Expatriate businessman C P Salih had a happy reunion recently after 60 years — with a gleaming Studebaker car that had left his home in 1960.
Salih’s father Chandanaparambil C P Mohammad had bought this American car from Delhi. It is estimated that the car, manufactured in 1947, arrived in India in 1949.
It was in this car that the wedding party of the mother-in-law of prominent businessman Galfar Mohamed Ali had travelled to the wedding.
C P Mohammad sold the car in the 1960s. After changing several hands, it finally reached Delhi again. What’s more, it had the same old number — DBG 8213. Mohammad had written in his diary that he had bought the car for Rs 2,400. The car was tracked in Delhi with the help of the old number.
Salih purchased the car and brought it to his Valappad home to give it to his son Anhar Salih as a wedding gift. The car was originally red in colour. It has now turned blue. The top was lost due to age. But the engine is still the old one.
C P Salih with his family.
On seeing its return, many elders shared their memories of having seen the car in the past. All this was recorded and kept by Salih’s family. Many were not even allowed to touch the car. But C P Mohammad took everyone in the area in the car.
While the old car has been found, one puzzle related to it remains. CP Mohammad had written in his diary that an Ezhuthachan in Thrissur had helped him buy the car. Salih has not yet been able to find out who that was.
source: http://www.onmanorama.com / OnManorama / Home> News> Business / by OnManorama Correspondent / January 17th, 2021
A short documentary on Malayalam cinema’s evergreen star Prem Nazir, which surfaced online a couple of days ago, has garnered thousands of views, in testimony to the actor’s enduring popularity, thirty-two years after his passing away. On his death anniversary on Saturday, the video, which was made for Doordarshan back then, was shared across social media platforms, providing a glimpse of the actor to many from the younger generation too.
The documentary titled Nithyavasantham Nithyavismayam, converted from an old VHS tape, was uploaded on Facebook by Orbit Videovision. It was directed by Baiju Chandran, presently head of programmes, Doordarshan, Thiruvananthapuram. The film has interviews with actors, filmmakers, and producers who have worked with him, recollecting their memories.
Actor Mammootty speaks of how he, as a youngster unaware of the technicalities of filmmaking, assumed that Nazir was the same larger-than-life persona in real life as he was shown on screen.
Poignant memories
One of the poignant recollections is made by veteran script-writer Sarangapani about the special relationship the actor shared with Udaya studio, having starred in many a film produced under the banner. “He was not just a cinematic hero for the employees here. He used to enquire after each of the employees here, including the sweepers and the light boys and financially helped them out during difficulties,” he says. Actor Jose Prakash echoes these sentiments and says that Nazir was particular that whatever he is doing to help others should not be known to anyone else.
The documentary looks at how he became the romantic hero of the masses, how he was sometimes limited in his experimentation owing to that image, and of the instances when he successfully broke out of that mould and stunned everyone.
Rare camaradarie
His camaradarie with actor Sathyan, with whom he acted in several films, also becomes a point of discussion. Actors Saradha and Kaviyoor Ponnamma speak of how he was gracious enough to make everyone around comfortable, and treated everyone equally. There are rare interviews with his family members too.
The documentary ends with some rare visuals of his last journey, and of the multitudes waiting on both sides of the road, to catch a last glimpse of the star.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Thiruvananthapuram / by Staff Reporter / Thiruvananthapuram – January 17th, 2021
Resplendent: ‘Babur receives a courtier’ (1589) by Farrukh Baig. | Photo Credit: Wiki Commons
Babur was a sensitive memoirist with the rare ability to distance himself from his writing
Babur’s memoir did not have a name but is referred to as Baburnama or Tuzuk-e-Baburi. It is the first autobiography from the subcontinent and one of the first in the world. Babur came from two different cultures, of which one was literate and aspired to high culture. This was his father’s ancestral family, which was Timurid. His mother came from the nomadic Mongols, who weren’t literate. Babur describes his maternal uncles in his memoir.
The Timurids had a tradition of poetry, hawking, music, and, of course, war. Babur was from a family of minor nobles who had inherited the governorship of Ferghana. His autobiography begins with a description of the geography and tells us that his father, Umar Shaikh Mirza, died in an accident when he was 39 and Babur 12. The young Babur struggled to hold on to his inheritance, losing several battles, including one in Ferghana, which he had to give up to the victor.
