Rationalizing Aurangzeb's Times

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Check the Report of TOI HERE

History Coming Alive in News Through Theft Cases

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This is another way that History is coming into news. A watch gifted to Ex Prime Minister, Late Lal Bhadur Shastri by Alexei Kosygin of Russia when he was in Tashkent Conference in 1966 is stolen.

Sometime back, the Nobel Prize medal awarded to Guru Rabindranath Tagore was stolen. The case was given to CBI but it was closed without any result.

However, what may be the conspiracies behind it, such thefts bring History into news.

Is it not surprising that there is no Conspiracy theories in India? History is an opinion but different from myths. India has always tried to live the myths. India has lived the myths of their heroes who are infallible and therefore their history is sacred without blemish of conspiracies. But, why is it that thieves know better than the nation and disappear with the items which were symbols of the greatness of the Indian heroes. The stolen items are not recovered. But no conspiracy is pursued with the aim of reaching the actual truth. The ambiguity is preserved but thieves escape with the symbols.

Will these stolen items will again bring into news the history again?!!!

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Shastri's watch stolen from his memorial in Delhi - Delhi - City - NEWS - The Times of India

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Conspiracy History Demands Space in Indian Histriography

There is absence of Conspiracy History in Indian Historiography. The Indians have the tendency to worship heroes and make God out of them. Vaishnavism can be interpreted as one of the best case in support of this argument.

Jaswant Singh Book may have troubled BJP on ideology level. However, on the sideline, it has again brought History in News and the aim with which this blog is created stands vindicated.

There are many such patches in Indian History which demands new interpertation and further inquiry. Another important topics are the Subash Chander Bose death, Lal Bahadur Shashtri Death, Shimla Summit, and so on.

The hitched report can be read in light of above mentioned points also.

I am rather satisfied with the aim of this blog as there is a place for "HISTORY IN NEWS"

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Our Heroes, Nehur and Patel but Questioning them without Records! How Fair?

Kumrahar Palibothra, Patliputra, Patna

Urbanization is an important subject in itself. In making of history of any region, country and social group, urbanization and its process determine the contours of the development effecting every aspect of the life of inhabitants.

Similarly, to know the history in right order is as important as making of nation and its existence. This statement may not be comprehensible to many people and nor it is going to be further dilated upon here. However, there is need to emphasis that there are some cities which are more important for remembering the history and heritage of ones own country than remembering and establishing the title of the property papers of your plots in which you have indulgently invested your hard earned or luck earned money. One of such city is Kumrahar and Rajgriha.

It is Kumrahar, from where the very political identity of India as a nation has started emerging. That is other thing, many scholars will object to this statement because there is a group of scholars who believe that the very concept nation is nineteenth century concept and in India, the India as a nation started emerging only after 1870. There is need of debating on Euro-Centric and Euro-Defined and Euro-Oriented paradigm and I am ready to debate on what I have said here. This very Kumrahar then became the Patliputra of Ajatsatru, then of Sungas, Dhana Nanda, Vishnu Gupta and finally of Chandragupta Maurya. It was the same Patliputra, which was Palibothra of Sandrocotus in the Indica of Magasthense as referred to in the writing of Strabo. It is the same Pataliputra which later became the Patna.

In a news item of Times of India, it is being announced that the Bihar Government is about to bring out a book titled ‘Patna: A Monumental History’. It is coming out at a time when Bihar is suffering from the curse of Kosi. Any how, some of the extracts of the news item is reproduced below.

“Patna is pioneer among selected towns of India having run horse-drawn trams as urban mode of transport.”

“Now trams run only in Kolkata.”

“The founder of Kolkata Job Charnock spent more than a decade as the chief of Patna factory before founding the city of Kolkata in 1699 AD by integrating three adjoining villages — Sutanati, Kolikata and Govindpur.”

“The present day Patna Saheb is the oldest station of Patna. Its name changed several times, starting from Begampur, to Patna, to Patna City and now Patna Saheb.”

“The Danapur railway station, just outside Khagaul, later became the headquarters of the then `Company of East Indian Railway Volunteers.”

Reality lapses into History

Moneycontrol >> News >> Business >> State Bank of Saurashtra merges with SBI

It was difficult to choose this post for this blog. However, I am convinced about my policy of selecting a news item for this blog. I will definitely write a separate post on policy of this blog but here this news is also a history in the news.

State Bank of Saurashtra merges with SBI. There are news since long that all the subsidiaries will merge with SBI. However, it is the first merger of that sort and now there remains six subsidiaries of the SBI.

However, State Bank of Saurashtra had a history. An extract from the moneycontrol.com has been reproduced below which has affinity with the nature of this blog.

"State Bank of Saurashtra traces its history to the princely Bhavnagar Darbar Bank, which was established in 1902. When the princely states were integrated to form Saurashtra in 1948, the four Darbar Banks - Rajkot State Bank, Porbandar State Bank, Palitana Darbar Bank and Vadia State Bank - were merged, and on July 1, 1950, when State Bank of Saurashtra was born.

In 1960, SBS became a subsidiary of SBI at the suggestion of the All-India Rural Credit Survey Committee."

