K.M.Munshi

Today is the birth anniversary of Kanhaiyalal Maneklal Munshi or K.M.Munshi for short. He was a lawyer, independence activist, a writer and a scholar.Known primarily as the founder of Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan, he was a member of the Constituent Assembly.
He had also served as the Home Minister of Bombay State, Agent General for the State of Hyderabad, Minister for Agriculture in the Union Government and the Governor of Uttar Pradesh. A renowned author in Gujarati and English, he wrote many books drawing his material from history and mythology.
Our humble tributes !

Rudyard Kipling

Today is the 151st birth anniversary of Rudyard Kipling, the Bombay born Nobel Laureate British Novelist , poet and short story writer. As an ardent supporter and advocate of British Imperialism he is credited or rather discredited with coining the phrase ‘white man’s burden’ which smacks of a misplaced feeling of racial superiority of the British over others. He wrote the famous, one of the most quoted lines -“Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet…”
But still he had some soft corner for the native Indians, as is brought forth in his famous poem ‘Gunga Din’ which is about an Indian bhishti in the British Indian Army. His other books ‘Kim’ and ‘The Junglebook’ remain popular fiction to this day . ‘The Junglebook’ was also made into a Hindi cartoon serial for TV. His association with Shimla is brought forth beautifully in a short story ‘Monkeys at Simla’
Our tributes to the great writer !

दुश्यन्त कुमार

हिन्दी गजल के प्रमुख हस्ताक्षर दुश्यन्त कुमार की आज पुण्यतिथि है।
विनम्र श्रद्धांजलि !

 · Provide translation to English

Manjit Bawa

Today is the death anniversary of Manjit Bawa, the renowned Indian painter and artist. Trained at the Delhi College of Art, he had a stint in Britain as a silkscreen printer . Returning to India,he drew inspiration from and found his subjects in Hindu mythology, Sufi thought and Guru Granth Sahib.
His paintings carry an aura of the spiritual and oneness of all life in the universe.He portrayed birds and animals and the paintings of Horse drawn by him became quite famous. To some extent he was an avant garde painter, breaking new ground in the choice of colours. Distortion of form is also a unique feature of his painting style.
Our humble tributes to the great painter and artist !

Charles Macintosh

Google doodle of today tells that today is the 350th birth anniversary of Charles Mackintosh,a Scottish chemist and inventor of the Mackintosh fibre. The Mackintosh raincoat is named after him.
For this and many other inventions, he was made the Fellow of Royal Society ,London.
Humanity owes a lot to him.

Our humble tributes !

Syed Mujtaba Hussain Kirmani

Happy birthday to Syed Mujtaba Hussain Kirmani, a former Right hand batsman and wicket keeper of the Indian Cricket team !

Twinkle Khanna

Happy birthday to Twinkle Khanna, a former Bollywood actress, who shares her date of birth with her illustrious father Rajesh Khanna.

Rajesh Khanna

Today is the birth anniversary of Rajesh Khanna aka Kaka, the widely acknowledged and officially recognized first superstar of Hindi Cinema. He holds the record of giving maximum number of solo hits in a row.Always playing an ordinary man, his roles were easy to relate to and identify with.In fact there was this extraordinary portrayal of the ordinary, wherein lay his appeal. With traces of Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand, he comes across as a veritable mix of the two, a Tragedian and a Romantic. A recipient of many honours and awards including Padma Bhushan, one saw him becoming a slave of his superstar image and as a result dying as a loner.
Our humble tributes !

Master Madan

Today is the birth anniversary of Master Madan, the teenager prodigy Ghazal and Geet singer of pre independence era. Born this day in 1927 at village Khan Khana of present day Nawashahar of Punjab, he came to Shimla when the family shifted. At a very young age, he impressed with his singing, his fame travelling far and wide. He sang eight compositions in all - two each in the genre of Ghazal, Thumri, Punjabi Song & Shabads. However the most popular and commonly heard and played are the ghazals- ' Yun na reh reh kar hamen tarasaiye.. ..' & ' Hairat se tak raha hai jahaan-e-wafa mujhe' , both penned by Saagar Nizami.
The promising and highly talented singer could not complete 15 years of age on this planet and died due to alleged poisoning of his milk, a result perhaps of professional rivalry.
Our humble tributes !

सुमित्रानन्दन पन्त

प्रकृति के अनुपम चितेरे सुकुमार कवि सुमित्रानन्दन पन्त की पुण्यतिथि पर उन्हें विनम्र श्रद्धांजलि !

मिर्ज़ा ग़ालिब

आज एशिया महाद्वीप के उर्दू और फ़ारसी के अज़ीम शाइर मिर्ज़ा असदुल्ला खां बेग ‘ग़ालिब’ की जयंती है .अपनी हर दिल अज़ीज़ ग़ज़लों और हर मौके पर उद्धृत किए जाने वाले शेरों के बल पर ‘ग़ालिब’ को उर्दू अदब में बहुत ऊंचा स्थान हासिल है.ज़ाहिर है रोज़ मर्रा की ज़िंदगी में जितना इस्तेमाल के शेरों और रुबाईयों का होता है, किसी और शाइर की रचनाओं का नहीं ।

एक बानगी :

“तुम न आए तो क्या सहर न हुई
हाँ मगर चैन से बसर न हुई
मेरा नाला सुना ज़माने ने
एक तुम हो जिसे ख़बर न हुई”

“बूए-गुल, नाला-ए-दिल, दूदे चिराग़े महफ़िल
जो तेरी बज़्म से निकला सो परीशाँ निकला
चन्द तसवीरें-बुताँ चन्द हसीनों के ख़ुतूत,
बाद मरने के मेरे घर से यह सामाँ निकला”

“तेरे वादे पर जिये हम, तो यह जान, झूठ जाना,
कि ख़ुशी से मर न जाते, अगर एतबार होता”

