The Story of My Life ( More about KGF)

In one of my earlier blogs, I had mentioned that KGF is unlike any town I have ever seen in India.There was a mining area which included the shafts (where workers descended underground), the officers' bungalows and other employees quarters, schools, hospital, clubs, post offices etc.
Then there was the "town" area--- Robertsonpet--- which had the shops, vegetable markets, tailors etc.There was a New Krishna Bhavan-- the only so-called restaurant and hotel in KGF.Robertsonpet also had 3 theatres-- Gay Talkies, Krishna Talkies and Olympia.
The only town in India that probably comes close to KGF is Jamshedpur.

After my dad completed his probation, he was made a covenanted officer.In the days of John Taylor & Sons, a Covenanted Officer probably had privileges close to that of an IAS Officer.The next day after dad got his letter, a couple of trucks landed up in our Balaghat home with sofa sets, cots, dining table and chairs etc etc.
There were also soft furnishings like curtains, bedsheets, blankets, pillows, crockery and cutlery.

Let me elaborate on the perks that a Covenanted officer enjoyed:-

Free furnished bungalow with servants quarters
Allowances for a mali ( gardener) and an ayah
Free transport for children to school and back.
Free transport to hospital and back
Free medical treatment including medicines
Free transport to any theatre in Robertsonpet on Tuesdays and Saturdays
One cart of firewood every month
Free electricity
A thoti to clean the toilets everyday
A person to rake the leaves every day.
Free whitewash and paint of bungalows once every 5 years or so.
Club membership at subsidised rates

If something was not available in KGF, there was a "Supplier Boy" who used to travel once a week to Bangalore.An indent was placed and it would be bought during the next visit.

All payments within the mining area were made by signing chits.Actually, cash had very little use in the mining area.If you went to the club to have a drink or a snack, you signed a chit. If you went to English movies in Ooregum Hall, you signed a chit.
If you bought an ice cream or a milkshake in KGF Dairy, you signed a chit.This chit signing facility was extended to all family members( kids included).
All these chits were sent by the various establishments to Central Accounts and there was an army of clerks sitting there whose job it was to make the necessary deductions in the salary and enclose the chits of the previous month with the payslip.

It amazes me that we kids exercised a lot of control when we went to the club and didn't sign chits left and right.

Balaghat and Nundydroog Mine had Nundydroog Club, Electricity Department had Ooregum Hall, Chamion Reefs had the Catholic Club and Mysore Mines had Mysore Hall.
A member of Nundydroog Club could go to Mysore Hall and sign a chit though this happened very rarely.Then there was KGF Club which was for all the senior officers only.
Dad was a member of Nundydroog Club and Ooregum Hall and bacame a member of KGF Club rather late in the day.

There was Whist Drive and Tombola in each club once a month.Children were strictly not allowed after 7 PM, though this rule was relaxed later.

Every club had a club day once a week when some snack used to be served free.

Mom and Dad were regulars at Nundydroog Club.After her initial horrors, mom quickly adjusted to KGF and dad and mom used to go on bicycle every day to Nundydroog Club to play shuttle and Rummy.They were also regulars at Whist Drive and Tombola.
Dad was also a regular at Tennis.

Nundydroog Club had an indoor hall called Skating Rink.This was actualy used for skating and had a shuttle court.There was also a tennis court, billiards, cards and Table Tennis.
The Card Room had typical English hunting prints and short poems on Guinness.

The lounge in the Bar had magazines like Life, News of the World, Illustrated Weekly of India, Sport & Pastime etc.

Nundydroog Club was where I spent most of my evenings in my later years playing tennis, table tennis and billiards.I also used to go to Ooregum Hall for Tennis and Billiards.

The May Queen Ball was an annual affair at Skating Rink.The floor used to be sprinkled with french chalk for ball room dancing . Occasionally, we would have a fall when playing shuttle a day later because the floor was so smooth.

Christmas in December was a grand affair and many Anglo Indians who later emigrated to England, Canada and Australia used to come back to KGF especially for Christmas.

All the clubs had side shows on different days to avoid a clash of dates.These included lucky arrow, hoopla, chocolate wheel etc. Children whose names were given earlier used to be called by Santa Claus and given gifts.There would be a dance at
10 PM which would go on till the early hours of the morning.

Shankar , the Nundydroog Club barman, used to mix the most amazing orange squash. Years later, when I became a member of the Madras Boat Club, we used to order a drink called Cricket which had the same taste as the orange squash.One sip of Cricket and our minds would take us back 30 to 40 years in a jiffy.

Susai at KGF Club was another excellent barman.We had all gone to KGF around 10 years back on a nostalgia trip and Susai was still there . He broke down on seeing us and we also had a lump in our throat.

The Republic Day and Independence Day Tombolas were grand affairs.Prizes were given in kind and the one who called out first on getting the winning number got the prize.No sharing.

Ooregum Hall had the only theatre in the mining area and showed only English movies.Most movies ran for 3 days ( Sat/Sun/Mon) or ( Tue/Wed/Thu)---- one show at 6.45 PM.If it was a really good movie, it ran for one week ( Sat to Thu).All the chairs were cleared on Friday so that Tombola could be played and then they were back in place for the Saturday movie show.Here again, I had to sign chits for seeing the movie. Rs.1.90 was the ticket price.Before the movie started, songs by Elvis Presley or Cliff Richard would be played and my favourite was Cliff Richard's "Living Doll followed by the theme from "Murder She Said" by Lawrence Welk and his Orchestra."

Oorgeum Hall was where I watched classics such as "The Ten Commandments", "Ben-Hur", "Spartacus", "The Magnificent Seven", "Dr.Jekyll & Mr.Hyde" etc etc.
I remember asking my dad if I could see "Dr.No" and he said the movie title was his answer-- he probably felt that my young mind would be corrupted by seeing Ursula Andress in a bikini.
( To be Continued)