Anant Lakshman Kanhere was hanged to death on this date in 1910 for the asssasination of Collector Jackson in Nashik. He was just 18, one of the youngest martyrs in the history of the revolutionary movement.

It was in connection with this assasination, that Veer Savarkar was convicted, on the basis that he wrote an article Martyrs of Nashik prasing him. Born on January 7, 1892 to a Chitpavan Brahmin family in a small village of Ratnagiri dt, Kanhere would grow up in Nizamabad where he completed his schooling, and later studied in Aurangabad, where he began to meet members of secret revolutionary societies.

Jayanti of Kandukuri Veeresalingam Pantulu, regarded as the father of Modern Telugu literature, social reformer, activist, writer, the quintessential Renaissance man. While the Bengali renaissance is well known and discussed, one aspect that has often not really got the due attention is the way it impacted reform movements in other parts of India.

The work done by Brahmo leaders like Raja Rammohun Roy, Keshav Chandra Sen and reformers like Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, began to spread to other parts. Kandukuri Veeresalingam was one among them, deeply influenced by Keshav Chandra Sen

While we know of the great Ranas- Kumbha, Sanga and Pratap, not much is known of the founder of the Sisodia dynasty, the first Rana of Mewar, Rana Hammir Singh aka Veer Hammir. A hero who bought back the glory of Mewar after it was devastated by Allaudin Khilji.

Rana Hammir in a way began the next phase of Rajput rule of Mewar with Chittorgarh as the capital that started in 1326 and ended in 1568, when Rana Udai Singh II, had to flee after Akbar occupied the fort.

While Mewar had many great rulers, if I had to choose the greatest of them all, it would be Rana Kumbha, the ancestor of Rana Sanga and Maharana Pratap.

The 15th century had some formidable opponents to the Delhi Sultanate, Kapilendra Deva in Kalinga, Deva Raya II in Vijayanagar, Man Singh Tomar in Gwalior and above all Rana Kumbha, a giant of a personality, both physically and metaphorically. Kumbha initially had good support from Ranmal Rathore of Mandore. His main battles though would be against Mahmud Khilji the Malwa Sultan who laid siege to Chittorgarh, multiple times.

In Nov 1442, Khilji laid siege and captured Pangarh and Chaumuha and encamped there. In the summer of 1443, Rana Kumbha attacked the Sultan’s camp forcing him to retreat to Mandu.

Operation Meghdoot, the Indian Army operation to secure Siachen glacier, takes place on this date in 1984. One of the greatest military ops in history of Indian army. Siachen, which ironically means “Rose Garden” in local Balti language, located in Eastern Karakoram, is 75 km long, and is the highest battlefield in the world. The 110 KM line beyond NJ9842 is called the Actual Position Ground Line.

The genesis of the Siachen conflict lay in Partition, after the first Indo-Pak war, the 2 nations agreed on the ceasefire line. The problem is that the line was not demarcated beyond a point NJ9842, as it was an inhospitable area

Blinded in one eye, lost an arm, injured in a leg.
Had to fight a bitter battle with his brothers for the throne.
Yet united all the Rajput clans, routed the Sultans of Malwa, Gujarat and the Lodhis.
Expanded Mewar to it's largest extent.
Rana Sanga, one of the great Ranas, whose Jayanti it is today. Sadly historians judge him on his loss to Babur at the Battle of Khanwa Sanga was the son of Raimal, and had constant fights with his brothers Prithviraj and Jaimal for the throne. In fact as per one version, it is said that Raimal’s own nephew Surajmal, son of Udai Singh I, was the one who instigated the fights.

It’s believed that this was Surajmal’s way of getting back at Raimal, after  he overthrew his father.  One such conflict turned serious, with Sanga having to flee, Chittorgarh to save himself, and this is where he lost an eye when an arrow hit him.

When one looks at temples in the Telugu states, what stands out is the sheer diversity of architectural styles- Chola, Chalukya, Kalinga, Vijayanagar, Kakatiya, even the smaller ones like Ikshawakus. The Telugu states, were more often a battle ground for various kingdoms and dynasties, with constant battles often fought here for supremacy, this has resulted in distinct style of architecture of the temples here.


If one takes a look at the various temples in Telugu states itself, most of them have different styles, in the same complex, for eg Simhachalam Temple, has elements of both Kalinga and Vijayanagar architecture. This is because these temples were begun by a kingdom,later renovated by other rulers, each bringing in their own style of architecture giving them a distinct look.

Wishing an auspicious #Ugadi2024 , this year is Krodha Nama Samvatsaram. Ugadi is the beginning of the New Year for Telugus and Kannadigas, and basically means Start of the Yuga( Yuga, Adi).

Each Yuga has a cycle of 60 years, and the years keep repeating after the cycle. And the first year is Prabhava, while the last one is Akshaya.

But what is the significance behind the names of each year, and the story behind it? It's believed that the 60 years were those of the sons of Narada. Apparently when Narada became too arrogant, Vishnu turned him into a woman, and who in turn married a king. Those 60 sons were born to him, but all of them died in battle later. It was then Vishnu told Narada your son's names will be given to the years, and so they shall be blessed.

