Hyderabad by Walk - Paigah Tombs

This is my second visit to the Paigah tombs - the first one was an unguided one where we just wandered around and admired the beautiful structures. This time Tanya organised a heritage walk and I asked Vasu if he was interested and both of us joined the walk at 9 am.

The Paigah insignia

The mosque

A group of some 7-8 joined us. Tanya as always is meticulous in her preparation and gave us some architectural insights - she being an architect herself. For example she told us how the female tombs had a depression on top while male tombs had a keystone on top.

Pineapple motif

Tombs

Intricate work

The  Paigahs were nobility and fierce loyalists of the Nizam who served as generals, statesmen and philanthropists, maintained their own arms and were richer than most Maharajas. 

Entrance

Lattice work

The title Shams-Ul-Umra was given to the first of the line Abdul Fateh Khan Jung who came from Delhi with the first Nizam to handle the kingdom of Golconda after the fall of Qutb Shah empire. His tomb was the first and the place gradually became the burial ground for the Paigah family.

The Amir-E-Kabir HE Sir Khursheed Jah Bahadur is the one who seems to have developed the area and the tombs of his family has been given preferential treatment in terms of size and ornateness.

Apart from their social status the Paigahs were great builders and built palaces such as Falaknuma Palace, Asmangarh Palace and Khurshid Jah Devdi among others.

Open to sky

The tombs of Shams-Ul-Umra I to V, Asman Jah, Khurshid Jah, Sir Vicar Ul Umra, Moin Ud Dowla and others are well preserved. All tombs are exposed to the sky in deference to the Emperor Aurangazeb whose tomb is also open to sky.

   

Keystone on tomb for males

There was some restoration going on. Overgrown weeds and plants, an old mosque, many smaller tombs all add to the beauty of the place.The intricate work with limestone, on marble, lattice work, the pineapple motifs are a pleasure to behold.

Red Cherries on the Canara Coast (The Story of Cricket in Mangalore and Udipi)- Jayanth Kodkani

When we played University cricket one team always caught my fancy - just the other day I was telling someone about it - the Mangalore University team. Win or lose, the Mangalore University corner was always happy and in party mode. It's an attitude I told myself I would love to carry wherever I go, whatever I do - play hard, party hard. So when Jayanth Kodkani, my friend from ToI Bangalore said he had written a book on cricket in Mangalore I was keen to read it to get an idea of what shaped Mangalore cricket - the people, history, attitudes, conditions.

The idea for the book itself came from an exhibition organised in February 2022 by Kasturi Balakrishna Pai or Pai Maam - 'Nurturers of the Cherry Garden' - a collection of all cricket memorabilia of Pai Maam. The book was published by the Art Kanara Trust, and the patrons were gracious enough to send me a copy of the book with a note. Thank you so much Art Kanara Trust. This will remain a prized possession. The least I can do is review it.

Mangalore cricket goes 150 years back when 7 Jesuit priests landed in Mangalore in 1878 and set up the St. Aloysius College which became the breeding ground of all cricket and sporting activity in coming years. More importantly the St Aloysius College, under the stewardship of Rev John Moore started the 'Mangalore Magazine' where all matches were covered and written in his own poetic style.

Some of the earliest teams that played in the area appear to be Mangalore Sports Club and the Pentland's Team which have old rivalries as they are bound to. The most popular and perhaps older cricket tournament in the region is the Taj Mahal Cup - which had a play to finish format in its early avatar - one match apparently went on for seven days! Two Ranji matches were hosted by Mangalore in 1957 and 1959, both against Kerala, and Karnataka walked away with the honours both times. One game later against Andhra, at Udipi. I cannot help thinking that its precious little for that region certainly. The distance from Bengaluru which is the cricketing head quarters would have snuffed many a young talent unless they moved to study or work in Bengaluru. 

The book throws up many interesting characters. One of the characters that show up in the book is Lord Harris who was the Governor (of Mumbai?) after whom the famous Harris Shield of Mumbai is named. His wonderfully well written do's and dont's for batsmen, bowlers, captains and so on and listed in entirety and make for interesting reading. I've got some of the important ones at the bottom.

Literary giants from the area - Shivram Karanth, Vyasa, Aravind Adiga also had some links to cricket - big or small. Adiga also wrote a book titled 'Selection Days' which was made into a web series.  I didn't see the series or read the book. 

