The story of a nation is the biography of its people.

India is a confluence of a billion life stories, an expansive

narrative whose structural variations are only matched by its thematic abundance. Get into it and be swayed by
the whirl of passions, paradoxes and ironies. So it is not surprising that, in the panegyrics of geopolitics and
globalism, India is the exclamation mark of the East. Its democracy is the only reassuring drama in a region
where the show is still about less evolved civil societies.
Its marketplace has already shed all those socialist inhibitions and become the playground of the socalled
wealth multipliers.
!nd in the digital planet, Indian is an ad"ective to be reckoned with. #hen India performs at its best, in words
or on the screen, the world is transfixed$and such moments are not rare.
#e are not some remote oriental exotica any longer. #e are an interesting bunch of people, capable of a few
miracles.
#e are here because our national back story is populated by people who are more interesting. %anonised by
history, exaggerated by memory, they are not "ust the protagonists of a great yesterday.
They are the ones who set the stage for those who came after them to play out their romance. &ioneers, warriors,
revolutionaries, innovators, dreamers, adventurers and creators, they stretched the limits of the freedom they
were born into. They challenged the dead certainties of their times with the power of ideas, conviction$and
faith in themselves.
They shattered the idyll of consensus and pitted their own will against the scepticism of the ma"ority. Some of
them played god as they gave themselves to the temptations of the alternative. Some of them pointed their
accusatory fingers toward the selfstyled gods of the era.
!nd all of them, in varying degrees of originality and audacity, acknowledged the indispensability of 'uestions$
and the uses of dissent.
They are the men and women who have made India a place of perpetual astonishment, a country whose stability
is built on a million imperfections. (ost of them are the people we read about in textbooks. They are the
permanent residents of the mythology we make out of heroworship. )See graphic* &oll survey $ Top +, greatest
Indian leaders -
They are known by a simple word* great. It is an ad"ective overused in history books and by popular media. It is
not necessarily synonymous with fame. it is given to a chosen few in gratitude, by a people indebted. It evokes
awe and admiration, and owes its origin to achievement.
The India Today list of the /, Greatest Indians does more than showcase the familiar. 0evertheless, they are all
there, certainly, from those who were in the vanguard of the freedom struggle to those who managed the
freedom.
1rom those who stood up to the Empire to those who built empires of their own$of the mind and the money.
1rom those who have made politics and morality seamlessly compatible to those who have redeemed India in
their imagination.
This list captures the evolution of the Indian story in portraits of individual exceptionalism. It is the history of a
nation personified, and a celebration of the spirit that breaches borders.
The poll
The poll began on (arch +2 and ran for three weeks through the India Today website and S(S.
! total of +3,453 votes came in, with 6hagat Singh leading with /,435 votes, Subhas %handra 6ose coming
second with 7,+48 votes and (ahatma Gandhi trailing at 5,279 votes.
Sardar :allabhbhai &atel, who forever stepped aside for ;awaharlal 0ehru, has been redeemed in posterity, at
fourth position with 3 per cent of the votes, compared to "ust 5 per cent for 0ehru.
!nother steely nationalist, Indira Gandhi, is sixth, with 8 per cent of the votes.
It is, most tellingly, a reflection of the changing perception of those who are remembering. Greatness, it seems, is
not static, or absolute. It continues to be reappraised in the mind of the indebted.
The one who tops the India Today list is not the most obvious, the (ahatma, but the (artyr. In our poll, the
action hero who struggled to give a revolutionary re"oinder to the 6ritish Empire pushes the savant of passive
resistance to the third position.
!nd next to 6hagat Singh is another rebel and adventurer who too didn<t take the Gandhian road to national
liberation* Subhas %handra 6ose.
The top +, subvert many assumptions about greatness and how it is perceived by a generation that is not
entirely conditioned by the onedimensional wisdom of the classroom.
The pioneer, the poet and the scientist coexist with leaders who were not conformists. and surprisingly, 0ehru$
nationbuilder, moderniser, secularist, socialist$is at the ninth position, between =omi 6habha and
;ayaprakash 0arayan.
#ith Sardar &atel at the fourth and Indira Gandhi at the sixth positions, the list is a celebration of nationalists
with iron in their soul$or in their fist.
Is it that, as India, which at any rate is hardly Gandhian or 0ehruvian in its political expression, strives for
global power status, someone out there, someone disillusioned with the conformism of a smug state, is missing
the romance of the revolutionary leap$and the martyr<s war cry, In'uilab >indabad?
Is it that the mysti'ue of the deviant, the transcontinental adventurism of the rebellious, is more alluring than
the intimate humanism of the fakir? Is it that a steely nationalist like &atel and a strong, overpowering
helmswoman like (rs G are missing in an India of wishywashy pretenders to the throne?
Is it that India is nostalgic about the moral power of a ;& at a time when the socalled socialists, products of his
@total revolution<, are an embarrassment to his memory? The hierarchy of greatness on the list reveals the mind
of India. It brings out the way in which a nation comes to terms with its past and how it argues with the present.
Its iconography essays a people<s aspiration, their nostalgia, their disillusion, their hope, their "oy$and the
gaping absences in the bestselling story of India Aising.
Greatness, in the end, is a creation of the beholder. It is not the suspension of "udgement that ensures the
durability of the greatest. !s in the following pages, the march of the /, greatest is led by the 'uestioning mind
of an India inspired.
Bist of the /, greatest Indians

!martya Sen $ Global Indian (ulk Aa" !nand $ 1ree radical
!mrita SherGill $ 6rush with beauty (unshi &remchand $ &en drive writer
%.0. !nnadurai $ Better and spirit ;awaharlal 0ehru $ The architect
6aba !mte $ (an of action &.%. (ahalanobis $ The plan man
6al Gangadhar Tilak $ Street fighter Chundira" Govind &halke $ 1irst showman
6.%. Aoy $ 6engal tiger Aavi Shankar $ Sultan of string
6egum !khtar $ Dueen of melody &rakash &adukone $ 1eather touch
6hagat Singh $ The patriot A.E. 0arayan $ Tale spinner
S.S. 6hatnagar $ The catalyst Aa" Eapoor $ Cynasty<s child
6himsen ;oshi $ Song and trance Aa"a Aavi :arma $ Aoyal touch
6imal Aoy $ Aomantic realist Aa"a Aam (ohan Aoy $ The modernist
6ismillah Ehan $ The enchanter Aa"a Aamanna $ The energiser
6.A. !mbedkar $ Eternal fighter Aa"endra &rasad $ Son of the soil
%.:. Aaman $ 6right spark S. Aamanu"an $ &erfect e'uation
Chirubhai !mbani $ Guru of growth Aamnath Goenka $ The kingmaker
Chyan %hand $ Sorcerer<s score Aukmini Cevi !rundale $ &oetry in motion
E.(.S. 0amboodiripad $ The pragmatist Saro"ini 0aidu $ %ivil crusader
=omi 6habha $ 0uclear mahara"a S. Aadhakrishnan $ Guiding light
Indira Gandhi $ Triumph of will Sachin Tendulkar $ 6eyond the boundary
;.%. 6ose $ !head of the curve Sam (anekshaw $ #arrior king
;ayaprakash 0arayan $ Bead factor Sardar :allabhbhai &atel $ Iron in his soul
;.A.C. Tata $ Steel in his spine Satya"it Aay $ Fniversal eye
!.&.;. !bdul Ealam $ The visionary Subhas %handra 6ose $ Supreme soldier
Bata (angeshkar $ :oice of India S. Tripathi 0irala $ 1reedom<s verse
Aam (anohar Bohia $ The provocateur Aabindranath Tagore $ !t home in the world
(.S. Subbulakshmi $ Endless echo :iswanathan !nand $ Bightning kid
(.S. Swaminathan $ Aoots of change :erghese Eurien $ #hite knight
(ahatma Gandhi $ To 6apu, with love !.6. :a"payee $ Aenaissance man
(ilkha Singh $ 1ast and gentle :ikram Sarabhai $ (aster mind
(other Teresa $ (ission possible >ubin (ehta $ 6aron of baton

%.0. !00!CFA!I $ &GBITI%I!0, +4,4+4/4
When Conjeevaram Natarajan Annadurai died, his funeral, attended by many lakhs of
people, was one of the largest the country had seenand as Indians are often fond of
claimingit is supposed to be a uinness record!
Anna, not only the diminutive of his name but which means "respected elder brother# as
well in $amil %an ambiguity capitalised on by the &ravidian movement', was born of
rather undistinguished parentage for which he was often ridiculed by petty(minded
political rivals!
In the rise of this barely five(and(a()uarter feet man with a balding pate, tobacco(stained
teeth, stubbled chin and a captivating husky voice to prominence lies the story of modern
$amil Nadu!
Anna was the first leader of post Independence India who did not play a role in the
freedom struggle! *ducationan +!A! proudly tagged to his namewas his only claim
to respect and he cut his political teeth in the non(,rahmin -ustice .arty, translating into
$amil the high(flown public speeches of its leaders!
$he first anti(/indi agitation of 0123421 clearly established his skills with languageon
the platform and with the pen to which he later added film script writing! In him .eriyar
*!5! 6amasamy found the lieutenant who would, however, soon upstage him!
C!N! Annadurai
In 0177, with freedom only a matter of time, Anna gave the crucial reorientation to the
non(,rahmin movement, which would rid it of the stigma of loyalism! 6echristened the
&ravidar 8a9hagam, he prepared it for challenges of a newly independent nation state!
/is alliterative rhetoric, radically new to the $amil language, changed $amil public
speaking forever! Combined with his voracious reading in western rationalism, his
linguistic skills greatly enamoured the $amil youth from upwardly mobile non(,rahmin
families!
What perhaps contributed to Anna:s ultimate success was his ability to harness and tame
the ideas and energies let lose by .eriyar! iven his controversial and radical ideas on
nation, caste, religion, women and language, understandably .eriyar eschewed electoral
politics!
In Anna, the emergent backward castes saw a leader who could take them to political
power! /e skilfully repackaged .eriyar:s iconoclastic ideas to make them palatable in the
public domain! .eriyar:s rustic atheism became
";nre 8ulam, ;ruvane &evan# %;ne od, ;ne
Community' in a skilful appropriation of the
venerated medieval $amil saint $irumular! When
.eriyar went about breaking the idols of .illaiyar
%anapati' Anna famously observed that he would
neither break the idol nor the coconut %in worship'!
$he first open sign of break came when .eriyar
declared August 0<, 0173, as a day of mourning! In
perceptively judging the public mooda trait he
was to display many times in his political career
Anna declared that there was now one enemy less
%the ,ritish'!
.eriyar:s mismatched marriage in 0171 with a
young +aniammai provided the prete=t for the
birth of the &ravida +unnetra 8a9hagam %&+8'!
Duick take
D* #hat did he do before "oining
politics?
!*Wrote film scripts and dialogues
D* #hich state did he rename?
!* $amil Nadu! *arlier known as
+adras
D* =ow many publications did he
start?
!* $hree&ravida Nadu, A $amil
weekly in 017> and two in *nglish
homeland %01<3', /ome 6ule %01??'
D* #hat did he die of?
!* ;ral cancer as he used to chew
tobacco
D* #hat was unusual about his
funeral in +4/4?
!* About 0!< million people attended
it, a record
;ver the 01<@s he built a party which e=pressed the dissatisfaction of $amils with the
Indian state, especially the imposition of /indi!
$he Congress:s well(planned defeat of Anna in the 01?> assembly elections led him into
the 6ajya Aabha! $he abdication of the secessionist demand in the wake of the Chinese
aggression was yet another indication of his political acumen!
&+8 pretty much set the terms of the debate in early post(0173 $amil Nadu! In a,
perhaps now justly forgotten, book called IndiaB the +ost &angerous &ecade %01?@', a
CA analyst Aelig /arrison observed of AnnaB "$here is no doubt that this powerful orator
is the single(most popular mass figure in the region#a point completely missed by his
political rivals!
And when &+8 swept the polls cobbling up a coalition with C! 6ajagopalachari:s
Awatantra .arty, the Communists and the +uslim Deague, thereby gaining political
acceptability across the boardin 01?3 effectively ending Congress dominance in the
state, it surprised no one e=cept the Congress!
,ut the electoral success disturbed no one more than Anna himself, for he feared that
success had come a little too early&+8:s first cabinet was the youngest in India then!
/e had assiduously built up a party apparatus that spread to every corner of the state
through a wide and democratic network of reading rooms that doubled up as party
offices!
A magnanimous man who was generous to a fault, Anna had also groomed a
distinguished line of second rung leaders by whom he never felt threateneda lesson that
every party leader in India should learn! $he da99ling rise of Anna was cut short by death!
/e was not yet ?@! $he Indian nation state owes much to him for safely accommodating
$amil nationalism within it!
The author is a historian and Tamil writer
6!6! !(TE $ !%TI:IST, +4+25,,3
$he nonagenarian social worker leaves behind a tradition of struggle and reconstruction
devoted to the uplift of society and empowerment of the disabled! A man with a spirited
vision of building a just and sustainable society, he had deep faith in nature and humanity!
*very individual, whether impaired, physically disabled or a kushthrogi %leprosy patient'
was for him a source of energy that needed to be harnessed! "Eouth is he who rises to the
sky limit and allows himself to sublime,# was ,aba:s understanding and also a basic tenet
of his inimitable relationship with the blooming generation!
Anandvanan ashram set up for leprosy patients in Chandrapur, Aomnath campa
source of inspiration for youth, /emal 8asaa centre for adivasis in adchiroli district,
+aharashtra, today stand as successes that can weave the micro into the macro vision of
transformation!
,orn as +uralidhar &evdas Amte and an advocate by profession, he not only had a firm
belief in the ideologies of +ahatma andhi, 5inoba ,have, and other humanitarian
philosophers, but also a uni)ue ability to transform their ideals into practice! /e spent his
entire life with a familythat of kushthrogis, who proved social assets!
,aba Amte
A right choice of technology and contribution of innovative ways of managing resources
were the strength of his approach! /e was firmly opposed to large dams, which made him
camp on the Narmada bank for a decade with a courageous position and committed
involvement! *ven in the face of patently false allegations and repressive force used
against the people of the Narmada valley and their twodecade(long struggle, ,aba
challenged the Atate and took to streets with farmers, labourers and adivasis!
/is activism was a reflection of his faith in action, not just words! /e was in the thick of
things when violence struck .unjab or riots took place in +umbai or ,hagalpur! /is plea
for ,harat -odo touched the hearts of millions because it was a sincere, confident attempt
to bury evils that divided humankind!
&evelopment for life and livelihood was ,aba:s dream that made him a supporter of
people:s movements like those for saving land and
resources! /e supported adivasis against the
Ichampalli ,hopalapatnam dam, not caring about
being branded a na=alite or an anti(national! A
messiah of non(violence, his spirit was militant
which he e=hibited in his criti)ue as well as
rejection of awards over the Narmada issue! Eet,
,aba was bestowed with many awards by power
holders, probably to cleanse their own conscience!
I still remember ,aba:s support to every fast of
mine and our activists, and yet he staunchly
opposed our sitting on jal samadhi! /e was against
fasting since he knew about its physical impacts as
well! Eet he never stopped me and others! /e was
always an inspirer, a facilitator but never a dictator!
Duick take
D* #hat did he do under the
6harat ;odo campaign in the <3,s?
!* +arched across the country
D* =ow did he get the name 6aba?
!* It was a moniker given by his
parents
D* #ho were his famous friends
from =ollywood?
!* reta arbo and Norma Ahearer
D* #hich awards did he refuse to
accept?
!* .adma Ahri and .adma 5ibhushan
D* =ow many ashrams did he set
up for the underprivileged?
!* $hree
&espite their worries and concerns, he and his wife Aadhana $ai, would wish us well! /is
ways were never apolitical, yet his response to the vulgar moves of the politicians of
ujarat was to join our satyagraha! ,ut he also shared with us that he had dreamt of our
going under water, hitting the dam wall!
,aba:s uni)ue stature made him a true companion of eminent scientists, artists,
intellectuals, activists and philosophers, including the &alai Dama, .!D! &eshpande and
others from abroad!
*ven when he was bedridden for years, he was abreast of the latest events, happenings
and conflicts around the world! /e was sensitive to even the slightest of turmoil, not to
speak of wars and calamities!
,aba:s poetic as well as political statements and radical plans infected all those who were
sensitive enough to take the bits of his vision into their own careers and life!
,aba left the world amidst commotion, created by the state and elite sections of society
a conse)uence of value degradation in politics and in the economy with a materialistic
perspective of progress, as well as the resultant enslavement of society! /e used to
fiercely criti)ue all this and yet transmitted hope with every seed of thought and action
that he had sown!
/is soul may or may not have rested in peace when his body, wrapped in plantain leaves,
merged with the earth, rejecting all rites and rituals, on February 0@! /e, however, did not
miss any of his worldly duties, including sharing not just love, but respect for his wife,
and all women, as also caring for the family, with his great sons, 5ikas and .rakash,
daughters, grandsons, all enveloped in his missionary bondage!
$he larger family of ,aba:s biradari, activists and local to global humane citi9enry, too
has to take a pledge to take his legacy forward to build the nation as he would have
wanted to!
The author is the founder of the Narmada Bachao Andolan and co-founder of the
National Alliance of Peoples Movements
6!B G!0G!C=!A TIB!E $ 1AEECG( 1IG=TEA, +37/+45,
,al angadhar $ilak was a charismatic and forceful politician and was one of the first
popular leaders of Indian Independence!
/e became known as the Dokamanya %revered by the people' because of his trenchant
criticism of ,ritish rule and his personal role in resisting it!
$he son of a schoolteacher, $ilak was born in the 8onkan district of 6atnagiri! +any
stories from his childhood attest to his precociousness, petulance and independent
character!
/e enrolled at &eccan College, .une, where he e=celled at mathematics and was
nicknamed ",lunt# by his fellow collegians, while at college he undertook a daily
e=ercise programme of gymnastics, wrestling, rowing and swimming to strengthen his
body!
After graduation, he taught mathematics in .une before becoming involved in
nationalistic educational societies! /e then established two nationalist newspapers in the
early 0GG@s, the *nglish(language Mahratta and the +arathi(language, Kesari.
/is writing was pointed and pithy and sternly logical! It was during this decade that a
split developed in the Congress between the moderates and e=tremists!
,al angadhar $ilak
$he former attempted to appeal to liberal ,ritish interests to progressively share power
with the western(educated Indian elite! $ilak gravitated towards and became the leader of
the second group that rejected the mendicant tactics of moderates, arguing forthrightly for
self(rule and contending that the ,ritish would only make real concessions when they
were forced to do so!
$ilak developed innovative tactics to advance the cause of the e=tremists! Instead of
making speeches in council halls and composing endless petitions to the ,ritish, he
developed innovative campaigns that took the Congress cause to the streets! $he aim of
this campaign was to raise the profile of the Congress party, to give it more clout and to
ground the secular and western independence movement more in Indian tradition and
culture!
In 0G12, for instance, he attempted to add a political dimension to the popular anapati
festival! In 0G1< he organised a movement to
honour the great 03th century +aharashtrian
leader, Ahivaji, who wrested territory from the
+ughals in western India!
$he ,ritish believed that $ilak famously referred
to as "the father of the Indian unrest# by 5alentine
Duick take
D* To which university was he
elected as a fellow?
!* ,ombay Cniversity
D* #hich book did he write in
prison in (andalay?
!* Gita ahas!a
D* #hich society did he form to
educate the youth?
!* &eccan *ducation Aociety in .une
Chirolincited terrorism by what they regarded as inflammatory articles in 8esari and
he was jailed for 0G months in 0G13!
$ilak emerged unrepentant and on his release uttered the memorable phraseB "Awaraj
%self(rule' is my birthright and I shall have it#! /e was tried again for sedition in 01@G
when, recognising that the court provided him a political theatre, he defended himself in a
>0(hour speech! $ilak had a loud voice and was a powerful orator! When he was
sentenced to si= years: transportation to +andalay, ,urma, the ,ombay workers went on
a strike!
When he re(emerged in 0107, he brought regional politics to the all(India stage! /e
helped found the All India /ome 6ule Deague in 010? with *nglish theosophist Annie
,esant and +ohammed Ali -innah, the architect of .akistan!
While some have viewed $ilak as a +aratha protagonist and a /indu nationalist, his
political views were rather more comple= and evolved over time! Although socially
conservative in many respects, $ilak, in later life, e=pressed an admiration for Denin after
the 6ussian 6evolution of 0103! Although he became popular outside +aharashtra, he
never became a national politician in the sense that +ahatma andhi did! $ilak was
constrained by the limited means of communication and transportation!
$here could be no greater contrast between the proud, strong and this(worldly
+aharashtrian and the ascetically(inclined andhi$ilak was a scholar, who published a
work on The Artic "ome of the #edas, whereas andhi was not! $ilak also had
reservations about andhi:s tactics of non(violence! /is bold stance and innovative
campaigns to enlist people paved the way for andhi! When $ilak died in 01>@ and
andhi joined some >,@@,@@@ mourners in ,ombay for his cremation, he said $ilak was
"the maker of modern India#!
The author is an ad$unct professor at the %niversit! of Technolo&!' (!dne!. "e has
written $he +yth of the DokamanyaB $ilak and +ass .olitics in +aharashtra )*+,-..
6.%. AGH $ &=HSI%I!0, &GBITI%I!0, +335+4/5
,idhan Chandra 6oy was one of the foremost national leaders of the >@th century India!
A legendary physician, a distinguished Congress leader, an educationist and a
philanthropist, 6oy became the chief minister of West ,engal and transformed it from a
problem state into a prosperous one!
/e was a leader whose advice -awaharlal Nehru and 5allabhbhai .atel always relied
upon!
From the time he defeated the formidable Aurendranath ,annerjea in an election in the
early 01>@s, there was no looking back as he successfully occupied important positions!
/e was mayor of Calcutta, vice(chancellor of Calcutta Cniversity and member of the
Congress Working Committee! In 017G, he declined the position of governor of Cttar
.radesh for which he was approved by 8ing eorge 5I, because he wanted to be in
active politics!
Ahortly thereafter, he assumed the stewardship of West ,engal!
,!C! 6oy
/ow refreshingly free he was from ideological controversies is e=emplified by the fact
that in 01<3, when Nehru and .! C! +ahalanobis were all set to introduce Aoviet style
planning with emphasis on creating basic and heavy industries and financing them by
curtailing consumption, 6oy chose to cross swords with +ahalanobis with his
sophisticated econometric models and recommended a policy where primary emphasis
was to be given initially to agriculture!
Industrial development was to take place from out of the surplus generated by agriculture!
/e was totally opposed to import control or foreign e=change control!
,ut he did not turn his views into polemics and submitted to the majority opinion when
he was overruled by Nehru and +ahalanobis!
$wo other aspects which are almost forgotten are
6oy:s role as an industrialist and as a journalist! As
an industrialist he promoted the Ahillong /ydro(
*lectricity Corporation and Airways India!
As a journalist he took the responsibility of some
journals started by Chittaranjan &as, namely,
/orward' Ban&a0asi and Atmasa1ti! /e edited
another journal called 2i0ert! and was the founding
chairman of the Cnited .ress of India!
A true karamayogi, he died working almost till the
last hour of his life on -uly 0, 01?>, which also
happened to be his birthday!
Duick take
D* =owmany admission re'uests
did he send to the dean at
St.6artholomew in England before
he was finally accepted?
!* >1
D* =ow is his birthday, ;uly +,
celebrated in India?
!* As &octor:s &ay
D* #hich was his favourite song?
=e sang it even on the day of his
death.
!* $he ,rahmo eet
The author is a former 2o1 (a0ha MP
6EGF( !E=T!A $ SI0GEA, +4+2+492
+usic can be a powerful form of communication! And ,egum Akhtar, in my opinion,
was one of the first effective communicators! Ai=ty years ago, she realised the power of
the medium and its ability to convey a message!
/er notes carried a rare pathos which she 9ealously guarded as a stamp of her inimitable
style and identity!
$oday, at a time when classical music has fewer and fewer takers, Akhtar continues to be
a rage! It has been 27 years since she passed away, but her recordings are still best(sellers!
While poets recited gha9als, she brought them to the classical stage and made classical
music accessible to the common man!
Ahe remains immortal for the sheer aestheticism of her vocal style!
$he reason why Akhtar:s music has endured is simpleB she knew how to communicate
with her audience!
Ahe was as careful in choosing the lyrics of her renderings as she was in delivering them
in terms of diction and tonalilty!
,egum Akhtar
/aving mastered the art of simplicity, she derived great satisfaction from the fact that her
audiences e=pected nothing short of perfection from her!
$here was a personal rapport that Akhtar managed to achieve with each member of her
audience, almost as if she was singing e=clusively for an individual listener!
I once asked her how she looked so beautiful on the stage! Ahe replied, "Main un1o
de1hti hoon %I see the Dord while singing'#!
$hat was the level of bhakti in her musicand life! Ahe was a true Aufi!
Akhtar was born in 0107 in Fai9abad of Cttar .radesh! /er musical training began under
Atta Ahmed 8han of .atiala! Ahe not only learnt classical music but also the semi(
classical forms like gha9als, bhajans, thumris and dadras!
A broad(minded person who shunned the shackles of tradition, she believed in the
empowerment of women! I happened to be taking lessons from the thumri )ueen,
Aidheshwari &evi! ,ut one day, Ammi %as I fondly addressed her' approached &evi and
asked her if she could have me as her disciple! ;nce &evi agreed, she took me under her
wings!
$here and then, the &anda 0andh %tying of the thread' ceremony was performed, with
&evi making me wear her own ,anaras silk sari for the ritual! $he &anda 0andh
ceremony was the preserve of male students in those days, but that day, the tradition was
broken!
Akhtar was a reformer who was well ahead of her
times! I remember the day when she took me to
Cuttack to meet the famous guru of Indore, Cstad
Amir 8han, so that he could train me in voice
culture! It is unthinkable today for a guru to think
of all(round development of his or her students!
Ahe believed in promoting her shishyas! I also
remember how on a concert trip to Arinagar, she
told me that I will be giving a solo performance on
stage! I was stunned! Ahe also told me not to sing
from her repertory! I was speechless! All through
the concert, she sat behind me! It was her uni)ue
way of promoting her students!
Akhtar was a secularist and a nationalist! After she
received the .adma Ahri, a few maulvis came to
meet her! As she was a state awardee, the maulvis
thought she was close to the government and could
put in a word for their cause! $hey complained that
their masjid at ,arabanki had been taken over by
/indus, who were performing puja at the site!
Duick take
D* #hat was 6egum !khtar<s real
name?
!* Akhtaribai Fai9abadi
D* #hen did she give her first
performance?
!* When she was 0<(years(old
D* 1or which company did she cut
her first record?
!* +egaphone 6ecord Company
D* #hich was the first movie she
acted in?
!* umta9 ,egum in 0127
D* She stopped performing for five
years after marriage. =ow did she
start again?
!* Ahe fell ill and music was
prescribed as the only remedy
Ammi heard them out and asked to be e=cused! "After all, it is i0adat %prayers' that is
being held there,# she said! *ven during the 0130, she would urge neighbours to switch
off the lights at night! And when she heard the National Anthem on the radio, she would
stand up! Ahe was a true patriot!
The author' a renowned theatre artiste and sin&er' was a disciple of Be&um A1htar
6=!G!T SI0G= $ 1AEECG( 1IG=TEA, +4,9+48+
$he )uestion that bothered me the most when I began my research to write the script for
The 2e&end of Bha&at (in&h was the most obvious one! Why did he want to dieH
/e was a young healthy man of >2, with a sunny personality, was loved by all who knew
him, intelligent and witty with a great fondness for all that life had to offer from literature
to rasagullas, and everything in between!
/e lived every moment to the fullest! An(hour(anda(half before he was to be hanged, he
was eagerly devouring Denin:s latest biography! Ao, why then was he so keen on dyingH
For this, it was important to meet the man behind the legend, to trace his emotional arc! I
decided to journey his life with him as an observer!
,orn into a politically active family, even as a child he knew that India was under foreign
rule! ,ut the gruesome implications of this fact kicked in only after the -allianwala ,agh
massacre!
;vercome with grief, he ran away from school to Amritsar to visit the site!
Ao moved was he that he gathered up some blood(soaked mud into a little bottle! $his
reminder of the horrendous cruelty that is inevitable when people:s freedom is taken
away would remain with him all his life!
