MeraPahad Community Of Uttarakhand Lovers

 

Deepawali Greeting Card

Deepawali Greeting card season was on. It was the month of October, 1986 and I was looking for a greeting card to be sent to a political leader, in response to his Deepawali Greetings. Those were the days, when there used to be no E-mail or SMS. No E-greetings! One had to purchase a greeting card to send it to his friends or well-wishers.  I wanted to send the Greeting card to a Netaji on back-date. While preparing the card some thoughts hovered around and I immediately typed the thoughts on a letter and sent the same to the Netaji. The letter is appended.
   
My dear Pooran Bhai,     In the style of ‘to be or not to be’, I took out time to brood over ‘to write or not to write’ but ultimately thoughts started flickering around and I could not but hasten to write or type whatsoever thoughts continued to hover around. It all started when I went to the house of one of my friends who was desperate in planning out to dispatch the big bundle of Deepawali Greetings well before the Deepawali day, without anticipating whether the same will be in the hands of those whom he is aspiring to wish on the Deepawali day itself. The idea gave birth to an idea and I started feeling that I would also wish some near and dear one a Happy Deepawali. Normally I have been wishing people once a year in the New Year only. But then the provocation was great, so I finally decided to wish some of the dear ones a Happy and Prosperous Deepawali. Back home, I found that I am bound for Dwarahat, Ganai, Bhikyasen and back. The idea vanished away of course not to be vanished away forever. Back home I found a Deepawali Greetings card that too from you. Bubbling with enthusiasm I started with speed in my Premier Padmini and started looking for a beautiful card, keeping in view the aspirations of the one who wished me, and of course my own. The search started from Nitya Nand Bisht to the last corner of the Sadar Bazar and nothing but disappointment seemed to be in store for me. Once again we thought of making a search and a re-search was thoroughly made. At last a Card was found. Keeping in view the idea it depicted- Hope, the ‘savera’, the first sun rages trying to peep through the trees into the earth, which made me to feel lots of hope for Netaji into the domain of Minister ship. The Card clicked my imagination and I decided to purchase it. Alas! It was the only card available in the Shop. The slogan – Wishing you a Happy Deepawali – was not there. Niranjan, whom we call Ranjan, started suggesting an alternative. But I insisted on this particular card. Then yet another search started and a slogan paper was borrowed, but it carried the slogan ‘Wish you a Happy Deepawali and New Year’ both. We compromised with the situation and finally accepted the Card. Naturally then we asked for an envelope. Ranjan started on the job and he declared that the envelope was not available. But we were not the type of people who get discouraged with trifling things like this. We asked to go in for another re-search. Ultimately an oversize envelope was found out. The Envelope had to be put on the cutting machine and was cut to size. This was the time when I had the life’s worst agony. The card was then put inside the envelope, but the envelope was still oversize. A search again started but was ultimately abandoned. A pleasant idea stuck my mind. The envelope must be oversize. Because if it has more room in it, that will mean more Ministries. Why Hill Development alone, why not some more! So Deepawali Greeting Card was ready. Finally it was the turn of Ranjan. We asked for the price, slightly conscious of overcharging. But Ranjan folded his hands with a meek smile. So it was time for Barola to be out of the Shop. I took the first opportunity to leave the place unless Ranjan thought of changing his mind.
Deepawali Greeting Card was thus dispatched personally after ensuring that it was really inside the Head post office Bag, again, in the vain hope that it will reach your hands on the Deepawali day itself. (D.N.Barola)

 
Raksa Bandhan, Mischief of the Naughty Boy
 
           

From this age of internet, I take you back to early 1950s when the status symbol of a rich person used to be a Bicycle and poor were Paidalchi (on foot). No four wheelers and no Scooter. Only Ekka, Tonga, Bailgari, Train or Bus used to be the medium of transport. Adolescent children wanted Paisa (Money), which was scarce and beyond the reach of children. But without money the naughty boys had no charm. Some enterprising boys dared to intrude into the exclusive domain of sisters on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan and they embarked upon the misadventure to tie Rakhi in their neighbourhoods. They could make some money from this pursuit, which ultimately used to be taken away by the resourceful Sisters who were watchful about the misadventures of their brothers.