Babur describes these decades of his life in an unemotional and direct way: he hardly valorises his own achievements. Like the great Caesar, whose books on his wars in Gaul and against Pompey may as well have been written by a non-partisan observer, Babur has the ability to distance himself from his life.
Keen naturalist
Babur’s life turns when he is found to be the only living heir to the throne of Kabul. He takes it and turns his eyes to India. For 20 years, he campaigns against India, being held back at the borders each time.
Then, as we know, he defeated the Lodi dynasty (introducing firearms to the subcontinent for the first time) and captured north India in 1526 after a decisive battle at Panipat. Babur died four years later, spending much of this time travelling across India and writing his memoir in the afternoons.
These paragraphs show how much of a keen naturalist he was. “The elephant, which the Hindustanis call hathi, is one of the wild animals peculiar to Hindustan. It inhabits the western borders of the Kalpi country… the elephant is an immense animal and very sagacious. If people speak to it, it understands. If they command anything from it, it does it. Its value is according to its size — the larger it is, the higher the price. On some islands an elephant is rumoured to be as tall as 20 or 30 feet, but here it is not more than 10 feet. It eats and drinks entirely with its trunk. If it loses the trunk, it cannot live. It has two great teeth (tusks) in its upper jaw, one on each side of the trunk. By setting these against trees and walls, it is able to bring them down; with these it fights and does whatever hard tasks fall to it. These teeth are called ivory and are highly valued by Hindustanis.’
‘Like a goat, the elephant has no skin hair. It is relied on to accompany every troop of their armies. It crosses rivers with great ease, carrying a mass of baggage, and three or four can drag without trouble a special piece of artillery that takes four or five hundred men to haul. But its stomach is large. One elephant eats as much as a dozen camels.
Elegant and clean
Babur’s book was not freely available till a British amateur linguist named Annette Susannah Beveridge translated it. She taught herself the particular version of Turkish that Babur wrote in (later Mughals wrote in Farsi) and published it in four volumes from 1912 to 1922.
At the time of the first British census a century and a quarter ago, India was 4% literate. Most Indians even today don’t have four generations of literacy: in fact, the proportion of those of us who can claim to have had great-grandparents who could write is tiny. Babur came from a tradition that already had centuries of literacy.
His is elegant and clean writing of the sort that one would expect from a very literate and sensitive person. Babur’s daughter, Gulbadan Begum, sister of Humayun and aunt of Akbar, also wrote a lovely memoir in which she describes her father’s attention to detail which he passed on to his family.
These two works, along with Jahangir’s autobiography, are some of the best material available on the Mughals. It’s a shame that these books are not taught in India’s schools today.
Aakar Patel is a columnist and translator of Urdu and Gujarati non-fiction works.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Books – Leather Bound / by Aakar Patel / January 16th, 2020
The Punjab Cabinet had given its nod for the acquisition, conservation and use of the palace for tourism on Monday.
Begum Munawwar-ul-Nisa. (Express Photo)
After decades of neglect, 150-year-old Mubarak Manzil Palace of Malerkotla will soon be a protected monument and restored and renovated by the Punjab government, thanks to Begum Munawwar-ul-Nisa, the wife of last Nawab of Malerkotla, who has handed over the private property to the government.
The Punjab Cabinet had given its nod for the acquisition, conservation and use of the palace for tourism on Monday.
Begum Nisa, a princess, is the successor of Nawab Sher Mohammad Khan of Malerkotla, who holds a special place in Punjab’s history. He had vehemently raised his voice against the execution of the younger Sahibzadas of Guru Gobind Singh, Baba Zorawar Singh and Baba Fateh Singh, in the court of the Subedar of Sirhind, Wazir Khan, in 1705.
The 97-year-old Begum Nisa, speaking to The Indian Express on a conference phone call through former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arshad Dali, said, I have handed over the palace to the government. Meri akhiri ichchha, aap keh sakte ho, yahi hai ke main iss mahal ko pehle ki tarah jagmagata chorr kar jayun. (My last wish, you can say, is to see the palace return to its pristine glory before I die).” Begum Nisa has no child or legal heir.
Dali has become a bridge between the government and the Begum, who wanted the government to acquire the palace. “She was worried that after her the palace would be usurped by private parties. Now it will become a government’s possession. After all, there is the important history of this place. Guru Gobind Singh had presented a sword to Nawab Sher Mohammad Sahib as a mark of honour for his support for his sons.”
