ARUN PADAKI writes from Johannesburg: London has it, Paris has it, so does New Delhi. A clearly identified nerve-centre in the heart of the city; a focal point from where these great cities got built, grew and evolved.
Like other great cities, Mysore too has one and it is the main Amba Vilas Palace. Everything—be it dwelling colonies, trading posts, entertainment arenas, playing fields, washing facilities—was more or less built around it.
The western and the northern sides of the Palace over the years turned out to be prominent ones with Sayaji Rao Road hogging the limelight with large buildings housing many of the Palace Offices, small trading areas and a very well-conceived Market.
With the Dasara procession gracing this road, Sayaji Rao Road assumed all the more importance. Whether you live in distant Ballal Circle (is this far off any longer?!) or Bengloor, or whether you have migrated to Boston, this vivid piece of Mysore, in and around Sayaji Rao Road, has held a place of its own in the life of every Mysorean.
Most of us have bargained a rupee or two for a dozen Nanjangud rasabaale or the chickoos on Sayajji Rao Road. On a sultry afternoon, we would have cooled ourselves with the cold badami haalu from either of the Bombay Tiffanies or the Indra Bhavans—or the famous ice-creams from Phalaamrutha.
On a wet day, the lip-smacking dosas or bonda-sambars followed by a hot filter coffee would have kept us going. Not to leave out the Guru Sweet Mart near chikka gadiyaara for our own Mysooru Pak.
The walk from Cauvery Handicrafts upto the Palace is one magnificent aspects of Mysore—something we have cherished for years and something should treasure for years to come.
The once-famous Devaraja Market has its own flavour to offer—the whiff of the fresh greens, the colourful vegetables, fruits, varieties of happlaas and the fragrance of the Mysooru mallige is unforgettable. (Well, not on a wet day though.)
Chikka gadiyaara is witness to a myriad events. The vociferous fruit vendors, the cyclists, the fancily parked autos, the dozens of our Nandinis, yes the cows… they all love this square, don’t they?
Then the circle that adores the architect of modern Mysore, Krishnarajendra Wodeyar.
Undoubtedly, K.R. Circle is the heart of Mysore. A few strides away, in the Lansdowne Building, are two shops located at either end that bring back memories of handmade ice-creams and second-hand text book stores that paved the way for many a career.
The experience on the tree-lined walkway is blissful. You have the option of buying anything worthwhile every step we take. To many, the leisurely stroll is not complete without a glimpse at the well-stacked window of Bata.
Well, all this is on offer on any day. What about those nine days during Dasara when the grandeur that is Mysore is on display and celebrated? The lazy strolls, the shopping sprees on the eve of Ugadi or Christmas, Dasara or Ramzan, the bargaining, the hawkers, the masaal-dose, filter coffee, etc are all part of our Mysore folklore.
It’s truly a heritage we have proudly inherited and for generations this has been the way of our lives.
Like all good things, though, fears of Mysore being robbed of its charm are creeping in. There are worrisome discussions like widening Sayaji Rao Road or demolishing and rebuilding Devaraja Market.
Is something awry—something worse—waiting to happen in Namma Mysooru?
Lurking a few metres away from where the spice-sellers squat near Theatre de Olympia, and close to K.R. Circle, is Makkaji Chowk, and the vacant land is about to be made way for a hi-tech mall.
Is this to be read as an indicator of an impending disaster on the blessed land of Sri Chamundeshwari?
Is our Mysore way of life threatened?
Will we ever be able to do our lazy strolls again?
May be, we could, if our footpaths are spared, if the Devaraja Market could get some sunna-banna, if the chikka gadiyaara is freed of the cows.
It is clear from the noise that the Mysore City Corporation is creating, that a second Bangalore is in the making. Given MCC’s track record, it might turn out to be worse. Narrowing footpaths and allowing malls and multiplexes in the heart of the city is a cue taken from the BMP’s books.
