Tag: history

The Hyderabad Saga: Part One

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August 1947 – India attains Independence, but at a cost. Three princely states are still posing fight, maintaining their sovereignity, refusing accession. One of these is situated in the heart of the Indian Union – Hyderabad.

There are several characters at play in this saga. The Nizam of Hyderabad, the head of an amataeur militant faction – Kasim Razvi, and the Indian Government led by Nehru and Sardar Patel. Who will prevail? How does Hyderabad ultimately accede to India and at what cost?

This is a tale of high-octane drama, theatrics, brutal politics and raging violence. The Hyderabad Saga narrates the on-ground realities and behind-the-scene politics that ultimately shaped India as the Independent Union it is today. Split in two parts, the first article traces the build-up to the violence that exploded in the months of August and Septembet 1948.

Click to know more! … Continue readingThe Hyderabad Saga: Part One

A Royal Riot – The Mystery of the ‘Royal’ Family of Awadh

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The decade is sometime in the early 1970s. A woman arrives at the New Delhi railway station and shakes up the atmosphere by proclaiming herself as Wilayat, the Begum of Awadh. Along with her, she brought an entire household to the platform and unloaded sets of royal crockery, carpets, two Great Danes and two young children. She settled in the V.I.P room and would stay there for almost a decade before the government finally gave into their demands.

But the story was about to get more and more twisted. As the decades passed by and the family’s demands to be handed over possession of all the properties held by the Awadhi Royal Kingdom grew dimmer and faded away, one journalist’s frenzy would soon bring them back into the limelight.

This is the fascinating story of the ‘Royal’ Family of Awadh. The article contains intricate details , photographs and videos about them and the truth that had so long been hidden in this mess of a Royal Riot. … Continue readingA Royal Riot – The Mystery of the ‘Royal’ Family of Awadh

Saddam Hussein – The Scourge of Iraq

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Saddam Hussein’s story is one that has piqued the interest of people from across the world. Born in a small and destitute village in Iraq, Saddam’s childhood was filled with uncertainty and abuse. His remarkably swift rise to power in the 1970s took people by surprise .

But no one was prepared to witness the full might of Saddam Hussein. His reign as Iraq’s 5th President began with a bloody coup, a subtle hint of what was to come in his 24 year-long career. A tale filled with bloody coups, wars and executions, Saddam’s story will leave you in awe and shock.

Click on the title above to dig through the particulary fascinating and dark story of Saddam Hussein – The Scourge of Iraq. … Continue readingSaddam Hussein – The Scourge of Iraq

Benazir Bhutto – A Woman Beyond the Extraordinary

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Remembering Benazir Bhutto on her 14th death anniversary.

Benazir Bhutto – The First Lady to Head an Islamic Nation, the first woman to have given birth while in office, a lady known for championing the cause of women empowerment and one who led the fight against a patriarchal society. This was the life of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister – Benazir Bhutto.

‘Illustrious’, only begins to describe Benazir’s life and political career. Born in the politicaly elite ‘Bhutto’ family, Benazir’s life from very early on itself was very out of the ordinary. She grew up in large house buzzing with prominent politician from all around the world. However, her life wasn’t as easy and priveleged as one would think.

Her entire life was wracked by murders and mysterious deaths of her immediate family; decades spent behind the bars and under detentions and house arrests; and lastly – numerous assassination attempts.

Click on the title above to unfold the story of this remarkable woman. Presenting the life and story of – “Benazir Bhutto – A Woman Beyond the Extraordinary” … Continue readingBenazir Bhutto – A Woman Beyond the Extraordinary

Rajkumari Amrit Kaur – A Princess Like No Other

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Rajkumari Amrit Kaur – ‘A Princess like no other’.

Born in a royal family, Amrit Kaur changed the course of her life when she chose to involve herself in the fight against the British. An exceptional woman, with a list of achievements beside her name, Amrit Kaur became India’s First Female Cabinet Minister, holding the portfolio of the Ministry of Health.

