The One-rupee bribe

It is not easy to be ranked among the top five. It requires plenty of sustained hard work. Our state has worked hard for decades to reach that level. Ask me where! - In the corruption list! The 3 Ps - Police, Politicians and Public, they all contribute! Gone are the days when the ‘mamool’ used to be handed over from ‘under the table’. It is now open, like a yawning hippopotamus. This mamool has now evolved to the illegally legalized term ‘fees’!!

Let me share a very small incident that took place before the ‘fees-era’. It was 1979. Interest in Philately had drawn me to the Head Post Office for a new issue of a stamp. I was going from Ashoka Road to reach there. As I neared the PO I got off my bicycle saddle and balancing on the left pedal, I coasted for a few metres on the wrong side of the road, parked it and went inside. It was just the way most did as there were no dangers of any accident. Those were days when traffic was sparse.

I had bought my new stamps at the counter and just as I was about to turn and leave, I was shocked to see the traffic policeman [TP] looking in my eye and asking me to come to the Police Station [PS] -just across the road - and meet the Sub Inspector [SI]. He had come down from his traffic umbrella at the centre [there was one, then] of the road junction. I begged him to be let away but he would neither heed to my explanation nor my request.

Who had not heard of bribery! That presented me with my first opportunity to offer a bribe to the TP – in fact his colleague suggested this to me while I was keeping my bicycle inside the PS. I was a student then living on a monthly pocket allowance of fifteen rupees. My stamp-purchase had left me with just a crisp, unfolded one rupee note in my shirt pocket. So I tried my luck to approach him at the traffic umbrella [he was back on duty] and see if that worked. My action of partly pulling up that note to make it visible to the TP while uttering “for coffee” is just unforgettable! The TP’s attention shifted to my action and since it was of such a low denomination, he retorted “Come, I will get you coffee, you keep that”! Unable to anything more, I returned to the PS and waited for the SI.

After a while the SI arrived to the scene. When we student-cyclists were caught by the TP there was the usual sympathy-begging by way of falsely telling that our houses are in a far off locality – usually “Vidyaranyapuram” [3-4 miles was far off then!]. I had to use it too! Luckily for me, the SI politely warned and asked me not to repeat it. So I was relieved to be back on the road again, but with a lesson.

When I come to think of how nowadays dare-devil-wrong-doers committing unpardonable offences and “paying” crores that gets reported in the Press and yet escape scot free, this one-rupee incident makes me laugh.

Crafts and talent in the family

My aunt Gowramma, though with a handicap of poor eyesight, had immense talent and enthusiasm to create works of art. Mother Savithramma is another naturally gifted lady, perhaps it is running in my genes. She was adept in Rangoli [both forms]. With the powder, she can draw lines with the thumb and index finger in a thin uniform line and in any direction and to magnificient proportions. With the liquid rangoli [for festivals, it is rice flour, mixed in milk and some water] it is another superb touch. Grandmother Thangamma was yet another special lady with special gifts - be it culinary or craft, they turned out to be very very impressive. Have a look at some of the pictures here in this album

Daughter has a bit of talent and here are her paintings done at Sri Raghotham Putti's painting classes when young

My father was skilled in Football, Ping Pong, Carrom and Billiards. Visit this blog for more, how and where sports runs in the family.

One of my favourite pastimes - little projects that turned trash to treasure Look at some pictures here.

R.K.Laxman, cartoons, autographs,

One small corner of me reserves my interest in cartoons . My cartooning hero is R.K.Laxman. I 'read' his lines drawn in his cartoons. They are so life-like and natural. So much like a picture! Of course, his old age, hampered by a slight paralytic stroke has changed the way his cartoons look but not the zeal to draw - he is a born cartoonist.