“बाज़ीचा-ए-अतफ़ाल है दुनिया मेरे आगे होता है
शब-ओ-रोज़ तमाशा, मेरे आगे”

“उग रहा है दर-ओ-दीवार से सबज़ा ग़ालिब
हम बयाबां में हैं और घर में बहार आई है”

“बना है शह का मुसाहिब, फिरे है इतराता
वगर्ना शहर में "ग़ालिब" की आबरू क्या है”

न जाने किस रौ में बह कर ग़ालिब अपनी तारीफ इन लफ्जों में करते है-
“हैं और भी दुनिया में सुखन्वर बहुत अच्छे,
कहते हैं कि गालिब का है अन्दाज-ए-बयां और"
और इसके लिए उनके तमाम दीगर शाइर उनकी आलोचना भी करते हैं ।
पर ऐसा भी नहीं है कि किसी और शाइर को ‘ग़ालिब’ खातिर में नहीं लाते।
खुले दिलोदिमाग से वो मीर तकी ‘मीर’ की तारीफ कुछ इस तरह करते हैं-

“रेखते के तुम्हीं उस्ताद नहीं हो गालिब
कहते हैं अगले जमाने में कोई मीर भी था”

और मोमिन खाँ ‘मोमिन’ के शेर-
“तुम मेरे पास होते हो गोया,
जब कोई दूसरा नहीं होता”

पे इतना लट्टू हो जाते हैं कि इस एक शेर की एवज़ में अपना पूरा दिवान मोमिन के नाम कर देने को तैयार हो जाते हैं ।
ग़ालिब की शाइरी में रूमानियत भी है और फलसफा भी ।
कुल मिला कर ग़ालिब की शाइरी और शख्सियत को किसी खास कित्ते या कालखंड में बांधा नहीं जा सकता ।
इस महान शाइर को हमारी विनम्र श्रद्धांजलि !

Asadullah Khan Baig 'Ghalib'

Today is the birth anniversary of Asadullah Khan Baig 'Ghalib' popularly known as Mirza Ghalib.A most popular and prominent Urdu and Persian poet of the sub continent, he is the most quoted poet in Urdu.A poet of all times with universal appeal, his couplets and quartets come handy in every context and situation. 
Our humble tributes !

Farooq Shaikh

Today is the death anniversary of Farooq Shaikh, a popular Bollywood actor and a TV show host and presenter.Making his debut in 1973 with the film Gram Hawa, he also acted in films Mere Saath Chal , Shatranj Ke Khiladi and Gaman before the blockbuster Noorie in which he worked with Poonam Dhillon.The film catapulted the lead pair to fame. Farooq Sheikh went on to act in films like Umrao Jaan, Saath Saath, Chashm-e-Baddoor, Bazaar, Katha, Salma, Faasle,Toofan, Maya Memsaab and many others .He had a pleasing personality and was a very successful host. He presented the famous TV show Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai.He was a prominent contributor to the genre called parallel or New Cinema.
Our humble tributes to the great actor !

Hiuen Tsang's ( Zuanzang or Xuanzang) memorial , Nalanda

In front of the Hiuen Tsang's ( Zuanzang or Xuanzang) memorial , Nalanda. The Chinese Buddhist scholar lived in the 7th century AD and visited & lived in India for about thirteen years .

Nalini Jaywant ,

Today is the death anniversary of Nalini Jaywant , the leading actress of Hindi Cinema during 1940s and '50s.She made her debut as a teenager with Mehboob Khan's film Behan in 1941. Her childlike innocent face also contributed to her success and popularity.Though she acted in a few more films after Bahen, success came to her with the films Samadhi and Sangram, in which she appeared opposite Ashok Kumar.She went on to do more films with Ashok Kumar,like 
Jalpari, Kafila, Nau Bahar,Saloni, Lakewren, , Naaz. etc.In '50s she appeared in films like Shikast, Munim ji, Rahi,Railway Platform, and Hum Sab Chor Hain. Her last successful movie was 1958 film Kala Pani for which she also won the Best Supporting Actress award.Her last movie was Nastik in which she appeared in 1983, after a gap of 18 years.
She died a recluse this day in 2010 in Mumbai.
Our humble tributes to the popular actress !

80 Feet High Statue of Buddha at Bodhgaya

The 25 metre (80 feet) high Statue of Buddha commisioned by the Daijokyo Buddhist organization of Japan. The statue was erected by a Jaipur firm. It was unveiled on 18th November 1989.A landmark of Bodhgaya.The Buddha image is 64 feet in height, the lotus 6 feet and the pedestal 10 feet in height.

Mahabodhi temple, Bodhgaya

Once you are at Gaya, it is a must to visit Bodhgaya , the place with historical religious significance, and a place of pilgrimage for Buddhists all over the world .The place is associated with Prince Siddharth attaining enlightenment and becoming Buddha after meditating for years under a tree known as the Bodhi Tree. On reaching there we headed for the Mahabodhi Temple , an ancient 55 metre high structure . Ignorance is not always a bliss . We had not taken camera with us hoping to click some pictures with the mobile phones.But alas, we were not allowed to carry mobile inside the premises and had to put them back in the vehicle. However inside we did see some foreigners with cameras and mobile lookalike gadgets as well .It can’t be that there were two sets of rules for the Indians and the foreigners, or that the foreigners acted smart and dodged the functionaries at the entrance, as they seem more law abiding than us. . However , Cameras- still, video and movie are allowed on payment of Rs. 100/-, 300/- & 500/- each. No photographs could be taken by us. The Mahabodhi temple is a sight to marvel at – the 180 feet high structure is simply amazing . The shrine is at the base and has a regular entrance. Inside is placed a magnificent idol of Buddha. A huge number of tourists and Buddha followers were paying obeisance to lord Buddha.The place started developing as a pilgrimage during abour 250BC, coinciding with the rule of Asoka the Great, who had turned a Buddhist after the Kalinga War. However, the construction of the present temple dates back to 5th-6th Century AD .
The place is characterized by serene and calm environs, cleanliness being its hallmark.The spread out well maintained lawns, beautiful marble flooring , and neatly spruced up hedges on which one finds the offerings made by pilgrims, of flowers put on paper plates, present an amazing sight. I saw some followers prostrating every few feet to cover the distance. Such is the level of devotion of the people.There are followers from Tibet, Nepal,SriLanka , Korea , Japan and Thailand visible all around, almost in 50 – 50 ratio vis a vis the Indian visitors .

