A Rainy Evening In Mhow

These two pics were clicked with my smartphone on Wednesday 27 June 2018.
It was  rainy evening and ideal for clicking.

The Main Street of Mhow Bazaar, clicked from Methi Provisions (formerly where the Bata shop used to be)

The Mall and Generals' Road going to the right. The triangular Ambedkar Garden (formerly the Prince of Wales Garden) in between. 

Nature Note From Mhow: The Beautiful Maulsari Tree

Nature Note From Mhow: The Beautiful Maulsari Tree
Maulsari (Native to the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka) the beautiful and tasty fruit of a beautiful tree. Clicked at Bungalow 93 Near Swarg Mandir Mhow. Scientific Name: Mimusops elengi. Common names in Hindi: Maulsari, maulshree, bakul. Common Names in English: Indian medlar, Spanish cherry, (Asian) Bulletwood. (Courtesy Trees of Delhi by Pradip Krishen)

                                              
                                             The fruit of the Maulsari clicked on 18 April 2015.

According to Pradip Krishen these are the uses of this tree: Ittar (perfume) from the flowers, the leaves for treating headaches and sore eyes, a decoction of the bark to treat diarrhoea, fevers and gum infections. the unripe fruit to fix loose teeth, the crushed seeds to cure constipation, the seed oil is used in cooking and as a luminant fuel, the reddish heartwood is hard, strong, close grained, and durable and is used for bridge-building, boats, mine props and heavy construction. Impressive list of uses I must say!!!!


                                             

                                         
                                          
                                         The fruit of the Maulsari clicked on 26 Feb 2015.


                                     
                                   The unripe fruit on the Maulsari tree clicked on 5 December 2010.

Mhow Gets Ready to Receive the President of India

Mhow gets ready to receive Shri Ramnath Kovind, the Hon'ble President of India, who will be coming to attend the Ambedkar Jayanti Celebrations here on 14th April. The first such visit by a President. Shri Kovind had visited the Ambedkar Birth Memorial last year in March when he was the Governor of Bihar and was attending a program at the B R Ambedkar University of Social Sciences (BRAUSS) Mhow. See pic below.

                                           

                            Pic courtesy: Mhow media group on WhatsApp.

p.s. There is no official confirmation yet from Rashtrapati Bhavan but the state administration is taking no chances and is preparing for a Presidential visit. 

Pic: The Hon’ble President of India and the Supreme Commander of Indian Armed Forces, Shri Ram Nath Kovind awarded the President’s Colour to the Submarine Arm of the Indian Navy on 08 December 2017. Licence: CC BY 2.5 in

A metre gauge train journey which cannot be done any more...

The metre gauge line is functioning between Mhow and Sanawad. A small part of the long journeys it used to traverse till some years ago. On Aug 15 2016 a small group of train enthusiasts took a train journey on this route from Akola to Mhow. Though this was not so long ago it was from a different era if one were to look at it in a 'rail' sense. The railway station still had the old name 'Mhow.'
Soon only memories will remain.

Here is the link and the description as given by Pawan Koppa

On Independence day 2016, we undertook one final journey on the Akola - Mhow Passenger powered by Mhow's YDM-4 #6719. The line was going to be truncated soon to a small portion which remains today : Mhow - Sanawad. My last trip on this line was in 2010 between Akola and Indore. I was raring to do it again and I got one last chance to do it along with Jayasankar Madhavadas, Aditya S Nivarthi and Rajeev Nair. It was one unforgettable journey which will be remembered by us always - from the rustic rural greens to the lovely samosas at Akot, the Dhulghat Spiral, the banker attachement at Kalakund and climbing up the ghats between Kalakund and Patalpani - this was one unforgettable trip! Presenting you a small snapshot of the MG journey omboard the 52974 Akola - Mhow Passenger


Click here to see the video

And for lovers of the Kalakund to Patalpani ghat section there's quite a lot of stuff here.

Nature Note from Mhow: From a nestling to a flying bird.

Wednesday April 26, 2017.

When I left home at half past ten this morning the Purple Sunbird nest in our verandah had one young nestling in it. I had observed that the young one had been getting more active with each passing moment. I had got a bit scared yesterday when I saw it trying to come out of the nest and spreading its wings.  I had heaved a sigh of relief when it had gone back inside. But I was happy that its 'graduation day' was approaching and it would be soon leaving the safe confines of its nest.

Earlier this morning I had seen it being fed by one of its parents. When I returned home at half past two I saw that the nest was empty. I was flooded by thoughts.  Had the young one flown away or had it fallen from its nest and/or been killed and eaten by a predator? Should I feel sad or happy? I went inside and kept my bag on the table. But my mind was tense, I was consumed by worry.

