Monthly Archives: April 2018

French Open cups debut in Bengaluru — the home of champions

Records, All, Sports, World Opinion

Adil Kalyanpur and Abhimanyu Vannemreddy, both Bengaluru boys, made their presence felt in international tennis through Rendez-vous à Roland-Garros, a programme that brings together top junior tennis players in the boys and girls categories at the national level.

This year marks the first edition of the Roland-Garros Amateur Series, which kicks off in Bengaluru today (it is on till May 6).

To mark this, the actual French Open trophies — lifted by many tennis greats made their maiden visit to namma Bengaluru. The trophies glistened exclusively for Bangalore Times, on a bright Saturday afternoon, as they took their place in front of the Vidhana Soudha.

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Adrien Groscolas, associate international development of French Federation of Tennis, who is also the caretaker of the cups whilst in India, is the only one allowed to touch them — which he can only do after wearing gloves. Only the winners of the trophies can touch them with bare hands.

As Bengalureans gathered to catch a glimpse of the gleaming cups, Adrien filled us in on the protocol that must be followed while handling them, the significance of bringing the trophies to Bengaluru and why French Open officials are looking East.
What is the significance of choosing Bengaluru to host this tournament?
Bengaluru is an important city for us because it has a long history of racket sports and a lot of sports personalities are from here. Rohan Bopanna, last year’s Roland Garros doubles winner, is from Bengaluru, so it made perfect sense for us to come to such a sports loving city.
What is the protocol when it comes to handling the cups?
Only Roland Garros officials can touch the cups, for which we have to wear gloves. Only the actual winners of French Open can touch the trophies with bare hands. Apart from this, people cannot get too close to the cups, to ensure that they don’t get damaged in any way. Also, when we are travelling, the cups fly with me. We buy additional tickets and the cups are seated next to me on the flight, so that I always have my eyes on them. They cannot be carried as a regular luggage.

 

What reactions do you get from people when they see the cups?
The first reaction is like what we saw during the shoot in Bengaluru — ‘What is this? I know I’ve seen it somewhere, but why would the trophies be here in Bengaluru?’ Once we explain it to people, they realise, ‘Whoa, it’s a big deal to have the actual trophies here, this close to us’. People then think that this is the cup that Rafa has lifted, and that’s something.

 

How important is it to bring the trophies to Bengaluru now?
It’s an encouragement, first for the young players of the tournament, because the winners will get to fly to Paris and watch the game at Roland Garros. I think it will be an inspiration for them to see the trophies all week long while they battle it out in the tournament. Perhaps, this will be the start of the next Indian actually lifting this trophy. That’s a bit long-term and optimistic, but I am hopeful of India’s chances in the singles matches.

 

How conducive is Bengaluru to tennis?
In terms of facilities and infrastructure, Bengaluru is certainly one of the better cities. I will definitely speak of Bengaluru as a tennis city, especially since some of the best Indian tennis players are from here. Bengaluru has a tradition of clay courts and our choice to come here is because there are beautiful clay courts here, just like Roland Garros. It is a city that’s very important for tennis.

 

How important is India as a country for Roland Garros?

We are very interested in India. First, because there are definitely going to be more good players from India in the future. The country already has good players, like Sania Mirza, Mahesh Bhupathi, Rohan Bopanna and Leander Paes, who have all lifted the cup in the doubles category in the French Open. We are optimistic that an Indian will do so in the singles as well. Yuki Bhambri just broke into the top 100 and is going to be playing in Roland Garros for the first time this year. We are very optimistic about India’s chances, which is why we have taken an interest in organising so many events here, to encourage young kids to pick up rackets.

 

What can these young players expect to gain from this tournament?