Photos : Courtesy Google .

NALANDA

A visit to Nalanda during my sojourn at Gaya was a rewarding and learning experience.We have heard of and read about Nalanda Mahavihar during our school days when we were taught about the illustrious and golden era of the Guptas and King Harshwardhan of Kannauj. The ruins of the ancient seat of learning speak of and bear ample testimony to our rich and glorious heritage of learning and scholarship . Nalanda enjoyed a pride of place along with other two seats of learning - Taxila and Vikramshila- and is considered the most prominent of the three. Taxila is now a part of Pakistan. Students from countries like Japan, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Korea came to Nalanda and received education and training at Nalanda, which could boast of eminent scholars like Silbhadra or Sheel Bhadra as faculty and the Vice Chancellor, who also taught the Chinese scholar and Monk Xuanzang or Hiuen Tsang. . The Nalanda Mahavihar was established during the reign of Kumaragupta- I and continued to enjoy Royal patronage during the reign of Harshvardhan of Kannauj and Dev Pala of Pala dynasty. However a decline set in during the rule of Pala dynasty and the end to all the glory and honour was caused with an attack by Bakhtiyar Khilji around 1200AD.

One of the interesting things that the Guide told us was the origin of the word ‘Nalanda’. According to him and convincingly so,’ Nalanda’ is a combination of two Sanskrit words ‘Naalam’ & ‘Da’ . Naalam stands for Lotus which is considered the source of all knowledge and learning or Knowledge itself and ‘Da’ in Sanskrit means ‘to give ‘. Nalanda thus means a Giver of Knowledge.

The excavations took place in 1917 and between 1974 and 1982 and some important relics were also found which are kept in a museum. 

The ruins are spread over hundreds of acresof area, only a part of which stands excavated. The walls and structures are all made of red brick not very different from our present day bricks , though of less thickness. Some special binding material, much stronger than cement was prepared and used to fix the bricks in place.There were raised platforms, rectangular or square in shape to seat the teachers and the students. The guide, Yadunandan Singh, who took us around the Monastery No. 1, arguably the most important one, and explained certain things to us. Nalanda University was known as Mahavihar which had many Vihars or faculties, teaching many disciplines.Each faculty or department had thirty five rooms or cells housing a student each , equivalent to the cubicles we find in University hostels these days. The rooms were of sufficient dimension to be occupied by a single person. On one side was an alcove in the wall to place the lamp that burnt day and night to give light . There was an opening on the top in the roof to allow passage of air and also some natural light. 

There is also a lay out plan of excavations done .

A nice and educative experience it was, indeed !

Abu Abraham

Today is the death anniversary of Abu Abraham, the noted cartoonist and author.Born Attupurathu Mathew Abraham, he started drawing cartoons at the age of three . Starting as a journalist with the Bombay Chronicler, at the behest of K Shankar Pillai he moved to Delhi and joined the Shankar's Weekly.Moving to London to work for 'Star' , his cartoons started appearing in Punch magazine and the Daily Sketch.He worked for The Guardian also .Returning to India, he served a full tenure as a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha from 1972 to 1978.During this period Emergency happened and Abu Abraham fell out of favour with the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The result was a book Games of the Emergency ' that came out in 1977.Noted for his one-line punches, he attacked corruption in political circles.
He died this day in 2002 aged 78 and was cremated with full State honours.
Our humble tributes !

Sucheta Kriplani

Today is the death anniversary of Sucheta Kriplani, the well known freedom fighter. Born in 1908 in a Bengali Brahmo family at Ambala, she was educated at Indraprastha College,Delhi and Punjab University . Later she taught at the Banaras Hindu University.She joined the freedom movement and actively participated in the Quit India Movement.She accompanied Mahatma Gandhi to Noakhali in the wake of partition riots.
Post independence she was one of the very few members of the Constituent Assembly.
In 1952 she was elected member of Lok Sabha from New Delhi. She again became a Lok Sabha M.P. from New Delhi. For the third time she was elected as an M.P.from Uttar Pradesh.Around the same time she was elected as an MLA also and became a minister. Subsequently she became India's first woman Chief Minister of a state. Serving as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh she proved an able administrator and handled employees' strike firmly and effectively.
She died this day in 1974 aged 66.

Our humble tributes. !

