Your site which has a human quality to it will grow into a nice mushroom of blogs. My connection to Mysore goes back to 1875 when my great grandfather Horace Archibald Gass, Conservator-general of forests lived in Mysore for a while. So did his son Sir Neville Archibald Gass, my grandfather's brother. H A Gass, founder of the Gass Forests Museum, authored a book on the flora and fauna of Mysore. I saw a copy in the British Museum a year ago (2005).
I remember taking the family to the bird santuary near Mysore. And they had these little crocodiles in the lake. I cheekily commented to the boatie, 'Are these plastic, ha ha ha'. suddenly the one near the boat snapped its jaw, and we all froze. So much for cheeky comments. The birds were just other-worldly. Mysore was most welcoming. Coffee at Lalit Mahal hotel was always cold. They were doing a movie shoot at the time, and my kids (19 & 17 years) thoroughly enjoyed the dancing and singing. I don't think they understood a word but they were part of the fun.
Mr. Gass has a deeper and longer connection to Mysore than so many other "transplants" from other parts of India! Nice to know. I am sure mymysore readers would welcome Mr. Gass and family to a hot cuppa Mysore special coffee and maybe a heritage walk, the next time they visit Mysore. I wonder if Mr. H.A. Gass book on the flora and fauna is available elsewhere in India, like in a museum perhaps? I looked up Gass Forest Museum on the net and found a reference to one in Coimbatore with what looks like an outdated telephone number.
Thanks for sharing the info with us Mr. Gass and nice to hear about your experiences with the crocs! Don't put your hand in the water next time around!
I have read a number of books on history of Mysore, but have not come across the name of Mr. Gass. Also Mysore or Mysore district does not have any forest musuem, more so one named after Mr. Gass. Can Mr. Marshall Gass gives us more information on his grandfather. It will be interesting to know more about Mr. Gass and his contribution to forestry in Mysore.
That's pretty interesting! An 80+ friend of mine here might have heard the name of Gass. C.J Devnath lives in Yadavgiri, next to the church. He is a former MLC and his grandfather was a renown person at Lal Bagh, Bangalore. Son of HC Javaraiah, brother of famous cricketer CJ Ramdev.
There have been many interesting comments to GVKs thread. Thanks everyone.
For those doubting Thomas' the Gass Forest Museum is in Coimbatore, Cowley Brown Road. I visited the Museum a long time ago and it was then much more populated with items. However,over the years. the resources have quickly depleted. Sadly, there is graffitti on some prized collections. I met the Curator, back in 2002 and he is a wonderful gentleman.
I am very interested in Dinakars information on the MLC who may know the Gass line. I did come across a similar person( on the net) who seemed to have some recollection of the Gass' . But time and (or the lack of it) killed that connection. I would relish some information, if available.
I wager that Mysoreans are as delicious as jilebis. They are all so 'laid back' and friendly. In the few days we spent at Mysore, we made more friends than a busload of tourists. The Tippu Sultan palace was awesome. God was it just so gorgeous!.I kept saying to the family: If this was in Auckland, people would line up to gawk in awe!
Somebody should export those crunchy vadas!What about your Bise bell Baths. Its called a rissotto in these parts and your rissotto would shame our make-believe rissottos.
Thanks everyone. We picked up a book called Veerappan at the transit bazaar and while in Bandipur had the luxury of reading it. No book was ever racier. Under every bush Veerappan lurked with his handlebars and henceforward and to this day it adds spice to dinner talk.
Glad to know the museum is in Coimbatore. I am also happy to know Mr. Gass is in Auckland, where I stayed with my daughter for eight months last year. It is a beautiful place. I loved the Auckland Museum and the Maori aretfacts there, and of course the Indian elephant 'Raja' statue there. Good wishes to Mr. Gass and for all those nice words. Vadas are available in Auckland, probably at the Satya hotel in Sandringham. Otherwise, he must ask one of the Kannadigas of the Kannada Koota there to call him for lunch/dinner when they prepare Bisi Bele bath or Vada!