The whole point of the tournament is to give young players the experience of playing a Roland Garros event close to their home. Kids who set foot on these courts may think that if they play well here, they have a shot at getting into a Grand Slam event. That’s pretty inspirational, I think. And that’s what gets those kids to come out on the court and give their best. The courts here are beautifully maintained and there is branding as well, just like in Roland Garros. That’s what sets it apart from other tournaments played through the year.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Bangalore News / by Dhwani Desai / TNN / April 30th, 2018

Now Bengaluru’s very own Bicycle Mayor

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Green Initiatives / Environment, Records, All

City will join Dutch programme to promote use of bicycles among urban commuters

Come May, Bengaluru will have its first ‘Bicycle Mayor,’ or BM, with as many as 19 cycling enthusiasts in the city vying for the post.

The winner will get an opportunity to bring together the city’s cycling community and take up advocacy with the government to bring more bicycles onto the roads.

Honorary two-year position

The Bicycle Mayor, an honorary two-year position, is a global programme envisioned by the Amsterdam-based NGO ByCS. The group is targeting a world with 50% of all city trips covered by bicycles by 2030. Bengaluru will be the third city in the country to have a BM, after Baroda and Guwahati.

ByCS has joined hands with the Evangelical Social Action Forum (ESAF), an NGO, to introduce the programme in India. ESAF is one of the organisers of BCOS (the Bengaluru Coalition for Open Streets), which initiated the Cycle Day concept in October 2013.

The applicants for BM include cycling enthusiasts, activists and those who have been actively involved in making Bengaluru bicycle-friendly, said Manju George, Senior Programme Manager, ESAF, Bengaluru.

“The applications were open for ten days and closed on April 23. After May 12, we will make the announcement,” she said.

Cycling enthusiast and activist Murali H.R., involved with several bicycle projects in the city in coordination with the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT), says there is a lot to be done to implement the existing regulations. “We have had DULT and BBMP for over 10 years now. We are partially successful. This [BM] will be a confidence booster for the work that we have been doing thus far.”

Nikita Lalwani, Bicycle Mayor of Vadodara. | Photo Credit: Email Handout
Nikita Lalwani, Bicycle Mayor of Vadodara. | Photo Credit: Email Handout

Nikita Lalwani, who was selected BM of Vadodara (Baroda) last year, is working to encourage corporate professionals and students to make use of bicycles regularly. Having represented India at the Bicycle Mayor summit in Amsterdam in 2017, Ms. Lalwani said, “We need to begin by changing the image that cycles have in our society.”

BM of Guwahati Arshel Akhter, who took charge recently, aims to start by working with educational institutions and corporate establishments to set up parking slots for bicycles, and encouraging more people to use bicycles regularly.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Shruthi H M / Bengaluru – April 30th, 2018

Meet the brothers who built Bengaluru’s first apartment block

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Records, All
Paresh apartments was build in 1974 by contractors H N Anantharaman (top right) and H N Dwarkanath
Paresh apartments was build in 1974 by contractors H N Anantharaman (top right) and H N Dwarkanath

Bengaluru :

While Bengaluru today is dotted with apartment complexes and housing societies, many may not know that one of first steps in this direction was taken by H N Anantharaman, now aged 91, and his 89-year-old brother H N Dwarkanath way back in the 1970s.

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Having been hired as contractors by the Paresh Apartments Cooperative Society , the duo built the city’s first apartment complex in 1974, which stands tall in Malleswaram even today.

“In the early 1970s, 24 of us got together and bought this plot of land. Anantharaman and Dwarkanath were the contractors, and we all respect them for building such a solid structure,” said Sooryakanthi Madiman, who moved into her flat in 1974 at the age of 27, following her marriage to Madiman, who was a DRDO scientist.

Sooryakanthi says that while newer and fancier buildings are plagued with problems like seepage and leakage, theirs has a strong foundation. “When workers carry out repairs in our houses, they find it very hard to even drill a nail into the wall,” she added.

The complex comprises a cluster of three-storey buildings, and a majority of the original 24 families continue to live here even though the surroundings have rapidly transformed, with individual houses giving way to large apartment complexes.

