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Yearning for “Old Belgaum”: By Shobhan Bantwal

Yearning for “Old Belgaum”



By Shobhan Bantwal


The author was showcased as Stars of Belgaum earlier on this blog.



As an ex-Belgaum resident, it is both heartening and heartrending to see how my hometown has changed from a sleepy, rural town to a teeming city over the past three decades. When I pay those rare visits from my United States home to Belgaum, I no longer recognize the old Ramdev Galli, Khade Bazar, Tilakwadi, and Bogarves neighborhoods. I do not see some of the beloved old landmarks that were an integral part of my childhood of the 1950s and 60s. Even the old homestead, where I grew up in the Cantonment area, looks rather decrepit. But my deceased parents’ souls still seem to linger there.



The ever-growing businesses and multiplicity of educational institutions and healthcare facilities are no doubt assets to the local economy and the shift towards globalization. Apparently businesses in every sector are booming, providing a healthy income for many. There are posh, eye-popping mansions lining the suburbs that were non-existent back then. All this glory to a former Belgaumite is indeed uplifting. Needless to say I want my hometown to prosper and flourish.

However, the special flavor that was Belgaum seems to be lost forever in the economic and political shuffle. The town used to be an unexpectedly quaint mix of pleasant weather, bucolic vistas, cultural pursuits like music, dance and drama, upscale social venues like Belgaum Club, the golf course, the military party circuits, and unparalleled varieties of dew-fresh produce. Today it looks like any other medium-sized metropolis filled with innumerable commercial ventures, smoke-belching automobiles, schools and colleges, hotels and restaurants, and movie theaters. Even the citizens appear more aloof.



When I was a schoolgirl at St. Josephs School, there was a small circulating library called Oliver’s Library, which lent out books for a monthly membership fee. It disappeared a long time ago. Outside the Military Mahadev Temple, the dhoti-clad man who sold Arlipaakh, a spicy and crunchy combination of churmure, shev, and a secret-recipe lump of spices, was an institution by himself. Is someone carrying on that tradition today? I sincerely hope so.



One of the special delights from my childhood was visiting the neighboring sugarcane farms to drink fresh sugarcane juice and buy a fresh mound of gool – incredibly sweet and bursting with flavor when used in cooking and laddus. I am not sure if that particular simple pleasure is available to Belgaumites anymore.



While I yearn for the pastoral Belgaum of my girlhood, I applaud the Belgaum it has become today. My heart swells with pride when I observe how far it has come and made a place for itself on India’s map. I eagerly envision my next visit to Belgaum and sampling some new pleasures it has to offer even as I reminisce about the old times with my family. No matter what, Belgaum is still my home.



As another New Year approaches, I hope and pray that 2009 will be an even richer and more productive year for all my fellow Belgaumites, both previous and the present. I send them all cyber-blessings and good wishes from my humble home in New Jersey. Long Live Belgaum!



Bio: Shobhan Bantwal was born and raised in Belgaum -- a pukka Belgaumite. Marriage in 1973 to a man who lived in the United States took her to New Jersey, where she continues to reside with her family. Shobhan is a published novelist with two novels to date, THE DOWRY BRIDE and THE FORBIDDEN DAUGHTER. Two more novels are slated for publication in 2009. Her primary job is working for the New Jersey State government.


Website: http://www.shobhanbantwal.com/

Founder of the Indian Mujahideen visited Belgaum

Founder of the Indian Mujahideen visited Belgaum



The alleged founder of the Indian Mujahideen, Roshan Khan alias Riyaz Bhatkal, one of the most wanted terror suspects, has reportedly visited Belgaum recently.


He visited the city with the name of “Sharukh Khan” for a short period. During his visit to the city, he reportedly met a few arrested terror suspects at Hindalga Jail by camouflaging his identity.


Bhatkal has a committed team of hardcore men in Karnataka. He is now known as Sharukh Khan to hide his original identity and has a good network in Belgaum, Bijapur, Hubli and Bhatkal.


