Earliest memories of watching a movie

I must have been 5-6 years young.   My late uncle had taken me to Ganesha Picture House (which no longer exists - flattened to the ground) to watch Absent Minded Professor.  This is the earliest memory of me watching a movie in a theatre.  A few scenes from this are still fresh in my memory. That movie was about the forgetful professor who was a genuis and keeps inventing things. One of his inventions was [in that story] called "Flubber". He accidentally drops a piece of flubber and it keeps on bouncing all over the place. That gives him many ideas and he tries it in various applications like shoe soles, car tires... he plays a game of basketball using those flubber shoes and none can catch him as he can jump higher than all players  and 'slam dunks' all his shots from high above! That was very funny! Another scene is that his car is in flight like an aeroplane, that he fits with flubber tyres! It was a great hit in that era for its stunts and tricks and the impression it had created among the public. To any of those that forgot anything he was labeled or called as "Absent Minded Professor". Such was its popularity. It was also the time in the early sixties when English movies had become popular in our city. 

"Sound of Music" was yet another English movie hit in those times and I vaguely remember to have seen that as a very young fellow. That movie was full of its beautiful songs. I think this was the film that went on for many hours or so it seemed to me. There was an e-mail in circulation recently showing some recent pictures of the same artistes having a reunion!  It was wonderful!  

I recollect having gone with the uncle and brother to Gayatri Talkies (still thriving) to see an action film on African Safari.  It was "Hatari". I remember the scene where a running rhino is caught by the person throwing a lasso at its neck from his moving open jeep. Wow, that illustration is shown in that link I just gave!!

I remember three Hindi movies in particular.  One was 'Sant Gyaneshwar' - it was in Woodlands theatre I think. Next was 'Dosti', a great hit for its touching story and songs.  I clearly remember that by the time we were inside the theatre, the movie had already begun!  The third was 'Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai'. I cannot recall any scene from it but the song by Mukesh 'Mera Naam Raaju...' was my favourite at that young age and my mother feeding me with food was easy for her when it was on the radio - morsels would be downed effortlessly!  I've embedded a video clip of this song at the bottom of this post.

[These bookltes with song lyrics and gist of the story used to be sold in theatres for ten paisa]

The darkness of theatres, the ushers coming in to show late-comers their seats [sometimes a nuisance when he came blocking the view of the big screen], the "newsreel" produced by the govt., the highlights of the upcoming movie, the advertisements [very few], looking at people around me in awe during the intermissin when the lights were switched on and in the end, people getting up and moving out slowly rubbing their eyes and discussing a point or two while leaving the theatre.... they were thrilling in themselves!

I have another vague memory at a theatre where two intermissions were necessary as the film was too long.  I cannot remember anything more at all.  Very unusual to have two intermissions!

When I left behind some years, may be 10-12, I used to feel suffocated inside the theatre due to its closed doors and windows what with smokers puffing aplenty.  Once I had forced my aunt and mom to quit at intermission as my breathlessness was quite unbearable. I was unable to express breathlessness, but in my own simple terms, it was 'stomach ache'!  It was a good Kannada movie, 'Arunodaya' which was meant for children.  My mother even remembers how we quit the hall without watching it in full.  They still think it was a drama. We could not go to watch that movie again. In fact, that sort of 'stomach ache' drama I used to really make when I did not want to go to school!  That was the reputation. 

We used to go to theatres when a good movie arrived. It was a great occasion to visit a theatre - usually many from the familly or friends went together. It was one of the very few sources of entertainment. Mysore can boast of theatres dating back to the 1940s. Krishna Talkies (defunct since long) in Gandhi Square is said to be the oldest.  There were four shows per day. Morning show, Matinee, Evening show and Night show. Our normal choices were morning or matinee.

[Gandhi Square: The tiled building is where Krishna Talkies functioned]

The light rays from the projector lens directed at the huge screen, through the little square opening was a pleasurable sight!  Because dust and smoke wafting across the light beam made good viewing!  There was a Kannada movie 'Jedara Bale' (Spider's Web) and when I was looking at that projector beam opening when the film was on, indeed there was a huge web at the opening from where the beam was coming!  It was great fun when I showed it to my elders.