Born in Hiremagalur, a hamlet in Chikkamagaluru, the brothers were brought to Bengaluru — where they studied engineering — by their older brother who was working here. After a few years, during which they worked in Tamil Nadu, the brothers decided to get into business and started building water tanks, water treatment plants and civil structures.

“They were ahead of their time. They realised that with the rising growth rate, people would start running out of land to build houses on. So, they started constructing multi-dwelling units and venturing into joint-development projects, which was rare at that time,” said Narayan Babu, Dwarkanath’s son.

“They wanted to build homes for people who had saved their hard-earned money for the purpose, unlike today when people are entering the industry purely for business gains,” said Gopinath, Anantharaman’s son.

The duo worked in tandem — while Anantharaman handled financial matters by meeting people and raising funds, Dwarkanath designed the structure and monitored the work.

The brothers, however, are unhappy with the current state of affairs under which members of lower-income groups are unable to find affordable homes within city limits and so have to live on the outskirts.

Honour for pioneer

Anantharaman was recently honoured by Rotary Bangalore Downtown, and conferred the Rotary Pioneer award in recognition of his “pioneering contributions to the field of group housing and construction by developing the first apartment block in Bengaluru, and establishing the industry association KOAPA (Karnataka Ownership Apartment Promoters’ Association), the precursor to the present CREDAI.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Bangalore News / by Niharika Alva / TNN / April 28th, 2018

The first Communist MLA

Records, All

The Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) Assembly constituency in Kolar district has the distinction of sending the first ever Communist legislator to the Karnataka (then Mysore) Assembly.

Eminent trade unionist and Bharat Gold Mines workers’ leader K.S. Vasan became the first Communist MLA in the State in 1952. He represented the undivided Communist Party of India (CPI).

In retrospect

In the 1957 elections also, the CPI could get its candidate, veteran trade union leader M.C. Narasimhan elected to the Assembly. KGF became a reserved segment in 1962 and continued the tradition of electing Communists to the Assembly.

S. Rajgopal was elected from this segment in 1962. After the party split, neither the CPI nor the CPI(M) succeeded in the electoral battle in the KGF constituency for more than three decades. It was in 1985 that T.S. Mani of the CPI(M) got elected to the Assembly. That was the last time a Communist member got elected from this constituency.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Elections> Karnataka 2018> Karnataka 2018> A Look Back / by Vishwa Kundapura / Kolar – April 29th, 2018

It’s celebration time for them

Education, Records, All

Several candidates from Karnataka, who were gunning to make the cut in the Civil Services, had reason to celebrate when they found that they had cleared the competitive exam. The Union Public Service Commission released the list of candidates who cleared the Civil Services Exam 2017 on Friday.

For Bengalurean Swetha M. who secured the 119th rank, this was her fourth attempt. “It is a big relief and there is a feeling of satisfaction to see my name on the list,” she said. The 27-year-old had quit her job with a multinational company in 2014 to prepare “rigorously” for the exams.

Shubhamangala, ranked 147, attributed her success to “dedication” and “sustained effort”. The 34-year-old gynaecologist, who owns a clinic in Bengaluru and is a mother of a three-and-half year old, said her initial preparations were focussed on her son. “I then started reading from the laptop,” Ms. Shubhamangala said.

She managed to clear it in her second attempt. “I did not clear the prelims in my first attempt. Last year when I wrote the prelims, I was sure that I would clear it. Hence I started cutting back on my work hours and spent more time studying,” she said.

Prathiba Rani
Prathiba Rani

Prathibha Rani, an engineer who bagged the 78th rank moved to Bengaluru in 2016 to prepare for the examinations. Ms. Prathibha hails from Jharkhand and said that she decided to get into administration as she thought it was the best way to make a difference to the society. For Keerthi Kiran Poojar (rank 115), this is his second time clearing the UPSC exams. He first cleared the exam in 2015 and got into IRS (932). He is currently being trained at Nagpur. He wanted to give one more shot at IAS and hence made up his mind to write the exam again. “This was my third attempt. I had taken one year sabbatical from my training to prepare for the exam,” he said.

