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Kuluf

They put big metal padlocks on the unanimous wooden door fitted in the outer mud wall to their mud-bricked house whose beams were composed of parts of dead old trees, deodars, god-trees that fooled themselves into believing that they were still alive, a believe that this particular timber would hold for a hundred years, a belief that would make it bleed resin year after year. This simple act of theirs now seems so disturbingly ludicrous.

My grandfather got these two big padlocks thanks to his government job. Originally the locks were meant to be used for some governmental store, and as government departments tend to be a bit lenient in these matters, somehow the office ended up buying some extra locks which were dutifully and equally distributed among the employees of the department. That’s how he got indentical two brass ‘Hitler’ padlocks. The two locks served him well for many years even if they were never fully utilized to their big potential as the main door to the house was never required to be locked – it was always open. So these two padlocks were mostly used as room locks. Then one morning of they were put to a proper use. That morning one of these two locks was used to chain the main door and the other was put on the latch of the heaviest trunk. One of them reached Jammu and the other was never heard from again. The one now in Jammu is every night stays put on an Iron door to the cement and mortar house built  in frames of iron.

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Update: Remembered, there are places in Maharashtra, around Kohlapur, where people call lock a Kuluf. A bit learnt from an old Kohlapuri woman in Nagpur. 

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Game of Haras for Hearyth

Contributed by Arun Jalali Ji as addendum to my post Playing an ancient game with Haar’e. Learnt some new terms thanks to this write-up.

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Shivratri (Hearth) is still some days away; time passé preparation for the festivity needs to be honed up now. Presenting the most beautiful childhood game “Hara” (Kodia)

Most of us may be comfortably remembering the rules for playing (SOP) for this indoor game, but re- narrating the same is my personal fun.

PLAYED BY: 2 OR MORE (age group 4 Years or more)

SOP:
Usually this game is played as part of celebrations of ‘Hearth’. Players gather at a common place (Indoor), sit of a level floor mostly in a circular fashion. Each player brings with him or her several Chaaks of Haras (4 PCS = 1 CHAAK).

OBJECTIVE: An interesting and skillful game
All the players compete individually in an attempt to win others Haras without losing his or her own. The Game being random in nature, luck plays a crucial role, in a winner’s performance. The skill of laying the Hara’s on the floor is imperative and players are required to vary the speed and the intensity of the throw of the haras depending upon the size and quantity of the haras in his/her hand. Laying a “Quinn” requires extensive practice sessions.

TOSS or Bazz to decide who gets to play first.

To decide the first player (or the First mover advantage) every participant is required to contribute 1 hara, that would be collected and tossed up as a bunch by any willing player. Hara’s that face upwards (post landing on ground) are shortlisted. With multiple eliminations (quinn’s occurrences) the first player is determined. To Gain an edge player often seeks to offer customized botul-hara (tossing hara is known as “Botul” in local dialect)
Players usually treasure these customized pieces (royally preserved) for future use. Young participants sometimes are helped by guardians for safe custody of these precious entities.

Some of the most sought after botul’s are as below. (Let us recollect these):

  1. Khor 
  2. Poshnoor
  3. Krand
  4. Monjutu

Khor: it has a coarse ,dirty surface , lending it rough looks.
Poshnoor: the beautiful yellow flowery looks
Krand: it is like a hara that is dissected it is flat on both sides.
Monjutu: the word monjut is derived from a specific nose structure which is somewhat raised up nostrils.
Gausanol (  the toilet outlet pipe)

To begin THE GAME
The “first mover” collects 1 Chaak (set of 4 haras) from each participant, he then holds these in one hand*, 1 spins his hand and throws them so as the pieces land of floor in a small area ( about four sq feet of spread) with the aim that the base of Hara face upward (upon resting on floor) to cause any of the following (random) results:

RESULTS:


RESULTS ARE INTERPRETED AS BELOW

1) 1 HARA (only), facing Upward – called as “QUIN” is like hitting a Jackpot – You WIN ALL

2) All expect 1 HARA facing Upwards – also a “QUIN” and is another form of jackpot – You WIN ALL

3) 2,4,6, 8,10… HARAs facing Upward-NO WIN, right to roll goes to person sitting next in clockwise.

4) 5,7,9,11…. HARAs facing Upwards – YOU WIN but only those pieces that face upwards and right to roll goes to person sitting next in clockwise 


5) 3 HARAs facing Upwards – a case called Ali Baba’s ‘TUL-TREY‘, NO WIN + EMBARRASSMENT

Game rolls on…with fresh contributions… (before that even last 2 HARAS have to be won)

* The player has a choice to replace any of the hara with an alternate one (smaller or bigger size) from one’s own stock, usually this options is resorted to enhance the prospect of a “Quinn”

AVAILABILITY OF HARAS FOR SHIVRATRI :
Hara’s are easily available near many temple premises, and all Teerath Ssthanas. Mumbaikar’s living close to Juhu beach can choose to help the needy friends Alternatively re united friends having access to jyotirling sites can also help in procurement.


TO ENHANCE THE FUN
1) Wear the long phiran having deep pockets for storing lots of haras and listen to the mystical “notes” of haras as you move with these.
2) Invite all you friends and relations to play the game. This game was designed for Joint families / habitat styles.

