How often have I been asked ? A south Indian, how come you have settled down at Mhow? I have no clear answers . But every time I hear such a question, it triggers a series of thoughts on the uniqueness of Mhow. As a fauji I have been through 23 different places … Continue reading “A Town Called Mhow”
How often have I been asked ? A south Indian, how come you have settled down at Mhow? I have no clear answers . But every time I hear such a question, it triggers a series of thoughts on the uniqueness of Mhow.
As a fauji I have been through 23 different places of posting , generally referred to as a military station or a cantonment. Many fellow-rovers would agree with me that most of the people , toy with the idea of settling down in their place of posting, some time or the other . It could be the Nilgiris, a Punjabi might fall in love with or Pithoragarh (google map please!) that might entice a South Indian. But these places are known for the short tourist seasons , and the ideas for taking roots at such places are also seasonal… In Pithoragarh if you go through one winter , the salubrious climate in Summer is spoilt with this thought “If summer is here , can winter be far behind ?, .. run before it sets in” . It would be John Keats reverse-quoted (a word I just coined) .
view of sunset from my home
So it goes, one place good only for summer, another good only for winter, too far North or too far South, East or west , too much rain or too little rain, concrete jungle or too remote a place and it goes on… Now let us look at Mhow. It is like the story of Narasimhavatar of Vishnu…. neither too warm or too cold, neither too North or too South, neither urban nor rural, neither a cantonment nor a civil area…well , on which ever axis you consider, it falls right in the middle ! It Includes some dubious considerations; neither are people too law abiding nor too lawless !
Any account of Mhow is not complete without a mention of Mhow-bazaar. The Main street is almost as if custom made for the fauji ladies ! Walking across just half a km, they can find fancy gowns, dresses , suits, leather jackets, leather boots, or beautiful curtains , paintings, wood carvings and such stuff for their drawing room , ingredients to exercise all their culinary skills in Chinese and Continentaldishes (poor husbands !). Mhow tailors , historically , have been catering for the Rajas and aristocrats during British India and later to the army personnel posted all over the country in the Independent India. I for one have always got my uniforms made at Mhow, wherever I was posted; did I say 23 stations ?
Whats so great about a market and tailors? It is the ambiance that strikes. Whether it is the people moving about in the narrow streets and lanes of the town, or the shop keepers sitting at their desk on a summer afternoon, there is a sense of timelessness. Many shops actually shut down from two to four for the afternoon siesta. The bhoras are always smiling with the ‘koi dikkat nahin’ attitude. I bought curtain rods for my house, my measurements turned out to be wrong and I went back for exchangingthem , not with much hope. As it happened , fresh piecees were cut to the revised size with a ‘Koi dikkat nahin’ smile.
My wife had been lugging around an old Sumit mixer grinder , absolutely functional but one crucial knob missing. The machine was so obsolete no spares were available anywhere. That was before we reached Mhow. A 10 ft by 12 ft shop with a know-all , do-all owner, with a ‘koi dikkat nahin ‘ attitude found the right solution in no time . It is not just the jugaad for repairing stuff , they can also produce such stuff found only in elite stores. I was looking for a ‘quiche tray’ and the same shop-keeper produced it seemingly out of nowhere. (I had only recently learnt the word ‘quiche’ but as a shop-keeper of Main street , Mhow he was fully aware of the the contraption as an essential need of a fauji mem-saab.)
An ancient defence service officers institute coupled with modern libraries, gymnasiums , tennis and squash courts, an olympic size swimming pool, a sprawling golf course and most importantly the ambiance of Mhow-bazaar has made this place truly a haven for a retired fauji.
officers club
8 thoughts on “A Town Called Mhow”
done only two courses there but long ago, but do remember it as a quaint place!But I think Bangalore is better for me, though the weather and traffic conditions are deteriorating by the day!Nice piece on Mhow, but you need to add the many other Novelties of the place which are unique and probably evolved only due to fauji demand!
When I first landed in Mhow, for BSW course in 1982, I abruptly told myself this town has some previous life connect with me. The town looked gothic with old dilapilated bungalows croaking to tell their tales. Magestic buildings constructed from black stones fascinated me to the marrow. The town had reminasance of British, though having left half a century back their scent was in the air. The old Churches, Anglo Indian settlements and Parsis stores on the Main Street. Later, when I got posted there, I had Ismail, a Borha friend. We exchanged mutton dishes for dinner as both loved experimenting cooking. I loved the antique and Kabbadi shops, the पसंदा(mutton chops), the fresh vegetable mart and more than anything else the people of this boutique town tailor-made for mould-casted Military officers who refuse to believe that twentieth century is running. Had it not for my deeper roots in Jaipur of current life, I would have for sure settled in Mhow. It still remain a temptation on my travel list.
Bala sir, It is true , one page is too less to do justice to Mhow , a town created for faujis by faujis. But honestly , I thought it was already too lengthy and I did not expect anyone to read till the end of the post.:)
Murali there is one book on Mhow. Each old building has a history with MES records. Present Army School, previously All Arms Wing of MCTE was British Military Hospital and the building is called BMH1. It housed ARTRAC for a year or so. Each bungalow has some story. Churchill lived in one and JLN was kept under house arrest in one of them. It's a good research subject. You write so well. Please keep writing. I enjoy reading every blog of yours.