अली सरदार जाफ़री

आज उर्दू के अज़ीम- ओ- शान शाइर अली सरदार जाफ़री की जयंती है । अपने शुरुआती दौर में जोश मलीहाबादी,फ़िराक़ गोरखपुरी और जिगर मुरादाबादी जैसे चोटी के शायरों से प्रभावित अली सरदार जाफ़री ने अपनी उर्दू शाइरी में भाषा का एक अलग मुहावरा गढ़ा और अपने लिए एक ऊंचा मुकाम हासिल किया । अपनी तेज़ तर्रार तहरीरों के सबब अलीगढ़ मुस्लिम यूनिवर्सिटी से निकाले गए व बी.ए. की पढ़ाई दिल्ली के एक कॉलेज में दाखिला ले कर मुकम्मल की.उसके बाद एम.ए. में दाखिला लिया पर राजनीतिक गतिविधियों में भाग लेने के परिणाम स्वरूप पढ़ाई पूरी न हो सकी। इस बीच, 1940 और 1941 में दो बार जेल भी गए। वो प्रगतिशील लेखक संघ के संस्थापक- सदस्यों में से एक थे. उनकी शाइरी में इंकलाब, कौमी यक्जहदी, और साम्प्रदायिक सद्भाव प्रचुर मात्र में मिलता है और वो गंगा जमनी तहजीब के पैरोकार के रूप में सामने आते हैं। कम्युनिस्ट पार्टी के सक्रिय सदस्य रह चुकने के कारण कमजोर और शोषित वर्गों के प्रति उनकी सहानुभूति सहज ही उनकी शाइरी में पढ़ने को मिलती है। उनने ‘धरती के लाल’ व ‘परदेसी’ फिल्मों के लिए गीत लिखे व कुछ वृत्त चित्रों का भी निर्माण किया ।उनकी साहित्यिक यात्रा 1938 में छापे उनके कहानी संग्रह ‘मंज़िल’ से हुई। परंतु बाद में शाइरी का रुख किया और ग़ज़ल, नज़्म और शेर कहने शुरू किए। उनका पहला शाइरी संग्रह 1944 में ‘परवाज़’ नाम से प्रकाशित हुआ। उनकी शाइरी के अनेक संग्रह प्रकाशित हो चुके हैं
अली सरदार जाफ़री का शुमार एशिया उपमहाद्वीप के चोटी के उर्दू शायरों में होता है। उनका रुतबा फिराक गोरखपुरी,फ़ैज़ अहमद फ़ैज़, शकील बदायूँनी, कैफ़ी आज़मी और जांनिसार अख्तर के समकक्ष बैठता है।
फ़िराक़ गोरखपुरी और कुर्रातुलैन हैदर के बाद ज्ञानपीठ पुरस्कार से सम्मानित होने वाले वो तीसरे उर्दू साहित्यकार हैं। इसके अतिरिक्त उन्हें पद्मश्री समेत अनेकों सम्मानों से नवाजा जा चुका है। जिस अलीगढ़ मुस्लिम युनिवर्सिटी से उन्हें निकाला गया था , बाद में उसी नें उन्हें डी.लिट्ट . की मानद उपाधि प्रदान की।
एक बानगी:
“सिर्फ़ लहरा के रह गया आँचल
रंग बन कर बिखर गया कोई

गर्दिश-ए-ख़ूं रगों में तेज़ हुई
दिल को छूकर गुज़र गया कोई

फूल से खिल गये तसव्वुर में
दामन-ए-शौक़ भर गया कोई"

और-

“आवारा हैं गलियों में मैं और मेरी तनहाई
जाएँ तो कहाँ जाएँ हर मोड़ पे रुसवाई

ये फूल से चहरे हैं हँसते हुए गुलदस्ते
कोई भी नहीं अपना बेगाने हैं सब रस्ते
राहें हैं तमाशाई रही भी तमाशाई

मैं और मेरी तन्हाई

अरमान सुलगते हैं सीने में चिता जैसे
कातिल नज़र आती है दुनिया की हवा जैसे
रोटी है मेरे दिल पर बजती हुई शहनाई

मैं और मेरी तन्हाई”

आकाश के माथे पर तारों का चरागाँ है
पहलू में मगर मेरे जख्मों का गुलिस्तां
है आंखों से लहू टपका दामन में बहार आई

मैं और मेरी तन्हाई

हर रंग में ये दुनिया सौ रंग दिखाती है
रोकर कभी हंसती है हंस कर कभी गाती है
ये प्यार की बाहें हैं या मौत की अंगडाई

मैं और मेरी तन्हाई”

इस अज़ीम शाइर को हमारी विनम्र श्रद्धांजलि !

सुरिन्दर कौर

अपनी जादू भरी आवाज़ से पंजाबी लोकगायन और संगीत को शिखर पर पहुँचाने वाली महान गायिका सुरिन्दर कौर की आज जयंती है। स्वतन्त्रता पूर्व लाहौर रेडियो स्टेशन से अपनी संगीत यात्रा आरंभ करने वाली सुरिन्दर कौर ने न केवल पंजाबी संगीत को घर घर पहुंचाया, बल्कि, शुरुआती दौर में हिन्दी फिल्मों के लिए भी कुछ गीत गाये जो अत्यंत लोकप्रिय हुए। ऐसे ही गीतों में उनका एक गीत 'बदनाम न हो जाए मुहब्बत का फसाना , ओ दर्द भरे आँसुओ आँखों में न आना' आज भी शौक से सुना जाता है। इसके अतिरिक्त ‘तक़दीर की आँधी हम कहाँ और तुम कहाँ’ और ‘आना है तो आ जाओ’ भी उनके लोकप्रिय हिन्दी फिल्म गीत हैं।
मुख्य रूप से उन्हें पंजाबी गीतों के लिए जाना जाता है । कुछ गीत उनने अपनी बहन प्रकाश कौर के साथ भी गाये। ‘ लट्ठे दी चादर उत्ते सलेटी रंग माहिया’,’ अजे न वसीं ओए न वस बदला, अजे न वस ओए कालेया’, ‘ जूती कसूरी, पैरीं न पूरी’, ‘ काला डोरिया कुंडे नाल अड़ेयाइ ओए, के छोटा देवरा भाभी नाल लड़ेयाइ ओए’, ‘चन्न कित्थाँ गुजारी आयी रात वे’ , ‘गोरी दियाँ झांझरां’ शोहरत की बुलंदी पर हैं। दो हज़ार से भी अधिक गीतों को अपनी आवाज़ से सजाने वाली सुरिन्दर कौर ने आसा सिंह मस्ताना, हरचरन ग्रेवाल, दीदार संधु और करनैल गिल के साथ भी कई यादगार गीत गाये । उनकी एक बेटी डॉली गुलेरिया भी जानी मानी पंजाबी गायिका है।
सुरिन्दर कौर को पद्मश्री और संगीत नाटक अकादमी पुरस्कार से भी सम्मानित किया गया था। गुरु नानक विश्वविद्यालय ने उन्हें मानद डॉक्टरेट की उपाधि से भी सम्मानित किया था।
पंजाब की कोकिला के नाम से विख्यात इस महान गायिका को हमारी विनम्र श्रद्धांजलि !

