Going nuts about Kadalekai Parishe ...

Heritage Beku was keen to showcase our beloved cultural heritage dating back to nearly 500 years, and used a three pronged approach - talks, postcard and a young children covering the festival from their fresh vision.

Talks with our historians like Suresh Moona, an interactive postcard from the Augmented Reality Company FlipAR, and our young heritage warriors from partners Parikrma sharing their interviews, videos and snippets from the festival, even a couple of deeply sensitive poems.

The Talk :

The famed Kadlekai Parishe or Groundnut Fair on 29 Nov is an annual and much beloved event in Bangalore - our unique cultural heritage. But many of us know so little , so we got Historian Suresh Moona to share his heritage expertise on its fascinating origins, its evolution , its community social and economic impact. So much to learn ! So tune in while we got the nuts and bolts on this one!

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The Interactive Postcard

FlipAR has developed this delicately painted postcard for Heritage Beku that brings the Kadalekai Parishe story alive. Hitech and tradition in one postcard ! Swipe right ...

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The Teen Parikrma Journalists

A team of young students went to the fair to get a sense of the colour and atmosphere , met the visitors, vendors and others. See their pictures and their impressions.

Read their lovely poems , so sensitively etched, below..

Stand by for their video...

Poem 1

Topknot on head

Reed mat for a bed

The Hlakki Pikki tribal displays his wares

Colourful beads and mystic seeds

To his cries, no one heeds.

His wife sits, resigned look on face

Wondering why they sre part of this city's rat race.

The hungry child rests in her bosom

Breathing dust, fume.

Our tribal brethren need our care

So do buy their ware.

Poem 2

Groundnut ground reality strikes

When you see the look in the little boy's eyes.

Surrounded by hundreds of toys

That he will never play with, unlike other boys

Forced to grow from boy to man

What it means to be him, imagine, if you ever can.

He longs to be treated like the child he sells his toys to

But whither fate, he is forced to play the role of provider to his siblings few.

Preserve Govt Tamil Primary School, Ashoka Nagar

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30 Nov 2021

Principal Secretary

Department of Education & Public Instruction

Government of Karnataka

Bangalore

Sir/Madam

Greetings from Heritage Beku, a citizen led initiative to preserve the history of Bengaluru.

This email comes to you regarding preservation of the Government Tamil Primary School at Ashok Nagar near Garuda Mall - a quaint building with a ninety-one-year history to its existence.

It is also a standing testimony to Bengaluru’s commitment in preserving the cultural ethos of its linguistic minorities.

We write to you today in the hope that this space continues to keep its identity as space of learning. Towards this endeavour, we would like to propose it to be the venue for a weekly literary meet of writers from both Tamil and Kannada to promote and understand the confluence of two of the oldest Dravidian languages in our country.

The space is reminiscent of old-world Bangalore charm that we at Heritage Beku would like to preserve for the future generations. We would like to discuss this further with you at your convenience.

It was also distressing to hear rumours recently that there is some talk on demolishing the space. It would be inconceivable for us to believe that our governing bodies would negate the history of preserving its linguistic minorities and a revered place of education.

We at Heritage Beku are a group of invested citizens from the city of Bengaluru.

We look forward to hearing from you about collaborating on creating a cultural common space for the new generation.

Thanking You.

Yours Sincerely

Manasi Paresh Kumar

Heritage Beku

Links :

1. https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/century-old-government-schools-in-bengaluru-receive-grants-but-fall-short-on-teachers-and-students/article69023213.ece/amp/

2. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/education/news/bangalore-schools-to-remain-open-amid-yellow-alert-due-to-cyclone-fengal-heavy-rainfall-pushes-netizens-to-demand-holiday-for-students/amp_articleshow/115932400.cms

3. https://www.edexlive.com/amp/story/news/2019/Jan/29/this-106-year-old-tamil-medium-school-in-bengaluru-was-saved-from-closure-this-is-how-5173.html

4. https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/cities/bengaluru/2021/Nov/27/bengaluru-has-no-electricity-to-provide-for-this-govt-school-2388639.html

5. https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/bangalore/cover-story/open-shut-case/amp_articleshow/101766407.cms

6. https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/cities/bengaluru/2021/Dec/01/91-year-old-bengaluru-govt-school-faces-demolition-2390182.html

The Crannenburg Trigger

(A post taken from a whatsapp note from the inimitable MN Raghunandan!)