The proposed mall shares the distinction with another for creating a horrible mess in the central business district of Bangalore. (A peek at this link would be informative.)
If a hurried approval of the mall was a smack on the face of Mysore, the sight of the previous Council of the City Corporation lauding itself for having got the mall cleared, was a disgrace. For, these are Mysore’s own people.
# Are they not responsible for the city and its denizens?
# Are they not supposed to make things better for us, uphold Mysore’s characteristics that are very dear and unique to us even from Bangalore?
# Why such a bigoted, hare-brained approach?
# How can we ever fathom the existence of a mall next to the iconic Palace?
# What will happen to the aesthetic Town Hall and its sprawling campus? Will that be made a parking space for the mall?
# Has any thought been given to the congestion that would result from the mall and the multiplexes within?
# Are we losing out to the selfishness of those who have no social responsibilities and only want to make a quick buck, the city be damned?
In the recent recorded history, the most destructive events have been the big fire that destroyed the Mysore Palace in 1897 and the fires that destroyed parts of the market in the last couple of decades. Is MCC trying to score points over these events and proving to be more destructive? If ever Mahishasura descends from the same position as he is standing atop, surely he would bay for these destructors.
Let us all spare a moment, and ponder over whether we could have a Mysore of the yore with a bit of Mysore of today, and a Mysore that could stand out in the future, a Mysore that could preserve its old fabric and weave a new one with a blend of new age necessities.
To answer the above, a few more questions crop up which the citizens, the political establishment and the administration should get to the table and resolve:
# Shouldn’t we, more so the political leadership, take pride in the City’s heritage?
# Shouldn’t there be a hearty public participation to stand up and oppose any cheap overtures of ‘development’?
# Why can’t the Fort areas of old Mysore be spared from any large-scale modern intrusions?
# Can’t we run trams or dedicated buses in this part of Mysore, which could be a wonderful spectacle?
# Shouldn’t we consider making this a walk-only zone?
Why not learn from Warsaw, where the post-WW II colonies and structures are preserved as they were or from the historic Spice Bazaar of Istanbul which still retains the oriental surroundings?
Or why not emulate Panaji, where precedence has been given to walking over traffic? Isn’t tourism all about walking to explore? Can’t we build the swanky establishments as a new town, a little distance away from the good old city?
Shouldn’t town planning be a practice in true spirit?
In a recently successful movie, Saif Ali Khan threatens Madhavan that he will cause harm where it pains him the most, pointing towards the heart.
What about the ill-conceived ideas of widening Sayaji Rao Road and the mall at Makkaji Chowk? Aren’t they aimed at causing harm to the heart of the city? Will this mark the beginning of the end of the Mysore way of life?
Arun has a point in his writing.
The agencies involved in so called developmental works across India have selfish motives. They seem to have forgotten the basic econimic theory: Need first Want next and Luxury last.
If we to have a identification we need to preserve the legacy our fore fathers have left behind and add our own for the future generation.
But these agencies are all set to destroy the very identification of Mysore and other cities in India.
The need of the hour is to unravel the truth by removing the myth: develop the area which is already developed – this is only destructive and demonic approach.
Instead we can take the development to underdeveloped areas by:
1. Stop licenses to new hotels/shopping establishments inside the city and move the existing ones (where possible) to other areas/outskirts.
2. Curb unlawful constructions and multistoried building within the city and ensure circular development of the city: this will spread the traffic.
Several other options can be thought without harming the legacy of Mysore and of course other cities.
The need is development and we should want the same and improve the living standards (adding luxuries) without being destructive: Let us keep our roots strong lest we be uprooted.
Bad things about Globalisation,if i may say. Bangalore lost it charm,atmosphere,way of life,the way of living,etc. As Mysore develops(cater’s to the global clientele),same fate will follow.
First it was bombay,then pune. I think bangalore and mysore are going the say way. I feel sad. And helpless too. And to rub salt to our wounds,our politicians wont learn from other places,which you so well mentioned here.