Sitara Devi

Today is the death anniversary of Sitara Devi , an eminent Kathak proponent.She was named Dhanalaksmi by her parents.Rabindranath Tagore, when he her perform was so impressed that he called her Nritya Samragyi and Sitara Devi was only sixteen then.She had the distinction of performing at Royal Albert Hall, London and at the Carnegie Hall, New York.She also gave dance performances in films like Usha Haran, Roti,Nagina and last but not the least Mother India.
She was a recipient of Sangeet Natak Academy Award, Padma Shri, Kalidas Samman and Nritya Nipuna. 
She refused to accept the Padma Bhushan as she felt that her contribution to Kathak was not being fully recognized.
Our humble tributes to the great danseuse !

परवीन शाकिर

वो तो खुशबू है हवाओं में बिखर जाएगा
मसला फूल का है फूल किधर जाएगा .....

मशहूर उर्दू शायरा परवीन शाकिर की आज जयन्ती है .
विनम्र श्रद्धांजलि !

Amol Palekar

Today is the birthday of Amol Palekar, the acclaimed actor and director of Hindi and Marathi cinema.No larger than life image of a film hero haunts him.
He is most remembered for his memorable roles in Rajnigandha,Chhoti Si Baat,Chitchor, Gharaunda, Naram Garam and Gol Mal.Has directed some TV serials also.
Our best wishes !

Tun Tun

Today is the death anniversary of Tun Tun , the Bollywood singer and a comedienne . Born Uma Devi Khatri or simply Uma Devi., in a North Indian family in the United Provinces , now Uttar Pradesh. All of 23 years, she is said to have run away from home and reached Bombay. In a dramatic way she knocked at the door of music composer Naushad to be considered for singing film songs. Naushad auditioned him and hired her as a singer there and then. Making her debut in playback singing with the film, Wamiq Azra . Soon she signed a contract with A.R.Kardar and started singing along side Noor Jahan , Raj Kumari, Zohrabai Ambalewali and Khursheed, all singing stars of the times. ‘ Afsana likh rahi hun dil- e – beqaraar ka’ the song she sang for the 1947 film Dard is a sensation even today.The other songs from the same film “Yeh Kaun Chala Meri Aankhon Mein Sama Kar”, and "Aaj Machi Hai Dhoom Jhoom Khushi Se Jhoom", which she sang for actress Munawar Sultana under the music direction of Naushad also became hits. She sang a duet , "Betaab Hai Dil Dard-e-Mohabat Ke Asar Se", with Suraiya also.She eventually married a gentleman from Delhi whom she called Mohan and who had became her ardent fan on listening to the song “Afsana likh rahi hun dil- e – beqaraar ka” .After ‘Dard ‘ she next sang for Mehboob Khan's Anokhi Ada , which again had hit numbers "Kahe jiya dole" and "Dil ko lagake humne kuch bhi na paya".

She came to be known as a highly rated playback singer,reaching her highest point in singing with the film ‘Chandralekha’ for which she recorded seven songs in a row , all becoming hits.

Times changed and so did singing with the singers like Lata Mangeshkar , Asha Bhosle, and Surayya coming on the scene. She was advised to switch over to acting.

Making her debut in Dilip Kumar – Nargis starrer “Babul”, she was well on her way to becoming a popular comedienne. It was Dilip Kumar who gave her the name Tun Tun quite in tune with her plump physique and bubbly persona. She worked in about 200 films in her career and tickled the funny bones of lakhs of cine goers over the decades. Her notable films include Aar Paar,Deedar, Pyasa, Udan Khatola, Mr.& Mrs.55 , Shri420, Raj Hath, Jaagte raho, CID, Phir Subah Hogi, Ujala, Kaagaz Ke Phool, Kohinoor, Dil Apna aur Preet Parayi, Bombay ka Babu, Ganga Jamuna , Chaudhawin ka Chaand ,Mr. X in Bombay, Kaajal, Jab Jab Phool Khile and many many others.

She died this day in 2003 aged eighty.

Our humble tributes !

Raza Murad

Happy birthday to Raza Murad , the Bollywood actor with a booming, impressive voice !

फ़ैज़ अहमद फ़ैज़

आज एशिया उपमहाद्वीप के महान शाइर फ़ैज़ अहमद फ़ैज़ की पुण्यतिथि है !
विनम्र श्रद्धांजलि !

Faiz Ahmad Faiz

Today is the death anniversary of Faiz Ahmad Faiz, a renowned Urdu poet of the Asian sub continent.
Our humble tributes !

Minoo Masani

Today is the birth anniversary of Minocher Rustom Masani- Minoo Masani for short- a freedom fighter, parliamentarian, a thinker and an author. Born in a Parsi family and educated in the London School of Economics , a Bar-at -Law from the Lincoln’s Inn , Minoo Masani plunged into the Freedom Struggle, participated in the Civil Disobedience Movement and courted arrest in 1932 and 1933. Later as an employee of the Tata’s , he quit the job to join the Quit India Movement. He was elected as Mayor of the Bombay Municipal Corporation in 1943. Post Independence, he was made a member of the Constituent Assembly. His proposal for inclusion of a Uniform Civil Code in the Constitution was however rejected. Thrice he was elected as a Lok Sabha M.P. from the Rajkot Constituency of Gujarat.Foe a term, he was an independent MP, representing the Ranchi Constituency. Disillusioned with the Congress, along with C. Rajagopalachari and N.G Ranga, he founded the Swatantra Party in consonance with his liberal views . As a liberal Socialist he was against any kind of monopoly, whether State or private .