And it was then, while staring at those bullet(ridden walls, that this boy of 00 knew what
he wanted more than anything else in the world! /e wanted his country to be free!
,hagat Aingh
And andhi was showing the way! When he called for non(cooperation, ,hagat became
his energetic soldier! ,ut unable to comprehend the maturity of andhi:s decision to
abort the campaign after the Chauri(Chaura violence, young ,hagat felt acutely let down!
/e had to now seek his own answerhow does one fight for freedomH
/e found his answer in +ar=ism, revolutionary struggle! ,ut the en)uiry took him
beyond mere freedomtowards nation(building! At the age of 0?, ,hagat:s ideal grew
and strengthened into a mature vision for a new Indiabased on the principles of
socialism and secularism! $hat is what he would strive for now!
When Dala Dajpat 6ai died due to blows inflicted by ,ritish policemen:s lathi charge,
,hagat had a militant reaction! $he oppressor:s violence had to be met with revolutionary
counter(violence! With his comrades, he pumped four bullets into the offending officer! It
turned out to be a turning point of his life, impelling him to )uestion his own strategy!
$wo years of honest introspection led to the resolution that violence was not the answer
to oppression! ,uilding a people:s movement to
struggle for a new society was! ,ut as a fugitive
himself how was he to reach the peopleH
A spectacular idea struck himB $hrow a bomb in the
National AssemblyI Assuming that this was to
massacre politicians, Chandrashekhar A9ad was
delighted! ,ut ,hagat didn:t want to hurt anyone!
"It takes a loud noise to make the deaf hear,# he
said! ;nce arrested, he would use the court room as
a platform to speak to the people!
Csing his words, his comrades would create a
people:s movement! It was a remarkably
sophisticated strategy! $he decision to kill the
police officer had been a reaction to ,ritish
oppression, throwing the bomb was a mature
response to it!
Duick take
D* #hich organisation was 6hagat
Singh a part of?
!* /industan Aocialist 6epublican
Association
D* #hy did he run away from
home?
!* $o avoid an early marriage
D* #hich book appealed him the
most in his search on atheism?
!* Niralamba AwamiJs 3ommon
(ense
D* #ho was his inspiration?
!* 8artar Aingh Aarabha, a
revolutionary involved in the Dahore
conspiracy case
D* #ho was 6hagat Singh<s
favourite poet?
!* Allama I)bal from Aialkot
$he catch of course was that the government would hang him for the ,ritish officer:s
murder! ,ut that didn:t matter to him! All that mattered was his ideala genuinely free
India! And for that, his lifeor deathwas merely an instrument! At >2, ,hagat Aingh
had become a complete idealist!
/is cause was above his own life! I tried to imagine what it must be to feel like this! $o
want to dienot for a loved one, but for a cause, for an ideal, with joy and josh! Frankly,
I don:t really know still! And my tepid script reflected that!
,ut within weeks of his arrest, all his comrades were caught, destroying any chance of a
people:s movement! ,ut ,hagat was now firmly on the heroic path! And heroes never
give up on their cause!
With courageous and powerful speeches in the court, he made his voice heard and
articulated his vision for a free India! When he undertook a fast for ?2 days to protest
against discrimination in jail, he was hammered daily! /e never hit back! 5iolence was no
longer an option, no matter what the provocation was! In his growth, I began seeing
shades of 5ivekananda and ,uddha! And ironically, also of his great political adversary,
+ahatma andhi!
$oday, everyone wants a piece of ,hagat Aingh! *ven the Aangh .arivar, whose politics
he was dead against! .eople vote for him as the greatest Indian! /is reference is used to
accord substance and legitimacy to confused heroes in popular films! ,ut to appreciate
him is to understand the true essence of his heroism! It didn:t lie in his use of the gun
once but in the aggressive harmony of his beliefs and his actions!
The author is one of the countr!s foremost scriptwriters
S.S. 6=!T0!G!A $ S%IE0TIST, +342+477
&uring the Aecond World War, in view of the snapping of communication lines, the
colonial rulers asked the Indian government to take up the task of "supplying the
technical e)uipment of a modern army#!
$he government decided to conduct research under its own auspices, and more
importantly, to fund scientific and industrial research in centres outside its system!
/istory chose the hour and the hour produced the hero! Ahanti Awarup ,hatnagar, then a
professor at .unjab Cniversity, Dahore, was appointed the director of scientific and
industrial research in 017@!
$he same year an advisory board of scientific and industrial research was set up to
receive and appraise research proposals from universities, industry and trade!
;n +arch 0>, 017>, the Council of Acientific and Industrial 6esearch was established,
which was later transformed into a vehicle for industrial development by prime minister
-awaharlal Nehru!
$he old timers would recall with a chuckle how ,hatnagar would meet Nehru during the
latter:s morning walk, get approval for a new laboratory and have the paper work ready
by the time office opened!
A!A! ,hatnagar
,hatnagar held a number of important posts! /e was secretary to the government in the
ministry of natural resources and scientific research, secretary of atomic energy research
and chairman of the Cniversity rants Commission!
/e was a bridge between two cultures and two eras! /e was a chemist as also the author
of the ceremonial Aanskrit hymn of the ,anaras /indu Cniversity!
/e was proud of the honours bestowed upon him by the ,ritish government while, as a
government servant, he had the courage to publicly touch the feet of the Congress
president in 017>!
If science was his passion, Crdu poetry was his refuge!
/e was greatly influenced by the ,rahmo Aamaj in
his formative years!
/e was very attached to his wife, Dajwanti! A
romantic at heart, he nursed the hope that he would
take to farming after retirement and his wife would
bring him lunch and a pot of butter milk in the
fields!
The author is former director of the National
4nstitute of (cience' Technolo&! and 5evelopment
(tudies
Duick take
D* 6hatnagar was an avid writer.
#hat did he write?
!* Crdu poetry
D* #hat was his reaction when he
learnt about plagiarism by a fellow
professor in 6=F?
!* /e leapt on him and gave him a
good drubbing
D* #ho called his association with
;awaharlal 0ehru the I0ehru
6hatnagar EffectJ?
!* Air C!5! 6aman
6=I(SE0 ;GS=I $ :G%!BIST, +455
,himsen -oshi is the most prominent /industani vocalist living today!
As the best known of the many great disciples of Aavai andharva, he has made &harwad
%in north 8arnataka' home to /industani music!
Along with +allikarjun +ansur, angubai /angal, 8umar andharva and ,asav 6ao
6ajguru, he has ushered music into its golden age!
-oshi was born into a ,rahmin family of adag in 8arnataka!
As a child he was passionate about music, to the chagrin of his father who wanted him to
become a doctor or an engineer!
/e left home in search of a guru at the age of 00!
/is search took him to 8undgol, to Aavai andharva, a disciple of Abdul 8arim 8han,
the founder of the 8irana harana!
,himsen -oshi
,ut the guru rejected him, saying his voice was not good enough!
$he guru took him on only after seeing his determination and upon the recommendation
of another student, /angal!
From then on, -oshi absorbed raga after raga, imbibing the best of the gharana!
/e also learnt other styles of music, )uickly becoming one of the most(sought(after
performers!
*specially after the untimely death of Cstad ,ade hulam Ali 8han in 01?G and Cstad
Amir 8han in 0137!
A versatile singer, -oshi:s lilting thumris, bhajans in
/indi and +arathi and his abhangs are instances in
point!
A divine miracle, his tremendous accomplishments
are proof of his musical genius!
The author is a voice instructor at the
%niversit! of Al0erta' 3anada
6I(!B AGH $ 1IB((!EEA, +4,4+4//
I remember as a young child being in rooms full of books and films! +y two siblings and
I would keep devouring the written word and imbibing images of the world!
;ften my father would invite guests and my mother would go into a fren9y over
preparations for dinner!
Not surprisingly, she was famed for her ,engali dishes! Fuelled by her cooking there
would be long sessions of engaging discussions at home!
$here was a certain cultural ferment at home! Atrangely ,imal 6oy, the man, was unlike
what people e=pected him to be! We were never encouraged to be in filmmaking!
It was a passion for my father and perhaps incomprehensible to him that his own sons and
daughters would want a future in it! +ore than cinema it was culture as a whole that
e=isted at home!
I remember, after a trip to ,eirut, Debanon, he got home a music player and some
records! As a child I was astounded with the magic of music!
I used to re)uest him to put on the gramophone and would sit )uietly with him! Aeeing
this, he would let me listen to it and would often introduce me to new records! /e was
always like that!
Wherever he saw 9eal he would encourage it!
Duick take
D* #hen did he first perform on
stage?
!* When he was 01
D* #hich famous music festival did
he institute?
!* Aavai andharva Aangeet
+ahotsav
D* #hich book, written by his
father Gurura", chronicles the life
story of his illustrious son?
!* Naad-Putra, in 8annada
$he legacy of my father has been a power to me that has pushed me to e=plore his work
as I was very young when he passed away!
,imal 6oy
What started as a project on his undisclosed movie clips became a journey for me to
discover what my father:s cinema was all aboutthe implacability of suffering and the
universality of human emotions!
$o understand his cinema, it is important to understand his background! Coming from a
9amindar family he was dispossessed when his family was cheated on, and hence was left
with just one obsession making films!
I often wonder why people call him a landmark filmmaker of the 01?@shis career
actually started way back in 012>, when he was a film photographer!
It was then that he started transporting his emotions
into his creations, something that is very vividly
seen in his movies! I think when one sees 5o Bi&ha
6ameen, it is his personal e=perience of injustice
that seeps through to give such an evocative
creation to his audience!
/e never thought about the market or audience! I
remember one instanceeven though I was just
nineduring Bandini, when the producers wanted
a befitting end where ,andini would go to the right
man, whom she loved, to cater to popular tastes!
+y father was aghast! /e said to my mother, "/ow
can ,andini go to a person for whom she had
murderedH# It didn:t match his worldview! /is
films were his honest efforts and showed e=actly
what he thought and felt!
$here were no material privileges in belonging to
the 6oy household! +y father was concerned more
Duick take
D* #here was 6imal Aoy born?
!* &haka, now in ,angladesh
D* #hich documentary of his was
praised for its Iplastic and moral
beautyJ at the %annes in +47/?
!* Gotama the Buddha
D* #hat was the name of his
feature film debut?
!* %da!er Pathe!,0177
D* #ho gave him first break in
filmmaking and as what?
!* .!C!,arua, as a publicity
photographer
D* #hich song of Madhumati,
which inspired Om Shanti Om, was
initially re"ected by Aoy?
!* Aa$a re pardesi, music by Aalil
Chowdhury, sung by Data
+angeshkar
with how we would evolve into responsible human beings! ;ur home was stark with only
the basic necessities!
/e used all his resources for films! We lived in a rent accommodation all along but
travelled the world through the films, music and books that our parents brought home!
It was his )uest for perfection that took up his energy and time! I remember how one
early morning I saw my father sitting )uietly near one of the windows at home! When I
went near him, I was shushed! Aeveral mornings went by but finally my curiosity got the
better of me!
It was then that he showed me how he was recording the sound of a koel %cuckoo' for a
se)uence in a movie! /e wanted the e=act sound of the early morning cooing and
wouldn:t settle for less! It was such attention to detail that perhaps keeps his work so
relevant even today!
)as told to Bushra Ahmed.
The author is Bimal o!s son and made the documentar! 6emembering ,imal 6oy
6IS(IBB!= E=!0 $ S=E=0!I &B!HEA, +4+/5,,/
/e was an ordinary man yet an e=traordinary artisteK he was simple yet his melody was
ornamentalK he was a five(time nama9i yet he did his sadhana in the temples of 5aranasi!
/e was ,harat 6atna Cstad ,ismillah 8han, the shehnai maestro, who took the mangal
dhvani vadya to unprecedented heights! ,orn in &umrao, ,ihar, 8han was fashioned by
od to serve the cause of Indian music!
/is swaras seeped into the heart and soul of the audience with moments of e1i1arana
%union'!
+y first memory of the Cstad goes back to the 01<@s at the Allahabad music conference!
When his name was announced, there was huge applause and then hushed silence!
$he spell was broken by the swaras of the shehnai floating in the air!
$he maestro with his group of accompanists was taking long(drawn breaths to do the alap
de=terously!
,ismillah 8han
8han came on the scene when the shehnai was just an instrument played on all
auspicious occasions! Ahehnai players would sit at the entrance of the building and play
from the early hours of the morning into late night!
/is chief contribution was to take the instrument to the centre of the proscenium! For
many years, no music conference would start without his shehnai!
$he dynamics of /industani music has always been e=perimental! 8han was sensitive,
creative and intelligent!
/e e=perimented with ragas on the shehnai and his success story starts from here!
/e caught the eye of classical artistes and connoisseurs!
/e was also fully aware of the impact of Indian cinema! At a time when not many wanted
to be associated with it, he was bold enough to do so!
/e was generous and promoted many artistes by
playing duets with them! In an era when
performing artistes were moving towards
metropolitan centres and the West for better
opportunities, 8han decided to stay on in his own
city!
/e would tour foreign countries, yet would always
return to the banks of the river anges! A savant of
the anga(-amuna teh9eeb, his music was for
everyone! ,ut he belonged to 5aranasi alone!
$oday the lute is silent! $he Cstad sleeps
peacefully in the Fatiman in 5aranasi! ,ut his
music plays on!
The author is former dean' facult! of performin& arts' Banaras "indu %niversit!
6.A. !(6ECE!A $ B!#HEA, +34++47/
Duick take
D* #hich =indu deity was Ehan a
devotee of?
!* oddess Aaraswati
D* #hich was the only movie in
which he acted?
!* 7alsa&har by Aatyajit 6ay
D* #hat, according to him, was his
only vice?
!* /e smoked Wills cigarettes
,himrao 6amji Ambedkar rose from the &alit "undercaste# community %"untouchables#
who were known as "depressed classes# and later called "Acheduled Castes#' in India!
/e received his education in India and the West and became a national leader in the
country:s struggle for e)uality and justice! In Independent India, Ambedkar was
appointed the first law minister!
/e framed the nation:s Constitution, making it a secular state and provided ideas for
national emblems such as the Ashoka lions and the dharma wheel on the national flag!
Ambedkar lived a sheltered childhood on a military base in the late 01th century ,ritish
India, not really comprehending being an undercaste!
Aince untouchable children were forbidden education, it was one high caste teacher who
noticed his intelligence, guided him, and eventually gave him his own name Ambedkar!
In school, he suffered insults and humiliation from other students, yet overcame that to
become the first graduate of his community!
$he +aharaja of ,aroda noticed his brilliance and gave him a scholarship to Columbia
Cniversity where he encountered the Afro(American community in /arlem, the Cnited
Atates:s 07th Amendment to Constitution granting e)uality to all and the views of
professors such as -ohn &ewey, who was an American philosopher and education
reformer! All these propelled him to campaign for human rights!
$he messiah of the oppressed
After his doctoral studies in economics at Columbia Cniversity, he went to *ngland to
achieve similar success at the Dondon Achool of *conomics and passed the ,ar at ray:s
Inn! Cpon his return to India in 0103, his patron, the +aharaja of ,aroda, awarded him a
high position in government!
/e felt obligated at first, but because no other staff in the government office would deal
with him as an untouchable, and no lodging was provided to him, he was forced to resign
from the post! Dater in ,ombay, he found low(cost government housing consisting of a
small room! /e tried his luck in law, but his attention )uickly turned to the sufferings of
the millions of untouchables!
Ambedkar worked against injustice wherever it e=isted! /is slogan wasB educate,
organise, agitate! $o educate, he taught in colleges, and later built institutions of high
learning in ,ombay and across +aharashtra! $o organise, he became a writer, publisher,
social and labour leader, and established political parties!
$o agitate, he sparred with other leaders of his
time! From 012@(012>, Ambedkar represented the
"untouchable population# at the three 6ound $able
Conferences held in Dondon which guaranteed a
separate voting franchise to the undercaste from
that of the /indus in 012>!
/owever, +ahatma andhi stood against political
separation and decided to go on a fast in protest!
andhi sought indivisible rights for untouchables
as part of /indu society while Ambedkar wanted
separate political rights and social reform! As
andhi fasted, the .oona .act was reached
allowing general voting rights, and not a separate
franchise for untouchables!
Ambedkar:s life was dedicated to reform in society!
/e championed a moral social order against
e=ploitation of people!
$his egalitarian )uest led him to e=plore various
beliefs! /e was impressed by ,uddha:s teachings
and viewed ,uddhism as a means of bringing about
social change based on individual practice and
service to society!
/e showed the way to his community by
embracing ,uddhism at Nagpur, +aharashtra, in 01<?! /e passed away in the same year!
$he world community has much to gain from understanding his life and his conviction to
bring about a social revolution for the dispossessed!
The author earned his doctorate in anthropolo&! at the %niversit! of 3alifornia and is
currentl! at the National 3hen&chi %niversit!' Taiwan. "e is wor1in& on a film on
Am0ed1ar.
%.:. A!(!0 $ &=HSI%IST, +333+49,
When the 6epublic &ay Awards were instituted in 01<7, C!5! 6aman was bestowed with
the ,harat 6atna, the very first to be given it, indicative of his standing among all the
great personalities of the country of that time! /is was already a household name by then!
Duick take
D* #hat was !mbedkar<s real
name?
!* ,himrao 6amji Aakpal
D* #hat was the name of his own
publication?
!* Moo1na!a1, a weekly
D* #hich FS university did he get
his &hC from?
!* Columbia Cniversity
D* #hen did he embrace
6uddhism?
!* ;ctober 07,01<?, coinciding with
the anniversary of Ashoka:s initiation
into ,uddhism and the >,<@@th
,uddha -ayanti
D* #hen did he resign as law
minister? #hy?
!* In 01<0, due to the stalling of his
draft of the /indu Code ,ill in
.arliament
When it was decided to observe a National Acience &ay, the date chosen was February
>G, when the 6aman *ffect was discovered! 6aman is the only scientist whose work,
entirely carried out in India, got him the Nobel .ri9e in physics in 012@!
I first met him in -odhpur when my father had invited him for a meal! I was then studying
for my ,!Ac! %0177(7?'! For a person in the midteens, it was )uite an e=perience to meet
someone like him!
/e was e=uberant and completely focused! /e thumped the table and said, "the greatest
thing for you to do in life would be to do science#!
/e insisted that I should go on to do research in physicsa subject I was good at!
Anyone who came in contact with him would be infected by his ideas, his sense of
e=citement and enthusiasm!
+any years later, in 01?3, at the annual meeting of the Indian Academy of Aciences in
+adras, just before his presidential address, 6aman turned around and said, "+enon,
6amanna, you see this great hall packed with people who have all come to hear me!
Can you fill this hall with such an audienceH# /e was proud of the fact that for a science
lecture there could be such a large audience!
C!5! 6aman
,ut he also displayed humility when he spoke about others whom he admired, such as
Newton, *instein, 6utherford, 6ayleigh and ,olt9mann! /e was in the line of these great
classical scientistsa dwindling band! $he richness of his life and discoveries, and his
outstanding )ualities covered the canvas of Indian science in dominating fashion for si=
decades!
6aman was a self(made manK he was a precocious student, and did e=tremely well in his
studies throughout! /e had a flair for science and also an unusual appreciation of *nglish
literature! As a result, he was one of the most brilliant lecturers on science one could
listen to!
I recall the annual session of the Indian Academy of Aciences in Ahmedabad in 01?G, to
celebrate his G@th birthday, when he stood under a tree talking to a huge crowd of
children! $here was no blackboard and, indeed, no one could have seen anything written
from the distance where the children were sitting! $here was only one microphone to
reach out to the crowd! /e looked up to the sky above and asked them, "why is the sky
blue in colourH# /e then spent the ne=t hour e=pounding on that and held them all
spellbound!
/e was fascinated by colour, form and geometry!
;ften, when giving lectures, he would look at the
bright saris of the women in the audience, and
remark on them in his inimitable jocular style!
/is admiration for beauty and the understanding of
the scientific essence comes out in what he saidB
"$he beautiful silky hair which is the crowning
ornament of a woman:s head owes its geometrical
character of a long continuous fibre to the structure
of a certain type of protein molecule! $he glory of
human hair thus stands revealed as a special effort
in protein chemistry made by nature!#
Cnbounded curiosity, singleminded devotion and
commitment, deep physical insight, supreme
selfconfidence and courage of his convictions were
the hallmarks of his character!
/e appeared for a competitive e=amination when
he was 0G and got selected for the finance
department! ;n his way to work by tram in
Calcutta, he saw a signboard which readB "Indian
Association for the Cultivation of Acience#! /e
started working in the laboratory of the institution
set up by +ahendra Dal Aircar in 0G3?! $his
resulted in work of very high )uality in the fields of
acoustics and optics!
;n an offer by Air Ashutosh +ukherjee of the Cniversity of Calcutta, 6aman left
government service to become the first .alit professor of physics! In Calcutta, he
collected a very large number of younger scientists who came to work with him! After
retirement from the Indian Institute of Acience, ,angalore, he set up the 6aman 6esearch
Institute, where he spent the last years of his life! Not only did he do great science
himself but he also made others do great science! It is difficult to think of another who
had so many )ualities!
The author is a ph!sicist and former %nion minister of state for science and
technolo&!
C=IAF6=!I !(6!0I $ I0CFSTAI!BIST, +4855,,5
Duick take
D* =ow did %.:.Aaman begin his
career?
!* In the finance department as an
assistant accountant general in
Calcutta in 01@?
D* =is 0obel &riKe win gave him
which other distinction?
!* It made him the first Asian to win
the Nobel for physics
D* #hich book influenced Aaman
the most?
!* *dwin Arnold:s The 2i&ht of Asia
D* #hat was uni'ue about
Aaman<s stint at the Aoyal Society
of Bondon?
!* /e is the only Indian who
resigned from its fellowship
D* #hat is a lesser known field of
Aaman<s work?
!* /e also worked on the acoustics
of musical instruments
+y association with &hirubhai Ambani goes back to 0130(3>! $hose were tough days for
anyone in business, and tougher for entrepreneurs!
In all that I came across someone who not only thought beyond the immediate but even
more rare for me, took on everything only to succeed!
/e was for me a continuous discovery! /e was a lateral thinker! I remember during those
days how 6eliance, still a very small firm, had a funding of 6s >< to 2@ lakh!
At a time when others would ship e)uipment, &hirubhai would fly in his! Not only did
this save the two(month(long wait that businesses faced but also cut down on long(term
costs as well!
/is early success would in general situations mean a greater vulnerability but his firm
continued to grow!
;n thinking back, perhaps there were times very early on, around 0132 when we were
still young, and I would think of the impossibility of the future he imagined!
,ut then the very ne=t moment, I would be proved wrong!
$he .atalganga project, the first facility of 6eliance that took off in the :G@s, was a
testimony to his ability to achieve global scale and then as history shows, the 6eliance
refinery!
$rue entrepreneurship is actually when people start from nothing at all! *verything starts
from an aspiration and that:s where one saw the adrenaline rush &hirubhai got every time
he accomplished the impossible!
&hirubhai Ambani
/e established the e)uity culture in the formative years of Indian business!
From 013?, as he consolidated the company, he also convinced people that their
investment would bring returns!
I watched ama9ed as people came forward in hordes and soon general meetings were
being held at stadiums due to the sheer number of investors!
/e always delivered! $hat was the key to his success!
/is vision remained one of overreaching, both for himself and for his country! I
remember how he would talk of getting the nation past the level of L<@@ per capita
income!
/e envisioned a rapid pace for India! And his constant conjecture of "more to be done#
resounded every time!
*ven now one can see his pioneering spirit in his ventures, his ideas and his concepts!
&hirubhai perhaps best epitomises India, in its
transition and its growth!
Always conscious of his roots and beginnings, he
would aim at breaking every glass ceiling that was
there! Aurely, it takes people like him to build
modern India!
)as told to Bushra Ahmed.
The author is M5 8 39:' 43434 Ban1
C=H!0 %=!0C $ =G%EEH &B!HEA, +4,7+494
Duick take
D* !t what age did he move to
!den,Hemen?
!* At 0?
D* #ho was his partner when he
started business in +4/5?
!* /is cousin Champaklal
&amani!$he partnership ended in
01?<!
D* #here did Aeliance set up its
first office?
!* A2<@ s) ft room with a phone, a
table and three chairs in +umbai
D* #ho did he name his textile
brand :imal after?
!* *lder brother 6amaniklal:s son
5imal
D* #hen was Aeliance<s maiden
public offer launched?
!* In 0133
India:s glorious hockey journeya medal in the ;lympics from 01>G to 01G@ e=cept
once in 013?, including eight goldwould not have started but for a friendship between
two ,ritish colonels who were part of allipoli tragedy during the First World War!
$heir friendly gesture in 01>?, an Indian Army hockey team:s first tour of New Mealand
also a maiden foreign visit by any Indian hockey teamdug a bonan9a!
*ven as the hosts were ama9ed at the classic hockey being showcased in front of their
eyes, the visitors also realised that they were indeed a world apart!
;ne man who mesmerised the 8iwis and whose e=traordinary skills spontaneously led
the Indians think of taking part in the ;lympics, was &hyan Chand!
In that epoch making motley group of 0? stick artistes, the 0G(year(old "other rank#
soldier from the ,rahmin 6egiment stood out!
Not because he scored the most goals, but for the grace and ease with which he could do
them! *ach of the goals he scored was a hockey lesson in itself!
At the ne=t three ;lympics between 01>G and 012?, in which India strode like a colossus,
&hyan Chand lived up to his reputation and the faith reposed by the Indian /ockey
Federationit never called him for selection trials!
$he defending champion *ngland, after entering the 01>G ;lympics, made a hasty retreat
after seeing &hyan Chand at the Folkstone Festival /ockey en route Amsterdam!
It was a rare historical occurrence that a colonial country could keep out one as mighty as
the ,ritish *mpire from a particular sport for three ;lympics!
It is ironical that the same ,ritish, G@ years later, would defeat India in the Chile )ualifier
and thus ensure their tormenter:s first e=it from ;lympic hockey in G@ years!
-esse ;wen:s e=ploits at the 012? ,erlin ;lympics came in for a cornucopia of
accolades, filling every ;lympic historian:s work, as his feats were considered
challenging, a worthy rebuff to the emerging Na9i tendencies!
&hyan Chand
What about &hyan ChandH $he NNon Aryan: had not only scored >@ goals in the previous
two ;lympics, but a mind boggling number at ,erlin too, including three in the final
%;lympic records credit him with si= out of eight goals that India scored in the final, but
in his autobiography oal he claims only three, and this honesty is his greatness' against
ermany, pricking their ego in a big way!
$he global impact of &hyan Chand needs a thorough multidimensional research!
*)ually interesting is how this ordinary Indian, who "could just read and write#this is
how he describes himself in Goalwrote the destiny of global hockey, while also
breaking the mental block of those who managed sports in his era!
;nly high(profile players were made the team leaders! -aipal Aingh, the 01>G ;lympic
captain, was not even in India, but was a student at ;=ford Cniversity when he got this
honour!
/is successor at the 012> event, Dal Ahah ,okhari, could hardly match the calibre of
other players in the team which included brothers 6oop Aingh and &hyan Chand and a
half do9en others in their second ;lympics!
,ut the greenhorn, who would later become .akistan:s /igh Commissioner in Ceylon,
got the nod! $hat neither -aipal nor ,okhari played their second ;lympics is the case in
point! $herefore, when he was made the captain for the ,erlin ;lympics, &hyan Chand
considered it a greater moment in his life than when he was selected for the first
;lympics!
&hyan Chand:s legacy is not just confined to the
pre(Independence era! It continued! After the
"World:s ,iggest &ivorce#, to )uote from /reedom
at Midni&ht, when even furniture in government
offices was counted and allocated between the
divorcees during the .artition, strong claims were
made to declare India:s three ;lympic golds
neutral, like ,ritish India or Cndivided India! $hey
had a strong case!
$he 012? ,erlin ;lympic Indian team of 0G, for
instance, had eight Anglo Indians, four +uslims
and two /indus from .akistan! ,ut free India won
that psychological war as all of those 07 souls
dwarfed against the towering dinosaur, &hyan
Chand!
And this man, oblivious of his significance, claims
in oalB "I realise that I am not a very important
Duick take
D* #here can one find a statue of
Chyan %hand with four hands and
four sticks to signify wiKardry?