Sachin Gupta who secured the third rank, said that he juggled between Bengaluru and New Delhi to prepare for the examination.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Staff Reporter / Bengaluru – April 28th, 2018

English kills the creativity of a bhasha-writer, says Sahitya Akademi president

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All
Sahitya Akademi president Chandrashekhara Kambara | Photo Credit: K. Bhagya Prakash
Sahitya Akademi president Chandrashekhara Kambara | Photo Credit: K. Bhagya Prakash

Sahitya Akademi’s new chief, Chandrashekhara Kambara, hopes for a multilingual and oral revolution

Kannada writer Chandrashekhara Kambara dons many hats. He is a poet, playwright, novelist and critic who has been honoured with the Padmashree, Sahitya Akademi Award, Kabir Samman and the Jnanpith Award. Kambara has been passionate in his advocacy of the regional traditions of art and literature, and of plurality in social structure. Recently elected the president of Sahitya Akademi, when I met him at its regional office in Bengaluru, he firmly defended the Akademi’s autonomy and underlined the necessity of writing in one’s mother tongue.

You are heading this institution at a time when there is a strong feeling among writers and thinkers that freedom of expression is under threat and that the Sahitya Akademi has remained a “passive, powerless body.” How do you view this?

There are many issues involved here, and I shall try to be brief in explaining them. First, the Sahitya Akademi is a non-partisan and non-political institution, and its sole function is to “develop literature and literary culture in all Indian languages and to promote through them plurality and cultural unity of the country.” You cannot expect one institution to do the job of another. Secondly, it is an autonomous and independent body…

Are you sure the Akademi will continue to enjoy autonomy and freedom in future?

I am positive, because the Akademi has inbuilt structural devices for any course-correction needed from time to time.

Can you please explain what those ‘devices’ are?

The Sahitya Akademi came into being through an act of Parliament in 1954, and any major structural changes in it have to be made by Parliament. The Akademi’s office-bearers, including the president and the vice-president, are elected by the members of the Akademi. Also, all the members are chosen by the Akademi on the basis of recommendations from different literary and cultural associations. There is no place for any kind of governmental or external influence.

You have said in an earlier interview, “Revitalising State languages is my top priority.” Can you elaborate?

You see, we have become too dependent on English to the detriment of regional languages. Hence, the priority of the Akademi is to reduce this dependence.

The Akademi organises continuous workshops for people to learn neighbouring languages; it encourages translations directly from one regional language to another rather than through English; in collaboration with universities in different regions, it will get authoritative textbooks, including science texts, in State languages; it is planning to bring out bilingual and multilingual dictionaries; as a representative body, it constantly brings pressure on State governments to make the State language the medium of instruction at the primary level… I can go on and on.

However, the Akademi alone cannot do much in this direction; we expect educationists, writers, and parents to join hands with the Akademi.

Have you ever felt that had you written in English you would have had a larger readership and greater international recognition?

Never, not even for a moment. Had I written in any language other than Kannada, I wouldn’t have been a poet or a playwright. It is as simple as that. You see, English kills the creativity of a bhasha-writer.

Can you explain please?

Think of a child. If she hears a story from her grandmother, she won’t tell the same story to others; she will create newer versions of it each time she tells the story to a brother or friend. But if the child hears the story in English in school, she will tell the same story in the same words over and over again.

In all this, where do tribal languages and oral traditions figure?

They figure prominently. The Akademi has already established the North East Centre for Oral Literature in Agartala, and a Centre for Oral and Tribal Literature in New Delhi. They are designated to preserve our heritage in a systematic way. The Centre in New Delhi launched a major series on ‘unwritten languages’ last year; it has already brought out four works on oral traditions. In addition, the Akademi proposes to archive original oral texts in audio and video formats.

However, we have to understand that orality is not a concrete object; it is a view of life and a way of living. Consequently, the concept of orality also changes with changing times. Similarly, it is impossible to save all spoken and written languages in any country. As long as there are speakers and the language fulfils their needs, it lives; once there are no speakers left, it goes into oblivion.

