Landmarks of KGF

Before I go on further with "The Story of My Life", I thought I would write one blog on the landmarks of KGF.Here is where I want the readers of my blog who are/were familiar with KGF to add their bit by writing their comments.Sandhya, get mummy to help. Cornelia--- Pl reach out to your vast circle of KGF friends.I'm sure it'll bring back many nostalgic memories.

Let me make a start from the outskirts of KGF and going in:-

Outskirts

Big Tree--- The tree that has stood sentinel outside KGF from time immemorial.This is the first indication that we are nearing KGF as we come by road from Bangarpet.

BEML Complex----- Includes the factory and housing colony.

Ookad---- A kind of tax checkpost.

Coromande/Balaghat
Almost the first house into KGF was the house of Mrs.Morris.Then the house of Mr.Soggee ( son John and daughter Patty), Renee & Edwin Thomas, Mr.M.H.R.Rao, Mr.S.N.Jagadish( before he moved to the house next to First Grade College).

A Church--- Don't know the name but I went there as a kid and it was lovely.It was on the road that connected Coromandel to Robertsonpet.

Coromandel Railway Station

Dhobi shop--- In the Dhobi Colony on the parallel road from Coromandel to Nundydroog.
( Many were the times when I visited him for my urgent requirements of school uniforms and other dresses which were given to him for laundry.)

Nundydroog
Oriental Shaft--- Disused even by the 60s.

Ration Shop-- near where we stayed from 1957 to 1961.

Swimming Pool

Five Lights

Henry's Shaft

Nundydroog Club

Skating Rink

Ahmed Shop ( Mr.Ahmed with his two sons Amjad and Afzal and daughter Qaisar ( I may have got the spelling wrong).

Oorgaum Railway Station

KGF School

A shaft near KGF School I I forget the name--- Richard's Shaft??)

Philadelphia Church

Gymkhana Grounds

KGF First Grade College

Oorgaum Diary

Bombay Camp

School of Mines

Central Administrative Offices ( which housed the Chairman and MD's Office and later called "Argent").

Electricity Department

Petrol Bunk--- This was the only Petrol Bunk( Gas Station) in the entire Mining Area.

KGF Library

Ooregum Hall ( housing the Club and Theatre)

KGF Club ( including the Golf Links).The approach to KGF Club had the only concrete road in KGF.

Champion Reefs

St Joseph's Convent

KGF Hospital

Catholic Club

New English Warehouse ( defunct even when I was a kid)

Champion Reefs Railway Station ( Opposite the Hospital)

Marikuppam ( Mysore Mine)

Mysore Hall

Marikuppam Railway Station

Andersonpet

Top Line ( Considered a very notorious area--- I don't know why).

Robertsonpet

Robertsonpet ( also called town) was outside the mining area and where all the shops and commercial establishments were located.

Bharath Stores

New Woodlands Hotel ( On a few occasions I used to get lunch from there in a tiffin carrier when we had just returned from Bangalore)

Bapnah's Cycle Shop

Gift Shop ( called Bharathi Stores earlier)

Bhaskar Tailor

Mehta Stores

Mangalchand Phulchand

Krishna Talkies

Gay Talkies

Olympia Talkies

Azad Bakery ( inside the Market Complex)

Nahar Sweets ( the owner's son Dharamchand Nahar was my classmate in PUC).

Petrol Bunk ( owned by J.T.Gopalakrishnan & Sons)

Muruga Temple ( we used to go there at least once a month)

Sree Raghavendra Brindavana

Cyanide Dumps ( Miniature hillocks where cyanide was dumped after gold processing. I suppose they would be called an environmental disaster now).

Would like to get the names of various shafts and their locations that dotted the KGF Mining area.

Am now waiting for the comments.

Kesari Prasad