!* At a sports club in 5ienna
D* =is real name was Chyan Singh.
#here did he pick up %hand?
!* /is coach .ankaj upta named
him Chand predicting that he would
one day shine like the chand or moon
D* =ow is his birthday,!ugust 54,
celebrated in India?
!* As National Aports &ay
D* #hat other sport did he love?
!* ,illiards
D* !fter watching him play, who
told him,IHou score goals like runs
in cricketJ?
!* Air &onald ,radman
man, good enough to write an autobiography!# Will such a soul ever cease to radiate or
fail to illuminate Indian nationhoodH
The author is an e;pert on 4ndian hoc1e! and editor of www.stic1<hoc1e!.com
E.(.S. 0!(6GGCIAI&!C $ %G((F0IST BE!CEA, +4,4+443
&espite world wars, fascism, genocides and predatory capitalism, >@th century:s defining
hallmark was the spirit of freedom and the triumph of democracy!
Communism also was proved unsustainable if it refused to recognise the significance of
individual freedom, democracy and dissent!
.erhaps the Indian communists: greatest contribution in the last century was the lesson
they provided on functioning within a democratic system even as they maintained its
+ar=ist(Deninist core!
+uch before the world:s communist parties began their problematic engagement with
democracy, the Communist .arty of India %C.I' had begun this tryst, right after
Independence!
In many ways, *lamkulam +anakkal Aankaran Namboodiripad personifies Indian
communism:s tryst with democracy! In 01<3 he created history by becoming India:s first
communist chief minister heading the world:s first democratically(elected +ar=ist
government in 8erala!
It is a testimony to his commitment to democracy that he never got carried away by the
euphoria over its formation! As chief minister, his first proclamation was that his
government would not attempt to bring about socialism!
Instead it would try to mitigate the miseries faced by common people! *ven during those
days *+A showed boldness in inviting private entrepreneurs to invest in the state!
*!+!A! Namboodiripad
,orn and brought up in an orthodo= ,rahmin family, *+A:s baptism in public life was by
fighting the regressive ways of his own community!
After a boyhood spent among scriptures, he chose to walk to the other end!
$he scion of a rich feudal family, he took the lead in ending landlordism!
In the Congress, he fought against the dominant ideologies to give birth to the
Communist partyK within the Communist party he kept democracy alive and waged an
unrelenting struggle against its 6ight and Deft forces!
/is first ministry:s greatest achievement was in
universal literacy, gender justice, public health and
comprehensive land reforms which revolutionised
the society in 8erala and tore up its feudal fabric!
A true 6enaissance man, *+A not only rewrote the
state:s political and social e)uations but his
positions have also remained reference points on
subjects like the arts, culture, literature and
philosophy!
*+A could be credited with being one of the
architects of C.I%+':s independent line which
militated against both the 6ight and Deft forces that
pulled the party!
C.I:s illusions vanished with the onset of
*mergency when its ally, the Congress, shed its
democratic facade and revealed its dictatorial
fangs!
;n the other side, the Na=alite movement fi99led
out as its bankrupt and militant politics were
e=posed where ever the C.I %+' was dominant!
*+A:s tenure as the party general secretary from 013G to the late :G@s witnessed the party
weathering its worst crisis when it was subjected to persecution by both the 6ight and the
Deft within the country and assault from the Aoviet Cnion and China internationally!
In the late :G@s, poor health and advancing age made *+A return to 8erala for a well(
earned rest and recuperation! ,ut instead he set himself another busy agenda!
$hrough his writings, he gave a clarion call to 8eralites to rise above their differences
over caste, religion and politics! /is final days were devoted to the .eople:s .lanning
.rogramme, India:s most comprehensive decentralisation programme!
;ne of the legitimate criticisms against *+A was his reluctance to theorise innovative
e=periments which formulated Indian Communist practice!
Duick take
D* #hich movement did he launch
after Independence?
!* $he Aikya 8erala or Cnited
8erala
D* =e was defeated only once in
general elections.#hen?
!* In 01<> by 8!.! 8uttikrishnan
Nair
D* =e was the editor of which
publication?
!* $he Deft newspaper,
5esha0himani
D* #hat was he affectionately
called at home?
!* 8unju, the little one
D* #hich novel did he criticise for
its @deviant< sexuality?
!* The God of (mall Thin&s
$hough a prolific writer, whose collected works are to come out in 0<@ volumes, he is
often accused of sticking to positions dubbed dogmatic! ,ut then, hasn:t the absence of
theory been more than compensated by his pra=isH
The writer is a 3P4)M. ideolo&ue and a former editor of &eshabhimani
=G(I 6=!6=! $ S%IE0TIST, +4,4L+4//
/omi -ehangir ,habha, the architect of India:s nuclear power programme, went to
*ngland to pursue an engineering degree! ,ut his first love was basic research in science!
/e once said, "No country which wishes to play a leading role in the world can afford to
neglect pure or long(term research!# As a first step in his mission to make India a nuclear
power, he set up the $ata Institute of Fundamental 6esearch %$IF6'a centre of
e=cellence in basic science, in 017<!
/e went on to create the atomic energy programme of India in 017G! $hanks to him,
India had the privilege of designing and constructing a research reactor almost <@ years
ago!
,esides the atomic energy programme, he was also instrumental in initiating and
nurturing India:s space programme in the formative years!
,habha could achieve his dream of India becoming a nuclear power as he had strong
support and single(point clearance from the then prime minister -awaharlal Nehru!
/e also acknowledged this factB ".rovided proper appreciation and financial support are
forthcoming, it is one:s duty to stay in one:s own country and build schools comparable
with those that other countries are fortunate in possessing!#
/omi ,habha
When a reporter once asked ,habha about his marriage, he said, "I am married to
creativity#! It was his style to create institutions of e=cellence around accomplished
individuals!
In a fitting tribute, the Atomic *nergy *stablishment, $rombay, was named ,habha
Atomic 6esearch Centre %,A6C' after him!
/e was a multifaceted personality, as fluent with comple= mathematics as he was with
the nuances of western music!
/e was an artist and architect! /e took a keen interest in the construction of laboratories
and buildings which came up at ,A6C so that they appeared aesthetically appealing!
/is paintings are on display at the $IF6 and ,A6C
campuses!
Cruel fate snatched this illustrious son of our
country at a critical phase of our atomic energy
programme in a plane crash in 01??! /e was a
great patriot and always proud to be an Indian!
The author is the director of BA3
I0CIA! G!0C=I $ 1GA(EA &AI(E (I0ISTEA, +4+9+432
In many ways, she was and she was not! Ahe was perhaps the most populist prime
minister we have had so far, who e=panded the role of the government in public life and
ruled through a mi=ture of populist anti(poverty and anti(West rhetoric and a certain
strategic alliance, internally, with the Indian Deft and, e=ternally, with the Aoviet Cnion!
Duick take
D* #hich 6ritish university did
6habha do his mechanical
engineering from?
!* Cambridge Cniversity
D* In ;anuary +4//, he died in a
plane crash near (ont 6lanc, while
heading to :ienna. #hat was the
name of the aircraft in which he
was travelling?
!* 8anchenjunga, Air India ,oeing
3@3
D* Fnder which 0obel laureate did
6habha work first when he came
back to India in +484?
!* Air C!5! 6aman
D* 6habha recognised heavy
electron particles in cosmic rays.
#hat did he call them?
!* +eson
D* #hich prestigious F0
conference did he preside over?
!* $he first CN conference on
.eaceful Cses of Atomic *nergy, held
in eneva in 01<<
Ahe took to an e=treme what were once the Deftist and anti(imperialist tenets in Nehru:s
policies!
,ut it is significant that once she was gone, Indiaeven under her son 6ajivchanged
course )uite radically and started opening up to the West!
$he broad consensus about liberalising and globalising the Indian economy that has
underlain both ,-. and Congress(led coalitions in &elhi in the last decade or so, marks, if
anything, a complete departure from Indira andhi:s policies and worldview!
Ahe was not the middle ground, as it were, between Nehru:s "socialistic# and today:s
"globalised# India! If anything, she belonged to a period that did not act as a corridor
connecting the present to the past and the future!
It was a period that stood at an angle to both what came before and after!
Indira was, globally speaking, a part of the last phase of the Cold War, when that war was
at its Ncoldest:, representing two sides of a sharply(drawn but fro9en border with little or
no room for any middle ground in global politics, such as the one that the Non(Aligned
+ovement of the 01<@s once signified!
Indira andhi
,ut it is not that nothing of the house that Indira built survives today! $he dynastic
element is still very much there in our politics!
$he kind of corruption that was enabled by the larger intrusion of the state into the
economybank nationalisation, for e=ampleonly seems to have increased under later
dispensations!
$he small(savings and ta=avoidance schemes that Indira introduced to stabilise and
subsidise the lives of the middle classesand thus co(opt them into the ruling compact
appear to have become an enduring feature of the political(economic scene that
politicians can ignore only at their own peril! C.I%+' and C.I in &elhi still e=ist and
operate as a rump of the past, their elites dreaming of returning to Indira:s days %while the
C.I%+' units in the states appear to be reciting globalisation mantras'!
;n some other fronts too, her legacies, both good
and bad, continue to be influential! $he Congress
as a party has never recovered from the blow it
received from her!
/er tendency to concentrate power in her own
hands within the party and to mow down all
regional bosses surely helped to produce a
Congress party bereft of any federal or democratic
process or spirit infusing its organisational
machinery!
,ut the very creation and functioning of
,angladesh remains a testimony to the leadership
she provided the region at a time of serious
political crisis!
/er capacity to stand up to the Americans, her
backing of the reen 6evolution %though not an
unproblematic achievement', and her emphasis on
sovereignty in space, military, and scientific
research have definitely stood the country in good
stead!
Ahe was, as many have said, deeply contradictory in her personality and faith! $he
*mergency itself brought out some of these contradictions! Ahe will no doubt be
remembered and resented for imposing the only *mergency and suspension of
democratic rights that Indians have suffered since Independence!
,ut her voluntary decision to end the *mergency and face the electorate %and be
defeated' in 0133 completely confounded and proved wrong all those e=perts who had
proclaimed the *mergency to be the final burial of a democracy that they had long judged
Ndead:!
$here was no doubting her deep sense of patriotism or her commitment to the nation as a
whole! It is, after all, a profoundly moving fact that, even after she had been advised of
the risks involved, she refused to bar Aikhs from employment in her personal security
staff %unless there was concrete evidence against them' on the ground that she was their
prime minister too! $hat she died of this risk that she knowingly took speaks volumes of
the heroic courage and commitments of this comple= but remarkable person!
The author is professor of "istor! and (outh Asian (tudies at %niversit! of 3hica&o'
%(A
;.%. 6GSE $ &=HSI%IST, +373+489
Duick take
D* #hen did Indira Gandhi make
her foray into politics?
!* At 0>, with the +onkey ,rigade
D* 1or how long was she in "ail
during the Duit India (ovement?
!* >72 days
D* #ho was her role model while
growing up?
!* -oan of Arc
D* #hat did she smuggle out of her
house when young?
!* Plan for a revolutionar! initiative
D* #hat was her first portfolio in
government?
!* IO, +inistry in 01?7
-agadish Chandra ,ose was one of the greatest pioneers of modern science in pre(
Independent India! $he controversy that arose in 011G, more than ?@ years after his death,
shows vividly the glory of Indian science in his time!
A newspaper carried the headline N,ose invented +arconi:s wireless:! $he story was
based on a report that the detecting device, called coherer, an instrument invented by
,ose two years earlier, was used by uglielmo +arconi to develop the wireless radio in
01@>!
,ose believed in the free e=change of scientific knowledge and in sharing it with fellow
scientists!
In 01@0, he wrote to his friend 6abindranath $agoreB "$he proprietor of a reputed
telegraph company came with a patent form in hand! /e proposed to take half of the
profit and finance the business in return! $his multi(millionaire came to me begging! +y
friend, I wish you could see that terrible attachment for gain in this country, that all
engaging lucre, that lust for money! ;nce caught in that trap there would have been no
way out for me!#
-!C! ,ose
,ose was the first to use a semiconductor junction to detect radio waves! /e invented
various, now commonplace, microwave components!
Nobel laureate Air Neville +ott said, ",ose was ?@ years ahead of his time! In fact, he
had anticipated the e=istence of .(type and N(type semi(conductor!#
After 01@@, ,ose began pursuing another long(time interestanimal and plant
physiology!
/e believed that by focusing on the boundaries between physical and biological sciences,
he would be able to demonstrate the underlying unity of all things!
In 0103, he founded the ,ose 6esearch Institute in Calcutta, which was India:s first
scientific research institute!
A knighthood was conferred on him the same year
and in 01>@, he became the first Indian scientist to
be elected to reat ,ritain:s prestigious 6oyal
Aociety!
A pioneer, ,ose:s legacy is truly inspirational for
Indian science!
The author is former director-&eneral of the
3ouncil of (cientific 8 4ndustrial esearch
;!H!&A!E!S= 0!A!H!0 $ &GBITI%!B !%TI:IST, +4,5
+494
$imes come and go, with people leaving their footprints on history! ,ut -ayaprakash
Narayan:s life was a history of his times! /e had such an impact on people that I still
remember him vividly after all these years!
/e was the greatest orator I have ever seen! Wherever he went, there would be thousands
of people waiting to listen to him!
Eet that was only one side of him! $he other was of a )uiet man who would devour books
on +ar=ism, and for whom freedom was to later become a call for sampoorna 1ranti!
-., as he was popularly known, was a product of the varied e=periences he had in life!
/e was born in Dalatoli, a small village in ,ihar, and his father worked in the state:s
irrigation department!
From small town ,ihar, it was a whole world of discovery when he went to the CA for
higher studies!
While in college, he worked in a packaging company to finance his studies! $hat is where
his tryst with +ar=ism began, through books written by +!N! 6oy! ;n his return, he met
+ahatma andhi who became his mentor!
/e was part of the Congress for a long time but later felt his ideology was completely
different! It was then that -., along with his friends Eusuf &esai and 6am +anohar Dohia,
formed the Congress Aocialist .arty within the Congress!
It was indeed surprising that -. being a defender of radical +ar=ism was influenced by
andhi:s non(violence!
Duick take
D* 6ose wrote stories too. #hich
was his first?
!* Polato1 Tufan in :00a1to
D* #hat is his most famous first?
!* Ac)uiring a patent for the detector
of electrical disturbances
D* =ow did he fight racism at
&residency %ollege?
!* Worked without pay for three
years till he was made permanent
-ayaprakash Narayan
I remember an episode in -.:s life which shows his great spirit! It was in 017>, when he
was imprisoned in /a9aribagh and all his other associates were also in jail! -. was
worried about the movement and wanted to participate in the call for freedom! /e
devised an escape plan which is one of the most audacious I have ever heard!
Along with his friends Eogendra Ahukla, 6am Nandan +ishra and ulali Aonar, he
planned to stage a play during lunch time, to distract the jailor:s attention! $he whole of
that day -. pretended to be ill! As the play commenced, he along with his comrades made
a run for it, succeeding in jumping over the fence!
$here are accounts of how -. was much more sheltered than his friends perhaps because
of his years spent abroad! $ales abound of shoes
and clothes being especially arranged so that he
could survive the harsh outdoors! It is said that
during his escape from the prison he had hurt his
foot and his friend Ahukla carried him on his back
through the rest of the journey! $hey escaped
unscathed in the end, and for us, the tale embodies
his uncommon courage!
-.:s involvement in the political scene later became
more pronounced! $he call of Congress chhodo
%)uit' resounded, leading to the formation of the
Aocialist .arty! $he party broke away from the
Congress and stood in opposition! -. was known
for his organisational skills!
/e was someone who could get his views across to
the crowd as no one else could! I remember people
screaming "-ayaprakash# in unison when he faced
congregations!
Duick take
D* #hen did ;&<s brush with
(arxism begin?
!* While studying at the Cniversity
of Wisconsin(+adison under
sociologist *dward A!6oss
D* #hich organisations did he
establish?
!* Citi9ens for &emocracy in 0137
and the .eople:s Cnion for Civil
Diberties in 013?
D* #hen did he call for sampoorna
kranti )total revolution-?
!* In 013<, at a students: rally in
.atna
D* =is death was erroneously
announced by the then &( in
(arch +494. #hen did ;& pass
away?
!* ;ctober G, 0131
D* #hich university has been set
up in his memory?
!* -. Cniversity,Chhapra, ,ihar
,y 0137, there was immense political tension! $he Congress secured a landslide victory
in 0130 but by then the sheen had worn off and the chinks were beginning to show!
$he mass discontent coupled with the Allahabad /igh Court verdict against Indira
andhi consolidated the whole energy into one mass movement! And there could be no
greater testimony to -.:s appeal than the student protests that broke out across ,ihar in
0137!
$he reasons were close to his heartB corruption, unemployment and inhumanity! ;ne
particular protest remains etched in my mindB -. leading hordes of students on a silent
march through the streets, with everyone:s mouths covered and their hands tied behind
their backs! It was a protest that left a deep impact on everyone! From then, the sobri)uet
Dok Nayak sat comfortably on him!
I was in college at that time! It was a charged atmosphere! I met him at a dharna! A
couple of us were introduced to him! It was perhaps one of the greatest moments of my
life when he looked at me and said, "I have heard a lot about you!# $he ne=t time I met
him was during the *mergency when he was practically on the run! /e smiled and said,
"*veryone:s in, how come you are left outH# I felt the power of his political beliefs then!
-. for everyone was an icon! /e swam against the tide and did whatever he believed in! It
is that which continues to inspire thousands of Indians now! /e lived for his beliefs and
did not mind dying for them! For him losing freedom was tolerable if the nation breathed
free!
)as told to Bushra Ahmed.
The author is the %nion minister for rural development
;.A.C. T!T! $ I0CFSTAI!BIST, +4,2+448
-!6!&! $ata:s life spanned almost the entire >@th century! /e was born soon after the
Wright ,rothers made their first flight, and lived to see +anmohan Aingh introduce
liberalisation in 0110!
In 012>, when aviation was a rich man:s toy, he launched $ata Airlines! A hundred days
later, speaking at the 6otary Club, he said that a day would come when one would not
think of travelling by any other means than air! We are just witnessing the boom in
aviation he foresaw 3< years ago!
When the Na9is were inflicting atrocities on the world, he was thinking about how to take
India forward after the war! /e called together top industrialists like !&! ,irla,
8asturbhai Dalbhai and others which resulted in the ,ombay .lan!
In 017<, he started $*DC;, originally for engineering and locomotives! It was his vision
to set up a great engineering company for India! With the launch of a 6s 0(lakh people:s
car Nano by his successor as chairman of $ata Aons, 6atan $ata, in -anuary, the world has
woken up to the real potential of the company he started!
In 017G, he started Air India International, the first Asian airline to fly to the West! /e
proposed that the Cnion government partner with the $atas! And they did!
/is dream was that private enterprise and public enterprise would be the two wheels that
would take India forward!
Alas, soon the virus of state capitalism had entered into Nehru:s thinking and Air India
International was the first and last venture of its kind!
-!6!&! $ata
$hereafter, Nehru and his daughter, Indira, respected -6& for his competence at aviation
and valued him as a friend but due to differences in ideology, Nehru never consulted him
on Indian economy and industrialisation!
When I said to him that Nehru:s death was the end of an era for India, -6& replied, "And
for me too! I was very fond of him!# I
n the licencepermit raj, the $atas would not manipulate and though they grew, their
growth was not as spectacular as that of newer groups! In 0131, when I asked him about
it he said, "I have often thought of it! /ad we adopted some of the means that others did,
we would have been twice as big as we are today! ,ut we wouldn:t want it any other
way!#
;n the management side he was proud that he had dealt with a hundred directors in his
lifetime making allowances for their idiosyncrasies to get the best out of them!
/e saidB "$o lead men you have to lead them with affection!# A year after he died, I told
6atanB "I don:t miss him as my chairman but I do miss his affection!# 6atan repliedB "Ao
do I!#
Few realise that when /omi ,habha was stranded in India as the Aecond World War
broke out, -6& had a special &epartment of Cosmic *nergy started in ,angalore at the
Indian Institute of Acience so that ,habha could continue his work which he did at
Cambridge!
Four years later, he had the vision to support
,habha:s plan for a $ata Institute of Fundamental
6esearch, which became, as ,habha said, the
cradle of India:s atomic energy programme!
$wenty months before he passed away, he was
awarded the ,harat 6atna! In response to a
felicitation in +arch 011>, he saidB "An American
economist says that in the ne=t century, India will
be an economic superpower! I don:t want India to
be an economic superpower! I want India to be a
happy country!#
The author is a veteran $ournalist and has
written ,eyond the Dast ,lue +ountainB A Dife of
-!6!&! $ata
!.&.;. !6CFB E!B!( $ 1GA(EA &AESICE0T, +48+
,orn on 6ameswaram island in a $amil(+uslim family, A!.!-! Abdul 8alam has covered
a great distance to become the 00th .resident of the Indian 6epublic!
/e left the security of his family at the age of 0@ as there was no high school on the
island! /e stopped eating non(vegetarian food at the age of 0< when he found the school
mess bill unaffordable!
/e studied ,!Ac! as there was no one to guide him on how to get in to engineering after
his intermediate e=amination!
Duick take
D* #hat did his aircraft licence
number read?
!* Number 0! /is first journey was
from India to *ngland in 012@
D* #hich army was he drafted
into?
!* $he French Army
D* 6orn and brought up in 1rance,
in which year did he "oin Tata
Sons?
!* /e joined $ata Aons as an unpaid
apprentice in 01><
D* #hat did he make sure to do
when at home?
!* Always answer the phone himself
D* #hich firsts did he introduce at
Tata Steel?
!* /e introduced the eight(hour
day,paid leave and provident fund
/e became an aeronautical engineer in the pursuit of his passion of flying an aircraft!
6ejected by the Indian Air Force for a pilot:s job, he continued to remain close to flying
machines in the defence aeronautical establishment!
$ill this point, his life had been like that of any other small(town(lowermiddle class
Indian youth!
$he first turning point came when the National Committee for Apace 6esearch
%INAC;.A6' was formed in the early :?@s and a talent pool of good aeronautical
engineers was created to set up what later became the Indian Apace 6esearch
;rganisation %IA6;'!
8alam got an e=posure to a purposeful life when he was sent to the CA for a short
training programme and was blessed with great teachersB 5ikram Aarabhai and Aatish
&hawan!
/e was chosen to lead the Aatellite Daunch 5ehicle %AD5' project amongst many more
distinguished peers!
A!.!-! Abdul 8alam
A decade of hard work saw India moving into successful space research with the launch
of AD5(2 in 01G@! $his e=perience shaped him into a formidable leader! /e was decorated
with the .adma ,hushan in 01G0 and was given the task of developing indigenous
missile capabilities!
$he :G@s witnessed massive recruitment of hundreds of young engineers from campuses,
grooming them into missile scientists!
Academic institutes and private industry became partners in defence projects! /e was
decorated in 011@ with the .adma 5ibhushan and rose to become the chief of &efence
6esearch and &evelopment ;rganisation %&6&;' in 011>!
/e then dreamt of civilian spin(offs of defence technology to benefit the common man
with huge public investments and articulated the vision of a developed India by >@>@of
a nation that is one of the best places to live in, through creative and effective leadership
in .arliament, assemblies and other institutions of the state!
8alam was responsible for freeing the Dight
Combat Aircraft %DCA' project from the indecision
of choosing technology partners!
/e received the ,harat 6atna in 0113! /e oversaw
the nuclear tests and was later appointed principal
scientific advisor to the government with a cabinet
rank!
/e retired on his 30st birthday and went to the
Anna Cniversity to teach technology and societal
transformation!
$ill this point his life had been an e=ample of the
success of a hard working, upright scientific leader
and administrator!
$he second turning point in his life came in >@@>
when he was approached by the ruling N&A
overnment to be its presidential candidate!
For whatever reason the offer was made, it took the nation by storm and public jubilation
marked his ascent to the highest office in the country!
/e used his years in the 6ashtrapati ,havan to travel e=tensively and connect with
children who he saw as the citi9ens of a developed India!
8alam:s autobiography =in&s of /ire became an all(time bestseller and found its place in
school books and university curriculum! /e remains simple, a teetotaller, vegetarian and
celibate without any personal property or possessions!
In him, ?@@ million youth of India see inspiration as well as aspiration! /is recent book
>ou are Born to Blossom says just that! And he remains humble to the core! At a book
launch by a top ,-. leader in &elhi, the former .resident was caught in a traffic snarl
near the venue! /e got out of his car and walked to the event accompanied by his security
staff!
8alam imbibes the simplicity of +ahatma andhi in his personal life and considers
Caliph ;mar as a model ruler! /e still remains unaffected and unstained by the
temptations and privileges that the world has offered him! /e was, and remains, a
traveller of life!
The writer co-authored Wings of Fire with Kalam
B!T! (!0GES=E!A $ SI0GEA, +454
Duick take
D* #hich is the work Ealam most
likes to 'uote from?
!* Thiru11ural, authored by
$hiruvalluvar
D* #ho was Ealam<s mentor?
!* 5ikram Aarabhai, who told him to
always reach for the stars
D* #hich musical instrument does
he play?
!* /e is an ardent music lover and
plays the veena
D* #hich missiles did Ealam help
develop?
!* Nag,.rithvi,Akash, $rishul and
Agni
*very music composer always has something specific in mind while devising a tune and
wants the singer to deliver accordingly!
$he mark of a perfect singer is when he or she understands this intuitively!
Data +angeshkar is one such singera composer:s dream! Whenever I hear her sing I
always feel that the Almighty has especially bestowed her with a magical voice!
I remember the film that made people sit up and take notice of her! It was ,ombay
$alkies: Ma$0oor in 017G! $he music director was +aster hulam /aider and the two
songs that he made a very young Data sing were Pi!a milne 1o aa and 5il mera toda!
Ahe had sung some +arathi and /indi songs before that but they had gone largely
unnoticed! ,ut when the great maestro /aider chose her, everybody got curious!
I was one of them! ;ne day I asked him what he thought the future held for this new
singer!
/e said with her undoubted talent, assignments would come her way but she would have
to remain level headed if she wanted to e=cel!
$hat is e=actly how she remainedhumble! It was another film by another great that
brought out the magical )uality inherent in her voice! $he film was 8amal Amrohi:s
Mahal and the song was the immortal Aayega aanewala!
6eal life almost imitated reel life after this film! -ust as Ashok 8umar was drawn to
+adhubala:s mesmerising voice in the film, the audience became enchanted by Data:s
rendition!
After the film:s stupendous success she became the voice of +adhubala!
Data +angeshkar
Aoon every actor wanted her voice! ,ut she was always busy and only a few fortunate
music directors got the chance to make her sing!
I approached her many times but she remained unavailable due to prior appointments!
I finally got to work with her in Nargis Arts: P!aar Ki Baatein in 01<0, in which she sung
two songs!
,ut it was with Amrohi:s 0>(years(in(the(making 6a9ia Aultan that our pairing became
successful!
$he first song we recorded for the film was Ae dil(e(nadaan and such was the magic of
her voice that even before the film was released, the entire industry was talking about it!
;nce, )uite late in the night, -aya ,achchan and actor Ahammi came to my house
because Amitabh had been pestering the two to get him the song!
Aoon after this incident, Eash Chopra asked me to compose the music for Ka0hi Ka0hie!
$ill Ka0hi Ka0hie the films I had given music for had become hits and I had got
recognition but this one was the first golden jubilee of my career! I recall asking Data to
pray for the film to be a success! In her trademark voice she told me my prayers would be
answeredand indeed they were!
*very music director, however big or small, is the same for her! Ahe rehearses for every
song with e)ual dedication! *ven when she is e=tremely happy with a tune she never
overtly e=presses her joy! Whenever she really likes a song, she breaks into a slight smile
and starts blushing!
$hese two are the only indicators of her really liking a tune! Ahe never says anythingK it:s
her eyes that light up!
I have had the good fortune to work with a living
legend someone who is not only renowned in
India but whose fame has now spread to the entire
world! $ill the time she can, Data should sing!
)as told to 7hilmil Motihar.
The author wor1ed with Man&esh1ar on films
li1e 6a9ia Aultan and 8abhi 8abhie
Duick take
D* #hat was she named at birth?
!* /ema! /er parents later renamed
her Data after a female character
Datika in one of her father:s plays,
Bhaaw0andhan
D* #hen did she set out to get her
Frdu accent right?