He was also an author and wrote many books , some of which are Our India ,Socialism Reconsidered ,A Plea for a Mixed Economy ,Congress Misrule and Swatantra Alternative ,’Too Much Politics ;Too Little Citizenship’ , and We Indians . In fact Our India was a best seller and a prescribed text book in pre-independence India.
Our humble tributes !

Dara Singh

Today is the birth anniversary of Dara Singh , once the World Wrestling Champion ,who turned actor and acted in a number of films. In my growing years, when I was in school, three four names were always mentioned by my classmates, and among wrestlers,the names of Dara Singh , his brother Randhawa, and a rival King Kong were mentioned most of the time. He earned worldwide fame when he defeated King Kong . He won Commonwealth Wrestling Championship in 1959 by defeating George Gordienko at Calcutta and and the World Wrestling Championship in 1968 by defeating Lou Thesz at Bombay . He started his film career as early as 1952 when he acted in a film ‘Sangdil’. After doing stunts in many films, his first lead role came in ‘King Kong’, a movie made in 1962. Entering into a partnership with the actress Mumtaz in 1963, he did about 16 films with her. He acted as Bhim in the film Mahabharat and as Hanuman in the film ‘ Bajrangbali ‘ and also in the TV serial ‘Ramayan’.
In many of the lesser known films he enacted roles mostly suited to his strong body , good height and physique, as is suggested by the title of the films. These included ‘King Kong’ ,’ Rustam-E-Baghdad’ ,’Lootera’, ‘Rustam-E-Hind’, ‘Sikander-E-Azam’, ‘Daku Mangal Singh’ etc. etc. He also worked in well known films like ‘Mera Naam Joker’, ‘Anand’, ‘Aankhon Aankhon Mein’, ’ Lalkar’ , ‘Sultana Daku’, ‘Jehreela Insaaan’, ‘Dharam Karam’, ‘Dharmatma’ and last but not the least ‘Jab We Met’. He acted in Punjabi films also .
He directed films like ‘Nanak Dukhiya Sab Sansaar’, ‘Rustam’, ‘Sawa Lakh Se Ek Ladaoon ‘,’ Mera Desh Mera Dharam’ . He also produced ‘Bhakti Mein Shakti’ and ‘Karan’.
He was the first sportsperson to be nominated to the Rajya Sabha and served his term between 2003 and 2009.
Our humble tributes !

अकबर अल्लाहबादी

हंगामा है क्यूँ बरपा, थोड़ी सी जो पी ली है
डाका तो नहीं डाला, चोरी तो नहीं की है
........
दुनिया में हूँ दुनिया का तलबगार नहीं हूँ
बाज़ार से गुज़रा हूँ, ख़रीददार नहीं हूँ
.........
हम क्या कहें अहबाब क्या कार-ए-नुमाया कर गए
बी.ए. हुए, नौकर हुए , पेंशन मिली और मर गए
---------
-अज़ीम शाइर अकबर अल्लाहबादी की आज जयंती है ।
विनम्र श्रद्धांजलि !

Chitragupta

Today is the birth anniversary of Chitragupta, a very talented but lesser known music composer of Hindi cinema. Active for more than four decades in the film line, he composed music for about 150 films. Somehow fame eluded him and lady luck did not smile as much on him as did on other music directors, as far as popularity is concerned . Maybe his talent did not get utilized to the full . However the melodies he composed for the films like Bhabhi, Oonche Log, Zabak, Kali Topi Lal Rumaal , and Insaaf Ki Manzil did get due recognition.The noted films for which he composed music are- Bhakt Puraan, Naag Panchami ,Naya Raasta, Alibaba Aur Chaalis Chor, Kismat ,Insaaf ,Bhaabi ,Pawanputra Hanuman,Chaalbaaz ,Kangan,Kaali Topi Laal Rumaal ,Kal Hamaara Hain ,Guest House ,Barkha ,Gambler,Patang ,Zabak ,Suhaag Sindoor ,Main Chup Rahoongi ,Main Shaadi Karne Chala ,Opera House ,Ganga Ki Lahren ,Samson ,Main Bhi Ladki Hoon ,Akaash Deep ,Oonche Log ,Mahabharat and Aulaad .
His two sons Anand and Milind are also music composers.

Our humble tributes !

Sania Mirza

Happy birthday to Sania Mirza, the Tennis star !

'नशा'

What an idiot you are Bir !
और अब मेरा नशा कुछ कुछ उतरता हुआ मालूम होता था।
- प्रेमचंद की कहानी 'नशा' से !

Vidya Sinha

Happy birthday to Vidya Sinha, the acclaimed Bollywood actress who worked in movies like Rajnigandha,Chhoti Si Baat, Mukti ,Karm ,Pati Patni aur Woh and many other hit films !

विनोबा भावे

भूदान आंदोलन के प्रणेता, स्वतन्त्रता संग्राम के सेनानी, महान गांधीवादी भारत रत्न विनोबा भावे की आज पुण्यतिथि है।उन्हें रेमन मेगेसैसे पुरस्कार से सम्मानित
प्रथम व्यक्ति ने होने का गौरव प्राप्त है ।
1983 में उन्हें मरणोपरांत भारत रत्न से  सम्मानित किया गया था ।
भारतमाता के इस महान सपूत को हमारी विनम्र श्रद्धांजलि !