Who are the ‘implied readers’ of the translations published by the Akademi? How do translations fare compared to works from commercial houses?

First, the ‘implied readers’. Please remember that the Akademi publishes works in 24 languages — that is, an award-winning text in each language is translated into 23 listed Indian languages, including English. This means the translations published by the Akademi are primarily for Indians. If a Kannadiga is knowledgeable today about Mahashweta Devi or M.T. Nair, it is mostly through the Akademi’s Kannada translations. Till date, the Akademi has published over 6,000 books in regional languages.

I don’t have with me the exact sales figures, but since the Akademi’s five zonal centres have sales sections, and since many works get reprinted every year, I presume the books are reaching readers. In fact, I have recently had discussions with the UGC and the Ministry of Human Resource Development regarding Akademi publications; I have suggested that they should persuade State governments to buy them in bulk every year, and distribute them in public libraries. There are also plans to sell our books online.

Often people complain about the quality of translation (especially of English works) in the Akademi publications. True, there is a review system in place, but a reviewer cannot or does not go through every line of the script. Why doesn’t the Akademi appoint competent copy editors as private publishers do?

I haven’t thought about it, but I shall certainly discuss it with my colleagues. Let me add that the Akademi welcomes any feedback, whether suggestions or criticism.

The interviewer is a critic, translator, and former professor of English

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu /  Home> Books / by C.N. Ramachandran / April 28th, 2018

Neermarga church set for golden jubilee fete

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All

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Mangaluru :

The St Joseph the Worker Church in Neermarga is all set to celebrate its golden jubilee. The celebration of the church, built in 1968, will commence from Saturday and conclude on April 30 with a solemn mass.
According to history of the church, there were around 170 families in the beginning and now it has increased to 470.

The church premises also has a Kannada medium school which provides education to more than 400 children and has served successfully for the last 102 years imparting education to thousands of children.

According to the Rev Fr Anil D’Mello, parish priest of the church, the celebrations will commence from Friday with horekanike being offered by people.

Youth and sports day will be held on the next day. On April 23, the day is dedicated to the sick and elderly, while children’s day will be held on April 24. An all-religion conference will be held on April 25 and 26 will be the day for couples. April 27 will be dedicated to departed souls, while April 28 will be reserved for the church organization. The next is a spiritual day.

The golden jubilee celebrations will be held on April 30. Most Rev Aloysius Paul D’Souza, Bishop of Mangalore Diocese, will be the main celebrant of the jubilee mass, Most Rev Thomas D’Souza, Archbishop of Kolkata, will participate as co-celebrant.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Mangalore News / TNN / April 20th, 2018

Inspired by HMT, two Bengaluru techies launch a fine-watch brand

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology

All it took was an introspective six-month sabbatical from their tech jobs to give-up comfortable paycheques and turn into ecommerce entrepreneurs. This story is pretty much routine now for new-age Bengalureans but what’s different here is that Nirupesh Joshi and Mercy Amalraj found their calling in the offbeat business of watch-making in India. While Joshi worked for Akamai Technologies in Hong Kong for ten years, Amalraj was a freelance mobile app developer and quality assurance engineer.

Few weeks ago, the husband-wife duo launched Bangalore Watch Company. The fine watch-making brand based out of the IT city manufactures mid-segment gentleman’s timepieces, priced at about Rs 40,000 each.

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 Interestingly, their first collection of 500 limited edition pieces pays a tribute to the legendary Indian watch brand Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT) by incorporating design details like vintage arrow-head indices and dauphine-shaped hands on the dial.

Plan is to narrate Indian stories in all their successive collections too. Even their brand logo incorporates the geometric interpretation of the coat of arms symbol from the erstwhile kingdom of Mysore.

 Joshi says, “I often wondered why fine watch-making never took off in India the way fine jewellery has made a mark. Indian watch brands like Titan have a cult following but they are not in the luxury category. Final turning point came when legendary brand HMT shut down in 2015. We quit our jobs and turned our passion into a business plan.”

