Netaji!

For us Indians, this is one name that is in sync with patriotism and leadership. One name that is respected in India, but seen with suspicion With the Allied powers of the west. A name that suddenly disappeared in the pages of history, denying the people of India a leader they held in high esteem, and the highest office in post independent India.

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, was that exemplary leader, where we the citizens of modern India admire and would proudly follow. 

My article on Netaji is more to do with the perceptions we as Indians, held historically and hold now, considering the fact of his mysterious disappearance and the relevant Netaji files cropping up and began making rounds in the media circles making every Media Mogul, a Virtual Judge to the entire episode.

Many people probably did not know that Netaji was once the President of the Indian National Congress, elected twice in the years 1938 and 1939, after which he resigned as his methods
 were considered against the non violent policies of Mahatma Gandhi and also due to disagreements, with the selection of the working committee.

(Picture: The Congress session of Haripura in 1938 after which Netaji resigned from the INC).

Even in the Congress Netaji loved dressing up in the army uniform and also held parades especially during the tenure of Shri Motilal Nehru's term in 1928 of being the President of the INC. Netaji had a senior British military officer's dress tailored by Calcutta-based British firm, Harman's, complemented by an aiguillette and a field marshal's baton; he also assumed the title of general officer commanding, much to the chagrin of Gandhi, who described the whole thing as "Bertram Mills circus". 

(Picture: Motilal Nehru and Netaji at the Calcutta Session in December 1928).

In the picture shown above, you will see the distinct style in which Netaji dressed up in a Military uniform, even as a member of Indian National Congress.

I am not going to discuss his life after the Congress till he boarded that plane which reportedly ended his life, as that's a well known saga in every Indian household.

What bothers me and makes me think, is the manner in which he died, the manner in which his death was reported and announced to the people of India, the reasons why his death has been so much of a debate and if at all, the reasons for keeping the details of his death a secret for over 70 years by successive Indian Governments, whether it was the INC, Janata Party, Janata Dal or the BJP.

For me to explain and understand the circumstances of his disappearance, I need to go back to that period, rather than take novice judgement on events that happened over 70 years ago, something some of the people of the present times enjoy doing as a pastime, without understanding or finding facts that led to these events.

1945 was the year, Normandy landing took place, Germany laid down arms in Europe and former Nazi leaders and scientists secretly negotiated asylum in America and Argentina, Japan had two of its cities nuked and finally offered unconditional surrender. INA was decimated and it's top leaders and soldiers captured. India was still under the British rule and did not even have the interim government which was later formed in 1946. 

The world was at the mercy of the Allied forces, which included USSR, UK and USA. The media was totally controlled by the British and so was the propaganda of the war in India. Then why was Netaji's death a mystery? I logically derive the following possibilities,

1. Netaji may have been a hero in India, but in the eyes of the Allied powers, he was an associate of the Nazis and the Empire of Japan. Therefore, his death even in normal circumstances would have been a plus point for the allied forces. The British wouldn't have allowed Netaji to be made a martyr of, again even if his death occurred in normal circumstances, as he was classified, rather more in the same category of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru, Chandrashekhar Azad and the other revolutionaries, who chose to take up arms against the British in India. Kindly note, that even they were not allowed to be made a martyr of and were branded as terrorists by the British.

2. A God given situation for the British, where they did not need to bloody their hands by killing Netaji, they simply had an opportunity to wash their hands of it by declaring his death on an air-crash that happened. Thereby, denying any further armed revolution by Indians under INA in the future. Like the saying in Hindi, ' Saanp bhi mare aur lathi bhi na tuthe', the British found this the most convenient way to shut things up with the INA, a few years before independence.

3. That he died in the place crash shot down by USSR. Now, in this situation, USSR was an ally of Britain before the cold war set in, and this news could have sent in a wave of extreme anger and rage in India, which could have caused serious damage to the Government and probably may have catapulted to be titled as the Second war of Indian Independence. Fear of these factors, may have prompted the British government to hush things up and give Netaji's death a mystery, keeping everyone guessing.

4. And that he survived the air crash and was held prisoner in USSR or in Japan as per, some theories doing rounds. There is a place called Renkoji Temple in Japan where Netaji's ashes are supposed to have been kept. 