Sanjay Kumar, Administrative Secretary, Tourism Government of Punjab, told The Indian Express that the government would soon initiate the process of declaring the palace a protected monument of the state. “We will declare it a protected monument after inviting objections. It will be a protected monument under the state’s Act. After that, we will start conserving and renovating the palace. We have accepted the Begum’s precondition that we should allow her to stay in the palace during her lifetime. After that, none of her successors will be allowed to stake claim on the property. It will be Punjab government’s property.”
He said that the government had offered Rs 3 crore to the Begum, “She had been apprehensive that the palace of such historical importance would be lost if there is no taker.”
About the condition of the palace, Sanjay Kumar said, “I can say it is not good. Roof of several rooms has collapsed and the entrance is also in bad shape.”
Begum Nisa had been living in penury for many years. The valuables in the palace were sold off over the years. Former Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu had once visited her and presented her with some pieces of furniture.
Begum Nisa had written to the state government that she is the sole owner, and has absolute rights to alienate the property to any person, including state or Tourism & Cultural Affairs Department.
The palace is spread over an area of 32,400 sq ft. There are several cases involving it going on in several courts.
The expected financial liability involved in purchase of this proposed protected monument and likely financial implications arising out of existing court cases is around Rs 5 crore. The government has got the land price evaluated.
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Experss / Home> India / by Kanchan Vasdev, Chandigarh / January 13th, 2021
Praising Kamal Amrohi’s iconic film Pakeezah, KBC host Amitabh Bachchan revealed that the filmmaker used rose water for the fountains in a scene that had Meena Kumari’s dance sequence.
Meena Kumari dances in a sequence from Pakeezah.(YouTube)
Bollywood actor Amitabh Bacchan has revealed that legendary filmmaker Kamal Amrohi used real rose water in all the fountains installed on the sets of his iconic movie, Pakeezah. Amitabh was speaking on his popular game show, Kaun Banega Crorepati.
Contestant Afseen Naaz, an assistant professor at a Bilaspur university faced a question about the meaning of the Urdu word, Pakeezah. Host Amitabh fondly remembered the iconic film and praised the stars, as well as the filmmaker of the Meena Kumari-Raaj Kumar-starrer.
Talking about a scene that featured Meena’s dance in front of a fountain, similar to the fountain at the Taj Mahal, Amitabh revealed that Kamal wanted the scene in a certain way. And, to ensure it, he used rose water for the fountains.
According to Meghnad Desai’s book Pakeezah, Meena Kumari charged just a token amount of Re 1 for her role in the Kamal Amrohi-classic. It turned out to be her last film. She died battling liver cirrhosis just a few weeks after the film released.
Written, directed and produced by Kamal, Pakeezah released in 1972 and also featured Ashok Kumar and Nadira in lead roles. It took 16 years for the film to complete and remains a cult rromance to date.
Recently, Amitabh hit 45 million followers on Twitter and shared a throwback picture with his father Harivansh Rai Bachchan, thanking his fans. He wrote, “The caption informs of 45 million on Twitter .. thank you Jasmine, but the picture says a lot more… Its the moment I came home surviving death after the ‘Coolie’ accident ..Its the first time ever I saw my Father breaking down! A concerned little Abhishek looks on!”.
source: http://www.hindustantimes.com / Hindustan Times / Home> Entertainment> TV / by HT Entertainment Desk / January 12th, 2021
This new card game created by two Bengaluru-based women, who hail from Kerala, celebrates Malayali culture, Mollywood and more.
The game needs at least four players and can be played by anyone aged 18 and above
Bengaluru :
You may take a Malayali out of Kerala but you can’t take the love for Malayalam pop culture out of a Malayali. Or so it seems from this new game developed by two Bengaluru- based women who hail from God’s own country. Called Malayali Aano, the new game by Sona Zainab Harris and Rose Mary Jacob is a cardbased game that draws heavily from Malayali pop culture, popular phrases, movie characters, food, stereotypes and other such trivia.
Those who have played the popular party game Cards Against Humanity need no introduction to the rules of Malayali Aano, whose tagline is: ‘A party game for devil’s own people’. It consists of 500 cards, of which 100 have questions on them while 400 have statements, movie dialogues, or phrases that could work as an answer. One player picks a question card, others throw the quirkiest answers from the 10 they possess into a pile. The player that poses the question reads out each question- answer pair, laughter ensues and the most creative or whackiest answer wins.