As mentioned in my earlier reply, I found a reference to the Gass museum in Coimbatore that some readers missed reading about. Good to know that the present Mr. Gass is fond of Vadas and bisi bele baths! Made my mouth water, fortunately here in Singapore, there are good places near Serangoon Road (lots of choices between Serangoon Road and race Course Road). Sakuntala's food palace is one of them, Saravana Bhavan is good with Vada's but not other stuff. Ananda Bhavan is a good place to get all this. There's no shortage here and I am glad for that, after reading what Mr. gass wrote, especially now that we are close to lunch time here!
Dinakar's input, if he can get some reference from the MLC connection would be nice. Dinu has some good connections with people who are perhaps walking history books and hope he is able to get some information for Mr. Gass.
Mr.Gass, Mysoreans are as delicious as Mysore-Paaks!! Not Jelebis!! Will surely try to get in touch with the old man but lack of time prevents me from doing so, though he is just a mile from my workplace, but on the opposite side of my home-route.
Just thought, to put things in perspective, I am fighting a case against the alleged author of the book on Veerappan, as also against Penguins, the publishers of the book, for infringement of my copyrights in the law courts of Mysore. The maintainability of the case has been upheld. Ramgopal Verma, the famous Bollywood man, was served a notice for his intent to make a movie based on the book.
The mention of Mysore-Paks got me thinking. I do remember the crunchy sweets.
The making of a Mysore-pak is an art not for common man. I tried it once ( maybe twice). Recipe book in one hand, spoon in the other and a keen eye with a skillet of boiling clarified butter the instruction said: wait till it bubbles up and the oil separates from the batter. I s'pose the trick is knowing when to tip it over into the dish. It turned out mushy, seeping with the butter and too sweet for the palate. My Mysore-pak was nothing compared to the Grammy Award winning ones you get in the snack shops-in NZ and in India.
Veerapan Is he still around? When we talk of men who slayed a thousand men and 'burnt the shores of Hebrides' in this culture we relegate the mortal to the immortal. I do find it difficult to explain the ferocity of the man with the handlebars to others in my circle. In reading the book I often wondered. why, not too many Indians were able to catch him. Does the corruption system extend into the jungle?
We accept here that cricket is a religion in India as Rugby is to the Kiwi believer. What the heck. We are cricket mad too but yet to see a Kiwi wack a ball like Tendulkar. Dont even take me there into that discussion.
Thanks for the directions to the Satya Restaurant in Sandrigham. I do remember going there but it did not stack up to an exacting standard.
Is there a place at Mysore where Kiwis congregate or transit through? Kiwis have a love of the wild, the bush and breeze, barefoot and boisterous and easy-going. Theyll give anything a go.
Once again, so many nice comments and 'real writing' Anyone want to partner a book of poetry?
Mr. Gass, Veerappan is dead. he was killed in 2004 I think. I was out of the country as usual but got to know of it. Of course corruption extended deep into the jungle. Thats why he was killed instead of being captured, maybe. If he were to be alive, he'd spill a lot of beans on the local politicians, is the theory. Other bloggers may have more info.
I don't consider myself a poet, though I have written a handful of poems. I have just posted one of them on my blog: bloggingone'strinkets.blogspot.com for your kind reading. You may care to leave your comment.
Veerappan: The nexus he had with some politicians is public knowledge. My blood boils to think that a scoundrel like him held an entire state to ransom for years, thanks to the deep and firm roots he had struck. However, it is also true that catching him was always difficult for various operational reasons. I had taken more than journalistic interest in wanting to see his end. I felt ashamed that a rogue had a free run for years. It speaks as much about patronage (to begin with) as it should about lack of courage (subsequently).
The Kiwi fascination for the wild will be doused in due course - I want to talk to you elsewhere about it.
Your stay at Auckland may have triggered an inkling that there is something strikingly similar between the Maori language and Kannidiga?
