On the basis of Lord Mountbatten's declaration of 3rd June 1947, the British Parliament passed the Indian Independence Act in July, 1947. It proposed the establishment of two dominions of India and Pakistan and the withdrawal of the British domination by 15th August, 1947. Consequently, on 15th August, 1947, the British authority in India came to an end and the country was partitioned into two parts i.e., India and Pakistan. In Pakistan were included the provinces of Sind, N.W.F.P., Baluchistan, West Punjab, East Bengal and Sylhet district of Assam*. All the remaining provinces remained within the Indian Dominion. Of course there were two other States that were governed by Goa (Portugal) and Pondicherry (France).
 

The date is 15th August 1999, and 51 years have passed. The Union Jack has long since gone, and the topee's and horse carriage. These are the last of the beautiful crested houses that you can find in Bangalore. I was reminded about the song '10 green bottles standing on a wall.. if one green bottle should accidentally fall... then there were nine green bottles ...' Till about the first week of July 1999, there were 9 beautifully kept houses on Lloyd Road. Then one day, it only took one day for the roof to be removed and the walls to be battered down ... now there are 8 beautifully kept houses still standing! I had appealed to builders and architects to let me know about any old house before they demolish, but I have never got a response... this request was by letters published in newspapers and even over Star TV News. So much love the people of Bangalore have for the Memory of their City. Once termed as 'Pensioner's Paradise' further 'Garden City'... what are we taking into the new Millennium in the past people used to make a big scene about burying 'time capsules', I wonder what is there left to put in a time capsule about Bangalore!!. There are a few houses around DaCosta square and near ITC (India Tobacco Company, earlier called Imperial Tobacco Company) on Charles Campbell Road.

We gained our Independence to remove the independence of our city. Soon, one may not have the freedom of entering Cubbon Park or Lalbaugh unless one pays and that too, you cannot stay on when the sun sets!! (TOI 12 Aug 99, had something to say on this). No other city in India has the destruction taken place in such a short period and with ruthless vengeance as in Bangalore. Most of it is greed for money, as once a few years back the land value was artificially hiked up and people sold and others were forced to sell as Government Laws made it literally impossible for the old residents to keep the properties they got from their forefathers. Maybe the builders are ashamed of themselves that they destroyed so many beautifully designed bungalows only to find that the flats and offices they built on the land is not being occupied as expected. One did mention that there could be over 60000 flats vacant in Bangalore. Nobody is selling or buying for the time being with the hope that things will pick up someday. I still appeal to anyone out there who knows anyone in Bangalore who still owns any old house (pre-Independence) to kindly correspond with them, and let me know so that I go and photograph the memory for you all. (* On India's Independence, - excerpts from A New Text Book of History of India - D.N. Kundra).

Cheers, Ronnie, 15th August, 1999

A glimpse of Queen's Road from Cantonment Station (Vet Hospital) end to Cunningham Road, and the last two are Richard's Town, one just before you get onto Hennur Road, and the other is Admiral Dawson's residence on Viviani Road.

Bangalore 100 years ago .... only if the stones can tell their story ..

This photo of Victoria Hospital is a gift to Bangalore Wallas from my friend Barbara Kearns, Australia, Researcher. The Hospital was built by Charles Andrew WELSH (known as Andrew), and he was born c. 1849, his wife's name was Harriett (nee RYAN) He was a son of Francis WELSH, and possibly of Francis's wife Hellen (or Ellen).He died around the first decade of 1900. Info from the ggg grandson Oliver Pereira

Bangalore 10 years ago .... only trees can tell the story ..

Return to the India Hello Bangalore Walla Namaskara Home Page - the only page on Bangalore that is non-commercial and personal, and to which you can add your Memories of the City.