By George J Coelho

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.

Close to the south of the arsenal between the north and the west gates of the Belgaum fort is Asad Khan’s fine mosque called the Masjid-i-Safa or the Pure Mosque.

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 old photo of Sambhaji Chowk (Bogarves) was being circulated on the internet. Just make a comparison Then and Now.

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.

Belgaum was one of the five military stations in the Bombay Presidency where in 1851 meteorological observatories were established. The observatory was in the enclosure of the station hospital and was in charge of the senior medical officer of the hospital and under the system of administration medical department.

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

The Quintessence of Belgaum

by Ollie D. Oliveira

Generations of us have passed through its environs and tasted the lasting imprint of its ethos. Is there anyone, whether still living in the good place or relocated to other climes who can truly say that they bear the marks of their early formation from our Alma Mater and our home? Indeed, even those of us who, as boarders, considered this a home away from home?

Dictionaries define quintessence as the pure and concentrated essence of a substance, the most perfect embodiment of something but primordially the fifth essence or element, ether, besides air, fire, earth, and water that constitute the heavenly bodies. Generation after generation can testify to the ethos assimilated during our formative years in this lovely haven. The salubrious climate was also a great deciding factor in people relocating to our early “Hometown”. Belgaum has been a melting pot of so many different cultures and races and this has contributed to the ethos of Belgaumites.

Many of my generation and earlier will remember the Chinese vendors who used to cycle around Belgaum peddling their silks, brocades and miscellanea of particular interest to the ladies. They used to enter our parlours and unwrap their bolts with a flourish on our floors. Prominent among these was Tung Ming Kee who alone remained and later ran the Chinese Emporium on Church Street. Church Street also boasted so many one-of-a-kind individuals. I wonder how many remember the only Jew in town – Halley, the inveterate gambler whose favourite haunt was the Catholic Club on Picket Road.

Who can forget M. K. Swamy, baker & confectioner to generations of Belgaumites, right from the days of the Raj? There was Kukreja who ran the only sports shop in town, The British Sports, and old Mr. Noronha who ran the only Dairy Shop selling butter, cheese, etc., of which my father was particularly fond. Then there was old Mr. Vasudeo of Vasudeo & Sons, who were the Sole Agents for “The Times of India” and allied Bennett & Coleman publications, as also Mirajkar and Jawalkar our fancied tailors. There was The Green Shop owned by a Muslim (I don’t recall his name) who also owned the Billiard Saloon opposite and our Irani selling the usual chai, pastries, bun-maska, etc.

High Street (and its bylanes), of course, saw the same mix of castes and creeds which ultimately contributed to the richness of our upbringing. Right from Dr. Kamat at one end passing by Himalaya Ice Factory of the Barafwallas, Sikander and the Bandukwallas, the two cloth shops (collectively known as the Marwadis) the only Udipi restaurant on this street, the two barber shops, Novelty Book Stall (the belonging to Ismael, if my memory serves me right (but later bought by Oliver Fernandes), Tejmal Kothari, Purohit, Augustine the grocer, Kattaya the cobbler, Siddick’s cycle shop, the one Irani on High Street, with a generous sprinkling of Catholic homes ending at the gates of St. Joseph’s Convent with Goje Building. Here, we mustn’t forget the only Sikh in town, Grover, who also ran a grocery store, and whose son went on to become a Sub-Inspector in the Bombay Police.

The Parsi community was adequately present in Boyce & Co., Ruttonjee, Rex Theatre, the Kapadias and Davars, et al. The medical fraternity had the Sanjanas, and of course, their Dastoorji, Beevox Bhadha whose children have been and are very dear friends. There was also our friend Adi Patel and his sisters, the former a regular at the Billiard Saloon on Church Street. Some of you will also remember the only bhaiya, Pandey, a Sales Rep for Burmah Shell with a penchant for ballroom dancing often seen flitting around town in the only MG Convertible in town.

Besides the variety of inhabitants from various origins and cultures, there was a generous input from the Christian community. Goans, Marathas, Karwaris, Mangaloreans, while the Raj and the Railways contributed their share of Anglo-Indians. This rich mix contributed largely to our broad-minded approach to the human race in general and helped us all to put aside any vestige of bigotry or parochialism.

