Rani Durgavati, queen of the Gonds, who defied the mighty Mughal Empire and killed herself than surrender to Akbar.

Thread on the Jayanti of one of the great queens of Indian history.
#RaniDurgavati Gondwana, a region that covers eastern Vidarbha, some parts of Western Chattisgarh, and Southern part of Madhya Pradesh. It is so named after it’s rulers the Gonds, a predominantly forested region, inhabited by tribals.

"I am just an ordinary man and not a very bright man.”

While we celebrate October 2 as Gandhi Jayanti    not many are aware that is the Jayanti of another great soul Lal Bahadur Shastri born on the same date, who never really got his due. For decades he was in the background, with few even aware of his contribution. It did not help that in an academia dotted with historians who could not see beyond Gandhi and Nehru, he never got due acknowledgment either.

Rani Rashmoni founder of the Dakshineshwar Temple in Kolkata, a lady whom Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa regarded as his own mother, a woman who took on the British, and in a way contributed to the Bengal Renaissance.

Thread on her Jayanti today. The widow of a wealthy businessman, Raja Chandra Das, Rashmoni was born into a humble Mahishya family on September 28, 1793 near Halisahar in the Northern Paraganas, to Harekrishna Biswas and Rampyari Devi.

Ashok Singhal the man who started the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, dedicated his life to the cause till his death, took blows leading the Kar Seva in Ayodhya, transformed VHP into a ground level organization.

Thread on his Jayanti today.





Ashok Singhal, a metallurgical engineering graduate from BHU, who joined the RSS after his graduation, and dedicated his entire life for the Hindu cause, living a simple, spartan life, never compromosing on the ideals he believed in.

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, one of the icons of the Bengali renaissance. His actual surname was Bandopadhyaya, but he used his title Vidyasagar when he became a law Graduate.

Thread on his Jayanti today. There were so many facets to him, author, thinker, activist, social reformer. And above all a true humanist, one who reached out to the underprivileged, the faceless, the oppressed and downtrodden.

Ayyagari Sambasiva Rao, the founder of ECIL, and one of the great Indian scientists of modern era, who had worked with the likes of Homi Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai. The suburb around ECIL in Hyderabad is named after him.

Thread on his Jayanti. He was born in a small village Mogallu in West Godavari district on September 20, 1914, which also happens to be the ancestral village of the great revolutionary Alluri Sitarama Raju.

Telugu surnames and what do they mean exactly.

Unlike other parts of India, for Telugus surnames, are not identified with a caste per se, though there are some surnames specific to a caste.

For us surnames mean family names, which are based on various factors.

Thread. Typically for Telugus the naming convention is Family Name+ Real name, the caste name is usually optional, it's not binding. So unless someone explicitly tags their caste name , it is hard to make out from which community they are just on basis of surname.

Madan Lal Dhingra, close associate of Veer Savarkar, another great revolutionary who never really has got his due. A true patriot. Thread on his Jayanti today. Hailing from Amritsar, the sixth born of the city’s Civil Surgeon, two of his brothers were doctors, while two other were barristers. Coming from a well to do and influential family, Dhingra, could have settled into a life of luxury and comfort.

#OperationPolo #HyderabadLiberationDay
When the world's richest man, the Nizam surrendered to the Indian army, as Hyderabad became part of the Indian Union, remember this pic for posterity. Chakali Ilamma, the frail old woman who started off the Telangana revolt against the Nizam, that was the predecessor to Operation Polo. When she fought against the local Zamindar’s attempt to take over 4 acres of her land. #HyderabadLiberationDay
sadashree.substack.com/p/chakali-aila…

Would you believe that the Telangana revolt against the Nizam was started by this frail looking lady in the picture?

Chityala Ailamma better known as Chakali Ailamma who took on the might of the Nizams, his stooges armed with just a rokali( Pestle) and sheer courage. She was born in 1919 in Krishnapuram, a small village in Warangal dt, belonging to the Rajaka community, which accounts for her name too, Chakali is Telugu for washerman. A true heroine whose story needs to be told.
For a long time, the rural parts of Hyderabad State, were divided into what was called as Samsthanams, essentially pieces of feudal territories, under the oppresive rule of the Reddy, Velama doras in Telangana, the Deshmukhs in other regions, who ran a brutal and often oppressive rule.

They owned most of the land, and collected the taxes from the poor peasantry, and keeping them in perpetual bonded labor( called as Vetti Chakiri). These landlords were the masters of their own land, and had a good bonding with the Nizam and his nobles. The Nizam on the other hand, hardly had any control over these lands, and let the Doras run it as per their own free whims, it was pretty much a quid pro quo arrangement.

The upcoming Farhan Akhtar movie 120 Bahadur, deals with one of the most epic last man stands in history, the Battle of Reazang La in 1962, where 114 Ahir Soldiers under Major Shaitan Singh Bhatti, fought to the last man against a much larger Chinese regiment.

Thread on the real life battle.

In the annals of Indian Military history, #RezangLa , would be mentioned in the same breath as other “to the last man standing” battles like Masada, Alamo, Charge of the Light Brigade and Thermopylae.

We celebrate September 5 as #TeachersDay in honor of S. Radhakrishnan, however it is also the Jayanti of another great person not so well known.