!* When &ilip 8umar remarked on
her "very +aharashtrian#accent, she
took lessons in Crdu from a maulvi
D* #hat is said to be the secret of
her sweet voice?
!* Chillies
D* #ho are her famous musical
siblings?
!* /ridayanath, Asha, Csha and
+eena
D* #here was she born?
!* Aikh mohalla, Indore
A!( (!0G=!A BG=I! $ 1AEECG( 1IG=TEA, +4+,+4/9
P$he skill of a great leader#, wrote 6am +anohar Dohia, "lies in narrowing the numbers
of those whom he angers and the duration of their anger! ,ut anger them he must %and'
risk his popularity with themQ+ahatma andhi %did this'!
/e had a calf, the child of the sacred cow, injected to death in a certain situation!
/e had a monkey shot, he took /arijans to temples, he refused to attend weddings unless
they were inter(caste, he sanctioned divorce, he had the large sum of 6s << crore and
more given to .akistan at a time when /indus held that treasonable, he acted and not
spoke alone against property!
In brief, he hardly ever missed doing anything that brought new life to the nation even if
it brought calumny and danger to him!
In this passage %from his 01<G essay, Caste', Dohia captured a little of the secret to the
andhi magic, showing the chasm that separates the pristine from the merely pious!
It was also a lesson Dohia took to heart as his own incessant political and personal risk(
taking would indicateK I read somewhere that he was imprisoned >@ times in his life of <3
years!
Cnlike with most other leaders of the freedom struggle, August 0<, 0173, did not signal
for Dohia %as it didn:t for his comrade, -ayaprakash Narayan' an emeritus status from
which to write lofty articles for &elhi papers evoking the grand old days of struggle!
Instead it meant continuing the fight for the poor, the dispossessed, the caste(victims,
women and others society had spurned or trod upon! No surprise, then, that 0> of those
>@ prison terms were in free India!
;ne of the best read %and travelled' politicians of any time, "&r# Dohia %the degree was
real, a .h!& in economics from ,erlin, awarded when he was >2 for a thesis written in
ermanhe refused to consider studying in ,ritain' could hold forth with e)ual fervour
%or virulence, to his detractors' on caste, race, religion, politics, economics, constitution,
law, music, art, literature!
6am +anohar Dohia
/e kept open house at his home on 6akabganj 6oad in &elhi and anyone could walk in
and strike up a conversation! +y dad was an infre)uent caller, but would come back each
time enchanted by Dohia:s brilliant formulations!
/e could speak /indi, Crdu, ,engali, French, erman anddespite all his opposition to
the language as the whip(hand that held the Indian people downdelectable *nglish!
$o read his writings is to marvel at the sweep of his intellect! Ruite properly, one of his
books is called /ra&ments of a =orld Mind!
*very piece of information was fodder for his thesesB the originality of his analysis of the
;lympics medal tally could put /ercule .oirot:s deductions in 3ards on the Ta0le to
shame!
/e wrote to the minister of jails, Cttar .radesh %a former freedom movement colleague',
from his jail cell in 01<3, "QIn our country animals are butchered mercilessly! I was
shocked to hear that portions of live tortoises are sold in the Calcutta market! Dimb after
limb is severed and sold, and the poor creature is all the time writhing in agonyQthe
current Indian mind has become wantonly cruel! If animals are the recipients of such
beastly torture, men like me cannot escape at least a part of it!#
What would Dohia have thought of today:s IndiaH Well, here:s what he wroteB "Ine)uality
between little and big men is there in all the world, but in India this difference is killing!
In white countries, whether communist or capitalist, differences in income are two, five
or seven times! In India this difference is generally fifty hundred or three hundred times!
As a result, there is no food or clothing on one hand and there is always increasing play
of modernism and lu=ury on the other!#
It was Dohia who raised the 2(annaS0<(anna
controversy in his maiden speech in .arliament,
and wrote the pamphlet <-'??? upees a 5a!, a
commentary on the prime minister:s security
budget, in a poor country!
Dike andhi, Dohia had a sense of outrage and
shame! It was andhi who wroteB "$he poor sisters
of ;rissa have no sarisK they are in rags! Eet they
have not lost all sense of decencyK but, I assure
you, we have! We are naked in spite of our clothing
and they are clothed in spite of their nakedness!#
If Dohia was alive today, one can only guess what
he would have said, but I:m pretty sure I know
where he would %want to' bein jail!
The author' whose father was 2ohias collea&ue
in the 3on&ress (ocialist Part!' is wor1in& on a
we0site' drlohia.com' to mar1 2ohias 0irth
centenar!
(.S. SF66FB!ES=(I $ SI0GEA, +4+/5,,2
In 0173, +ahatma andhi famously said he would rather listen to +!A! Aubbulakshmi
recite the +eera bhajan "ari thum haro, than hear it sung by anyone else!
$oday, we might wonder at the profundity of that wish as andhi was no great
connoisseur of music! What we do know is that he was a very devout man!
/e said of Aubbulakshmi:s musicB "/er voice is e=ceedingly sweet! Ahe loses herself in
the bhajan! &uring prayer one must lose oneself to od! $o sing a bhajan is one thingK to
sing it by losing oneself to od is )uite different!# $hat encapsulates the essence of her
music!
Aubbulakshmi:s life began modestly in the $amil temple town of +adurai in 010?! /er
mother 5eena Ahanmukavadivu was a musician and mentored her in her early life!
Duick take
D* #hat was the sub"ect of his
&h.d thesis at the 6erlin
Fniversity?
!* Aalt Aatyagraha, focusing on
andhi:s socio(economic theory
D* #hich political party did he
form?
!* Congress Aocialist .arty
D* #ho was his longtime friend
and comrade during and after the
freedom struggle?
!* -ayaprakash Narayan
D* #hat was his first contribution
to the freedom struggle?
!* ;rganising a protest on the death
of Dokmanya $ilak
D* #hich Celhi hospital was
named after him?
!* Willingdon /ospital
Aubbulakshmi followed a predestined path as a child artiste, in keeping with the tradition
of her family!
$he world of music sat up to hear her voice when the 0?(year(old stormed the male
bastion of the +usic Academy in +adras, proving her musical credentials in the midst of
the stalwarts of the day!
Cinema propelled her to new heights, for her gorgeous voice was now paired with her
e=)uisite features! After her second film came her marriage to $! Aadasivam, a journalist
and music buff!
$he singer had found a mentor she trusted and whose opinion she valued!
/e was a worldly man who had significant contacts around the country and helped chart
the course of her career! Acting as princess(turned(saint +eera in a film produced by him,
Aubbulakshmi established herself as an icon of both popular and genteel culture!
$hereafter, she did not act in films, but concentrated on her music and reached out to a
pan(Indian audience!
/elped by senior statesman C! 6ajagopalachari, Aubbulakshmi and Aadasivam were at
the centre of a cultural renaissance in the country!
Ahe sang widely for charity, and won the hearts of grateful admirers! Among them was
-awaharlal Nehru who remarked at a fund(raising concert by Aubbulakshmi, "Who am I,
but a mere prime minister, to speak in the presence of the )ueen of musicH#
Ahe mastered the songs of great composers, made them her own, and took the level of
music appreciation to new heights!
From the .adma ,hushan in 01<7 to the ,harat 6atna in 011G, there were very few
awards that were not bestowed on Aubbulakshmi!
+!A! Aubbulakshmi
Ahe was the first woman to be honoured with the title Aangita 8alanidhi, considered the
Nobel of Carnatic music, by the +usic Academy in 01?G!
For taking the spiritual message of music to the masses, she received international
recognition and was presented with the 6amon +agsaysay award in 0137!
Aubbulakshmi:s most uni)ue contribution is her series of recordings of purely spiritual
verses and chants!
/er recordings of the #en1atesa (upra0hatam, Bha$a&ovindam of saint Adi (an1ara, and
#ishnu (ahasranamam were inspirational, mirroring the intensely personal aspirations of
a vast multitude!
$oday, they continue to resonate in temples and homes, giving her voice a permanent
place in the lives of ordinary people!
I grew up listening to her gramophone records and attending her concerts in +ylapore in
Chennai! $he affection she felt for my mother was reflected in her attitude towards me! It
was a life(long bond, strengthened by the unspoken word!
Ahe had style and was always elegantly attired in hand(woven silk sarees with jasmine
flowers adorning her hair and diamond nose(rings that matched the glint in her eyes!
Ahe epitomised the traditional Indian woman but her modesty veiled a determination to
e=cel in her chosen art! /er life was her music! Ahe knew it and touched the hearts of
many with the magic of her uni)ue voice!
I was fortunate to have been embraced by the love
of such a great personality! $hat delicate touch
sweetened by just a knowing smile that spoke
volumes characterised Aubbulakshmi:s display of
personal affection for me!
$he memory of those encounters will linger
forever, as it, perhaps, will for the many others who
have e=perienced it!
The author has written (u00ula1shmis
0io&raph! 8unjammaB ;de to a Nightingale
(.S. S#!(I0!T=!0 $ S%IE0TIST, +457
Duick take
D* #hen did Subbulakshmi release
her first musical album?
!* At the age of 0@
D* #ho trained her in =industani
classical music?
!* .andit Narayan 6ao 5yas
D* #hat did her fellow musicians
know her as?
!* 8unjakka, little sister
D* #hich film did she act in to
raise funds for a publishing
venture?
!* Aavitri %0170' directed by E!5!6ao
D* =ow many copies does her
album Venkatesa Suprabhatam sell
annually?
!* $wo lakh
/e has his roots in the idyllic island village of +onkombu in the 8uttanad rice bowl of
8erala!
,ut his distinction is his pioneering contribution as a plant geneticist mi=ing +e=ican
seeds with home grown varieties in .unjab in 01?? to develop high yield cross(bred
wheat seedsnot ricefor bountiful harvests!
In an era when cereals were in short supply, necessitating huge imports, +onkombu
Aambasivan Awaminathan broke free of the shackles of a conventional agricultural
scientist who is laboratorybound e=cept for occasional visits to demonstration plots!
After the initial success with wheat, he did not rest on his laurels!
/is concerns widened to find out how farm researchers could cope with the emerging
challenges to increase productivity, improve the soil and moisture conditions, protect
crops from pests, provide better nutrients and, most importantly, motivate those working
in different institutes to deliver!
Awamy, as contemporaries in the world of science call him, used his powers of
persuasion to make agricultural research a romantic e=perience, attracting young minds to
agricultural universities across the country!
$o him, the gains in the laboratory have to be transferred into grains on the ground!
/is work at the International 6ice 6esearch Institute in +anila, .hilippines, triggered a
similar revolution in rice cultivation!
It impressed Indira andhi enough to induct him into the .lanning Commission!
+!A! Awaminathan
It is not just seeds but all other inputs used by farmer that are superior to those used <@
years ago!
Now he is working for greater food security that is threatened by climate change and loss
of bio(diversity!
Awaminathan credits both his father and +ahatma andhiwhom he met in his
childhood during India:s Independence strugglewith inspiring him toward a life of
public service!
"Inspiration for a scientist like me comes from the realisation that my knowledge or my
life can change the lives of many people,# is how he describes the innate drive!
"Agriculture is an achievement of really
hardworking men and women, toiling in the sun
and rain, to produce food for us! As scientists, we
can only help them,# he e=plains, as modest as
always!
(!=!T(! G!0C=I $ 1AEECG( 1IG=TEA, +3/4+423
Cearest Cada,
First, a piece of news B you have made it to India:s top ?@!
And, then, a larkB I have been asked to present you in 3@@ words! I might e=plain heat in
3@ words, or light in seven! Can the crisp writer in you please e(mail me that piece on
yourselfH Eou have, I am sure, a laptop wherever you are, to keep in touch with people
humming like you did with your charkha!
Eou did not waste cotton when spinning, you will write thriftily! ;nly you could have
summed up the Indian elite:s ignorance of the poor in 0? words of one syllable eachB
"$hose in whose name we speak we do not know, and they do not know us#! Eou wrote
that in 01@1K that stays true a hundred years later!
"A nameless fear has sei9ed me that all is not well#! Eou wrote that in -une 017? when
we stood at freedom:s door! $hat, too, holds ?@ years on! Eet, you could transform fear
into energy! An odd energy, sometimes!
;ne of the unusual things you did was to adopt countless sons and daughters, feeling for
them, with them, drawing them into your restless intensities!
Duick take
D* =e is the first citiKen of a
developing country to hold which
post?
!* $he presidency of the .ugwash
Conferences
D* =ow many honorary doctorates
does he have?
!* 7?,from universities across the
world
D* #hen was he nominated to the
Aa"ya Sabha?
!* In >@@3 at the age of G>
Which is why millions took to you as to a father! /ow did you manage, day after
packed day, to write lettersfrom prison, train, whereverto scores of peopleH
$he children of your flesh/arilal, the eldest, and his three brotherssaw large portions
of your heart and time diverted to your adopted children!
$hey were wonderful sons, those four! $hey realised, not without effort, that you and
your adopted children constituted a mighty family at work!
If you and your Nbirth: family, had clung marsupially to each other, would India have
been changed and the world shaken as it wasH It would not have! Eou saved the coppers
of a householder to lavish gold on humanity! Eou renounced to redeem!
,ut you were not always a sombre renunciate, were youH Eou told one of your adopted
sons &attatreya N8aka: 8alelkar of two Nloves: renouncing which you regretted! ;ne, the
love of travel! Eou must have meant travel to far off lands, for no one criss(crossed India
as you did!
$he otherjoy from literature! I wish you had e=panded on that and on what! ,efore my
parents &evadas and Dakshmi got married, you told Nana! &iscussing their romance, you
said to 6ajaji, your eyes shining, that the 6amayana too was a love story!
Apeaking of romance did you ever read Anna KareninaH ;r did you confine yourself,
where $olstoy was concerned, only to The Kin&dom of God =ithin >ou and 3onfessions@
I hope you did not, for ever so often, reading you, I run into sentences that could come
from a novelist! Eou, who saw into the heart of a large nation %actually two nations
India and ,ritain' could also sketch people vividly!
Eou have described your landlady:s daughter who took you, then a >@(year(old student in
Dondon, to the lovely hills around 5entnor!
"Ahe was flying like a birdQin spite of her high(heeled boots, this sprightly young lady
of >< dashed down the hill like an arrowQI somehow managed to scramble to the
bottom! Ahe loudly laughed Nbravo: and shamed me all the moreQ!#
$oday, your ideas dart like arrows around the world! Eour scorching love shames brute
force, shows up hypocrisy and shakes up callousness towards fellow beings, towards
nature! And humanity shouts bravo!
$here are those who say you solved some problems, left others unresolved! $hey could
well say that of od! Eou were a human being like any other! ,ut gifted!
ifted with an ability to test your powerful intuition against the touchstones of love and
reason! $he test cleared, you turned those intuitions into convictions and, whenever
needed, you Nwalked alone:!
Which perhaps is why not a day passes without
someone somewhere in the world wondering,
breath held in awe, how you did it!
"$op ?@H No, in the last si=!# Eour e(mail reply
comes in! I asked for 3@@ words, you have said it
all in just seven!
.ranams to &adi(,a and to you, &ada, with my
faith everlastingly!
Gopu
)Gopal1rishna Gandhi.
The author is Gandhis !oun&est &randson. "e
is currentl! the Governor of =est Ben&al
(IBE=! SI0G= $ !T=BETE, +487
Indian athletics has been through numerous ups and
downs from the very beginning, right since the
:>@s! Atill, there have been a small number of
athletes who have livened up the scene at the
national and the international level!
If +ilkha Aingh stands out as an e=ceptional track and field person, the credit goes to his
determination to become world class!
/e held the national records in >@@ and 7@@ m for over 2G years and bettered the ;lympic
mark of 7<!? seconds at the 6ome ;lympics in 01?@!
,orn in 012<, he enjoyed a long career till the late 01?@s when he turned his attention to
golf, grooming his golfer son -eev +ilkha Aingh!
I first met him in 01<G at the Commonwealth ames at Cardiff in Wales!
/e won the 77@ yards comfortably and from then on it was steady success for him! /e
reigned supreme in Asia, dominating the 7@@ m races!
/e was disappointed at finishing fourth in the final at the 6ome ;lympics and struggled
to repeat his 6ome performance for the ne=t eight years!
Dater, he turned his attention to administrative work as the director of sports at
Chandigarh!
Duick take
D* #hich weekly magaKine did he
launch to replace Houng India?
!* "ari$an, in 0122
D* #hen did he give up wearing
western clothes and resolved to
wear only a loincloth?
!* In 01>0
D* #as he ever nominated for the
0obel &eace &riKe?
!* Ees, five times between 0123 and
017G, though he never won it
D* =ow long did he stay in South
!frica?
!* >0 years
D* Cid (ahatma Gandhi wear
false teeth?
!* Ees, only while eating! /e carried
his dentures in a fold of his loin cloth!
/is first major success as a promoter of sports came when he organised the National
;pen Cross Country races in .unjab which helped build a running movement in the
country and brought in promoters!
Aingh became the nation:s sporting ambassador and was in demand as a patron of major
events! At this stage he began to divide his time between athletics and golf! "$he latter,#
he observed, "enjoyed a greater standing on the national sports scene!#
+ilkha Aingh
/e continues to play golf regularly but has not given up his interest in athletics! "+y
most challenging years were as an athlete,# he says! "I made my best friends through
participation as an athlete, and I always enjoy meeting fellow athletes!#
I have pleasant memories of Nairobi in 01G7 when Aingh and I were asked to carry the
Commonwealth ames torch!
+assive crowds followed the route right up to our hotel! It would be true to say that no
Indian athlete has made as great an impact in athletics as he has!
In 01<@s and 01?@s, athletics in India was dominated by the army regimental centres,
which mass produced outstanding athletes!
$he army was keen to get the best out of its stars, so it started sending its leading athletes
to *ngland to participate in international competitions!
$he army athletes, led by Aingh, spearheaded a movement through which athletics
thrived in the country!
$he athletics scenario has undergone a sea change! Now the emphasis is on training
rather than competition!
$o Aingh, the picture is somewhat confusing! /e
misses the crowds at the stadiumB "I can understand
athletics being taken more seriously than before,
but with emphasis on drug taking, the scenario has
undergone a change!# $he competitions have made
way for time trials and invitation meets!
;ne would also not mind the collapse of the ,erlin
Wallit opened doors to free athletics, but
introduced phenomena like drug taking! "$here is
no joy in competition if it is to be unfair,# says
Aingh! It is something that worries him a lot!
The author tau&ht Maths at (t. (tephens and ran
the -'??? m at the *+A? ome :l!mpics
(GT=EA TEAES! $ (ISSIG0!AH, +4+,+449
+other $eresa was a diminutive figure who strode
her century like a colossus, and in the process made
her name a synonym for goodness and compassion
the world over!
Ahe was invariably received in the halls of power, but her mission lay in the meanest
streets and slums over all the continents!
Ahe built brick by brick, a global infrastructure with the help of five thousand Aisters and
,rothers of her ;rder, and also had the capacity to enjoin millions of ordinary people,
who came forward to help her in her mission to alleviate loneliness, hunger and suffering!
,y the time she passed away in 0113, she had established a multinational organisation
that operated in over 0>2 countries and served her special constituency of the destitute,
the abandoned, homeless, hungry and dying!
In the process she became one of the principal consciencekeepers of her time!
"I am unworthy,# was her first reaction when she was named the recipient of the ultimate
accolade, the Noble .ri9e for .eace in 0131!
Duick take
D* #hy was Singh so popular at
the +4/, Aome Glympics?
!* ,ecause of his long hair and
beard, many thought he was a saint
who also ran
D* #ho called him the 1lying
Sikh?
!* .akistan president Ayub 8han,
after he defeated leading athlete
Abdul 8hali)
D* 1or how long was his 2,, m
national record of 27./ seconds
undefeated?
!* 2G years
D* =ow much money did he
promise to any athlete who could
break his record?
!* 6s > lakh
D* #hom did Singh donate all his
medals and trophies to?
!* National Aports +useum at the
-awaharlal Nehru Atadium, &elhi
Ahe sent word to the organisers that she would accept the award "in the name of the
poor#! +any people had earlier been disappointed by some of the awardees, for not all
were doves of peace!
+other $eresa
$here were many who believed that it was +other $eresa who had, with her acceptance,
enhanced the stature of the award!
At the ceremony in ;slo, the then(chairman of the Nobel Committee -ohn Aanness
summed up her work with these wordsB "$he hallmark of her work has been respect for
the individual and the individual:s worth and dignity! $he loneliest and the most
wretched, the dying destitute, the abandoned lepers, have all been received by her and her
Aisters with warm compassion devoid of condescension, based on this reverence for
Christ in +anQ
PIn her eyes the person who, in the accepted sense, is the recipient, is also the giver and
the one who gives the most! ivinggiving something of oneselfis what confers real
joy, and the person who is allowed to give is the one who receives the most precious gift!
$his is the life of +other $eresa and her Aistersa life of strict poverty and long days
and nights of toil, a life that affords little room for other joys but the most precious!#
Although she herself remained fiercely Catholic, her brand of faith was not e=clusive!
Convinced that each person she ministered to was Christ in suffering, she reached out to
people of all religions! $he very faith that sustained her infuriated her detractors, who
saw her as a symbol of a right(wing conspiracy and, worse, the principal mouthpiece of
the 5atican:s well(known views against abortion! Interestingly, such criticism went
largely unnoticed in India, where she was widely revered!
I once called her the most powerful woman in the world! +other $eresa repliedB "WhereH
If I was, I would bring peace to the world!# I asked her why she did not use her
undeniable influence to lessen war! Ahe repliedB "War is the fruit of politics! If I get stuck
in politics, I will stop loving because I will have to stand by one, not by all!#
As a /indu, armed only with a certain sense of eclecticism, it took me longer than most
to understand that +other $eresa was with Christ in each conscious hour, whether at
+ass or with each of those whom she tended! It was not a different Christ on her crucifi=
and a different one which lay dying at her hospice in 8alighat, 8olkata!
Neither e=isted without the otherK they were
bonded together as one! $here could be no
contradiction in her oft(repeated words of wisdom
that one must reach out to one:s neighbour! For
+other $eresa, to love one:s neighbour was to love
od!
$his is what was essential to her, not the si9e of her
mission or the power others perceived in her!
Ahe once e=plained this to me simply but
meaningfully when she said, "We are called upon
not to be successful, but to be faithful!# In her life,
+other $eresa had e=emplified that faithB faith in
prayer, in love, in service and in peace!
The author is 9lection 3ommissioner of 4ndia
and has written the authorised 0io&raph! of
Mother Teresa
(FBE A!; !0!0C $ #AITEA, +4,75,,2
In the final pages of +ulk 6aj Anand:s most famous novel, %ntoucha0le' a poet describes
the essential character of Indians that would allow them to succeed where the ,ritish had
failedB "We know life! We know its secret flow! We have danced to its rhythms! We have
loved it, not sentimentally through personal feelings, but pervasively, stretching ourselves
from our hearts outwards so far, oh, so far, that life seemed to have no limits, that
miracles seemed possible!#
Anand was, of course, responding to the widely(held ,ritish belief that Indians were not
only incapable of governing themselves but were also so hidebound and conservative as
to be ill(e)uipped to deal with the problems and conditions of modernity!
,ut he went farther, in his art and his thought, than simple polemicsB the entirety of his
work was committed to the idea that humanity in all of its manifestations was capable of
the most profound changes and accomplishments!
Duick take
D* #hen did (other Teresa decide
to become a missionary?
!* In 01>G, at the age of 0G
D* #here did she base her nursing
home 0irmal =riday?
!* Aderelict temple in 8alighat
D* #here was she working before
she set up her order?
!* At! +aryJs /igh Achool, 8olkata
D* #hat inspired her to set up the
(issionaries of %harity?
!* A revelation from -esus asking her
to "come be my light#
D* #hat was (other Teresa<s real
name?
!* Agnes on=ha ,oja=hiu
Anand:s novels lent voice to the voicelessuntouchables, peasants, womenand his
criticism made the e=traordinary history of Indian art accessible to countless people in
new and e=citing ways!
/e was not uni)ue among the people of his generation, who were deeply touched by the
movement for Indian Independence and began tackling the important social and political
)uestions of the day in radical ways!
What made Anand uni)ue was the longevity and consistency of his commitment to build
an independent India, which would fulfill its promises to all of its citi9ens and the rest of
the world!
,orn in .eshawar in 01@<, Anand went to 8halsa College in Amritsar! In the 01>@s, he
participated in a student strike against the transfer of a nationalist principal after Annie
,esant had been invited to give a talk!
$he strike landed him in jail for a month and immediately created tensions with his
loyalist father, eventually forcing him to leave home! With the help of +uhammad I)bal,
Anand earned a scholarship to attend Dondon Cniversity where he earned a .h!&! in
philosophy!
In *ngland, he circulated around the fringes of the ,loomsbury roup and other
modernist writers and thinkersB he met Deonard and 5irginia WoolfK worked for $!A!
*liot:s 3riterion' and 0efriended *!+! Forster and eorge ;rwell!
Anand went on to teach at a number of *nglish universities and work as a broadcaster
and scriptwriter for the ,,C during the Aecond World War!
+ulk 6aj Anand
It was in the headiness of this political and literary milieu that Anand composed the two
novels for which he is most famousB %ntoucha0le %012<' and 3oolie %012?'!
$hese novelsalong with 6aja 6ao:s Kanthapura, 6!8! Narayan:s (wami and /riends'
and Ahmed Ali:s Twili&ht in 5elhi inaugurated an Indian fiction in *nglish whose heirs
have achieved remarkable heights in the terrain opened up by a few pioneers!
At the same time, Anand was also a remarkable polemicist for Indian Independence! /e
wrote 2etters on 4ndia %017>' and Apolo&! for "eroism %017?', two pamphlets which
were designed to make the case to ,ritish readers for an end to ,ritish rule as well as the
case for radical social justice and internationalism!
/e returned to India after the Aecond World War where he became an important part of
the Indian literary and artistic communities!
/e intervened heavily in the debates about keeping *nglish as a national language,
worked to promote *nglish departments across the country and spoke at numerous
conferences about the relevance of Indian literature and art!
/e founded +arg, the publication of the +odern Architectural 6esearch roup, which
became one of the premier journals on art and architectural history in India!
/e was a fellow of the Dalit 8ala Akademi and the Aahitya Akademi, a laureate of the
International .eace .ri9e, and a .adma ,hushan!
/e also became involved with the Indian .eople:s
$heatre Association %I.$A' and the All(India
.rogressive Writers: Association %AI.WA', both of
which promoted radical art and e=perimentation in
the service of social change!
Anand died in >@@7 at the ripe age of 11, having
left a remarkable legacy of activism, creativity, and
internationalism! Atokely Carmichael, an African(
American and leader of the ,lack .anther .arty,
said it was +ulk 6aj Anand:s %ntoucha0le which
best e=plained the psychological and personal
effects of racism in America! Carmichael:s
comment best e=plains the work of Anand and his
importance to a modern India!
The author is a scholar at the %niversit! of
3alifornia' Ber1ele!
Duick take
D* #hat was his first piece of
writing?
!* /is letter to od as an 00(yearold
asking why his nineyear old cousin
had died
D* #hich of his works is
semiautobiographical in nature?
!* The Private 2ife of an 4ndian
Prince %01<2'
D* #hich incident influenced his
early writing the most?
!* $he suicide by an aunt, who was
e=communicated for dining with a
+uslim woman
D* #here did he write the first
draft of his novel Untouchable?
!* At +ahatma andhi:s ashram in
Wardha
D* =e is compared to which
famous :ictorian novelist?
!* Charles &ickens
(F0S=I &AE(%=!0C $ #AITEA, +33,+48/
&hanpat 6ai, better known as +unshi .remchand, may well be credited with the
Dukacsian nomenclaturea socialist realist writer!
/e mercilessly e=posed the structures of oppression that afflicted rural Indiapoverty,
e=ploitation of &alits, superstition, religious rituals, patriarchy, 9amindari system,
colonialism and communalism!
,efore .remchand, writing in /indi was highly Aanskritised and had little relation to
reality!
/e reversed this by writing about common people and in a simple, collo)uial dialect!
;ften, .remchand is mistaken for a andhian!
*arly in his career, he envisaged a andhian scenario where the oppressors would, almost
through magical intervention, cease their crimes against humanity!