गुरु नानक

"मिल सकता है किसी जाति को आत्मबोध से ही चैतन्य
नानक सा उद्बोधक पा कर हुआ पन्चनद पुनरपि धन्य"
गुरु पर्व की हार्दिक शुभकामनाएं !

मनोहर सिंह

विख्यात रंगकर्मी एवं फिल्म अभिनेता मनोहर सिंह की आज पुण्यतिथि है ।शिमला के एक गाँव में जन्मे और लोक नाट्य से अपनी अभिनय यात्रा आरंभ करने वाले मनोहर सिंह ने अमेच्योर ड्रामाटिक क्लब शिमला द्वारा गेयटी थियेटर में मंचित कुछ नाटकों में भी अभिनय किया और उसके बाद राष्ट्रीय नाट्य विद्यालय , दिल्ली से सम्बद्ध रहे।

वहाँ नाटकों में अभिनय के बाद निर्देशन भी किया।'तुग़लक', 'हिम्मत माई' और 'मैडम बर्वे' नाटकों से उन्हें विशेष पहचान मिली। फिल्मों में प्रवेश करने पर 'पार्टी' व 'डैडी' फिल्मों में उनके अभिनय को खूब सराहा गया।
प्रसिद्ध नाट्य निर्देशक बलवंत गार्गी ने अपनी आत्मकथा में मनोहर सिंह की भूरि भूरि प्रशंसा की है ।

प्रतिभावान अभिनेता व कलाकार को हमारी विनम्र श्रद्धांजलि !

Manohar Singh

Today is the death anniversary of Manohar Singh, a highly talented theatre and film actor.Starting as an artiste in village folk theatre in Shimla, he participated in plays staged at Amateur Dramatic Club, Gaiety Theatre in Shimla before moving to National School of Drama, Delhi. He also had some training in Theatre at the Royal Society, London.

He is known for his memorable performance in plays - Tughlaq, Himmat Mai and Madam Berve.Before switching to cinema, he was Chief of Repertory at National School of Drama for twelve years.He is known for his role in films Party and Daddy.He also appeared in a TV serial Mulla Nasruddin.

The late Balwant Gargi, the famous theatre personality in his autobiography 'The Naked Triangle ' has praised Manohar Singh.

Our humble tributes to the great artist and Actor !

Amjad Khan

Today is the birth anniversary of Amjad Khan, the popular Bollywood actor.He is mostly known for his stellar performance as Gabbar in 1975 block buster 'Sholay',and his dialogues like' kitney aadmi the' were on the lips of almost everyone who saw the movie.Not only this, the dialogues were repeated and used at many places and on many occasions to add effect. He was mostly cast as a villain.He acted in about 130 films. Apart from ' Sholay' his another remarkable performance was as Dilawar in 'Muqaddar ka Sikandar'.
He started playing minor roles in films in 1951 and the name of the first film was Nazneen.Next he worked in a movie called Ab Dilli Door Nahin , when he was just seventeen.He had a small role in K.Asif's Love and God.His first film as an adult was Hindustan Ki Kasam.

He also played comic roles in films like Qurbani , Love Story and Chameli Ki Shadi and become immensely popular.
He had outstanding performance in films like. Shatranj ke Khiladi, Yaarana and Lawaaris.He also worked in a Hollywood flick The Perfect Murder.
One of his directorial ventures 'Chor Police' did well at the box office while the other 'Ameer Aadmi Gareeb Aadmi' flopped.
He was a respected man in the film industry and is known to have resolved disputes among actors.He died in 1992 aged 51.
Our humble tributes to the great, versatile and talented actor !

Salim Ali

Today is the birth anniversary of Salim Ali , a renowned ornithologist and naturalist. He was an avid bird watcher and did extensive and systematic survey of birds at a number of places in India and made a pioneering study of various species and their behavior and habitat and came up with various books on the subject. He is credited with the formation of Bombay Natural History Society and the creation of Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary. He co-authored the ten volume Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan, along with Sidney Dillon Ripley , which is considered a classic. It is interesting to note that Salim Ali , who as a youngster went about hunting and killing sparrows became their preserver , later in life. However even during his hunting sprees also, he made useful study about sparrows. His visit to Burma in connection with the family business brought him more in proximity with nature and forests. Back in Bombay, he , along with Commerce and law studies , pursued Zoology also. He went to Germany also and conducted studies in ornithology along with some experts there.
Many species of birds bear his name as also some Parks and Institutes.
He was a recipient of Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan.

Our humble tributes !

Abul Kalam Azad

Today is the birth anniversary of Abul Kalam Azad, popularly known as Maulana Azad, a prominent personality of the Indian Freedom Movement.

He was an Islamic scholar , a journalist, a patriot to the core. Coming in contact with Mahatma Gandhi during the Khilafat movement that he spearheaded, Azad became a Gandhi follower and became a votary of Swadeshi and Swaraj movements.

He actively participated in the Quit India Movement.

Post independence, he became the first Minister of Education in the Union Government and formulated the National Education Policy. He is credited with establishing the Indian Institutes of Technology and the University Grants Commission.

He was also a recipient of Bharat Ratna.

His birth anniversary is also commemorated as the National Education Day.

Our humble tributes to the great patriot and the secular face of the Indian polity !

Johnny Walker

Today is the birth anniversary of Johnny Walker, the celebrated comedian of Bollywood. Born Badruddin Jamaluddin Kazi, in Indore, circumstances brought the family to Bombay. His father being left out of work, Johnny Walker became the sole bread winner of a large family consisting of parents and his nine siblings. He tried his hand at various things, and finally settled as a bus conductor in BEST. Bitten by the acting bug early in life, he used to practice the antics and stunts of the actors he had seen on screen. His acting talent was spotted by Balraj Sahni , when he saw Johnny Walker, entertaining the cast of movie ‘Hulchul ‘-with extempore acting as a drunkard. Incidentally a very small role had come his way in that movie. It is said that Balraj Sahni asked Johnny Walker to perform before Guru Dutt . This brought a role for Johnny Walker in Guru Dutt’s movie ‘Baazi’ and his career in films took off. The name Johnny Walker was given to him by Guru Dutt at this point in time and the name stuck.