Of utmost importance is the chapter on the man without whose single minded devotion to the game in Mangalore, this book would not have happened - Mr Balakrishna Pai or simply Pai maam, collector of scrap books, enthusiast extraordinaire, umpire and generally protector of the grounds and tradition of the game in the Canara region. Born in the year that SMG AND GRV were born, his achievements and passion in his area of interest are no less.

Another important character in the book is the main Maidan in Mangalore and the centre of all cricketing action over the years, the Nehru Maidan which was earlier known as Central Maidan - until Jawaharlal Nehru came to inaugurate a port or something and then the Maidan was renamed Nehru Maidan. The land was donated by one Mary Coelho - an amazing story there. Of the 24 acres of so, only about 9 acres seems to remain. How land disappears! 

Of other things Mangalore, Jayanth brings in little snippets like the presence of radio pavilions where people could listen to radio commentary! 

Jayanth also lists out short bios of all the cricketers from the area over the years. From the 1900s - 1950s some of the cricketing stalwarts who played from the region are - NN Suvarna, Basti Shenoys, the Kunderans, Dayanand Kamath, BC Alva, BS Alva, BS Alva, GK Sunderam, S. Gopal Pai, K. Ganapathy Rao, AT Shenoy, Surendra Kamath, BR Mohan Pai, Dr HD Ballal, Keshav Bharadwaj, Patrick Furtado, Udipi Prabhakara Rao, J Mahendra, PN Bhandary, V Subraya Kini, ML Narayana Pai, James Wilson Ammanna, Dr Dinker Pai. Each with his own interesting story. 

Budhi Kunderan was the star!

The 1975s-2000s era saw players like Raghuram Bhat, PV Shashikanth, K Jeswanth (all of who I played against and with Shashikanth I played in the same team - the South Zone U 22 team), Sanath Kumar, Suresh Shetty, Dayanand Bangar, Shyamachandra Bhat, Pradeep Vaz, J. Ramesh Rao and Mansoor Hussain. 

The 2000s-2025 era has players like K.L. Rahul, Prashanth Braggs, Umesh Kavin, Sinan Khadir, Abhilash Shetty.

Cricketers who have family roots in the region include Ravi Shastri, Sanjay Manjrekar, Anil Kumble, Tanush Kotian, Carlton Saldanha, Salil Ankola, Jemimah Rodrigues and others. There's Satish Acharya, the famous cartoonist who also hails from here and whose cartoons I m getting in my Facebook feed on a regular basis now which I enjoy. 

Samuel Jayaraj as KL Rahul's coach leads the pack of coaches along with Vijay Alva, Benjamin D Souza, MN Shanker.

The clubs that keep the cricket going are Mangalore Sports Club (1951), Jai Hind Club (1950) Pentland Sports Association (1926), City Cricket Club (1961), St. Aloysius CA, Canara Bank Sports Council (1984-85), Syndicate Bank Recreation Sports Club among others and they participate in tournaments such as Taj Mahal Trophy, Albuquerque Cup, B Damodar Pai Memorial Trophy, BC Alva Trophy, Dayanand Kamath Memorial Rolling Shield, Hangyo Cup and so on. Newer teams like Karavali Cricket Academy, Udipi District CA, NITK, New Mangalore Port Trust Team, Mangalore University Team, Chakravarthy CC also compete.

The book offers a very interesting insight into cricket in these parts, the history, the culture, the traditions and the passion. I played with PV Shashikanth in our U22 days and I remember how serious he was as an aspiring cricketer - an aggressive bat, a man with a serious routine and a very pleasant persona. I remember getting his phone number in Mangalore and calling him when I went to Bangalore to launch 'The Men Within' way back in 2007 and he spoke warmly and said he would not be able to make it as he was in Mangalore. After reading the book I definitely want to visit Mangalore where I have pleasant memories from my previous visits, and also where my nephew now works, and visit Nehru Maidan, St. Aloysius College, maybe meet Pai maam and hopefully catch some cricketing action. And soon!

Thanks so much Jayanth for writing this wonderful book which truly gives an idea of how this game evolved in our country. Reading Makarand Waigankar's 'Bombay Boys' on Bombay cricket, PR Man Singh's 'Cricket Biryani', Dr. Avinash Chitale's book on 'A Story of the Legendary Holkar Team', has certainly broadened my mind about the history and evolution of cricket in India. So much is owed to people like Pai Maam and certainly to those who document it like Jayanth. The book is full of rare and interesting pictures, score cards, newspaper clippings, maps, documents, illustrations - painstaking work that puts it all in perspective. 