Source: ExpressBuzz

Power Shortage in the State: Who said see this waste?

This image taken by UkMaD is in Kadolkar Galli at 10.45 am today. All the street lights were illuminated at that time.

The city is facing power cuts of 3 hours daily and we citizens have been asked to save energy and the Govt. spends it in this fashion.

This is SARKARI KAAM.

Belgaumites take War on Terror: Candle light rally

Khanapur Road to get dividers soon

Dividers could be soon seen on the Khanapur road, from Sanchayani Circle to Suryakant Park (Gogte Circle). Tenders have been called for the same and the same would be opened on December 6.
Also tenders have been invited for removing the electric poles along the same road and also remaking of the road.This means, we could expect to see a broader Khanapur road. The traffic is very heavy all through the day as is part of the NH4A. Part of the road is under the PWD and some under the National Highways authority and they don’t seem to be co operating with the cantonment board.
Dividers should only be put after the road has been widened or else it would cause huge traffic jams. Now it is to be seen when all these things happen?

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Gujarat police to grill SIMI man in Belgaum

A team of the Gujarat police has reached Belgaum in Karnataka and will interrogate Tanvir Mulla, another SIMI activist who was arrested recently.
Based on the inputs provided by the Intelligence Bureau, the investigating agencies believe that both Mulla and Mansuri shared close ties and had even discussed the serial blasts.

Mulla is crucial to the investigation, as they believe that the duo had knowledge of the blasts.
Mansuri is alleged to have held several meetings at Gujarat and Rajasthan in which the focus was to indoctrinate youth into the banned outfit. He is also said to have kept in touch with Tanvir Mulla in Belgaum and the suspicion that the two could have jointly planned the blasts in their respective states
See original story on rediff.com here

Gujarat police to grill SIMI man in Belgaum

A team of the Gujarat police has reached Belgaum in Karnataka and will interrogate Tanvir Mulla, another SIMI activist who was arrested recently.

Based on the inputs provided by the Intelligence Bureau, the investigating agencies believe that both Mulla and Mansuri shared close ties and had even discussed the serial blasts.
Mulla is crucial to the investigation, as they believe that the duo had knowledge of the blasts.
Mansuri is alleged to have held several meetings at Gujarat and Rajasthan in which the focus was to indoctrinate youth into the banned outfit. He is also said to have kept in touch with Tanvir Mulla in Belgaum and the suspicion that the two could have jointly planned the blasts in their respective states
See original story on rediff.com here

Your Belgaumblog.com had 25000+ hits

It has happened today and its all due to your over whelming support that this blog is at this stage. It has crossed 25100+ hits in 349 days .

JD(S) demands 'Second Capital status' to Belgaum

The Janata Dal (Secular) will launch an agitation if the BJP Government in Karnataka failed to confer 'Second State Capital' status to Belgaum as promised by the previous BJP-JD(S) coalition Government.

Addressing a press conference here today, State JD(S) Spokesperson Y S V Dutta said Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa should not fail to honour the commitment made to the people of Belgaum district when he was the Deputy Chief Minister. He said the decision to hold a special Assembly session in Belgaum was taken by former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and the State Government should take all measures to make it an annual affair.

He criticised the State Government's move to shift the construction site of the proposed 'Suvarna Soudha', a permanent venue for holding Assembly sessions in Belgaum, for which both Mr Kumaraswamy and Mr Yeddyurappa had laid the foundation stone last year.
Sourec UNI

Sonia Narang new SP of Belgaum

Sonia Narang will be the new Superintendent of Police of Belgaum.



Hemant Nimbalkar has been transferred to Chickmanglur.