Not matter what….the builder has already performed the Bhoomi Puje..!!! Remorse less bastards… Thieving and selfish. Yes, how would they be concerned about the heritage value that the vicinity has. They are anyway a building co. from Blr…!!! MGP and Assoc of Concerned and Informed Citizens, what happend? You dint protest the bhoomi pooja?
Read todays SoM…
MAKKAJI CHOWK: BHOOMI PUJA HELD
Today – 13 Thur 2006 issue:
–
http://www.starofmysore.com/main.asp?type=news
All the things that you have suggested could happen… if all of you putting in your “two cents worth”, collect it, convert them to Rupees and give it to our politicians and bureaucrats then Mysore can be salvaged.
when self proclaimed mysore connoiseurs start using words like macha(sic), yes.. i guess its certainly the beginning of the end of mysore the way we know it. shame on churumuri!!
A very passionately written epithet!
I have only two comments purely for a historical stand point:
1. Quote: With the Dasara procession gracing this road, Sayaji Rao Road assumed all the more importance:
For a very long time Ashoka Road graced the Dasara Procession. When Mirza Ismail was the Diwan, Maharaja KRW IV decided take him on the Golden Howda once (Normally Yuvaraja and His son Prince Jaya used to sit behind the Maharaja in the Golden Houda during the Jumboo Savari. But it is said the Diwan and Yuvaraja had strong differences on many things. One should know that Yuvaraja was very active during Diwan Sir M.V ‘s time and was an extra ordinary member of the Council during his time and later during his uncle Sir. M.K. Urs time was very active in social engineering and uplifting of the depressed classes. But During Mieza’s time he seems to have faced some difficulty and Yuvaraja decided to go abroad during Dasara in 1938-39. Alas! He died in Bombay on his return- never to return to his beloved Mysore). This caused great heartburn among the citizen and during the return procession from Bannimantap, enraged citizen attacked the Jumbo carrying the Maharaja and his Diwan and tried to cut the rope. A great tragedy was miraculously averted. From the next year the route of the procession was changed. May be during JCRW as Maharaja. I hope some one will elaborate this incident.
2. Quote: Then the circle that adores the architect of modern Mysore, Krishnarajendra Wodeyar:
I feel Maharaja KRW III, Chamaraja wadiyar and Maharni Vani Vilas Sannidhana laid the foundation for what Mysore is today. Their contribution cannot be ignored.
3. I was also surprised the author forgot about Jagan Mohan Palace near by, in his reminces! May be he never walked from KR Circle to Maharaja ‘s college and gazed admiringly at the oldest palace in Mysore !
4. I feel the beginning of the destruction of beauty of Mysore started long ago with the construction of Bus stand and the commercial building facing the KR circle . You have to see some of the old photographs of the place to know how beautiful KR Circle was then.
5. When Diwan Ranacharlu Memorial Hall was built, it was by the generous contributions from the citizens of Mysore to pay homage to their beloved Diwan. It is undoubtedly a Heritage edifice and if there is a Heritage law then one cannot build a commercial complex in its vicinity and one has to look at Master Plan of Mysore to see what is it shown as. Most likely it must be an open space and could have been amended as Commercial space recently. Mysoreans should oppose this at any cost. Best is to have a public sponsored referendum and show to the world why Mysore State is one of the oldest democracies in India. Volunteers can go from door to door and get secret ballot to get the real public mood.
jeevarathna,
thanks for this piece.
i’ve always had a sneaking suspicion that bus stand and the hideous looking buildings did’nt belong.
more generally, what would be good references if one is interested in mysore history?
makkaji:
even from a city planning perspective, it does not augur well for mysore that everything from palak to plywood to pantaloon is peddled in and around that place. and makkaji is going to add to the bottle necks at that place.
even the main bustand is very oddly situated and is not scalable.
if you ask me the whole ‘place square’ should be made a no traffic zone.