(Picture: Renkoji temple in Japan)

(Picture: Netaji's bust kept outside the Renkoji temple)

Now, this sounds ridiculous, as if at all he was alive and returned to India in the form of some Baba in Uttar Pradesh, why did he keep quite and not return to the main foray, for the kind of man he was. I believe this to be the work of empty minded people to create unnecessary rumors, which are found in abundance in a country like ours. Netaji always had the years between 1945-1950, till we became a republic to announce his return, but again I strongly feel this is like an Urban Legend.

Blaming Nehru for everything related to him is absurd and unfair for reasons cited above.

(Picture: A ridiculous and false propaganda by the certain political parties showing a Tibetan monk as Netaji at Nehru's funeral)

Pandit Nehru paid a tribute to his former colleague, "In the struggle for the cause of India's independence he has given his life and has escaped all those troubles which brave soldiers like him have to face in the end. He was not only brave but had deep love for freedom. He believed, rightly or wrongly, that whatever he did was for the independence of India ... Although I personally did not agree with him in many respects, and he left us and formed the Forward Bloc, nobody can doubt his sincerity. He struggled throughout his life for the independence of India, in his own way."

However, the subsequent result was the Red fort trails, where Netaji's commanders were held for treason and Congress intervened to ensure that never happened, doubling it up with the Royal Indian Navy Mutiny at Mumbai. 

The period between 1946-1950, India had an Interim Government led by Jawaharlal Nehru. Please note that Netaji's elder brother Sarat Chandra Bose was a part of this government. Someone who loved Netaji dearly.

(Picture: Members of the interim government outside the Council Room in the Viceroy's House, New Delhi, shortly before their swearing-in ceremony. From left to right: Sarat Chandra Bose, Jagjivan Ram, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Asaf Ali, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Syed Ali Zaheer).

After India was formed as a Republic, the world was drawn in a new era of conflict, that between the Capitalists and the Communists, the NATO, CENTO, SEATO Vs The Warsaw Pact, an era of the Cold War. A conflict which never resulted in a direct warfare between the two super powers of that time, the USA and the USSR. 

India, chose a third option of remaining non aligned and Nehru along with Tito, Sukarno and a few other world leaders started the Non Aligned movement. However, the conflict with Pakistan and the wars that resulted over Kashmir, India was drawn closer to the USSR for arms and ammunition as Pakistan was part of the SEATO and received a lot of modern warfare equipment from the United States.

India's relation with USSR, and the possible relativity theory linking Netaji's death with USSR in a pre independent India, would probably have jeopardised the new Friendship Treaty that was forged during that time. 

I am sure the British Government during Independence would have passed down the Confidential files, relating to Netaji's death to the new Indian Government. The subsequent revelation of this death and the possible resurgence of INA, in an already bleeding India, due to the partition may have prevented the Government from disclosure of what exactly happened to Netaji, as logically, it would have just added salt over open wounds. It was noted that Netaji wanted ruthless dictatorship in India, if at all he became it's supreme leader.

Ref:http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Netaji-Subhas-Chandra-Bose-wanted-ruthless-dictatorship-in-India-for-20-years/articleshow/46980513.cms

What people today fail to understand that the British had acquired a golden bird, India by 1818, and turned it into a poor, hungry, weak and bleeding India in 1947, when they handed it over to the Indian Government in 1947.

The Government had very little to stand on it's own feet with half it's wealth, a huge part of land, 1/3rd of it's military and other assets, donated to Pakistan.

It probably was one of the biggest challenges of it's time, as no other country experienced the largest exodus of humans in recorded history that happened in 1947, due to the partition.

All these reasons make me ponder as to why Netaji may have not been significant to the Government, at that point in time, as nevertheless he wasn't in India, whether in life or death at the time of Independence or during formation of the Interim Government or during formation of the republic.

The Netaji files were, for reasons mentioned above, kept under wraps even by subsequent governments. Even opposition parties, who questioned and keep questioning Nehru's Government even after 50 years of Nehru's death, on Netaji's disappearance, when came in power declined to reveal the Netaji files, thereby giving a testimony that whatever the previous Government did, was ONLY in the national interest. As this may have caused upheaval of India's relations with other countries, for something that happened even before Independence.