,ut his later writings show a shift to socialist ideology! In a conversation with +arathi
writer $! $ikekar, he declaredB "I am a communist, but my communism is limited only to
the e=tent that the 9amindars, seths and others, the e=ploiters of the peasants, should
cease to e=ist!#
Aimilarly, .remchand:s attitude towards the Indian national movement was neither
uncritical nor blindly lauding!
As noted critic Audhir Chandra argues, if in his short stories like Tavan %0120' and Ahuti
%012@' nationalism is depicted as "attractive and inspiring# then in his novels like
an&0humi %01><' and Karma0humi %012>' he unveils the "sordid reality behind the
ideological facade#!
/e was critical of the movement turning into an occasion for the dominant class to
propagate its class interests!
+unshi .remchand
From the feminist perspective, .remchand has received strong criticism! Charu upta
accuses him of categorising his women protagonists into simplistic binaries!
;n one hand, they represent the ideal, suffering mother figures who become upholders of
a feudal value system that valorises chastity and feminine passivity!

;n the other hand, the antithesis to the ideal woman is the "counter(model# of the
westernised womanassertive, independent and se=ualised!
While this criti)ue is legitimate he was aware that if poor men suffered then their women
counterparts suffered twice over!
/is novels Godan' Ga0an and Nirmala are hard(hitting while his short stories are a
scathing attack on the forces of subjugation in colonial India!
What is most striking, and perhaps the cause of
.remchand:s continuing relevance,
is that the issues he raised as challenges for India,
continue to daunt us even today!
The writer teaches at 2ad! (ri am 3olle&e'
5elhi %niversit!
;!#!=!AB!B 0E=AF $ 1IAST &AI(E (I0ISTEA G1 I0CI!, +334+4/2
Duick take
D* Gn whose call did he 'uit his
"ob as teacher?
!* +ahatma andhi
D* 0ame his works filmed by
Satya"it Aay.
!* (hatran$ 1e Khiladi, (ad&ati
D* #hich anthology was labelled
seditious by the 6ritish?
!* (oB-e-=atan
For the first 03 years of India:s Independence, the parado=(ridden -awaharlal Nehrua
moody, idealist intellectual who felt an almost mystical empathy with the toiling peasant
massesK an aristocrat, accustomed to privilege, who had passionate socialist convictionsK
an Anglicised product of /arrow and Cambridge who spent over 0@ years in ,ritish jailsK
an agnostic radical who became an unlikely protTgT of the saintly +ahatma andhiwas
India!
Cpon andhi:s assassination, Nehru became the keeper of the national flame, the most
visible embodiment of India:s struggle for freedom!
Incorruptible, visionary, ecumenical, a politician above politics, Nehru:s stature was so
great that the country he led seemed inconceivable without him! A year before his death,
a leading American journalist published a book entitled After Nehru' =ho@ $he unspoken
)uestion around the world wasB "After Nehru, whatH#
$oday, more than four decades after his death, we have something of an answer to the
latter )uestion! As an India still seemingly clad in the trappings of Nehruvianism steps
out into the >0st century, little of Nehru:s legacy appears intact!
India has moved away from much of it, and so %in different ways' has the rest of the
developing world for which Nehruvianism once spoke!
As India begins the seventh decade of its Independence from the ,ritish 6aj, a
transformationstill incompletehas taken place that, in its essentials, has changed the
basic Nehruvian assumptions of post(colonial nationhood!
-awaharlal Nehru
$he principal pillars of Nehru:s legacy to Indiademocratic institution(building, staunch
pan(Indian secularism, socialist economics at home and a foreign policy of nonalignment
were integral to a vision of Indianness that sustained India for decades, but is
contested today!
Nehruvian secularism is challenged today by those who see it as a Westernised
affectation that denies India:s /indu heritage!
,ut Nehru was steeped in the composite /indu(+uslim culture of north India, and his
secularism was authentically rooted in millennial Indian traditions of tolerance for
different ways of being!
/is socialism seems dated today, a product of Fabian ideas long discredited by decades of
failure in practice!
,ut even if he ushered in the licencepermit()uota
6aj that India is dismantling today, Nehru built
much of the infrastructure in science and
engineering that has provided the platform for
India:s I$ revolution of the 011@s!
Nehru developed a role for India in the world based
almost entirely on its civilisational history and
moral standing, making it the voice of the
oppressed and the marginalised!
$his gave the country enormous prestige across the
world for some years, but the humiliation of the
01?> war with China demonstrated its crippling
limitations! Nehru died a broken man, his spirit
shattered!
&emocracy remains Nehru:s most enduring
contribution to India! andhi:s death could have
led a lesser man to assume untrammeled power!
Instead, he spent a lifetime trying to instill the
habits of democracy in his peoplea disdain for
dictators, a respect for parliamentary procedures,
an abiding faith in the constitutional system!
/e himself was such a convinced democrat that, at
the crest of his rise, he authored an anonymous
article warning Indians of the dangers of giving
dictatorial temptations to Nehru!
"/e must be checked,# he wrote of himself! "We want no Caesars!# &uring his 03 years
as prime minister, democratic values became so entrenched that when his daughter Indira
suspended India:s freedoms with a state of *mergency for >0 months, she felt compelled
to return to the people for vindication, held an election, and lost it!
Nehru was that rare kind of leader who is not diminished by the inade)uacies of his
followers, let alone his own limitations! $he American editor Norman Cousins once
asked Nehru what he hoped his legacy to India would be!
Duick take
D* Griginally Eauls, why did his
family adopt 0ehru as a surname?
!* An ancestor was gifted land near a
nehar %canal' in &elhi
D* #hich was 0ehru<s first public
office?
!* /e became president of the
Allahabad +unicipal Corporation in
01>7
D* #hich incident in +4+4 inspired
him to fight the 6ritish?
!* ;n a train journey he overheard
eneral &yer gloating over the
-allianwala ,agh massacre!
D* #ho described him as the last
Englishman to rule India?
!* Nehru himself
D* In addition to his famous baby
elephant Indira, which other
animals did 0ehru keep?
!* $wo tiger cubs
"Four hundred million people capable of governing themselves,# Nehru replied! $he
numbers have grown, but the very fact that each day over a billion Indians govern
themselves in a pluralist democracy is testimony to the deeds and words of this
e=traordinary man!
The writer has authored the 0oo1 NehruB $he Invention of India
&.%. (!=!B!0G6IS $ ST!TISTI%I!0, +348+495
.rasanta Chandra +ahalanobis is popularly known among Indians for his draft of the
Aecond Five Eear .lan which he submitted to the National &evelopment Council in 01<<!
Aoon after Independence, he was appointed the statistical advisor to the newly formed
Cabinet and the .lan was formulated to meet the state:s principal objective of eliminating
unemployment through rapidly rising industrial production!
,ased on a growth model for the Indian economyand his observation that the
production of steel, more than any other single factor, e=plained the differences in
incomes across countries+ahalanobis recommended the large investments in heavy
industry that created the steel cities of central and eastern India!
As is often the case, the greatest achievements of creative minds are not the most widely
known, and this was true for +ahalanobis! /e was not trained as an economist and his
approach to planning was largely a reflection of the prevailing views of economic
development during his time!
rowth models of the :2@s and :7@s assumed labour surplus economies that were
constrained by the speed at which they could create machines and factories for the
unemployed and the Aoviet osplans set the tone for India:s attempts a couple of decades
later!
.! C! +ahalanobis
,y the early :3@s, these ideas had lost much of their legitimacy! It was recognised that the
investments undertaken by the state had not effectively eliminated poverty and political
agendas as well as economic policies began to directly address rural backwardness!
+ahalanobis:s most remarkable and lasting contributions were the setting up of large(
scale surveys, the application of statistical theory to a variety of Indian problems and the
creation of institutions within which such work could be continued during and after his
lifetime!
After studying mathematics and physics at Cambridge, *ngland, he returned to Calcutta
in 010< and began teaching physics at .residency College!
/e was fascinated by statistical methods, began studying these intensively and started a
small statistical laboratory in the college!
$his evolved into the Indian Atatistical Institute %IAI' in 012>! /e established the journal
Aankhya in 0122 and as statistical advisor to the Cabinet, he founded the National Aample
Aurvey %NAA' in 01<@ and the Central Atatistical ;rganisation in 01<0!
+ahanlanobis used statistical methods to better understand an enormous range of social
and physical phenomena! In the early :>@s, he used data from the Anglo(Indian
community in Calcutta to arrive at measures of differences in the physical characteristics
of communities!
In the mid(:2@s, he was asked by the Central -ute
Committee to conduct a survey to estimate jute
yield for the whole of ,engal! It was this large(
scale survey that set the stage for the first round of
NAA in 01<@! $hese NAA rounds continue largely
unchanged and are the primary source of data for
studies on Indian living standards and poverty!
What makes this list of achievements remarkableH
When the NAA; began, there were simply no
largescale surveys of its kind anywhere, let alone in
the poorer parts of the world!
+ore than four(fifths of the Indian population lived
in villages and yet less than a third of these were
connected by paved roads!
In this setting, the NAA attempted a low(cost
survey to gather nationally representative data on
the social conditions of households, many of whom
could only be reached by enumerators passing
through miles of forest!
Duick take
D* #hat was the name of the
famous paper on which the
(ahalanobis model was based?
!* $he ;perational 6esearch
Approach to .lanning in India
D* #hen did he establish the ISI?
!* &ecember 012>
D* #hat did he gift to the then
prime minister ;awaharlal 0ehru
after his %hina visit?
!* A rare self(written monograph of
his
impressions of China
D* 1rom which college did he
complete his Tripos degree in
&hysics?
!* 8ing:s College,Cambridge
D* =ow was he connected with
Aabindranath Tagore?
!* /e was the earliest bibliographer
of his literary output
D* #hat did he gift to the then
prime minister ;awaharlal 0ehru
after his %hina visit?
!* A rare self(written monograph of
his impressions of China
$his could not have happened without the combination of technical e=pertise, energy,
tenacity, and leadership that characterised +ahalanobis!
India has now produced several famous statisticians, most of whom have been associated
with the IAI and some have made truly fundamental contributions to the field of statistics!
What distinguished +ahalanobis was the range of practical )uestions he was interested in
and the seriousness with which he applied scientific methods to their e=ploration!
The author is professor of economics' 5elhi (chool of 9conomics
C=F0CIA!; GG:I0C &=!BEE $ 1IB((!EEA, +39,+422
$hough energised by a near messianic 9eal to establish an indigenous film industry in
colonial India, even &!! .halke would be surprised by the overwhelming cultural
supremacyor at least the ubi)uityof cinema and television today!
/is project, conceived as a fusion of artisanal impulses, fascination with modernity as
well as industrial techni)ues and a swadeshi(inspired desire to create Indian images for
Indian audiences, has translated into the writing and making of history!
Culture historians acknowledge this as the lasting legacy of .halke and other pioneers of
popular Indian visual art!
,orn in a +aharashtrian ,rahmin family in 0G3@ and educated at ,ombay:s -!-! Achool
of Art and ,aroda:s 8alabhavan, he learnt drawing, photography, lithography and drama
before joining 6aja 6avi 5arma:s press in Donavala!
/e also learnt magic, which he later considered an essential )ualification for filmmakers!
A naturally gifted entrepreneur, he soon established his own printing and engraving press
in ,ombay and produced chromolithographs as well as illustrated booklets that were to
become the blueprint of his early mythological films!
In 010@, he saw a film titled The 2ife of 3hrist and described its impact on him in a
famous passage written in 0103, "I must have seen films on many occasions before this
but that day, that Christmas Aaturday, marked the beginning of a revolutionary change in
my life!!! =hile The 2ife of 3hrist was rolling fast before my eyes, I was mentally
visualising the gods, Ari 8rishna, Ari 6amchandra, their okul and AyodhyaQ Could we,
the sons of India, ever be able to see Indian images on the screenH#
After studying cinematography, .halke travelled to *ngland to purchase e)uipment and
familiarise himself with filmmaking!
;n returning to ,ombay, he launched his own production company, .halke Film Co!, and
made a$a "arishchandra, which was released in 0102 and is regarded as India:s first
feature film!
With 2an1a 5ahan %0103', his greatest success, the late 01th century phenomenon of
mass(produced images assumed a darshanic %philosophical' force and temple icons were
further consolidated as a norm in popular Indian visual art!
And, arguably, this )uasi(religious aura has never been shed in our mass visual culture!
&hundiraj ovind .halke
/owever, the most famous illustration of this is .halke:s production of Kali!a Mardan
%0101' where the struggle between child god 8rishna and serpent demon 8aliya, which
was done in a superb special effects se)uence, drew a strong religious and nationalist
response from audiences who identified 8aliya with the oppressive ,ritish rule!
$his trope of mingling religion and politics to the point of interpenetrationeven
substituting one for the otherhas become a fundamental trait of Indian public culture!
$he Indian images struck a deep chord in the
psyche of the spectators!
$hey recognised and instantly welcomed his
integration of India:s centuries(old narratives with
the emerging medium of cinema, finding in it a
new self or identity in the modern conte=t!
As Christopher .inney argues, "It was only a
matter of time before the worshipping of gods in
mass(disseminated images paved the way to
affirming political leaders and recently forged anti(
colonial and proto(revivalist national identities!#
Duick take
D* #hich male actor played 'ueen
Taramati in Raja Harishchandra?
!* A! Aalunke! /e was a cook
D* #hich was &halke<s first film?
!* No, not a$a "arishchandra, but
Growth of a Pea Plant in 0100
D*#ho influenced him to choose
Indian mythology as his sub"ect?
!* .ainter 6aja 6avi 5arma
D* #hat careers did he dabble in
before settling upon filmmaking?
!* .hotography! /e then became a
draftsman, and later a printer
D* In which film did he first use
animation?
!* In The Growth of a Pea Plant
;ther film pioneers in Calcutta and +adras were )uick to follow .halke:s e=ample!
Cinema and visual art became an integral part of the Indian landscape in the >@th century!
In spite of his prolific output over the ne=t decade, .halke came to be forgotten! /e has
now come to ac)uire an iconic status!
$oday the most coveted award for lifetime achievement in Indian cinema is the
&adasaheb .halke Award, the e)uivalent of the ,harat 6atna!
$hat such a comparison can be made is a tribute to .halke:s visionary engagement with
image(making and the social and historical struggles witnessed by the last few
generations of Indians!
The author is a film historian and professor of film appreciation at Punes /ilm and
Television 4nstitute of 4ndia
A!:I S=!0E!A $ SIT!AIST, +45,
*ach epoch and all lands have their individual greats whose contributions to their
country:s culture win for them a place in history! Aome transcend even that lofty bar to
influence all times across all lands and all cultures!
For no one so fundamentally influenced the world:s understanding of musicand by
e=tension culture itselfas did this frail ,engali ,rahmin from 5aranasi!
As the avant garde American composer .hilip lass unambiguously puts itB "I can say
without hesitation or e=aggeration that 6avi Ahankar is the godfather, the mother and the
father of what is called the world music movement today!#
In this sense, Ahankar:s influence and contribution go far beyond that of his other great
Indian contemporaries like, say, a Aatyajit 6ay or a +aharishi +ahesh Eogi!
,oth 6ay and the much(revered Eogi left a deep and wide(ranging impact through their
works! ,ut their legacy did not )uite change global attitudes towards filmmaking or
spirituality as completely as Ahankar:s did on the music scene!
*ven the most conservative of Western composers today cannot claim to be untouched by
or unaware of the contribution of 6avi Ahankar!
+ore significantly, by e=erting such a fundamental influence on global musical tastes, he
has made Indian culture itself acceptable and better understood all over the world!
6avi Ahankar
/e is, after +ahatma andhi, the second truly global icon to emerge from >@th century
India!
,ut Ahankar:s greatness does not lie fettered to his global success alone!
From the first stroke of the introductory alaap to the last clima= of his thundering jhaala,
his model for a classical music concert has in his lifetime become the norm for not only
sitar players but for all Indian instrumentalists whether they play the sarod, the flute or
the santoor!
With a number of vocal compositions, and several vocalists as his students, he has left his
mark on the nation:s music scene too!
&espite his detractors in India, he remains even at GG, the best e=ample of the most
orthodo= e=ponent of the raga and the tala, if not the sitar itself!
And what is truly ama9ing is that after all his many
illnesses and advanced age, he still graces the
concert platform!
-ust to see him strum a single note is revelation, to
hear him play a full piece is sheer bliss!
The author is a senior $ournalist
&A!E!S= &!CFEG0E $ 6!C(I0TG0 &B!HEA, +477
In -uly >@@<, a packed hall of Indonesians gave a
thundering ovation to an Indian badminton player
in -akarta more than a decade after he had last played there!
What was it, I wondered, about .rakash .adukone that endeared him to a people whose
language he couldn:t even speakH
Duick take
D* 1or which soundtrack was he
nominated for an !cademy award?
!* For Gandhi, in 01G>
D* =e is the disciple of which
famous musician?
!* ,aba Allauddin 8han, whose
daughter Annapurna &evi, he married
D* 1or which term was he
nominated to the Aa"ya Sabha?
!* 01G?(1>
$he Indonesians, unbeatable in the :?@s and :3@s, were toppled by the Chinese who came
out of international isolation in +ay 01G0!
$hey stunned everybody with their speed and power, and .adukone first showed how
they could be countered!
Csing control and precision, he would slow the game to his pace and his deception would
keep them offbalance!
.eople still recall the 0<(@ thrashing of /an -ian in the 01G0 World Cup final at 8uala
Dumpur! "I didn:t know what happened,# said /an -ian recently!
.adukone was there at the right place at the right time!
.rakash .adukone
/e was there when the era of pri9e money tournaments began %he won the first ;pen
tournamentthe Dondon +asters in 0131' and he was there when television arrived!
Among the uncommunicative badminton community, only he and &enmark:s +orten
Frost could articulate the players: perspective to the *nglish media!
/e was ;riental and ;ccidentalAsian by upbringing, but at home in *urope!
/is best friend was Frost, and the two trained and hung out together!
What is it about his game that no Indian has been able to replicate with e)ual success thus
farH
;nly .ullela opichand has cracked the world:s
top ten, and that too for two years, but .adukone
was there for a decade!
Never in his prime did he lose to a no(namer and
never did he let the country down in team matches!
Duick take
D* #hich was his first ma"or
international title?
!* old at the Commonwealth
ames
D* #ho was the Canish player with
whom he used to train?
!* +orten Frost /ansen
D* #hen did &adukone win the
Grand Slam?
!* In 01G@
$here have been great singles players in India but .adukone had the biggest impact on
the world:s perception of Indian badminton!
The author has written $ouch .lay' the 0io&raph! of Pra1ash Padu1one
A.E. 0!A!H!0 $ #AITEA, +4,/5,,+
.resent day India boasts of a robust and diverse literature in the *nglish language, and
one of the greats who started it all was the fine storyteller 6asipuram 8rishnaswami
Narayan!
,orn in +adras in 01@?, he was the third of eight surviving children and eldest brother to
the famous cartoonist 6!8! Da=man!
Aent as an infant to live with his maternal grandmother and uncle until he was a teenager,
he moved back to his parents when his father was appointed headmaster of +aharaja:s
/igh Achool in +ysore!
Narayan was an indifferent student and after graduating from high school, he failed the
college entrance e=amination in *nglish because he found the te=tbook too boring to
read!
/e took the e=amination again and eventually obtained his bachelor:s degree from the
Cniversity of +ysore!
/e began his writing career in 012< with (wami and /riends, where he created the
imaginary small town of +algudi, which was to be the backdrop for several succeeding
novels, including The Bachelor of Arts' The 9n&lish Teacher' Mr (ampath' The /inancial
9;pert' The #endor of (weets' The Painter of (i&ns and A Ti&er for Mal&udi! An
energetic, colourful albeit slightly eccentric place, it enabled Narayan to create wonderful
characters and uncover simple universal truths!
After Narayan failed to find a publisher for (wami and /riends, the draft was shown to
raham reene, who liked it and arranged for its publication! reene, like *!+! Forster
and Aomerset +augham, was to become a close friend and admirer!
Following the realist tradition, Narayan:s novels tell apparently simple tales of simple
folk trying to live out their ordinary lives in a changing world where they struggle to
accommodate tradition with modernity, often with tragi(comic conse)uences!
6! 8! Narayan
/is works are rooted in the everyday lives of Indians, giving his writing a certain uni)ue
flavour, as if he were writing in his native tongue! Autobiographical content also forms a
significant part of some of his novels!
$he events surrounding the death of his wife from typhoid formed the basis of The
9n&lish Teacher! At the same time, there is a certain cosmopolitan vision in his writing!
$hough immersed in the local, he observes his characters and their concerns
dispassionately, almost like an outsider, often giving an ironic twist to his tales, as in The
Guide!
What makes him so popular with the masses is his easy(to(read style, his unpretentious
prose laced with wit, compassion and gentle humour! %/e is also a great favourite of
syllabus planners at both the school and college
levels'!
/owever, it is this very )uality of simplicity which
has not found favour with some critics Ahashi
$haroor, for instance, while praising Narayan for
his meticulous recording of the ironies of human
life, feels that his apparent charm masked the
"banality of %his' concerns, the narrowness of his
vision, the predictability of his prose, and the
shallowness of %his' pool of e=perience!#
;thers liken him to William Faulkner and Anton
Chekhov for his humour, compassionate insights
and "celebration of simple folk#!
/is stories and novels touched the core of the
Indian heart and several of them were adapted as
films and television serials!
Guide was a huge commercial success, though
Narayan himself was not happy with the screen
Duick take
D* #hen did he shorten his name
to A.E. 0arayan?
!* In 012<, on raham reene:s
advice
D* #hen was his first trip abroad?
!* In 01<?, on being selected by the
6ockefeller Foundation for a grant
D* =ow many works of fiction did
he author?
!* Fifteen novels and five volumes of
short stories
D* #hich was his first published
work?
!* A review of &evelopment of
+aritime Daws of 03th(century
*ngland
D* Fnder what title was The
English Teacher published in the
FS?
!* Grateful to 2ife and 5eath
adaptation! +any of us fondly remember Mal&udi 5a!s, a popular tele(adaptation of
(wami and /riends and other stories by the late actordirector Ahankar Nag!
Narayan won numerous honours for his works! /e won the Aahitya Akademi Award for
The Guide in 01<G! In 01G@, he was awarded the A!C! ,enson +edal by the 6oyal
Aociety of Diterature!
Narayan was elected honorary member of the American Academy and Institute of Arts
and Detters in 01G> and awarded the .adma 5ibhushan in >@@@!
Narayan may not surprise us with great innovation or even great comple=ity and in that
sense he certainly has not "charted new territory in his fiction#, but he has created
characters we remember from our own lives and reminded us of the simple truths that we,
more often than not, tend to forget!
The author teaches 9n&lish at 4GN:%
A!; E!&GGA $ !%TGA, &AGCF%EA, CIAE%TGA, +452+433
6aj 8apoor just won:t die! $he latest to grab a chunk of the legacy of the blue(eyed
actordirector is Aanjay Deela ,hansali! /is (aawari!a is an ode to 8apoorfrom the
inception of the film to the recurring images and allusions to the cinema of 8apoor!
,hansali took off from the 01<1 film Anari, in which 8apoor plays a rather naUve painter
who comes to the city and lodges with a generous Christian landlady!
,hansali replaces the paintbrush with a guitarB he makes his protagonist, 8apoor scion
6anbir 8apoor, a musician!
$he tantalising, infamous towel scene with the now(you(see(it(nowyou(don:t %6anbir:s'
butt that made cinematic history is an ode to Bo00! to the scene in which Aruna Irani
walks into young 6ishi 8apoor:s room!
/e comes out of the bathroom and drops his towel in surprise! 6aj 8apoor:s camera in
the more restrained 013@s turned away at that point, keeping it all above the belt!
8apoor:s acting skills were formidable, e)ually convincing in his Charlie Chaplin(es)ue
"little man# roles in films like (hree C<? and Teesri Kasam or his portrayals of a man
propelled by searing intensity %Aa& and Awara'!
6aj 8apoor
Eet, it is his directorial avatar that continues to inhabit the imagination of and inspire
successive generations of film directors!
8apoor set the template for many who came after himfrom the Nehruvian socialism of
a newly independent India in the 6!8! banner:s early films predominantly characterised
by smaller(than(life heroes and mostly written by 8!A! Abbas %Awara' (hree C<? and
7aa&te aho' to his fresh treatment of adolescent, star(crossed love in Bo00! and the
cinematic rendering of a mature love story that didn:t shy away from articulating passion
and lust in films like Barsaat and (an&am!
8apoor was, arguably, the first to have his hero slap his heroine! $he slap across Nargis:s
face in Awara still resoundsB it had shocked the audience! 8apoor was also the first Indian
director to shoot abroad!
.erhaps it was the original showman:s portrayal of
,ombay in his films that continues to endear
8apoor to cineastesparticularly in (hree C<?!
8apoor:s storyboard was usually his own life, with
him as the protagonist of most of his films!
,ut after the bo= office failure of Mera Naam
7o1er, he handed over the 6!8 banner:s mantle of
hero to his son 6ishi 8apoor, who became his alter
ego on the screen! "In Bo00!, it was him, I was the
body in which he put all kinds of colours,# 6ishi
8apoor told me!
$he stories about 8apoor:s popularity in the CAA6
and the +iddle *ast are legendaryB apparently
-oseph Atalin asked -awaharlal Nehru who this
8apoor, he was hearing so much about, was!
Dess known is the e=tent to which his films were
loved in China! 5ikram Aeth recounts from his
Duick take
D* =ow many musical instruments
could Aa" Eapoor play?
!* Fiveharmonium, piano,
accordion, tabla, and bulbul tarang
D* #hich film marked his
directorial debut?
!* Aa&, he acted in it and produced it
too
D* #hat 'uirk did he have about
his movie titles?
!* ot them re(registered every 0@
years
D* #hich movie did he act in when
he was ++?
!* 4nDuila0 in 012<
D* #hat was the turning point of
his career?
!* When director 8edar Aharma
slapped him, making him serious
about his work
travels as a student through China in the early 01G@s that some students cried upon
meeting him, as they were mourning the death of "2ita#6ita, the name of Nargis:s
character in Awaraand the actor had recently passed away!
6emember the cigarette holder that Nadira so elo)uently put between her teeth in (hree
C<?H Nadira told me the prime minister of Israel at the time wanted it! As always, 6aj
8apoor obliged!
The author is a senior freelance $ournalist and has written $he 8apoorsB $he First
Family of Indian Cinema
A!;! A!:I :!A(! $ &!I0TEA, +323+4,/
$he first to make art fashionable was the gentleman artist 6avi 5arma who was sought
both by the ,ritish and the princely courts!
/is elegant and lustrous paintings cast a spell on the rest of India as he went on to break
the monopoly of ,ritish artists! What was remarkable was that he was mostly self(taught!
/e had been introduced to the +aharaja of $ravancore who wanted the court artist to
teach him! ,ut neither he nor the &utch artist $heodore -ensen present in court wanted to
impart him their skills! /e learnt mostly by watching them paint in the new medium of
oil!
5arma:s skills first came to light when he painted the portrait of the governor of +adras!
Dater, his Nair Woman with -asmine Flowers in her /air won him a gold medal at the
+adras show and an art competition in 5ienna in 0GG3!
$he medium of oil allowed him to sensuously model his women as fullbodied presences!
A distinctive feature of a work like +alabar ,eauty, for instance, was that it transcended
its settings to become a national emblem!
$his painting was part of a repertoire of 0@ works which represented India at the World
Columbian ;rder of 0G12 and went on to win an award!
It was, however, his historical paintings which won him widespread recognition! $he epic
tales from the 6amayana, +ahabharata and .uranic te=ts became fodder for this new art!
/is lyrical works like /ansa(&amayanti or 6ama 5an)uishing the Aea became prototypes
of innumerable printed images!
,ased on the proscenium stage and the settings of the .arsi theatre, they depended on the
melodramatic moment where the protagonist would face the audience as it were! If there
were flaws in the naturalistic rendering, they were offset by the spectacle created by
5ictorian style columns, architecture and the lavish costumes!
6aja 6avi 5arma
$he penchant for the dramatic and the sentimental set into motion the basic recipe for the
earliest films made by &adasaheb .halke and others!
$he ingredients of popular /indi cinema, as we know it today, had their origins in the
theatrical performances of the master artist!