Sometime in 1986 I almost met him in his Times of India [Bombay] chamber. I was just passing by that heritage building, alone. Suddenly a thought flashed about trying my luck at meeting him! I went in and inquired for him. I was sent near his chamber from where the security guard gave me his intercom link. I told the great man on the phone in Kannada and English that I was from Mysore wanting to just meet for one minute for an autograph. He answered in English and a couple of words in Kannada: "Not now, may be some other time.... I'm in a meeting." I said okay Sir [what to do?] and then left the place a bit disappointed.

Had he said 'yes, come in.', I would have seen a scene like this!  This is a web-grab image.

In 1990, another thought flashed in my mind "why not try and get his autograph by post?" I had done this to many touring cricket teams from abroad and got what I wanted, thanks to the kindess of team managements. So I took my empty letter-head, wrote a short letter on another introducing that I was an admirer of his cartoons, hailing from Mysore and that I wanted his autograph on that empty letter-head. I also enclosed an SASE and mailed it to his ToI address. Much to my delight, I got what I requested and more - he drew his famous "common man" as well, within 10 days. Here it is:

It came as a great inspiration because I had with me a torn copy of his "You Said It" book which was a collection of selected cartoons. I tried to imitate the lines just for fun and not with any real purpose. Some of the expressions he gave to his characters were absolute beauties! Some of his caricatures of famous personalities were out of this world. Not for nothing he is considered a genius!

Here are some of my own attempts much later, not imitating my hero's,. Some of these were published in a local paper. My lines are not to be compared with that of Laxman's!

I had written a letter to a newspaper in Kannada about how they awfully mispronounce Kannada. Click here for my blog

Cartooning is just my interest, a fancy. I'm a great comic book fan too, as can be expected.

Thoughts from a 'helmetless head'!

[Wrote this in early 2007]

After much dilly-dally the helmet rule has come into force. The authorities are happy that thousands are being sold, but not the vast majority of two-wheeler riders as they have had to pay more for the product as well as put up with invoveniences among numerous others that our govt. gracefully offers!

Apart from being a burden on the head, the helmet continues to be so, as long as it accompanies the owner till it is put away. In our general lifestyle, we normally go out for short errands, often, many times a day (also those in the business houses that send workers out for little jobs for short distances and periods). The helmet can be a headache while on the head and also while it rests under the armpit, what with bags and other paraphernalia, or while hanging at the forearm. And there are people that forget to pick it back if they leave it somewhere, then try to trace their steps back to retrieve it wasting much time. Some scooters and bikes can be fitted with 'helmet locks' which help to avoid carrying the helmet around. Going by its demand now, helmet thieves may be on the prowl to steal the locked ones!

College students on two-wheelers will have to carry this round burden on their heads (not a burden to some, but a boon as it can hide identity!) whether going to college or for private tutions in congested classrooms where space is at a premium. Now almost all have to carry them inside classrooms. Helmet stands may come up alongside, everywhere, but one may have to pay extra if that stand is hired for a price.

There are some who do not use others' things in the same family, (esp. caps and now helmets, for their awfully unique smell) where there is just one two-wheeler used by more than one person. Sizes of skulls also vary in the same family! In such cases each one has to buy a 'shell' of his/her own, adding to the unnecessary expenditure.

These days, there are also many 'grandmothers' riding two-wheelers. They will be feeling the weight on the head and make odd reflex-decisions in traffic. Gone beyond the oblivion are the old days when eyebrows were raised when a girl or lady was noticed on a bicycle! Now these grandmothers on wheels are as common as a housecrow!

The govt. is much concerned about the skull. No doubt it holds the 'hard disk drive', What about other parts of the human anatomy? Is the govt. not much concerned about them? When the helmet can bring in so much revenue, other protective gear might add to it! I saw the poor newspaper adult-boy struggling under the 'round object'. Many were recently promoted from the bicycle to a moped. And the 'masked milkman' makes an awful scene, milk-can in hand, right in the morning.

Lots of people from nearby villages visit the city everyday for some work or other and most are now equipped with two-wheelers. Till now they were happy with the best, multipurpose towel that also served as a protective headgear. Now one wonders where the towel finds its place!