One of the kingdoms that was formed after the fall of the Kakatiya empire, was the Reddy Rajulu, along with the Musunuri Nayakas, who played a vital role in driving out the Muslim invaders from Telugu land, and once again re establishing Sanathana Dharma.

Reddy is a variant of Rattakudu, Rattodi, which in turn was derived from Rashtrakuta, to denote the village headman, who were responsible for organizing the cultivation of farm lands and collecting the taxes. Basically it was more a status title given to the most powerful man in the village.
During the Kakatiya rule, many from the Reddy clans, worked as administrators, officers, generals in the army, while some were samantas owning large tracts of land. One of the more prominent one was Gona Ganna Reddy, who played a vital role during the reign of Rani Rudrama Devi.

G. N. Ramachandran, or GNR as he was known, one of the great Indian scientists of modern era, an equally good Vedic scholar, studied the Upanishads in depth.

Thread on his death anniversary today. One of the biggest advances in the field of molecular biophysics, has been the discovery of the triple hellical structure of collagen, that enabled a better understanding of the peptide structure.

The Ramachandran plot has become a standard description of protein structures in the text books.

In my series on Kakatiyas, today I look at the fall of Orugallu, their capital city, which was raided thrice in 1310, 1318 and 1323, it’s immense riches looted, including the fabled Kohinoor diamond. A chapter of Indian history that is as painful as that of Hampi's.
This is not going to be an easy read, so be warned.


Orugallu's proximity to the diamond mines of Golkonda, nearby made it one of the richest cities of it’s time, as also it’s grand monuments, the massive fort, and the temples here. The Kakatiyas control of the entire Telugu speaking region, and the Eastern Coast, enabled the flourishing of trade resulting in it’s prosperity. It was but natural such riches would attract the attention of the Delhi Sultanate.

The only Indian to command an infantry brigade during World War II, and dealt with the repatriation of POWs as head of an UN after the Korean War. Chief of Army Staff from 1957-61 in the years leading up to the war with China.

Kodendara Subbayya Thimayya, nicknamed as Timmy, whose Jayanti it is today.

Known for his quick wit, fiery temper, a no nonsense attitude, and an independent stance. He was also the first to point out the threat from China to Nehru, that was predictably ignored. Belonging to the same Kodendera clan of Cariappa, he was born in Madikeri, into a well to do family of coffee planters on March 30, 1906. His mother Sitamma,was well educated and a social worker, while his father Subbayya was another of the well known coffee plantation owners.

He was the mentor to many leading lights of India’s revolutionary movement, gave up a flourishing legal career to take part in the freedom struggle.  He founded the India House in London, which would become the center for most Indian revolutionaries, operating outside of India or in exile.

One of the most brilliant minds of his era, and a mentor to #SwatantryaVeerSavarkar , a selfless nationalst, who used his wealth for the cause of the freedom movement.

Shyamji Krishna Varma, whose death anniversary it is today. Resistance to aggression is not simply justified, but imperative

When one looks at Veer Savarkar's story, Shyamji Krishna Varma would play a major role in it. He was the one who funded Savarkar's trip to London, mentored him, guided him, gave him place to stay.

“Behind every successful man is a woman”

While we are familiar with Veer Savarkar, not many know about the woman in his life, Yamunabai Savarkar or more affectionately known as Mai, a lady as great as her more illustrious husband.
#SwatantryaVeerSavarkar Her real name was Yashoda, and she came from a background, totally different to that of Veer Savarkar’s. Where her husband came from a modest family, supported by his elder brother, she came from a rich and influential family.

One of the important characters in Veer Savarkar's life was Madan Lal Dhingra,a hero who actually deserves a biopic of his own.

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. Yet he was restless, driven by the call for Swadeshi, right from his student days at the Government College, Lahore in 1904. He led the student protest there against having to forcibly wear a blazer made of imported cloth, which led to his expulsion in turn.

There has been an attempt to whitewash the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan as an essentially benign ruler, who was misled by Qasim Rizvi on the Razakars. That has been perpetuated by an entire cabal of Indian English writers, praising the Nizam, and downplaying the Razakars.

However nothing could be farther from the truth.

Osman Ali Khan, became the Nizam in 1911 and the first thing he did was getting the Hindu dewan Kishan Prasad resign. Urdu was the primary medium of education when hardly 10% of the state spoke it, the majority languages Telugu, Kannada and Marathi were completely suppressed. And this led most Hindus to drop out of schools, leaving Hyderabad State with one of the lowest literacy rates of just 28% , compared to 63% in Mysore, and over 70% in the Bombay, Madras presidencies. He appointed Anwarullah Khan Farooqi his teacher as Sadr Ud Sadr, and Minister of Religious Affairs, who banned dances at Urs, and began to implement religious policing. The UP Muslim Defense Association in turn gave him the title of Mohi-ul-Millat Wad Din, Reviver of the Community and Faith.

However the Nizam very smartly did all form of Taqiya, in order to project himself as secular and progressive. He gave donations to prominent temples like Bhadrachalam, Yadadri, as also institutions like BHU, Bhandarkar Institute that was enough to make Hindus happy.