I feel it is absolutely and extremely unfair by certain people today, to question the Government's actions in a time, they weren't present in and have absolutely no idea about, without understanding the reasons for having taken such actions and directly blaming, accusing, and maligning the name of Nehru.

People forget that there were Prime Ministers from other parties who had the opportunity to reveal the files, but like having said earlier, they chose not to and obviously more so for reasons beyond mine and your understanding. Like they say sometimes, 'Somethings are better left unspoken' rather than open the Pandora's box and repent. I just feel that we have to accept that whatever happened in it's time had it's own reasons rather than question history and become a self appointed judge to quote that 'We will rewrite history of the Indian National Congress and India', irrespective of the consequences that may arise thereafter. Most importantly forgetting that none of the people from the first Government, who made the policies on the Netaji files are alive today to provide justification and reason, thereby making stone throwing much easier.

Whatever, the present Government plans to reveal on Netaji's birthday on the 23rd January 2016, the people of India are in for a surprise and that too if the Government plans to reveal the entire Netaji files story and I do hope they do as at least Indian people will have one less mystery to deal with.

As for me, Netaji is somebody I remember very fondly and respectfully. I wish we had a leader of his caliber to lead the country today and his principles where no doubt required by a country like ours, where freedom is many a times, taken for granted.

God in reality!

I recently watched a movie called OMG or Oh my God, starring Paresh Rawal and Akshay Kumar with my family and friends and found it very interesting. It was basically a movie created with a motive against man's blind belief in organised religion and God in particular. This movie gave me a good platform to put in my thoughts and continue where the movie left of.

Among my family and friends, I have known four categories of people who think about religion or God in the following ways,
1. People who blindly believe in religion and God on what is taught to them since childhood and can get fanatic about it,
2. People who just believe that 'If I can see it and touch it, then it's real!' philosophy, so do not adhere to religion or God,
3. People who accept what is taught to them,  have made religion and God part of their custom and culture, but don't get too fanatic or bothered about it,
4. People who learn what is taught to them and go beyond it to find reason, answers to it's unsolved mysteries.

Unlike Islam and Christianity, Hinduism was not started by a prophet or a person. It was an evolved way of life developed by the early Vedic people and was originally known as Sanatana Dharma. The earliest texts known to mankind were scripted by them and are known as the Vedas. The first and oldest of them being the Rig Veda. Man therafter wrote a lot of books like the other three vedas, the upanishads, the puranas and the mythologies.

The basic concept of God in these books have always been things we live with, things which surrounds us, which affect our day to day life, they are nothing but the elements, nature and environment.

Indra was always the king of Gods in Rig Veda and is nothing but thunder and lightning, Agni is fire, Varun is water, Vayu is wind, Surya is Sun, etc. However, this was prior to the thought of trinity or manifestation of God thought came into picture.

     

The thought behind giving them the concept of God was the man's way of showing respect and gratitude to these elements. Man always realized the 'cause and effect' concept of nature, and also respected death, power and natural calamities. They understood the balance of nature and the important part it played in conservation or preservation of nature's cycle of life.  The common man found it difficult to associate himself with an abstract form of power and therefore, a human representation was given, which became it easier for him to relate himself.

                                              

The concept of the Creator, Preserver and the Destroyer was introduced much later. However Shiva is also mentioned as Rudra in the Rig Veda. It was basically a common unknown power which manifested itself to perform certain duties as desired by nature. Man gave it different names and worshiped it in different forms as per his convenience.

Our ancestors may have also realized that science had so much to offer, which the common man found difficult to relate to and thus gave each power a form of representation, in a very unique way. For example, it is not an unknown fact that, Indians had harnessed the nuclear energy over five thousand years ago. So, how do you make a common man respect and relate to such delicate and hazardous science. You give it a human form for people to relate to, and called it Shiva/Rudra/Shankar and signified the third eye as the source of the enormous energy and destructive power.  Shiva is also known as Bholenath or the Naive. This is because nuclear destruction does not distinguish good or evil / human or beast / the innocent or sinner when unleashed, but considers everyone alike.

Shiva is worshiped in the shape of a linga or penis for a reason. The representation was technically not intended to be a penis, but it looked like one which may have become controversial and hence stories were made by man to accept the form. and understand why Shiva was being worshiped in the form of a linga..