Sir , You have absolutely hit the right cords. Whether it's an obsolete knob of old brand of mixer or repair of pressure cooker or alteration of old coat which otherwise would have gone to the sweaty old lady selling steel utensils in lieu .. Mhow has got it all. The conventional way of adaptation to the modern way of life. Befitting a Fauji s outlook of .. Comfort zone.. When it comes to the uncanny feel of the phrase .."settling down"…for someone who's been a nomadic most of his life. Mhow has a charm of its own , its vicinity to nature and yet trending towards the modern facilities, a perfect trade off to assure yourself of having a low pace but not stagnant life after a long stint of ever changing setup. You brushed on the facets that subtly revived all the memories associated with the place .. It's never too long for any Mhow lover .. And most of the faujis love this place simply because they have spent best years of their life as students ..as Course mates .. As Instructors…a break from the monotony of life . Thank you sir , for making us revisit the memory lanes with your blog. An absolute pleasure to read !
Murali…Mhow could be your Malgudi.
If only you decide to, you can write a whole book of essays or stories set in Mhow.
You’ll then be known popularly as Mhow Murali!
Do keep the writing flowing.
Best wishes.
My wife had been lugging around an old Sumit mixer grinder , absolutely functional but one crucial knob missing. The machine was so obsolete no spares were available anywhere. That was before we reached Mhow. A 10 ft by 12 ft shop with a know-all , do-all owner, with a ‘koi dikkat nahin ‘ attitude found the right solution in no time . It is not just the jugaad for repairing stuff , they can also produce such stuff found only in elite stores. I was looking for a ‘quiche tray’ and the same shop-keeper produced it seemingly out of nowhere. (I had only recently learnt the word ‘quiche’ but as a shop-keeper of Main street , Mhow he was fully aware of the the contraption as an essential need of a fauji mem-saab.)
done only two courses there but long ago, but do remember it as a quaint place!But I think Bangalore is better for me, though the weather and traffic conditions are deteriorating by the day!Nice piece on Mhow, but you need to add the many other Novelties of the place which are unique and probably evolved only due to fauji demand!
When I first landed in Mhow, for BSW course in 1982, I abruptly told myself this town has some previous life connect with me. The town looked gothic with old dilapilated bungalows croaking to tell their tales. Magestic buildings constructed from black stones fascinated me to the marrow. The town had reminasance of British, though having left half a century back their scent was in the air. The old Churches, Anglo Indian settlements and Parsis stores on the Main Street. Later, when I got posted there, I had Ismail, a Borha friend. We exchanged mutton dishes for dinner as both loved experimenting cooking. I loved the antique and Kabbadi shops, the पसंदा(mutton chops), the fresh vegetable mart and more than anything else the people of this boutique town tailor-made for mould-casted Military officers who refuse to believe that twentieth century is running. Had it not for my deeper roots in Jaipur of current life, I would have for sure settled in Mhow. It still remain a temptation on my travel list.
Raj, never too late . plan a trip . visit to Mandu etc
Bala sir, It is true , one page is too less to do justice to Mhow , a town created for faujis by faujis. But honestly , I thought it was already too lengthy and I did not expect anyone to read till the end of the post.:)
Murali there is one book on Mhow. Each old building has a history with MES records. Present Army School, previously All Arms Wing of MCTE was British Military Hospital and the building is called BMH1. It housed ARTRAC for a year or so. Each bungalow has some story. Churchill lived in one and JLN was kept under house arrest in one of them. It's a good research subject.
You write so well. Please keep writing. I enjoy reading every blog of yours.
Sir , You have absolutely hit the right cords. Whether it's an obsolete knob of old brand of mixer or repair of pressure cooker or alteration of old coat which otherwise would have gone to the sweaty old lady selling steel utensils in lieu .. Mhow has got it all. The conventional way of adaptation to the modern way of life. Befitting a Fauji s outlook of .. Comfort zone.. When it comes to the uncanny feel of the phrase .."settling down"…for someone who's been a nomadic most of his life. Mhow has a charm of its own , its vicinity to nature and yet trending towards the modern facilities, a perfect trade off to assure yourself of having a low pace but not stagnant life after a long stint of ever changing setup. You brushed on the facets that subtly revived all the memories associated with the place .. It's never too long for any Mhow lover .. And most of the faujis love this place simply because they have spent best years of their life as students ..as Course mates .. As Instructors…a break from the monotony of life . Thank you sir , for making us revisit the memory lanes with your blog. An absolute pleasure to read !
Aparna, Thanks for visiting . It was a pleasure reading your comments !
Murali…Mhow could be your Malgudi.
If only you decide to, you can write a whole book of essays or stories set in Mhow.
You’ll then be known popularly as Mhow Murali!
Do keep the writing flowing.
Best wishes.