             We used to get 2 Paisa or maximum one Aana occasionally. Six paise meant one Ekanni or one Aana. 12 Paise meant Duwanni and 16 Ekannis were equivalent to one rupee. How to earn or arrange 2 Paise or Ekanni with very little effort used to be the topic particularly in festive occasions. I also ventured to try my luck. The first problem was how to get a piece of Rakhi. Be economic, no Fizool-kharchi (extravagancy) was the dictatorial order of the parents. I could manage to get a piece of Rakhi from my home Temple. Another problem was to whom to tie the Rakhi, who may prove to be a good Paymaster. Our next neighbour a Vaidyaji (Ayurvedic Doctor) was quite affectionate to me. I tried my luck with him and waited patiently in his Dispensary. After some time he enquired, what do you want? I felt very shy. My face became red.  Vaidyaji could see a Rakhi in my hand. O! He said you have come to tie a Rakhi on my hand. O.K. You can tie the Rakhi and he gave me his hand.
I was overjoyed and started daydreaming. 2 Paise, one Anna or two Annas. How much Vaidyaji will give me as Dakshina. No it can’t be 2 Aana. It must be 2 Paisa or one Aana. I settled for 2 Paisa within my heart. I tied the Rakhi on Vaidhyaji’s wrist. There was a pause. The pause was slightly long. In the meanwhile my heartbeat started beating like a drum. Suddenly Vaidyaji opened his mouth and said - you have tied Rakhi on my wrist. Now I will tie Rakhi on your wrist. So Hishab Barabar (account is clear). No dakshina from either side. I was taken aback. All my imagination and dreams vanished away. With dreams shattered I was out of his Dispensary and within minutes I forgot the mishap, only to remember and narrate the incident on every Rakhi day to my children and bosom friends.(By D.N.Barola)
 
 

Buransh flower, Rhododendron



Para Bhira main buransh fulee go; main jai kunoo meri Heeroo ai gay chhau! पारा भीड़ा मैं बुरांश फूली गो, मैं जै कूनूं मेरी हीरू ए गो छ 

 Thus sings a Mother. When Buransh blooms, she says-On the other side of the ridge, the Buransh is blooming. I had been contemplating as if my daughter Heeroo has come. She compares the colour of Bransh flower with that of the Chunri of her daughter and craves for the arrival of her daughter to her home-Maika.
 
     Rhododendron (Rhodo) or Buransh is Uttarakhand's State Tree. This honour has rightfully been bestowed upon this tree, because it is a highly useful tree and has so many medicinal properties. It grows at a height of 5 to 7,500 feet and blooms in various colours. It is a plant in the family of Ericaceae with over 1000 species throughout the world and most have showy flower display. It is a dense, suckering shrub growing to 5 m tall, rarely 8 m. The leaves are evergreen, 6-18 cm long and 2-5 cm broad. The flowers are 3.5-5 cm diameter, violet-purple, often with small greenish-yellow spots or streaks. The fruit is a dry capsule 15-25 mm long, containing numerous small seeds.
 In Uttarakhand normally Buransh is available in dark red colour. It is however found in pink colour at some places. White Buransh is rare and is rich in medicinal properties. It is also said that with the gain in height, the colour of rhododendron flower fades and in higher heights it becomes white. This is the reason it is found in white colour in higher heights only.

Buransh has a dominant role in the folk lore and folk songs of the hills. The women folk can be seen singing the folk song, Pare bhira buransh fuli go...(In the far away hills, Buransh has bloomed...). The daily chores of the women in the hills include a visit to the Jungle for procuring grass and wood for their daily requirements. After finishing off their jobs they enjoy singing the Pahari folk songs in small groups, some times with their male counterparts, who happen to be there as Cow Keeper. This makes their monotonous life enjoyable.

   The blooming of Rhodo presents a fantastic look. In the back-drop of shining silvery Himalayas, the dark red Rhodo flowers portray a celestial picture. After blooming a chunk of Rhodo flowers starts falling on the foot-path down below, which gets a dark red cover of rhodo flowers. Trekkers enjoy the red-carpet welcome accorded to them by the Nature's bounteous gesture. Rhodo is available as a soft drink in selected shops. This drink has a slightly bitter taste, but is quite tasty and relished as a cold drink. Coffee lovers have special liking for this drink. It is good for heart.  You can cook tasty Pakoras from the flower petals of Buransh. People feel that conservation and plantation of Buransh tree in large numbers can help fight the global warming phenomenon, which will go a long way in maintaining the ecological balance in the hills. Rhododendron leaves are useful as fertilizer. It’s a fast de-composing compost fertilizer. Buransh flower has ample pollen, this is the reason it is a centre of attraction for the honey-bees. They extract honey from the flower.  If you happen to visit a Buransh forest when it is in full bloom, you nay have a hallucination as if fire has broken upon the forest. Its red colour spread over a large area gives such an illusion to the passerby. The Buransh flower is also considered to be lucky for worshipping the Gods.
There is a Lok Katha (story) about the Buransh flower. There was a girl who got married at a far off village.  Her husband was out for employment in a distant place. Her Mother-in-law was a cruel lady and she would keep the girl busy in daily house-hold chorus. She had to fetch water, wood and had to look after the horde of cows. The girl did not have any brother. She had only her mother who was quite old.  She wanted to go to meet her, but the cruel mother-in-law would not allow her to go to her Mother. One day she came to know that her Mother is ill.  She asked her mother-in-law permission to go to meet her mother, but initially she refused, but ultimately yielded and asked her to finish the whole task and then only allowed her to go to meet her mother.

