and her husband, Lou Buffardi, have travelled extensively they now live on the Pacific West Coast in Port Orchard, Washington. About the Book >From the barren plains of Central India, living hard-by the railway tracks in her stationmaster grandfather's home, along the Great Indian Peninsula Railway, to an island home in Southern India with her naval officer father, Patricia McGready-Buffardi presents a colourful kaleidoscope of her "mixed-breed" family, before and after The Raj; the turbulence within the Anglo-Indian community; her father's career in the fledgling Indian Navy and his agony over the division of it at Independence; and the division of Anglo-Indian hearts throughout the subcontinent. Moving from port to port with her family, she provides comic relief in the form of an old English Vauxhall, their travels across the vast subcontinent frustrating but wondrous. Spanning four generations of the McGready family her memoir, although intensely personal, is a historical tour de force. Growing up in India for two decades she jumped the prickly fences of two societies, British and Indian. Like "pish-pash," a mushy but tasty mix of over-cooked rice, lentils and left-overs, popular with Anglo-Indian children across the country, she enjoyed a delicious concoction of both cultures. As a child, her grandfather told stories of his boyhood and his own father's passion for the railways, an intimate portrait of a simple pioneering family. Rich in detail, the memoir is a prism of days lost forever on the subcontinent, since the Anglo-Indian race is fast dwindling...with the inter-marriages of the new generation around the globe. In short, a race that is almost extinct. UNQUOTE [For more, see the webpage.] =========== ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

Salaam HAzel, On 07/03/2008, at 1:13 AM, Haztwin@aol.com wrote: <<I have devised a questionnnaire and wonder if you would be interested in answering any questions, in which case I could send you a copy.>> OTOH you could post your questionnaire on the Raj List. More people would see it? Cheaper on the postage? Quicker results? ooroo If you don't hear the knock of opportunity - build a door. Anon.