I must tell here that my father was a "Sound Engineer" having worked for the Films Division in Mumbai in the early 50s and he used to mention how he did song recordings for "Phakheezah" (a hit Hindi movie) and how the great Lata Mangeshkar rehearsed before the final recording.  Later, he was also working as 'projection operator' in an institute in Mysore where his job was to screen 16mm films.  He knew about those light beams and all, but we did not know until he showed us a 16mm film projector in action!

[Father examining film from a reel - this is the 35mm version]

In the olden days, bed bugs was a problem not only in homes but also in theatre seats. They had coir cushion seats.  Foam had not yet been introduced widely. It was a great haven to those little blood suckers. We boys wearing shorts used to scratch our thighs by intermission time. We'd have already donated blood to them by then!  There used to be wide rashes by the end!   Those suckers also used to ride with people into their homes to infest there too. It was a menace in those times really. When seats were renovated in most theatres gradually with the passing of time and availablility of good cushions and upholstery, this was solved as crevices in upholstery and seat were no longer available to them.

I'm a die-hard fan of Laurel and Hardy and CharlieChaplin comedies. They are my all-time favourite. I never get tired watching them.  Funnily, I do not remember at what age I must have seen their movie for the first time, but I went to see in later years whenever they came to Mysore. 

 The greatest comedy duo

   

Man of the 20th century

Movie-going was great entertainment in those times and it was an important topic in discussions when people met.  "Have you watched that film?" almost followed "Did you have your coffee?"  Technological aspects in movie production and conditions in theatres have risen but the quality of screen content has gone the opposite way.  With less technology then, people enjoyed a great deal!

Listen and watch "Mera Naam Raju":

Dasara Festival Doll Show

The festival of Dasara (Dasahara, Dussera...) in our part of India is a very traditional one.  It is a time when all the toys and dolls go on show in our homes.  The festival usually comes in the end of September or early October.  With changing times the tradition of exhibiting dolls on specially prepared/fabricated temporary platforms for the entire duration of ten days in our living rooms is waning slowly what with the newer generation not getting interested in these 'weird' things!  Of course, there are exceptions here and there.

When we were young, we always looked forward to this festival which also meant a holiday fortnight beginning when the half-yearly exams ended.  When the festival closed in, boxes of dolls would be 'downloaded' to the ground from the attic. The brass ones would be polished with tamarind juice. The traditional wooden man-woman dolls were tidied up with their shining art paper dresses while the old ones that were damaged would be replaced by pasting new ones neatly !  When they were ready, Mother, grandmother and an aunt would prepare the platform - a white cloth would be pinned to the surface.  Ours were only two levels while others displayed theirs in step form.  Since no picture was taken in those days, I show a picture of the place in our hall where it was displayed. The table near the big photo served as the platform. We no longer live in this old house.

We would prepare a mini zoo using dirt and sand and grow Ragi sprouts that served as grass.  It grew quickly and we timed it in such a way that the best look would be by the 5th or 6th day.  Then the little pieces of animal toys would be kept in 'enclosures' representing a zoo.  It was great fun. We did it beside the arrangement separately.

Most of what went on show were from the family heirloom from the 19th century in my estimate, most of them wood and brass toys. After the festival, they again went back into the boxes and up in the attic, only to be removed next year! Children in the locality would visit houses and look at the display.  The girls would sing a devotional song if she knew.  For these visiting little guests, some snack would be given. This was their main attraction, really!  Most houses displayed the dolls and gave snacks. So by the end of the rounds, the children would collect a variety of them!

This custom has degenerated with the passage of time, but I can see the old tradition still existing in the narrow streets of what was once 'old Mysore', in particular, my late friend M.V. Lakshminarayan's house. His wife takes great interest to show the huge collection of dolls.  She always arranges with a royal touch, showing events of the famous Mysore Dasara Procession and the Palace, among many rare varieties. You can see it here in the first picture below.  The next two are also from the same place.

