The Silver Cloud ** Lord Mountbatten's first encounter with India in 1921 as a young ADC to his cousin the Prince of Wales, and what he thought of the Rolls-Royce cars. ** Exclusively written for ''Holland Herald'' by Dominique Lapierre. http://holland-herald.com/2010/06/the-silver-cloud/ --- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar

with Cdns at two points -- Col McCrae treated many Indian casualties. Megan S. Mills PHD 198 St Helen's Toronto CDA M6H 4A1 > Date: Sun, 6 Jun 2010 20:18:17 +0530 > From: [email protected] > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] Memorial to 4,700 Indian soldiers > > Dear Harsha > > There were a heck of a lot more than 4, 700 Indians who died in France and > Flanders, at Neuve Chapelle, Givenchy and Ginchy... > > And the bulk of them were in summer (cotton) uniforms. > > God Bless them (and all the other nationalities), poor boys... > > Cheers > > Mukund > > On 6 June 2010 12:12, Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar <[email protected]>wrote: > > > Sunday, June 6, 2010 > > > > Brave sons of India > > > > There is a lone memorial at Neuve Chapelle in France, > > built to honour more than 4,700 Indian soldiers, who > > died during World War 1. > > > > http://www.tribuneindia.com/2010/20100606/spectrum/main3.htm > > > > > > --- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------- > > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without > > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

Off Raj topic, but somehow also appropriate, for she is a child of the Raj; I have seen our dear Moira's Beetle - it is indeed red and beware anyone, even a heavyweight truck who comes even close to being near it, for the little elegant lady within with white hair and a determined look on her face, will lean on her horn to let you know that she's coming and to get out of her way! Moira, I have always wanted to drive a Jaguar too! Sandra -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Moira Breen Sent: Sunday, June 06, 2010 2:45 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] The Silver Cloud Dear Harsh: Thank you for the lovely article about the Rolls Royce in India.  I read it with great pleasure. No, Not in a million years would I ever be able to afford a car like that but it is very nice to read how well it did in India. I have always wanted to drive a jaguar! But that is also out of my reach.  I now drive a  red VW beetle which I have had for 8 years and am enjoying it very much. Best wishes, Moira Breen USA ________________________________ From: Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Sun, June 6, 2010 1:25:22 AM Subject: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] The Silver Cloud The Silver Cloud ** Lord Mountbatten's first encounter with India in 1921 as a young     ADC to his cousin the Prince of Wales, and what he thought of     the Rolls-Royce cars. ** ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

Dear Harsh: Thank you for the lovely article about the Rolls Royce in India.  I read it with great pleasure. No, Not in a million years would I ever be able to afford a car like that but it is very nice to read how well it did in India. I have always wanted to drive a jaguar! But that is also out of my reach.  I now drive a  red VW beetle which I have had for 8 years and am enjoying it very much. Best wishes, Moira Breen USA ________________________________ From: Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Sun, June 6, 2010 1:25:22 AM Subject: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] The Silver Cloud The Silver Cloud ** Lord Mountbatten's first encounter with India in 1921 as a young     ADC to his cousin the Prince of Wales, and what he thought of     the Rolls-Royce cars. **

http://voiceofsikkim.com/2010/06/04/gdns-celebrates-89-anniversary/

G'day folks, This comment from Professor Alex Kerr, of James Cook University here in Townsville, has just come to hand. Some of you may remember that I mentioned this book some time ago. The book deals with the close relationship between India and Australia since the First Fleet came to Australia. ======================================================================================= I have just finished Colonial Cousins and am writing to congratulate you and Peggy on what will undoubtedly become accepted as the definitive history of the many important links between India and Australia in the nineteenth and twentiethy centuries. You must have done an immense amount of research over the years, as your bibliography would indicate, and I congratulate you on the effort you have both put into the finished work.The detailed list of references and the detailed index have made it very easy for the reader to follow up on any points of further interest. I found the book both informative and absorbing and written in a very readable style. In particular, the anecdotal passages, coming from specific sources in both countries, give such a clear picture of the cultural and social mores and political issues at that time on both sides of the Indian Ocean, and their interaction, that it would be difficult not to appreciate the effect they had on promoting close links and understanding at all levels between the two countries. You say in the title that it is a surprising history and indeed it was surprising to me for I had no idea of the extent of the links you have explored. I wonder how many other Australians are as ignorant as me on this unpublicised part of Australia's history. Hopefully your book will help to address this deficiency. Warm regards to you both, Alex Kerr ======================================================================================== One of the authors of this book, Joyce Westrip, is a long time member of the Raj List. I congratulate her on a fine book about the topic. As the professor writes it "will undoubtedly become accepted as the definitive history of the many important links between India and Australia in the nineteenth and twentiethy centuries. ". ooroo

http://www.travel4funn.com/luggage-ravine/ --- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar

I was trying to understand how the early English administrators managed to settle disputes in their Indian possessions, mainly in Malabar which came to them in 1792. One of the things they had to handle was the widely prevalent system of slavery in various parts of India, for the prevention/regulation of which they brought in the Regulation X of 1811. This regulation, originally applicable to Bengal, was soon extended to other provinces like Delhi, Bombay and Madras. There were very wide differences in the way this regulation, and the later Felony Act, were applied and their scope explained. I find that there were different courts at various levels which handled them, like the Faujdari Audalat, the Sudder Audalat and then the Nizamat Audalat which appeared to be a higher court of appeal. Above that there was the Governors in Council which decided on legal matters. Can anyone explain what exactly these courts were doing and what were their powers, duties etc in this complex and fledgling legal system in India in the 1800s? Regards to all, Chekkutty.