Unknown facts about Belgaum History

This Story is taken from the http://kamalbasti.blogspot.com/
I would ask each of you to visit the blog. The contents on the said are enormous and the amount of effort put in by Bramhanand Chipre to make that blog is commendable.
How many of you knew this I Dont Know, for sure I did not know a thing about this.
From the Blog:

People don't know there is an Original Story behind Old Belgaum. But this story below will clarify your doubts.
How Belgaum was formed? Why the Jaina temples in Belgaum Fort were built?
Who built the Belgaum Fort? Etc . . . .

It is hard to believe, but the truth was written long back with evidences by a British writer GILMOUR M’CORKELL in his book THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.

He clearly tells that there were 108 Jain Temples in the premises of the present Belgaum Fort, which were demolished and overthrew by the then Musalman kings and ultimately with the same stone and pillars the Belgaum Fort as built. He also clearly mentions in the Book: Old Belgaum is said to have been found by a Jaina King

but the earliest notice that we have of it is to be found in the Gulhalli inscription 1150 AD."[ Reference Book A Legend of Old Belgaum, May 1875 Pg - 139 ].

A LEGEND OF OLD BELGAUMBy: GILMOUR M’CORKELL, Bo. C. S.

The Legend
There was a poet by name Sarasijabhavanandana, belonging to the ancient Jaina cast, and an inhabitant of Belgaum. He has composed in Old Kanarese language a short history of kings. Having, by means of rhetorical and an ornate Sanskrit expressions, applied such epithets as ripen as if they were plentiful given in the Karnataka Country, he has complied an account of Belgaum. In it we obtain full information of those kings who formerly were, their names, their good qualities, their castes, and the virtuous deeds that they preformed. And memorials of the acts which were done by those same kings are to be met with, even in the present day, in Belgaum, and are as written below :-

Sapur and Belgaum were formerly collectively called Jirnasitapura, and there lived there governor of the city of Samantapattana, whose name was Kuntamaraya, a Jaina by caste, very religious and compassionate. So the people had great joy and happiness. One day (it happened that) one hundred and eight Jaina sages, -- who had come from the South Country into the forest of Anagola, of which the name was formerly Hrasvagiri -- remained there all night, because their rules did not permit them to advance a single footstep during the darkness. When this news reached Kuntamaraya, the King, with the expressed assent of his wife Gunavati, went out to the sages and, having preformed respectful obeisance, besought them as follows :- “

Oh mighty saints, take pity upon me and bestow your favour upon me, so that my region may become famous.” But, as their custom was never to say anything at night, they held no converse with the king. Accordingly the king returned home in great despondency, (and, as he was going) sparks of fire fell from the torches, and the dry forest was set on fire, and all those sages were burnt to ashes.On the following day, in the early morning the king again went into the forest and saw all those Jaina sages had been consumed. When they saw this, both husband and wife were much terrified and began to consider. Accordingly there and then, he proposed a plan to Gunavati, where by these Jaina sages might attain the state of final emancipation, -- as follows: - “Let us bring stones and build 108 temples, and, when we have performed worship to them, I shall accomplish the propagation of offspring.” When he has so said, they returned home, and, and in accordance with the above plan, he caused to build 108 Jaina temples at that very place where are even at the present day some Jaina Temples in the Fort of Belgaum. After he had initiated into the mysteries of the Jaina faith and had reigned for some time, Gunavati at length became pregnant. And now, although he had been very anxious that his wife should have children, his dread of not having any offspring vanished. On this account he gave to Belgaum the name of Vamsapura. Now the word in Marathi for Vamsa is Bel. In this manner we arrive at the name Belgaum.