Living Legend Talks about Exploits of Folland Gnat

Field Marshal, Arjan Singh, the only living legend with five stars, talks about the exploits of Gnat (Folland Gnat) in 1965. It is story of military history of India. In India, military history is not all that popular among the common people. Secondly, it does not make the part of the curriculum at any stage of education policy in India.

As a policy decision for this blog, anniversaries, commemorations, centenaries and obituaries will not form the part of this blog. Therefore, there was no mention of the deaths of leading industrialists of India who had even history background to qualify them for this blog.

Bombay Club Proposes: British era land laws must be changed: Rahul Bajaj-India-The Times of India

British era land laws must be changed: Rahul Bajaj-India-The Times of India

The news item has an oblque reference to history.

In a way, this is our general notion and habbit to treat our history and deal with history.

It has contemporary background but very superficial reference to history with scant regard to the spirit of historical thinking.

Jarnail, Zail, Darbara and 80s of Punjab

There is a news report in The Tribune date September 2, 2008, titled "Zail Singh had no hand in building Bhindrawale."

The report is attribute to an interview with Trilochan Singh, an ex MP and former Secretary of Late President Zail Singh.

According to this report President Zail Singh had met Jathedar Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale on the Bhog ceremony of Jathedar Santokh Singh, who was near to Jatherdar Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale and also Mrs. Indira Gandhi.

Whenever, the history of post independence Punjab in India will be written after fifty years from now, there will definitely the chapters on the Partition of Punjab, the creation of Punjab in 1956 after merging with PEPSU, then Language Formula, Bhim Sen Sachar, and Tara Singh, then Naxalite Movement and finally unrest of 1980s which the intellectual world was never able to understand that why did it actually take place at all.

It was believed that it was clash between the interest of Darbara Singh and Zail Singh which created Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale and this equation then went out from their hands.

In any case, it was news coming out history of recent past or contemporary history.

Evoke History to Seek Heritage Status

In a report appearing in The Hindustan Times, dated August 27, 2008, Chandigarh Edition, page 4, it is conveyed that Punjab Government will claim heritage status for Sultanpur Lodhi because it has historic association with Guru Nanak. The Chief Minister, Parkash Singh Badal stated “that the original architecture and grandeur of the town of great religious and cultural importance would be preserved while implementing various development projects.

It is added here that Sultanpur Lodhi and Ludhiana came into existence during the period of Sikandar Lodhi in order to counter the attack of Khokhars. Such historic facts should also be given due place while getting motivation for preserving heritage which is the only surety of preserving ones existence.

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If Hindustan Times people happens to this post, then it is requested that they should not insist the users of their internet users to register first in order to access the links. There is no such bar in case of The Tribune and The Hindu. As a result, one may find numerous references to those newsprints on this blogs as well its associated blog like sumir-history.blogspot.com


Hindustan Times, Urban

History Connection of Abhinav Bindra

Abhinav Bindra won Gold Medal in the 10 m rifle shooting in Beijing Olympics. For Republic of India, it is one of most memorable incidence in her history as it is a first individual Gold Medal won by a nation which has 1.1 billion population.

It is reported in Hindustan Times, Chandigarh edition dated August 18, 2008 that Abhinav Bindra is the fifth decedent of Hari Singh Nalwa from his mother side.

Hari Singh Nalwa was the commander in Chief of Maharaja Ranjit Singh (1799-1839) who conquered Kabul for Lahore Kingdom. Later he became the governor of Kashmir and brought it under control which only he could have done by his iron fist policy.

Apropos, Kumkum Chadha, the reporter of Power Pitch, un which she had reproduced the interview with Babli Bindra, the mother of Abhinav Bindra, and the fifth descendent of Hari Singh Nalwa. She has also recorded a folklore that in Afghanistan, it was a tradition for a long time that Afghan mothers snubs their wailing children by warning them “Khamosh Bash, Haria raghle (Stop crying, Haria will come)

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Source: Hindustan Times, Chandigarh Edition, Dated August 18, 2008, Article Power Pitch, Section: Simply Women, author and interviewer Kumkum Chadha
Photograph source: Wikipedia
Family photograph:China Daily
Personal Blog of Abhinav Bindra as reported on Wikipedia: Abhinav Bindra's Road to Beijing

History of SIMI

SIMI stands for Student’s Islamic Movement of India.

A yet to be concluded report on SIMI in The Tribune dated August 20, 2008 traces the history of SIMI which founded in Aligarh Muslim University by a Physics student, Mohammad Ahmadullah Siddiqui. Siddiqui later acquired a degree in journalism and presently working as professor of mass communication at Western Illinois University.


A bold introduction to the report which has found place on the front page emphasis that “What began as an organisation to educate people about the true spirit of Islam is now busy developing itself into a high class brand in the world of Islamic terror. This is not what SIMI’s founder president (Siddiqui) wanted it to be. It forms the Part I of yet to be concluded report.

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Post Script:

A above reported article is concluded here. However, the history aspect is only mentioned in above mentioned post. (Recorded on August 21, 2008)