A moment before I saw the empty nest I had seen the male parent on a tree in our garden not far from the verandah. I came out into the verandah and saw the female parent on the same tree chirping loudly. I asked myself if she was chirping because she was mourning.  Then I heard the chirping of another bird and saw another Purple Sunbird with a distinctively yellow breast.  When I looked carefully I was delighted to see that it was the young one whom I had always seen in the nest.

Seeing the young one on the tree was a wonderful sight. I rushed in and brought my camera and clicked a pic of the young one.  The memory card became full so I had to go through a series of deleting and clicking before I managed to get around half a dozen pictures of the young one before it flew away.

Before the young sunbird flew away my mother had also come out to see it. She could spot it when I pointed it out to her. She also observed its yellow chest. I had told her that young birds look different from the adults of the same species.

This is a nest which was re-used by the parents. More than a week ago I had seen that the nest was on the verge of falling. I had feared for the safety of the two eggs in it so I had used a piece of cardboard and scotch tape to build a scaffold attached to the wall for the nest to rest. It needed attention as it was hanging by just a few strands of grass. I am glad that this platform was successful in keeping the nest and the two eggs inside it safe. And the egg which hatched has now become a flying bird. I think I deserve to feel happy and celebrate.

Tuck's Post Cards: More than 100 year old images of Mhow

"Tuck's Post Card": A Chance Discovery on the Internet of Some Delightful Picture Post Cards on Mhow

These 'Tuck's Post Cards' I discovered accidentally while performing a google search are more than 100 year old (the date I got was 23 Sept 1916).  This is what is inscribed on the reverse of the cards (italics mine):

 Raphael Tuck & Sons' "Art Sepia" Post Cards
 Art Publishers to Their Majesties The King and Queen
 Kamroodin Mohamedally, Mhow, C India
 Printed in England
=========================================
Note: To the best of my knowledge these are public domain images as they are more than a 100 years old and were used as post cards the public could buy. If you think otherwise and have information that can prove that these images are under a copyright please send me an email at dev.kumar.vasudevan@gmail.com or post a comment here with the relevant details.

"Cantonment Gardens, Mhow"

"Infantry Barracks Facing One Tree Hill, Mhow"

"The Best Shop, Regimental Bazaar Mhow"

"Artillery Barracks, Mhow"

"Church of England, Mhow"

"Near Kalakund and Mhow"

"Post Office Road, Mhow"

"Regimental Bazaar, Mhow"

"Section Hospital, Mhow"

"Viaduct Near Kalakund and Mhow (130 feet high)

"Roman Catholic Church, Mhow"

"The Railway Station, Mhow"

"Patalpani Falls Near Mhow"

The reverse of one of the cards. 

Nature Note From Mhow: A Noisy Visitor... The Rufous Treepie

Noisy fella...

Feb 20, 2012:  I was indoors when the racket created by
this Rufous Treepie (Dendrocitta vagabunda) drew me out ...
 It was checking this dry stick on the temple tree (frangipani) for insects...
 After that it went and drank water from a drum kept nearby
and I managed to record a video of that...

Nature Note From Mhow: Indian Roller Looking Up...

 Oct 15, 2013: "Woh dekho upar kya hai?" Indian Roller looking up... From my archives

A Mumbaikar's Blogpost on the Patalpani Kalakund Ghat Section of Mhow

My friend Anuradha Shankar of Mumbai who is a well known travel writer writes on her experience of travelling on the Patalpani Kalakund Ghat Section. The journey was undertaken on 27 June. I and my photographer friend Raj Kumar Saini were with her.

One of the four tunnels on this route. From my archives. Clicked in April 2012

It was indeed nice to actually meet a friend after so many years of 'virtual' friendship. Or may I call it e-friendship?

With Anuradha at Patalpani. Thanks to Raj Kumar Saini for clicking this lovely pic.

        Click on the link below to read Anuradha's blogpost

        Taking the train to a journey back in time

Pipes and Drums Band of 4/1 Gorkha Rifles Mesmerises Indore on I Day

Independence Day, 15 August 2015

Location: Regal Square Indore.

It was a solemn moment when Mrs Tripta Thapar  mother of Kargil martyr Captain Vijayant Thapar (Vir Chakra) unfurled the national flag at the above venue as part of the  69th Independence Day celebrations. This function was being conducted by 'Apna Samooh,'  a local NGO.  The presence of an Indian Army band in sparkling white uniform was noticed by all even before the function commenced.  This was the 'Pipes and Drums'  band of the 4th battalion of the First Gorkha Rifles also known as 4/1 GR and nicknamed 'Fore One.' 