Very well done Art Kanara Trust and Jayanth Kodkani.         

Lord Harris's Do's and Don't
Batsmen

1) Be content to stay at the wicket without getting a run in the first half hour
2) don't say it was bad luck when you are out, but try to make out where the fault in your own play lay

Bowler

1) Get your hand as high as you can
2) Don't be satisfied with bowling straight on a good wicket, vary the pace. It is the highest art of bowling. (do something and produce results)
3) Don't sulk when taken off after bowling well

Fielder  

1) watch the ball as it is bowled and anticipate the hit that is to follow
2) don't run in, rather run back, easier to run forward if you have misjudged it
3) use both hands to field
4) don't go to sleep

Captain

1) don't go by the reputation of your best bowler, you are playing to win the match, so take him off when you think best
2) put every man in the exact spot you think suitable
3) don't blame unsuccessful fieldsmen, sympathise with him and his efforts will be encouraged

To all
1) Don't play for yourself, play for your side

The Diaries of Franz Kafka - Franz Kafka

 Franz Kafka (1883-1924), one of the literary geniuses of the twentieth century who fused realism and fantasy, wrote these diaries during 1910-1923 in a bid to prod his creativity. He wrote his diaries until 1923, a year before he died of tuberculosis. Interestingly his career choices include being a novelist and a short story writer and also an insurance man (he was trained to be a lawyer).

The diaries are deeply personal and flit about here and there as he ponders over his failed relationships, people in his life, ideas for books, details of some part of his daily life, his frustrations with his father for having to work in a factory when he wanted to write, he reflections on his imperfections, the angle of reproach. He was a depressed man, isolated from family and friends and of generally poor health. He frequently doubted himself, his writing and very little of his work actually got published in his lifetime.

Engaged several times he never married. His writing is also (including his diaries) seen as funny by some (perhaps because he was very honest) and one friend is quoted as saying that when he read his stuff Kafka would frequently burst out laughing and stop reading.

The diaries were edited and published by his friend Max Brod after his death. 

I picked up this book from Indialog, which at that time had a wonderful collection of classics, well produced and I remember thinking I should improve my literary reading and picked up many - O Henry, Maupassant, Wilde, Austen. Think this one is the last of that series. Thanks Indialog, thanks Keerti. 

Thought for the Day - Looking Hard is Being Open

 When we seek something - we look very hard. When we look very hard we maintain very narrow focus and miss out on things. our mind is fast eliminating things and we miss out on some essential cues which may lead us to where the object we want is - most times in front of our eyes.

I feel that perhaps being open is more useful than going at it very hard. It presents more perspectives, broadens the focus, helps us change perspective easily - and mostly opens our eyes to the world around us.

One is hard. One is easy.

The Tao of Physics - Fritjof Capra

Fritjof Capra's book sold over one million copies since it first got published in 1975. It is an exploration of connections between Eastern mysticism and modern physics coming from the insight that Eastern traditions have a coherent philosophical framework and also that there are philosophical implications of modern science. Fritjof draws from the writings of ancient texts of Hinduism, Taoism, Buddhism, Zen as well as from the writings of Oppenheimer, Bohr, Heisenberg, Einstein to establish a space where it all seems to merge - the comparison between exact science and spiritual disciplines based on meditation where insights cannot be verbally communicated!

He goes back to the roots of Physics in the first period of Greek philosophy in 6th century BC where science, philosophy and religion were not separate. The themes were of perpetual change, of becoming, of opposites as unity.

In Eastern philosophy the ultimate reality can never be an object of reasoning or of demonstrable knowledge. The Tao that can be expressed is not the Eternal Tao says Taoism. Thus absolute knowledge is an experience in a non-ordinary state of consciousness which may be called a meditative or mystical state.

While physics consists of mathematical models that consist of three stage - gathering experimental evidence, corelating experimental facts with mathematical symbols and using them to predict results, the Eastern methods seems to go into direct experience through the science of the mind - through meditation, physical movement, art and other forms which lead to similar insights. Experience of oneness with the surrounding environment is the main characteristic of this meditative state. It is a state of extreme alertness - the mind of someone facing death. Both need years of training, both need to repeat experiments and produce demonstrable results.

While the student of Zen is told to 'discover his original face', the sudden discovery of his original face is what they call enlightenment. Interestingly they also say that a spiritual insight and the understanding of a joke are a moment of enlightenment - which is why enlightened souls have a great sense of humour they say. 'If it were not laughed at, it would not be sufficient to be Tao' - Taoism.