Sisya
U r very right, our sweet “maga” wud have been very right word to use, rather than the not needed “macha”
Anyways, Mysore slowly is made to loose the charm, with Dasara procesin becomiing the ruling party campaign ( i remember , when J H Patel was CM, Exhibition had statues of him , “Sidda” and Mannina Maga and our great “Susvagatha” on chamundi hill was backed by a Chakra, the then symbol of their party)
Hope, it doesnot loose the charm, anymore
anyways, i always love namma Mysooru.
:-)
Oh no!! its unimaginable. Eega Mysore nodidare bejaru aaguthe. 10 varshagala hinde idda Mysoreina stithine eega illa adannu innu yake halu madodakke horatiddare? Chennagirodannella halu madode Development anoodadare adhu kanditha Mysorege beda adannu thadeyodakke yavude dari ilva?
EEga aagale noraru varshadinda idda marakadidu JLB roadina paridstithi halu madiddu aagide eega idhu yake?
Mysore roads are more spacious i think yake adannu innu doddau madabeku? ee swarthada uddara yake ?
When churmuri can campaign for RK Narayan why can’t it be for the Mysore go ahead churmuri we are with u
I hope i will not disappointed when i next visit mysore
Mysore is fast loosing its beauty and charm and the coming up of malls such as these is only one of the factors. A couple of weeks back, a sudden downpour for few minutes was enough to flood the so called famous Sayyaji road.
The worst thing is the infrastructure is crumbling well before the development of industries such as IT. Irrespective of whether the builders are from Mys, Blore or Mumbai, the ill effects are the same.
It is very sad to see beautiful cities like Bangalore and Mysore falling prey to such unplanned growth and man’s never ending quest for wealth.
Our politicians are really farsighted! They want to serve our country. They are thinking about the future …. but the only difference is that they are thinking about their future and not ours.
vadi says:
more generally, what would be good references if one is interested in mysore history?
Vadi thanks for appreciating my small note.
Your question is rather very difficult to answer. It is rather tragic that there is very little on mysore History devoted to wodeyars by any post independent authors.
Agni deva ( Fire) has in no uncertain ways contributed to this predicament. It is said that “Saraswathi Bhandar” ( Library) which contained – god knows what- invaluable treasure of manuscripts at the Sriranagapatna Palace of the wodeyars ( it supposed to have existed on the right side of Ranganatha Temple and behind ugra Narasimha Temple) was burnt down by Tipu after Mysore war III with a terse command to use it to cook horse gram for the Horses !!
Once again Agni swallowed what ever was treasured by the redoubtable Krishna Raja Wodeyar III during a Royal wedding in 1896. Incidentally the old palace built after 1799 was also reduced to ashes in the inferno.
Nevertheless one has to be grateful for the work of Mark Wilks who was the resident at Mysore. For the uninitiated he was the uncle of another famous administrator – Sir Mark Cubbon. He was also built the extant Government House at Mysore. He was greatly helped by Diwan Purniah in gathering information from various sources. This is the first English history of the times and one which must have spurred many which followed. This book probably only one still available. ( try Geeta book house) I request the authorities to name the Road in front of the Government House as Mark Wilks Road, if you have sense of History and if you call this city as Heritage city.
Sorry for this rather long preamble. Following are some of the books I could list;
1. Historical Sketches of the South Indian History – Mark Wilks (1817)
2. Annals of the Royal Family part I ( kannada) ( period 1399- 1799)
3. Annals of the Royal family Part II ( kannada ( period 1799-1868)
( Both are Palace publications )
4. Mummudi Krsihna Raja Wadiyar by Dr. R.Gopal & Dr. S.Narendra
– a recent publication (2004)
5. srImanmahArAjadirAja srI cAmarAjEndra oDeyaravara caritre
( kannada) by Sri.M.Singraiya
( biography of Chamaraja Wadiyar (1862-1894)
6. ALida mahAsvAmigaLu – by Sri. C.K.Venkataramaiah.
( Biography of Nalvadi Krishna Raja wadiyar)
7. Sri Jaya Chamaraja wadiyar – smaraNa saMputa by N.Nagalinga Swamy
( a commemorative compilation of tribute by various authors on our last Maharaja ) ( 1919-1974) ( incidentally July 18 is his birthday )
8. Modern Mysore – by Sri. M.Shama Rao. ( Two Volumes)
9. History of Mysore – by Sri. C. Hayavadana Rao ( in Three Volumes)
(This is a virtual Encyclopedia of containing virtually every conceivable sources)
Most of the books are out of print and very very difficult to get.