Afterwards they lived in Old Belgaum, Santa the son of Kuntam the king of Savantavadi, famous, deeply learned in the mysterious of the Jaina religion, thoroughly skilled in the worship of the gods of forefather, very brave, and lauded by prince who are born in the races of the Sun and Moon, a supporter of the rules of the faith of the Kshatriyas, a protector of Jaina sages, very skilful in bestowing on the temples of Jinendra that wealth which consists in courtesans, &c. He had fourteen wives. The chief of there wives, by name Padmavati, was very famous. She had a son by Santa named Anantavirya. One day, attended by his retinue of maid-servants, &c. he (Santa) went to the river Sundarsana near Yalur for the purpose of playing in the water, and in the lake of Nagasarovara he met his death by a thunderbolt. Then three ministers of state came from Savantavadi and crowned Anantavirya King. He also reigned according to the customs of his fathers. One day, many sages, along whom Sudarsana was the chief, arrived. When he has made respectful obeisance to them, Anantavirya inquired concerning his ancestors, and those sages recounted from their Puranas the above story in which has been related to fate of King Santa. Afterwards there was a king of his race and lineage by name Mallikarjuna. During his reign a famous Musalman by name Asta Khan (Asad Khan) came from Bengal, and, Asta Khan acquired the kingdom of treachery, he deposed him (Mallikarjuna), overthrew those one hundred and eight Jaina temples, and built a fort. Even at the present time we find stones (belonging to those in the fort).

Prabhakar Kore to address Meeting of steering panel on health in Washington DC from Sunday

Prabhakar Kore, Chancellor of the Belgaum-based KLE University, has been invited by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), U.S., to address the members of the Steering Committee of Global Network for Women’s and Children’s Health Research under NICHD (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) at NIH in Washington DC. The steering committee meeting is scheduled to be held from June 15 to June 18.
The global network consists of eminent researchers in the field of women’s and children’s health.
KLE Society’s J.N. Medical College in the city has established collaboration with the University of Missouri in Kansas City with Richard Derman (UMKC) and B.S. Kodkany (JNMC) as principal investigators.
For the past eight years, the team has produced evidence that both maternal mortality and infant mortality can be reduced significantly in rural community of Belgaum by using simple, cost-effective and easy-to-implement interventions.
Mr. Kore said here on Wednesday that he would address the members of the steering committee on the impact of research results from Belgaum on the Prime Minister’s initiative of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). The goal of NRHM is to reduce MMR (maternal mortality rate) and IMR (infant mortality rate) by two-thirds by 2012.

J Ravishankar is the new DC for Belgaum

Over 60 IAS officers were transferred by the new BJP government on Monday, in a major reshuffle of bureaucrats.

J Ravishankar is the new DC for Belgaum. The outgoing M E Shivalinga Murthy is now Director Mines andGeology.

HC circuit benches from July 7: Vedike to organise ‘Bangalore Chalo’

Source The Hindu & Rediff.com
The long-cherished dream of the people of North Karnataka will become a reality on July 7 this year. Chief Justice of Karnataka High Court Cyriac Joseph issued a notification that the circuit benches of Karnataka High Court at Dharwad and Gulbarga will commence work from July 7.
On the orders of the chief justice, high court registrar issued a notification in this regard. The full bench of the high court which met on Tuesday passed a resolution permitting sitting of judges at the newly-established circuit benches at Dharwad on Gulbarga.

Wednesday's notification states that the cases from the districts of Bagalkot, Bellary, Belgaum, Dharwad, Gadag, Haveri, Koppal and Uttara Kannada will be heard at Dharwad while those from Bijapur, Bidar, Gulbarga and Raichur will be heard in Gulbarga. Pending cases will be transferred to the respective circuit benches before July 7, 2008. Filing of new cases at the circuit benches will be permitted from July 7, 2008.

Vedike to organise ‘Bangalore Chalo’
The construction of new high court buildings at Water and Land Management Institute (WALMI) in Dharwad is nearing completion. Government will be urged to start work on Suvarna Vikasa Soudha’

The district unit of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike will organise “Bangalore Chalo” agitation on June 16 to bring pressure on the State Government to start work on Suvarna Vikasa Soudha in Belgaum city.