The fact is that if you have carefully observed the nuclear reactor, it is shaped exactly in the form of a linga.

In a nuclear reactor, heavy water is used in vast quantities continuously to cool down plutonium. A similar exercise is carried out when a priest continuously pours water or milk on the Shiva linga while performing the pooja, thus signifying the scientific process needed in a nuclear reactor. I don't think it's just mere coincidence, but a fact conceived long ago.







Remember, the Brahmastras as mentioned in the Ramayan and Mahabharata? They were nothing but nuclear tipped arrows with probably low yield nuclear fission, however capable of disastrous consequences. On a lighter note, to give you an idea, you may remember Rambo using bows and arrows with a warhead at the tip of the arrow?

The shlokas that are narrated in Sanskrit, is not just something which is supposed to be learnt by mugging it up, but is to be understood as it signifies man's various ways of praising the entity of power. It's like treating someone of importance similarly how you would treat a revered guest at home. Hence the panch-amrit abhishek and shudhi snanam procedures performed during the poojas of the idol. It was designed as a guide and pattern to help the common man follow a code or discipline while performing a pooja. Many people do not understand it because they do not understand Sanskrit. It's simple as that.

Common man has always needed rules and regulations to guide him to perform any task in life. Whether it is in reference to education, profession, administration or living in a society. These set of rules is what makes man a civilized person. Otherwise, there would be no difference between men and beasts.

To give you an example, the Maha Mrityunjaya shloka is such a beautiful poetry recited in Sanskrit, which in English language means the following,

Three-eyed one, I meditate on you, who increases fragrance and nourishment. From powerful disease, bondage and death free us into immortality.

Speaking about another deity, Lakshmi is nothing but money and is worshiped in the form of a woman and is depicted as the wife-consort of Vishnu. Now, the nature of money is unstable and does not stay or remain in one place constantly, so how do you make a common man understand this concept.
                              


Show the Goddess standing/sitting on a lotus, which is virtually impossible to do so. This is the sign of instability

Talking about mythologies, the story of Ramayan may have definitely occurred in the past, which was made known to the country by Valmiki when he wrote the Ramayana. History has evidence to prove that Kosala existed as a vedic kingdom in the north and was one of the Mahajanapad or the Great Republics of the ancient times. There may have been a king named Ramachandra with extra ordinary deeds who did so much good for man, that the people gave him the status of a God. An icon worthy of remembrance even after 5000 years after his rule. However no significant archaeological evidence remains to prove his existence and has only remained in texts and sentiments of men. History always becomes legend and legend, myth. Hence Myth-ologies.

Krishna may have been a great warrior who was dark in color, who was extremely intelligent and must have also been a great politician and statesman of the vedic period. He may have possessed all the great qualities of a perfect human being. Man must have loved him so much that, they also gave him the status of a God and called him an avatar of Vishnu, similarly to Ramachandra. I am sure he must have also shared the values written in the Bhagavad Gita as known to the common man, as a code of conduct, a guide and friend for life, to find answers to man's woes faced in life. I personally regard it as one of man's greatest feats and achievements in philosophy.

Even till today, people adhere certain saints, prophets and Sadhus, build temples tombs over their name and given them the status of a God. People call such entities Dev Manushya or God men or the Son of God.

On a lighter note, Amitabh Bachchan having a temple in Kolkata may be termed as a God after a thousand years for his deeds.

There are so many examples one can give, provided man is ready to open his mind and maintain a broad spectrum of thought.

Even the original vedic caste system was based on merit and not on birth or family, as the society had assigned individuals or families with a certain task or work to be done in the country.

If a Brahmin or the priest took up arms, he becomes the Kshatriya or the warrior, if the Kshatriya does business, he becomes the Vaishya or the trader, if the Shudra a cleaner or laborer masters knowledge, he becomes the Brahmin.

Imagine the terminologies used in clubs or association like the Chairman or the Secretary and Treasurer, being manipulated on the basis of birth and not on merit. It would sound so unfair and funny.

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose had once wisely quoted,  'Not every Brahmin is a wise man, but every wise man is a Brahmin'. This was with reference to his wife questioning a Frenchman priest performing his wedding in vedic rights. There was no better way to understand the truth of the caste system, than these words.