$heir popularity made the royal houses of ,aroda, +ysore and $rivandrum commission
large(scale mythological works which were history fashioned as melodrama!
/e brought about these by using the vocabulary of western academic tradition, blended
with his influence of the $anjore paintings and a lustrous sheen which was entirely his
own!
5arma:s popularity reached its peak when he
established a lithographic press in ,ombay in 0G1>
where he was assisted by two erman e=perts!
$he oleographs reproduced his paintings with a fair
amount of authenticity and became available to the
common man!
$he spread of plague and political disturbances in
,ombay made him shift the press to 8arla in 0G11
and eventually sell it to one of the ermans!
,y this time, the 6avi 5arma(oleographs could be
seen in every household!
$he gods and goddesses were not multi(limbed but
had an entirely human image, allowing for a
national self(image to emerge!
Duick take
D* #hen did he first step out of
South India?
!* In 0GG0, to paint a portrait of the
0G(yearold Aayajirao aekwad of
,aroda
D* #hom did he draw inspiration
from in his later days?
!* auguin, .icasso, +atisse and
,acon
D* #hen did he start drawing?
!* At the age of seven on the palace
walls using charcoal
D* #hich story depictions was
:arma most famous for?
!* *pisodes from
Abhijnanasakuntalam
D* #hom did he paint when he was
thwarted by the lack of
femalenudes?
!* $he nubile milkmaids of
5rindavan
Not only was 5arma the first to create an aura around art but also to transcend the barriers
of class, language and region and reaching out to the ordinary man!
If the elan with which he entered contemporary art is unmatched he also left his mark on
every aspect of it!
The author is an art historian and curator
A!;! A!( (G=!0 AGH $ SG%I!B AE1GA(EA, +995+388
$he 01th century was a period of great intellectual ferment in India! $he colonial
ideologies spawned by ;rientalists, Ctilitarians and other Western thinkers were
fundamentally changing the terms of debate, forcing the traditional systems of intellectual
and religious discourses in India into retreat or resistance!
It was )uite apparent to many Indian intellectuals that their own society and religious
systems were beset with several evils! Auperstition, bigotry, fatalism, polygamy, sati,
child(marriage and infanticide were big hurdles in the progress of the country!
$hese intellectuals realised that without modernising these customs, there was no hope
for the Indian people!
It goes to their credit that they mostly followed an independent line in criticising and
attacking the superstitious, discriminatory and oppressive practices prevalent in the
Indian society!
In this process, they took a far more radical stand than the colonial state was willing to
countenance or implement due to fears of reprisals from the social and religious
orthodo=ies of various denominations!
$he new Indian intellectuals also had to face resistance, hatred, hostility and attack from
the orthodo= elements in their society!
,ut they openly e=pressed their opinions and steadfastly pursued their activities, although
)uite circumscribed by the prevailing situation!
6am +ohan 6oy was the first among such valiant fighters! Not surprisingly, he is also
called the Father of +odern India!
Without his intellectual stimulation, religious stand and indefatigable campaigns against
certain social evils, it is not possible to imagine of a modern India!
6oy was born in ,engal in 033> into a 5aishnavite family! /is initiation was in ,angla
and Aanskrit! After this, he went to .atna to learn .ersian and Arabic!
It was only later that he became versed in *nglish, and, still later, in reek and /ebrew!
/is reading of the Ruran gave rise to his early monotheistic ideas!
6aja 6am +ohan 6oy
$hese views were clearly e=pressed in his first available writing, Tuhfat-ul-Muhawaddin
%0G@2'! Written in .ersian, with an introduction in Arabic, this work was a devastating
attack on superstitious rituals, and a belief in rationalism and unity of odhead!
/is belief in rational thinking was so marked that he declared that "pure rationalism is
our teacher#, and that "he who will not reason is a bigotK he who cannot is a fool and he
who does not is a slave#!
/is belief in monotheism was strongly supported by his study of the Cpanishads, some of
which he translated into ,angla later on! In 0G07, he founded the Atmiya Aabha %Friendly
Aociety' to popularise rational religious ideas!
6oy is best known for his campaign for the abolition of sati! ,ecause of his constant
efforts, the then governorgeneral, William ,entinck, enacted law to ban it in 0G>1! ,ut
6oy:s ideas on the empowerment of women were not restricted to this!
/e attacked polygamy and the degraded state of
widows, particularly in /indu society! /e spoke
against child marriage and argued for widow
remarriage! /e advocated female education and the
grant of property rights to women!
/e severely criticised the division of Indian society
into multiple castesB "I regret to say that the present
system of religion adhered to by the /indus is not
well calculated to promote their political interest!
$he distinction of castes and innumerable divisions
and sub(divisions among them, has deprived them
of patriotic feeling, and the multitude of religious
rites and ceremonies and the laws of purification
have totally dis)ualified them from undertaking
any difficult enterprise!#
Duick take
D* #ith whom did Aoy establish
the 6rahmo Sama" movement?
!* &warkanath $agore, 6abindranath
$agore:s grandfather
D* #hat was the name of his
famous "ournal?
!* Aamvad 8aumudi
D* #here is he buried?
!* Arnos 5ale cemetery in southern
,ristol, ,ritain
D* #hen was sati declared illegal
because of his efforts?
!* In 0G>1
D* #hat was the aim of !tmiya
Sabha that he set up in +3+2?
!* $o propagate rational religious
ideas
In 0G>G, along with &warkanath $agore, he founded the ,rahmo Aamaj to fight against
social evils!
6oy believed that modern education was an important vehicle to carry social reforms and
enlighten people about their rights! $hus, in 0G03, along with Ale=ander &uff and &avid
/are, he set up the /indu College at 8olkata!
6oy:s advocacy of religious universalism is of great relevance even today as a social and
religious counterpart of political secularism!
$he greatness of 6am +ohan 6oy lies in the relevance of his ideas for contemporary
Indian society, beset as it is with so many problems!
The author teaches histor! at 4GN:%
A!;! A!(!00! $ 0F%BE!A S%IE0TIST, +4575,,2
6aja 6amanna completed his early education in India, and took his .h!&! in nuclear
physics from 8ing:s College, Dondon, as a $ata scholar!
/e joined /omi ,habha at the $ata Institute of 6esearch in 0171 and was asked to
initiate research in nuclear physics in the country!
I joined him there in 01<> and worked with him for over five decades, succeeding him to
the various posts he held in the &epartment of Atomic *nergy %&A*'!
/e was able to combine the Indian tradition of original thinking with the more modern
western way of thought, which creates science and ends up in technology!
/e also realised that generating properly(trained manpower was essential to rapid growth
in science and technology!
Which is why, in 01<3, he established a training school at the Atomic *nergy
*stablishment, $rombay, inducting every year >@@ of the best graduates in science and
engineering and giving them high )uality training!
$his school has produced many who are now leaders in &A*!
;ne of the milestones in his %and the nation:s' life was the first nuclear test in 0137 that
shook the world! 6amanna put together a fine bunch of scientists who could deliver when
demanded by Indira andhi!
6aja 6amanna
$he organisation of these efforts was based on the old Indian concept of mutual trust!
+orarji &esai shifted him to the department of defence as scientific adviser to the
defence minister, in which capacity he reformed the &efence 6esearch and &evelopment
;rganisation and infused fresh life into it!
,ut when andhi met him in 8ashmir while she was out of office, she remarkedB ";h,
your place is in atomic energy! Why did they shift youH#
Ahe brought him back in 01G>! Not to say that his relations with the establishment were
always smooth!
/e had a running battle with the .+; when 6ajiv andhi was prime minister, on his
disagreement to importing reactors from the Aoviet Cnion!
/e had, however, very cordial relations with the
Aoviet Cnion which helped him get a nuclear
submarine on lease!
The author is former chairman of the Atomic
9ner&! 3ommission
A!;E0CA! &A!S!C $ 1IAST &AESICE0T G1 I0CI!, +332+4/8
6ajendra .rasad needs to be remembered for making three distinct and lasting
contributions to Indian politics!
Duick take
D* #hat was his abiding passion,
other than science?
!* +usic
D* #hich eminent scientist did he
admire?
!* /omi ,habha
D* #hose offer did he once
decline?
!* Aaddam /ussein:s in 013G to
build a nuclear bomb for Ira)
/e made these contributions in three different capacities during his long careeras a
leader of the national movement, as president of the Constituent Assembly formed in
017? to frame a Constitution for independent India, and as first .resident of the Indian
republic!
$he impact made by him in all three capacities has left an important imprint on the
political life of modern India!
.rasad came from an obscure village of north ,ihar and earned the reputation of being an
ardent follower of +ahatma andhi during the course of the national movement! It has
been generally believed by many historians that he formed a very close political
association with Aardar 5allabhbhai .atel and C! 6ajagopalachari!
$he triumvirate, called the 6ight(wing of the Congress, was known for a shared distaste
and distrust for the Deft(wing politics represented by -awaharlal Nehru and Aubhas
Chandra ,ose!
$he disagreements between the two groups over many matters of strategy and vision
were well known! .rasad, however, took great care to ensure that the different positions
did not reach a point of split within the organisation and the movement!
/e imparted a crucial element of "compromise# to nationalist politics! $his ensured that
splits were avoided despite considerable plurality within the national movement!
Aince then these baseline(centred, consensusseeking endeavours have become an
important part of mainstream Indian politics! .rasad played an important role in
inculcating these practices into India:s body(politic!
6ajendra .rasad
As president of the Constituent Assembly, .rasad formed a team with Nehru and +aulana
A9ad in setting the basic principles of Constitution making!
/e declared at the very beginning that no major decision would be taken in the Assembly
through a majority vote and nothing short of a unanimous voice would be accepted! $his
made it mandatory for the majority to reach out to minority voices and accommodate
them!
$ill that happened, the decision would be kept pending! A conse)uence of this practice
was an inordinate delay of over three years in finalising the Constitution! $he delay
notwithstanding, independent India got in 01<@ a Constitution that all Indians can be
proud of! +uch of the credit for this should go to .rasad!
As the first .resident of Independent India, .rasad initiated many practices that
subse)uently became an unwritten rule or convention in Indian governance!
;ne of these was to not unduly interfere in the
business of the e=ecutive and the legislative arms
of the central government! .rasad believed that the
substantive status of the Indian .resident was, and
should be, that of the ,ritish king, with powers
more symbolic than real!
/e saw the role of .resident as the constitutional
head who facilitates rather than initiates! &uring
both his terms, .rasad saw to it that the office of
.resident did not develop into an alternative centre
of power, but functioned more as a vigilant and
watchful institution!
&uring the course of the national movement there
had been parity of power between Nehru and
.rasad! ,ut after Independence, .rasad fully
recognised that it was Nehru, and not he, who was
the chosen leader of the Indian people!
.rasad was, and remained all his life, a self(
effacing, mildmannered and socially(conservative
leader! /e always underplayed his own role in the
major decisions of the day!
$he claims he made about himself never matched the actual, larger contributions he
made! If we were to believe his own selfportrayal, as reflected in his autobiography and
other writings, we would not be able to make an accurate assessment of him and miss out
on the numerous ways in which .rasad enriched Indian politics!
The writer teaches histor! at 4ndira Gandhi National :pen %niversit!' 5elhi
S. A!(!0F;!0 $ (!T=E(!TI%I!0, +339+45,
$he life story of this Indian mathematical genius, who won worldwide fame in
mathematics despite his poor family background and lack of formal education, is
legendary among professional mathematicians!
Duick take
D* #hich leader<s funeral did he
attend against 0ehru<s advice?
!* Aardar .atel:s funeral,01<@
D* =ow many terms did he serve as
&resident of India?
!* $wo! /e is the only president, so
far, to have served a second term
D* #here did Gandhi ask him to
go after becoming food minister?
!* $he sweeper:s colony in &elhi
D* 1or which commodity did he
want tax to be abolished?
!* Aalt
D* #hich national leader famously
stayed away from his funeral?
!* -awaharlal Nehru
$he son of a sari store clerk and a homemaker, Arinivasa 6amanujan was born in *rode,
about 7@@ km from +adras! /e was raised in nearby 8umbhakonam, which was his
mother:s native place!
/is proficiency in mathematics was clear from the very beginning! In high school, he
studied ! A! Carr:s A Aynopsis of *lementary 6esults in .ure +athematics! $his book
later became famous in the mathematical world because it influenced 6amanujan:s
uni)ue style of jotting down his results, without e=plaining his methods!
/e later attended college hoping to pass the e=am re)uired to enter the Cniversity of
+adras! ,ut he was so absorbed in mathematics that he neglected other subjects and
failed the e=am! /e never earned a
bachelor:s degree!
In 01@1, 6amanujan:s mother arranged his marriage to nine(yearold -anaki Ammal! $his
forced him to seek some gainful employment to support his family! In 010>, he found a
clerk:s position in the accounts section of the +adras .ort $rust!
$he chief accountant of the port trust, A! Narayana 6ao, was a mathematician! ,oth he
and Air Francis Apring, the chairman of the port trust, took a keen interest in 6amanujan:s
mathematical talents!
$he mathematicians in +adras persuaded 6amanujan to contact e=perts in *ngland to
evaluate his work, but given his lack of formal education, he was not taken seriously and
his letters went largely unacknowledged!
In 0102, however, 6amanujan sent an intriguing letter to !/! /ardy, an eminent
mathematics professor at $rinity College, Cambridge!
A! 6amanujan
In the letter, he posited about 0>@ mathematical theorems without showing the details of
how he had ac)uired the results! "I had never seen anything like them before,# /ardy
wrote later!
"A single look at them was enough to show that they could be written by a mathematician
of the highest class! $hey must be true because, if they were not true, no one would have
the imagination to invent them#!
/ardy was so impressed that he suggested that 6amanujan come to Cambridge for further
study! /ardy and his colleague, -!*! Dittlewood, made special efforts to admit 6amanujan
to Cambridge Cniversity, despite his lack of a degree in mathematics!
Initially, there was opposition to 6amanujan:s going abroad given his strict religious
background! According to some, his mother had a dream in which the oddess Namagiri
commanded her not to stand in the way of her son:s goals!
$hereafter, with his family:s blessings, 6amanujan
arrived at Cambridge in 0107! /is research
flourished and he published many e=citing new
results on topics such as the number theory, infinite
series and indefinite integrals!
;ne of the most spectacular results in mathematics
is the /ardy(6amanujan formula derived in 0103
for the number of partitions of an integer!
A striking characteristic of 6amanujan:s work is
the mysterious mi= of symbols and formulas! /e
believed that the oddess Namagiri appeared in his
dreams to guide and inspire his work!
6amanujan was awarded a degree from Cambridge
in 010? and was made a Fellow of the 6oyal
Aociety %F6A' in 0101! .erhaps due to the intense
pressure of work and lack of a proper diet, he
contracted tuberculosis in *ngland and was
admitted to a nursing home!
/ardy visited him there and remarked, "I thought
the number of my ta=icab was 03>1, it seemed to
me a rather dull number!#
6amanujan repliedB "No /ardyI It is a very interesting number! It is the smallest number
e=pressible as the sum of two cubes in two different ways#! 6amanujan returned to India
in 0101 and died in 8umbhakonam the ne=t year!
/e was richly lauded for his achievements! /is name hit the headlines of newspapers
when he was awarded a degree by Cambridge!
Duick take
D* #hat is the Aamanu"an
;ournal?
!* An international publication about
his work, launched in 0113
D* =ow many identities and
e'uations did he compile?
!* 2,1@@
D* #hen and how did he become
famous?
!* In 0102, he wrote a 0@(page letter
to mathematician !/!/ardy
D* #hen did he master advanced
trigonometry?
!* At the age of 02
D* In which fields have his
discoveries become applicable?
!* Crystallography and string theory
A postage stamp commemorating his 3<th birth anniversary was issued in 01?>! 5arious
mathematicians have devoted their lives trying to decipher 6amanujan:s work from his
notebooks!
Conferences are held worldwide devoted to ideas inspired by him! /e has been compared
to some giants in the field for the beauty and originality of his ideas!
The author teaches mathematics at the 3entral Michi&an %niversit!' %(A
A!(0!T= GGE0E! $ (ECI! 6!AG0, +4,2+44+
Whether loved or hated, admired or feared, 6amnath oenka, or 6N, simply cannot be
ignored! /e was a good friend but a dangerous adversary!
/e made history, not all of it necessarily glorious! ,ut he will always be remembered for
his doughty defence of freedom of the press and any ruse to curtail its viability and
independence through controls and constraints which clima=ed in his epic opposition to
the 013< *mergency!
6N:s motto was never to seek trouble, but to fight with all his might, throwing
everything into the battle if thwarted or opposed!
/e was an ardent nationalist and a self(appointed Congress )uartermaster general during
the 017> movement, supplying e=plosives to the Ruit India revolutionaries underground
and printing subversive literature for dissemination at home and abroad!
/e was never in government! ,ut he was something of a kingmaker on account of his
remarkable political connections, built up from his early days as a Congress worker and a
servant of the freedom movement!
/e was )uick to realise that without the media, the Congress message would scarcely
reach the masses! /e accordingly made it his business to build a nationalist trumpet, $he
Indian *=press group, which grew to have multiple editions nationwide in eight
languages!
6amnath oenka
/e had access to +ahatma andhi, -awaharlal Nehru, C!6! 6ajagopalachari and all the
post(Independence greats, such as 8! 8amaraj, -ayaprakash Narayan and Indira andhi,
none of whom hesitated to e=ploit his grit and ingenuity!
An astute +arwari businessman domiciled in +adras, he turned a media baron,
assiduously accumulating credits by rendering political or monetary favours or putting in
a word for someone who needed assistance, asking for nothing in return!
$his constituted a valuable bank of I;Cs! $hough without legal training, he had a
layman:s mastery over law and revelled in litigation with the aid of some of the best legal
minds in the country!
$hough a deeply religious man and a andhian, to him the end justified the means! /is
ma=im was to "disobey and e=plain# rather than "obey and complain#!
/e had the most unlikely friends and no dearth of enemies! /e lived by his wits,
displayed a volcanic temper and would curse violently and fluently in many languages!
/e was miserly but could be e=traordinarily generous and warm(hearted!
/e turned away from the Congress after it split in
01?1! /e then championed and financed
-ayaprakash Narayan:s ,ihar movement! /is finest
hour was during the *mergency!
/e became an implacable enemy of Indira andhi
who trained the whole weight of official machinery
against him!
&espite ill health, 6N remained bloodied but
unbowed!
$he clima= was reached in the corporate(
mediacourtroom war over the early growth of
&hirubhai Ambani:s 6eliance empire, with him
leading the charge despite failing health and
growing concerns over what would happen to the
*=press empire after him!
Aadly, the family was divided and before long the
group split! $he legend survives!
The author was the editor of $he Indian *=press
0etween *+E< and *+EA
Duick take
D* #hich newspaper did he bring
out before he took over The Indian
Express?
!* $he Free .ress -ournal, in 012>
D* #hich editor did he remove
from The Indian Express and went
on to appoint again?
!* Arun Ahourie
D* Goenka crossed swords with
which ma"or industrialist?
!* &hirubhai Ambani
D* ;awaharlal 0ehru asked
Goenka to employ a member of his
family.#ho was he?
!* Fero9e andhi!/e was brought in
as general manager
D* #hat was the name of the
character based on him in (ani
Aatnam<s film Guru?
!* +anikdas upta, played by
+ithun Chakraborty
AFE(I0I CE:I !AF0C!BE $ C!0%EA, +4,2+43/
Not many women are offered presidentship of a country and even fewer, refuse! 6ukmini
&evi Arundale was one such woman who declined the high office when +orarji &esai
offered it on a platter in 0133!
Ahe understood that 8alakshetra, the academy of arts that she had set up, simply needed
her more than the 6ashtrapati ,havan!
Ahe had a che)uered and fascinating life as a visionary, artist, educationist, theosophist,
dancer and a choreographer par e=cellenceK an institution builder, a staunch friend of
animals worldwide, a stauncher advocate of vegetarianism, promoter of traditional Indian
arts and crafts, a wise thinker, orator and above all a great humanitarian!
At 0?, the girl from an orthodo= $amil ,rahmin family, born in 01@7 and brought up in
+adurai, stirred the community by her marriage to ,ritish theosophist eorge A!
Arundale who was >@ years older than her!
Ahe was influenced by the $heosophical +ovement, the Awadeshi +ovement and by her
mentor Annie ,esant! Ahe worked for the $heosophical Aociety, at first assisting ,esant
in her office, learning the ropes and later forming a youth wing of the movement that
propagated the ban of slaughter of animals in temples in and around Chennai!
Ahe turned to Indian dance only when the famed ballerina Anna .avlova told her to look
at India:s indigenous forms for inspiration!
Ahe was >1 then and began to learn ,haratanatyam under +ylapore owri Amma and
later from uru +enakshisundrama .illai of .andanallur!
Ahe gave her first performance at the age of 20 at the annual convention of the
$heosophical Aociety! ,y -anuary 012? she put in place the International Academy of
Arts, which was subse)uently renamed 8alakshetra!
6ukmini &evi Arundale
$he academy was meant to resuscitate in modern India a recognition of our artistic
traditions and would seek to impart to the young, "the true spirit of art#, devoid of
vulgarity and commercialism!
,orn as 6ukmini Nilakanta Aastry, Arundale helped reinvent Indian classical dance, from
sadir to what it is now called ,haratanatyam!
*arlier it was associated with devadasis! Ahe drew the attention of the erudite Indian to
the genuine musical )ualities of the dance by drawing upon the ritualistic and
philosophical content intrinsic to the art form!
,ecause of the decline of the devadasis and the promulgation of the &evadasi Abolition
Act, 017G, she gave ,haratanatyam a social status it lacked in society at that time!
.utting in place systematic gradations of study of the art form was the singlemost
outstanding thing she could have done for the country!
8alakshetra became a school of e=cellence because
of the successive gurus who taught thereinitially
all trained by her!
$he focus was not on churning out only dancers of
significance it had other arts and crafts, too, on
the curriculum!
A normal academic school, $he ,esant
$heosophical /igh Achool, fed the art academy!
Weaving and spinning activities were as valid as
any sport, dramatics, dance and, of course, music,
both vocal and instrumental!
$he course included an understanding of languages
Aanskrit, $elegu and $amiland of the theory of
Duick take
D* #hich law did she help frame as
a member of the Aa"ya Sabha?
!* .revention of Cruelty to Animals
Act %01?@'
D* #hich dance form was a male
bastion till she started teaching it?
!* Nattuvangam
D* #hich ancient craft of textile
printing is taught at Ealakshetra?
!* 8alamka
D* In which year was she awarded
the &adma 6hushan?
!* 01<?
D* #here is Ealakshetra situated?
!* Adyar,near Chennai
dance and music, of the rituals associated with the temples where the art grew, of yoga
and philosophy!
Ahe was an innovator of the dance drama genre! Ahe invited dance and music gurus to
8alakshetra and took pains to research the sacred te=ts with scholars of different
languages!
Ahe re)uested them to compose dance dramas keeping in mind the aesthetic beauty and
authenticity of particular village traditions!
Ahe tapped the geniuses to create works based upon the tenets of the natyashastra! /er
works, however, held the traditions and yet departed from them handsomely and with
such subtlety that viewers were left confounded by the results!
Ahe replaced garish and often unaesthetic dance costume with simple but e=)uisitely
designed costume and jewellery! /er presentations had beautiful settings!
Ahe had witnessed the best of the West as a young bride married to a ,riton! /e took her
to museums and ballets, to chamber concerts and art galleries across the *urope! And she
could not have had a better teacher than him!
Eears later, it showed in the particular finesse she brought to her works! When stagecraft
and lights were only heard of in films, she brought in e)uipment like light bo=es to
enhance the appeal of a production!
$raditional, one would say, but she was no conformist! When her father died, she opposed
the tonsuring of her mother, a custom prevalent in the closed society!
And when her husband died she continued to put vermilion on her forehead! Ahe was a
visionary who is a reference point for the young generation and for dance historians! A
6enaissance woman, indeed!
The author' director of Kala1shetra /oundation' was a disciple of Arundale
S!AG;I0I 0!ICF $ ST!TES#G(!0, &GET, +377+45,
$here is an image of Aarojini Naidu that remains permanently etched in my mind! andhi
is walking on his Aalt +arch, followed by 3@(or(so men! /e has decided to include only
men because the march, he believes, will be too arduous for women to cope with!
Female nationalists, led by Naidu, however, have other ideas! Ahe pushes her way into
the procession, as a bemused, but not entirely surprised, andhi looks on!
And from then on, the Aalt +arch and the campaign as a whole becomes a woman:s
thing!
After all, why notH $hey:re the ones who use salt, and who know what it:s about! Why
should the march for salt be handed over to menH
Whether myth or reality, this image only reinforces our ideas of what Naidu stood for
courage, an indomitable spirit, a commitment to the nationalist movement, political
acumen, and her most memorable traits, an irreverence and a sense of humour!
$he latter was in evidence the first time she met andhi in Dondon in 0107!
Ahe walked through the door and saw "a little man with a shaven head seated on the floor
eating a messy meal of s)uashed tomatoes and olive oil# and she burst into laughter "at
this amusing and une=pected vision of a famous leader#!
Aarojini Naidu
At which point, andhi looked at her unfa9ed and said, "Ah, you must be +rs Naidu!
Who else would dare to be so irreverentH#
,orn Aarojini Chattopadhyaya in 0G31 in /yderabad, Naidu was a child prodigy! /er
father wanted her to be a mathematician, but she discovered a love of poetrysomething
that would later earn her the epithet of Nightingale of India!
;nce, the story goes, she was working at home on an algebra e)uation! At some point,
she got fed up and decided to take a break by composing a poem!
/er parents encouraged her literary interests her mother, 5arada Aundari &evi, was a
poet herselfand sent Naidu to *ngland to be educated further! It was there that she met
the man who was to be her husband, ovind Naidu!
In 0G1G, she returned to India and wed him in +adras at a time when inter(caste
marriages rarely took place!
Ahe became an early supporter of women:s rights and of the Independence movement,
joining the nationalists in the wake of the partition of ,engal in 01@<!
/er commitments brought her into contact with several of the new breed of leaders, such
as opal 8! okhale, +ohammed Ali -innah and -awaharlal Nehru! Ahe spoke on
women:s rights, the dignity of labour and workers: rights!
Ahe led the delegation to meet the then secretary of state for India *dwin +ontagu in
0103 to demand women:s suffrage! In 0101, she was the first to join andhi in his protest
against the 6owlatt Act!
A few months after this, she became the /ome 6ule Deague:s ambassador to *ngland
and, in 01><, became the first Indian woman to be elected president of the Indian
National Congress!
In 01>@, attending a conference in eneva, Naidu
was asked why she became interested in politics!
Ahe replied, "I think it is inevitable that one should
become interested in politics if one is a true
Indian!#
In keeping with her secular upbringing, Naidu
supported the cause of /indu(+uslim unity,
speaking at meetings of the +uslim Deague and
working with riottorn victims in ,ombay! Nor were
her activities limited to addressing the concerns of
/indus and +uslims!
Ahe spoke out in opposition to discrimination
against blacks in America and on behalf of the
Akalis in India! In 01>7, she went to Aouth Africa
and presided over a session of the *ast African
Congress! And through all of this, she wrote poetry
that spoke of love, beauty, and hope!
Aeveral of her poems were also put to song! In
0173, this versatile woman became the governor of
Cttar .radesh, notching up another first by becoming India:s first female governor!
,ut perhaps the story that best describes Naidu is told by ,habani ,hattacharya, who
describes how Naidu, at a conference of the World Alliance of .eace where the flags of
3@ countries decorated the ban)uet room, demanded sharply, "Where is the flag of
IndiaH#
$he intrepid poet died in 0171 while serving as the governor of Cttar .radesh!
The writer is director of 6u0aan Boo1s
S. A!C=!EAIS=0!0 $ :ISIG0!AH, +333+497
Duick take
D* She compared Gandhi to which
cartoon character?
!* +ickey +ouse
D* #hat was the name of her first
collection of poems?
!* Golden Threshold,01@<
D* #hen did she begin her college
education?
!* At the age of 0>
D* =ow many languages was 0aidu
fluent in?
!* Five, including Farsi
D* She wore khadi sarees dyed in
which colours?
!* Crimson, tur)uoise, saffron
When a star e=plodes in a supernova, it leaves behind a stellar mass for its rebirth!