All aspiring James Bonds will be rushing to put in a bid!!! Cheers Ainslie.

>From ''The Road to Partition 1939-47'' educational topic at http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/topics/the-road-to-partition.htm Click on the third thumbnail from the top: Bhave antiwar speech ** Telegram >From Governor-General to Secretary of State for India Dated New Delhi, 22.25 hrs. 18th October, 1940. Received 14.00 hrs. 19th October, 1940. Vinoba Bhave made opening anti-war speech at Paunar village near Wardha on morning of 17th. Associated Press gives number of audience in pouring rain as 300. ** [snip] --- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar PS - Vinoba Bhave was Mahatma Gandhi's spiritual heir and had his own ashram or seminary at Paunar, which is a village near Sewagram (a few miles Wardha), where Gandhi's famous ashram is situated. Some 50 miles from Nagpur.

Pen gun owned by Lord Mountbatten to be auctioned Wednesday, June 2, 2010 London, June 2 (ANI): A James Bond-style gun that is disguised as a pencil and was given as a gift to Lord Mountbatten, the last viceroy of the British Indian Empire, is coming up for auction on June 24. "The gold-plated item has a concealed trigger and a 2 3/4ins barrel that forms a .22 pistol and was presented to the last Viceroy of India by a Maharaja. http://news.oneindia.in/2010/06/02/pengun-owned-by-lord-mountbatten-to-beauctioned.html --- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar

India demands return of Koh i Noor diamond The Indian government has demanded the return of the "cursed" Koh i Noor diamond, a symbol of imperial power and the inspiration for the Victorian author Wilkie Collins' The Moonstone. 02 Jun 2010 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/7798130/India-demands-return-of-Koh-i-Noor-diamond.html --- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar

Mention of the Officers working on HEIC boats jogged my memory about a possible transcription of the "Poplar Fund" that I offered to do some 10 years ago! This Fund was about the more ordinary sailors at sea around the 1780--1830(if I have remembered correctly) and the books were in the India Office Library Collection, but as I was then starting on the transcription details former ex India Other Ranks Pensioners & Widows still alive in 1896 it was not an appropriate moment to do this, after a while I enquired again but was told that someone was "writing a book" which should contain all of the entries from the volumes held at the Library. Has this book ever been published as it would provide a large number of "new" folk for our potential Family Trees.....? Peter D Rogers,Suffolk UK

Dear Listers, I have a short inventory list of the effects of the estate of James PRESCOTT dated 25 September 1798, administrator Mary PRESCOTT (widow). If anyone is related to him I'd be happy to scan and send via email. Best wishes Liz Researching Chater or Armenians in India and Hong Kong in 2010? Please go to <http://www.chater-genealogy.com/> www.chater-genealogy.com.

Dear Listers, I have a short inventory list of the effects of the estate of Charles WROUGHTON dated 17 September 1798, administrator: Captain F.C. WROUGHTON. If anyone is related to him I'd be happy to scan and send via email. Best wishes Liz Researching Chater or Armenians in India and Hong Kong in 2010? Please go to <http://www.chater-genealogy.com/> www.chater-genealogy.com.

Dear Listers, I have a short inventory list of the effects of the estate of Major Francis HODGSON dated December 1797, executor: J. DEWAR. If anyone is related to him I'd be happy to scan and send via email. Best wishes Liz Researching Chater or Armenians in India and Hong Kong in 2010? Please go to <http://www.chater-genealogy.com/> www.chater-genealogy.com.

Book Review: An ill-starred Maharaja Sunday, May 30, 2010 ''Sovereign, Squire and Rebel: Maharajah Duleep Singh'' By Peter Bance. Cornet House, London. Pages 200. $49. THIS book offers the blighted, tragic and pathetic life story of Maharaja Duleep Singh, his two wives and six children. The work is elegantly produced and profusely illustrated with over 250 rare photographic images culled from diverse sources, especially from India, Pakistan and England. The author Peter Bance, also known as Bhupender Singh Bance, operates a real estate business. He has previously written a book entitled Khalsa Jatha (1908-2008). [snip] http://www.tribuneindia.com/2010/20100530/spectrum/book1.htm --- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar

Sunday, May 30, 2010 Black armour of law A petition in the High Court in Kerala seeks a change in the dress code of lawyers - because the black coat, a relic of the Raj, is unsuitable for the sweltering Indian climate. http://www.hindu.com/mag/2010/05/30/stories/2010053050140400.htm --- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar (sweltering in 45+ temperatures since last two months)

