WHAT'S IN A NAME? PLENTY, DEAR WILLY!

I was born in Muttra and while my grandparents were bringing me up, Mummy was studying in Benares before she moved to Allahabad to join my two Mamas. After Rajasthan High Court was formed, we moved to Jeypore where I did my major schooling. Deciding to join the NDA, I went to Bangalore for an interview and got selected. NDA was in a town near Poona and on successful completion of training, I joined the Navy in Bombay. On to Cochin near Trivandrum and Alleppey. Before retirement, Navy would take me to Vizagapatam, Madras, Ootacamund, Calcutta, etc.

If you wish to see these places on the map, please do so. Or no, don't. They don't exist! Instead, look for Mathura, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Jaipur, Bengaluru, Pune, Mumbai, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Alappuzha, Vishakhapatnam, Chennai, Udagamandalam and Kolkata.

One of the first English records Vinnie Mama brought home back in the '50s after joining the Navy was "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" by The Four Lads. Its lyrics say it all-

"Istanbul was Constantinople

Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople.....

Every gal in Constantinople lives in Istanbul, not Constantinople

So if you've a date in Constantinople, she'll be waiting in Istanbul.....

Why did Constantinople get the works,

That's nobody's business but the Turks."

I loved the songs and its humorous lyrics used to delight me as I wondered along the lines, "Why did Constantinople get the works?" 

And now it's happened in India and is no laughing matter!

It started with changing spellings. That was quite appropriate as the haw-haw British spelt names based on their Oxford accent. So it was nice when 'Muttra' was changed to 'Mathura', 'Jeypore' became simply 'Jaipur',  'Cawnpore' was spelt as 'Kanpur' and 'Jubbalpore' as 'Jabalpur'. 

Then followed change of names to align with traditional ethnic pronunciation. So 'Orissa' was changed to 'Odisha', 'Pondicherry' to 'Puducherry' and 'Benares' to 'Varanasi'. 

The same logic was applied in changing 'Bangalore' and 'Mysore' to 'Bengaluru' and 'Mysuru', 'Alleppey' and 'Calicut' to 'Alappuzha' and 'Kozikhode', 'Trivandrum' to 'Thiruvananthapuram', 'Ootacamund' to 'Udagamandalam' and 'Vizagapatam' to 'Vishakhapatnam' though people still refer to the last two as 'Ooty' and 'Vizag'. And 'Bombay' was changed to 'Mumbai', 'Poona' to 'Pune', Cochin' to 'Kochi', 'Calcutta' to 'Kolkata' and 'Baroda' to 'Vadodara'.

The net was widened further with the stated object of shedding colonial and Moghul legacy and assert our own linguistic and cultural identity by giving the name an historical, religious or political significance. So the names changed to completely new ones; Allahabad became Prayagraj, Faizabad is now Ayodhya, Ahmednagar is Ahilyanagar, Aurangabad to Chhatrapati Sambhal Nagar, Osmanabad to Dharashiv and Madras to Chennai.

Some changes are not that simple to explain. Why was it necessary to change Uttaranchal to Uttarakhand or Gurgaon to Gurugram? Poona which had already been changed to Pune is now being reconsidered for a change to Jijapur. And there is a long list of proposals for other changes particularly from Uttar Pradesh, eg, Aligarh to Harigarh.

Surprisingly, Lucknow remains unchanged so far despite being a clear candidate for correction as the present name is quite obviously a British mispronunciation of the city believed to be named after Laxman, Lord Ram's brother.

Lately, there is a clamour to rename Delhi as Indraprastha. If that happens, names of all the Indian cities I have spent my life in would have changed and make me wonder if I have lived in a fictional Cuckooland which does not exist!

Oh yes, a city I have lived in that hasn't changed its name is Singapore. Singaporeans are quite comfortable with their country and city state's name no matter if it has a Sanskrit origin and named by the British. They are equally at ease with the statue of Sir Stamford Raffles, founder of contemporary Singapore, prominently located at the historic landing site on the north bank of Singapore River. And right in the centre of the city's business district is the famous Raffles Place. 

Singapore ranks at best as the 176th largest country or 20th smallest in the world. It does not appear to be worried in the least about its past history and legacy causing a colonial or slavery mindset. Ask any Singaporean Indian or Chinese of his origins and he will proudly tell you that he is only a Singaporean. Among Singapore's popular patriotic songs sung during National Day celebrations are  "Count on me, Singapore", "Stand Up for Singapore" and "We Are Singapore", all sung in English.

India is the largest country in the world by population, fourth by economy and seventh by area. After nearly eighty years of independence, should we really harbour any sense of insecurity about colonial or slavery mindset?