She ran towards her home through the jungle in the hilly terrain amidst hills and valleys. She got injured many times and her feet started bleeding, but so overjoyed the girl was with the imagination of meeting her mother that she continued to run.  The sun was going to dawn. She could reach near her Maika (Mother’s house). She saw her mother standing outside her house. She ran to meet her mother. She took it as a dream, but when her mother embraced her, she could believe that she is with her mother.  Both started weeping. It was a heart throbbing re-union of the mother and the daughter. Afraid and alarmed with the fact that she would be required to part separated with her mother, as she was required to get back, the next day, she had a cruel shock. She could not bear the shock and died.  She uttered Ija (mother) and expired instantaneously.  It is said that after some days, a plant grew at that place. It is none but the red coloured rhododendron (Buransh) flower. Even today Buransh flower makes the mothers remember their daughters. (D.N.Barola)

Ranikhet Club, Ranikhet


Old Building of Ranikhet Club before 1987 Fire.

     Some hundred and fifty years ago a lone Englishman chanced upon a rhododendron hill  at Ranikhet, and spotted a lovely place. He set up a hill station. British loved the Club culture. A Club, the Ranikhet Club, a sprawling arcaded structure with a fine wood spring dance floor and a well-stocked bar, overhanging trophies of man-eating tigers came up in the gently curving Mall Road on the highest ridge. Sprawling over lush well manicured lawns the low height, conical roofed cottages constituted the Ranikhet Club. Thus Ranikhet Club was established as a European Club in 1868. However during the British era there were a few Indian members.   Ranikhet Club, it is said, used to be the abode of Queen Padmini , queen of Raja Sudhardev. Impressed with this celestial land that is blessed with God’s grace, she built a beautiful palace for her residence at Ranikhet. Outside the Clubhouse are the fascinating remnants of the Queen's residence. Scattered stone walls with arched openings are mostly what remain of it today.

    After independence the Club was being sold by the owners to a private party. Dr. Lt. Col. Frederic Noel Barwell, Bar-at-law, who was a permanent member of the Club filed a suit against the above sale in Allahabad High Court and won the case. Thus he became the saviour of the Club. Since then it has been functioning as a Civilian Club.

Dr.Lt.Col F.N.Barwell

 The Officers of the Army are also the Members of the Club. The strict rules for admission to the Club restricted its Membership to a few civil members. There were loud protests against this. The admission to the Club used to be held by putting Boxes in the Club premises which used to contain white-balls and black-balls. In order to get the admission into the Club, it was necessary that the member-candidate is not black-balled by any member entitled to exercise the right to vote. One black ball used to neutralize 7 white-balls.  The boxes used to be kept open for voting for a month.  Thus new entrants were hardly able to get admission into the Club. The civil candidates who aspired to become the Members of the Club protested against this. Sensing the mood of the people, the General Body decided to withdraw this method and vested the grant of membership to the Managing Committee. The Managing Committee in its wisdom granted membership to the civilian gentleman by a majority vote.

      The President of the Club used to be elected by the Annual General Body. The civil members invariably used to propose the name of the Commandant of the Kumaon Regimental Centre as the President. This was a healthy convention which was instrumental in establishing excellent rapport and relation ship between the civil and army. There has been a change in this. Now the Commandant of the KRC is the ex-officio President of the Club.
 
