Deolali
Encyclopedia
Deolali is a small hill station and a census town
in Nashik district
, Maharashtra
. It has several army establishments including the School of Artillery of Indian Army
and nearby Airforce station. and the residential Barnes School
.
It is also a town with various health sanatoriums around, including the Muktidham temple
at Nashik Road
and the Pandava caves at Pandavleni.
, Deolali had a population of 50,617. Males constitute 55% of the population and females 45%. Deolali has an average literacy rate of 77%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 83% and, female literacy is 70%. In Deolali, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.
camp 100 miles north-east of Bombay
. It was the original location of the Army Staff College. (Now the Defence Services Staff College of India
and the Command and Staff College
of Pakistan
). Deolali is home to the School of Artillery
, the premier institution for imparting training to all ranks of the regiment. In pre-independence India, the school was located in Quetta
(now in Pakistan
). After partition
, the school was shifted to the peaceful environs of the Shivaliks. It is the Mecca of gunners where doing a course is akin to a pilgrimage. The other ranks of the regiment are trained at the Artillery Centre, Nashik and the Artillery Centre, Golconda
in Hyderabad.
It is also the source of the British slang noun doolally tap, loosely meaning "camp fever", and referring to the apparent madness of men waiting for ships back to Britain after finishing their tour of duty
. By the 1940s this had been widely shortened to just "doolally", an adjective meaning "mad (insane)
" or "eccentric
". The town was the setting for the first four series of the British sitcom
It Ain't Half Hot Mum
, set in 1945.
Census town
In India, a census town is one which has:# A minimum population of 5,000# At least 75% of male working population engaged in non-agricultural pursuits# A density of population of at least 400 persons per km2.In Ireland, a census town is;...
in Nashik district
Nashik district
Nashik district, also known as Nasik district, is a district in Maharashtra, India. The city of Nashik is the administrative headquarters of the district.-Geography:Nashik district has an area of 15,530 square kilometres...
, Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
. It has several army establishments including the School of Artillery of Indian Army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
and nearby Airforce station. and the residential Barnes School
Barnes School
Barnes School, Devlali, is the largest boarding school in west India. It was established in 1925, on the basis of a 1718 original foundation. It is one of the best known institution for studies and sports. Barnes School has been rated as one of the top school in India.It is a private co-educational...
.
It is also a town with various health sanatoriums around, including the Muktidham temple
Muktidham
Muktidham is a marble temple complex honouring various Hindu gods. It is a popular tourist attraction situated in the Nashik Road suburb of the city of Nashik in the western state of Maharashtra in India. It is privately operated through a trust and was built through a generous donation by the late...
at Nashik Road
Nashik Road
Nashik Road is the name given to the suburb of Nashik that has the city's railway station...
and the Pandava caves at Pandavleni.
Demographics
India censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, Deolali had a population of 50,617. Males constitute 55% of the population and females 45%. Deolali has an average literacy rate of 77%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 83% and, female literacy is 70%. In Deolali, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.
British Army
Deolali was a British ArmyBritish Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
camp 100 miles north-east of Bombay
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
. It was the original location of the Army Staff College. (Now the Defence Services Staff College of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and the Command and Staff College
Command and Staff College
The Command and Staff College was established in 1907 at Quetta, Balochistan, British Raj, now in Pakistan, and is the oldest and the most prestigious institution of the Pakistan Army. It was established in 1905 in Deolali and moved to its present location at Quetta in 1907 under the name of Quetta...
of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
). Deolali is home to the School of Artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
, the premier institution for imparting training to all ranks of the regiment. In pre-independence India, the school was located in Quetta
Quetta
is the largest city and the provincial capital of the Balochistan Province of Pakistan. Known as the "Fruit Garden of Pakistan" due to the diversity of its plant and animal wildlife, Quetta is home to the Hazarganji Chiltan National Park, which contains some of the rarest species of wildlife in the...
(now in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
). After partition
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
, the school was shifted to the peaceful environs of the Shivaliks. It is the Mecca of gunners where doing a course is akin to a pilgrimage. The other ranks of the regiment are trained at the Artillery Centre, Nashik and the Artillery Centre, Golconda
Golconda
Golconda may be:Places:* Golkonda, ruined city and fortress in India* Golconda, Illinois, town in the United States* Golconda, Nevada, former town in the United StatesOther:* Golconda...
in Hyderabad.
It is also the source of the British slang noun doolally tap, loosely meaning "camp fever", and referring to the apparent madness of men waiting for ships back to Britain after finishing their tour of duty
Tour of duty
In the Navy, a tour of duty is a period of time spent performing operational duties at sea, including combat, performing patrol or fleet duties, or assigned to service in a foreign country....
. By the 1940s this had been widely shortened to just "doolally", an adjective meaning "mad (insane)
Insanity
Insanity, craziness or madness is a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity may manifest as violations of societal norms, including becoming a danger to themselves and others, though not all such acts are considered insanity...
" or "eccentric
Eccentricity (behavior)
In popular usage, eccentricity refers to unusual or odd behavior on the part of an individual. This behavior would typically be perceived as unusual or unnecessary, without being demonstrably maladaptive...
". The town was the setting for the first four series of the British sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
It Ain't Half Hot Mum
It Ain't Half Hot Mum
It Ain't Half Hot Mum was a British sitcom about the adventures of a Royal Artillery Concert Party, broadcast on the BBC between 1974 and 1981, and written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, the creators of Dad's Army...
, set in 1945.
External links
- Questions & Answers: Doolally tap:, Michael QuinionMichael QuinionMichael Quinion is a British etymologist and writer. He runs the web site World Wide Words, devoted to linguistics. He graduated from Cambridge University, where he studied physical sciences after which he joined BBC radio as a studio manager.-Writer:...
, 1996–2005, World Wide Words - District map, Nashik district