A helmet-less rider was caught by the police for this violation once. He showed his skull to him as he had a built-in helmet and there was no need for an exta cover. The irritated police then let out all the air from the wheels saying that you don't need it as plenty of air was all around him!

There are a few ways to run away from donning the shell. Buy four-wheelers! Or better still, ride the good old bicycle (saves petro-money and is pollution-free as well). Or if we have time, let's use our feet and get fitter. Because public transport is either too crowded or unreliable. Auto rickshaws are expensive for frequent travel. My friend Mr.Brown used to say "Things that go up must come down, but prices are the only things that defy this". The petro-price ever-qualifies his saying. None would have grumbled if the helmet was collapsible and put away in a small bag when not in use. Let's hope someone designs it! Till then, it will continue to be an "all-round burden" and till it saves lives. For that to happen, the riders have to fall first, which is, as it is, very very rare! Such is the choc-a-bloc traffic that one may ask "where is the space to fall?"

"She sells sea shells on the sea shore." "They sell skull shells and make many a crore."

My Compositions - a few "poems"

When the film roll was developed and the prints arrived, I was puzzled to see a blurred picture that I had shot of my daughter [above]. My pen went off spontaneously with these lines:

No, no, the earth wasn't quaking,

While my camera was clicking.

These things happen once in a way,

On any unknown night or day.

The camera is of Russian make,

But this photographer is no fake!

-({:o). -({ :o). -({:o).

There was another colleague with whom we had a close association, a much respected person by one and all. His name was Lakshmi Venkatesh [very very fond of tea, hence the title]. I attempted another rhyming poem and it came off well, while it reflected all his qualities. It was presented to him when he retired from service. Here it is:

SUM OF LAKSHMI VENKA'TEA'SH

Superannuate Lakshmi Venkatesh will, end September,
Miss badly our department will, one real noble member.

Prior to his CFTRI stint, he was a good teacher in a school,
He had enjoyed every bit, when that piece of chalk was his tool.

He's fond of teaching Mathematics even without a board,
His students learning the subject, never get bored.

The art of teaching is surely in his genes,
Never did he wear even the best of jeans.

He right-stepped into CFTRI in the mid-sixties,
And sipped off thousands of cups of coffees and teas.

Outwardly, he is a simple-dressed scientist,
Inwardly, he is by no means an atheist.

One of his noteworthy works for CFTRI was on rice bran,
But after awards or rewards he never ran.

Surprised and happy he was when a patent was awarded,
With tea, we, his colleagues were simply rewarded.

The walnut project took him up north to Srinagar,
That was when he was fit, energetic and younger.

Later when his backache took its toll,
He was no longer on the touring roll.

Our beloved Venkatesh was Sponsored Projects' "Lakshmi",
But from now on, our Ramesh may say, "that's me".

To many an election here, he was the Returning Officer,
None knew how he could reject hot tea in a cup and saucer.

He never did bend upon using the computer's keyboard,
But with his pen, gripped unusually, he wrote many a word.

When it came to Income Tax, he was our helpful adviser,
With 'Lakshmi' around, people got much more wiser.

Seriousness aside, he was all wit and wisdom,
People around him were never led to boredom.

His sincerity and industriousness deserve accolades,
His rough beard has blunted hundreds of blades.

He earned a reputation for honesty, kindness and generosity,
To emulate him, we need not require pugnacity.

With that twinkle in his eye and the depth in his voice,
He always hated making unnecessary noise.

His memory for quoting anecdotes is breath-taking,
The way he narrates them is awe-inspiring.

He is a man who believes in 'thought, word and deed',
For those who are in need, he is a real friend indeed.

He very often lost control over mind over A matter,
When THIS matter was a cup of tea served on a platter.

Our Venkatesh follows a strict regimen of diet as a rule,
But rejects his cup of tea only when it had become cool.

He used to share his vast ken of Epics and Upanishads with us,
None can doubt that he is deeply spiritual and religious.