A minimum of four players is mandatory, with more being merrily encouraged. “Each statement in the answer card is iconic in its own way but when set to the context of another question, it can incite a laughter riot. Since we’ve picked out trivia from the 1980s to now, the nostalgia factor is high as well.
Any player aged between 18 and 45 will find something to remind them of their childhood, adolescence, first romance, parental relations or their connection to Kerala,” says Harris, the founder and creative director of Backflip Design Studio. But it is not just fun and games.
It also helps bring up important conversations. “When you hear certain dialogues – for example, ‘You are just a woman’ from the film The King – you don’t think much in the context of the plot. But isolating such things and using it in the game makes people see that it could be problematic too. Humour can help break barriers with topics like sexism, classism, misogyny, etc,” says Jacob, who is also the founder and curator of the popup My Cup of Tea.
The two women took a month to develop the content of the game. It makes use of, what Jacob and Harris refer to as, a “Manglish” script. There is also a leaflet with a QR code that can be scanned to understand the translation and reference of the answer cards. The game is meant for those aged 18 and above, with some players even finding it to be an effective ice breaker with their parents.
“One player told us he never thought he would talk to his father about the topics included in the game. But they had a good laugh about it, so it can help different generations bond better too,” says Harris.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bengaluru / by Simran Ahuja / December 29th, 2020
Hamid Faisal Siddiqui, 49, has taken over as qazi of the mosque after his father’s demise and says they have started to put the dark days behind them.
Hamid recieves his father Muhammad Husain Siddiqui at Hyderabad airport in March, 2020.
Hamid Faisal Siddiqui, 49, still breaks down talking about the death of his father on March 10, becoming India’s first casualty linked to Covid-19, especially because of what followed. “I wish and pray every day that none in this world, not even my enemies, is put through the situation my family had to face. Amidst the grief, we battled blame.”
Muhammad Husain Siddiqui, 76, an Islamic scholar who was the qazi of the biggest mosque in Kalaburagi, had gone for a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, followed by a month-long stay with his younger son, a dentist, in Jeddah. On his return on March 6, Hamid recalls, his father was fine. However, by the next night, he had begun feeling unwell. With his fever and cough worsening, the family took him to a hospital in the town on March 9. After 12 hours of observation, he was referred to a private super-specialty hospital in Hyderabad. He was being taken by road in an ambulance to be tested for the coronavirus when he died.
Muhammad Husain Siddiqui at Saudi Arabia pilgrimage.
Still, the joint family never suspected Covid, as the pandemic was till then no more than a curiosity, happening in faraway China. It was after Siddiqui passed away that the doctors told the family he had died of the coronavirus. Later, Siddiqui’s 45-year-old daughter and the family doctor also tested positive, but recovered.
“People were scared to meet us, some turned away on seeing us. Such was the stigma attached to the pandemic. Very few visited us to even offer solace,” Hamid, who has eight siblings, sobs.
While the dark days that followed seemed endless, Hamid says they have started to put them behind. As elder son, he has taken over as qazi of the mosque. What helped was the family’s decision to take on their Covid status head-on. “We encouraged others to wear a mask and follow all social distancing norms, saying this was the best way to survive this turbulent period.”
A few days from now, the Siddiquis hope to finally and firmly put the shadow of 2020 behind. “Inshallah, we will be blessed with a new life by the early half of the new year,” Hamid says, adding, “Our solemn request to the Almighty continues to be that the entire world moves out of this phase to become a happy place for all. People should soon get a chance to be with their loved ones whenever and wherever they wish to be.”
source: http://www.indianexpress.com / The Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bangalore / by Ralph Alex Arakal / Bengaluru – January 01st, 2021
Khurja (Bulandshahr District) UTTAR PRADESH / NEW DELHI :
New Delhi:
Islamic scholar, prolific writer and senior ideologue of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH), Dr Muhammad Rafat, who recently retired as a professor from Jamia Millia Islamia has passed away on Friday evening at the Al-Shifa Hospital, New Delhi.
He was 65 years of old and is survived by three sons, two daughters and his widow. His widow-Nusrat-is the daughter of former President of the JIH and a well-known Islamic scholar, Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Umari.
