>From the New York Times, dated July 29, 1880, Wednesday: 1034 words LONDON, July 28.--In the House of Commons to-day, the Marquis of Hartington, Secretary for India, announced the receipt of a telegram from the Governor of Bombay, which reports a terrible disaster, in the annihilation of Gen. Burrows's brigade, near Kandahar: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9B03E2DB143FEE3ABC4151DFB166838B699FDE http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9B03E2DB143FEE3ABC4151DFB166838B699FDE ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

"Security in the British Indian Army" The following report on security in the British army during WWII was originally printed in Tactical and Technical Trends, No. 29, July 15, 1943. The following instructions in military security come from British sources and are intended for the guidance of the "Unit Security Officer" of the British forces operating in India. Especially charged with the problems of security are the "Field Security Sections" and the "Unit Security Officers," discussed below. http://www.lonesentry.com/articles/ttt07/british-indian-army.html ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

A good site on Calcutta and Bengal http://www.sarbadhikari.com/bengal.htm ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

'Sensitising' courses for Britons in India By Rahul Bedi in New Delhi from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/04/16/windia116.xml ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India 16/04/2008 Britons working in India are taking cultural courses to help them adapt to the often bewildering customs and society of their adopted home. "Indian-ness" lessons help foreigners understand how common western gestures can lead to blank faces, faux pas or outright insults. The courses also help them navigate Indian social dilemmas, such as managing the domestic help and entertaining guests, and deal with the nation's contrast of extreme wealth and abject poverty. Rajina Manian, of the Global Passage school in Madras, said many of the 50,000 foreigners who arrive in India each year do so "armed with misconceptions". Importantly, immigrants from Britain must learn that the days of Empire are over, she added. "These misconceptions have to be righted if they want to lead a contented and embarrassment-free existence here. "The old equations where Westerners instructed and we listened are now over." Miss Manian, who wrote Doing Business in India for Dummies, said that the ways of new India could not be learned from books, journals or films. The "sensitising" courses from Global Passage and similar organisations instruct clients from Nokia, Ford and Hyundai, and can cost up to £1,875. In business, many western conventions become confused or meaningless. Many expatriates consider a limp handshake by Indians to indicate a lack of character. However, Indians fold their hands in greeting, as if in prayer, and many have never shaken hands. Crucially when closing a deal, the nod of the head can mean either yes or no, depending on the area of India in which you are nodding. Westerners can easily trip up in social gatherings too. Taking wine to a dinner party is considered a slight on the host. Flowers are much preferred. A slower pace can also upset expatriates, said Miss Manian, and expecting instant solutions to even minor household problems is unreasonable, imperious and over-demanding. Executive wives, however, are instructed to deal with domestic staff firmly and fairly, and to never over-compensate them. The importance of the moustache can also be overlooked by immigrants. In Sikh regions, upturned moustaches represent a man's reputation, hence the saying "not having a moustache is akin to having nothing". If you are told you have lowered someone's moustache, you have slighted someone. The schools also cater for Indians who wish to find their fortune abroad, with the art of mingling and lavatory manners high on the list of skills needed. "Indian professionals have the skill and talent, but the finishing touches are missing," said Udayakanth, who "grooms and polishes" IT professionals in Bangalore. "Most of the time when I am with a foreign client I am on the edge of my seat as I fear my colleagues will commit a social blunder. "He may bum a cigarette or pick his tooth and burp aloud. I have lost quite a few clients because of this." ==============

Some nice old photos of Bangalore and Poona at: http://gallery.funonthenet.in/Places-In-India/ ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