A great contributor to leveling our playing field was the sports and games in which we all participated, to a greater or lesser extent. The traditional sports of football, hockey, cricket, volleyball, basketball and athletics coupled with the more mundane pastimes as marbles, cowries, gilli-danda, seven tiles all contributed to the moral.

One cannot forget the scouting and the NCC which molded us into bodies irrespective of our origins, colour caste or creed. Right from the cubs and juniors to the Scout Masters and troop leaders to the seniors and officers, these activities molded us into men and women who could face the world and all its disparities with an equanimity born of facing and ignoring our racial differences.

While the Camp formed our immediate world, our schoolmates came from the city and its environs as well as from all over India and abroad, particularly Africa. So many of our schoolmates came from the City, Tilakwadi, Shahpur and Hindalga. Besides, there were boarders who came from Pune, Solapur, Kolhapur, Miraj, Sangli, Mumbai, Goa and even from abroad, principally Africa.

This article centres on the Camp which held our Alma Maters (St.Pauls & St.Joeshps) and hence, our world.

The City, Fort, Hindalga, Tilakwadi and Shahpur held their mix of castes and creeds. Hindus, Muslims, Jains, who hailed from various parts of India with a sprinkling of Christians. Boys and girls from these parts of Belgaum also contributed to the making of us men and boys with a unique formation of our attitudes and “world-view”. The absence of bias created a strange melting pot which really spelt out the unique blend that has made Belgaum; Belgaum.

Major Images seen here have never been seen on the internet.

The Setting:

Meticulous planning and preparation went into the arrangement for various aspects of the Congress Session.

A huge area – stretching from Vaccine Depot to the Military Centre was cordoned off for the Congress and an enormous well dug. While the well was being dug a small boy named Harpanahalli fell in and died. Gangadharrao Deshpande who supervised all the work daily on horseback, dissuaded people from taking this as a bad omen and asked them to carry on with the work. Then the Army objected to the well on the grounds that the well would divert water from their Swimming pool (about half a mile away!) Gangadharrao assured them that the well would be filled in again after the Congress Session.

Congress Well: from where the water was supplied for the session

Finally the well named ‘Pampa Sarovar’ was ready. Built with rough granite, it had 10 arches for water to be drawn and sluiced to the end user points. The total cost of Pampa Sarovar came to Rs. 4,370 and 3 annas. The pipelines cost Rs. 9293 and 3 pies.

A flag railway station was constructed near the site of the Congress Session, which came to be called ‘Vijaya Nagara’, after the mighty empire of Hampi and the entrance gate, with an impressive height of 70 feet was designed as a ‘gopura’ from the same place.

Temporary station Vijaynagar (Tilakwadi)

Some seventeen thousand people from all corners of India – from Quetta in the West to Burma in the East, from Kashmir to Kerala descended upon this site and had to be fed and housed. It was graciously done, with volunteers catering to every comfort of all who attended.

Particularly impressive were the arrangements made by the Sanitation Committee to keep the site spotless. Brahmins rubbed shoulders with bhangis to clean the toilets with a smile.

Bathing arrangement at the session

For Gandhiji a small hut of bamboo and grass was built, by one Khemajirao Godse, at the cost of Rs. 350, which Gandhiji objected to, as being far too expensive for a simple man like him !

Gangadharrao Deshpande on Horse back along with Pundalikji Katakde(standing) inspecting the arrangements

Gandhiji arrived six days before the Congress Session to forge unity between the ‘Swaraj’ faction and the ‘no-change’ faction.

Entrance Tower

On the 26th of December 1924, delegates were stunned by the massive Shamiana put up for the Congress Session. Spacious as a circus tent, it was rented for Rs. 5000/- (it was even insured against fire for Rs. 500/-) Gandhiji objected to the amount spent on its decoration ! He requested that the delegation fees be reduced from Rs. 10 to Rs. 1, which was done. Even after all this, the Belgaum Session, made a profit for the Congress of Rs. 773, of which Rs. 745 were deposited in P.U.C.C. Bank, Rs. 25/- kept for contingencies with the Secretary and Rs. 1/- kept with the Treasurer, N. V. Herekar, for petty expenses !