So many of the words and phrases and finer nuances of language seem to originate from something like a South Indian language. When I arrived here twenty years ago I was then struck by the sounds and symptoms of an Indian dialect.
A few years ago an archeology find showed that an Indian temple bell had arrived at Whangarei port some 800 years ago. Thats about half way through the projected time the Maori were here and 600 years before Capt James Cook. Unfortunately not many want to talk about it because it stirs the debate of who else got to New Zealand first before the present white population. I think the temple bell came through merchant traders.Other artefacts were also traced to Southern India-especially Madras and the surrounds. The Mysore connection is not too far off
What strikes me though is the language itself. Spoken so 'staccato' like Kannadiga. Maybe there is a connection beween Mysore and Maori. Who knows! Got to hear it to know it!
Marshall
Prefer to be called by first name. Mr Gass is so antiquated.
Interesting Marshall, about Maori and kannada sounding similar! I have listened to a bit of it on NatGeo but did not find similarities, even in the sounds. The Maoris look like a lot of the Pacific Islanders in physical appearance. There could be similarities in language, can't rule it out of course. I'd be interested to find out where the "south indian bell" is. Is it in a museum or private collection?
Your stay at Auckland may have triggered an inkling that there is something strikingly similar between the Maori language and Kannidiga? So many of the words and phrases and finer nuances of language seem to originate from something like a South Indian language..... Spoken so 'staccato' like Kannadiga. Maybe there is a connection beween Mysore and Maori. Who knows! Got to hear it to know it!
I had written an article on the same subject! It was published in "Migrant News" in Auckland. I wrote this piece when I was in Auckland in 2005, after studying briefly about the Maori culture there. I feel the Maori culture was more akin to Indian (Hindu) culture and language, than just Kannada. The link for the paper is www.migrantnews.co.nz. But, I am not sure whether it has archives where my article is stored. Anyway, for your info, I am copying it here. I think the Auckland University, Institute of Maori culture and Kanpur University had jointly conducted a seminar on this subject some 4-5 years ago at Kanpur. I tried for the proceedings report copy when I was there but could not get the proper address.
(The following feature was published in the “Migrant News” Jan-Feb 2005 issue)
Are we brothers?
Gouri Satya
A look at the ancient civilizations and the original settlers always bring out surprising imilarities. The indigenous cultures, practiced by the ancient emigrants, reveal a ‘commonness’ in their customs and practices, their way of living and language, their beliefs and legends. It is therefore not surprising to find similarities between the people of India and the Maoris of New Zealand.
During my brief visit to Auckland, I am astonished to find a great lot of commonalities between these two ancient cultures. I am surprised I can relate almost
every aspect of these people to the Indian traditions and practices. I can track a link between these two people, almost right from their birth to death, in their customs and practices, faiths and belief, myths and legends.
The ‘Gondawana’, described on the informative boards in Arateki reserve, is perhaps the oldest link I can recognize. The ‘Gondawana’ was a huge mass of land, believed to be linking the whole continent of India, Australia, Antartica, South America and Africa about 350 million years ago, later drifting to become separate lands as are known today. New Zealand was also a part of this huge continent. The epic stories of Ramayana and Mahabharata make mention of the ‘Gondaranya’ or ‘Gondavana’. It was a land of thick forest. In Sanskrit, ‘Gonda’ is thick and ‘Vana’ is forest.
The primitive plants and animals of Gondawana survived here too, becoming the natives of New Zealand. The sacred Kauri tree of New Zealand, held in great reverence by the Maories, is similar to the ‘Ashwatha’, held sacred in India. The trees have survived for hundreds of years and are associated with the Indian epic stories and legends. From this ancient passage of time, the next phase is that of the migration of these ancient people. These ancient migrants are said to have traveled from one place to another – from Africa to Iran, India,Indonesia, China, Japan and Australia. Genetic trackings have shown evidences of such a human diffusion.