See how their living room space is devoted to this - the sofa set has been shifted to the bedrooms!

Doll collecting was also one of late Lakshminarayan's hobby.

There are a few families following the old tradition and I happened to visit 2-3 of them, just because I like to see them, having grown up in what I would like to call golden era.  The era before that was even more golden!  Imagine how the traditional fervour was then!  Dasara was really Royal!  Now it has become a weak festival without much pomp, though we may see all sort of colour and the modern things. Those who have been in that era and those who are of the type that does not accept a change easily, will never like the secular Dasara of today.

Here are a few pictures I took when I visited others: 

 This was at my friend's place last year.  Beautifully done, but the TV serial continued to distract!  Modern times!

Also last year at an old neighbour's.  Iyers. The show occupies one quarter of the hall.

On getting poked by a friend, I visited an unknown house, her friend's, this year.  It was a nice show, they were really enthusiastic to exhibit and invite people to look.  They even gave me a packet of snacks! 

With changing circumstances, the Dasara festival in our house has become an internal affair getting restricted to the worship room.  But the dolls and toys are on show 24x7 in permanent showcases!  But the cleaning part is an unavoidable chore and this fugitive dust flies everywhere, esp. more in areas of heavy traffic like ours!  Pictures from our house now:

Small scale show, purely for worship. Note the pairs of dolls on the right.

Celluloid and wooden section of our showcase:

Bead work of my late paternal aunt:

Brass toys from another golden era!  This is what children at home played with.  They also had clay toys that were fragile. They were gone before my time.  Plastic was emerging slowly.

Porcelain toys from China, a gift from a relative that toured Japan in the early 1930s.

My favourite elephant - the yellow one.  It walks on a downward slope click-click-click!  Bought it in Dasara Exhibition in the 1960s when it used to be held in the Medical College buildings.

I had received an e-mail from a friend before Dasara.  It contained this picture (click on it to enlarge).  Ayudya Pooja on the 9th day is also an important part of the celebrations.  A modern Ayudha Pooja!

My fourth hat-trick

Those with no knowledge of the game of cricket and its terminologies may not fully understand the content of this particular post as I brag about my special "hat-tricks" on the cricket field.

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A hat-trick is more slippery than wet soap.  Any bowler will vouch for it.  Many times bowlers take two consecutive wickets but the third one somehow eludes and only rarely, rarer than a blue-moon, they get stuck!  Often, the ball either beats the batsman, raps on the pads but not good enough for an 'lbw', or some snick falls short of a fielder, or it misses the stumps by a whisker... ...

In sport, to "perform a hat-trick" means to achieve a feat thrice in a row.  In football or hockey, when a player scores three goals it is termed as scoring a 'hat-trick', while in cricket, it is a 'hat-trick' when a bowler dismisses three batsmen with three consecutive deliveries, even if they are spread over two separate overs.

The term hat-trick was first used in cricket to describe H.H.Stephenson's feat in 1858 and was used in print for the first time in 1878. That only 37 hat-tricks in Test Cricket since 1877 goes to show the extreme rarity of its occurrence.  

It is said that in olden days, a hat or cap was presented to those who performed such a feat and hence it got to be known as 'hat-trick'. And a bowler has to be passing through 'his day' to achieve this feat, I must add!

All said and done, bowlers, on extremely rare occasions, can go very unlucky too. S.M.J.Woods of Brighton College in the 1880’s bowled an over in which he hit the stumps 8 times but got only 3 wickets.  The first 3 deliveries were no-balls, the 4^th bowled a man, 5^th touched the leg stump and went for byes, 6^th an 7^th bowled men and the 8^th hit the stumps but failed to remove the bails and went for 4 more byes! What do you say about that?  How he would have felt!

Read only the 'cricket' part in this link for some interesting happenings.

Let me brag about some of my own hat-tricks which really got stuck.  Who does not cherish a hat-trick? In my first 20 years of league cricket, it was as elusive as a rock pigeon, but suddenly one each came in the next three years - another sort of hat-trick! 1999, 2000 and 2001!  It was during a 9-over spell (5wickets for 37 runs) against one Agraharam C Club in 1999, playing for The Mysore Gymkhana.  My team mates were happy but they were looking at the way I jumped in joy (a rare sight for them!).  I was joyous that my first hat-trick had finally come about after many 'two in two balls'! 