The great aura of his personality commands respect,
From him in reciprocation the same thing one is to expect.

To fellow humans Lakshmi Venka-TEA-sh is full of compassion,
Yet again, sipping tea is his preferred and irrepressible passion.

His frequent "hello"s and "namaskaara"s, we will miss,
Associating with him on any matter has been pure bliss.

Let him teach, full time, Algebra, Calculus or whatever,
May health and happiness be with him and family forever.
Presented by Colleagues, Department of TIBD, 2002

+---+---+

I enjoyed composing this one in Kannada [two pages]. There was a popular colleague that served the Institution for 41 years and personally I had the good fortune of being in the same department for 18 years. This composition ["Nammukunda" meaning "Our Mukunda"] brings out most of his personalilty. It was read out in the farewell gathering by another colleague on the day Mr. Mukunda retired from service. The same was presented to him. It was August 2000. Click on the picture to read.

Page 1

This is a reasonable attempt of his caricature.

Page 2

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Mr. Pillai was the head of the dept. On the eve of his superannuation, I had composed this, to bring out his qualities. It was presented to him that evening, after Sri Ramesh read it out in the gathering, much to the delight of colleagues as it was full of rhyming words. This is a cartoon of the man I ventured:

THE PILLAI WE KNEW
Our Sri S.P.Pillai lays down office at the end of March,
To Sri T.R.Prabhu he will pass on the torch.

As spearhead of TT & Business Development,
He brought laurels for CFTRI's betterment.

His great virtue has been the art of conversation,
Which fully deserves our appreciation.

When there was no question of an agreement,
He outwitted the other in the argument.

His forte was his courage and wisdom in decision making,
The speed with which he did so was truly amazing.

Working with him had been mostly a pleasure,
The rest of the time it was pure pressure.

With the pen he was ever ready to sign,
Many a time, he had to 'draw a line'.

The bell switch will no longer feel his fretful finger,
But those typical "ting-ting ting-tings" will always linger.

The engaged telephone at the other end drew him nuts,
And his own, suffered from bruises and cuts.

When situations made us feel his presence,
We wished for his temporary absence.

Up until the time he crossed well over fifty,
He was the Chairman of Doorvas Committee.

Saviour faire had become one of his top attributes,
Also to all his other good ones, we pay tributes.

What we all usually saw was Pillai the taskmonger,
But the real Pillai happens to be a humdinger.

Le'im settle at Cochin, Calicut or wherever,
Let health and happiness be with him and family forever.

"Colleagues"

29th March, 2001

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

WHAT THEY DEALLearn while you Rhyme!

[Composed, 2004]

History deals with chaps,
Geography, with maps.
Botany deals with plants,
Architecture, with plans.

Literature deals with books,
Fashion, with looks.
Doctors deal with health,
Scavengers, with filth.

Geology deals with rocks,
Paediatry, with tots.
Photography deals with picture,
Carpentry, with furniture.

Palmistry deals with palms,
Beggars depend on alms.
Hotels engage cooks,
Police hunt for crooks.

Aeronautics deal with planes,
Cartooning, with lines.
Philately deals with stamps,
Lalloo pokes in scams.

Barber deals with hairs,
Stock market, with shares.
Zoology deals with animals,
Law punishes criminals.

Postmen deliver mails,
Manicurist tends finger-nails.
Biology deals with life,
Dacoit wields the knife.

Astronomy deals with stars,
Mechanics repair cars.
Psychiatry deals with the mind,
We should learn to be kind.

++++++

NOSTALGIC RUN OF A MYSOREAN MIND

NOSTALGIC RUN OF A MYSOREAN MIND

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. So went a proverb.

Traditional games from gulli-danda to popular cricket were all enjoyed by children of the previous generation which belonged to the pre-Idiot box era. I refer to the 1960s and 70s. I grew up in an old house on Devaparthiva Road in Chamarajapuram, a locality named after the late King Chamarajendra Wadiyar. It was a locality that was planned as part of the Mysore City's expansion during the last decade of the 19th century.