Friday , April 18 , 2008 http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080418/jsp/opinion/story_9150223.jsp ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India OUTPOSTS OF TYRANNY - It is time Africa stopped blaming others for its misfortunes by Swapan Dasgupta History has been unkind to Lord Louis Mountbatten, the last viceroy of British India. Arguably the most glamorous and image- conscious of the Men Who Ruled India - the "superior" Lord Curzon comes a close second - Mountbatten has been berated for abdicating his responsibilities and forcing the pace of the transfer of power on August 14-15, 1947. Many historians have suggested that had the original timetable of June 1948 been adhered to, the violence which accompanied Partition could well have been contained, if not averted altogether. The unseemly haste with which Mountbatten dismantled a 190-year old inheritance has been dissected in great detail because it was the beginning of what a Whitehall mandarin described as the "stampede from Empire". Less publicized, not least because some of them were also less consequential, were the shambolic abdication of "imperial responsibilities" in Burma, Palestine, Sudan, Aden, Kenya and, of course, Rhodesia. Compared to the devastation that the Colonial Office left behind in diverse corners of Asia and Africa, Mountbatten's imperious callousness seems the epitome of shrewd calculation. In retrospect, India, along with the self-governing Dominions of the Old Commonwealth, has been the great success story of an Empire that practised insidious racism, but simultaneously maintained the pretence of trusteeship. Never mind the different aesthetic trajectory of post-Independence development, India is seen to be something that the British Empire got right. For the past 60 years, India has adhered to Westminster-style democracy, professed the rule of law and, with many hiccups along the way, made the transition from extreme backwardness to patchy modernity. The old Orientalist love affair with India, which was initially in danger of being perverted into quasi-spiritual escapades of flower children, has, mercifully, found a new meaning in modern capitalism. Even the English language, which was initially threatened by post-colonial nativism, has endured and given India a competitive advantage over a relatively insular Middle Kingdom. There have been other success stories too. The entrepreneurial legacy of Sir Thomas Raffles persists in Singapore, Hong Kong has survived China, Sri Lanka's democracy has not been overturned by a damaging civil war, Mauritius remains an off-shore paradise of a different kind, and Peter Ustinov playing Hercule Poirot wouldn't feel out of place in some of the "rocks and islands" of the Caribbean. And, of course, there is Ireland, a fractured island which has brushed off centuries of disdain and mockery to emerge as one of the most vibrant and prosperous countries of the European Union. Unfortunately, these celebrated successes have been overshadowed by the unending spate of bad news from Africa. Post-War Britain's exhausted withdrawal from Empire led to the transfer of power to African leaders who had such impeccable credentials that both Lord Macaulay, Benjamin Jowett (the legendary Master of Balliol College, Oxford) and, at a pinch, Cecil Rhodes would have approved. (Rest of the text snipped)

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G'day Achintyarup, On 17/04/2008, at 9:25 PM, achintyarup ray wrote: > Does anyone have a copy of John Barleycorn Bahadur? eBay has one for sale in the UK for US$25.58 or Rs. 1,022.05 ooroo If you don't hear the knock of opportunity - build a door. Anon.

Dear all, Does anyone have a copy of John Barleycorn Bahadur? regards A Ray Calcutta

Sunday, February 12, 2006 Press and Partition of Punjab An attempt to focus on the 'little voices' that should have been heard but were swept away; of what transpired on the ground, the dusty lanes and bylanes of Punjab's villages and small towns, Raghuvendra Tanwar gives a slice of history from below. Exclusive excerpts from his book Reporting the Partition of Punjab 1947, Press, Public and other Opinions http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060212/spectrum/main1.htm ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

http://www.whale.to/v/tebb/ap6.html ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

G'day folks, From another source, I have had this web site and author brought to my notice. http://www.shirebooks.co.uk/Military/military-bl.htm and http://www.qdg.org.uk/shop/qdg.php/products_id/249 ooroo If you don't hear the knock of opportunity - build a door. Anon.