He made some token appointments of Hindus to top positions like Kotwal Venkataramana Reddy, Aravamudam Iyengar, but bulk of the administrative posts were held by Muslims around 75%, 90% in bureaucracy and 95% in police and the Army.

The #RazakarMovie ending credits features many of those who fought against the Nizam and Razakars. One thing to be noted that in Hyderabad State, the fight was more with the Nizam, who in turn was propped up by the British. Sharing here some of those names, again this is not an exhaustive list.

Some are well known, like Komaram Bheem, of the Gond tribe, who led an intense uprising against the British rule and Nizam in the jungles of North Telangana. You can check out my article on him here. He was shown in RRR movie, albeit that was a fictional representation, not his real story.

And then Chakali Ailamma, the frail looking lady, who in a way began the Telangana uprising against the Nizam, when she resisted the attempts of the local Deshmukh to grab her land.

P.V.Narasimha Rao, apart from his stint as Prime Minister and Union Minister, also took active part in the freedom struggle in Hyderabad State. He hoisted the national flag in Osmania University, defying the diktats of the Nizam.

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Anabheri Prabhakar Rao, known as the Bhagat Singh of Telangana, fought against the Nizam/Razakar rule, before being encountered at Husnabad.

Arutla Ramachandra Reddy, one of the leaders of the armed struggle against the Nizam, also represented Bhuvanagiri in the Legislative Assemble. His wife Kamala Devi too participated actively, and was an MLA later.

Kaloji Narayana Rao, writer and poet, who took part in the uprising against the Nizam, and was arrested twice for it. Worked with both the Arya Samaj and later the Andhra Mahasabha.

Raavi Narayana Reddy, was one of the main leaders of the Telangana rebellion, against the Nizam's autocratic rule. Also was chairman of Andhra Mahasabha.

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.

#RazakarMovie #RazakarOnMarch15th
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.

With the #RazakarMovie releasing this weekend, taking a look at the Razakars and the history behind them.

To understand the genesis of the Razakars, one needs to go back further to the Telangana rebellion, that broke out in 1946. For a long time, the rural parts of Hyderabad State, were divided into what was called as Samsthanams, essentially pieces of feudal territories.

These Samsthanams were under the feudal role of the Doras or Deshmukhs, 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. It was an unlikely person,who would spark off the Telangana revolt, a doughty woman activist called Chakali Illamma, who fought against the local Zamindar’s attempt to take over 4 acres of her land. That sparked off a revolt all over Telangana, with the communists jumping into the fray, and liberating many villages from the feudal lords.

The revolt against  the Telangana doras, that essentially was against bonded labor and exploitation, saw the Nizam himself become the target.  To the villagers and activists, the exploitative landlords, were essentially stooges of the Nizam himself.

One of the more popular revolutionary songs of that period  was “Bandenaka Bandi Katti, Padaharu Ballu Katti, Nenosthanu koduka ra Nizam sarakaroda”. Loosely translated it means “Tying one cart after another, and 16 carts in tow, I am coming for you stooge of the Nizam”.

You would have seen this temple in many Telugu movies, especially those with a rural theme.
This is one of the prominent Shaiva Kshetras in Andhra Pradesh, Veerabhadra Temple at Pattisema, located right on an island in the middle of Godavari river, and is also one of the Pancha Bhavanarayana Kshetras.

The main temple of Sri Veerabhadra Swamy stands on a small island right in the middle of the Godavari river, that can be reached only by boat.
As per the Sthala Puranam, when Sati, immolated herself in the Daksha Yagna here, after her father insulted Shiva by not inviting him, in a rage he created a fierce form of him Veerabhadra from a lock of his hair, and ordered him to kill Daksha.

Veerabhadra along with the Ganas attacks the Yagna, creating havoc there, cutting off Daksha's head with his long sword called Pattasam, which accounts for the place's name variously also referred to as Pattiseema.

Even after cutting off Daksha's head, Veerabhadra does the fierce Rudra Tandava on the nearby hill called Devakutam, and Bhadrakali, the fierce aspect of Shakti, emerges when he strikes the Trishul on the ground. Though Vishnu in form of Bhavanarayana tries to pacify Veerabhadra using his Sudarshana Chakra, it is in vain, as he swallows it. Finally he is pacified, when Agastya Maharshi holds him from behind.

On the eve of #Mahashivratri2024 a quiz here on Shiva, the legends, symbolism associated with him. Most of the answers can be worked out, so try best not to google. So try answering the questions, answers will be out tomorrow.

1) In the Nataraja form, Shiva is often seen trampling a dwarf  named Apasmara. He is believed to symbolize ignorance, and the act is believed to represent the victory over ignorance, as also the passing of spirit from the divine to the material. Apasmara is also believed to symbolize a certain neurological disorder, described in the Ayurveda. Which one? 2) This form of  dance is performed by Parvati, and is in response to the male, cosmic energy of  Shiva’s tandava, and it’s literal meaning is  beauty, happiness and grace. It is often regarded as the feminine version of the Tandava, and  the name is often used in tandem to denote a musical term too. Identify.