Joshi has turned into a watch designer. His assembly unit located in Kanakapura brings together components sourced from across the world to manufacture these pieces.

In the last three weeks, they have found takers in tech-executives, entrepreneurs, artists and architects above the age of 30. “They appreciate things of Indian origin and want to add our watch to their existing collection of timepieces,” adds Joshi. The brand’s next collection will be rolled out in October this year.

source: http://www.economictimes.indiatimes.com / The Economic Times / Home> ET Home> RISE> Startups> News Buzz / by Smita Balram, ET Bureau / April 25th, 2018

Full of Energy

Sports

An exclusive interview with RCB all-rounder Aniruddha Joshi who candidly talks about his struggles and the road to the IPL.

Aniruddha Joshi
Aniruddha Joshi

He is one of the two players from Karnataka to have made it into team Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), and he’s predictably thrilled about it. Meet Aniruddha Joshi, a small-town lad from Gadag, who’s worked painstakingly to make his way into the IPL. We caught up with the all-rounder who got candid about his struggles and more…

“It feels really good to be playing for RCB. When the auction was happening, Pavan (Deshpande) and I were giving our officers’ exam for SBI. When I got done with the exam, I had 134 Whatsapp messages and 40 missed calls! My mom called me and told me that I’d been picked for RCB, and honestly, it felt so surreal that I didn’t know how to react.  I felt on top of the world — to be sharing dressing rooms with players like Virat Kohli and ABD is something else,” smiles Aniruddha.

How has the IPL journey been so far for him? “We had a preparatory camp before the tournament. Daniel Vettori and Ashish Nehra have been guiding us and captain Kohli has been really nice. I’m a huge admirer of his — he was so positive during and after the first game — it’s been amazing to be around him,” reveals Aniruddha, who’s also been interacting with international players like Moeen Ali, Colin de Grandhomme and Chris Woakes. “They are all such kind-hearted people. It was so nice speaking to Moeen as he talked to me in Hindi too! I haven’t interacted with the legendary ABD yet, I’ve only just met him,” he adds.

As he takes us back to his early days, he reveals that with Sunil Joshi as his uncle, it was obvious that his family was a cricket-loving one. “When I was 14, I started playing cricket with my father as my first coach. After that, I played club matches in Gadag, a place with hardly any facilities. So, I went to the academy in Hubli for want of better facilities. I represented the Dharwad Zone at 17, and that year, I was chosen to play for Karnataka U-17. I came here for the U-19 and got a job in DTDC as a guest player where I played many matches and scored runs and later, I got a job in SBM (now SBI). When I moved to B’luru, my mentor Santosh Menon helped me a lot,” he shares.

Having toiled quite a bit to get here, the cricketer reveals that he used to take the train from Gadag to the KSCA Academy in Hubli every day. “I’d reach there by 6.30 am. I’d finish practice and catch the train at 10.30 and post 11, I’d go to school. It’s been a tough journey and now, my hard work is paying off.”

As for his uncle, Aniruddha reveals that Sunil has been a constant source of support. “He’s a big role model to me. Whenever, I have asked anything from him, he has taken me to his house and helped me. Even now, I take advice from him and he calls me everyday to check on my preparation. For the past few years, he’s been telling me that my time will come if I perform well,” he says.

While RCB lost their opening game against KKR, Aniruddha isn’t worried. “This is my debut IPL. I’ve learnt so many things. In fact, I wasn’t even on Instagram — Pavan made me join the platform recently,” he laughs.

source: http://www.asianage.com / The Asian Age / Home> Life > More Features / by Ikyatha Yerasala / The Asian Age / April 15th, 2018

Book Talk: The Last White Hunter – Mysuru & Hollywood Connection

Amazing Feats, Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Records, All, Sports, World Opinion

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Title: The Last White Hunter: Reminiscences of a Colonial Shikari, Donald Anderson

Author: Joshua Mathew

Pages: 265 / Price: Rs. 650 / Publisher: Indus Source Books

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The jungles of Mysuru had caught the attention of a number of Britishers during the colonial era, particularly during the period of Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV. The royal city was a must in their itinerary for hunting and for witnessing the thrilling Khedda operations at Karapur. Special Khedda operations were arranged for the visiting Viceroys and Princes by the Maharaja. Along with them came the Hollywood film producers.

