Growing up in Allahabad's Thornhill club

I grew up in the Anglo-Indian Colony in Allahabad and it was a warm, homely sort of place. Spacious and airy, people often joked that it looked like a scene out of the wild west – some sort of a ranch minus the horses and guns! There were a few dogs and at times cows and buffaloes were left to graze by their owners but that added to the rustic charm. Encompassing an area of around one square kilometre, there were around thirty-five Anglo Indian families residing there and any number of servants who worked for them. It was known as the Thornhill Club – the colloquial name was the Bandhwa club! Not sure about the origin of both names. This property comprised a large compound within which were a number of spacious, red colonial type buildings with large gardens and a few other smaller cottages with manicured lawns and potted plants. An unpaved, winding road ran through the centre, large neem trees proved plenty of shade on either side , a lot of greenery and innumerable flowering plants and bushes added colour to every compound and right in the centre was a large hall with ante rooms , wooden flooring , badminton court etc. There were also a few tennis courts, but I never saw anyone play tennis on them. Towards the back of this property and at the end of a steep rugged slope was the “dhobi ghat” where the ‘dhobis’ from all over the town came to wash clothes. They came with their donkeys laden with dirty clothes and then let them out to graze while they toiled on for a few hours daily. Although they were over one hundred meters away, I vividly remember hearing them washing those clothes at the crack of dawn, shouting, and grunting each time they banged the clothes on to the sloping stone washing stands. They even did so unflinchingly during the very chilly Allahabad winters while we were all tucked into bed under tons of warm bedding – not sure if they are still there but they sure slogged on manfully. The Anglo-Indian families in the colony were all easy going, God fearing people who knew each other well. Most had lived there for over twenty-five years or more. At times I felt they knew too much about each other and always tried to learn more. As a young boy I often overheard adult conversations about who was divorcing who , of someone who had got engaged and not invited so and so as the families were not on good terms or of someone else who had stopped going to church as she did not like the new parish priest . No one was rich and no one was poor, and I guess that kept everyone peaceful. There was the usual jealousy and back biting but then no one even today is above reproach on that front. It was quite common to hear a knock on the door at eight am on a Saturday or Sunday morning when a neighbour had just decided to drop in for a cup of tea and a chat (read gossip) .We were not yet fully awake but such was the closeness of the families that no appointments were needed and almost all visits were un announced and without invitation! These visits could last anywhere from half an hour to two hours and at times a makeshift breakfast was rustled up as well and the guest stayed on for some more time. It is pertinent at this juncture to inform you that this entire property had no boundary wall, no fence, no watchman and the one winding road had no lights. At night one navigated the road with the help of a torch or managed with the lights from the houses and compounds which incidentally were switched off by around eleven. Nevertheless, I never heard of any robberies or break ins. Once during the Christmas season , after a few drinks, two hens were stolen by someone and sold to someone else in the same colony but nothing more of note . I have so many vivid memories of those wonderful days – they leave me with a fuzzy feeling even today The hall in the centre of the property was used for weddings, dances, parties, badminton and some miscellaneous meetings. If you knew the families, you were usually invited to the wedding and you just had to walk across. If on the other hand you did not know them, then you sat on your veranda and watched the wedding unfold fifty meters away. It was a nice way to pass the evening. Comments were passed on the number of guests, the quality of music, the aroma from the outdoor cooking, the decoration and even the gowns of the bride and bridesmaids. Some were good while others were rather uncharitable! There were a large number of servants living in the out houses and they usually invited themselves to all weddings with the excuse of helping out .They thus managed to get a free meal which no one begrudged them. If they were lucky, someone gave them a drink too. The dances during Easter, Christmas and New year were big affairs. Over two hundred couples and families bought tickets in advance – some bought them at the door at a premium , the best bands in the town were in attendance , guests dressed in all their finery, and dancing till the wee hours of the morning. Snacks and Liquor were on sale during the show and some people carried their own – no questions were asked. There were the occasional arguments & skirmishes , when undesirable, uninvited, lone, drunk guys tried to force their way into the hall or when someone tried to dance with someone else’s girlfriend or wife ! Needless to add, these gate crashers were fisted and literally shoved out by some of the very tough Anglo Indian gents who manned the door and knew how to use their fists to their advantage when needed. Everything carried on peacefully thereafter. I once saw a chair being thrown across the hall at two young chaps who were trying to force their way in! At times, those who had been refused admission waited for the dance to end and passed uncalled for remarks at those leaving and another fight ensued. On a few occasions the police from the nearby police station were called in but then again – things usually died down pretty soon I too played in the band for many years- first on the drums and then the rhythm guitar – was the lead singer as well. Did if for the thrill and the high, the little fame we presumed was coming our way and of course the money which helped in those difficult days! As a band I must say we were pretty good and quite in demand all over the town. That we were all in our early twenties added to the charm, I guess. Christmas in the club was quite the highlight of the year. Everyone decorated their houses which had been “whitewashed and painted” a few weeks before. Coloured lights, Christmas trees, fancy curtains and blaring music wafting through the air all added to the festive feeling. Carol singers made sure they visited all the houses in the compound in the weeks before Christmas and were welcomed in with snacks and drinks. If it was late, some people hid from them and refused to open the doors much to the chagrin of the poor singers out in the cold! The chilly winters during the vacations saw everyone sitting outside almost all day – wearing layers of clothes to keep themselves warm. Breakfast, lunch & tea were all had outdoors. As soon as the sun began going down, which was around four pm, the chairs were taken in, the doors shut and small coal fires lit. There was no television back then