Gandhiji receiving the charge as President from Mohamed Ali

Gandhiji with Gangadharrao Deshpande

The Session:

The Belgaum Session of the Indian National Congress saw the coming together of a cluster of personalities who helped steer the freedom struggle and have left a mark on our country. Besides Mahatma Gandhi, there were stalwarts like Motilal and Jawaharlal Nehru, Lala Lajpatrai and Rajagopalachari, Drs. Annie Besant and Sarojini Naidu, Chittaranjandas and Pandit Madan Mohan Malalviya, Saifuddin Kichalu and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Mohd. Ali & Maulana Shaukat Ali, Rajendra Prasad, Vallabhai Patel, Rangaswamy Iyengar and so many others.

Subhash Chandra Bose arriving at the session

The chemistry between these leaders was intense; the atmosphere was electric, the enthusiasm was awesome.

Contd….
Matter by Nitin Khot

The region was greatly influenced by Balgangadhar Tilak who visited Belgaum in 1906. Several leaders emerged here, including Gangadhar Rao Deshpande, Annu Guruji, Jivanrao Yalgi, Ramchandra Wadavi and Baburao Thakur.

During the swadeshi movement of 1905-08, Govindrao Yalgi was responsible for starting secret revolutionary associations. Belgaum was made headquarters of the State unit of Tilak’s Home Rule League.

Bal Gangadhar Tilak who gave the ‘cutting edge’ to the Indian National Congress, visited Belgaum in 1906 and met many like-minded individuals here – like Gangadharrao Deshpande, Kaka Kalelkar, et al. Tilak decided to hold a Conference in Belgaum to focus on pivotal issues of ‘Swarajya’.

Some elements who were opposed to Tilak tried to persuade Mahatma Gandhi not to attend this Conference, to which he had been personally invited by Kaka Kalelkar.

Getting to know of this opposition Gangadharrao Deshpande wrote an anguished letter to Gandhiji.

Gandhiji’s terse reply was on a small postcard – “Nothing but death can prevent me from going to Belgaum to attend the Conference”.

This was to be Gandhiji’s first visit to Belgaum – arriving, as he usually did by Third Class Compartment of a train on the 29th of April 1916.

Gandhiji worked hard, behind the scenes, to heal the split that had developed in the freedom movement after the 1907 Surat Congress Session. One Group had favoured lawful agitation, the other group in Swadeshi, a boycott of foreign goods, Swarajya, and more direct action. Tilak proposed a resolution that united both factions. Gandhiji spoke in favour of Tilak (on the 1st of May 1916) and an open split was averted.

A day earlier Gandhiji had spoken in Raviwar Peth (our main market) against untouchability.

In the 38th Congress Session at Kakinada which Mohammed Ali presided over, Gangadharrao Deshpande was elected Secretary along with Jawaharlal Nehru and Saifuddin Kichalu. Deshpande immediately proposed that the next session be held in the Karnatak Province. Mohd. Ali accepted the suggestion.

When the Mysore Raja – Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar backed out of hosting the Congress, Sadashivrao Karnad of Mangalore and Shrinivas Koujalgi of Bijapur staked the claims of their cities to host the Congress Session.

However, the fleeter footwork of Gangadharrao Deshpande of Belgaum won the day, by bringing in some merchants from Shahapur in Belgaum who were prepared to underwrite the expenses of the Congress to a tune of Rs. 30,000. That clinched the venue of the 39th Session of the Congress. This move was enough to convince Gandhiji and the senior leaders that Belgaum was indeed a Little Town with a Large Heart.

Gandhiji Addressing Open Session at Belgaum 1924 session

For a small town of 36,000 to attempt to host an All India Congress Session was an audacious move – something like a small country wishing to host the Olympics today.

Gandhiji Evening walk in BGM in 1924

But the 39th Congress Session at Belgaum in 1924 proved to be one of the most momentous sessions.

By Nitin Khot

For the past few years and few days to be very specific, Belgaum has been in the news for all the wrong reasons.

This was not always so.

There was an earlier period when Belgaum was frequently in the news for all the right reasons.

For a hundred years, from the Kittur uprising of 1824 to the 39th Session of the Indian National Congress of 1924, Belgaum featured in the national news for its role as a catalyst to the freedom struggle.