With kind regards

Arun Jalali


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Previous contribution by Arun Jalali Ji

You might also like to check out his website about Vidhya Bhawan School

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Siren of Dal

A bus running up the road somewhere in Haridwar

“Now the Sirens have a still more fatal weapon than their song, namely their silence. And though admittedly such a thing never happened, it is still conceivable that someone might possibly have escaped from their singing; but from their silence certainly never. Against the feeling of having triumphed over them by one’s own strength, and the consequent exaltation that bears down everything before it, no earthly powers could have remained intact.”
-Franz Kafka, The Silence of the Sirens (1917)

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“The valley is full of legends and superstitions, one of which is that certain stones to be seen beneath the waters of the lakes were at one time men, who for their evil deeds were condemned to die as rocks beneath the clear water until the lakes dried up. One is often shown the “stone men,” which look very much like any other large rocks to our western eyes. Another legend is of a siren living on the border of the Dal Lake, who sings enchantingly if she sees one man alone, and beguiles him away with her, and he is never seen again, but if two men are together she does not try to ensnare them, or if the one lone man happens to have a gun and dog, so apparently she is a coward fay.”

– ‘Valley of Kashmir: India’s Most Delightful Spot (Special Correspondence)’, published in an American local daily ‘The Logan Republican’ (Logan, Utah) 1903, November 04. (Source: chroniclingamerica.loc.gov)

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“Proof that inadequate, even childish measures, may serve to rescue one from peril.

To protect himself from the Sirens Ulysses stopped his ears with wax and had himself bound to the mast of his ship. Naturally any and every traveller before him could have done the same, except those whom the Sirens allured even from a great distance; but it was known to all the world that such things were of no help whatever. The song of the Sirens could pierce
through everything, and the longing of those they seduced would have broken far stronger bonds than chains and masts. But Ulysses did not think of that, although he had probably heard of it. He trusted absolutely to his handful of wax and his fathom of chain, and in innocent elation over his little stratagem sailed out to meet the Sirens.”

-Franz Kafka, The Silence of the Sirens (1917)

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Kashmir in 19th century British Newspapers

The following interesting stuff from archives of old British Newspapers was sent in by Tony who has a nice info. site about Indian wines. While researching for Kashmir entry for that, trying to dig up the past of wine from that region, he came upon my post about ‘Wine in Kashmir‘. He sent me some interesting queries about names and places in Kashmir where its wineries and vineyards were located  (check the comments), and while I am still working on those queries, much to my delight, he graciously sent me these:

‘The Famine in Kashmir’ 
– Daily News. 25th January, 1879. 
Famous missionary educationist Tyndale Biscoe in his writings mades an interesting observation about Kashmiri people. In times of natural calamity, famines and pandemics and earthquake, he found Kashmiris mourning silently, without any public display of grief.     
‘The Viceroy’s tour in Kashmir – The procession of boats with his excellency nearing the Sumbul Bridge (Sumbal in Baramulla district) on the way to Srinagar’
-The Graphic. 18th December, 1891. 
Lord Lansdowne (1888 – 1894) was the viceroy at the time and setting up of Durand Commission for defining boundary of British India and Afghanistan was one of the high-points of his career.

The Earthquake in Kashmir
The Graphic. 22th August, 1885. 
One of the most terrible earthquakes ever to hit Kashmir ( an intensity III ).
“The earthquake of 1885 commenced on May 30 and shocks more or less violent were felt up to August 16. Houses were destroyed and there was general panic, people sleeping for many days out of doors. It is said that 3,500 persons were killed , and the number of cattle, ponies and other domestic animals crushed by falling buildings was enormous. Baramula and Patan seem to have suffered the most, and large earth fissures were caused, from which it is reported that sulphur fumes and inflammable gasses were emitted. Many old water springs disappeared and landslips occurred, one of which at Lari Dura in the Krihun Tahsil, revealed fossil Singhara nuts at an elevation of about 1500 feet above the level of the Wular Lake. It has been suggested that the style of architecture in Kashmir is not calculated to withstand the shocks of an earthquake , but the inhabitants claim that the apparently frail structures escape when heavier and more massive buildings would succumb, and it must be remembered that the temples of Patan and the Palace of Srinigar suffered in 1885. Even now I have noticed in the courtyards of many villagers houses a temporary wigwam, which is always kept in readiness for shelter in times of shocks, and the dread of another earthquake is always present.” –Walter R. Lawrence in his book The Valley of Kashmir (1895) 

‘The little war in Kashmir: a chat about Gilgit’
–The Graphic. 19 December, 1891. Interesting peek into the politics of the region in those day. Durand was right in the middle of it all. 
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Kashmir Colors, 1915

The following beautiful painting are from ‘Our summer in the vale of Kashmir’ (1915) by Frederick Ward Denys. Some of them were color painted from photographs and the rest were drawn by Col. H.H. Hart.

‘Lotus Flowers of Dhal Lake’
Frontispiece of the book
‘Warmth of Color, Pearly Mist and Snow-Capped Mountains’
Srinagar by  Col. H.H. Hart, R.E.
‘The Outer Circular Road’
‘A Water Highway of Kashmir’
The Mar Cana, Srinagar

A photograph of mar canal as found in ‘A lonely summer in Kashmir (1904)’ by Margaret Cotter Morison.
“We linger in beauties that never are gone”
by Col. H.H. Hart, R.E.
Shadipur
‘The Ancient Temple Ruins at Patan’
[Sugandhesa Temple]
‘Nightfall on Wular Lake’
 by Col. H.H. Hart, R.E.
‘An artist Paradise’
  by Col. H.H. Hart, R.E.
Wular Lake

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