#AtoZChallenge: Cantonment

(This month, each day, except the four Sundays, I will be blogging about interesting features associated with Bengaluru, formerly known as Bangalore, as part of the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge)

Many big cities in India have an area named "Cantonment". Bengaluru too has one, and it's roughly on the northern fringe of the city centre.

As you can imagine, there is a British connection. It goes back to their seizure of the Kingdom of Mysore in 1799 with the defeat of Tipu Sultan in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War. 

This was a major victory for the British, and they looked for a good place to station their garrison, and also run the military establishment of the southern Indian peninsula. 

After considering many places, Bangalore was chosen because, according to British military engineer John Blakiston, it was “by far the pleasantest and most agreeable residence in the peninsula”.

LITTLE BRITISH ENCLAVE

The Cantonment, called the Civil and Military Station of Bangalore -- though was within the princely state of Mysore -- was governed directly by the British. This gave the enclave a different western cultural hue compared to the surrounding city area (called pete. Read about in this series on April 19).

Lady Curzon hospital in the cantonment
was established in 1864 and named after
the first wife of the Viceroy of India, Lord Curzon
Source: Wikipedia

CUBBON PARK

The two segments of Bangalore were separated by a stretch of grassland which is now the Cubbon Park, according to M. Fazlul Hasan, author of Bangalore Through the Centuries. One needed to pay a toll to cross from one part to the other.

CLUBS 

The desire to have a little bit of England led to the setting up of Colonial or Cantonment Clubs in the area. And one of them was the Bangalore Club, which is still around. Many of these clubs still retain some very British traditions, etiquettes and rules, obviously not quite liked by hardcore nationalists.

CHURCHILL 

As a military lieutenant, at the age of 22, Winston Churchill came to Bangalore in 1896 and was a member of the Bangalore Club for three years. 

The city has a romantic connection to Churchill. This is where he met his first love -- Pamela Frances Audrey Plowden. The fledgeling relationship later floundered and in 1902 Pamela married Earl of Lytton.

Churchill, also when he left in 1899, owed a debt of Rs 13 to the Bangalore Club, which was written off as an "irrecoverable sum". 

Bangalore Cantonment Railway Station. Once this place is
developed as a transport hub, it will sport a very different look
(Source: The Times of India)

RAILWAY STATION

Today the Cantonment area is not much different from any other areas of the city except for some of the streets retaining their British names.

Now when people refer to Cantonment it's the railway station, set up in 1864, surely one of the oldest in India. This is now being developed as a major transport hub, with metro train connectivity as well.

(On April 5, we head to another part of the city which was once a part of the Cantonment)

References:

The ‘other’ Bangalore - Frontline

Bangalore Club

International Churchill Society

#AtoZChallenge: Bannerghatta

(Through this month, join me as I take you through various features associated with Bengaluru, formerly known as Bangalore)

In any city, the zoo is a popular destination. In Bengaluru, it's in Bannerghatta, on the southern outskirts -- about 35 km from the city centre. Actually,  there is much more than the zoo to see.

The vast premises -- spanning over 65,127.5 acres or 260.51 square kilometres -- is officially known as Bannerghatta National Park. Within that, is also the Bannerghatta Biological Park.

The forested area is a treasure trove of flora and fauna. There are over 2,300 animals belonging to 103 species in the park, besides more than 100 species of trees and other plants. 

Besides the zoo, there is a beautiful butterfly park as well that has 48 species of those "flying jewels". There are also moths, centipedes, millipedes, scorpions. The authorities are planning to set up of an insectarium.

In addition to the lion and tiger safari, there are plans to introduce a leopard safari too. Visitors can go on a boat ride as well. There is also a Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre for animals within the premises.

(All images from Bengaluru Bannerghatta Biological Park)

References:

Wikipedia

Bengaluru Bannerghatta Biological Park

European Journal of Ecology

#AtoZChallenge: Avarakai Mela

(Through this month, join me as I take you through various features associated with Bengaluru, formerly known as Bangalore)

Avarakai is a Tamil word for a type of beans. Mela in many Indian languages means a festival. 

Avarakai mela is an annual festival of beans held at V V Puram (also called Food Steet) in South Bengaluru usually in December-January. It didn't happen this year for obvious reasons.

During this festival, you get not only fresh beans from the farms but also many dishes that are made from avarakai, which is rich in fibre and proteins.

Source: The Hindu

The dishes are all the familiar ones -- dosas, idlis, vadas, jalebis and other sweets. But the essential difference is all of these have avarakai, lending them a totally different taste.

The festival was started in 2001 by the owners of Vasavi Condiments. At first, this gathering was only for the employees of the company. Later, it grew into a much popular festival.

It's during December-January that there is a surplus of avarakai. Farmers aren't always able to sell all of their produce, leading to wastage. According to one of the organisers, the festival originally came up as a solution for the problem the farmers faced -- an occasion to showcase fresh farm-fresh avarakai and also those yummy dishes.

This popular gathering lasts nearly a month, around 200,000 people visit annually. 

By the way, the city is said to have got its name from "boiled beans". The legend has it that sometime in the 11th century, a king lost his way, and a woman served him boiled pulses. The king referred to the place as "benda-kaal-ooru" or town of boiled beans. That metamorphosed over time to Bengalooru and then Bengaluru.

References:

Avarekai anecdotes -- The Hindu

Bangalore's Avarekai Festival - Explocity

In Bengaluru, an ode to broad beans at the Avarekai Mela -- Indian Express

(In response to the comment below by Josna, the post has been revised to include a web link as attribution in the sentence that talks about the origin of the festival.)