But that is not it. Kaur’s life was an exceptional one, and very unlike a princess’s .

Click on the title above to know more about this ‘One of a kind Woman’ … Continue readingRajkumari Amrit Kaur – A Princess Like No Other

Jinnah – Beyond the Pages…

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‘Muhammad Ali Jinnah’ – a name that we know little about beyond his life as the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah’s career as a barrister and a lawyer is an extremely impressive one, and one that isn’t well-known to us.

As I wrote this article, so many details about this leader, who is now remembered as the ‘Quaid-e-Azam’ of Pakistan, came to light. From his campaigning for the creation of a secular India to his demand for the creation Pakistan, Jinnah’s life and story is a fascinating journey and makes for a riveting read!

Click on the title above to read about – “Jinnah – Beyond the Pages…” … Continue readingJinnah – Beyond the Pages…

The Mysteries of King Tutankhamun

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Ancient Egypt, is a very exciting and a rather mysterious period in human history. The concept of mummies and the extremely fascinating architecture, has lured us into excavating a world that existed a very long time before ours. When I started reading about the history of Egyptian tombs and mummies, I came across a very interesting, and now popular, Egyptian Pharaoh – King Tutankhamun or simply, King Tut.

It was not as much his life story, as the dazzling objects and artifacts that were discovered in his tomb in 1922 by British archaeologist and Egyptologist Howard Carter, that piqued interest in the life of King Tut.

Tutankhamun ascended the throne when he was barely 8-years-old, and died, heir-less, at the age of 19.

The discovery of his tomb lifted the veil off the centuries old Ancient Egyptian dynasties, and helped answer several questions about the royal dynasties of the time.

This was the life of King Tutankhamun – Egypt’s young boy King…

Click on the picture above to reveal the Mysteries of King Tutankhamun … Continue readingThe Mysteries of King Tutankhamun

BRITAIN’S WORST FAILURE – The Bengal Famine of 1943

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During the course of the 150 years that the British ruled over the Indian subcontinent, they were accused of committing several atrocities against Indians – racial discrimination, lathi charges, and the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre of 1919.
However, we tend to forget one of the worst of the lot – The Bengal Famine of 1943 which consumed the lives of around 3 million people. What is unique about this famine, is that unlike the 6 other major famines that had struck India during the reign of the British, the one in 1943, was a result of policy failure on part of Winston Churchill’s War Time Cabinet, and not natural factors.
Click on the picture above to read more about the shocking conditions that prevailed in Bengal in 1943 … Continue readingBRITAIN’S WORST FAILURE – The Bengal Famine of 1943

SPECIAL ISSUE: KASHMIR – The Scarred Beauty

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Kashmir – probably the most
beautiful yet the most disturbed region in the Indian subcontinent.

Why? Well, the answer to that question has a lot of variations.

Even before the Partition of India in 1947, the state of Jammu and Kashmir continued to remain a centre of conflict.

This article will explore Kashmir’s history right from 304 BCE, when Ashoka came to power, till the 1949 UN resolution. 

Click on the title above to delve into the rich, yet lesser-known history of Kashmir … Continue readingSPECIAL ISSUE: KASHMIR – The Scarred Beauty

Durga Devi Vohra – The Forgotten Revolutionary

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Date: 19th December 1928;
Location: Lahore Railway Station, British India.
A man is seen boarding a train with his wife and son, along with their servant trudging along behind. Nothing seems out of the picture, does it? Not if you knew the back story. This ‘couple’ was actually the freedom fighters Bhagat Singh, Durgawati Devi and her son, along with Rajguru. Never heard the name Durgawati Devi before, have you?
She too, just like Bhagat Singh, was a freedom fighter. Click on the title above to know more about this remarkable woman, and her difficult journey as a child, mother, wife and above all, a revolutionary. … Continue readingDurga Devi Vohra – The Forgotten Revolutionary