BENGALURU: It was a trip down nostalgia lane for old timers as news on the demise of Queen Elizabeth- II trickled in on Thursday night. Those who had seen the English Queen n person when she came down to Bengaluru re-lived their delight and pride at having met the globally popular monarch.
A ten-member group, comprising of extended family members, were among those who stood waving to Her Majesty in Malleswaram (which lies in the heart of the City) in February 1961. Due to the passage of time, none of those still alive could recall the date the exciting event happened!
They enthusiastically shared memories of that eventful day in their lives with The New Indian Express. 77-year-old R S Bhagawan, a retried Financial Manager at ITI Limited and a resident of C V Raman Nagar recalls, “I was a Class Nine student at Central High School. I had come down from Tumakuru to Bengaluru to spend the vacation with my grandfather, D C Ramaswamy Iyengar, who resided in 18th Cross in Malleswaram. As soon as we heard the news that she had left the residence of Sir C V Raman and was to go via 13th Cross in our area, many in my family rushed to the spot to watch the Queen pass through our area. Along with my father Raman Iyengar and grandfather, I stood waving at the Queen when she passed through the road a little while later.”
A car with politicians of Karnataka including former CM S Nijalingappa and S R Kanthi (who became CM later) followed the Queen’s vehicle. “We later followed the vehicles of VIPs up to Malleswaram Grounds where she delivered a talk. The English was too stylish and we could not understand anything.”
Her cousin, Dr Padma Prasad, retired gynaecologist, 75, based in Mysuru now, recalls what a beauty the monarch was. “I was just 14 then. I stood waving at her from the footpath on Margosa Road when she passed in an open black car accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh and her two children Charles and Williams. She was stunningly beautiful with a Kohinoor Diamond on her crown. We were murmuring among ourselves about how good looking she was. She was smiling and waving to all and turning her face to both sides of the footpaths to wave back at people.” Dr Prasad recalled the vehicle moving very slowly and smiles and happiness all around. “I still feel very proud I saw her,” she adds.
Another family member, Vasanthi Vasudevan, 82, a retired teacher, now resides in Mumbai. “I have a faint memory of the event as it dates back to 60 years. The only thing I remember is that all of us in our extended family ran with much speed towards the road when we heard the news that the Queen was on her way. And we managed to have a glimpse of her,” she said.