I know one of the Crannenburgs well. Lionel. He lives in Perth.

That list brings back a flood of memories. When I took delivery of my MG TC car in the late eighties after its so called restoration, there seemed to be a distinct twist in the car. The lines were really odd. Anyway the engine was making a sound like a Sumeet Mixi, so I took out the engine for a complete overhaul. Then I removed the body and began a frame up restoration on the car at my home, in Hutchins Road. When I took the chassis for shot blasting, an entire chunk of it fell off; it was built up with metal paste! I could poke holes in it with my fingers. I levelled the chassis and welded in a new box section reinforcement to straighten it. And then I built the body's wood frame myself, along with a carpenter named Selvam.

Luckily for me, Lionel, a good friend, helped me with references from the most authentic source for restorations of MG TCs.

Lionel had emigrated from Bangalore to Australia and lived in Perth. He knew Mike Sherrell, who is considered to be the guru of MG T series cars. Mike had written a book for MG restoration, with detailed drawings of the woodwork required. There were many nuances of the woodwork which Indian restorers were completely disregarding. Lionel got me Mike's book. What's more, he got the book autographed by Mike! So I had authentic references whilst doing the woodwork of the car.

_Pics here _

A glimpse of Mike Sherrell’s invaluable reference book. And his precious autograph.

The story doesn’t end there. Mike and his wife Loretta set off on a round the world trip from Perth, in their MG TC. While driving through Europe, the car broke down near Frankfurt in a snowstorm. My cousin, who also owns an MG TC met Mike and helped him to haul his car to a safe place and both of them worked on it. Mike then continued on his journey.

My cousins car is superbly restored. That inspired me to put my car into reliable mechanical condition. Have some great memories driving through the Black Forest in Germany in his car.

All rambling memories triggered by the name ‘Crannenburgh’!

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And Mr Raghunandans post on the Cranneburgs was in turn triggered by this whatsapp forward from Andrew Lobo in our #HeritageBeku whatsapp group.

‘These are complied names of famlies living in a 3 kilometre radius in Richmond town in the 1960's made up of English, Anglos, Goans, Mangalorens and Indians.

One of Bangalore's dear old ladies was "Babs", whose name definitely brings a smile from many an oldie.She taught dancing on Albert Street .. later Connie & Danny took over!! Some of the names (only a few listed) of the Families were Pacheco, Goodman, Simmons, Wilson, Croning, Johnson, MacDonald, Fullinfaw, Aquino, Freeman, Mersh, McKennin, Coombes ( this was a place that all the youngsters in the town gathered to play tennis, throwball , sing around bonfires, ring in the New Year, and all that they couldn't do at Richmond Institute, the old lady is in Adelaide and still plays tennis at 90 plus!), Macedo, Thomas, Moore, Hayes, Martin, Rodgers, Rogers, Roberts, Herbert, Souce, Reins, Fernandes, Maywall, Stacey, Stracey, Kendall, Kennedy, Crannenburg, Peris, Felix Weckshler ( the photographer who did a beautiful portrait of Rev. Fr. A.M. Tabard ), Galloway, Welsh, Keys (ran a boarding house in Cheerful Lodge, now Wellington Apartments),Noreen Sales (nee Nicholas)- who stayed at the Ashes which apparently became the Richmond House? as per Audrey King which later became the Survey of India and now a doomed and broken down place of a ghastly murder a couple of years back!) Longsworth (who used to run a "Family Taxi" service to Ooty, Mysore, Nandhi, who stayed opposite Cheerful Lodge) , Bantlemann, Bywaters, Wilson, Millett, White, Corbett, Jones, Pereira,.