My only attempt is to try and explain that Hinduism being a way of life, created to be continuously evolving and to be improved upon and is based on nothing but science and the law of nature.

However, it's very sad to see that people over the ages had manipulated this way of life to bind people in unwanted restrictions, traditions and discrimination to hold power and control over the masses.

Blind belief made this way of life reduce man's capacity to reason, think and accept the truth the way it is supposed to be accepted. Man has always detested from changing a thought, which has been imbibed in their very foundation of belief, which has been passed on for generations, by people who only did so for their own greed and convenience.


The only thought that comes to my mind is that I am proud to be following this way of life, whatever name you call it, as it gives man space and a reason to improve his way of life and thought, which was conceived by our ancestors over 5000 years ago.

The idea of INDIA!!!

It has been quite a while since I wrote my last blog and I really started thinking, what good topic could I share with you. Then came Anna Hazare with his protest for the Jan Lokpal Bill, and I saw a wave of patriotism and support sweeping our motherland for one just cause. Though I do have my personal reservations on the protest, I have always supported any anti corruption movements in our country, but that again guarantees nothing, unless and until the mindset of our people changes and they realize the love for their motherland came first, more than their own selfish cravings.

It's a very strange and a fascinating fact that we as a country today, have so many different kind of people living in it, who speak in different languages, and who come from different geographical regions, are called by one name, Indians, and the country called as India.

Coming to think of it, was it possible our ancestors really think this could have been possible about 200 years ago? I seriously doubt it, because the idea of India, never existed and was never in the minds of the people living in it. The land which lied south of the Himalayas, east of Persia, north of the Indian ocean and to the west of China was known as Hindustan or Bharatvarsh. However, the latter term was later known as the Greater India sphere.

Historically, the Indian Peninsula was united for just four times since the Indus Valley Civilization. Five times, if we count the original Kuru kingdom of Emperor Bharata who existed may be around 5000 BC, where India was at its largest extent ever.
The other four times was during the rule of Emperor Ashoka The Great, of the Mauryan Empire, Emperor Aurangzeb of the Mughal Empire, the British Empire in 1857 and when the present Indian Republic was formed in 1950.

The name India, is a Greek word inspired from the river Indus, and meant the area which lied east of it, since the 5th century BC and was known only in the Hellenistic western world.

According to the epics, India was known as 'Aryavrath', during the time of Ramayana. The term 'Bharat Ganarajya' or 'Bharat varsha' was known as the land, under Emperor Bharata who was the son of King Dushyanta and Shakuntala, and an ancestor of the Pandavas and Kauravas of the Mahabharata. His empire was supposed to have spanned, the present day India, Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, parts of Persia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgistan, Parts of Indonesia, Thailand, Burma, Singapore, Vietnam, Cambodia,  Tibet, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, parts of China and supposedly, parts of Australia(which seems most unlikely).

However, after the war of the Mahabharata, kingdoms were supposed to have disintegrated into several republics and were known as the Mahajanapadas. This is the point where recorded history of India began, as history before it was lost in the dark ages. That part became a myth and were classified as mythologies.

The best thing about this part of the history was the Mahajanpadas carried the same name as the Aryan kingdoms that existed in the Mythology, thus giving us a thought to ponder that the stories in the mythologies may have happened. The sixteens states were, Kuru, Panchala, Kosala, Magadha, Sindhu, Gandhara, Matsya, Kashi, Anga, Vidarbha, Chedi, Kamboja, Avanti, Vrijji, Malla, Surasena or Yadu.  All these kingdoms have been mentioned in the mythologies like Ramayana of Kosala fame and Mahabharata, which had almost all the above mentioned kingdoms participating in the war. These events occurred at least 2000 years before the recorded history which began in 600 BC. The mythologies have unconfirmed reports to have been occurred between 7500-6500 BC for Ramayana and 3500-3000 BC for the Mahabharata War. All this, around the same time when Achilles, from Homer's 'Iliad', made his name in Greece and Helen in Troy. Makes me wonder, does that mean that these kingdoms survived for such a long time. Wow!