The audience comprising of students, NCC cadets, ex-Servicemen and local gentry,  was  treated to the tunes of many national and martial songs. The smartly turned out Gorkha soldiers impressed one and all by playing the national anthem, the popular patriotic song 'Saare Jahan Se Achha Hindustan Hamara' and many more patriotic and martial tunes. The fifteen strong band is led by  band major Havaldar Chandra Bahadur Gurung. It comprises of nine pipers, three buglers cum side drummers also called snare drummers, two tenor drummers and one bass drummer.

In a Pipes and Drums band the entire drum section is known as the drum corps. The tenor drummers and bass drummer are known as the 'bass section.'

All regiments and infantry battalions of the Indian Army have their own bands. The ‘Pipes and Drums’ or ‘Brass Bands’ are the official bands. Many battalions and regiments also have a jazz band which plays light music on social occasions.

Bandsmen in  the Indian Army bands are soldiers first and they have other responsibilities too,  in battle they also play the role of medical assistants and help in treatment and evacuation of casualties. All Indian Army bands are trained at the Military School of Music in the picturesque hill station cantonment town of Pachmarhi in Madhya Pradesh. This school is part of the Army Education Corps (AEC) Training College and Centre, Pachmarhi. The 4/1 GR Pipes and Drums has the distinction of having played at Rashtrapati Bhavan and the Republic Day Parade at Rajpath, New Delhi.   

Roopmati's Pavilion at Mandu

From my archives: A young couple at Roopmati's Pavilion. Mandu August 2007,
Clicked with my Yashica MF-2 film camera...

A Church in Mhow.. St Anthony's Church

Tuesday November 5 2013:
I enjoyed the sunset sitting outside St Anthony's Church, Mhow. One of the lesser known churches in Mhow this is in the Infantry School Mhow campus. It was built in 1892 for troops from South India especially the Tamil troops. St Anthony of Padua is a revered figure in South India.

Yashwant Nagar Talab... Beautiful and unspoilt...

Sunday Oct 27 2013
A visit to Yashwant Nagar Talab with a visiting friend.
The dam you see below was constructed by the Maharaja of Indore during the British Raj.
I came here for the first time in 1969 as an eight year old boy. The occasion was the festival of Holi and a group of officers from MCTE (Military College of Telecommunication Engineering) had arranged a picnic.
My parents were not part of that group but my friend Bunny's father - who was  then the Commandant of MCTE Brigadier Talwar had requested my father to send me and my younger brother with them.

When  I returned to Mhow in 1979 I remember an occasion when I and my classmates bunked college and cycled down here. One of us had even jumped off the dam (where the water can be seen overflowing now) and swam across the lake. I have cycled till this lake quite a few times. This lake has also been part of treks in the beautiful countryside sorrounding it. 

The Rest house of the Irrigation Department  ... Unchanged since many decades...

Love the sight of these stones which make these steps...

                                       The watchman's quarters attached to the  Rest House  

Diwali 2012 ... A photo essay...

Diwali is celebrated in a unique manner in Mhow. Unlike other parts of India where the day of Lakshmi Puja is the main day of this festival in Mhow the next day is the main day. It is known as 'Dhok Padwa' (aka Govardhan Puja - the day cattle are worshipped).  It is a unique sight one sees in the Mhow market.  People  get dressed in their best and visit one’s their neighbours, friends and acquaintances.  Friends embrace each other and wish each other a happy Diwali. The young bend down and touch the feet of their elders as a mark of respect and receive their blessings.  The word “dhok” refers to the respectful  obeisance towards one’s elders which the young pay by touching their feet.  

The Mall - All lit up. Midnight of 12-13 November 2012. 

Firecrackers being sold on the outskirts of Rau, near Mhow. 

Garland seller near the Mhow Fort, selling garlands at Rs 10 per garland. 

Sreyas and Shruti were with their grandmother during Diwali. They do not like the Diwali of Mumbai. 

The Member of Parliament from Indore Mrs Sumitra Mahajan visits Mhow without fail on Dhok Padwa and wishes the citizens here a happy Diwali. 

These boys told me that I had clicked them on Holi and so I MUST click them on Diwali as well!!! Impeccable logic, I must say....

The Sai Bhaktas wishing every one a Happy Diwali.... 

Mr C Kulkarni with the model he made for his grand-daughter. 

Rangoli made by 70 year old Mr Dhodapkar....

Rangoli (Maharashtra Samaj area)

Rangoli being made at the Kulkarni house. 

Rangoli competition at the Maharashtra Samaj...

Rangoli with a Radha Krishna theme being made in a house in the Maharashtra Samaj area...

Celebrating Dhok Padwa.... 

These gracious ladies readily agreed when I requested them for a 'Dhok Padwa' shot... 

Last but not least.... 

On Main Street in Mhow Bazaar... Clicked by Raj Kumar Saini...