Films like the Elephant Boy, featuring Mysuru’s Sabu Dastagir and the royal elephant Airavatha and the Harry Black and the Tiger, starring Stewart Granger, Barbara Rush and Anthony Steel were shot in these forests and these films became famous. Increasing hunting activity gave an impetus to the business of taxidermy. Taxidermists like Van Ingens earned international reputation for mounting animals life-like.

Britishers, who had settled down in places like Mysuru and Bengaluru, were lovers of game. They did not miss a weekend opportunity to go for hunting or fishing. Forests and scrub areas were just a few miles away and wildlife was abundant.

However, by mid-1900s awareness towards wildlife began to gain importance. Hunting had to be done by taking a license. Even prior to the introduction of license, hunting of tigers had been banned. The landmark Wildlife Protection Act in 1972 finally brought a halt to even licensed hunting.

Among the White hunters, there were lovers of the forest and wild animals. Donald Anderson and his father, Kenneth Anderson, were two such Britishers who had settled down in Bengaluru, and made frequent trips to the jungles in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Though they hunted some animals for sport in the early years, they became lovers of the forest and the wildlife later. That was even before the 1972 Wildlife Act. Kenneth was a conservationist and an author too. His outhouse in the Cantonment had lots of cages that were filled with his pets “including python, a slender loris, hyenas, jackals, geese and iguana, and even a small mugger (crocodile)” in 1960s. They only shot man-eaters which struck terror and carried away cattle in the villages, sometimes harming the life of villagers. The Forest authorities often sought their expert shooting skill to destroy panic creating tigers or panthers.

“In his youth, Dad may have shot a few tigers and panthers for sport, but as he grew older, he only shot when it was absolutely necessary — when he felt that human life was at stake,” says Donald in “The Last White Hunter,” reminiscences of a Colonial Shikari, written by Joshua Mathew.

Lamenting over the loss of a lot of India’s wildlife, Donald says, “I know of high-ranking government officials who shot tigers in the early eighties, from forest department jeeps, with huge flashlights.”

He also bemoans that the genuine love for the jungles and its denizens is not imbibed in those who have been given the responsibility to do so today. “Back in the day, every official would know every bend in the road, every nullah, every rivulet that traversed his kingdom.”

Donald, who began going to the jungles at the tender age with his dad and until his last days with his junior friends, including Joshua, more for the love of it, was the last White shikari.“I am the last heir of the Anderson family. I am possibly the last living Scot from British India, who chose to stay on after Independence. And I am the last of the white hunters for whom the forests of India have provided unimaginable adventure and excitement,” Donald, who remained a bachelor, says.

In his 265-page book, Joshua takes us back to the bygone age by chronicling the life and adventures of both Donald and his dad in a captivating style. He superbly weaves the last white hunter’s life in Bengaluru, experiences in the jungles when he accompanied his father, and later went with his friends hunting tigers, panthers and small game. He gives a graphic account of their thrilling encounters with wild elephants, and angling trips to catch and release back into the waters the famous mahseer in the Cauvery, Donald to become a record holder by catching a 104-pounder in 1989. He also describes how Donald acted as a stunt double in the Hollywood film, Harry Black and the Tiger that was shot in the Bandipur forest in 1958.

“The Last White Hunter” is an extraordinary story of Donald’s life from 1934 to 2014, when he passed away in penury. It is a book all those who love the jungles and the life in the days of the Anglo-Indians must read.

email:gourisatya@rediffmail.com

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / by Gowri Satya, Senior Journalist / April 26th, 2018