He acted in all movies of Guru Dutt except perhaps one . Johnny Walker acted in many movies . The films Mere Mehboob, C.I.D, Pyaasa and Chori Chori catapulted him to fame and popularity and he became a star. He was at the pinnacle in the 50s and 60s , however suffering a jolt with the death of Guru Dutt in 1964. He acted in the films of Bimal Roy and Vijay Anand also.

He gave a stellar performance in Naya Daur, Madhumati and Taxi Driver .

Educated only upto the sixth education he saw to it that his children receive the best education home and abroad.

He became a symbol of harmless, pure comedy , depending mostly on facial expression , body movements and excellent delivery of dialogues . No innuendos or double meaning entendres were to be seen in his comedy. It is to his credit that no single line was ever cut by the Censor in his dialogues. He acted in about 300 movies.

He won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his role in Madhumati and the

Filmfare Best Comedian Award for his role in Shikar.

Our humble tributes to the great actor and a fine gentleman !

THEN & NOW

A little more than 38 years down the line ,when demonetization of currency notes of denomination Rs.1000/- and above , came about in 1978 , I had landed a Bank job- also my first job- in a suburban branch of Solan , a few months back . A day was fixed to facilitate the banks to exchange such currency notes , if any at the SBOP, Solan, which carried out the government and treasury functions Luckily , the lone note the small branch had with it had been got exchanged a few days back . Since the banks were not open to public transaction that day, for us it was a paid holiday . I made good use of this holiday in watching the movie Dream Girl which was running in a cinema hall at Solan. I had eyed the posters of this movie a few days back but was hesitant to ask for and avail leave only to watch a movie . I could well call it a god sent opportunity, however mundane the matter seems now in retrospect. 

Compare this with the Government decision to demonetize the Rs. 500/- and Rs. 1000/- aired the day before yesterday by no less an authority than the PM himself, my only worry was about standing in the long queue to deposit whatever I had of the currency declared defunct as also to have some notes exchanged to meet exigencies. There was a huge rush in the Bank as expected, for depositing the cash and to exchange currency notes . Thanks to benign presence of noble souls who helped me get over the long wait and also guided me to a counter with very small queue , my wife and I were able to unburden ourselves and felt much relieved. 

Hats off to the Bank staff who were found attending to customers patiently without losing their cool and nerve, despite having little time to have lunch- and this is going to continue for days together !

Raja Rao

Today is the birth anniversary of Raja Rao, the doyen of Indian writing in English . Together with Mulk Raj Anand and R.K.Narayan , he constitutes the formidable triumvirate of Indian writers, writing in English and among the first being published abroad. 

His novel ‘Kanthapura’ written in 1938 was an epoch making work, being the first major novel written in English. It is a microcosm of the Indian village life in all its evils and idiosyncrasies. Kanthapura , a small nondescript village beset with social evils like untouchability, and blind faith , under Gandhi’s influence plunges itself into civil disobedience & non cooperation movements and becomes a model of passive resistance and non violence .The Gandhian way is propogated through hari katha, the traditional narrative mode. The events unfolding also show woman power asserting itself and working in tandem with the male residents of the village. In a way the novel also comes across an encapsulated story of struggle for Independence .

In ‘Serpent and the Rope’ Raja Rao juxtaposes the illusion and the reality , the two important ingredients of Indian Culture and is a journey in search of spiritual truth in Europe and India.

Raja Rao emerged as a nationalist novelist , despite the later part of his education being in Paris. He was deeply influenced by Gandhi and Gandhian ways and thought find a prominent place in his ‘Kanthapura’ and other writings as also his short stories. He also wrote a biography of Gandhi, called ’ The Great Indian Way: A Life of Mahatma Gandhi’, 1998.

Besides ‘Kanthapura’ and ‘The Serpent and the Rope’ he wrote three more novels , namely

‘The Cat and Shakespeare: A Tale of India’, ‘Comrade Kirillov’, and ‘The Chessmaster and His Moves (1988)’

Besides many collection of short stories, his non – fiction works include ‘Changing India: An Anthology (edited with Iqbal Singh),Tomorrow (edited with Ahmed Ali),Whither India? (edited with Iqbal Singh) and ’The Meaning of India, essays’

He was a recipient of Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, and Sahitya Academy Award.

Our humble tributes to the celebrity Writer !

Air Marshal Subroto Mukerjee

Today is the death anniversary of Air Marshal Subroto Mukerjee , OBE, the first Chief of Staff of the Indian Air Force. Commissioned into the Royal Indian Air Force in 1932, he saw action in the NWFP and the Second World War and commanded a Squadron. For his meritorious service, he was awarded the Order of the British Empire.Post independence , he was recruited in the Indian Air Force and rose to be the Chief of Air Staff in 1954. He was the first Indian officer to command a flight, a squadron and finally the Force itself. Besides OBE, he was also the recipient of India General Service Medal,India Service Medal and Indian Independence Medal.He is also called the Father of Indian Air Force.

He died in Tokyo in 1960, aged 49.

Our humble tributes !

C V Raman

Today is the birth anniversary of C V Raman , D.Sc., FRS, the renowned Indian scientist . He did pioneering research in Physics and discovered the phenomenon known as Raman Effect, which won him the Nobel Prize in 1930. He was also a recipient of Bharat Ratna.
Our humble tributes to the great scientist !