30 November,2024 07:16 AM IST | Mumbai | Team SMD
Pic/Shadab Khan
A priest is lost in his mobile phone outside a temple at Banganga Tank, Walkeshwar
For years, all author Amrita Shah knew of her great-grandfather, Mohanlal Parmanandas Killavala, was that - he had travelled to South Africa as a young man before returning to settle in suburban Mumbai. "Why had he gone there? Why did he leave behind no letters, photos or anecdotes from his time there?" the author recalls wondering.
The author investigates the connection between Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (third from left), pictured at his legal practice office in Johannesburg in 1905, and her ancestor, the "Other Mohan". Pic/Getty Images
Then one day, an aunt revealed, "Mohanlal dada was with Gandhiji in South Africa." For the former journalist, this was irresistible: Two Mohans together, right when the more famous one - Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi - was leading the South African Satyagraha? There was a story here! A decade of travels and research across South Africa, Mauritius, the UK and India culminated in Shah's latest book, The Other Mohan (HarperCollins).
Ketaki Sheth
"The book is structured like a detective thriller," says Shah, who lays out startling discoveries not just about her great-grandfather (an educated, suited-booted interpreter, but also about Gandhi's famous 1908 pass-burning campaign to protest discriminatory entry laws in the Transvaal province. Stitching her personal family history together with the wider political history, Shah turns our understanding of the Satyagraha on its head.
"The story that we know of the Gandhi-led Satyagraha is so well-established that to add a new dimension to it is very hard. But what I found were original archival findings that do add that twist⦠It's another way to understand our history, because the story I tell is of enterprise, not of struggle, which is what we are familiar with," she says. "I think the biggest surprise [for readers] will be the way the two stories connect. And, as it happens, the connector is my great-grandfather."
Niranjan Shetty
All the sideshow going on, even as the victorious Mahayuti has yet to announce a Chief Minister, has people chortling. Now, the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) chief spokesperson Niranjan Shetty has pointed out: "According to the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar-NCP, Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) worked well in the States where non-BJP governments were elected and are faulty where the BJP Government has been elected by the overwhelming support of the people. The mental balance of these UBT (Shiv Sena) and NCP (Sharad Pawar) leaders is disturbed because of the grand BJP win. The people of Maharashtra have given their mandate to them - sit at home and retire." Of these slingshots borne out of ire and fire, we never tire.
The Australian Cricket magazine which covered the 1978 Australia v England Brisbane Test
There was a time when cricket teams used to be involved in six-match Test series. And India in 1979-80 played two of them, hosting Australia and Pakistan. On this day in 1978, another six-match series began - in Brisbane - where Mike Brearley's England faced Graham Yallop's Australian third string side amidst the Kerry Packer World Series Cricket circus. The hosts found themselves in major batting strife, getting bowled out for 116 with Bob Willis (4-44), Ian Botham (3-40) and Chris Old (2-24) playing contributory roles for England. The top-scorers for Australia? Wicketkeeper John MacLean (33 not out) and fellow debutant Rodney Hogg (36). Australia fared better in the second innings with 339, thanks to centuries from captain Yallop and future skipper Kim Hughes. But a seven-wicket loss couldn't be avoided. Australia went on to lose the Ashes 1-5. The Brisbane loss was ominous just like the recent Perth defeat. Are Australia doomed?
This diarist says yes.
Heritage tours in the city usually involve walking. But on Saturday, Mumbai's running enthusiasts ran almost six kilometres across South Mumbai, stopping only to admire historic structures and hear their stories. Bombay Running, the city's first community of runners organised The Bombay Heritage Run Series in collaboration with the Kala Ghoda Arts Foundation (KGAF) and RPG Foundation. The route began at Asiatic Library, ran along the Oval Maidan to stop and marvel at art deco buildings, headed to Eros Theatre, Soona Mahal, and ended with breakfast at Bombay Sweet Shop's latest outpost in Kala Ghoda.
Priyanca and Deepak
"We are one of the original run crews in the country and started in 2016. On Sundays, we usually run in South Mumbai as Ballard Estate, Fort, and other areas are shut. We usually cover every bylane," says Priyanca Walanju, who co-founded Bombay Running with Deepak Oberoi. "Most who are part of our crew are extremely knowledgeable and they know about the history. So, when we ran, we would share stories or listen. We were already in collaboration with KGAF, and proceeds from our running events are contributed to restore heritage structures. So we decided to host a series of heritage runs," says Walanju. It prompted Bombay Running to collaborate with the RPG Foundation, who lent an expert who would narrate the history and stories throughout the run.
As the event saw a lot of sign-ups, The Bombay Heritage Run Series will see two runs in December, and more in January. The next run is on Saturday, December 14th, and you can sign up via their website www.bombayrunning.co.
