About the Belgaum fort:

Built by the Queen of Sugandhatti (now Saundatti), Rani Jakkaladevi, as a form of atonement for a careless act which caused a forest fire in which 108 disciples of a Jain Muni perished, the original Fort, which was little more than a wooden stockade, encircled 108 exquisitely carved Jain temples — of which 3 still stand to ‘wow’ all tourists. The Hindu period of the Fort is commemorated by the temple to Goddess Durga at the Fort’s main gate while its long association with the Bijapur Sultanate finds expression in Safa Masjid, built on the Indo-Saracenic style, which the ASI allows access to on the two Eids.

The colonial period is captured in the beautifully laid out teak and laterite bungalows in the Fort. And it had a magnificent wooden church by the main gate, which, unfortunately got burnt down.

Quite pertinently, the Belgaum Fort felt the ramification of the valiant rebellion of Rani Chenamma of Kittur. In 1857 two Sepoy mutinees broke out within the Fort – and one Sepoy Munshi and another Sepoy Manipal Singh were hung in the Fort along with their colleagues for plotting a rebellion against the British. Another renowned freedom fighter, Bhaskar Rao Bhave (a.k.a. Babasaheb Nargundkar) was tried in the Fort and sentenced to a public hanging on Haystacks Hill. On the 16th of June 1858, he was publicly executed, whereupon all the womenfolk of his family threw themselves into a well.

Such is the stirring saga of the Belgaum Fort.

Many Belgaumites were shocked, saddened and dismayed over the IT dept. as even the esplanade area of the Fort, along with all the land along the eastern rampart walls to the Income Tax Office, which is using JCB’s to dig up the ‘skirts’ of the Fort and build an absolutely hideous 3 storied Income Tax Office and even more atrocious staff quarters, all within 20 meters of the wall of the Fort. This will reduce our Fort to a mere outhouse of the Income Tax Office and its historic walls will become a urinal for the staff quarter residents.

In a press release issued here by Jt.Commissioner PV Pradeep Kumar, IT department states that they acquired 4.5 acres of land of GLR survey No. 324 near Fort, Belgaum from Cantonment board, in 1984 by paying a consideration of Rs.16,02,612.

The said land has been acquired to build a office & residential quarters and NO objection certificate has been taken from Archaeological survey of India.

The IT dept also states that the private tempos are illegally parking there, and according to the Majestrial notification based on the Karnataka Police act 1963, and also the injunction from the court, private vehicles are barred from parking within 300 meters of the NWKRTC bus stand.

What does the law say:

“Under the new law, any construction – whether it is private or government – is punishable if it is done without the clearance of the concerned officials in the archaeological and heritage department. Simply put, this means that if you reside within 100 metres of any centrally protected heritage structure without permission, the new law can put you either in jail for two years and/or Rs 1 Lakh fine or both. Only basic repairs such as water and sanitation can be carried forth.”

VRL:

normal rate for 2+2 seating is Rs. 330 the same for festive season (Ramzan-Ganesh) is Rs.530. Same is the case with Volvo normal is Rs.500, festive rate is a whopping Rs.1200.

AAB did call up Pai travels and PVG and they said they haven’t raised any prices in the tickets.

Isn’t there are control on these people. Are these operators any less than robbers.

We should oppose this unruly price hike made by these bus operators who are nothing but LOOTING the common man.

When there are holidays in line like Saturday Sunday Monday; be sure the price has been hiked.

We should all do something against this, it’s our necessity and these bus operators are exploiting the same.

If any of the private bus operators are reading this story I request you comment on this and explain to the public and ratify your price hike.

Why is that the govt. does not do anything on this?

This happens each year, people want to go home for the festive season which does not mean that operators like VRL can double their ticket price.

In Maharashtra, the Swabhiman Sangthna run by Rane’s gave a stiff warning to travel operators in the state going to Konkan, that if they find that they have raised the ticket rates for this particular 2-3 days , they will have to face the consequences.

In India, no one hears when you speak calmly, they need some sounds and breaking.

Jago Grahak Jago !

Belgaum, with all its small-world charm, was hardly a place which had too many attractions. Apart from the Cinema theaters, where we would go for all the English matinée shows, Belgaum, as the saying goes, was a one-horse joint. During our college days, most of our evenings were spent combing the High Street and Church Street and at times winding up for a Missal’ or Dosa at the Globe Cafe. Around 1955, the adventurous George Phillips of Goje Building, bought the Billiards Saloon at the end of Church Street (opposite M K Swamy bakers) and most of us got hooked on to the game of Billiards like an instant love affair.