The vedike will also ask the Government to expedite all the development projects that have been put on hold in the wake of the Assembly elections, according to president of the district unit of the vedike Rajeev Topannavar.
He told presspersons here on Saturday that the a large number of workers of the vedike would stage a protest in front of Vidhana Soudha on June 16 against the “lackadaisical” attitude of the Government towards development requirements of Belgaum district.
Several promises
The Janata Dal (Secular)-Bharatiya Janata Party coalition Government had made several promises with regard to development of the district, but none of them were implemented, he said.
The vedike would urge the Government to set up an Export Promotion Council to encourage export of foundary products and sweets; start work on information technology and biotechnology parks, textile park, underground sewage scheme and Belgaum-Chorla road development project; announce a special package for renovation of Kannada medium schools in border areas, and accord taluk status to Kittur.

Terror suspect planned to attack Belgaum city: police

Source The HinduProvocative literature, hard disk, laptop seized
He planned to strike in Tilakwadi locality
Three other suspects arrested

The district police on Friday said they had arrested a suspected terrorist who allegedly planned attacks in Belgaum city on May 22.

Inspector-General of Police (Northern Range) Raghavendra Auradkar and Superintendent of Police Hemant Nimbalkar told presspersons here on Friday that the suspected terrorist Liyaquat Ali, son of Syed Abdul Gani, was arrested on May 15.

During interrogation, it was found that he had planned to strike in the busy Tilakwadi locality in the heart of the city on the day of polling, May 22, they said.
The police arrested Imtiyaz Abdul Ijaz Dalayat (21) and Nadeem Syed (20) on Thursday in this connection. The police seized several objectionable materials and provocative literature ascribed to Osama bin Laden, a computer hard disk and laptop containing picture clippings on post-Godhra violence in Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir from Liyaquat Ali and Nasir, another suspect.
Documents having information related to manufacture of explosive devices using LPG cylinders, glycerol, nitric acid and sulphuric acid were seized from Imtiyaz and Nadeem, the police said. All the four suspected terrorists were from Belgaum city, the police said and added that they had links with one “Dr. Munroz”, an activist of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).
Liyaquat Ali, who was serving in a London-based security agency, had returned to his home in Khusro Colony on March 18, the police said.
Liyaquat Ali has been sent to judicial custody.
Nasir, a resident of Azam Nagar, Imtiyaz and Nadeem, both residents of Ashok Nagar, have been sent to police custody.

A special squad led by Additional Superintendent of Police Raman Gupta and Deputy Superintendent of Police Muttuswamy Naidu is carrying out investigations.

Pre Monsoon showers get down temperature

Pre monsoon showers have been hitting the city for the past couple of days and due to which the temperature in the evening has gone down. This time we could expect the monsoon to hit the city in the first week of June as normal. Last year the monsoon hit Belgaum by 15 June this year it might be on time. So get all your rainwear ready.

Children drafted for campaigning in many segments in Belgaum district

Source: IBN Live
The Mumbai-Karnataka region that's seen fierce border dispute for the last 50 years, votes in the third phase of polls on Thursday.
To See Video Click here
It’s been the war cry of the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) in Belgaum for five decades - MES candidates like Manohar Kinekar have been winning local body and Assembly elections on just one issue that they'll fight to make Belgaum a part of Maharashtra.
MES candidate Manohar Kinekar said, “When the border issue is solved all other problems are solved too because we'll participate better in governance and we can solve the problem in better way.”
But this time the MES has to contend with its own rebels in 3 of 5 Assembly seats. After being denied tickets, leaders like Shivaji Sunthkar, have decided to stand independently.
Sunthkar said, “People are out on the streets saying their favourite candidate has been sidelined by the party and so they want me to fight as an independent.”

Its this in-fighting in MES that Congress and BJP are banking on. They are seeking votes on the development plank.
And 50 years after re-organisation of States, that's the election issue for the aam aadmi too.
The language issue is certainly an emotional one, but you can't live on it. Be it the Marathi manus or the Kannada manava, the basics of roti, kapda and makaan are more important.
And that's could well help parties other than the MES in gaining ground.