When I was posted to Bellary in Karnataka I was upset at being posted in what was drab little known town. First impressions did not help as the train left me at dawn at the British era railway station.
nnnnIt was like stepping back in time. Bellary was like any other old British town, with its Cantonment, crowded bazaars and dust and heat.
nnnnAppearance can be deceptive. Bellary or Ballari as it is called now is a town now known for its illegal mining and corruption it entailed. It is a dusty little town given little importance today.
nnnnThere is a fort atop a hill and the town of Hospet and the ruins of Hampi nearby give a glimpse of the rich history of the place. There is the Tungabhadra river and the dam built on it with a canal passing through Ballari.
nnnnThere is an air of lost wistfulness in the area.
nnnnFor the British it was an important Military Garrision keeping a watch on both the Deccan and the Nizam in Hyderabad. There are rich deposits of iron and manganese and the British built the railway to exploit the mines and to facilitate military movement.
nnnnBut as I lived and saw the poverty there amidst the rich fields of rice and vegetables I understood the wistfulness and sadness.
nnnnThis was the place squeezed between different kingdoms and this was also one of the epicentres of the great famine of the south that lasted for nearly three years and took the life of nearly 10 million people. That is nearly double the people killed by Nazi Germany during the Holocaust. Nearly twenty five percent of the population died of starvation and disease.
nnnnnnnnThe British carried out the commodification of grain and the exports to Britain of Indian grain continued. A record 320000 tons of wheat was exported to Britain under orders from the Viceroy Robert Lytton.
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