Family names around the town were Duckworth, Wollen, Rondo, Noronha, Thompson, Lopes, Scully, Hennacurri, Rodrigues, Miss.Mortima (used to be a teacher of Bishop Cotton's Girls' School, annd who lived on Convent Road), Vaz, Strentz, Furnell, Bernard, talking to William "Bill" Marley and his wife Olive, popped out some of the older names like Bornshin, John Webb (Webb's Garage on M.G. Road), Colin & Olive Dozey (used to have Dozey's Garage at the Petrol Bunk next to Mayo Hall), Armstrong, Young, Dick Anderson of the Police, Jock Anderson, Ross, Turner, Colin Cowdrey (the famous English cricketer) had his parents in Bangalore, Preston, Col. Bill Davis, Trevor Lushington, to name a few old timers.

Some of the famous teachers of the schools were Webster, Morris, Hemi, Mother Good Shepherd, Mother Mecthel, Mother Veronica, Fr. Eustrace Jacques, Fr. Eric Vaz, Ann Beck, Late Miss. Bernie Pinto ( and Dr. Francis Pinto, (whose father built the first Mills in Bangalore, Mineva Mills), Jean (Morris) Murphy, May Rosario, Davenport, Lynch, Mcbride (Hockey Coach),the Late Luke (Loogan) & Ann DeSouza, Alec & Dorothy Alvarez, Richard (Dick) & May Pereira, Hartwell (Papa) Yates, Percy (Smiler) D'Silva, Francis, F.X. Paul, Miss. Dias, Aswathnarayan & Bhat, many of them have passed on from this world. Miss. Flannigan (Internationally famous for her pretty bridal bouquets) and her sister Mrs. Gidney are well known in Richmond Town and across the world, for her old car (it was used in the movie "Gandhi"). Another well known couple in the town was Margaret & Richard D'Cruz, who entertained all the young crowd, as they had friends of their four children (Geraldine, Cynthia, Dr. Mario and late Mark) coming in and going out all the time. Now they are settled down in Melbourne, Australia.

If I have left out any known names, please forgive me, let me know and I will try and include the same when I update the file. The photo above is taken of some Old Bangaloreans at Catholic Club probably in the late '50's during Christmas or New Year bashes, courtesy Barbara & Tony Thomas. Those days it was 'May Queen', 'June Rose', 'Easter Ball', 'Blue & White', almost every month had some activity except during Lent and Advent the periods that Christians prepare for Easter and Christmas.

Some of the boy's on the block in my time were Massimo DaCosta (now in Italy, whose mother ran Italian Guest House at the top of Convent Road), Rudolf D'souza (Bombay), Chris Rai (Canada), Godfrey Cabral (England or Oz?), Freddy Marler (England), Andy Morris & Brian (Canada), Freddy Stacey (Perth ?), Lal Brothers, Christopher Hoffland (England), Bala Nair, (Late) Maurice & (Late)Donald Fairman (Australia), Phillip 'Pop' Wollen and his famous 'red' dog (thank you Phillip for remembering me and Bangalore), Late Eugene Noronha, myself Ronnie Johnson ( famous for his Red-Indian haircut), Denzil & Glen Fernell, Terrance & Bonnie DeNazareth, Graiden & Clive Ross (Australia), Errol Thompson (in England,whose father had a billard table in his house on Serpentine Street which we used to have a go at), George Webster (Australia).

There are lots of people from the town and Bangalore who are around the world, St. Joseph's Old Boy's Association is trying (with Faith and Toil) to link all Josephites on land and on the Web. In Australia, the Cottonians Old Boys and Josephites jointly conduct functions!! I am not too sure if Baldwin Boys & Girls join in? Something unheard of and not possible in Bangalore .... the rivalry between the schools is too warm for comfort!’