In the year 2000, our employer team was playing against a team from Hyderabad at the Gomtinagar Stadium in Lucknow.  The opponent team was a so so, but the feeling at that time was like feather!  Such was the rhythm which brought me my second hat-trick.  I always remember this feat with great fondness because of the fine rhythm that particular day and the ball landed where I intended to!  It gave bowling figures which are pleasant to read: 4 overs, 7 wickets for 6 runs!  The seven wickets (including the hat-trick) were claimed in the space of ten deliveries, spread over 3 overs!  I still preserve that particular ball.  We won the match by scoring their target of very paltry 32 without losing our wicket.

The third hat-trick of 2001 is more interesting.  It was the final between our HQ team (CSIR) and the host team, a good one, having some good players.  It was at Vasanth Nagar Ground in Nagpur. Again that 'feathery feeling' was on song.  It was a devastating spell of 4.4 overs in which six of them were sent back at a cost of 19 runs. Now the hat-trick: The first one was bowled leg stump.  The second, middle stump, neck and crop.  We came to know later that the hat-trick victim, one Shukla, was sent in with instructions to cover all the stumps to save the hat-trick. When I bowled, he actually covered. But my third successive in-swinger managed to curl in from in front if his pads and kissed his off stump!!  I really enjoyed that one! Our team won the match in the end.

I read about some rare incident that happened in the 19th century.  Some fast bowler in England is known to have broken all three stumps when he took an 'all-bowled hat-trick'. 

The umpire here is seen repairing the stumps after the hat-trick as a fan runs in!

Raj, had his camera and through the above twos pictures, we became friends!

My fourth came about recently and I enjoyed that one too, at that time, but not in the end because we lost the match. :(   The first victim gave an easy catch to short mid off, off the penultimate ball of the over. The last ball, an inswinger removed the new batsman.  The first ball of my next over removed another batsman with an inswinger that I loved.  It curled in nicely like I wanted it to and pitched where I wanted.   This tall batsman with a high backlift lost his leg stump before he could bring his bat down. It wasn't express.  I had taken 4-54 in the end.  On the second day of the match, another seven-wicket haul came by but we (Mysore City Gymkhana) could not win the match. 

First time in 32 years, the picture appears for a bowling feat!

There have been many instances of two in two, but the third has missed by a whisker quite a few times.  The harder we try for the third, the easier it eludes and the more 'normal' we bowl, the chances get brighter!!  The bowler has to be lucky too!

Against a strong team (Swastic Union) in the Basavanagudi Cup at Central College grounds in 1994, after a poor first spell (for The Mysore Gymkhana), my bowling turned the match from the jaws of defeat.  They were very close to the winning target with 5 wickets in hand and plenty of deliveries to spare.  I was bowling the penultimate over and they needed just 10 runs.  Just two runs came from it in two balls, but the other four  had dismissed four batsmen - all bowled - but without a hat-trick being performed.  Four wickets in six balls!  We won the match by six runs when their last wicket fell in the next over and I was given a prize for 'man of the match'.

Prajavani - reports on our match

Deccan Herald does not give the importance for it.

My first one was in tennis-ball cricket in 1970-1.  It was a friendly match against some group of boys playing us classmates.  I had sent 5 boys back in 6 balls including a hat trick.  Numerous matches later (also with the tennis ball) could not see me getting one of those rare hat-tricks.  

It had to wait till 1999 for serious league cricket!

Sir Jack Hobbs (Surrey and England) was a Master in batsmanship in the early part of the 20th century.  He scored 197 first class centuries in his career spanning 3 decades and he played until he was 60+.  Nearly a hundred centuries were scored after he was 40.  On facebook, even as nearly a century of years is past, there is a Sir Jack Hobbs Appreciation Society

You know, in Test Matches, such hats were used by batsmen for protection (as a helmet).  