 

 

TWO DEAR FRIENDS - MEL KENDALL AND VIJJI MALHOTRA - DEPART

"....one thing is certain that Life flies

One thing is certsin, and the Rest is Lies

The Flower that once has blown forever dies." The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

January was a harsh month; two dear friends went to their heavenly abode. Some memories.

1955-58. Melvyn Charles Kendall, affectionately known as Mel or Mel Charles, and I are naval cadets in NDA. He is in 'I' (Item) Squadron and I am in 'F' (Fox) for first term and then in 'K' (King) for the rest. For the first two years, we hardly meet being in different squadrons and academic classes but in fifth and sixth terms, our interaction increases with the introduction of subjects for naval cadets.

July 1958. We board the Cadet Training Ship, Tir. I am among the very seasick and Mel less so. To tease the seasick, he coins a phrase he repeatedly shouts whenever a guy scrambles to throw up over the guardrails, "Hol-tol-tol,  hol-tol-tol." Between sickness and anger, the guy forgets he is on the windward side and ends up puking all over himself!

We move on to Mysore as Midshipmen. We are being shown around the various compartments of the ship by a senior sailor. Mel is in the rear with one of the two Nigerians training with us. In the Engine Room, the Nigerian in his not very clear accent asks Mel, "Vath room is this?" Mel replies, "This is not bathroom." Nigerian, "No no, vath room is this." Mel, "I told you this is not bathroom." Nigerian, "I know this is not vathroom. Vaath room is this?" Mel, "And I keep telling you this is not baathroom." They almost come to blows but we had strong men like BB Singh and James Gill who kept them at bay. But Mel did not enlighten the Nigerian with what room it was!

The ship's concert is on and Midshipmen have to perform. Mel Kendall, Roy Chow, Ashok Sinha, Magoo Nehra and I form a group I christen as "The Five Off-Keys" and sing the hit song of those days, "Tom Dooley" made popular by "The Kingston Trio".

On 01 January 1960, we are commissioned as officers and promoted to the rank of Sub Lieutenant. We serve on different ships and then are appointed as Divisional Officers in the NDA. We stay in the Officers' Mess and get together on most evenings for a drink and singsong session with other bachelors.

To different ships again and then we undergo specialisation, Mel in 'Torpedo and Anti-Submarine' and I in 'Communications'. In 1970, we are both posted in Cochin. Most of our coursemates have got married while three of us, Mel, Ashok and I are still surviving as bachelors, stay in nearby cabins and run into each other all the time. One afternoon I walk into Mel's cabin and find him in an unusually foul mood. When queried, he says his neighbour had borrowed his nailcutter and broken it into two. "Man, he cut his toenails with my nailcutter. Can you believe it, cutting toenails with a nailcutter?" I hummed and hawed and made a hurried exit. I have always been cutting my toenails with a nailcutter, apparently a sin in Mel's books!

Another rule from Mel - never eat seafood in months which don't have the letter 'r' in them. I am a vegetarian but pass the advice on to whoever I can.

Soon Mel meets Cherub whose family lives in a town near Cochin- Alwaye? A marriage is fixed and Mel deserts bachelorhood.

While I move East to Vishakhapatnam, Mel leaves the Navy, moves to Bangalore and we lose touch.  I too get married and in 1978, am on the Directing Staff in Wellington, Coonoor. One evening, the doorbell rings and I am pleasantly surprised to see a grinning Mel. Cherub has a property in Ooty which they frequently visit and on finding out that I am in Wellington, Mel decides to make an unannounced visit. From then on, we see each meet a number of times till I get transferred, leave the Navy and find a job in New Delhi.

In 1992, I am at office when I receive a call and the man on the line says he is from the Central Bureau of Investigation looking into bribing charges against our Company. I am a bit confused while he goes on saying things which I have no knowledge of. Finally, he bursts into laughter and reveals he is Mel. We meet and talk about old times till he goes back to Bangalore.

We speak to each other off and on and in 2017, Akhila and I go to Bangalore and ring up Mel. He says he is in Ooty with Cherub who has had a stroke. We are disappointed but wish them the best. Sometime later, on return to Delhi, we are told of Cherub's passing away.

On 8 January this year, we get a message from Kaustav, late Roy Chow's son, that Mel had a fall and has passed away. He also forwards a touching poem written by Mel's sons, Chris and Jeffrey, as a tribute to Mel with each verse beginning with the letters MELVYN CHARL KENDAL.

Zoom back to January 1956. I have been shifted to 'K' and the 15th Course joins, two naval cadets of which, Vijay Malhotra and Lalit Talwar, are in my Division. We cross paths off and on.