I remember it was the late Kevin Pinto, who introduced us to the game. The Saloon was quite close to his house and a peep inside must have enticed him to the game. This was sometime in the year 1958. There was only one Billiard Table in the Saloon and we had to put our names on a blackboard and get to play when our turn came, each session lasting for half an hour. If it was a doubles encounter or a group game like Pool or Skittles, then the session lasted for one hour. Skittles, essentially a gambling game, was particularly popular with the crowd as many players could play at a time and the game required a lot of skill and it provided a lot of fun when a player committed a foul or had his score wiped out through an error.

The Saloon thus became a sort of hang-out for most of us, where it was easy to locate any of our friends. There was a Billiard marker (for marking the scores), who was called Chubbie, who was quite a character himself. I think he was an ex-armyman. He was a small-made man but he was quite skilled at the game and would often act as our coach and advise us on what sort of shot to play. And the game itself had some colourful terms to describe certain shots. For example: A deep screw, when you want the cue ball to come back. Then there’s ‘ Pull back’, or ‘Bottom of the ball’, roughly the same meaning as the screw!

Billiards is a game which offers scope for various types of gambling, Hence most of the games were played with bets and some of us who were spectators used to often put in some side bets on the player whom you fancied to win. Of course, those days we didn’t have much money, so the bets were for a Rupee or even less. However, there were a few with deep pockets who would play higher stakes.

One such chap was Adi Patel a colourful Parsi gentleman who had a ready wit and would always entertain us when playing. He had a lucrative job with ‘Eveready Batteries’ and was always looking out for ‘Bakras’ ! His steady opponent was Moosa – who used to give him (Adi) a handicap in order to entice him to play. It was just like a ‘Tom & Jerry’ encounter, each trying to outwit the other. So, we, the spectators, were kept thoroughly amused.

The Billiard Saloon became so popular that it was almost always full of the young crowd. The game is very addictive and hence many of us got spoilt rotten by skipping college and spending more time at the saloon instead of tackling our studies. Not only that, but to be truthful, the general perception was that the Saloon was not a very respectable place, and that it was frequented by anti-social elements and gamblers, and where a lot of petty brawls took place. Hence many of us had to actually sneak into the Saloon to make sure that we were not seen by the prying eyes of the public. Due to this impression in the minds of the public, you hardly found any ladies entering the place.

Apart from Billiards, the mezzanine of the saloon was often used to play cards such as Rummy or even the 3-card Flush. More stakes and more players meant more lucre for the owner, George Phillips. The Saloon became such a regular haunt that even after leaving Belgaum it had a lot of memories for me and during each of my return visits to Belgaum I would visit the place and see the new crowd and what changes had taken place.

Today, Billiards has been overtaken by snooker which is a much more attractive game. When I look back, I don’t regret having taken up to the game, though at that time I had to face a lot of opposition from home. Today I continue to enjoy the sport and manage to play quite regularly at the Club level. I have even won a few tournaments at the local Club. After a few Indians like Wilson Jones, Michael Ferreira and Geet Sethi started winning quite a few World titles, the game has undergone a major change and it is now viewed as a popular sport of skill and ability and not necessarily a gambling pastime, though the fact remains that at most times the game is played with bets.

Cheers to the game.

The front measures 81′ 5″ in length and the mosque is 58′ 7″ deep. Over the mosque door, in very illegible Persian,the following inscription -” the time of Adil Aya’m son of Adil Khan, a man of a high rank, who bore the palm of excellence from all the world, of good counsel, the aim of merit, the defender of the, faith who utterly uprooted the unbelievers from the country of the Deccan, Asad’ Khan, built this house of God, by good fortune, and with much the grace of God he called it the Pure Mosque.

The mosque formed part of a group of buildings all the rest of which have been pulled down. Asad Khan’s palace or mahal, is said to have been to the south of the mosque. Opposite the palace were his kitchens, and to the right looking from the front of the mosque stood the Divankhana or hall of audience. The road to this group of buildings led under an arch on the- site of the present arsenal which was so high that an elephant with his rider could pass beneath it. The present arch which faces the main gate of the fort was straight opposite the arch which has been removed .

That arch was the place where the naubat or large kettle drum was beaten at stated hours and for salutes. In the mosque are preserved Asad Khan’s quilted jacket which was sabre-proof of his Kuran, and a pair of shoes, too heavy for an ordinary man to lift, with soles- of lead and uppers of iron, which were used by Asad Khan in gymnastic exercises.