It is a "hat-thick". This is just FYI.

Mandakalli Airport and some memories

Writing this on Vijayadashami 2010 of what they also arguably call as 400th Dasara.  The famous procession went on, as we planned a visit on scooter in the opposite direction, to Mandakalli.  

Will take you to Mandakalli in a while.  Be patient, there is lot of rush!

Hundreds of village folk alighted in front of our gate which was a virtual bus stand (one off arrangement by the traffic cops).  They had made a mess as is their wont, but some heavy rain in the evening cleaned things up saving our municipality (corporation) from cleaning.  It usually rains on this particular day every year with near-precise timing as per the Almanac which is published annually (Vontikoppal Panchanga).  As such people who are aware of it carry an umbrella with the when they go to witness the Dasara Procession.  

Now to Mandakalli.  Pushing my scooter (not the one seen above) out of the gate amidst a forest of village folk - men, ladies and kids and a fleet of buses adding to blockage, I started journey with my two pillions. 

My first visit to Mandakalli was around 1972.  We could not measure the distance from our house then. Now our scooter odometer did it.  It is 12 kms.  Now I know that our group then bicycled that far and back and never felt tired!!  Scroll mid way into this blogpost to read a few lines where I have reminisced that 'adventure'.  

Now, going on the same route on my scooter brought back memories of that adventure.  Road is so so and also narrowish to cope with such heavy and ever increasing traffic and we hear of many accidents on that road (Mysore-Nanjangud) often.  So I kept left, like these buffaloes and reached safely!

I remember in 1972 that there was just one or two small rooms at that "Mandakalli Aerodrome" as it was called then.  My friend Capt.Anup Murthy gives a more vivid picture of that place in his blog of how it was.  We were not allowed inside by those one or two persons present there.

When we were young, we were thrilled to see airplanes flying in Mysore which was usually during Dasara. As soon as we heard the roar from the sky, we would scamper out and look up where it was. Those flights were for joy-rides over the city.  Once my late uncle was to board one such flight at Mandakalli, but was held back to go on the next round.  As luck would have it, that particular flight encountered a snag and a serious accident was averted in the form of a small crash.  And with it also crashed my uncle's dream of flying!  

My grandfather used to boast that he had flown once from Mysore to Bangalore in the 1940s or so when someone took him there in a small plane - his only flight.  We were hearing these stories with gaped mouths.  He used to say he reached Bangalore in 20 minutes which in itself was a great thing.  Steam-engine trains took almost 4 hours and road journey was no less.

Flying in an airplane was a very distant dream.  But suddenly our govt. gave opportunities to promote tourism in certain areas.  So there were were, sitting in an aircraft for the first time two years ago, a 'dream' was being fulfiled!   

Also during Dasara time, some Circus companies used to drop pamphlets from the air to advertise themselves.  Those small aircrafts were coming from Mandakalli and we wondered where that airstrip is (in the 60s). It was a sight to behold, when we spotted the plane and then pieces of paper wafting in a zig-zag movement as they came down.  We could not reach them as they fell scattered out of our reach in some other locality! It was fun, anyway.

Amidst much dilly-dallying and numerous hurdles, an Airport has been "finally" opened (actually it was inaugurated 2-3 times!!) and some real activity is going on.  Hopefully they continue beyond Dasara.  We went to see how it is and even got to see a Bangalore flight from a distance take position on the tarmac.  The Chamundi Hill provides a lovely backdrop but some experts say the hill is a hindrance to air safety and the location of the strip itself is not very suitable.  Today, we looked at it the same way when the first shopping mall came up in the city! 

Mysore is on the air map and Mandakalli has changed over the years.  Land value in its vicinity have shot up (only methinks) but some say that they are also endangered because the AAI (Airport Authority of India) may 'grab' in future when they expand.. But this is only hearsay.  

 When we often traveled to Nanjangud by taxi in the 60s, the first thing I used to notice as soon as my grandfather pointed out that we are passing Mandakalli Aerodrome, was the air sock wobbling in the wind.  It was clearly visible in the field then, at some distance.  When I saw this today, I 'nostalgiated'. 