and no internet either, yet no one got bored. There were books to read, board games to play and others  like “I spy and kick the can” – which were quite a hit. Christmas does remind me of one old gentleman – whenever he visited, everyone was on guard because if you offered him snacks and left him alone for a minute , he would empty them into his bag and say Bye before anyone had time to react . But then again – no one was going to tell him to give the items back – it was quite a dirty looking cloth bag in the first place! Visitors during the festive season were aplenty. Every family made Christmas cakes and if you asked for the recipe, they usually told it to you but left out one key ingredient! There were innumerable other goodies all made at home and each family usually had their own speciality. I remember my mother making cakes, yummy fudge and a sweet we called stick jaw – well that is exactly what it did. Made of cooked sugar or jaggery, you could take one ball, put it in your mouth and chew it for hours. The Christmas tree for the kids was another fun evening. Around fifty kids and their parents turned up at around three in the afternoon. Santa Claus arrived by four. The hall was well decorated with balloons, buntings, streamers and coloured lights. A large Christmas tree took centre stage. There were games, dancing, music and snacks. Santa was usually someone from the colony. He arrived by means of the transport available at the time - on a motorcycle or scooter , in a rickshaw, once in a tonga or he just came walking up the slope and ringing his bell from behind the building . He threw sweets for the kids to keep them as far as possible as they tugged at his cape and that often caused quite a stampeded with children rolling in the mud . I was once requested to be Santa Claus but I refused point blank as the year before, some naughty boys had tugged at Santa’s beard and tried to partially disrobe him in the bargain . ! Boys will be boys and they were all of ten years old so you can imagine, wickedness was in their bones. The girls were usually sober and dignified and they simpered and giggled when he arrived or during the gift giving time. The smaller kids howled, cried and were literally dragged by their doting parents to receive their gift from Santa. When they refused to go to Santa or kiss him they were roughed up as well - I thought the whole things was rather sadistic at times. Once the gifts were given out there was gift wrapping paper strewn all over , there were bugles and whistles being blown , drums being beaten , cars being rolled , children running wild in excitement – it was mayhem galore. If we were lucky, a few photographs were taken if someone had a camera – don’t forget this was the pre mobile age – it was the seventies and eighties! Anyway, while the ladies were busy entertaining the kids and seeing to the snacks and games , a few gents would always slip off to have a Chota or two ( If you don’t know what that is you can find out ) . They would then re-enter the hall looking pretty sheepish, especially when their wives asked then where they had been! They also did a lot of smiling and talking when they returned and it was obvious they were all pretty high and happy for it! Rounders and kick the can during the day were other games that the youth indulged in so also seven tiles and a game with a ball called Kings! Boys and girls from other parts of Allahabad would come to play too and those were days of plenty of merriment and general good clean fun Some youth also conducted a badminton tournament every ear – it was a Tin a Bottle tournament – ie you paid a small entry fee of five rupees and you donated a tin or bottle of something edible – that would go towards the prize hampers. Many a lovely evening was spent battling it out on the badminton court in the hall – the wooden flooring is still as good as ever I am told. There was also the occasional Housie but that did not catch on. The compound of the club was quite dark & deserted at night & I was often quite scared when, having played for a dance somewhere in the town , I was dropped at the entrance gate to the large property well past midnight and had to walk about one hundred meters down the winding road to my house. When those dropping me home would ask me if it would be ok to drop me there , I would always say “yes” – then as their vehicle would depart I would walk as fast as possible while singing at the top of my voice . I once remember seeing a few jackals scurrying along quite close in the dip beside the road . I was startled out of my wits and took off at top speed not looking back till I reached my doorstep panting like a racehorse. Now you can either believe this or say to yourself that it did not happen but walk on a dark road with jackals beside you and you will know what I mean! I once also saw a ghost of someone who had died in the colony a few years prior to that day – a very nice friendly old man . Those who had lived there at that time would recognize the man from one simple description – he was quite old when he died & he wore a patch over one eye. Nothing major- I was as usual returning from a dance and I saw him cross over in the direction of the house he lived in which was quite close to ours. At this moment I am putting my hand on my heart and swearing that this is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. While on the topic of ghosts let me tell you another incident that happened when we lived in another house adjoining the main hall. It was summer and I was sleeping in the open varandah. It must have been around three in the morning and I was fast asleep on my back. Suddenly I felt a presence and my eyes opened. Standing at the back of the bed and looking over my face at about two feet was a man. My hair stands on end even today so many years later as I key this in so you can be sure this is no exaggeration. He was an old, gaunt looking man, had long hair, a long white beard and moustache but believe it or not – he had the face of a baby . I looked, I froze and shut my eyes. I opened them a millisecond later and he was gone. There was a very famous sweet shop just outside the mail gate of the Thornhill club – the name of the shop was “Hira Halwai”- obviously, the owner’s name was Hira! He sold the tastiest sweets, jalebis and samosas along with a green chutney.He also made Puris and a vegetable – it was nick named Puri Tak. It was chili hot, but the taste was to die for. The milk and curd were the best in Allahabad and during the summer months he sold Lassi as well with a thick layer of cream on the top. Hira’s snacks and sweets were the staple of innumerable parties all over the town. By the way some of the best parties were held in houses in the premises – Anglo Indians know how to party. Most were pound parties where everyone brought a pound of something to eat – this was then put on the table and everyone tucked in all evening – there was always food left over. Many of those I grew up with are still there –some with their children and grandchildren. A large number have migrated to foreign shores and are doing very well for themselves My mother and I had a house there for about forty years – for me that’s a lifetime!