On the south wall of the mosque is a very solid and heavy round platform (6′ 5″ long 5′ 1″ broad and 3′ 10″ high) on which Asad Khan is said to have often sprung dressed in full armour and wearing his lead-soled shoes. Another of his feats of strength, according to local story, was to lift the great iron stool before the mosque by the edge of the fountain. His sword was kept ,in the mosque till it was stolen by a soldier a year before the mutiny.

In 1857 when the mutiny broke out the authorities in Belgaum, on account of its nearness to the arsenal, ordered the mosque to be closed. Since then it has not been used for service.

In 1882 the closed doors of the mosque opened of themselves. People said it was Asad Khan and became much excited. The doors were closed, and, as Asad Khan made no further sign, the excitement passed off.

Source: As it appears in the Bombay Presidency Gazette

The exact year of the photograph is also not known.

THEN

Old Sambhaji Chowk

NOW

Current Sambhaji Chowk

The old building still exists with the clock tower replacing the Police umbrella.

Here is the direct link .

One can book only tickets of PAI from Pune to Belgaum only from this site.

Tickets can bee booked upto 7 days in advance. The site is also offering a discount of Rs.10 per ticket for the booking.

The seats for web booking seem to pre allocated.

http://www.prasannatours.com/

Thanks Amod Belavadi

Sai was born and brought up in Belgaum and she commenced her educational career from Sunflower Nursery School and completed her schooling from Divine Providence Convent High School. She completed her Pre university from Gogte College and she is currently pursuing her BCom from Ruparel college Mumbai.

Sai was very interested in acting since she was a child and acted in many plays as a child artist. Not only acting she is a very good swimmer and was part of the Swimmers Club.

The little Sai, got great appreciation from all over and at an age of 8 when children just want to play, Sai was prepared to choose her career and she was firm that she wanted to be an actress.

She acted in a number of Marathi dramas, a few advertisements and films like Pakada Gaya, award winning -Mission Champion and Kuch Tum Kaho Kuch Hum Kahe with Fardeen Khan as a child artist.  After her 12^th in Belgaum she decided to go to dream land Mumbai and acted in Marathi plays.

Sai’s debut film as a lead was her recent movie Platform (Marathi), directed by her mother Veena Lokur along with co-artists Mohan Joshi and Sharad Ponkshe.

The movie is based on a social subject and in her first movie her character is impregnable. Sai had to work hard on the movie and her mother was getting the best out of her.

Sai’s mother Veena Lokur is a noted film maker and her Mission Champion (Marathi) has won many awards and was entirely shot in Belgaum.

Sai answers some questions put by AAB:

• 1. Do you feel that young girls are safe in filmdom?Sai —–> Not really. It depends on the way you carry yourself. You need to know what are your limits and what is right for you and what is not. People judge you all the time.
  2. How was it working with your mother?Sai —–> It was the best experience till date. As I told you it was very easy to co-ordinate. On sets we only used to look at each other and I understood what she had to say. She didn’t even had to tell me what it was. I really had a great time. I was at ease all the time. But I do wish to work with more directors.
  3. Are you planning to go to Bollywood? Or is it that you are already there?Sai —–> I am trying for it. I shall get in soon.
  4. Coming from a small city like Belgaum, did it help you in your career or hinder it?Sai —–> I have been in Belgaum for 18 years and have learnt a lot through the theatre that I did there. But now for my career I have to stay in Mumbai. I can’t stay in Belgaum anymore.
  5. Are you in contact with your school/college friends from Belgaum? Sai —–> I am in contact with some of them. Not many though. Everybody is busy in their own lives. And I hardly visit Belgaum these days. But I do make it a point to meet them whenever I come to Belgaum.
  6. Your tips to both boys and girls from Belgaum on how to approach the film industry?Sai —–> I am not so big to give tips. But if one is really interested to get in this field, attend different workshops and improve your acting. And then you may come to Mumbai and give auditions. But you really need to polish yourself before getting in here.
  7. Your future films?Sai —–> I am looking forward for more films. Let us see.
  8. What is the best thing you like about Belgaum?Sai —–> I love my friends. I really miss them here and I miss my house and my dog. The climate as well.
  9. What are your thoughts on this website?Sai —–> I like the site. It is a nice way to promote talent from our town.

     And I am glad I will be a part of it.

Five stations were: Belgaum, Poona, Deesa,Karachi, Bombay-colaba.
Source: Bombay Presidency Gazette