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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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
This doctor on the left is not just any doctor. The year is 1969. The place is King’s College Hospital, London. And, she is Reita Faria—the first Indian and Asian woman to win Miss World. A woman of beauty, brains, and unstoppable elegance.
12 photos, endless elegance. 1/13
Born in the heart of Matunga, Mumbai, August, 1943, Reita Faria's story begins in a middle-class family where beauty and ambition ran deep. Her father worked in a mineral water factory, her mother ran a beauty salon—little did they know, they were raising a future legend. 2/13
Long before she wore the crown, Reita Faria was dominating sports in school—throwball, netball, badminton, and even hockey. Her competitive spirit was unstoppable even back then. 3/13
That man in Aradhana, sitting beside Rajesh Khanna in a jeep, playing the mouth organ while the hero sang Mere Sapno Ki Rani to Sharmila Tagore on a moving train.
A scene etched in our memories. But his legacy? Much bigger than you think. Thread 1/15
He was Sujit Kumar and he was not just another character actor in Bollywood. Originally from Varanasi, Sujit never planned on acting. He was studying law until fate intervened. Director Fani Majumdar spotted his talent in a college play and urged him to join films. 2/15
His early years in Hindi cinema saw him in small, sometimes uncredited roles. He toiled in the shadows, waiting for his moment. That moment arrived with Ankhen (1968). 3/15
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