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  • 13 April, 1919, Amritsar. The venue was Jallianwala Bagh, a park enclosed by walls on three sides, with just one exit point via an obscure, narrow lane. A shootout was ordered by Brigadier General Reginald E. H. Dyer, who later on faced a tribunal and was removed from service. He had emptied all the ammunition  in ten minutes, firing 1,650 rounds (approximately), killing thousands who hardly figure in the 'official statistics' given out by the British Government or even the Indian National Congress.

    It was a Sunday. Some 15,000 — 20,000 people assembled at Jallianwala Bagh to celebrate Baisakhi Purnima. It's true that meetings had been banned in view of a probable insurgency, but a peaceful gathering (women, children and aged people included) couldn't have been a 'threat' for the well equipped Angrez Police.

    Rabindranath Tagore got to know the details by 22 May, 1919. The mass media kept mum and whatever reportage was given out was heavily 'censored' or distorted. Tagore had a tough

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  • Growing up in Kolkata, the golden voice of George (aka Debabrata) Biswas reverberating from the radio, haunted our sultry afternoons. It was rather amazing how he stayed on as a household name even after getting blacklisted by Visva Bharati — sole authorized holder of Tagore's copyrights then. "The advent of microphones saw an entire breed of singers becoming feeble crooners. George-da's sonorous rendering of Rabindrasangeet surely made a difference" observed Satyajit Ray, a distant relative of his. In short - Biswabharati disliked Biswas exactly for what he was — an effortless performer. But despite such hostility, the singer survived.

    Debabrata Biswas was born in what is Bangladesh now. That was in 1911, the fateful year. King George visited India, cancelled the partition of Bengal, following which Tagore composed his 'Jana Gana Mana'. This got young Biswas his nickname 'George', and it stuck for life. He was one of those who left the folds of the Communist Party of India out of

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  • Rarely does an auteur have the fortune of starting a century of controversy from the moment he creates a piece. As a phenomenon, Rabindranath Tagore is indeed rare. And the text in question is our national anthem, born infamous exactly 101 years ago.


    Not so long ago a hoax message made its rounds via chain mails and social networking sites. This was in 2008, 2010 and 2012. It claimed that UNESCO had declared Jana Gana Mana to be 'the best national anthem of the world'. In 2004, Sadhwi Ritamvara circulated a hate audio cassette against Muslims, where she claims the song was an act of treachery. Hate mails and heated responses have done the rounds every year since 2001. In the late 1960's, 1980's, each time India went to war, each time a new government formed — there has been a furor over the origin of the song.


    The Morning Song of IndiaThe Morning Song of India : in Tagore's Handwriting

    The Morning Song of India 2The Morning Song of India : in Tagore's Handwriting

    Jana gana mana adhinayaka jaya hey,

    Bharata bhagya bidhata….

    Critics, journalists, poets, politicians, and just about everyone has wondered who this 'adhinayak' could be. The

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  • The 65th Independence Day is done and gone. But all through August, the nation celebrates by posting extra guards at rail stations, offering green, white and orange garments on clearance sales, and protesting against any public issue affecting more than ten Indians.

    To keep up the spirit, dear reader, here's a quiz cum survey on our national emblems. Not sure if it's topical or relevant, but that's what democracy is all about.


    Q. What is our national fruit?

    Yes, we actually have one. It's mango, or as the India.Gov website defines: 'a fleshy fruit, eaten ripe or used green for pickles etc., of the tree mangifera indica…' So the next time you bite into one, do it with reverence. To feel inspired, watch Katrina in the fruit juice ads.


      Our question: What is the most patriotic fruit? Mango or banana? Maybe pineapple? What about jackfruit or guava? Do you think the mango is still just as charming? May be it's not 'in' anymore, in these times of imported kiwis or healthy aloe-vera. Aam admi,

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