Then came the Mauryan Empire, which under Chandragupta Maurya sought to unite the entire sub continent under one monarchy for the first time in recorded history, and was know as the first true emperor of the whole of India. His son, Bindusara and grandson Ashoka the Great, added more areas to the kingdom and made kingdoms south of present day Karnataka subject to the Mauryan empire, and this included Lanka.

After this episode,a number of empires came and went and Gupta even ushered the Golden Age of India, but did not have the entire country under them. Never until the Muslim rule of Mughal Empire, that we were again united under one flag. With them the concept of 'Hind' seeped in, which was derived from the Persian language for area beyond the Sindhu river, and thus the name Hindustan.

It's very interesting to know, that the name Hinduism, was derived from the Sindhu river. Sindhu river became our identity for years to come. It was also known as Indus for west.

By 1700 AD India, under Aurangzeb, was united in territory matched to what Ashoka had achieved 1500 years before him.

However, by this time, peace was not to last under Aurangzeb as he had many political, financial, territorial and demographical problems and no sooner than he died, the Empire started to crumble, just few years after it had reached it's pinnacle of glory.

All the Governors of the empire began to declare themselves independent and formed their own small kingdoms, which the British took advantage of by 1756. They defeated Siraj Ud Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal and took over areas of the present day Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, under him.

Just before this happened the Marathas tried to resurrect the Hindu power in India and were successful till their expansion was checked by Ahmed Shah Abdali. Their success was never meant to be. Infighting and constant wars with the British weakened the unity of the country to a great level. The  One Nation theory was just not in the minds of the rulers of those days.They were just interested in their selfish motives. The British, who on the other hand were ardent patriots, did everything for their country, king/queen, company and took advantage of the prevailing situation and established one of their biggest territorial gains, which later became a jewel in the crown of the British empire.

  They contributed much to the country in the fields of science and communication, which is not very appreciated and acknowledged by us Indians, however on the other hand depleted the country of its natural resources, cultural and traditional businesses and turned a country which had the highest GDP in the world for 4000 years, into an economic disaster.  Indians began opening their eyes to realize what was happening. The one nation theory was taking birth in the minds of intellects and thinkers. This manifested into the freedom movement of India. However, before gaining independence, the British systematically disintegrated India into several countries. The British cut off Burma, Nepal, Bhutan, parts of Afghanistan years before 1947. The last of it was Pakistan, thanks to the contributions made by our own people for the formation of it.

Today, independent India, still maintains the core essence of its culture and heritage.

India today is just a small fragment of a once great territory called Arya Vrata, Bharat varsha, integrated by Emperor Bharata, who apart from expanding territories, gave its people a lifetime of peace and justice.

The point is not to wonder what we lost, but what we could lose in the future if we continue to go this way. From 14 states we now have 30 states to manage and people keep saying Yeh Dil Maange More!! I wonder what Shri Vallabhai Patel would have felt about it when he integrated over 520 states into one single country in just 2 years.

The decision whether the idea of India remains or not, now rests with the younger population of this country and I do sense that the idea will remain for very long time.

Indian War of Independence

As children we have often came across the topic of the 'First War of Independence' or the 'Sepoy's Mutiny' or 'The Indian war of 1857, in our social studies textbooks. I have often wondered, if the 'First World War' was known as the 'Great World War' or simply 'The Great War', before the second world war broke out, like a sequel, when was the second war of independence fought, to call it the first as it was the only war fought by a confederation of a few small Indian kingdoms, against the East India Company(EIC) and their allies. Do you realize that it was the last ground war ever fought in the heart of mainland India, involving some of our major cities of that era. After the war was over, the British promptly described it as the Sepoy's Mutiny to avoid any kind of publicity or hype to the entire episode, with attention to the Indian public.
 
This war was NOT fought for the unification of India as projected in media and movies, but a war fought by rulers of small kingdoms, who rebelled against the imposition of the Doctrine of Lapse by the then Governor General Lord Dalhousie of the  East India Company, which stated in one of its clauses that, if the ruler was incompetent or died without an heir of the same blood line, the kingdom will be annexed to the company. When the first sparks were lit by Mangal Pandey at Barrackpore which raged after he was hung, there were many rulers who did not support or stand for the cause and instead joined hands with the EIC, some of them thinking that the return of the Mughals with Bahadur Shah Zafar as the emperor, as the foremost power of India, in a situation if EIC loses the war, the smaller kingdoms will be subject to a status established prior to 1700 AD.