September 1967. Vijji (that's how he is generally called by most though a few address him as 'Mallu') Malhotra and I are in Cochin together for our Long 'C' (Communications) course. Rita, his wife, is in Delhi expecting their first child, so Vijji is staying in a cabin across the road from mine. We get on famously with each other, spend a lot of time together at studies as well as at leisure and I get to know him well. Some incidents that define him-

One afternoon, I walk into his cabin and find him fiddling with a whisky bottle. It is too early for a drink and he is not very fond of alcohol so I ask him what he is up to. He says he suspects his bearer of drinking his whisky and replacing it with water to maintain the level. So he is sticking a hair in the bottle top and if that disappears, he would know that the bearer is guilty.

The next day he tells me that the bearer fell in the trap and admitted his guilt. From then on, I have always called him 'Bond'. In any case, he always introduces himself as "Malhotra, Vijay Malhotra", in true James Bond style. 

We are sitting in classroom with GBS Kohli in front of us. Vijji is smoking and seeing GBS's hair sticking out of his turban at the back of the neck, can't resist the temptation to torch the hair with the lighted end of his cigarette. I am aghast and wave my hand to tell Vijji to stop it but he disregards. Soon the hair singe, GBS feels the heat and brings his hand to the neck. Vijji frantically beats the hair with his notes and tells GBS that all is well as he has swiped away an insect from the neck.

I discover that Vijji has an amazing memory, almost photographic. He can repeat word for word a passage he scans for a few minutes. Of course, he is highly intelligent.

He is a great storyteller too. Like the time as Flag Lt to Admiral 'Chippy' Samson, he and Keki Pestonji tried to drive the staff car up the steps of Bombay's Ambassador Hotel.

Midway through the Course, Rita gives birth to Nikhil and they come to Cochin. Vijji moves to a house where I am always welcome. Rita accepts me like a family member.

On successful completion of our Course, we are off to Bombay, Vijji to join Khukri and I, Trishul. Vijji has a Standard Vanguard so he decides to fly Rita and Nikhil while he and I drive his car to Bombay.

After our seatime, Vijji is transferred to NHQ Delhi and I to Signal School Cochin. Whenever I go to Delhi on duty or leave, I stay with Vijji and Rita in their Defence Colony home. Vijji has acquired an Akai music system and my favourite way of spending time at his house is to turn the Akai on and listen to Santana's "Evil Ways" booming from the big hi-fi speakers.

While in Delhi, Rita and Vijji win the All-India Wills' "Made for Each Other" contest.

My marriage is fixed for 11 March 1972 and I invite Vijji to come with the baraat to Bijnor. He readily agrees. As usual he has stories to tell about the baraat. For example, the bus makes a stopover halfway to Bijnor and most males rush out to ease themselves against the nearest wall. Vinnie Mama shakes his head disparagingly at them and utters, "Verry badd!" This phrase becomes our favourite exchange whenever we meet subsequently.

At Bijnor, Akhila is getting dressed up for the wedding when Vijji enters the room, introduces himself and asks her, "Why are you marrying Ravi?"

In December 1973, on completion of Staff College Course, he takes over as Eastern Fleet Communications Officer from me while I proceed to Wellington to do the Course.

For many years, we don't meet as he is on the west side while I am mainly in the east. In 1983, I come to Bombay as Fleet Operations Officer followed by command of Trishul. Vijji commands Udaygiri and we stay in adjacent blocks, so Rita and Akhila also meet a lot. More than that, Mandira and Shumita get to know each other and develop a fond relationship. 

Different paths again for many years till we both retire and settle down in Delhi. Vijji and Rita call us for lunch at their house in Golf Links and Vijji presents me with his book, "Time Tide and Tradition", a brilliant compilation of naval customs and traditions. Vijji's inscription reads, 

"Ravi and Akhila

A lifetime of friendship and good cheer

With affection and regard

 Vijji"

Rita says she hasn't seen a movie in a long time. A James Bond movie "Die Another Day" has just been released, so appropriately for my Bond, we take them out to see it.

I start writing a blog and one of the most encouraging readers is Vijji. He provides a lot of inputs for naval pieces, eg, details of Cauvery landing a hedgehog on Admiral Superintendent Dockyard's office and the ASD's signal to the Fleet Commander, "I will repair your ships free of charge but please tell your ships to stop firing at me." Or Mysore firing at an Air India plane in the 1965 war mistaking it for a Pak plane; that got a nice scolding for the Fleet Admiral from NHQ! Incidentally, Mysore herself was a victim with Betwa firing at her mistaking her for Pak ship Babar!