In the presence of hundreds of mourners, he was laid to rest today at the graveyard in Shaheen Bagh area. His funeral prayer was be held on Saturday evening here at the JIH Markaz mosque (Masjid Ishat-e-Islam).
Expressing condolences over his death, JIH President Syed Sadatullah Husaini said: “The demise of Dr Rafat is a great loss for the Muslim Ummah, the Islamic Movement and the entire country. He was a leading intellectual, tremendous leader, firm ideologue and a benevolent mentor. He was an erudite scholar of Islam and a prolific writer. He was blessed among many qualities with a razor sharp memory and an unmatched ability to give speeches on a myriad of topics without any notes in such a coherent manner that it would appear as if he is reading a written essay. He led an extremely simple life and had a very pleasant disposition. He was a teacher of theoretical physics. This subject of science has a deep connection with philosophy, so he made a direct study of philosophy and important ideas of science from its original sources. As one of the foremost ideologues of Jamaat, he always upheld and acted on the basic and core principles of Islam. May Allah forgive his sins and grant him the highest Paradise.”
A native of Khurja in Bulandshahr district of the Western UP, Dr. Rafat did his MSc in Physics from the Aligarh Muslim University in 1976 and PhD from IIT-Kanpur. He joined Jamia Millia Islamia in 1985, one year after receiving his PhD degree. He retired as Professor- Department of Applied Sciences and Humanities from the Jamia Millia on July 31, 2020.
Dr. Rafat, who was associated with the Islamic movement ever since his student days, was a member of the Central Advisory Council, the highest decision-making body of the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind from 1999 till his death. He wrote more than 15 books on various subjects in Urdu and English languages.
Besides being director of the Centre for Study and Research (CSR) of JIH, for the last two years, he had also previously worked as chairman of the JIH’s Tasneefi Academy (Authors Academy) and all India secretary of the Jamaat’s Tarbiyah Department (Training Dept.). He also served as the JIH President of Delhi and Haryana from 1995 to 2011. He had also worked as honorary editor of Urdu monthly, Zindagi-e-Nau, an Islamic research magazine, from 2009 to 2019. Besides, he headed several important committees of the JIH for policy-formulation and the creation of new institutions and allied organizations.
source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> Indian Muslim / by Special Correspondent / January 09th, 2021
“Barakhmba And The Journey Ahead, Autobiography” authored by senior lawyer Nazrul Islam was released at an austere but dignified function in Guwahati on Tuesday. The release coincided with the centenary celebration of Modern School, Barakhmba, New Delhi, the alma mater of the author.
The autobiography chronicles the author’s memories of childhood in Assam, schooling in Delhi, two decades of community service mainly through the Rotary International, and three decades and more as a lawyer. Many incidents, many adventures, interactions with clients and interesting cases dealt by Islam form an exhilarating part of the book.
Following a minute of silent invocation at the beginning of the function, the welcome address was delivered by Nazia Islam, executive at Invest India, New Delhi. Delivering his address as the chief guest on the occasion, BP Todi, former Advocate General of Meghalaya, said, “I’m an admirer of Nazrul Islam since the time I got to know him as a lawyer. There is something to learn from everybody, but when it comes too Nazrul Islam, there’s always a lot to learn from him.” He expressed the hope that the book will quest the thirst for knowledge to a great extent. Among others who spoke on the occasion were PK Kedia, former District Governor of Rotary International; BM Choudhury, former Principal, JB Law College Guwahati; and Gitanjali Kalita, advocate, Gauhati High Court.
Following the release of the book, Nazrul Islam, shared his experiences about writing the book. He completed the entire book within a very short time, making the best use of the pandemic situation. He said, “Today there are many lawyers who practise on the TV channels, so I decided let me do it by writing a book!”
The book has been brought out by the North Eastern Justice Baharul Islam Foundation for Law, Justice & Social Welfare (NEJBIF), founded in memory of the author’s late father who was a Member of the Parliament and a Justice at the Supreme Court of India.
The function ended with a vote of thanks offered by Rosida Begum.
source: http://www.muslimmirror.com /Muslim Mirror / Home> Indian Muslim / by Nurul Islam Laskar / Guwahati – October 22nd, 2020
₹8 crore project for ‘one of its kind’ Azad Gallery will tell the story of revolutionaries in the Indian freedom movement.