V.O.Chidambaram Pillai, also known as Kapalottiya Tamizhan( The Tamil Helsman), one of the foremost freedom fighters of Tamil Nadu. And the first Indian to start a shipping service in competition to British monopoly.

A truly great freedom fighter, who unfortunately never got his due, and died in poverty in his lifetime. And a succesful entrepreneur too. He was born on September 5, 1872 in Ottapidaram a small town in Tuticorin district, famous for it’s Amman temple, and the fort of the legendary Tamil warrior Veera Pandya Kattabomman just 3 km away at Panchalankurichi.

His parents were Olaganerohathan Pillai and Paramayee Annal. He grew up learning about Shiva from his grandmother, and the Ramayana from his grandfather. Another teacher of his Subramanya Pillai, taught him on the Mahabharat.

While we know Swami Vivekananda, not many know about his younger brother Bhupendranath Datta an equally great person, nationalist, writer, sociologist who played an important role in the freedom struggle.

Thread on his Jayanti today.

Bhupendranath Datta,was a close associate of Aurobindo during the revolutionary movement, editor of the Jugantar patrika, that motivated many youth in Bengal to lay down their lives for the cause of freedom, was part of the Indo-German conspiracy.

Andhra Kesari Tanguturi Prakasam Panthulu, freedom fighter, nationalist, writer. The first CM of Andhra State and a man of true honor and integrity. Thread on his Jayanti today. Tanguturi Prakasam was born in a small village, Vinodarayanipalem, in the Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh,to a pious Niyogi Brahmin couple, Subamma and Gopala Krishnayya on August 23, 1872. #andhrakesari

Map of State Animals of India, so how much do you know of each of these animals and their significance.

Thread. Blackbuck is the state animal of Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana. Also called as Krishna Mrug or Krishna Jinka, for it's dark color, this beautiful looking antelope is closely entwined with our culture.

It's believed Krishna's chariot was driven by blackbucks, and it was the Vahana of Soma, Chandra and Vayu in the Puranas. As well as the Vahana of Korravai, the Goddess of War in Tamizh folklore. In Rajasthan Mata Karni Devi is believed to be it's protector.

The Bishnois of Rajasthan share a close bond with the black bucks, and any one killing or hunting these animals in their vicinity is given the death sentence.

Jayanti today of Peshwa Baji Rao 1, one of the greatest warriors ever in Indian history, a man who never lost a battle, a man who conceived of a Hindu Pad Padshahi, and expanded the Maratha empire beyond Deccan.

The son of an equally illustrious father Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath, who was rated on par with the great US Civil War general William Sherman by Field Marshal Bernard Montogomery in his book a History of Warfare. Baji Rao was born into the Bhat family on August 18, his younger brother Chimaji Appa, would prove to be an equally renowned warrior. He grew up in Saswad, now a suburb of Pune and their family’s personal fiefdom too.

Accompanying his father on various military campaigns, made Baji Rao, a battle hardened warrior in his teens itself. And when his father passed away in 1720, Shahu appointed Baji Rao I as the Peshwa, he was just 20.

Wishing all an auspicious #VaralakshmiVratham may the blessings of Varalakshmi Devi be with you all. This is done on Shravana Shukravaram, primarily in Telugu states, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu.

It's believed that worshipping Varalakshmi Devi is equivalent to worshipping the Ashta Lakshmis, as they pray for the prosperity of the family. The Ashta Lakshmis signify the 8 forces or energies of Siri( Wealth), Bhu(Earth), Saraswathi( Wisdom), Preethi(Love), Keerthi( Fame), Shanti( Peace), Santhushti( Contenment) and Pushti( Strength).

On the occasion of #IndependenceDay thread on freedom fighters of the Telugu states, some known, some not so well known. Not an exhaustive list, but trying to cover as many. Alluri Sitarama Raju, at an age of 27 years,he managed to foment an armed uprising with limited resources and motivating the poor, illiterate tribals of the Mayman against the mighty British empire. #AzaadiKiNishaniyan #AzaadiKaAmritMahotsav
historyunderyourfeet.wordpress.com/2015/07/04/all…

One of the persons who played a key role in the life of Veer Savarkar, was Madame Bhikaji Cama, key member of India House in London, unfurled one of the early versions of the Indian National flag.

Thread on her death anniversary today.

She was born on September 24, 1861 into a well to do, Parsi family in Mumbai. Her father Sorabji Patel, was one of the city’s leading merchants, also an educationist, philantrophist too.

India at present is a "Dhandho" Republic, good at cutting deals, negotiating, trading but nothing more than that. If we really aspire for greatness we should be moving beyond this "Dhandho" mentality that has taken over every aspect here. Dhandho is good at doing business, trading, cutting deals, but it can't be applied in every sphere. That mentality is incapable of innovation, creativity, strategy, leadership, aesthetics. That is why we will be at best a mid level trading nation nothing more.

I had covered about the massacres of Hindus by the Pakistan army in 1971 here. In this thread will be looking at what happened to Hindus after formation of Bangladesh, the objective is to give a context to thr recent events there.

historyunderyourfeet.wordpress.com/2024/08/08/the… After Bangladesh was formed as a separate country, Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, it’s first President, recognized the atrocities on Hindus during 1971. Though other communities were targeted too by the Pakistan Army, it was the Hindu population that suffered the most.