We now propose to harness some of the positive energy of this earlier epoch to bring to the people of Belgaum a type of development that they rightfully deserve.

To understand this ‘birthright’ of the Belgaum people it may be necessary to cast a brief backward glance at history.

The Age of Imperialism was brought to its close not by a single blow delivered by a towering figure, but by a series of small blows delivered to the body of the far flung Empire. It was akin to the numerous small tears that the hull of the ‘Titanic’ suffered in its collision with the iceberg – the tears that collectively sunk the ‘unsinkable’ ship.

One of the first blows delivered to the ‘invincible’ British Empire was in Kittur, near Belgaum in 1824.

Raising the banner of self-rule, Rani Chanamma resorted to direct action and eventually killed several English Officers including the then Collector, Mr. Thackeray and the Assistant Collector, Mr. Munro. The reverberation of this rebellion were felt throughout Belgaum District which began to propel the people here powerfully to seek freedom.

In 1857, one person by the name of Munshi serving in the British Army, began to galvanize Sepoys stationed in Belgaum Fort, but the rebellion was stubbed out and five of the rebels were hung and five others sentenced to life imprisonment. Subsequently one Manipal Singh was arrested on 23rd August 1857 for stirring up a rebellion against the British and hanged. Bhaskar Rao ‘Babasaheb’ Nargundkar, the famous revolutionary, was taken from Belgaum Fort to Haystacks Hill outside the city and hanged in public on 16th June 1858.

Before founding the Indian National Congress in 1885, Allen Hume visited Belgaum in 1883 and met the intelligentsia here, prominent amongst whom were the lawyers Vishnupant Natu and Bhate.

By Nitin Khot

About the Author: Dr. Nitin G. Khot, an economist  (from the London School of Economics) and Delhi School of Economics, an environmentalist and a social activist.

Contd……

From the 8^th of August until 15^th of August some never before seen pictures of a great event in history will be showcased, so dont miss that.

Identify the place in the image.
The Belgaum Fort.

The Belgaum fort built in 13 century (Originally built by the Ratta dynasty, later fortified by Yakub Ali Khan of the Bijapur Sultanate) was well known for its unique building structure and its huge moat surrounding the fort, which made it inaccessible to the enemies. The Belgaum fort served as a bulwark against the attacks of invading armies. It steadfastly held fort as Belgaum played host to a multitude of dynasties, from the Rattas, the Vijayanagar emperors, Bijapur Sultans, Marathas and finally the British. During the freedom movement of India, Mahatma Gandhi was imprisoned here.

The inside of the fort is stretched about 1000 yards long and 800 yards broad. The fort was well built as a Military store.

This particular photo was taken from a burz (watch tower) on the Right hand side when once enters the fort from Bhartesh College.

Some more images to speak for themselves. We have a treasure with us but we never care for this as we our selves dont know about it.

The Walls most of them have fallen down but a few are still telling history

Another view of the Tower top

View from the tower. In history this vie must have been used to keep a watch on enemies

The floor of rock again,Rock Solid!!

What and Where is this building seen in the picture below.

This small Mosque ( Jamia Masjid) which was earlier a Jain or Shiva temple. The Jamia Masjid, dated 1585-86, was built by Sher Khan.
This mosque is just 50 meters away from the ruined Shiva temple. It has still got many of its inner walls with Jain or Shiva scripts and the king was unable to remove all the art work inside the temple as he did for Safa masjid, which was also earlier a Shiva temple. No one is allowed entry into this as it is under ASI.

The fort has two mosques or masjids, namely the Safa Masjid and Jamia Masjid; the former mosque is the most frequented by the Muslim population of the city of Belgaum. Safa masjid was completed in 1519 by Asad Khan Lari (testified by the Persian inscription). The Mosque’s pillars have exquisite inscriptions in a fusion of Nagari and Persian styles. It is also said that two of the pillars here are from Hindu temples and have Kannada inscriptions in Nagari scripts; one pillar dated to 1199 AD is credited to Ratta King Kartaveerya IV and the other pillar dated to 1261 AD is credited to Sevuna (Yadava) Krishna.

With so much history near us we are not aware of this. Seeing the current condition of this monument our future generations will have to only see it on AAB.

With inputs from Bramhanand Chipre: http://kamalbasti.blogspot.com/