Today is the day that led to the inception of an iconic Bengali dish and also a day that tells a story of a tragic Indian mother buried in Paris. A short thread on a fabled concourse of history. (1/10)
Back in 1856, on this day, 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. (2/10)
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. (3/10)
He also brought his exotic Khansamas with him from Awadh who were inventing a new genre of food marrying local ingredients with Awadhi cuisine. They experimented with the famous ‘Alu’, adding it to the Lukhnow Biriyani, thus giving birth to the enigmatic Calcutta Biryani. (4/10)
The story of the mother of Nawab took a completely different turn after the exile.The Queen Mother of Wajid Ali Shah,Malika Kishwar aka Janab-i ‘Aliyyah who spent her entire life behind Purdah,travelled all the way to England to meet Queen Victoria pleading her son’s case. (5/10)
Unfortunately, by the time she met the Queen, Sepoy Uprising had begun back home, her son was declared a traitor and she was denied a passport back to India. An illustration of the Queen from Le Monde illustré by artist Nélie Jacquemart. (6/10)
The helpless Queen Mother tried to go to Mecca via France but unfortunately, her health deteriorated and she breathed her last stranded at a hotel in the rue Lafitte in Paris. The funeral was covered in detail by the French journal L’Illustration and Le Monde illustré. (7/10)
Numerous candles illuminated the scene, the Queen was given a guard of honour and she was carried in a white wooden coffin to the Muslim quarter of Père Lachaise cemetery. (8/10)
The forgotten Queen Mother is buried in the most visited cemetery of Paris in an uncelebrated way. (9/10)
Source: The Last King in India: Wajid Ali Shah by Rosie Llewellyn-Jones. Narrative of the Indian Revolt from Its Outbreak to the Capture of Lucknow
By Colin Campbell Baron Clyde.
Photo courtesy: Madhura Roy, Ahmad Ali Khan, Wikimedia Commons, Le Monde Illustré. (10/10)
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On this day in 1948, bullets were fired—but they could never kill an idea. Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated by Nathuram Godse, yet his legacy lived on. In 2003, this ad film titled GANDHI, created by Y&R Roma for Telecom Italia was released.
Watch it. Feel the goosebumps. 1/11
In the late 1930s, Gandhi stands before a modern webcam, his voice carried across the world through telecommunication devices. Millions listen as he speaks of love and peace. 2/11
Gandhi sits in a simple hut, turns on a webcam, and begins speaking. Though alone, his message travels across the world—projected on skyscrapers, giant screens, mobile phones, and PCs—reaching massive crowds and intimate spaces alike. 3/11
Versailles. The name conjures images of opulence and grandeur—home to the iconic Palace of the French monarchy, just a short ride from Paris.But there’s another story buried in its streets. This is where a genius from Bengal once called home. Today is his birthday. Thread. 1/15
About just 5 mins drive from the palace lies Rue des Chantiers, a quiet street in Versailles. There, at No. 12, is a modest house with a red door. At first glance, it’s unremarkable. But look closer. Between two windows on the first floor, there’s a nearly unreadable plaque 2/15
It reads in French: Michael Madhusudan Dutt lived here, 1863–1865.
Michael Madhusudan Dutt. The first great modern Bengali poet. A rebel who questioned rather than comforted. A pioneer who reshaped Bengali literature with his daring vision. 3/15
“Kumbh ke Mele mein bichde huye bhai” - a Bollywood catchphrase born from the fictional plot where families separated at the Kumbh Mela & then dramatically reunited. But behind these stories was a real-life hero who spent his life reuniting countless families. Thread 1/19
For 71 years, Raja Ram Tiwari was on a singular mission: to help people who had become separated from their families in the overwhelming crowds of the Kumbh Mela, one of the largest religious gatherings in the world. 2/19
Held on a sprawling site of thousands of acres, the Mela sees millions of pilgrims gather for a sacred dip in the holy rivers. Amid such chaos, families inevitably get separated, and that’s where Tiwari’s “Khoya Paya Shivir” (Lost and Found Camps) came in. 3/19
As more and more powerful figures advocate for inhuman work hours in the name of nation-building, it's important to remember that it took humankind hundreds of years to achieve the 8-hour workday. A thread on 10 powerful images to remind us not to turn the progress back. 1/12
The Labor Movement in the 19th Century The fight for fair working hours began during the industrial revolution when workers endured grueling, long hours. The images of these protests show the tireless dedication of workers who fought for better conditions. 2/12
The eight-hour workday, or 40-hour workweek, didn't become the standard by chance.
When the US government first began tracking workers' hours in 1890, full-time manufacturing employees were toiling through grueling 100-hour workweeks. 3/12
Today marks Tintin's birthday, and what better way to celebrate than diving into an intriguing detail from one of his adventures? Remember the iconic orange taxi in Delhi from Tintin in Tibet? There’s a quirky story and possibly a glaring error behind it! Thread 1/13
Remember that frantic New Delhi scene? Tintin and Captain Haddock rush to catch their plane to Kathmandu via Patna. They hop into a taxi—a striking orange convertible. But here’s the twist: Hergé, the creator of Tintin, made a tiny but delightful error. 2/13
The taxi was a 1938 Cadillac Fleetwood, convertible limousine, a car steeped in luxury and history. Fleetwood, a body manufacturer, had been making bespoke Cadillac bodies since 1925. 3/13
Why did Savitribai Phule carry two saris when she went to school?
Today, on her birthday, let’s talk about a woman who faced unimaginable challenges yet changed the course of history with her courage and determination.
Thread 1/18
In 19th-century India, educating women was seen as a radical and scandalous act. Savitribai Phule, alongside her husband Jotirao Phule, took on this mission, knowing it would draw fierce opposition.
But she couldn’t have imagined the level of hostility she’d face. 2/18
Men, mostly from upper caste, intent on sabotaging her work waited on the streets she walked daily to her school. They hurled stones, mud, and even cow dung at her, shouting abuses and insults.