The middle of the road and footpath was a virtual playground every evening, every holiday. Calling children back home was a headache for the parents! On holidays, they had to search the entire neighbourhood if they wanted their kids home!

The variety of games played on the streets and footpaths (no weeds in those times) was such that each season had a new attraction: summer, it was gulli-danda and marbles outdoors, indoors it was either chowka-baara, kavade, pagade, halagulimane, or any board games; festival season, it was playing tops; some houses had playing cards and we used to play many games with it among chess, draughts, snake and ladder, money-trade, etc. The neighborhood boys and girls joined the fun. “I spy you” was extremely popular as it needed only hiding space and no equipment. Traditional games had been designed to make the body healthy and the mind clean. The e-games of today gives only artificial thrill.

You may ask what about birthday parties….. in fact, they were not heard of! Those kids having their birthdays would bring in a (traditional) sweet or two (prepared at home) and share it among friends! It was such a peaceful event that helped good wishes to actually reach the kid! Look at it now – what a nuisance it creates! Cutting cakes, throwing shining powder (which also settles on edibles, thermocole balls, balloons, aluminium foils and finally noise from the “sound blaster” playing what they call “music”, under which the purpose is forgotten!! "How did you celebrate your birthday?", they would ask!

Hotels were few and mostly they had their own typical flavour and popularity. Ballal Hotel was once famous for its Masala Dosa and the Radio. Meenakshi Bhavan was more famous for its Radio than its dishes – Binaca Geet Mala was popular Amin Sayani presentation which people who did not have radios at home thronged here. Food sales and Radio seemed to have a link!

My grandfather joked when we asked for ice cream, "Okay, you scream."! There was no paani-poori, gobi manchoori or churmuri. But the Jamoon, Masala Dosa and coffee provided a satisfying kick. Raju's hotel near Old Agrahara was a popular joint where either my dosa-loving father took us occasionally or when an uncle visited from Bangalore.

Minds were comparatively unpolluted until the movie-world stripped off decency. Watching films in theatres was always with a family. Movies of yore (in toto) had a team of intellects. It's the opposite now. Movies had a theme, good meaningful script spiced with beautiful proverbs; they had sequences that touched emotions, but there were decent comedians in scenes to provide a good laughter when the scene got emotional or serious and they had suspense. We would sit attentively even for the Radio Soundtrack broadcast at 2.30 pm on Sundays! Children of today cannot imagine that. We have videos of everything at the click of a button!

A telephone and a wrist-watch were luxuries with scooters or motorcycles coming in next. Car-owners were even sparse. Power-failure was rarely heard. It was difficult to make the hose pipe to the tap stay on while watering plants - it used to flow with such explosive power! It was not in the thoughts to build tank to store water in emergencies – they were only for convenience. Water flow was generally 24x7 in most parts of the city. Overhead tanks were nowhere seen because there were no sumps or pumps! The entire city depended on dependable direct supply! If any water-stoppage happened, it was news! Now, it is announced in the press when it trickles in the pipes! Plastic was not recycled. We still have some 40-yr old materials still in use! Now we get dirty recycled plastic that gets brittle and breaks off from just a few years use.

Do you know that before the end of the 19th century, water was supplied from the Kukkarahalli Lake? I have a letter of an ancestor mentioning it.

The glare from the sun was not piercing like now. Except in the hot months, exposure to sun never scorched. Now even in winter months we have to bring the eyebrows closer to adjust to the glare. Onions were so pungent that it made all people 'weep'. Now hardly anybody “cries” –they cry or rather crave for junk food! Pizzas, Gobis and whatnot. “Chats” and Dhabas came from the North many years later. Rice was tasty – as it was also cooked over charcoal and in bronze vessels when pressure cookers had not made its impact. Rice of today goes under the trend “whiter the better”! Whites are dangerous they have come to know - White rice, maida flour, salt, sugar. Dining tables were taboo. Squatting was commonly practiced – for they knew no other method! Healthy practices were in vogue.