You have to try your luck in second hand book shops.
Thro’ this column I also request old timers to contribute interesting anecdotes which will enrich the readers knowledge. I request KP to devote a separate column on a continuous basis, so that it becomes a veritable treasure.
Any one who wants to add any more interesting title to the ones’ I have listed are welcome.
I have not listed books which devote to Hyder and Tipu here for obvious reason.
I am also looking for a recent thesis :
A study of Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar: Perspective from oral
history, 1919-1974
Subject: History
Contributor: Sugitha Suvarna
Language: English
Degree Grantor: University of Mysore, Mysore
Year:1998.
I have tried with the University sources without much success. If any one knows the author, kindly let me know thro’ this column.
thanks.
It was heartening to read that Mysore court has restored the name vani Vilas Road.
Read http://starofmysore.com/main.asp?type=news&item=10128
Congratulations to the Dr. PVN , DR Satyanarayana and all associated with this long battle for justice. On the day siddu joined Congress ( ! ) the court has given a slap on his face for his efforts to insult the memory of a builder of Modern Mysore.
Hope The Government does not take it as a affront and do something silly to challenge this verdict.
It is also apparopraite to convert the place where the bust of Mahatma is located is converted in to a beutiful Circle and named after him and also a artistic canopy should also be constructed above the bust.
With the type of political debate going on in Vidhan Sabha with members using filthy language and threatening to kill and everyone bleeding Karnataka filling their private treasury with ill-gotten money Karnataka is ripe for becoming Maoist’s headquaters. Yesterday NDTV had a full story of the illegal mining in Bellary which showed official connivance and everybody is involved in looting crores of rupees. Yet we must not despair. MGP is starting a signature campaign. We msut stop the mayhem. I have written a detailed account of Makkaji Chowk which is to be published in SOM and Mysore MailI I have sent it to Deccan herald and Hindu and hopefully they will highlight the issues I have mentioned. When India was sensing victory in Sharja sixer by Miandad put paid to Indian dreams. May be something like this may happen and Bhoomi Pooja does not signify the end of the road
Actually, the beginningof the end tolled for Mysore when in late 1950s, the Defence Accounts was moved to Mysore and its plethora of employees with their wallets bulging with cenre-government crazy allowances start marauding in Mysore streets renting houses with rents the owners did not even expect in their delirious dreams. Not stopping at this they raided milk dairies and vegetable markets coming with fist full of rupee bills silecing the other hapless native customers and the prices of milk and vegetables that soared up then stayed there.
Last time when I was in Mysore, it felt like Madrid in Summer even in winter, and I wondered would the days of pull overs would ever return. How come Mysore is affected by globalisation and London is not? I could still do lazy strolls in Hampstead Heath and Highgate. There was some beautiful green patch of land called Curzon Park existed in 1960s before I left to eke out la iving in the West. Does it exist now? The IT ebola fever spreading in Bangalore and Mysore terrifies me. IT has been kind to me providing me with livelihood, but it jaws can be very painful. When Kengal moved the capital to Bangalore in 1950s, there were some murmurs but
Mysore escaped then from mindless expansion. Time may come when the
earthmovers may have a go at Chamundi Hill.
The thesis that you mention (A study of Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar: Perspective from oral
history, 1919-1974) was actually authored by M. Vasu, now a lecturer in the History department at Bangalore university and my mother, Dr. Sugitha was her guide.
regards
Thejaswi Shivanand
NCBS, Bangalore