In 2015, Rita falls sick and passes on. Vijji is shaken and so are we.

Vijji too starts keeping unwell and is under treatment with frequent visits to the hospital. Our once long telephone conversations become shorter and shorter. In the latter half of 2025, he is finally discharged from the hospital and advised to manage his illness at home. Mandira and her husband Sumeet arrange constant medical care and diligently look after him with love and devotion. They also create a WhatsApp group and keep his friends informed regularly of his condition.

Mid-November, Akhila and I are leaving for Jaipur and ask Mandira if we can come and see Vijji. She says yes and we visit him one evening. Though confined to bed, he is in good spirits and we exchange old stories including "Verry badd"! Reluctantly we leave hoping to meet him on our return.

That was not to be. The 'moving finger' had writ and moved on.  He passed away on 21 January while we were still in Jaipur.

Two flowers had blown and withered. 

P.S. 21 January recorded another loss with Mrs. Vasundhara Gupta, wife of a good senior friend and golf partner, Cmde PK Gupta (PKG), breathing her last that evening. 3 weeks later, PKG himself followed her. 

All RIP.

SOME REMEMBRANCES OF MY ONE TERM IN FOX SQUADRON

Some of you might find this interesting. It's self-explanatory.

Hello Foxies,

I am Commodore Ravi Sharma, Academy number 2134, ex-Fox Squadron. Cdr Arun Jyoti rang me up the other day asking me to come for the get together at DSOI but I had to decline as I am in Jaipur at present. So he asked me to send a message which would be read out at the party. Here are some remembrances.

I had heard of Fox Squadron even before coming to the NDA as my uncle, Commodore Vinnie Sharma, was a Divisional Officer in Fox in early 1950s when NDA was still JSW in Clementown, Dehradun. It was indeed a pleasant surprise when I was directed to join Fox on reporting to the NDA as a cadet on 22 July 1955.

The pleasant part was short-lived as soon as the seniors saw me. Ragging was rampant and one of the toughest raggers was SK Roy Chowdhury whose main aim was to ensure the new cadets knew how many front rolls and back rolls made a corridor. Roy Chowdhury as everyone must know went on to become the Chief of the Army Staff.

A more likeable senior was Sudarshan Chand who was content to hear us sing songs for him. I was able to satisfy him with some from Pankaj Mullick and Frankie Laine. Chand rose to the rank of Vice Admiral and retired as the Vice Chief of the Naval Staff. There were many others who had illustrious careers like Nanda Cariappa, Field Marshal Cariappa's son. His plane was shot down in the 1965 war but he survived and was captured. There is the well-known real life story of the Pak President Field Marshal Ayub Khan ringing up the then General Cariappa and offering to release his son. The General told him to treat Nanda in the same way as other POWs. Eventually back, Nanda earned his promotions right to the rank of Air Marshal. He and I were ADCs to our respective bosses in Delhi in 1966 and played a lot of golf together. He now lives in Coorg where I last met him on a visit in 2017.

A coursemate of mine is Premvir Das, another Foxie, who reached the rank of Vice Admiral.

Ramendra Bhargava from Jaipur was an Air Force cadet whose parents were well known to my grandparents and whose younger brother, Krishnendra, was my schoolmate and a good friend. Ramendra provided me substantial shelter from ragging and later became ADC to the President of India. He left the IAF early and opened Jaipur Inn in the city's Bani Park. Alas, he is no more but his son, Pushpendra, is successfully running the Inn.

My stay in Fox was only for one term as at the beginning of my second term, a new squadron, King, was formed and I was transferred to it. So it was goodbye to the Foxies including the Squadron Commander, Major Bonny, and my Divisional Officer, Lieutenant 'Shortie' Kanwar of the Navy.

Have a nice party.

A TASTE OF MODERN EATERIES IN JAIPUR

At the Jaipur Literature Festival this year. Akhila and I chanced upon a session "Table For Four: Delhi's Dining Legacy" in which Vir Sanghvi was discussing the book of the same title with Sunil Kant Munjal, one of its three authors. Four well-known industrialists and Doon School friends, Munjal, Nitan Kapoor, Ajay Shriram and Deepak Nirula, used to get together and meet for lunch in the upcoming restaurants of Delhi. Nirula passed away in 2022 and the other three decided to record their dining experiences producing an interesting record of Delhi's evolving culinary history.