Aimilarly, the death of a great man results in immortality! $he perenniality of Indian
culture is analogous to this phenomenon!
*ven though India was often left distraught by incessant invasions, her spiritually
conscious people were mines of creative thought!
$heir love for truth gave birth to ideas and ideals that continually energised the country!
In their creative e=pression, they emphasised peace and amity!
$he 6ig 5eda says, "Words are sacredB sages cherish them, the brilliant rule by them!#
reat men like Awami 5ivekananda, 6abindranath $agore, +ahatma andhi and
Aarvepalli 6adhakrishnan effected the integration of mind, body and soul through their
wise words, which delivered the message of peace and love!
India, in her struggle for freedom, was fortunate to have been under the auspices of such
luminaries!
+ahatma andhi affectionately called 6adhakrishnan Dord 8rishna and said he himself
was Arjun, his pupil!
A! 6adhakrishnan
Indeed, 6adhakrishnan:s achievements and teachings validate the traditional Indian belief
in the wisdom and indispensability of the guru!
$he ,ritish, who believed that a humiliated mind allowed enslavement, mocked India:s
religion and ridiculed her ancient philosophy as impotent tales of sparrows and parrots!
6adhakrishnan sought to break the ,ritish fetters on Indian consciousness!
/e wanted India to believe in herself! Armed with a vast knowledge of Indian religion
and philosophy, he spoke of the spiritually advanced character of Indian wisdom!
/is arguments inspired freedom fighters and scholars alike, turning them into ardent
admirers of India, its people and culture!
*ssentially an idealist, 6adhakrishnan corroborates our belief in the efficacy of the good!
In works like Indian .hilosophy, $he /indu 5iew of Dife and An Idealist 5iew of Dife, he
argues that goodness enables us to live the love in our hearts!
It was his positive spirit that made the best universities in the world invite him to grace
them with his lectures! 6adhakrishnan also served India in the highest officesas the
first ambassador to 6ussia, as vice(president and president!
,orn in $iruttani in 0GGG and married to
Aivakamuamma for <0 years till her death,
6adhakrishnan sought spiritual enlightenment and
inspiration in her! In his autobiography, he
remembers her as an everyday heroine who
epitomised selflessness and stood for the victory of
mind over matter!
/e honoured this character of Indian women and
dedicated a book, titled 6eligion and Aociety, to
them!
6adhakrishnan wrote, "India, in every generation,
has produced millions of women who have never
found fame, but whose daily e=istence has helped
civilise the race, and whose warmth of heart, self(
sacrificing 9eal, unassuming loyalty and strength in
suffering when subjected to trials of e=treme
severity, are among the glories of this ancient
race!#
A dutiful teacher, a deeply spiritual thinker, an able
policy maker, 6adhakrishnan was every bit the
visionary India needed!
Nobel laureate C!5! 6aman beautifully summed up his glorious lifeB "$he frail body of
6adhakrishnan enshrined a great spirita great spirit which we have learnt to revere and
admire, even to worship!#
S!%=I0 TE0CFBE!A $ %AI%EETEA, +498
When are you fully aware that you are in the midst of greatnessH &oes greatness have an
aura, a presence about it that announces itselfH
;r can greatness, like with Aachin $endulkar, be visibly manifest in one arena and be
almost invisible in anotherH And when does it first become apparentH Is there a moment
when people knock down the door that separates the good from the greatH ;r do they
simply vapourise from one chamber and reappear in anotherH
Duick take
D* #hen was he knighted?
!* In 0120, when he became vice(
chancellor of Andhra Cniversity
D* #ho was his favourite poet?
!* 6abindranath $agore! /e wrote a
book on his philosophy!
D* =ow did he shape the country<s
educational policy?
!* /e served on CN*AC;:s
e=ecutive board and as chairman of
the Cniversity *ducation
Commission
D* #hich is his most celebrated
work?
!* An Idealist 5iew of Dife
D* #hich was his alma mater?
!* +adras Christian College,where
he was initiated into philosophy
It:s a )uestion I have often asked myself as I look back at the bo= seat I have enjoyed at
the reat $endulkar AhowK watching the transition from a shy, confident schoolboy to a
shy, confident megastar!
/e:s had a lot of fun in that journey but even he can, at best, ha9ard a guess at how much
fun it has been for us, just watching the spectacle! And so, on this journey, when did
greatness first nudge him on the shoulder and gently invite him towards itselfH
Was it when he was 07 and made 0,@>G runs in five innings at schoolH Four of them not
out for an average of, well, 0,@>GH
-ust for being so far ahead of anyone else that a young editor commissioned a then young
writer to judge whether this cherubic kid was the greatest schoolboy cricketer ever!
Aachin $endulkar
Was it when, at 0<, instead of thinking about movies or chocolate milkshakes, he was
thinking of facing +arshall, Ambrose, Walsh and ,ishop in the West IndiesH -ust for
being disappointed at not being selectedH
Was it when, at 0?, having walked out to play a $est match, he had to be reminded that a
bowler at this level had to be respectedH
When the bowlers answered to the names of Imran 8han, Wasim Akram, Wa)ar Eounis
and Aa)ib -avedH -ust for thinking that a bowler:s job was merely to put the ball in the
right place for himH
Was it when, as an authentic 03(year(old %now why do we need to put that adjective
thereH' he scored a century to save his team from certain defeatH
-ust for the sheer nonchalance of it all as he peeled off boundary after boundary and
wondered why everyone else was surprisedH
Was it when, not yet 0G, he told his partner in that land of men, Australia, that he too
would respond to the sledging after he had scored his centuryH
-ust for the sheer self(belief, for the thought itself, for providing the first indicator that he
would, all his life, respond only with the batH
Was it when, not yet >0, he had seven $est
centuries behind himH At an age when people are
still thinking about whether they can play a $est!
-ust for the sheer audacity of it all, seven $est
hundreds before >0H
,ut hang on, we could be writing a book here! Isn:t
that greatness when there are so many moments of
it that you cannot isolate one that truly defines itH
&oes his greatness lie in that great sense of
composure he seems to communicate when there is
a child in him, still all e=cited by the idea of
playing for India, by the idea of someone running
up to bowl to himH
&oes greatness lie in remaining a child even when
he is a father of twoH
;r did greatness mark him out when he understood
what he can doH When he saw pathways and
passages for a cricket ball on a cricket ground
where others only saw obstructionsH
When he had the confidence to sight hori9ons that
were beyond the vision of othersH Aurely that has to
be it! &on:t some actors read words and others
convey meaning from the same scriptH
Wasn:t that greatness apparent when, at the height of the match(fi=ing controversy, I got a
mail from a simple manB ".lease tell me that Aachin is not involved!
If Aachin is involved, then what is leftH# For in post(liberal India he represents what an
Indian can achieve and there is an inherent purity that India perceives in him!
And there is more! Close to >0 years after first meeting him, I think his greatness lies in
the dignity that has accompanied him to the crease and elsewhere! In the humility with
which he has con)uered the game, and yet, bowed to it!
In being the master of all he has surveyed, and yet, in being a servant of the game!
Ees, that is what I think it is!
Duick take
D* =is being out in +444 !delaide
Test against !ustralia gave birth to
which term?
!* Ahoulder before wicket
D* =ow many runs did Tendulkar
score in his first GCI match?
!* /e was out for a duck
D* #hich debutant bowler
complained about Tendulkar<s bat
being extra broad?
!* Alan +ullally of *ngland
D* The English county Horkshire
hired Tendulkar in +445.#hat was
special about this?
!* /e was Eorkshire:s first overseas
professional
D* Tendulkar<s elder brother has
written a book about him. #hat is
it called?
!* The Ma1in& of a 3ric1eter
The author is a well-1nown cric1et commentator and columnist
S.=.1.;. (!0EES=!# $ 1IEBC (!AS=!B, +4+2
For Aam +anekshaw being famous and influential was a fitting reward for an eminently
successful career and a visible indication of enormous professional merit!
In the momentous days of 0130, when the country needed a hero, he was there to lead the
Indian Army to a magnificent victory!
,orn in 0107 in Amritsar, he did his schooling at Nainital:s Aherwood College and /indu
Aabha College in Amritsar! /e should have followed two elder brothers to Dondon for
higher studies, but his parents felt he was too young to be on his own!
Instead, he joined the Indian +ilitary Academy %I+A' and was commissioned in 0127!
&uring the second World War he was in ,urma, where while leading a spirited attack, he
was seriously wounded and given a battlefield award, the +ilitary Cross!
,y 01?1, when he was appointed the chief of army staff, he had gathered around himself
an aura of greatness! A no(nonsense soldier:s soldier, he was seen as a brilliant strategic
visionary, compassionate to a fault %"I can never say no#, he once remarked, "thank od,
I wasn:t born a woman#' and a man of impeccable character!
Always in a hurry, he did not suffer fools, yet was humble enough to walk across to a
subordinate:s office with a file to obtain a clarification!
Aam +anekshaw
5isits to units were meant to advise and correct, never to catch! ;n one such visit when
the commanding officer asked what action was taken against a man who contracted
venereal disease and when he was told the man:s head was shaved off, he roared,
"Ahaved offH
&ammit, he didn:t do it with his head!#
A brilliant orator, he was e)ually gifted with the written word! /is drafts and notings
were models of clarity, brevity and wit! A note from the .rime +inister:s ;ffice alleging
nepotism in the army because a certain major general had been appointed director
weapons and e)uipment, elicited a reply even though one was not necessary!
"$he complaint alleges nepotism in the army,# he wrote! "$he general officer is a high
caste /indu, I am an e)ually high caste .arsi! Ao no religious relationship e=ists! $he
general is 7?(year(old, I am <>! $herefore, I could not possibly have sired him! Ao, there
is no paternal relationship either!#
In social circles, especially diplomatic, he was a guest much in demand! /e always cut a
dashing figure with his athletic physi)ue, immaculate dress sense and the charismatic
ability to put the other person at ease!
At one such Ndo:, an ambassador:s wife seeking to entice him to her party asked whether
he liked dancing! "I don:t dance very well,# he replied, "but I hold well!#
/is crowning achievement was the remarkable victory of &ecember 0130! $here is a
saying that victory has many parents and defeat is an orphan!
Ao it was here, and many claimants have sought credit for that victory! $he fact of the
matter is that it was +anekshaw who planned the campaign, supervised its e=ecution and
won it!
Who can forget the great moral courage he
displayed when he stood up to Indira andhi and
her entire cabinet who wanted military intervention
into *ast ,engal in +ay 0130!
/is lone voice of dissent, stating that he would act
only when he was ready, carried the day!
Narrating this confrontation later he was to remark
that a pretty thin line e=isted between his elevation
to Field +arshal and getting the sack!
When Indira andhi asked him to take the
surrender on 0? &ecember 0130 in &acca, it was
his magnanimity that made him reply that it was
lieutenant(general -agjit Aingh:s prerogative to do
the honours!
The author served as militar! assistant to the
/ield Marshal
S!AC!A :!BB!6=6=!I &!TEB $ ST!TES(!0, +397+47,
$o understand Aardar .atel better, let us analyse the
two characteristics that everyone associates him
Duick take
D* #hat is unusual in Sam
(anekshaw being field marshal?
!* /e is only one of two Indian
military officers to hold the highest
rank
D* #hat is his full name?
!* Aam /ormusji Framji -amshedji
+anekshaw
D* In which sport is the
championship title dedicated to
him?
!* $he Inter(6egiment Football
Championship
D* #hich regiment did he become
a part of after his +5th 1rontier
1orce Aegiment "oined &akistan
after &artition?
!* FG orkha 6ifles
D* =is stellar role in the war of
+49+ led to which famous
agreement?
!* $he Ahimla Agreement
withB strength and realism! When .atel died in &ecember 01<@, +aulana A9ad said the
Aardar:s valour was "as high as the mountains# and his determination "as strong as steel#!
Chakravarti 6ajagopalachari called him "force incarnate#! -awaharlal Nehru said .atel
had been "a great captain of our forces in the struggle for freedom# and "a tower of
strength which revived wavering hearts#!
$he source of .atel:s strength was sacrifice, of which a powerful instance was
demonstrated in 01@<, when he was a 2@(year(old pleader in one of ujarat:s small
towns, ,orsad!
$hrough hard sweat he had put by enough money for a barrister:s course in *ngland!
A passport and a ticket for the voyage were duly issued to 5allabhbhai -haverbhai or 5!-!
.atel, but the postman delivered these not to him but to his elder brother 5ithalbhai .atel,
who like the younger brother, went by the name of 5!-! .atel!
"I am older,# said 5ithalbhai, "let me go first! Eou can go later!# Not only did 5allabhbhai
let 5ithalbhai take the ticket and the passport, he also sent money for 5ithalbhai:s stay in
*ngland!
In 010@, when he was 2< and the father of two, 5allabhbhai himself went to *ngland,
where he brilliantly cleared his ,ar e=aminations!
Aardar .atel
$he steel that others saw in .atel was forged in the fires of sacrifice! /is readiness to let
go was displayed thrice in relation to Nehru!
6esponding each time to +ahatma andhi:s steer, .atel stepped aside in 01>1, 0123 and
017? so that Nehru could become the Congress president!
No hesitation marked any of the three gestures, but a strong stipulation accompanied all
of themB 5allabhbhai:s own independent role and views would have to be honoured! And
they were!
$his ability to lay his ego aside gave .atel a force that more than compensated for health
problems! It also helped him gain a hold over the party and, after Independence, over the
services, which matched Nehru:s superior ability to communicate with the masses in
/indi and with the elite in *nglish!
$he result was that for 0< years from the start of 012? to the end of 01<@.atel and
Nehru served India as a leadership duo, despite several sharp differences!
Cntil 017< the two together, under andhi:s guidance, led the Indian National Congress!
From 017< to 017G, when andhi was assassinated, the two led the Congress more or
less independently of him, though at times turning to him as an umpire! From 0173 to
01<@ .atel and Nehru formed the duumvirate of India!
As for .atel:s realism, it is well known that his
greatest post(Independence accomplishmentthe
integration of <@@(plus princely stateswas
founded on a combination of strength and wisdom!
$he princes were willing to make way for
democracy under the persuasion of a strong man
who met their interests to a reasonable e=tent, and
who treated them with dignity!
.atel:s realism also governed his decisions on what
might be seen as the Deft(6ight and /indu(+uslim
issues that assailed India on Independence!
Dike every other human heart, .atel:s heart had its
preferences and dislikes! ,ut his head saw with
clarity that andhi:s vision of an India which
would give e)ual rights to all its citi9ens, including
the vulnerable, was the sound one!
Five days after andhi:s assassination, .atel wrote
to NehruB "We both have been lifelong comrades in
a common cause!
$he paramount interests of our country and our
mutual love and regard, transcending such
differences of outlook and temperament as e=isted,
have held us together! I had the good fortune to
have a last talk with ,apu for over an hour before his death! /is opinion also binds us
both!#
For India:s sake .atel refused to lend his sacrifice(based strength to any narrow goal! /is
differences with Nehru included some over foreign policy!
Duick take
D* #hy is Godhra important in his
life?
!* /e set up his first household with
his wife -haverba here
D*#hich game did he en"oy
playing?
!* ,ridge
D* #hich language did (ahatma
Gandhi teach &atel?
!* Aanskrit
D* #hich military operation is
&atel famous for?
!* ;peration .olo, the Indian
military operation which resulted in
the integration of the state of
/yderabad into the Cnion of India!
/e ordered it in 017G!
D* #ho played &atel in Eetan
(ehta<s biopic Sardar?
!* /e set up his first household with
his wife -haverba here
$hough Nehru was the Congress:s recognised foreign affairs e=pert, .atel:s grasp was
often clearer, as the Nehru(.atel e=change over China and $ibet revealed!
*ven when Nehru seemed unwilling to modify his stand on various issues, .atel refused
to pit himself against him, holding his ground against impatient lieutenants eager for a
confrontation!
At times in history, sacrifice and strength have been invoked in anger, for revenge, and in
order to dominate! As wise as he was strong, .atel used his steel only for India:s unity!
The author is a well-1nown scholar and political activist. "e is the &randson of
Mahatma Gandhi.
S!TH!;IT A!H $ 1IB((!EEA, +45++445
*ven as a child, I realised that our home was different! $his was after the success of
Pather Panchali in 01<<, when interesting personalities from around the world would
come to meet my father!
;n the day it was released, my mother, ,ijoya 6ay, watched the film in the theatre with
me, all of two years, in her lap! &uring the interval, however, she realised that I didn:t
like the dark auditorium, and decided to bring me home!
Ahe says that after we returned, I insisted on going back and seeing it through! $hat was
the power of movies, which enthralled my subconscious even at that young age!
,aba:s film was the best way to be initiated into it!
+y father gave his family a lot of time! /e would almost always schedule outdoor shoots
during my summer or winter vacations so we could all go! In those days, actors were a lot
less busy, so such shoots could be easily arranged!
$hat:s how I was present through so many of his films! And that:s how I understood what
great filmmaking was all about!
/e worked round the clock! /e would wake up at an unearthly hour, before anyone else
at home stirred and had a set morning routine!
Aatyajit 6ay
After breakfast, he would spend the entire morning replying to letters! /e never had a
secretary, and did everything himself, from writing letters to picking up the phone!
+ornings would also be reserved for illustrations, because he wanted to take advantage
of the light! After lunch, he would concentrate on scripting, or music or any other thing
that re)uired his attention!
,aba worked on every detail in his film, from the screenplay and costumes to the music
and illustration of credits! I always saw him working!
/e would often work late into the night, and needed only four to five hours of sleep to
carry on the ne=t day!
,ut the one thing that he never compromised on was our lunches and dinners! ,aba
would insist we take them together, every member of the family present without fail! And
that is where we e=changed notes, ideas and told each other about interesting things in
our lives!
$hen, there were the Aunday morning adda
sessions, which comprised not only film industry
people but also relatives and friends and colleagues
from his old ad agency &!-! 8eymer!
/e never helped me with my studies, unless I asked
him to, but he taught me so much else! /e never
ever insisted I had to be a filmmaker!
,ut as I was growing up, I started sharing his
interests! We were like friends! /e asked me to
read what other filmmakers had to say about the
craft and told me to watch both good films and bad
good films for inspiration and bad films to know
what not to do!
Duick take
D* #hich Aay film did the state
fund for Iroad improvementJ?
!* Pather Panchali, in 01<<
D* #hich film did Aay say was
inspired by his story The lien?
!* Ateven Apielberg:s 9.T. , in 01G>
D* 1or which filmmaking duo<s
debut did he compose music?
!* Ismail +erchant and -ames Ivory
D* #ho was his +495 documentary
Inner Eye a tribute to?
!* /is art teacher ,inode ,!
+ukherjee
D* Gn whose stories was his film
Goop! G!ne "a#ha "!ne based ?
!* randfather Cpendra 6oy
Chowdhury
As a filmmaker, there was a certain ruthlessness about him! Aometimes, he would spend
days working hard to put a scene together!
,ut on the editing table, if he found that the scene was not taking the story forward, he
would chop off the entire roll, not caring about how difficult it had been to put it together!
$he film had to be compact and every scene had to take the story forward!
$here were other things that I learnt from him such as grammar and techni)ue! I started
by being a still photographer, and observing him helped me a lot, from e=posure to the
composition of frames!
When I got interested in the technicalities of moviemaking, ,aba and his unit members
would patiently e=plain every aspect that befuddled me!
6eceiving the ;scar for life(time achievement was a happy moment for him! In his
acceptance speech, he mentioned how he had written to director ,illy Wilder, after
watching his 0177 film 5ou0le 4ndemnit!, and how crestfallen he was when he didn:t
receive a reply!
After that speech, Wilder sent him a telegram apologising for not responding, and
promised that the ne=t time ,aba was in the CA, they would sit and discuss 5ou0le
4ndemnit! at length! Aadly, that never came to be!
)As told to (wa&ata (en.
The writer is a filmma1er and the son of (at!a$it a!
SF6=!S %=!0CA! 6GSE $ 1AEECG( 1IG=TEA, +349+427
PIn one respect,# Christopher ,ayly and $im /arper write of the war situation in 0172,
"the ,ritish had much to fear! Aubhas Chandra ,ose, their most resolute and resourceful
Indian enemy, was on the move!#
,ose had boarded a erman C(boat at 8iel on February G, 0172, on a perilous voyage
across half the globe to Aoutheast Asia!
"$here is a certain amount of risk undoubtedly in this undertaking,# ,ose had written to
the then erman foreign minister -oachim von 6ibbentrop on &ecember <, 017>, "but so
is there in every undertaking!
I believe in my destiny and I therefore believe that this endeavour will succeed!#
After a 1@(day journeythat included a transfer in a rubber raft from a erman to a
-apanese submarine in the Indian ;cean,ose arrived in Aabang on the island of
Aumatra!
From there he flew to $okyo and back to Aingapore where he took over the leadership of
the Indian National Army on -uly 7(<, 0172!
Eet when the ,attle of ,ritain was raging over the skies of Dondon, the colonial masters
had their most uncompromising opponent safely behind bars in the .residency -ail of
Calcutta! ;n November >1, 017@, he launched a fast unto death in prison!
"Nobody can lose through suffering and sacrifice,# he had written on November >?,
017@, in his political testament! "If he does lose anything of the earth, he will gain much
more by becoming the heir to a life immortal!#
overnor -ohn /erbert decided to send him home on &ecember <, 017@, having resolved
to arrest him again as soon as he had recovered his health!
Aubhas Chandra ,ose
"If he resorts to a hunger strike again,# /erbert blithely wrote to viceroy Dinlithgow on
&ecember 00, 017@, "the present Ncat and mouse: policy will be continued, and its
employment will serve both to render him innocuous and to make him realise that
nothing is to be gained from a series of fasts!#
,y that time ,ose had already summoned his nephew Aisir 8umar ,ose and asked him to
help plan and e=ecute his escape from India! ;n the night of -anuary 0?(03, 0170, ,ose
secretly left his Calcutta home, disguised as +uhammad Miauddin, a north Indian +uslim
insurance agent!
/e was driven by Aisir in a ermanmade Wanderer car to omoh railway junction! $here
,ose boarded the &elhi(8alka +ail for the capital where he changed to the Frontier +ail
on his way to .eshawar!
.retending to be a deaf and mute .athan, he trekked across the rugged terrain of the tribal
territories in the North West Frontier crossing the territorial limits of ,ritain:s Indian
empire on -anuary >? and reaching 8abul on -anuary 20, 0170! /is family had
announced in Calcutta on -anuary >? that he could not be found, leaving ,ritish
intelligence officers shame(faced and bewildered!
Why had the man who had espoused Deft(wing socialist views as .resident of the Indian
National Congress in 012G and 0121 chosen to come to Na9i ermany in 0170H
,ose had made up his mind that at the climactic moment of India:s anti(imperialist
struggle the loyalty of Indian men in arms to the ,ritish 8ing(*mperor had to be replaced
by a new allegiance to the cause of Indian independence! ermany:s invasion of the
Aoviet Cnion in -une 0170 put paid to ,ose:s plans for an invasion from the north(west!
,ut -apan:s sweeping victories in Aoutheast Asia in early 017> opened India:s
northeastern frontier to the army of liberation of his dreams! Not only were there many
more Indian soldiers in -apanese hands, but the presence of nearly three million Indian
e=patriates in Asia gave ,ose:s movement a much larger civilian social base of support!
+ahatma andhi best captured the significance of the Indian National Army %INA' saga
that unfolded between 0172 and 017<!
$he trial at the 6ed Fort of some leading officers
took the story of INA and its Netaji to every Indian
home!
"$he whole country has been roused,# andhi
observed, "and even the regular forces have been
stirred into a new political consciousness and have
begun to think in terms of Independence!#
As ,ose:s NFather of ;ur Nation: said about his
Nprince among patriots:, Netaji:s name had become
one to conjure with! ,ose had managed in INA to
bridge the many divides of caste, religion and
gender!
/is ability against the odds to achieve /indu(
+uslim unity had invested the INA e=periment
with its most important contemporary salience!
,ose was not just a warriorhero, even though he
may be best remembered as such!
/e paused between battles to reflect on India:s
political, economical and social issues! It is the
vision of a free India and its global role that
accounts for his increasing relevance as time passes!
The author is the Gardiner professor of histor! at "arvard %niversit!' %(A
S. TAI&!T=I 0IA!B! $ &GET, +34/+4/+
Duick take
D* #hich party did he "oin after
'uitting the %ongress in +455?
!* Awaraj .arty
D* #hen did 6ose first go to prison
and why?
!* In 01>0, for organising a boycott
against the visit of the .rince of
Wales
D* #hom did he marry?
!* In 0123, he married *milie
Achenkl,an Austrian,who was his
secretary
D* #hat was the name of I0!<s
allwoman regiment?
!* 6ani of -hansi 6egiment
D* The I0! functioned under
which government, formed by him?
!* $he A9ad /ind overnment
*ven though literature is not the realm for anticipatory forecasts, I am tempted to think
that Auryakant $ripathi Nirala, who has been a beacon of light for me, will always have
the power to move the masses!
A new generation may, in fact, discover new meanings in his poetry and prose, something
that may have been missed, or even overlooked, in the last century!
Nirala was a chha!avadi %romantic' poet, but at the same time a revolutionary realist just
like the 6ussian romantic poet, Ale=ander .ushkin! $he essence of his creativity was such
that it seemed to complete one circular movement in a poem, and in the very ne=t it could
break that circle, e=ploring entirely new directions!
,ut Nirala was not only a poet! /e was also a creative prose writer of remarkable
innovation, with some of his later prose already ac)uiring the status of classics!
/is contemporary Aumitra Nandan .ant perhaps summed him up best, saying he broke
chhand 1e 0andh tatha roorhi!on 1e 0andhan %the shackles of rhyme as well as of
superstition'!
Apanning the literary firmament from the third to the si=th decade of the last century, it is
difficult to find another whose art underwent such rapid changes both in content as well
as language! In his early phase he was influenced by 6abindranath $agore, which he
overcame later!
A recurring symbol in his poems during this period was that of a cloud, which was a
symbol of revolution! Dater on, he moved to longer poems such as am 1i (ha1ti Poo$a
and (aro$ (mriti which are supposed to be his greatest achievements in poetry! /e wrote
some satirical poems as well!
$wo political personalities he loved to comment on in both prose and poetry were
+ahatma andhi and -awaharlal Nehru! With andhi, his ruse was light(hearted and had
to do with one of the latter:s comment that /indi literature did not have a $agore!
Auryakant $ripathi Nirala
With Nehru the differences were more fundamental! $o Nirala, for whom the common
man was the indisputable focus of everything in life, Nehru was an outsider! /e was
e=tremely critical of Nehru:s western upbringing and felt the leader could not relate to the
problems of the poor!
In similar vein he was also critical of those communists whose class character was
different from common people! In his poem Moscow 5ialo&ues, Nirala chides the so(
called champions of the common man for their distance from the lives of the poor!
In the third phase, he indulged his love for e=perimentation in verse form and wrote some
smaller poems in an earthy language! /e addresses the Almighty but at the same time
)uestions his e=istence!
$he >0st century reader will find he can relate easily to his later work, embodied in the
collections, Na!e Patte and Bela! $his list would also inevitably include his satirical
poem Ku1urmutta! Nirala:s prose writing would also have resonance, especially Khulli
Bhat and Billesur Ba1ariha!
.erhaps Nirala:s greatest contribution was his freeing of poetry into blank verse,
accompanied by the parallel liberation of the human spirit he captured so well! /is use of
blank verse changed the destiny of /indi poetry!
;f course, even after this, Nirala continued to write in rhymed structures, ably
demonstrating his de=terity in both forms! Nirala was also one of the greatest lyricists of
his time, indicating his enormous capacity for discovering new emotional elements and
integrating them successfully with classical grace!
,orn out of the freedom struggle, Nirala:s poetry echoed the ethos of that longing! I was
first e=posed to Nirala:s poetry in school but the first time I got an opportunity to hear
him was when he visited our school in ,anaras on the occasion of $ulsi -ayanti!
I remember distinctly that he had recited his
complete work, Tulsidas! I also remember, e)ually
distinctly, that even though I had not understood
the poem at that time, I was spellbound by its
magical recitation! I learned something valuable
that daythat some things can fascinate us even
though we may not comprehend them!
