Ratnagiri, March 7, 1998
King Thebaw [the last sovereign ruler of Burma] is incarnate in this town: his name is everywhere and everyone knows him. I ask people about him and they answer: ‘Yes, Thiba-raja, he was a prisoner here (bandh karke rakha tha)’. Went to see the Palace, which is a Polytechnic Insitute now – quite grand, but not quite as much as one might think.
Very run down, with huge and ugly modern buildings all around it. Has a splendid view of the southern headland of the bay of Ratnagiri – and the river and estuary. The river is called the Kajali River and the estuary is the ‘bhate ke khari’. The view is spectacular.
Sir,
In case you have a photograph of the Collector’s bungalow, it would be nice, and the view from the collector’s bungalow leading to the sea