 Did you know that 22 Indian states of that time, formed a coalition with the EIC against only 7 Indian kingdoms who came together under the Mughal emperor and had leaders like Peshwa NanaSaheb II, his general Tatya Tope(who was one of the greatest Generals of India) and Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi. I again wondered what name I could give this war, where in a majority of the Indian states joined hands with the British, against other Indian states. On a light note, I could be sure that the rebelling states would have lost heavily, even if there was a free and fair democratic elections held at that time. And yet, we call it our First War of Independence. It sounds more like the need of Independence by India, from India.

The war had a great effect on the psyche of the people of India. The result of the war was a complete annihilation of the rebel forces, permanent destruction of the Mughal power in India, along with the Mughal Royal family. Every male member of the family was beheaded and the emperor exiled to Rangoon to avoid any further communications with the rebels, Nanasaheb disappeared and was nowhere to be heard of, just rumors prevailed about what may have happened to him, Tatya Tope and many heroes like him were executed. It was widely believed that he was blown away tied to a cannon in contrary to the claim made that he was hung. Delhi was purged, its citizens were ruthlessly massacred by the British forces just for spite, something that went unnoticed in our popular version of written history. What happened to the British was, that the EIC was destroyed forever, never to live again. Instead the Crown took over the country directly under it. The idea of India was being born in the minds of the people, which gave rise to the later part of the struggle for freedom, of our beloved country The British realized that the only way to avoid such conflicts in the future, was to form military regiments based on castes and regions, which is followed till this day.(Wonder why we have the Jat Regiment, the Sikh Light Infantry, The Gurkha Regiment, the Punjab Reg., The Rajputana Rifles, etc.)

Sometimes, I still wonder, what if all the states of India had come together for this one cause, what kind of history would I have read at school and what kind of India would I have been living in today. It's unimaginable.
Coming back to the present, its sad to see that our successive governments, our people don't take lessons from the past and first think about our country, rather keep thinking about their own selfish gains, which benefit them only in the short run, but which always has disastrous consequences in the long run. This attitude of ours, had already made us subject to a foreign ruler many times in the past. Its time for at least once, to think about our country.

Its always when we secure our country, that we have a future, in return makes us secure and gives us a future, in turn making our children secure and providing them with a better future, later making them the future of this country,making it secure.

Pictures: Starting from Top to bottom: (Mangal Pandey, the Jhansi fort at the time of Rani Lakshmibai's rule, Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar on his death bed(only photograph ever taken of a Mughal emperor), The Red Fort in 1857, another picture of a gate at the Red Fort, Tatya Tope handcuffed, war heroes being hung and blown away by cannon.)

The throne of Tipu Sultan

In Indian history, the throne had a special place in minds of the rulers, the people and the empire. Three such thrones had become popular and were known to the common man. 


The first was the legendary throne of Emperor Vikramaditya of Ujjain. Legends, stories were passed on by way of books and word of mouth. In modern times, a television serials  was telecasted popularly know as 'Vikram Betal', And 'Raja Bhoj'. Amar Chitra Katha issued the comic book 'Vikramaditya's throne' for the children, which we grew up reading.
However, evidences and details about the throne became history, history became legend and legend, myth. 


The second throne was the Peacock throne which belonged to Emperor Shahjahan of the Mughal Empire. This throne was one of the most treasured mughal artifacts and the pride of the empire. Nadir Shah plundered the red fort in 1738 and took away this throne and other mughal treasures with him to Persia. The French jeweller Tavernier, who saw Delhi in 1665, described the throne as of the shape of a bed (a "takhteh" or platform), 6 ft. by 4 ft., supported by four golden feet, 20 to 25 in. high, from the bars above which rose twelve columns to support the canopy; the bars were decorated with crosses of rubies and emeralds, and also with diamonds and pearls. In all there were 108 large rubies on the throne, and 116 emeralds, but many of the latter had flaws. The twelve columns supporting the canopy were decorated with rows of splendid pearls, and Tavernier considered these to be the most valuable part of the throne. Estimates of its value varied between Rs. 40 million (Bernier) and Rs. 100 million (Tavernier).The original peacock throne is now lost in the sands of time and a replica was made in its place. There were rumours that the throne was broken down during the various revolutions that took place in Persia after Nader Shah's death and was broken down by miscreants. Thus resulting in the loss of one of India's biggest treasured artifact.