Dear Listers, It seems that the first musical record recorded in India was in Calcutta on November 02, 1902 when the American, Fred Gaisberg, one of the first pioneers of this new technology, recorded a 3-minute piece of Indian classical music rendered by Gauhar Jan, a celebrated courtesan-singer of Calcutta. For more on Gaisberg, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Gaisberg Gauhar Jan (1873-1930) was born as Angelina Yeoward in 1873 in Patna. Her parents were William Robert Yeoward and Allen Victoria Hemming. Robert Yeoward was an Armenian Jew working as an engineer in an ice factory at Azamgarh near Banaras and Allen Victoria Hemming was the daughter of an English father and a Hindu woman named Rukmini. Victoria had trained in Indian music and dance. The marriage of Gauhar Jan's parent broke up in 1879, causing hardships to both mother and daughter. They migrated to Banaras in 1881 with a Muslim aristocrat and man of leisure by name Khursheed, who appreciated Victoria's music more than her husband Robert Yeoward did. Victoria, converted to Islam and changed Angelina's name to 'Gauhar Jan' and her own to 'Malika Jan'. Malika Jan appointed good teachers to teach music and dance to Gohar Jan. She herself became a famous singer in Calcutta where they had moved from Benaras. She purchased a 'Haveli' (a palatial house) in Calcutta at the cost of Rs. 40,000. Nawab Vajid Ali Shah of Oudh, retired by the British to Calcutta, appointed the mother-daughter duo as court singers in his exiled court. Malika Jan also wrote Urdu poetry and a collection of her compositions was printed in 1886 in Calcutta. Gauhar Jan's first performance at the age of 15 was before the Darbhanga court. Her fame soon spread all over India and she ruled the field for the next 25 years, travelling all over the country and singing in many princely courts. A major milestone occurred in 1902 when was asked by the "Gramophone Company" to record a series of songs for them. This corpus of recordings became a cornerstone for their business for many years. She was reportedly paid Rs. 3,000 rupees per recording, which was a lot of money in those days. From 1902 to 1920 she recorded over 600 songs in more than 10 languages and became India's first 'recording star'. She is often given credit for developing the three minute format of 78 rpm records. This was the time limit imposed by the recording technology of the day. This format remained the standard till it was overtaken by new technology in the recent past.. Here is a description of the first recording: "At around 9.00 a.m. a young lady entered the studio with all her paraphernalia, including accompanists and relatives. Loaded fully with very expensive ornaments and jewelry, this 30 year old, fair, medium-built lady went onto the stage prepared for the recordings. Sarangi, harmonium, and tabla players began to tune their instruments. Gaisberg personally checked the equipment. A thick wax master record was placed on the turntable rotating at 78 rpm. A huge recording horn was fitted on the wall behind her and close to her face, and she was asked to sing loudly into the horn. At the narrow end of the long horn a diaphragm fitted with a needle was connected to the recording machinery, with a needle placed on rotating disc for cutting the grooves. Gaisberg requested her to sing for three minutes and announce her name at the end of the recording. At the end of the trial recording she announced - "My name is Gauhar Jan". This announcement became standard and was necessary because the wax masters were sent to Hanover in Germany for pressing the records and the German technicians would make proper labels and confirm the name by listening to these announcements at the end of the three minutes performance." She had several paramours in her life but no relationship was long-lasting. Her considerable wealth was wasted on them and on her relatives. Towards the end of her life she lived at Mysore on a pension of Rs 500 per month given by the Mysore Durbar. She died there in comparative obscurity in 1930. Some of her recordings and photos are available in youtube and you can reach them by entering the search term 'Gauhar Jan'. In http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6HIMlyHZ5c you can see her recording a piece, with the 'recording horn' to collect the sound just near her face. Incidentally, Wajid Ali Shah is now mostly remembered for his poignant piece in Raag Bhairavi 'Babul Mora...'. It is sung by several singers. Among the best are KL Saigal's from the 1938 movie 'Street Singer' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gSD1l5YCbU&feature=related and Bhimsen Joshi's version at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8R2yZ6y3hh4 . For those interested in listening to it, here is the Hindistani text and its freely done English translation - baabul mora naihar chuuto hi jaaye chaar kahaar mile, mori Duliyaa uthaaye moraa apanaa begana chhuTo hi jaaye anganaa to parbat bhayaa, dehlii bhayi bides je baabul ghar aapano, mai chali piyaa ke des O dear Father, I departing from my home Four bearers are ready to lift my palanquin I'm leaving those who were my own. The courtyard is now like a mountain, and the threshold, a foreign land, As I leave my father's home and go to my husband's country. Arvind Kolhatkar, Toronto, May 29. 2010.

In reference to my posting of 25 May, as luck would have it I happened to find this morning a badly white ant-chewed copy of a 1933 article in the journal "Bengal: Past & Present" that gives additional inscriptions from the Gulbarga, Shorapur, Raichur, and Lingsugur cemeteries. I just updated the Gulbarga and Raichur district cemetery webpages with the new information. The additions and changes are significant, so if you accessed the pages for these districts yesterday, it may be worthwhile to give them one more look. As before, the url for these files is https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/blewis/www/cemeteries.htm Best regards Barry