Fritjof explains that while Newton's classical physics based on the laws of motion made everything easier to understand in a mechanical way where objects were made of a large number of atoms and velocities were small compared to the speed of light, it began showing its limitations when quantum theory challenged the first limitation and relativity challenged the second. It moved into an area which is more experiential than something that could be articulated. Atomic physics provided scientists with the first glimpse of essential nature of things - a non-sensory experience of reality and paradoxical aspects of this experience.

The language problem in these areas was dealt with differently by different Eastern traditions - Hinduism used myth, metaphor, symbols which were less restricted by logic and common sense, the Chinese used factual language to expose the limitations of language through use of paradoxes, Zen Buddhists used koans which were nonsensical riddles and Haikus with 17 syllables - all exposing the limitation of language and linear thought. According to Eastern mystics the direct mystical experience of reality is a momentous event which shakes the very foundation of one's world view.

Fritjof looks at each of the Eastern traditions. Hinduism in its essence teaches that to be free of the spell of maya, to break the bonds of karma, means to realise that all the phenomena we perceive with our senses are part of the same reality. All Gods are manifestations of Brahman. Buddhism has its central theme of unity and interrelation of all things and events. Chinese thought, Confucianism speaks of the yin and yang, of dynamic change, Taoism that by displaying the feminine, yielding qualities of human nature it is easiest to lead a perfectly balanced life. In Zen people practice Zazen, tea ceremonies and find that state through each act.

The author explores themes such as the Unity of things, going beyond the world of opposites, space and time, emptiness and form, the cosmic dance etc. Overall he says that the Eastern world view of awareness of the unity and material interrelation of all things and events holds for physics as well.

Capra has also given 6 suggestions for a new paradigm in science:

1) consider the part and the whole as more symmetrically conditioning one another
2) replace thinking in terms of structure with thinking in terms of process
3) replace objective science  with epistemic science where the approach  to decide what counts as knowledge adapts to the subject studied
4) replace the idea of knowledge as buildings based on foundations with an idea of knowledge as networks
5) abandon the quest for  truth with quest for better approximations
6) abandon the ideas of domination of nature with one of cooperation and non-violence

I tried to piece together what I could understand and it makes sense. Definitely need another, deeper reading to get more insights but this was good as it was and provides a fine answer to those who treat science and the world of the mystics as separate. If there's one thing we learn from this book it's that anything definite is not definite! To look on, to wonder, to form opinions and principles, to be open is what our life is about. Thanks old pal for gifting me this book.

   

       

The Jammu Diaries - Random Pics

 Some random pics from Jammu.

Morning mist over Jammu

A Dharamshala in the market

Old building

The tombs of the Dogra Royals

Jammu University

An interesting poster

Statue of Raja Hari Singh in the Raja Hari Singh Park

Bittu Fish Fry

Now this fish fry stall is apparently on YouTube according to Jyo and we could not resist stopping and ordering a serving (Rs. 300). The main man Bittu who is standing there, cuts up the cat fish (called Singhada in these parts) while the other guy fries them. Delicious stuff, huge demand.. Apparently his father started the business 75 years ago. Fish come every morning fresh from the catch in Himachal. Drop by if you like your fish!

Bittu posing with his fish fry cart - lovely  

It's in the Raghunath market area.

The Jammu Diaries - Vaishnodevi Yatra

I am not sure if what we undertook could be called as Vaishnodevi yatra but we did go to the shrine and walked the way down. We had an extra day and I thought we could give it a shot - Katra, the base town from where the trek to Vaishnodevi shribe begins, was 60 kms away from Jammu and from what I read and gathered form people it was a 3-4 hour trek up and equally down - its 13 kms one way. It would be taxing surely but lets see I thought. I sent out word and soon a company of six plus me (all of them much younger and fitter than I) gathered. Two cars were arranged and we set out at 2 pm.

First glimpse of the Trikuta mountains and the Vaishnodevi trek

Now, the precursor. I tried to get tickets for the evening but did not get tickets which led to the plan. The girls from room service told our kids that there was a helicopter service which they would try to get us on to at a price of 2300 per person one way if we made it to Katra. And they said it was worth it etc etc and soon things fell into place. Even the cab guys came at short notice. What I mean to say was - things fell into place.