They have a nice airport with shiny glass and floor like this:

... but the one thing I did not like is this:  Dumped and uncleared garbage. They have chosen this nice corner!

 I'm sure they will get rid of this habit and also systematize its clearance properly. 

I took some pictures and they are available here on facebook.

Let Mysore soar!

Memories of my visit to Brihadeshwara Temple

The hobbies of penfriendship, philately and radio listening had given me an elderly friend from Thanjavur. He was renown in those circles as he had long experience and had like-minded friends from all over the country and also with many radio stations. He was T.K.Soundararajan (TKS).

This is a picture of his younger days

In 1987, an intimation arrived at our office that an athletic meet would be organized at Karaikudi. I saw a good opportunity to meet this man as Thanjavur was almost along the route from Mysore to Karaikudi. When I wrote to him about it, he was happy and when the date closed in, he informed where exactly I must alight. I also had written about my interest in visiting the lovely Brihadeshwara Temple of which I heard so much.

Tamil Nadu is one of the best when it comes to road transport and one can travel at any time of the day or night from and to any point. Such is the efficiency. Hopping point-point is a common thing there. Mysore-Sathyamangalam, Sathy-Erode, Erode-Namakkal, Namakkal-Trichy, Trichy-Thanjavur was the route I chose. The total time would be about ten hours. One need not wait for buses for hours, they are ready for you, somehow! Once you get down at a point, you almost step into the next one near it and vrooom! That’s how the system works there in busy Tamil Nadu even in the wee hours and right through the night in fact!

I had written TKS about my schedule and the approximate time my bus would reach Thanjavur. After the long journey of 10 hours, I had alighted at the exact spot as per direction of TKS, to which the bus conductor and the other travelers helped. It was 4 pm. The plan was to stay overnight with him and move over to Karaikudi and join our Athletic team the next day.
By inquiring passers-by, I located his address which was close by. TKS’ was in a small colony with little apartments. My door knock was responded by the lady of the house. She welcomed me in Tamil and she knew I was arriving. TKS had not returned from work. After a wash, she gave me typical Madras coffee. TKS was to return in about an hour or earlier.

After coffee, she asked me “Tamil terimaa?” (Do you know Tamil?) Boastingly, I replied in fluent Tamil, “Mmm, koncha koncha teriyaadu.” She smiled thinking I was joking but I was serious. Tamil was the only language she knew and those were only some of the very few Tamil words I knew!! So, even a light conversation did not take off to engage me till TKS arrived. She asked a few questions in Tamil which I understood and nodded.

After some restless minutes feeling funny due to the language barrier, I left the place telling “Walking poitu varey.” (… will go for a walk). I wiled half an hour looking here and there and into the main street that led to the bus stand, then traced my steps back to 5/35 (which was his door number which was so familiar to me due to the letters written to that address) hoping to see my friend’s face for the first time.

Ah, there he was welcoming me! A short man, simple chap, but very knowledgeable. He was a lecturer in a college. Soon, another cup of coffee and some snacks engaged us in a very enjoyable discussion mostly relating to our common hobby and various things. He showed me his radio, QSL card collection, his correspondence with many people and radio stations and many gifts the stations sent him for his interest. It was fascinating. He was very organized. Another thing about him was that he never wasted paper. I learnt from him how he recycled envelopes by turning them inside out! Also, he used to write letters on any piece of paper like this:

Time had flown by and dinner time was there already. Typical simple south Indian dinner was affectionately served by the lady and it was just like my home. (Their two children were on in town at that moment.) “Saapadu nalla iruku” (food is nice) I told after dinner. This time also she smiled, but slightly differently.

Sleeping arrangement was made in the hall for me with a mat and pillow. TKS also slept in another corner as there was only one room in his house.

TKS was to leave for work at about 10 am the following day. As usual, we had “Madras Coffee” in the morning. “Get ready to visit Brihadeshwara Temple now” he said. It was early in the morning and he had two bicycles. “Do you know how to ride?” he asked, expecting a “Yes”. One of my favourite modes of movement is, even today, the bicycle. So I was more than happy to ride along.