*** Despite its antiquated looks, the Marmon-Herrington armoured vehicle remained the mainstay of the British armoured car regiments in the Western Desert until 1942. Marmon-Herringtons were used by the Indian Army in the Middle East, and the British and Indians between them had almost 1200 vehicles. They stayed in service until the end of the Tunisian campaign, some of them being used also in Italy. The British had also used them in Malaya. The South Africa, the original and main user of the type, had over 4500 in total, and they were also used by the RAF for airfield defence in this region. *** Snipped from http://www.ipmsstockholm.org/magazine/2004/01/stuff_eng_ahlstrom_marmon_herrington.htm ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

>From the New York Times February 20, 1882, Wednesday 3048 words ''JABALPUR, Central India, Dec. 20.--Since writing from Poonah, on the 13th, I have taken a flight of more than 600 miles into the heart of India, and have had a chance of seeing for myself--so far at least as an unbroken run of 28 hours could do it--what East Indian railway traveling, so differently represented by different people, is really like. '' [Snip] http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9802EEDE123BE033A25753C2A9649C94639FD7CF http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9802EEDE123BE033A25753C2A9649C94639FD7CF ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

The following piece is written by an eminent Indian - a one-time contender for UNO's Secretary-Generalship. He is a noted writer plus a Wodehouse lover. I don't question his right to hold the view he expresses, but I do not agree with him. What he advocates can be done even without kicking out Kipling from our midst. ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India 13/04/2008 The Hindu THE SHASHI THAROOR COLUMN Losing our heads to Kipling? Fine words strung together in praise of the morally indefensible: that was Kipling every time, and the sonorous cadences of "If", alas, are no exception. It is time to retire this poem from our curriculums. It is time to relegate Kipling to the darkest recesses of our history, where he and his ilk belong. And then perhaps we can offer new closing lines to our fellow citizens who spurn Kipling: "Yours is the land and everything that's in it, /And - which is more - you'll be an Indian, my son!" [snip] http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/mag/2008/04/13/stories/2008041350070300.htm

too bad that Shashi Tharoor failed to understand the poem! M > From: bosham@gmail.com> To: india-british-raj@rootsweb.com> Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:17:05 +0530> Subject: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] Time to relegate Kipling to the darkest recesses of our history??> > The following piece is written by an eminent Indian - a one-time> contender for UNO's Secretary-Generalship. He is a noted writer > plus a Wodehouse lover. I don't question his right to hold the view > he expresses, but I do not agree with him. What he advocates can > be done even without kicking out Kipling from our midst. > > ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar> Nagpur, India> > 13/04/2008 The Hindu> > THE SHASHI THAROOR COLUMN> Losing our heads to Kipling?> > Fine words strung together in praise of the morally indefensible: that > was Kipling every time, and the sonorous cadences of "If", alas, are no > exception. It is time to retire this poem from our curriculums. It is time > to relegate Kipling to the darkest recesses of our history, where he and > his ilk belong. And then perhaps we can offer new closing lines to our > fellow citizens who spurn Kipling: "Yours is the land and everything > that's in it, /And - which is more - you'll be an Indian, my son!" [snip]> > http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/mag/2008/04/13/stories/2008041350070300.htm> > > -------------------------------> 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> >

'nicer if he understood the last lines of "IF" don't you think??? MMegan S. Mills PHD198 St Helen'sToronto CDA M6H 4A1 > From: bosham@gmail.com> To: india-british-raj@rootsweb.com> Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:17:05 +0530> Subject: [INDIA-BRITISH-RAJ] Time to relegate Kipling to the darkest recesses of our history??> > The following piece is written by an eminent Indian - a one-time> contender for UNO's Secretary-Generalship. He is a noted writer > plus a Wodehouse lover. I don't question his right to hold the view > he expresses, but I do not agree with him. What he advocates can > be done even without kicking out Kipling from our midst. > > ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar> Nagpur, India> > 13/04/2008 The Hindu> > THE SHASHI THAROOR COLUMN> Losing our heads to Kipling?> > Fine words strung together in praise of the morally indefensible: that > was Kipling every time, and the sonorous cadences of "If", alas, are no > exception. It is time to retire this poem from our curriculums. It is time > to relegate Kipling to the darkest recesses of our history, where he and > his ilk belong. And then perhaps we can offer new closing lines to our > fellow citizens who spurn Kipling: "Yours is the land and everything > that's in it, /And - which is more - you'll be an Indian, my son!" [snip]> > http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/mag/2008/04/13/stories/2008041350070300.htm> > > -------------------------------> 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> >

unsubscribe Molly Sarstedt-Hamilton, Townsville, Australia Researching - Sarstedt/Hitchcock/Osborne/Cullen/Pringle/Vargas/Hamilton/Slark/Samworth/Fury/Short/Lawcock/Smith Beautiful autumn weather at present