However, what many Indians did not know and which was never taught in schools, was that there was a third throne known in the erstwhile state of Mysore, and that, was the throne of Tipu Sultan, the de facto ruler of Mysore or Sultanate -e-Khudadad. Most of us got to know him through our text books in schools and through the famous television serial 'The Sword of Tipu Sultan' telecasted in the late 80s and early 90s.  He was also given credit for being the inventor of rockets for military applications and recently came into media limelight when Mr.Vijay Mallya brought one of his swords back to India. 

The original throne was octogonal in shape and had 8 tiger head finials at each bend and had a tiger head in the centre. It had an umbrella with a 'Huma' bird mounted on top of it. 
After Tipu was defeated in 1799, the invading forces of the East India Company and Hyderabad ransacked the palace and pillaged the city of Srirangapatnam. Even before the Duke of       Wellington, Lord Wellesley was informed      about the throne, it was broken down by the soldiers as spoils of war. The Lord intended to present it to the King George III as a gift and mark of victory. The east India Company estimated the price of the throne to be worth 30,000 Star Pagodas, a form of standard currency issued by the Madras Presidency and was in circulation in Southern India at that time. This coin was made of gold and weighs 3.4g. 
After it was taken to England , the remains of the throne was stored in various castles of England and then came into limelight after Sotheby's auctioned one of the finials for 389,600 pounds. Presently, there are only three gem crested finials left in the world today from a total of eight pieces, the rest being lost or destroyed. The central tiger head and the huma bird still lie in England awaiting its final fate. I sincerely hope an Indian gets it back to where it should rightfully belong, India.

The glorious city of Vijayanagar

Has anyone ever visited Hampi? Well, I am not taking you through a guided tour of the place, as this has been written over and over again by many writers and publishers. The easiest way is to access Wikipedia and you may get all answers you need to know whats where in the ruins of this erstwhile capital of the Vijayanagar empire.
What I will be sharing with you is the feeling I felt of being there and the imagination of myself travelling back in time during the rule of Aliya Rama Raya, the de facto ruler of the empire. He was the son in law (Hence the name Aliya in Kannada for Son in law) of one of the greatest emperors of Vijayanagar and one of the greatest kings from India,  Emperor Sri Krishnadevaraya. As children we remembered Sri Krishnadevaraya easily because of his court poet Tenali Rama, who was as brilliant as Birbal in Akbar's court.
Hampi was supposed to have been underground for over 4 centuries. When I last visited Hampi with my cousin, it took me two and half days to cover the sites that were popular, with good road connectivity and which existed on every tourist map there was. I realised the best parts of the city still lie unexplored and had to be explored on foot. Trust me, three days was just not enough, I wish I stayed over for at least a week, to really get and see what I was looking for. We came across areas where work on stones, boulders, rocks and temples were unfinished or incomplete in many parts which ran along the river. I gazed upon one such boulder of rock and wondered why was the work on it incomplete. At this point my mind took me in imagination,back in time when the Ramaraya left the city with his troops to take on the united sultanates of deccan. The 500,000 citizens of the city who woke up as usual on the morning of the battle and resumed their day to day profession, never realised that the confident army(which was much bigger than the combined strength of the sultanates) that left the city in the morning would never ever return. What came after they left, was a wave of murderers, looters and savages, that plundered the defenseless city and turned it to its present state. The sculptor who probably thought he would convert that huge piece of rock into a beautiful sculpture, would never realize his dream. That rock must have seen blood of the very man working on it. No man must have ever worked on that rock again and that's when I came back to the present and I said to myself, Holy Shit!

This place is still the best bet for any Indiana Jones wannabes. Treasures are still found to this very day in forms of gold coins and precious stones, however, there has been a very strict vigilance imposed after gold prospectors and treasure seekers tried vandalizing the monuments in search of gold. Most of the areas which were residential or commercial have all been turned to banana and coconut plantations by the government. This has completely put a halt on any unauthorized excavations.

This is one place I must visit again soon.