Elusive Pimpernel: One of a rare kind
INDIAN RACING has not seen the likes of him. He was the greatest. He could win start to finish or from any position. Over any distance. In record timings. The niggling shin problem never hampered his progress. He made light of the back-breaking weights. He won 22 of his 23 career starts. He did what others before him or after could not do. He was simply superb. And he was Elusive Pimpernel.
Elusive Pimpernel proved the racing adage that anyone wishing to make an ass of himself has only to issue an unqualified statement about a racehorse. The horse will take it from there. He proved even the wizard of trainers Rashid Byramji wrong. The champion of champions Rashid Byramji who has over 200 classic success to his credit thought that Elusive Pimpernel (Watlefield-Right Step) was a rubbish of a horse and thought that the horse was forced down his throat by his owner Deepak Khaitan who got the colt in a package deal. A humbled Byramji later graciously admitted that Elusive Pimpernel was the greatest horse he trained.
``I thought Elusive was a rubbish of a horse. He was tall and very light and began to grow strong only as a late three-year old. Breeder A K S Brar had great confidence in him and I had reluctantly agreed to train him. He gave me immense hope after the Bangalore Summer Season (1994) as he grew strong with every race. He won his nine races, including the Indian Derby and the Classic Indian Turf Invitation Cup when he had sore shins. He could not race the Indian St Leger as he had a stifle problem in his hind leg. A long rest after the Invitation Cup seemed to have done him a world of good for he never had the recurrence of the problem thereafter,'' said Rashid Byramji who trained him to perfection.''
Though Elusive Pimpernel went about winning races with amazing ease, Byramji was not prepared to concede that it was the best horse that he ever trained. But not for long. After Elusive Pimpernel's win from an impossible position in the Justice Cup in Bangalore, Byramji said that the two other great horses that he trained namely Squanderer and Adler who incidentally went on to win a race at USA, would not have done what Elusive Pimpernel had done.
Elusive Pimpernel's victory in the Justice Cup was simply breath-taking. He was racing after a long lay off and was conceding weight all round and was also taking on one of India's consistent horses namely Diablo. Elusive ran into a wall of horses and jockey Aslam Kader switched him out violently at right angles and despite his stride having been completely broken and with only 100 metres to cover, he came up with a stunning run to catch the front-running Diablo who seemed to have sewn up the race. And despite all these problems, he could still spare a length at the finish!
Sunny Brar who bred Elusive Pimpernel at the Dashmesh and Hargobind Stud Farm, had this to say: ``Breeding is done with a specific objective in mind. Though we have produced champion thoroughbreds, I did not believe that Elusive would turn out to be as outstanding though I had high hopes on him. If breeding horses could be reduced a system like a sum in arithmetic, there would be an end to speculation and the exciting interest with which it is accompanied would be wanting. It is not be inferred from this that chance presides unreservedly over its destinies. However, it is an inescapable fact that breeding is a chancy nick which throws into dustbins the best argued theories about breeding. Well, I would not like to call Elusive Pimpernel a freak of a horse though he belied everyone's expectations.''
The Super Star of Indian racing Elusive Pimpernel overcame physical problems and stiff handicaps and testing conditions at various race-courses all over the country to smash the opposition like no one else had done in the history of India racing. He lost just once in his illustrious career when the terms of the race were ridiculous. Elusive was set to concede 16 kgs to a well-bred got-abroad filly namely Consequence. Elusive had established a long lead in the short-straight at Pune in the RWITC Invitation Cup that his win was being taken for granted. Consequence's finishing burst resulted in a rare defeat for Elusive by a whisker.
Jockey Aslam Kader who piloted Elusive Pimpernel was blamed for the defeat but the pint-sized dynamo said that his horse was surprisingly stropping in the end. ``I cannot explain Elusive's loss that day,'' said the jockey with a tinge of regret.
Unfortunately, plans of sending Elusive Pimpernel to Hong Kong or the USA to race there did not materialise as the game Wattlefield progeny suffered a tendon injury after his win in the Pune Invitational Cup race and was retired to the Dashmesh Stud where he was born to do Stud duties. His progenies are yet to race but there is no doubt if he is given the right kind of support, he would make his mark as a stallion too
Madhya Pradesh is replete with unique handicrafts. Delicately woven Chanderi and Maheshwari saris, carpets from Vidisha, Mandsaur and Sarguja, intricate gold and silver embroidery, leather toys, stuffed animal miniatures, and bead handbags, dazzling lacquer work, cigarette cases of Jabalpur stone are all proof of the excellent craftsmanship of the people of the state.