Themes in Indian Painting A Festival at the Nawab of Oudh's Palace Opaque watercolor and ink on paper Mughal (Oudh), 1850 Museum Purchase, The Arthur and Margaret Glasgow Fund 89.26 As imperial Mughal power began to fade in the 18th and 19th centuries, several provincial centers within the Mughal empire rose to prominence. Oudh, a state in north-central India, paid lip service to the Mughal emperor but gradually developed into a full-fledged separate court under a ruler known as a nawab. The obsessive detail, feverish activity, and Indo-European style of this eccentric painting admirably capture the cosmopolitan decadence of mid-19th-century Oudh. The painting depicts the celebration of a festival inside the arcaded walls of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah's palace. Swarms of figures converge on several enclosures, the first of which houses the nawab. Oudh's rulers were colorful men: Wajid Ali Shah, for example, was an imbecile who enjoyed the company of eunuchs, fiddlers, and dancing girls. Image at : http://www.vmfa.state.va.us/worlds/worlds_nawab_89_26.html ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India

>From The Illustrated London News, Sept. 18, 1869 THE MAHARAJAH OF JEYPORE'S BALL. The ball given by the Maharajah of Jeypore to their Excellencies the Viceroy and Lady Mayo took place on the 6th ult., in the Assembly Rooms at Simla, which were most gorgeously decorated for the occasion. The stage was turned into a dais for the Viceregal party, and was fitted up with large mirrors, lounges, and rich carpeting. The supper-room was draped in pink and white, and covers were laid for some hundreds. The band of the 41st Foot Regiment and also the Viceroy's, were in attendance, the former playing the dance music. At half past nine the ball opened; and, notwithstanding the heavy downpour of rain, thousands of iron braziers illuminated the two miles of road between the viceregal Peterhoff and the Assembly Rooms. Shortly after ten, Lord and Lady Mayo, with a strong personal staff, arrived, and were received by a guard of honour, the bands, his Highness the Maharajah and suite, and the political agent at Jeypore. His Highness led the Viceroy to the throne-chair on the dais, where his Lordship remained standing for some minutes to view the brilliant scene around him. Notwithstanding that the company included 200 gentlemen, there were not a dozen black coats to be seen. The Viceroy wore the full dress of a Lord Lieutenant of a county; the members of Council, secretaries, and political agents, official uniforms of blue and gold. His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief, who, with Lady Mansfield, had arrived some time before the viceregal party, was in full military costume, with broad blue ribbon, star, and medals. There were a number of Major-Generals present in the full dress of their rank. There were also Highlanders in kilts, and officers of almost every corps in uniform. The ladies were splendidly attired in gold, blue, scarlet, and silver, and wore magnificent jewels. In the leading double quadrille the Maharajah had the honour of having the Countess of Mayo for partner, their vis-a-vis being Lord Mayo and Lady Mansfield. His Highness had been for fully a week previously under terpsichorean instruction, and acquitted himself remarkably well, though somewhat stiffly. All the other "sets" broke up, and grouped themselves around the leading set, but, notwithstanding this, his Highness put on his white kids without the slightest hurry. His Highness walked through the figure very slowly, but with profound attention, and the whole of the five figures were got through without any mistake. At hall-past twelve the strains of "The Roast Beef of Old England" summoned the company to supper, which was served up in excellent style. After supper, Lord and Lady Mayo retired with the same honours as on arrival, the Maharajah escorting their Highnesses to the outer threshold. The dancing was kept up till half-past four, the Maharajah staying to see the last man off. The ball is said to have cost 20,000 rupees, and it is reported that the Rajah of Puttiala and the Rewan are determined not to be outdone, but intend to follow Jeypore's example on a still more magnificent scale. http://www.londonancestor.com/iln/iln-ball.htm ----- Harshawardhan_Bosham Nimkhedkar Nagpur, India