Another one - from Katra

Anyway, off we went at 2 pm and reached Katra by about 4ish. We went to the place where we get the helicopter booking and bought tickets - now the round trip from Katra to Vaishnodevi is some 4500 bucks. However the copters do not take off after 5 pm. On good days, weather being good, if one takes a morning chopper up and an evening chopper down, one can do both ways. We had the option of only one. 

Off the helipad - pony rides for those who want

Walking - lots of monkeys around

Anyway we bought tickets and rushed to the place where they weighed us, gave us some ids and stuff and packed us into their cars. Then to the helipad where we were checked once again like in an airport and were asked to wait in line. Choppers kept coming in and out and people were quickly helped out and helped in and off they went again. There were six of us if I remember - two next to the pilot and four at the back. We took off minus the seat belt, the copter swung this way and that, looked like it would run into the mountain wall and swerved and some 5-7 minutes later we landed on a small helipad on the mountain side. First time in the chopper for me (and the rest!)

Helipad

Helipad

We got off the chopper and the boys said it was a 30 minute walk and we started walking. Right outside the helipad we find people trying to sell pony rides (can travel on pony) or palki rides (men carry you in a palki). We chose to walk. Maybe it took us about 30-40 minutes and we saw what they call the Bhawan - a huge complex. Later I realised this was where the main shrine is. There is another temple on top of the hill called Bhaironnath mandir and they say the yatra is not complete if you do not visit both (we did not so I rest my case).

Nescafe and burger stop

Destination Bhawan

Anyway we walked in and walked past Durga Bhawan which is where there is some information available. The complex was so confusing that we asked many people and stopped at this lovely Ram temple. We were told that darshan was shut and we had to wait till 8, a good 2 hours away. Then someone found out that we could buy some tickets for 2000 bucks a head and go in for arti and satsang. We walked in and lo behold, we found that we had divine help!

Another view of Bhawan

One lady called us aside and said she had four tickets and three of her family members did not come and she would sell those tickets to us at 1200 bucks. We took the offer, bought four tickets at 2000 bucks and followed. She apparently visits every month from Delhi and knew the place like the back of her hand. She took us right in, to the place where we put our mobiles away, our footwear away, and got us good places to sit and we sat right in front and watched the satsang (she knew every sloka) and watched the arti. The room was filled with devotees clapping, immersed in their faith. Clearly everyone had a deep connection.

Ram Mandir

After arti she quickly guided us to the main shrine for darshan. It is in a cave like place and there are three pindis, stone symbols, each with a distinct color and texture originating from the same source. The guard told us that the middle pindi was Vaishnodevi and the other two were Mahalakshmi and Maha Saraswati. Darshan done we headed out into the cold night at nine pm.

The path at twilight

Bhawan at night on way back

The mountains are called Trikuta mountains. Vaishnodevi is one of he holiest of the Hindu pilgrimages and they say a crore visit every year. They say Arjuna meditated here before the war.

Bhawan - lights 

Vaishnodevi, Goddess Shakti, was a devotee of Lord Vishnu who decided to never get married. One Bhaironnath pursued her and she beheaded him and the place where his head fell is where the Bhaironnath temple is today. Midway up the hills is what is called Ardhkuwari temple.

Palki bearers carrying a pilgrim

We grabbed some dinner and started back. The pathway is wide and well laid out and one can walk at an easy pace (way down, I am sure way up is strenuous). There are pony rides on offer at 400-600 bucks a head, palkis where four men carry you in a basket like thing at a pretty rapid pace, some pram like structures for adults to sit and be taken along, even battery operated cars which operate past 10 in the night and need to be booked.

Photo studio on way down

We walked halfway and our driver started calling. From the Ardhkuwari temple we started taking the steps to gain time. It got to my calves and legs and it was with a quivering gait that I finally managed to reach Ban Ganga which was where we were to meet. Some nice lemon sodas on the helped me along as did a nice conversation with a friend who called quite fortuitously and stayed with me on the later and more difficult part of the walk. Thanks pal.

There were people climbing up at 11 am, young kids who were probably 6-7 years old, families, young couples, old people. Amazingly so many of them were using the steps (I was finding it difficult to walk down). Many used the trekking sticks - I wish I found one. Another feature is that there are many monkeys along the way - but they mind their own business mostly (though they snatched one man's bag - perhaps with food). 

The cab arrived and we headed back. An hour and a half later we were back at the hotel by 1 am. Tired, but very satisfied. Quite an experience.