A book and a cluster of temples have forever immortalised India has the ancient land of sex. I’ve been to Khajuraho twice and the temples are indeed amazing – even minus the erotic sculptures – and given that no worship happens in most of the temples, they are easily the most serene of the all [...]
A joke on India’s most famous family planning slogan: हम दो, हमारे दो, जब तक तीसरा न हो/Hum do, hamare do, jab tak teesra na ho (We two, ours two, until the third comes along) India’s National Family Welfare Programme was launched in 1951 and posters were (and are) one of the most effective modes [...]
VK Krishna Menon was denied a Congress ticket in the 1967 Lok Sabha elections from the Bombay North East constituency. He then fought as an independent candidate, but lost to Congress’ SG Barve by 13169 votes. In his campaign Menon extolled his friend Jawaharlal Nehru’s principles and election posters that read “Nehru’s vision, Menon’s mission” [...]
Utterly, butterly, ignoramus! I am a sucker for anniversaries. They give an opportunity to celebrate something that you want to and the occasion guarantees that readers notice (and also appreciate) your celebration. Was a bit surprised to find that the Indian media was marking the 50th anniversary of the Amul moppet, whereas her golden jubilee [...]
64 years later, Shillong is virtually unrecognisable. I could only recognise the Governor House on Bivar Road, then known as Government House, the characteristic Ward’s Lake and the Assembly House (destroyed in a fire on January 9, 2001). These photographs from Government of India’s Photo Division were taken when Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was on a [...]
The legendary Bhupen Hazarika died of multiple organ failure in a Bombay hospital today. He was one of the few stars of North East India that the rest of the country widely accepted and applauded. For someone from that part of the country his departure hurts a little more. This Star Cement advertising hoarding photographed [...]
Got the first glimpse of a beardless Kabir Bedi in a Marlboro Man avatar, thanks to Memsaab. And now here’s another advertisement from the same ‘Start a long affair’ Wills Filter Kings series showing Kabir Bedi (Difficult to recognise him without the beard. That distinctive nose was the clue) in a library, cigarette in hand, [...]