The myths and legends add credence to this DNA analysis. The Maorian story of creation -- in the beginning there was nothing except darkness and from there the primal parents, Papa and Rangi were born and their off-springs became subsidiary Gods to take care of the sea, wind, land and forest -- is no less short of the description of the origin of universe found in the Vedas and the Upanishads. The comparison of earth
and sky as female and male principles is again similar to the Vedic culture. The ‘Io’, who existed alone in the Maori faith, is comparable to the ‘Yekam’ (only one) or the ‘Hiranya Garbha’ (the golden egg) described in the Hindu scriptures.
The legend of ‘Tane’ taking out some clay and breathing life into it is similar to the legend that Brahma gives life to clay models of human beings by breathing life into them. The Maoris worship a multifaceted God and he has numerous names depending on the function He performs. In India, each God has a thousand names of praise (Sahasranama). Their supreme god is in heaven; the Hindu god is in the Vaikunta. They too believe that all things possess a spirit (Wairua) like the ‘Atma’. In fact, it is astonishing to know that the very word ‘Maori’ means ‘life force’.
Similar to these legends are the divisions and practices among the Maori people. “Tapu” is the sacred place for them and for us it is the “Temple”. Temple was the centre of all activities in ancient India and is so even today in some villages. They have their ‘Marae” (sacred meeting place) and we have our “Mutt”, the religious centre. An outsider, “Paheka” by entering the sacred places defiles its sanctity. A ‘Parakeeya’ or “Pareya” causes the same sacrilege in India. Death is caused by “Hara” for Maoris and for the Hindus the destroyer is ‘Hara’ (Shiva). The burial place is also “Tapu”, a fenced separate place, held sacred by the Trantrists to worship ‘Bhairava’. A wash is a must for a Brahmin who visits the cemetery
The Maoris run their communities on their skills as in the ‘Varnashrama’ described in the Hindu scriptures. Both have the priest class (Tohunga), the warriors protecting them and their crops, and the unskilled groups. Tribal members of a higher rank would not touch the objects belonging to a lower class, a common
practice in India. Like the Brahmins, the Tohungas hold authority, make decisions concerning the ‘Marae’, are respected and teach the young the Maori traditions.
Surprisingly, one can even find among these groups a group of people who recite the geneology of their ancestors, “Whakapapa”. In India the ‘Helava’ group, originally known as "Heluvavaru” (ancestry tellers), travel from village to village reciting the geneology of the ancestors.
The major events in a Maori’s life is also an occasion for worship and celebration. They decorate their houses with ornamental work. Tattoing is also an ancient practice for both. If they tattoo the women during such occasions, we smear their faces and body with vermilon and other sacred powders. A new house needs to be blessed (“Noa”) in both traditions. They recite “Waita” and we recite “Mantra”. The ‘God-stick’, fashioned in wood with a ‘Tiki’ at its head and a pointed base for use in religious ceremonies by Maori priests, is the ‘sacred Danda’ of almost the same pattern in India.
Like in all traditions, the Maori people too hold a funeral service before the burial. They believe in rebirth and that the spirit will not leave the body until buried. They believe that it has a soul (Wairua) and it travels and rejoins the ancestors. When leaving the burial ground, the mourners wash their hands and feet and for this purpose a container is always kept outside the burial place, while the Hindus have a place to take a bath after the last rites.
Perhaps, going a step further, the river Manganui, Mount Ngaruahe and Mount Rupehu, which are of spiritual significance to the Maori people, can be matched for the reverence Indians hold for their river Ganga and the Himalayas. Similarly, the features of Maori people can be compared to those who live in north-eastern States of India like Assam.
An in-depth study and research may bring out many more common features between the people of these two ancient cultures, help us to travel on the footsteps of our forefathers. We may astonishingly find deep roots in our religion, social and cultural patterns. Probably, these roots can be further tracked down to the Vedic period and even down to the cradles of civilizations. Philosophically, it could go even beyond these man-made boundaries and end up agreeing on the famous Upanishad quotation “Vasudaiva Kutumbam” – We all belong to one family!