    In July, 1987, Ranikhet Club was engulfed by a devastating fire. The Office, Bar room, Dance Hall, Library etc. all were burnt. There was partial damage to the Lounge, Billiard room etc. Immediately after the Fire an Emergency General Body meeting was held, which had the uphill task of rebuilding the Club from almost a scrap. The General Body after due deliberations felt that in order to attract aid and donations etc, it was necessary that the Club be registered under the Societies Act 1860. After obtaining legal advice a Constitution Framing Committee was formed by the General Body. Sri D.N.Barola (Convener) and Sri B.S. Mehrotra, Sri Jagdish Chandra Pant, Advocate and Sri Chandan Singh Rautela, Advocate were the Members of the Constitution Framing Committee. The new Constitution was framed by recasting the prevailing old Constitution. Since the Army Members had discontinued its Membership of the Club prior to the Fire, a new provision of Block Membership was incorporated in the Constitution to facilitate the return of the Army Members into the Club. Special gestures were incorporated in the Club Constitution and it was provided that the provision of Screening, Interview, Admission fee, Donations etc. shall not be applicable in the case of Commissioned Officers of the Army and the Officers of the Civil in case they join the Club en-block. Not only that reduced Membership subscription was provided in case of Army Officers. It was also provided that such Members shall enjoy the Club Membership for the duration of their stay in Almora District. Thus the Constitution was passed by the General Body and was sent to the Registrar, Societies, Haldwani with the signatures of nine members, viz. S/Sri G.S. Mahara (President), D.N.Barola, Kashmiri Lal, Y.C. Joshi, A.K.Goel, Atul Kumar, J.C.Pant, B.S. Mehrotra and S.L. Goel. The Club was registered with the Registrar, Societies, Haldwani in January, 1989. Thus Ranikhet Club became a legal entity.
 
     In the meanwhile the Members contributed for the construction of the Club and with the donation and the Fire Insurance Claim money, the Bar, Office, Billiard room, Lounge etc. all were made habitable. During this period all the Members made it a point to visit the Club every evening without fail.  In order to raise the income of the Club four rooms were also constructed which boosted up the income of the Club considerably and the Club started running smoothly. The Members of the Army also joined the Club and Brig. B.C. Khanduri was elected as the President of the Club. Still more was required to be done. The Club needed finances to re-build the Bar-room, Dance Hall etc. The four rooms were leased out a private party, with the condition that the lessee would be construct the Club premises. The lessee constructed a large part of the Club and the renovated Ranikhet Club was thrown open to its members from Ist January, 2000. It was formally inaugurated  by it’s the then President Brig. Rajeshwar Singh VSM The four room Hotel also was thrown open to the public. It was also provided that any person staying in the Hotel would automatically become a Member of the Club, for the duration of his stay in the Hotel rooms of Ranikhet Club. This democratization, it is said was necessary to boost up the income of the lessee. Presently apart from the Members of the Army, the civil membership goes well above 120, whereas there are about 75 Members from the Army who enjoy the Club Membership for the duration of their stay at Ranikhet.


 
               Renovated building of Ranikhet Club

    Ranikhet Club is affiliated to nine reputed Clubs of India. The Club has reciprocal arrangements with Boat House Club, Nainital; Bareilly Club, Bareilly; Wheelers Club, Meerut; Mohmed Bagh Club, Lucknow; Dehradun Club, Dehradun; Dharwar Gymkhana Club, Dharwar; Arun Vihar Institute (Club); Noida, Umed Club, Judhpour and Jaiselmer Club, Jaiselmer.
 
    Ranikhet Club also boasts of Asia’s largest natural Golf Link. At the time of transfer of the Golf Link to the Kumaon Regimental Centre, it was resolved that the Members of Ranikhet Club would become the Members of the Golf Course, if they apply for the same. Now it is understood that Membership to the Golf Link has been restricted.
I had an occasion to talk to few senior Office-bearers of the Club, Dr. D.S. Bangari, who was a House Member (now designated as Hony. Secretary) of the Club for several years as also to Mr. Y.C. Joshi, who used to be Treasurer of the Club for nearly 30 years. I myself also had the privilege of serving the Club as a House Member (Hony.Secy.) of the Club for several years. I could gather lot of information from them on the matter. I would still love to receive suggestions to update this Blog.
   


Bahadur Singh, an old employee of Ranikhet Club

    Before finishing this article, I would like to make a mention of a young old man of 88 years, who has served the Club for more than 76 years. Bahadur Singh born in 1920 joined the Club as its employee in 1932. Now in 2008, he is still serving the Club. His wife expired some six months back. He has two sons. He has been a witness to the heydays as also to the difficult times which the Club had to face. Now his last wish is: ‘I was born in the Club and joined to serve it at the age of 12 and now I want to die in the Club itself, serving the Members of the Club. (D.N.Barola)

P.S. True to his words, Bahadur Singh breathed his last on 29 Feb.2009 while serving the Members of the Club.(D.N.Barola)
 

Dear Respected Barola Ji
It was an overwhelming sensation that came out right from the bottom of the heart while reading your valuable super-informative words, i am highly blessed to read such deep insight on Kafal, Burans and bagwal festival. Your articles moreover cover a range of flavor and solid contents. We all are blessed to have you here as Guest indeed.
Thanks a lot for sharing all these with us.

Best Wishes and Regards
Sanju~pahari