There's Gold In Them Hills

So back to the story of my Indian heritage. Once upon a time (somewhere around 1900) a fine young Italian by the name of Andrea Morlini, headed to India in search of gold. But that wasn't all he found there! Settling in the booming city of Kolar Gold Fields in Karnataka, he met a beautiful Indian lady called Maria and they were married and went on to have eight children together. Andrea and Maria were actually my great-grandparents, and one of the children was of course my grandmother, Kathleen. 

My great-grandparents, with six of their eight children (my grandmother is on the far left)

My grandmother was therefore half Indian and half Italian. She grew up in KGF, went to school and later completed training to become a nurse. Some years later, during the second World War, my English grandfather James Rose was stationed in the Kolar Gold Fields area. Here, he met my grandmother and they were married in the village church. They lived in India for a short time (during which my eldest aunt was born) and then at the end of the war he brought them home to England, where they had a further 11 children together, including my mum! 

My grandparents' wedding, in India

Nowadays most of my Indian relatives have emigrated to the UK, Canada and Dubai, but I still have one great-aunt, Faye, living in a suburb of Bangalore. I finally got to meet her for the first time, the day after our Mysore trip. She is now in her late 70's and living alone following the death of my great-uncle Ernesto a few years back. She is still bright as a button and it was a real treat to meet her!

Great Auntie Faye and I

With Auntie Faye in tow, we all drove out to the Kolar Gold Fields area, about 100km from Bangalore. The town is a lot quieter now than it must have been in its heyday. After 125 years of mining operations, the mines finally closed in 2001 as a result of high operating costs and depleted reserves (although the locals still insist there's plenty of gold down there!).

We were hosted by Auntie Faye’s sister Carole and husband Laurence who welcomed us with a delicious lunch, before Laurence took us out to show us around the area. Yes, they’re not what you’d think of as Indian names - most of the people in this area are Anglo-Indians, (i.e of European descent) as a result of so many Europeans heading this way during the gold rush.

Firstly we visited the cemetery where my Great Grandparents are buried. With my great-grandfather being Italian, the family were all Roman Catholics. There were separate but adjoining cemeteries for the Hindus and Muslims. The cemetery was a bit unkempt but there were cows there keeping some of the weeds under control!

Next we visited the area where my grandmother went to school and the church where she married my grandfather. (The original church collapsed when there was a huge mine explosion in the 1950's, but a new one has been built upon the same site). Finally, the mine where my great-grandfather worked and the nearby cottage where the family lived. On seeing us all outside taking photographs, the current residents opened the door and invited us in to see the inside, which was quite surreal. And then a neighbour of theirs recognised Laurence (who he used to work with) and invited us all in for a cup of tea! Unbelievable hospitality!

The gold mine where my great-grandfather worked

Mum in front of the house where my grandmother grew up

Back at Carole’s it was time for one final cup of tea before a few quick photos and then back in the car to Bangalore. It was a really interesting day, the highlight of which was meeting Auntie Faye who is a really happy, kind and gentle lady. It was interesting to see the places where my ancestors lived, although hard to imagine what their lives would have been like and I can only guess at the culture shock my grandmother must have felt upon leaving this hot, busy, colourful city and arriving into a small village in cold, grey, miserable post-war Britain!

Left to Right: Auntie Sonia, Auntie Sandra, Great-Auntie Faye, Laurence, Mum, Carole

The time with my family passed too quickly. I had one last day of one-to-one time with my Mum (lunch, shopping, afternoon tea, beers, dinner!) and then it was time to farewell them again, as Becky and I set off on our own adventure to Kerala!