Arunachal Pradesh is skirted by Bhutan on the west, China on the north-east, Myanmar on the east and by the Indian state of Assam on the southern side. It mainly consists of verdant mountainous ranges sloping to the plains of Assam, and has the largest area in the north-east region.
Here, kingdom after kingdom rose and fell, leaving their indelible mark on history. Rival kings fought legendary battles, devastating the land and the people. Yet, by some strange alchemy, the same land also saw the birth of some of the most gentle and progressive religious teachers like Buddha, Mahavira and Guru Gobind Singh.
The Mizos belonging to the Mongoloid race, are original settlers of the Shan State of Burma. Two of the tribes, the Lushai and Himar, migrated to India and occupied the Lushai hills. Mizoram was annexed in 1891 by the British as Lushai Hill district, and made a part of Assam. With Independence, Mizoram became a district of Assam. Mizoram was made a State of the Indian Union on 20th February 1987, following the historic Mizoram Peace Accord, signed between the Central Government and the Mizo National Front in June 1986.
Lakshadweep is spreading its wings in the way of tourism, by providing various facilities for the tourists. Tourist facilities in Lakshadweep have been developed by way of luxury cruises around the islands. All tourists need permission to visit Lakshadweep, except those booked on a cruise, in which case permission is automatic. Four of the inhabited islands (Kavaratti, Kalpeni, Minicoy and Kadmath) are open to Indian tourists and Bangaram, an uninhabited island, is open to both domestic and foreign tourists. Bangaram has facilities for water sports.Swimming, fishing, sailing in glass - bottomed boats which give enchanting views of the coral below, and yachting are the main attractions. Wood - carving in the Ujra Mosque at Kavaratti, the tomb of Hazrat Ubaidullah at Andrott, the Buddhist archaeological remains at Andrott, and the famous light house at Minicoy, are some of the places worth visiting.
This restored, attractive, former French colony exudes a Mediterranean aura, with its chic streets, elegant houses, ornamental gardens and the Hotel de Ville. Being a small and quiet enclave of Tamil Nadu, it has imbibed the Tamilian culture. Apart from the charming atmosphere, excellent restaurants and cheap beer, what attracts most travellers to Pondicherry is the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and its offshoot, Auroville, 10 km outside town. The ashram, founded by Sri Aurobindo in the year 1926, has brought international reputation to this coastal town. The ashram, the spiritual tenets of which, combine yoga and modern science, is quite popular within India, and abroad.
Pondicherry is oval-shaped, with streets aligned at right angles. The skilfully planned township is distinguished by a 3 km long espalanade which skirts the town and encloses the tourist attractions. Raj Niwas, where Dupleix once lived, (now,the residence of an Indian Lt. Governor) has a garden with a sculpture of Lord Vishnu as the 'varaha avatar' (boar incarnation) together with the earth goddess Lakshmi. The Government Park is well-planned with flower beds and fountains, one of them dating back to the period of Napoleon III (1852-1870). The Botanical Gardens, conceived in 1826, boast a variety of rare and exotic plants from India and abroad, and the Sama Koil church, once a temple of Shiva is impressive with a grotto of Mother Mary. The beautiful unspoilt beach, the aquarium, Poet Bharathi and Bharatidasan memorial museums, First World War Memorial, Ousteri lake and Joan of Arc Square are the other spots of tourist interest.
The Pondicherry Museum has whole suites furnished in the French style, in vogue, at the time of occupation. Marble sculptures include the Cupid and Psyche, Venus and Spring pieces. The Art Gallery contains invaluable archaelogical finds pertaining to Roman, French and Hindu cultures.The Arms Gallery is yet another fascinating feature of this museum. The Romain Rolland Library has over 60,000 volumes, including rare French books. The Manakula Vinaynagar Temple on Rue d'Orleans, the 12th century Sri Tirukameswarar Temple at Vilayanur and the 7th century Thiruvandar Temple are shrines built in the Chola period, in the 10th-12th centuries.The Sacred Heart Church, the Eglise de Notre Dame de Anges and the Eglise de Notre Dame de Lourdes are the other interesting historical sites.
There was, however, an ancient urban settlement in Delhi known as Indraprastha on the banks of the Yamuna which is traditionally believed to have been founded by the Pandava brothers, the mythical heroes of Mahabharata, the national epic of India. Excavations at the site of the township inside Purana Kila or the Old Fort show that the date of the oldest habitation in Delhi is around the 3rd or 4th century B.C.
Among the places of special interest to tourists in Delhi are the 
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