It was many years later, in my final year of ,A,
that I was able to meet Nirala! /e was eating, in his
small room, in a little bylane of the &araganj
locality of Allahabad, when I reached there,
accompanying the writer $rilochan Ahastri!
I still remember his demeanour while eatinghe
ate as if he was sitting before the food in an attitude
of complete respect, head lowered! We did not
Duick take
D* #hich languages was he fluent
in?
!* ,angla, *nglish, Aanskrit, and
/indi
D* #ho persuaded him to learn
=indi?
!* /is wife Anohar &evi
D* #hat was his greatest
contribution to =indi literature?
!* /e started the use of blank verse
D* #hich illness was he said to
suffer from?
!* Achi9ophrenia
D* #hich popular 6angla novel did
he translate into =indi?
!* ,ankimchandra Chatterjee:s
Anand Math
disturb him! It was only when he had finished, that $rilochanji introduced me to him, as a
young, budding poet!
+uch of the conversation is now a dim memory but one thing stands out! I got one of the
softest, sweetest scoldings of my life! It seemed to me to contain an invaluable key to
understanding Nirala:s poetry!
$his was contained in reference to lo10humi and lo10hasha %which was Awadhi, in
Nirala:s conte=t'! It liberated Nirala from the initial ,engali influence and ultimately
brought him back to the soil of Awadh!
$his is captured in the spirit of his last works! Nirala was truly one of the greatest poets
of modern India, transcending the boundaries of space and time!
The author is a "indi poet and critic
A!6I0CA!0!T= T!GGAE $ #AITEA, +3/++42+
Was 6abindranath $agore as great as he is cracked up to beH $his subversive )uestion has
been asked by plenty of people over the yearsby westerners who became disillusioned
with his self translations, by non(,engali Indians tired of the ,engali obsession with him,
and even, dare one say it, by some ,engalis!
I myself have often privately asked it, testing him, so to speak, against other great poets!
In the last couple of months, I have read through /omer, 5irgil, &ante and +ilton!
,ut I:ve also, as always, been reading $agorehis sermons collected in the volumes
called (antini1etan, his writings on Christianity, and his songsabove all, his songs,
listening to them, reading them, and translating them too, as I have now, after many years
of resistance, found a song(translation method that satisfies me!
Ao the )uestion has been in my mind )uite fre)uentlyB $agore was great, yes, but was he
as great as &anteH
+y convinced and considered answer to the )uestion is, yes, he was truly great! /e is up
there on .arnassus with the very greatest!
,ut whyH What is there about $agore that makes me, helplessly and with wonder and
ama9ement, agree with the view of Nirad C! Chaudhuriwho was phenomenally well
read and never one to come out with clichTsthat $agore was among the >@ greatest
writers of all timeH
;ne can list many factors! /is e=traordinary linguistic mastery, every sentence he wrote
flowing from his pen with a seemingly effortless virtuosity that reminds me of the music
of -!A! ,ach! /is range!
$he fact that he was so much more than a poethe was a novelist, writer of some of the
best short stories ever written, a composer of songs whom Aatyajit 6ay rightly felt was
the e)ual of Achubert, a painter, an educationist, and also of course a major participant in
public affairs and the moulding of Independent India! ,ut none of this, though true, goes
to the heart of the matter!
In my recent reading, I have become increasingly
aware of the way most great poets deal with Ntwo
sides:with, at one e=treme, the most cruel, most
evil, most miserable things that human beings can
do or e=perience, and at the other a transcendent,
perfect e=istence that we long to attain!
In &ante and +ilton the two sides are e=plicitB hell
and heaven! $he greatest poetry, in my view, arises
from between those two e=tremes, from a mingling
or meeting of hell and heaven as in +ilton:s
Garden of 9den, or in the Pur&atorio that &ante
and his guide 5irgil must pass through on the way
from hell to heaven!
,ecause $agore was so clear in his mind that "the
subject on which all my writings have dwelt# was
"the joy of attaining the infinite within the finite#,
he never made the mistake of limiting his focus
either to hell or heaven!
/e said many times that he was neither a world(
denier nor a monistB he was a dualist who found
spiritual reality in the khela of the human and divine!
When he defined art as "the response of man:s creative soul to the call of the 6eal#, he
meant the real of the here and now, the imperfect real of history and society and human
relationships, but also a real that was shot through with glimpses of perfection!
/e knewin the words of one of his greatest songs"ache duh1ho' ache mrit!u'
virahadahan la&eFta0uo shanti' ta0u ananda' ta0u ananta $a&e %there is sorrow, there is
death, there is the fire of separation! Eet peace, joy and eternity are awake'!#
*verything that defined him stemmed from that awarenessB his compassion, his social
activism, his concern for the natural environment, his rapport with women and children
all the things that make him so relevant today!
,engalis are right! $agore was a visva1avi %world poet'! Where I part company with some
of my ,engali friends is that I think he e=ceeded even their conception of him, and in
Duick take
D* #hen did Tagore first write and
publish poetry?
!* /e wrote at G and published at 02
D* =ow many countries did he visit
between +393 and +485?
!* +ore than 2@
D* =ow did Tagore get interested in
theatre?
!* After lead role in his brother:s
play
D* #hich national song, other than
India<s, is by Tagore?
!* ,angladesh
D* Cespite which affliction did he
become a painter?
!* /e was partially colour blind
ways that over time will constantly surprise, disturb and challenge those who attempt to
understand him fully!
$hough honoured with the title Nurudev:, he was not the sort of guru who supplies us
with dogma or ready(made answers!
The author is a poet and writer' scholar of Ben&ali literature and a Ta&ore translator
:IS#!0!T=!0 !0!0C $ %=ESS GA!0C(!STEA, +4/4
I remember my first meeting with 5iswanathan Anand! It was 01G2 and chess wasn:t that
big a game then! It was something that children pursued when they were inspired by their
parents! Adults played it, but only when they wanted to play a "serious game#!
$he National -unior Association championship was going on in &elhi! In strode a thin,
lean fellow in a cap and looked around determinedly! $hat is when I saw his chess game
for the first time! /e was fast!
$hat was the word that came to my mind! /e played his game )uickly and precisely, so
much so that all of us there christened him the Dightning 8id! /is speed showed in his
body language! /e would never sit and play but would constantly move around!
It was a deep first impression! I remember everyone:s surprise when he played and the
techni)ues that he displayed, even then! It was in 011> that I met him again! And that was
when I played against him! /e was not undefeated in the early 01G@s or, perhaps, till
01G?!
I played him and even won sometimes! ,ut in 011>, I realised that his game had
progressed to another level, just like he himself had! From a Dightning 8id he had
become a much calmer Anand, a true randmaster! I think the change came in 01G? and
was consolidated in 01G3 when he became world junior champion!
5iswanathan Anand
Anand had an innate talent for being a randmaster! ;ne can put in 07 hours of work
everyday and become good, but to become a player par e=cellence one has to be a
prodigy!
Which Anand was! It was Anand who demolished the 6ussian supremacy, which earlier
only ,obby Fischer could! It was he, who )uestioned the supremacy of a arry 8asparov,
an Anatoly 8arpov and a 5ladimir 8ramnik! $hat was especially remarkable as India was
not a country which encouraged chess at that time!
For any field to come into the limelight, it needs an icon, a master attached to it! Dike
&onald ,radman outside and 8apil &ev here who made cricket highly popular, Anand
brought chess forward, into the view of millions abroad and more importantly at home!
In India, it meant that a new game was discovered and it shows in the many young people
following the game now! It is his single(handed achievement that resulted in chess
becoming what it is today!
Anand the man is e)ually astonishing! Astonishing in the fact that he is very unlike most
famous randmasters I know! When I met him in Norway in the World -unior
Championship, he had lost a match, was )uite frustrated and nearly moved to tears!
In that perturbed state he threw his keys against the wall opposite him! $hat shows a side
of himhe wanted to e=cel in the game! /e was always an eager player, continuously
looking for different ways to win! Dater on, he became calmer but his 9eal to win did not
dwindle!
I saw Anand:s determination when after narrowly
missing the randmaster title twice, he continued
with a renewed drive! +ore than anything, it is his
style of playing that stood him in good stead!
Cnlike stalwarts like 8asparov who play
aggressively and pressure their opponents, Anand is
a player whose focus is only on his own gameplan!
It is his affable, somewhat shy and introverted
nature that has made him a favourite not only with
the public but also in the chess circles!
I remember a small incident from my early days in
chess! Aome members from the Indian team at the
annual Chess ;lympiad wanted a picture with
8asparov, but he curtly declined!
Anand, on the other hand, was never discourteous
to his fans! &uring the 011< matches with
8asparov, everyone prayed for Anand:s victory, for
they all believed that Indian chess couldn:t get a
better ambassador than him!
Duick take
D* =ow many times has he won the
%hess Gscar?
!* Four, in 0113,011G,>@@2 and >@@7
D* !t what age was he awarded the
&adma Shri?
!* At 0G
D* In which year did he become the
first Indian to win the #orld
;unior %hess %hampionship?
!* 01G3
D* #hat do his friends call him?
!* 5ishy
D* #hich IT company has !nand
as its brand ambassador?
!* NII$
I would also give credit to his parents! &uring the early days players never got very good
accommodation, we often used to sleep on benches!
,ut despite such conditions his parents always toured with him! I saw Ausheela aunty
present at every tournament with him! It would be wrong to say that Anand played for
fame or was conscious of the history he was making!
I think it was simplerhe was just a boy who had grown up loving the game he played!
+atching every black pawn with his white and confronting every comple= move with a
counter strike!
)as told to Bushra Ahmed.
T:EAG=ESE EFAIE0 $ C!IAH EM&EAT, +45+
$he reen 6evolution was initiated with the import of high yielding plant varieties in the
:?@s, but could only consolidate itself in the mid(:3@s with policies that were to give
)uick returns to the farmer and provide them new technologies for irrigation and seed
replication!
$he world was then sceptical, but we, who were involved in planning for food security,
knew that if the environment was right, small farmers would benefit!
*conomists 5ijai 5yas and !A! ,halla proved that the revolution was not enough!
$he villages needed more income! It was then that the +ilkman of India began working
for that with a tenacity which made him an icon!
/is model was even more iconoclastic!
,ut in 013G, FA; dismissed 5erghese 8urien:s idea of taking technology to the small
farmer! &airying, it said, was for the corporates!
5erghese 8urien
/owever, they could not stop him! With that non(normal idea, his National &airy
&evelopment ,oard %N&&,' took India:s milk production from an annual growth of @!<
per cent to < per cent!
,y 011G, India became the world:s largest milk producer!
Armed with an American degree, 8urien somewhat unwillingly went to Anand in +ay
0171, and the rest, as they say, is history!
In 0132, N&&, helped set up the ujarat Cooperative +ilk +arketing Federation for
selling the products produced by cooperative milk unions in the state under the brand
names Amul and Aagar!
In 01GG, it facilitated the restructuring of the
National Cooperative &airy Federation of India to
provide a national body for state dairy
cooperatives!
8urien has always drawn attention to the fallacies
of India:s new economic policies! $he market, he
says, does not allocate resources for the
disadvantaged!
/is global vision is that of collaboration between
the north and south, and to help build agro(
industries in Africa, Asia and Datin America!
/e dreams of an ;peration Worldwide Flood which can help tens of millions of farmers
in the world!
The author is a former %nion minister
he author is a Grandmaster and an Ar$una awardee
!.6. :!;&!HEE $ 1GA(EA &AI(E (I0ISTEA, +452
*ven in his autumnal stillness, Atal ,ihari 5ajpayee defies definition! With a mischievous
glint in his eyes, the manwho is now beyond the grasp of predatory headlinesdoesn:t
fit into the neat categorisations of leadership and greatness!
$here has always been a bit of mystery, a teasing element of the unknown, about India:s
first right(wing prime minister who has taken permanent residency in popular conscience!
Come to think of it, and be intrigued by the enduring enigma of 5ajpayee! /is party may
not have a pan(Indian presenceor won an absolute majority in the Dok Aabha!
Duick take
D* !t what position did he start his
career in the dairy industry?
!* &airy engineer
D*#hat was !mul initiallycalled?
!* 8aira &istrict Cooperative +ilk
.roducersJ Cnion Dimited
D* #hich discipline of engineering
does he specialise in?
!* +echanical engineering
,ut 5ajpayee, defying gravity, soars above his party, larger than its collective leadership,
unblemished by its sins and transgressions!
In a party whose defining image of assertion is demolition, his name alone rhymes with
moderation and consolidation! $here may not be a 5ajpayee cult, but 5ision 5ajpayee is
an inspiration for true believers on the right!
In a polity characterised by the culture of personal vendetta and pettiness, he is the last
custodian of dignity and decency!
And his instincts have redeemed the ideology of his political parivar!
Atal ,ihari 5ajpayee
;h yes, his patented pause! &oes it reflect an innate passivityH No, it brings out the power
of silence in a country where the sloganeer:s stentorian showmanship is celebrated as
politics of social justice!
/is updated version of passive resistance has been a cultivated strategy, and it has
worked at a time when his hyperactive colleagues could only divide!
$he first genuine non(Congress prime minister to complete his full term in office, he is
the original reconciler! I still remember one of my many enlightening encounters with
him during his si= years in office!
;nce I provoked him by saying that many of his colleagues felt he was soft and not
pushing his investigative agencies to go after the andhi dynasty!
"If I do to them what they did to their political enemies, tell me, how are we going to be
different from the CongressH# he asked, looking straight into my eyes! I didn:t have
anything more to say! I was sitting across from the trueconviction politician!
/e has always strived to connect with even the seemingly incompatible! Connectivity for
him has been an article of faith! It has been political, philosophical and, of
course,geographical! It has gone beyond the realms of telecommunications and civil
aviation!
$he first real internationalist after Nehru, he has
brought India to the global high table! /e has
liberated India from the entrapment of $hird
Worldismand the Cold War mindset! /e has
made anti(imperialism, a legacy of the Deft liberal
Congressism, redundant!
"We see that as India adjusts to globalisation, the
globe is adjusting to a )uiet Indianisation,# he said
at the India $oday Conclave in >@@7! $he eldest
statesman of India would become the wisest of the
*ast as well!
$oday, four years after his e=it from Aouth ,lock,
5ajpayee is not an active presence in politics! ,ut
for India, as successive opinion polls show, he is
still the ideal prime minister and the most
beloved politician! WhyH /e doesn:t colonise
media space!
/e hasn:t written a bestseller! Why does he still
concentrate the mind of IndiaH $he answer is his political dharma! /e has singularly
redefined power with a kind of sagely detachment! /e withdraws to con)uerK he
confounds his adversaries with, well, a coupletK and he renounces only to return!
All the while, his moral universe remains intact, beyond the whirl of realpolitik, beyond
the e=igencies of his own party! $here is a terrifying sense of calm about the man, an
individual solidity that has only ensured political stability! /e has changed the synta= of
leadership!
Atal ,ihari 5ajpayee embodies the renaissance of the right, and as the only
compassionate conservative India has produced, he continues to reaffirm the virtues of
reconciliation in the age of confrontation!
:IEA!( S!A!6=!I $ S%IE0TIST, +4+5+49+
At the age of 00 or so, 5ikram Aarabhai was said to have been fond of setting a challenge
for himselfB riding a bicycle which he would pedal as fast as he could! When it had
achieved a satisfactory momentum, he would cross his arms over his chest and place his
feet on the handlebars, close his eyes if the road was straight!
$his way he would let the bicycle carry him as far as it would go, impervious to the pleas
of his terrified servants chasing him and begging him to stop!
It is an odd bit of daredevilry to associate with a man credited with writing G@(odd
scientific papers, setting up almost 7@ institutions, initiating India:s space programme and
heading its nuclear energy programme in the :?@s!
Duick take
D* =ow many states has he been
elected from?
!* FourB Cttar .radesh,
ujarat,+adhya .radesh and &elhi
D* =ow many times has he been
elected to the Bok Sabha?
!* $en, the latest to the 07th Dok
Aabha
D* #hich publications did he edit?
!* $he maga9ines 6ashtradharma
and .anchjanya and the dailies
Awadesh and 5eer Arjun
D* #hen was he "ailed?
!* In 017> and during the *mergency
from 013<(33
;n the other hand, in that boyhood act of heroism one can probably find the key, the
essential mi= of daring, skill and audacity that made his life e=traordinary!
$he seeds of this remarkable life were probably sown in early childhood and fostered by
his unusual upbringing! Aarabhai came from a prosperous -ain family of te=tile mill
owners in Ahmedabad!
$he Aarabhais, in addition to being wealthy, were close to +ahatma andhi and were
known for their strong sense of social responsibilityB 5ikram:s aunt, Ansuya, founded the
city:s first trade union of te=tile workers and his sister +ridula was actively involved in
the freedom movement and went to jail many times!
5ikram and his seven siblings were educated in a private e=perimental school on the
family:s >0(acre property, an education that included a range of e=tra(curricular activities
as well as an e=posure to distinguished visitors such as 6abindranath $agore, -awaharlal
Nehru and 6ukmini &evi Arundale!
5ikram Aarabhai
/e went on to pursue physics at the Indian Institute of Acience in ,angalorewhere he
studied under Nobel laureate C!5! 6aman and struck a friendship with /omi ,habha,
who later set up India:s atomic energy programme and later at Cambridge!
In the fervently idealistic post(Independence era, Aarabhai established several institutions
such as the .hysical 6esearch DaboratoryK the &arpana &ance Academy, which he co(
founded with his wife, +rinaliniK the Ahmedabad $e=tile Industry:s 6esearch Association
%A$I6A', India:s first te=tile research cooperativeK the country:s first market research
agency, the ;perations 6esearch roupK the Indian Institute of +anagement
%Ahmedabad' and helped in setting up the National Institute of &esign!
$he range of activities reveals the astonishing diversity of his interests and also the
consistency of his approach which involved the use of scientific methods, sound financial
plan and a clear nationalistic purpose!
All these features were evident in his conceptualisation of the space programme! In the
early :?@s when space technology was being used for military purposes and one(
upmanship between the superpowers, the idea of a poor struggling nation aspiring to a
space programme of its own seemed a fairly unthinkable one!
Aarabhai made it seem not only feasible but essential by setting targets for the
development of technology and mapping out a range of applicationscommunications,
weather forecasting and mineral prospectingthat could answer the needs of a
developing nation!
All his projects, whether it was the satellite
instructional television e=periment which in 013<(
3? used a NAAA satellite to beam educational
content to >,7@@ of India:s poorest villages, or his
plan for building agricultural comple=es serviced
by atomic power and desalinated sea water, were
fired with an imaginative 9eal!
/e worked 0G(>@ hours every day using both
charm and persuasion to convince others, including
his seniors like ,habha, and industrialist
8asturbhai Dalbhai, who collaborated in many of
his ventures, and his subordinates to share his
dreams!
/e did have his share of critics! $here were some
who found his ideas wildly impractical!
And others who did not appreciate his comple= and
highly nuanced approach to the sensitive issue of
nuclear weapons!
It is hard to dispute though, that when he passed
away, on &ecember 2@, 0130, at the age of <>,
India lost one of her most dynamic and endearing
visionaries!
The author has written (ara0hais 0io&raph!' 5ikram AarabhaiB A Dife
:IEA!( S!A!6=!I $ S%IE0TIST, +4+5+49+
At the age of 00 or so, 5ikram Aarabhai was said to have been fond of setting a challenge
for himselfB riding a bicycle which he would pedal as fast as he could! When it had
achieved a satisfactory momentum, he would cross his arms over his chest and place his
feet on the handlebars, close his eyes if the road was straight!
$his way he would let the bicycle carry him as far as it would go, impervious to the pleas
of his terrified servants chasing him and begging him to stop!
Duick take
D* Fnder which scholar did he do
research on cosmic rays?
!* C!5! 6aman
D* #hich was one of the first
institutions he formed?
!* $he .hysical 6esearch Daboratory
in Ahmedabad in 0173
D* #here did he set up the first
rocket launching station?
!* At $humba near
$hiruvananthapuram
D* #hen was he appointed
chairman of the !tomic Energy
%ommission?
!* In +ay 01??
D* #here did he receive his early
education?
!* In 6etreat, an e=perimental
schoolrun by his parents in
Ahmedabad
It is an odd bit of daredevilry to associate with a man credited with writing G@(odd
scientific papers, setting up almost 7@ institutions, initiating India:s space programme and
heading its nuclear energy programme in the :?@s!
;n the other hand, in that boyhood act of heroism one can probably find the key, the
essential mi= of daring, skill and audacity that made his life e=traordinary!
$he seeds of this remarkable life were probably sown in early childhood and fostered by
his unusual upbringing! Aarabhai came from a prosperous -ain family of te=tile mill
owners in Ahmedabad!
$he Aarabhais, in addition to being wealthy, were close to +ahatma andhi and were
known for their strong sense of social responsibilityB 5ikram:s aunt, Ansuya, founded the
city:s first trade union of te=tile workers and his sister +ridula was actively involved in
the freedom movement and went to jail many times!
5ikram and his seven siblings were educated in a private e=perimental school on the
family:s >0(acre property, an education that included a range of e=tra(curricular activities
as well as an e=posure to distinguished visitors such as 6abindranath $agore, -awaharlal
Nehru and 6ukmini &evi Arundale!
5ikram Aarabhai
/e went on to pursue physics at the Indian Institute of Acience in ,angalorewhere he
studied under Nobel laureate C!5! 6aman and struck a friendship with /omi ,habha,
who later set up India:s atomic energy programme and later at Cambridge!
In the fervently idealistic post(Independence era, Aarabhai established several institutions
such as the .hysical 6esearch DaboratoryK the &arpana &ance Academy, which he co(
founded with his wife, +rinaliniK the Ahmedabad $e=tile Industry:s 6esearch Association
%A$I6A', India:s first te=tile research cooperativeK the country:s first market research
agency, the ;perations 6esearch roupK the Indian Institute of +anagement
%Ahmedabad' and helped in setting up the National Institute of &esign!
$he range of activities reveals the astonishing diversity of his interests and also the
consistency of his approach which involved the use of scientific methods, sound financial
plan and a clear nationalistic purpose!
All these features were evident in his conceptualisation of the space programme! In the
early :?@s when space technology was being used for military purposes and one(
upmanship between the superpowers, the idea of a poor struggling nation aspiring to a
space programme of its own seemed a fairly unthinkable one!
Aarabhai made it seem not only feasible but essential by setting targets for the
development of technology and mapping out a range of applicationscommunications,
weather forecasting and mineral prospectingthat could answer the needs of a
developing nation!
All his projects, whether it was the satellite
instructional television e=periment which in 013<(
3? used a NAAA satellite to beam educational
content to >,7@@ of India:s poorest villages, or his
plan for building agricultural comple=es serviced
by atomic power and desalinated sea water, were
fired with an imaginative 9eal!
/e worked 0G(>@ hours every day using both
charm and persuasion to convince others, including
his seniors like ,habha, and industrialist
8asturbhai Dalbhai, who collaborated in many of
his ventures, and his subordinates to share his
dreams!
/e did have his share of critics! $here were some
who found his ideas wildly impractical!
And others who did not appreciate his comple= and
highly nuanced approach to the sensitive issue of
nuclear weapons!
It is hard to dispute though, that when he passed
away, on &ecember 2@, 0130, at the age of <>,
India lost one of her most dynamic and endearing
visionaries!
The author has written (ara0hais 0io&raph!' 5ikram AarabhaiB A Dife
>F6I0 (E=T! $ (FSI% %G0CF%TGA, +48/
Can a conductor:s baton be the catalyst for a more peaceful worldH In the hands of
maestro Mubin +ehta, it has turned into a lightning rod for harmonyB he has conducted
-ewish musicians in the shadow of the Na9i concentration camps and even played
Wagner to -ewish audiences!
Duick take
D* Fnder which scholar did he do
research on cosmic rays?
!* C!5! 6aman
D* #hich was one of the first
institutions he formed?
!* $he .hysical 6esearch Daboratory
in Ahmedabad in 0173
D* #here did he set up the first
rocket launching station?
!* At $humba near
$hiruvananthapuram
D* #hen was he appointed
chairman of the !tomic Energy
%ommission?
!* In +ay 01??
D* #here did he receive his early
education?
!* In 6etreat, an e=perimental
schoolrun by his parents in
Ahmedabad
"I took the Israel .hilharmonic to Na9areth and performed for a completely Arab
audience,# he recalls!
"$hey gave us a standing ovation! Imagine Arabs standing up for a hundred -ews playing
on stageH It:s very healthy! It doesn:t change the West ,ank problems but it brings some
goodwill at least!#
Calming troubled waters with music is something +ehta has always doneB in 01GG, he
conducted the New Eork .hilharmonic ;rchestra with the Atate Aymphony ;rchestra in
+oscowK in 0117 when there were icy relations between Israel and India, he brought the
Israel .hilharmonic ;rchestra to his homeland to create a thaw!
,orn in 012? in ,ombay, +ehta:s late father +ehli +ehta, conductor of the ,ombay
Aymphony ;rchestra, held makeshift rehearsals in the family living room, bringing the
rich world of western classical music into the home!
+usic came as naturally as breathing to the future maestro and at the age of two, he often
slept with a pair of cherished drumsticks under his pillow at night!
Mubin +ehta
$he world might have lost out on a legendary conductor, had not +ehta given up his pre(
medical studies at 0G to pursue his real passion! In spite of financial constraints, the
+ehtas sent him to 5ienna:s prestigious Akademie fVr +usik where he entered the
conducting programme under /ans Awarowsky!
+oney was so tight that when he needed a full dress suit for conducting a concert as part
of the final e=amination, he bought a passable substitute for L>< from a place where
waiters purchased their uniforms, and often wore two mismatched black shoes as the
others had holes in them!
raduating in 01<3, his rising star was on a trajectoryB he won the Diverpool International
Conducting Competition in 01<G and by 01?0, had already conducted the 5ienna, ,erlin,
and Israel .hilharmonic ;rchestras!
After that, he was the music director for the +ontreal Aymphony ;rchestra, and then of
the Dos Angeles .hilharmonic at the age of >?! /e became music director of the New
Eork .hilharmonic in 013G, commencing a02(year tenure, the longest in the history of the
.hilharmonic!
Aince 01G<, +ehta has been chief conductor of the ;rchestra del +aggio +usicale
Fiorentino in Florence, and has also served as music director of the ,avarian Atate ;pera!
/e is an honorary citi9en of both Florence and $el Aviv, and an honorary member of the
5ienna Atate ;pera! In >@@?, he opened the .alau de les Arts 6eina Aofia in 5alencia
followed by a threeyear project of 6ichard Wagner:s 6ing des Nibelungen cycle in the
production of the Fura del ,aus of ,arcelona in 5alencia and Florence!
+ehta has had a long relationship with the Israeli .hilharmonic and is its music director
for life! Apart from a pure passion for music, the main thrust of his work is using music
as an agent for change!
"+y dream really is to have an Arab Israeli playing in the Israel .hilharmonic,# he says!
/is vast repertoire encompasses ,ach, +o9art and ,eethoven to ,artok and Achoenberg!
Ask him about his favourite composer and he says,
"$here:s no favourite composerI do music that
covers 7@@ years so I can:t afford to have
favourites!#
A proud .arsi, +ehta is a prouder Indian who even
after decades of living abroad still retains his
Indian passport! India is a piece of his heart and his
thoughts always turn to his favourite city by the
Arabian Aea! /e is passionate about Indian food,
old friendships and the music school he has started
in India in his father:s name!
$his ;ctober, he will take the Israel .hilharmonic
;rchestra to +umbai for a celebration of his late
parents: 0@@th birth anniversary and to raise funds
for the school! "$here:s a lot of talent in Indiawe
now have to nurture it so they don:t have to leave
the country like a lot of us had to,# he says!
Indeed, already there are several Indian musicians
in world class orchestras abroad! For them, an
impossible dream became a reality because Mubin
+ehta led the way! $hey could dare to do it
because he did it first!
Duick take
D* #hen did he make his
conducting debut?
!* 01<G, in 5ienna
D* #hen was he made music
director for life of the Israel
&hilharmonic Grchestra?
!* In 01G0
D* #hich record did he set as
music director of the 0ew Hork
&hilharmonic?
!* /e had the longest tenure of 02
years, beginning in 013G
D* =ow many concerts has he
conducted?
!* ;ver >,@@@
D* #hich award was he given by
the Fnited 0ations?
!* $he Difetime Achievement.eace
and $olerance Award in 0111