Thanks for the article. It sort of explained the many 'hunches' that most Indians get on arriving here. I have passed the article on to a handful of interested readers who will ( in due time) add their perspectives to this blog.
Also glad to know there is another migrant export just around the corner. Will try to attend.
Three years ago I went (as an employer) to a job expo. Unfortunately it did not have the kind of professionalism that one expects here in a competitive market. At the time, the association may have just been getting their act together.
Your article was impressive and was backed by sound reasoning and observation. It helps to keep things in focus.
Speaking of Maori in India, recently there was a TV item on a Maori Rugby coach for an Indian team. It was fun to see the short statured Indian getting into the rough and tumble of rugby. Its a passionate game here and the closest thing to a religion. Last nights game was a sounder! As winter bears bluntly down on us this is what we do. Watch rugby, drink beer and root for our favourites.Soon the All Blacks will be on stage. Footy fever is building up.Cold nights can be easily banished with a good scream and a game.
If you are visiting again this year do track me down for a chat. Have you ever seen the haka performed in India. I often wondered what it would be like.Are pizzas available in Mysore- or Bangalore?
There is the story of an old Maori who was possessed of large landed wealth and who called in his lawyer to make his will. The lawyer took great pains over the document and ultimately brought it to the Maori and explained to him its provisions. Contrary to the lawyer's expectation, the Maori was furious. He said, "You are my lawyer and it was I who entrusted the job to you and paid your fees. You have left all my properties to everybody else and nothing at all for me!"
Since the discussion is about Maoris, just thought would share this joke with you. It is excerpted from Nani Palkhiwala'sWe, the People
There are around 62,000 Indians at Auckland City. Twenty years ago there were fewer than 4000. I remember a time when (back in 1989) when there were only three Indian restaurants. Today there are over 2000.
This shows how quickly Indians adapt to a new country and really how quickly the Kiwis accept and recognise new comers. Unfortunately, Indians do tend to cluster in small pockets of the city and stick to themselves. You dont see too many on the beaches, golf courses, on the highways etc. I often wonder why they remain indoors. Culture should 'inculturate' to be accepted?
New Zealand is such a beautiful country your picture postcards are not air brushed. Thats how it looks in real life.
Each year the Diwali Festival draws huge crowds. People muster around and get to sample the wide expanses of Indian culture. In between all of this are the many blends of Fiji-indian, South African Indian, Malaysian Indian, and the reall 'Indian' Indian. Somehow the actual Indian Indian is a more modern, broad-minded, open-hearted person, highly educated and exuberant and all-encompassing. Quite different to the other models of 'Indian'.
Can readers and travellers to this blog comment on this aspect? What do you 'see' in the cultural melee that exists around you? Are we globalising as fast as everybody else or or we isolating and identifying or protecting what we bought to these new lands?
I wonder if you remember me.I met u in Coonoor exactly 3o years ago! I gave u some of my poems to go through.You were then working in The Pasteur Institute.My uncle Mr.Cornelius was also working there.I hope u can place now!Do write to me if u receive this letter.
I was at Lawrence School,Lovedale from 1960 -1970.Then i went on to Ethiraj College in Madras(now chennai).You write about Francis mathews. was his mom's name Joyce.Did he study at MCC Tambaram. If so please could you give me his mail contact. Thanks 09283593562
I am presently the Curator of Gass Forest Museum,Coimatore.Mr.Marshall Gass came here with his family last year(Jan 2010).The phone numbaer is 0422-2450307
Sean Gass is my cousin and he is correct in saying HA Gass was his Great Great grandfather. I am presently constructing the Gass Family Tree and would appreciate anyone with that surname to get in touch with me. Any tidbit of information will help. This far the 'tree' has extended to nearly 1870 members worldwide.
Correctly we visited the Gass Forest Museum in 2010 and met with the Curator (anonymous) He offered us considerable information and a tour of the Museum with a look at some of the documents in the archives. I wish I could have taken some photographs of those documents. They would greatly support my family tree.