This is the famous Big Tower

Soon we were both pedaling on peaceful roads (as it was morning) in Thanjavur on our way to the “Big Temple”. We reached the place in less than ten minutes. I was stunned by its imposing size and beauty. The clean premise added to the calmness of the pleasant morning as the sun had risen only an hour before and there were just a handful of people visiting at that early hour.

We parked the bicycles inside the temple premise (another unusual thing to do in such a famous tourist destination!) and went round, later into the sanctum sanctorum. Outside, he showed me the idol of Lord Nataraja, worshipped by dancers and explained how the top portion of the tower was placed. It is a single piece carved out of a huge boulder which, as the story goes, was pushed up a gradient-ramp built a few miles long!

Simply, the “Devasthaana romba nalla iruku”! (Temple is very nice.) Really!

Big Tower again

Those were days when we did not own (film) cameras to capture images.

So let me share a few taken by my friends who visited there last year.

Nandi Bull

The magnificent Brihadeshwara Temple celebrated its 1000th year recently and in a grand fitting manner. Read what my blogger friend shares about the event. A couple of pictures and a short video also is embedded there.

Well, TKS and I had a “nalla” homely breakfast after our return from the temple and after a while it was time for me to say “poitu varey” (actually means going and coming, but said to mean ‘good bye’) to Mrs.TKS. Now she had a wider smile at my Tamil! TKS left me at the bus stand (which was not very far) and saw me board the bus to Karaikudi. We exchanged departing pleasantries as the bus moved.

I reached Karaikudi in 2 hours and joined the team. That was the last I saw of TKS and we exchanged some more letters later, until one day a letter returned to me undelivered. Later I came to know from another common radio friend from Chennai (Madras) that he was ill and that was the last I heard about him. I am still wondering about his welfare.

In the athletic events in Karaikudi, our team lost in the 4x100 relay, I came 4th in long jump and lost to the eventual winner in the 100 metres sprint.

When I remember the Big Temple, memories of TKS always spring up along with my first and only stint at Athletics.

Long later, I learned that “teriyaadu” meant “do not know” and realized why Mrs.TKS smiled at my Tamil vocabulary!

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Entrance

Inside the temple premise

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Mysore Dasara Horticultural Show

Another favourite rendevouz for locals and tourists alike, aside from the Palace and the Exhibition, during the Dasara festival, is the Horticultural Show at Curzon Park. Do you know that the first of the Mysore Flower Shows was organized nine decades back? It was opened by HH Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV (above picture) on August 15, 1914. This is what he spoke on that occasion (Source- Speeches by HH. Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV):

"It has given me great pleasure to listen to Mr.Krumbiegel's address and I hope that many of you will be impressed by the eloquent appeal which he has made to you to cultivate the hobby of gardening. I feel sure that Mr.Krumbiegel's enthusiasm and artistic taste will make our Mysore Flower Shows as beautiful and attractive as those which he arranges at the Lal Bagh in Bangalore.

"The Flower Show which I am now opening is the first of its kind that has been held in the City of Mysore and I hope that it will become a regular institution. No one who knows the Cities of Bangalore and Mysore can help noticing the great dearth of gardens in Mysore and there is really no reason for such a state of things. The soil and rainfall of the two places are very similar and I can only hope that the institution of this Flower Show will encourage house-owners here to beautify their homes by cultivating private gardens.... I appeal to the people of this city to try and emulate Bangalore and convert Mysore into a garden city. I now declare this Show to be open".

Above are two pictures of Curzon Park where the Show is held every year.

In fact, Mysore WAS a garden city for a few decades hence. Those who have been bitten by the 'gardening bug' will nod that "gardening is the purest of human pleasures, the greatest refreshment to the spirit of man", as Lord Bacon said. Green is important to life on Earth and soothing to the eyes. A green, clean and calm Mysore was what our revered Maharajas intended and strove for. Let us be reminded of their good deeds. The "Flower Show" is one of them.

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Do take a look at my album here showing pictures I took in the 2009 version and by another photographer from webshots and see how it goes on these days.