People had no joint pains and there was need only for the Family Physicians. Now we have 'specialists' for every part and even side of the body's organs!! You name it! Visiting family physicians was only after home remedies failed to give expected results and also without prior appointments. Sometimes the physician himself visited, because he usually happened to be a family friend who gave the healing touch, now unheard of! Now we run to a specialist for every cough and sneeze. The ‘compounder’ at the pharmacy mixing the colourful liquids that were taken home in bottles was a common sight. Medical stores were far and few. There was a doctor in the famous Krishnarajendra Hospital in the 1960s. He was supposed to be the most knowledgeable (in public view) doctor in that hospital and went by the nickname “Dodda Doctru” (of short stature, ironically!). I remember his name as Dr.A.K.Gopalarajan.

At night, it was common to offer food to those who came asking "Bhavati bhikshaamdehi" (in Sanskrit, "O Mother, give us some food"). They were usually poor Brahmin boys or men who came calling that in Sanskrit standing at the gate. A few visited often and there was genuine disappointment when there was nothing to offer on any night. It was also a tradition that they should visit houses only after the normal dinner time.

Some families also had the noble tradition of "Vaaraanna" ವಾರಾನ್ನ (weekly food). One poor college student used to visit us for dinner every set weekday during the mid sixties. Some people from the poor section of the society also came for alms during the morning hours. On Saturdays, "Daasayya" came for alms by blowing the conch and striking that flat bronze plate with a stout wooden stick to produce a nice vibration. A coin or a handful of rice was offered to him, which was gleefully accepted.

There were no food considered as 'junk' in those days. The bakeries attracted customers with colourful icing on cakes and flavoury biscuits and chips. Bread was brought home only when someone had fever! It was common to ask "who has been unwell?" at the bakery counter if we encountered a known person! There was no rush in bakeries nor hundreds of items! Just a few cookies, bun, bread. Bakers diversified when they thought customers needed more than bakery items.

There was a time when a game using cigarette packs was popular among street boys. How I wished someone at home smoked at that time!! As such, to me, availability of empty cigarette packs for this game was very scarce. So I and another boy used to roam the conservancies (a gully where dirt and garbage was thrown out of house and from where the scavengers entered through the back door to clean the night soil in the lavatory -- they have now become roads!) in search of the thrown packs, much to the chagrin of my elders! It was considered an unhygeinic place. Folded packs used to be piled up by the boys to be hit with a flat stone and out of the ring. He who hits the packs out of that ring, kept them. There was one "Iyenger Shop" next door, selling provisions, cigarettes, beedies and such. So once I was there and found a cigarette pack on the floor. I silently picked it up and went home happy to have found one for my game. But I felt something inside. It was a full pack with cigarettes that had accidentally fallen. I was too afraid to return it. So I threw out all of them into a hole in the ground and covered with soil to escape being noticed. I kept the empty pack - I think it was "Scissors" brand. That game was called "Tikki".

MISSION HOSPITAL - A HISTORICAL SKETCH

It is Mysore’s good fortune to have hosted Rev. George W. Sawday, a great missionary of the Wesleyan Mission. One of his greatest and important contributions to the Mysore citizenry is the “Mission Hospital”, which completes a grand century, precisely on 21st August, 2006.

On June 3, 1904, Mrs. Mary Calvert Holdsworth (of Hastings, England) laid the foundation stone. On 21st August 1906, HH Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV declared the building open. The hospital premises, in what was then called the ‘Edgah Extension’, occupy an area of about seven acres, the gift of the Government of His Highness the Maharaja. The building had cost nearly Rs.1,50,000/-. (Source: Handbook of the City of Mysore by TG Lakshmana Rao, President of Municipal Council, 1915)

This is a handsome, imposing and commodious building and was one of the first buildings seen as one entered the city by train from Bangalore, of course, in those days. (A picture of the Hospital building is also reproduced from the above Handbook.)

