#KnowOurLand Pābūjī ki Phad (the Epic of Pābūjī) -
The story of Pābūjī Rathore emerges in 14th century from the desert heartland of the Indian Subcontinent. He was a Rathore Rajput and believed to be an heir to the throne of Marwar (Jodhpur) (1/n)
Pābūjī’s life and that of his four companions revolved around resolving local feuds, saving livestock, and performing many an act of bravery (2/n)
Because of his many heroic deeds, Pābūjī is today worshipped as a demigod by the nomadic Rabari people in parts of Rajasthan, Punjab, Sindh & Kutch regions (3/n)
His story is narrated as an oral epic by members of the scheduled castes, the Nayaks, who are also called ‘bhopas’(4/n)
The bhopas sing and narrate the tale of Pābūjī all through the night in front of a long narrative scroll cum painting depicting the events of the epic called a ‘Phad’ (5/n)
The Phad painting amazingly serves as a portable temple for Pābūjī with the bhopa as its priest. People who paint the Phads have traditionally had the surname of Josī. They are members of the Chīpā caste, who typically have expertise in textile printing (6/n)
A bhopa might perform with his wife who is called a bhopi. He might also perform with other female members of the family, brothers, etc. The musical device used in the rendition of the epic is generally the rāvaṇhattha, a two-stringed instrument (7/n)
The epic is long and broken down into episodes & the rendition is not always linear. The bhopa will take breaks & crack jokes in between, the audience might ask the bhopa to render some specific episode leaving out other parts of the narrative and so on (8/n)
‘Pābūjī ki Phad’ or reading of the Phad which is also considered as a holy object thus becomes a subtle mix of entertainment and religious celebration. It is a wonderful showcase of our rich and diverse oral culture and traditions (9/n)
Eid Mubarak to everyone celebrating! We marked the day with a delicious plate of Biryani. And perhaps, today is a good time to revisit the origins of an iconic Biryani—and the story of a tragic Indian mother buried in Paris. A thread on a fabled concourse of history.
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Back in 1856, Lord Dalhousie, the Governor-General of British India, annexed the kingdom of Awadh with the allegation of misadministration and exiled the Last Nawab Wajid Ali Shah to Calcutta.
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Wajid Ali Shah arrived in Calcutta, started living in the Metiabruz area with the aid of a pension, built a mini Lucknow around him, inspired the art scene heavily and introduced Thumri and Kathak to Calcutta.
Legend has it that a group of Jews from Kochi once embarked on a secret and daring expedition. Upon their success, the king of Kochi granted them a place to live, a street for the Jews. Now, it is a vibrant tourist destination. 1/14
The story begins with a quarrel & a bit of mischief. The Dutch & the King of Kochi shared an amicable relationship, but one day, that was put to the test. According to Ruby Daniel’s account the king dozed off briefly while listening to the Dutch governor’s ramblings in court 2/14
Kochi has, over time, been controlled by several foreign powers, including the Portuguese, the Dutch, and finally the British. While they ruled much of what is now Fort Kochi, other areas remained under the King of Kochi’s domain. 3/14
In the 1960s and 70s, a woman in a saree took the stage across Europe, mesmerizing audiences with her renditions of Hindi Bollywood songs. Her voice was flawless, her pronunciation impeccable. But she wasn’t Indian. She was a girl from Romania. This is her incredible story 1/14
Her name was Maria Amarghioalei, but the world knew her as Naarghita. Born in 1939 in a small Romanian village, she had a difficult childhood after her parents separated.
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She had no ties to India. No Indian ancestry. No cultural connection. Yet, she became one of the most extraordinary ambassadors of Indian music. It all started with a film. A Bollywood film to be precise.
Humour finds a way even in the most difficult of times. It survived under the nose of Nazi police, across prisons, ghettoes and concentration camps. And it will survive again.
A short thread on ‘Whisper Jokes’ that once challenged the Third Order.
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Under the Nazi Germany government from 1933 to 1945, Hitler had controlled almost every aspect of life in Germany. In 1934, the new Nazi government enacted a law that essentially termed telling and listening to any anti-Nazi joke as an act of treason. (2/16)
Between ‘33 and ‘45, 5000 death sentences were executed, a chunk of them for anti-Nazi humour. Regulations like Gleichschaltung and Reichskulturkammer were formed to control the work of all artists – including comedians. (3/16)
One day in 1958, a mob gathered outside the Polish embassy in Beijing. They were furious, banging drums, demanding entry. But they weren’t after diplomats.
They wanted to kill the sparrows.
What was happening? Let’s dive in. 1/22
To understand this bizarre siege, we must go back to the Great Leap Forward—Mao Zedong’s radical plan to transform China into an industrial superpower. Agriculture was to be revolutionized. Industry was to surpass the West. There was no room for failure. 2/22
And Mao found an enemy standing in the way of progress: Birds.
One of Mao’s first targets? Sparrows.
The Chinese leader was convinced that these birds were eating too much grain, threatening the country’s food supply.
A determined immigrant left his country for India to start a new life created a brand that gave Indians a place to eat and meet during the British Raj, when many places didn't allow Indians to enter. This is the story of Dorabjee & Sons, one of Pune’s most loved restaurants. 1/12
Established in 1878 as a small tea stall selling bun maska and Irani chai, Sorabjee Dorabjee started selling full meals only because the locals asked for it. Today, the restaurant is run by Darius Marazban Dorabjee, Sorabjee Dorabjee’s great grandson. 2/12
In 1878, there was only one restaurant in the Pune Cantonment area called El Moretos, which did not allow Indians to enter. Dorabjee & Sons not only welcomed Indians, but also introduced Parsi food to them. 3/12