From the spirit of the Ghadarites to the sacrifice of Durga ‘Bhabhi’, a section of historians and the political class feel that the contribution of revolutionaries to the Indian freedom movement has not been well-documented. In a bid to strike a balance, the Allahabad Museum is in the process of creating a “one of its kind” Azad Gallery, where the story of the revolutionary struggle of the Indian freedom movement would be told through artefacts and interactive displays.
Named after Chandra Shekhar Azad, who attained martyrdom at about 300 metres from the museum, the gallery is expected to be complete by July 23, 2021, the 115th birth anniversary of the revolutionary.
Backed by the Ministry of Culture and the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), the infrastructure for the “multi-pronged project is being developed with a budget of around ₹8 crore in 7,500 sq. ft. of space where the revolutionary struggle will be specially depicted, starting with 1857’s First War of Independence to the Azad Hind Fauj,” said Sunil Gupta, Director in-charge of the museum.
Dr. Gupta, who has spent three decades at the museum in different capacities, said the story of this struggle had not been comprehensively told through curatorial display and was being done for the first time by the Allahabad Museum.
Promising a “world-class experience”, Dr. Gupta said the infrastructure would be ready by January and the NCSM would then take over to implement the design.
One of the highlights of the museum has been the .32 caliber Colt pistol which belonged to Azad. It is showcased in a bulletproof case and is guarded by U.P. police personnel. “As per our records, the pistol is said to have been received from John Knott Bower, the police officer who led the encounter against Azad,” said Dr. Gupta.
One of the highlights of the museum has been the .32 caliber Colt pistol which belonged to Chandra Shekhar Azad. It is showcased in a bulletproof case and is guarded by U.P. police personnel. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
On the theory that although the Colt could have belonged to Azad, it was a Mauser he used during the shoot out, Dr. Gupta said the records of Azad’s associates were being looked into. “Revolutionary Manmath Nath Gupta, in his book They Lived Dangerously, has recounted an incident in which a Mauser pistol owned by Azad went off accidentally. Gupta [the author] also recounted that Azad was also loading other pistols and revolvers that he had with him,” Dr. Gupta said.
Dr. Gupta recalled Durga (Devi Vohra) ‘Bhabhi’, who assumed the identity of Bhagat Singh’s wife to help him escape from Lahore after Saunders’ assassination, grew up in Kaushambi near Allahabad before being married to revolutionary Bhagwati Charan Vohra. “She was no less than Bhagat Singh. A day after Bhagat Singh and his associates were sentenced to death, she fired at a British police officer and his wife from a moving car in Bombay,” he said.
Dr. Gupta argued it was not that she was not celebrated at all but that she was never made an icon. “She almost remained incognito till she died in 1999. She ran a small school in Lucknow and we are in the process of acquiring documents related to her,” he said.
Liaquat Ali | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The museum also has a kurta–pyjama and sword of Maulvi Liaquat Ali, who was the leader of revolutionaries in 1857 in Allahabad. “Under him, Allahabad was liberated for at least 10-15 days. His headquarters was the historic Khusro Bagh, where he unfurled the flag of the Mughal emperor,” recounted Dr. Gupta.
In the arms and armoury gallery of the museum, there is a submachine gun of the First World War, “the kind which would have been used by Ghadar revolutionaries in 1915 had the rebellion not been thwarted because of international conspiracies,” Dr. Gupta said.
There are a number of welcome addresses as well which were “gifted to Pandit Nehru when he visited Singapore, Malaya and Burma in 1937-38 before the Second World War. They were given by Indian-origin merchants, who a few years later funded the INA (Indian National Army),” said Dr. Gupta.
There is also an original letter by Vishnu Sharan Dublish, an accused in the Kakori case.
World over, Dr. Gupta said, artefacts are backed by virtual experiences. “It excites children and helps fill the gaps in the narrative. Seven short films made by the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute will be on show,” he said.
On the ideological slant of the gallery, Dr Gupta said, “We already have galleries devoted to Gandhi and Nehru. As a student of history, I could say the revolutionaries have been horribly sidelined and in some cases, such as Durga ‘Bhabhi’, I would say it was consciously done. However, we were clear the museum is not just about the freedom struggle and have not parted with the [museum’s] Central Hall. We are located in the middle of the Gangetic civilisation and our sculpture collection is amazing. We are sending six-seven of them [sculptures] for an exhibition in the Metropolitan Museum, London.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National / by Anuj Kumar / Prayagraj – January 03rd, 2021