The hospital bore the name of “Mary Calvert Holdsworth” who, with her husband, the Rev. W.W.Holdsworth, M.A., lived for several years in the city and took a never-failing interest in the welfare of women and children, esp. in the plague-swept years. (Hence, “Holdsworth Memorial Hospital”). In days when there were only eleven small hospitals and dispensaries in the city, this ‘centre of healing’ with modern equipment came as a great boon to the citizens of Mysore and around. The Wesleyan Mission maintained the hospital.

The “Mission Hospital” (in 1915) had several wards with accommodation for about 70 in-patients for all classes of people, irrespective of caste and creed. One of the chief features was for gosha patients where curtains for privacy surrounded every bed. Also, small separate rooms meant for patients from other distant parts of the state and ‘family’ wards were provided. There was a large Operation Theatre with up-to-that-date features. They were those days’ attractions that had gained great popularity, besides great service.

In 1928 alone, 1,648 in-patients and 11,817 out-patients were treated and the total attendances were 48,097. By then, there were facilities for 100 in-patients indicating the rapid growth of the Hospital. Lamps and apparatus for ultra-violet ray treatment had been added and staffed with European and Indian doctors and nurses. Two of its fine band of doctors, Dr.Alexander and Dr.Anne Hardy Banks, who gave all they had to give, brilliant gifts and tender service in the 1920s, must be remembered here. They died as a result of over-working, in unceasing efforts to heal and help the sick and suffering.

Constance Parsons writes in his book Mysore City: “The hospital is a great memorial to a lovely life; and no less to the generosity and untiring efforts of the Rev. G.W.Sawday.” Rev. Sawday served tirelessly in Mysore for more than 50 years.

In fact, Rev. Sawday, in addition to his multifarious duties, planned and built, and was responsible in collecting subscriptions, with the exception of the Govt. grant, for its regular maintenance. The Mysore Royal Family lent its valuable support with generous donations to the cause and saw that it was on a sound financial footing.

When visiting Mysore, before the opening of the Hospital, the Prince and Princess of Wales (later King Edward and Queen Alexandra) on their visit to Mysore were much interested in the progress of work towards the hospital and to evince their sympathy, had sent large autographed portraits to the Hospital for the opening ceremony as they could not visit. Subsequently, King George V and Queen Mary sent theirs. The Maharaja also gave to the hospital a large handsome picture of himself.

HH Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV in his Opening Ceremony Speech, appreciated and admired the yeoman services of Rev. Sawday and his fellow-workers. “The Wesleyan Mission are old friends of us all in Mysore. They were the pioneers of modern education in the City and their good works are well-known to everyone …..” He also went on to request, after announcing a munificent donation of Rs.10,000/- from Her Highness the Maharani of Mysore, the charitably disposed citizens of Mysore to contribute generously.

The solid foundation built then has taken the Hospital where it is today and the good services have been ceaselessly carried on for a hundred years. On a personal note, I have two lucky privileges: of “experiencing” the Hospital’s tender service, having been born there after its golden jubilee year and of living next to what is known as the “Sawday House”, a famous landmark since my great grandfather’s time! Our house used to be identified as the one next to Sawday House.

The Hospital has now greatly grown in stature and reputation. As coincidence would have it, its recognition as a Scientific & Industrial Research Organization by the Dept. of Science & Technology, Govt. of India comes as a fitting tribute during its Centenary Year.

The Highness while declaring the hospital open, had said “I pray that under the Divine blessing, the aspirations of its founders may be fulfilled a thousand-fold." Truly, the great King’s prayers and the efforts of the selfless Rev. Sawday, et al, have not gone in vain. Will never, in spite of the emergence of competition from other commercial medical giants.
[This was published in Star of Mysore, August, 2006. Pictured above is the Mission Hospital building, 1915]