Not many must have had a chance to see the city as in those photos.

The history of Belgaum is on Sale anybody interested to buy?

Cabinet Card of Belgaum Fort

The scene shows several regimental Police with 4x Indian Bearers or Servants.

Really dont know meaning of the above.

In 1905, Tilak commenced the idea of celebrating the Ganesh Festival on a Public basis(Sarvajanik). Since then, the same is followed even now all over.

After commencing the Sarvajanik mandals for Ganesh Festivities in Pune, Tilak came to Belgaum where he asked Belgaumites to come together, and in 1906, the Zenda Chowk Ganesh Utsav Mandal was formed.

Tilak was here in Belgaum in 1905 and he himself laid the first bamboo pillar of the pandal and ever since then the the legacy has been carried on by the Zenda Chowk Ganesh Utsav Mandal.

In Belgaum there are 6 Mandals which are a century old and the oldest is the Zenda Chowk Ganesh Utsav Mandal.

Govindrao Yalgi and Gangadharrao Deshpande took out a procession of Tilak from Raliway station to Zenda Chowk.

Zenda Chowk Ganesh Utsav Mandal now makes a collection of over a crore of rupees and uses the collected fund for various public service activities. From the year 2005, no public donations are collected by the mandal, all the expenses are borne by the interest received on the deposit. The Mandal helps poor students and this year also organized a body building event.

The number of Sarvajani (public) Pendals has gone up to 357 in Belgaum city this year. That apart, 2833 public Ganesh pendals are being set up across the district. The grand finale to be marked by a huge immersion procession in the city and other parts of the district on the eleventh day, 1,373 idols of lord Ganesh will join the procession, including 294 in Belgaum city alone.

For the next 11 days all will be busy with the elephant God.

Ganpati Bappa Morya !!

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.”

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 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.

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

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.

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.