The story of the Maverick from Mandovi: a thread on Angelo da Fonseca - Born in 1902 in Santo Estevao, the smallest island on the Mandovi, Angelo da Fonseca was clearly not cut out for the usual (Pic Source: Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal) (1/n)
As a young man, he enrolled at Grant's Medical College to study medicine but soon realized his calling lay elsewhere. He left Grant's & enrolled at J.J. School of Art. But his hopes were soon dashed (2/n)
The regimentation restricted his creative mind. He detested the overt Western influence in the teaching methods. Once more, he quit and this time, moved to Santiniketan determined to learn from the best, Abanindranath Tagore (3/n)
Under the guidance of Abanindranath, the artist in Fonseca finally took to the skies. He was personally tutored by Nandalal Bose, a pioneer of Indian modernist painting. (4/n)
When time came for Fonseca to leave Santiniketan, the disciple was paid the highest compliment by the guru. Abanindranath told him "you have mastered…art. Go forth and seek your treasure." Fonseca the artist was all set to explode (5/n)
Fonseca found traditional Christian art stifling and wanted to revolutionize it. His paintings were steeped in Indian-ness. His Mary was brown skinned, wore a saree, sat in padmasana & held a lotus in her hand (6/n)
Fonseca's paintings drew heavily from Hindu, Islamic, Buddhist and Jain religious motifs. But in Portuguese ruled Goa, it was akin to career suicide. The Catholic newspaper, The Examiner, ran articles denouncing him as ‘pagan’ (7/n)
Both Portuguese and Goan voices attacked him with virulence, and Fonseca was forced to leave his native land and settled in Poona (Pune) where he kept producing more wonderful art forms (8/n)
Pic source: indigenousjesus.blogspot.com/2014/10/angelo…
Fonseca remained prolific till his death in 1967 and his amazingly unique body of work, depicting rich cross-cultural pluralism is a very important part of 20th century art. Or should have been (9/n)
Neither India's independence nor Goa's liberation changed Fonseca's fate. This maverick artist and his amazing creations till date largely remain mired in cruel obscurity (10/n)
Mujib’s 1974 Lahore visit was a watershed moment in Bangladesh and subcontinental politics. Hoping to gain recognition from Pakistan and China, he tried to distance Bangladesh from Indo-Soviet axis. But that it would bring greater doom never crossed his mind. Thread. 1/17
Mujib's decision to attend the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) summit in Lahore in March 1974 - trading Pakistan’s diplomatic recognition of Bangladesh for dropping the trial of 195 heinous Pakistani war criminals - opened the flood gates of conspiratorial politics. 2/17
This decision not only destabilised Bangladesh but also helped in the resurgence of banned pro-Pak Islamic forces who fuelled communal tension and anti-India sentiments. 3/17
When a plane crashes, the world demands answers. The recent Air India tragedy left millions searching for truth. But, when all goes quiet, one device speaks: the black box. A device nobody wanted until it started telling the truth. Thread on the birth of the Black Box.
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Today is Dr. David Warren’s birthday – a fitting day to remember the man behind the “black box.” It’s hard to believe now, but his life-saving device almost never meant to be built. It’s remarkable that something so essential to safety was buried under layers of red tape. 2/15
Warren’s path to inventing the black box began with tragedy. He was born in 1925. When he was nine, his father Reverend Hubert Warren mysteriously disappeared in a tiny biplane over Bass Strait. The last thing his father gave him before the flight was a crystal radio set. 3/15
Prisons are a strange place for people to meet. In the 1960’s Nelson Mandela met a Bengali man in prison who interestingly went to East Berlin under a false name learning espionage at the peak of the Cold War, but who was this man? Read on
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Circa 1961, the world was clearly divided, the Cold War was at its peak. In the middle of that chaotic war between pre-war morality and modern ethics, a young man called Das Gupta entered East Germany hoping to learn new printing techniques. 2/16
On one fine morning, Das Gupta woke up to find the world literally divided. A Wall had been erected right across Berlin separating West and East Berlin which had already been under separate control for a while. 3/16
On this day, as the cricketing world fondly celebrates the birthday of Sunil Gavaskar, it's worth remembering that in 1993, in a city fractured by bombs and riots, Gavaskar didn’t just stand tall, he stood between life and death.
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1993.
Bombay was still reeling from the serial blasts. The air was thick with fear and suspicion. Communal riots had turned neighbours into enemies.
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But in this chaos, on a tense afternoon, Gavaskar looked out from his balcony and saw something no one should have to witness — an armed mob surrounding a taxi carrying a terrified family.
Vasanth Kumar Shivashankar Padukone was born on this day in 1925. His name was changed Gurudatta Padukone after a childhood accident.
Guru Dutt remains a legendary figure in Indian cinema. Here is a story about one of his most popular films at the time of its release. 1/10
The 1942 film Khandan, featuring Noorjehan and Pran, was a massive success. Written and directed by her husband, Shaukat Hussein Rizvi, the film showcased his strong scriptwriting skills. Following partition, Rizvi moved to Pakistan, leaving the film's story and script ownership with Asia Theatres. 2/10
Guru Dutt purchased a script written by Rizvi from Asia Theatres for a substantial amount of 5,000 rupees, only to find it was in Urdu. He then tasked his close friend, confidante and collaborator, Abrar Alvi, with translating the script, including dialogues, into English. 3/10
Charles de Gaulle, the founder of France’s Fifth Republic, is said to have survived more than 30 assassination attempts. One in particular stands out — here’s why. 1/20
On 22 August 1962, Charles de Gaulle, founder of France’s Fifth Republic and then-President, was en route to his country home in Colombey-les-Deux-Églises. Accompanied by his wife Yvonne and protected by elite security personnel, the journey was meant to be routine. 2/20
At around 8 p.m, the presidential convoy passed through Petit-Clamart near Place de la Résistance on Route Nationale 10. 3/20