Winding up the session, Sunil Munjal singled Florence as the best city for food connoisseurs and mentioned Delhi and Bombay (that's how I have always known it) as cities in India where the food revolution continues to gain momentum day by day. I wish he had kept an eye on Jaipur more closely as on my visits to Jaipur every 2-3 months, I discover new places every time. I am not a food expert but as I love the city of Jaipur, I try and keep track of eateries worth visiting. So let me just list a few to show how food venues in the city are keeping pace with the ever increasing number of tourists thanks in no small measure to the internationally famous annual Jaipur Literature Festival.

We start with one of the older modern ones, "Tapri Central". Basically a tea house with a large variety of tea to choose from, what makes it special is the spectacular rooftop view it provides overlooking the Central Park and surrounding areas. Order some 'chaat' with masala tea, watch the glorious sunset and the lights coming up in the city.

Across the road in Central Park, a vegetarian restaurant named "Peepal" has recently opened up. The food and decor are a great blend of tradition and modernity. The restaurant is gaining popularity for its Sunday brunch.

On the West end of Central Park is the famous Rambagh Hotel voted a couple of years back by Trip Advisor as the best hotel in the world. Its "Steam" bar and restaurant, unique for being housed in a couple of train bogies connected to a steam locomotive, is easily one of the best eateries in Jaipur known for its 'global comfort cuisine'. There is outdoor seating by the swimming pool as well and you can wallow in the ambience while feasting on Italian, Mediterranean or Thai cuisine.

Next to the Hotel, there is the Rajasthan Polo Club, old by itself but its dining room has recently been given a bright yellow and blue striped look and named Polo Palladio as it shares its Dutch architect, Marie-Anne Oudejans, with the very popular Bar Palladio owned by the Italian Barbara Miolini in nearby Narain Niwas Palace. Polo Palladio serves typical clubhouse food like club sandwiches and burgers as also Persian pulaos and kebabs. The best part is that you don't have to be a member of the Club but can pay a small fees and use the restaurant. And if the Polo season is on, you can watch the game in progress while tending to your tummy!

A place that caught my eye just a few days ago is "Nouba" Restaurant on Sarojini Marg, 'C' Scheme. It boasts of a Rooftop Lounge which looks over the Eastern half of Jaipur which you might have missed from Tapri Central. Here you can gorge on North Indian and Mughlai dishes or their wood-fired pizzas. 

If you are very particular about organic food, there is a small Cafe called "Anokhi" on Prithviraj Road which will serve you homemade bread, fresh juices, seasonal food and salads topped by organic filter coffee. 

The best part - all these places are within 2 kms. from my house!

Venturing further, for Rajasthani/Indian food created with a modern touch, there is The Johri Restaurant located in a haveli on MSB Ka Rasta, a lane leading from the main Johri Bazar. The lane is a bit narrow but it is a worthwhile experience to see how nicely a haveli has been converted into a beautiful hotel. The food is unique with dishes like 'Chakundar and Kali Gajar Carpaccio', 'Crispy Avocado Chaat', 'Truffle Cheese Kulcha', 'Corn Palak and Zero Sized Matar' and 'Gadbad Ice Cream'. 

For Italian and Mediterranean food, we have discovered "Serai Brews Cafe" in a boutique hotel on Durga Marg, Bani Park, with outdoor seating in a small, cosy garden. We loved its ' Pesto Exotic Veggie' Bruschetta,  'Agilio-E-Olio' Pasta, and the 'Mezze Platter'. 

Just a couple of years ago, Raffles opened a hotel on the outskirts of Jaipur with "The Writers Bar" serving Singapore Sling sure to take you back in time with visions of Somerset Maugham working on his novels in the original Raffles Hotel.

The great travel writer Paul Theroux famously wrote that no matter how many places you visit, there is so much more to see. Same applies to Jaipur's restaurants; there are scores of them that I have only heard or not even heard of. So let's wind up here.

But not without taking cognisance of the coffee revolution. Jaipur was traditionally a tea place. An exclusive coffee place was not even known. Then came 'Curious Life Coffee' and that started a trend. Today there are so many they are running out of names; there is 'Nothing Before Coffee', 'Crazy Coffee', 'Coffee Sutra", 'Half Light Coffee Roasters, 'Aunty's Coffee', 'Uncle Coffee'....wow!! And at the LitFest we ran into 'Love Over Coffee' and fell in love with it!

There is a place in Jaipur, "DZURT", which is known for its sweets and desserts. It boasts of items like 'Belgium Chocolate Salted Caramel' 'Nutella Cheesecake', the very popular 'Tiramisu' etc. But for desserts for me, nostalgia wins and it is old "Niro's" all the way with its sundaes 'Honeymoon Special' and 'Knickerbocker Glory' which I first had over 75 years ago in my school days and which they happily served for me with special care!

Bon appetit!

 

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