It is one of the most sensational archaeological discoveries in Karnataka. Over a 100 war rockets from the 18th Century were found recently during the desilting of an open well in Shivamogga. The rockets used by the Mysore kingdom, during the Anglo-Mysore Wars, especially in the last two of them during the reign of Tipu Sultan, are considered the most-advanced of their age. Only five known specimens of the rockets were known to be in existence till now; three in the Government Museum in Bengaluru and two in the Royal Armoury, Woolwich, UK.
The rockets discovered were being studied outside of public glare for a few months now. When Bangalore Mirror asked Shejeshwara Nayak – the assistant director and curator of the Government Museum, Shivappa Nayaka Palace in Shivamogga (where some of these rockets are now being kept for display) – he said: “When they were discovered a couple of months ago, these were thought to be some kind of shells. Dr HM Siddhanagoudar [historian] has identified them as rockets.”
“Rockets have been used in battles for 700 years. But it was only in Mysore, under Hyder Ali, that iron casings were first used. Before that, rockets had wooden or paper casings. The iron casings drastically improved their efficiency and range. Mysore rockets were the most advanced ones during the second half of the 18th Century,” said Nayak.
Hyder Ali’s father Fath Muhammad worked for the Nawab of Carnatic before moving on to work for the Mysore Kingdom. Under the Nawab, he handled a rocket corps. Back then, these rockets were used for signalling during battles, not as weapons. Hyder became the first to use rockets with iron casing, and that’s how they became deadly battlefield weapons.
After the fall of Tipu Sultan in 1799, hundreds of rockets of various kinds fell into the hands of the British. The Congreve rockets developed by the British in 1804 (and later used against the armies of Napoleon) were based on the Mysore rockets.
THE INITIAL FINDING
The rockets discovered in Shivamogga are likely to be put up for public display in March-April this year. However, how the discovery was made is not being revealed by authorities. The rockets are said to have been found in a well in Nagara of Hosanagara taluk, 60 km from Shivamogga, in a farm belonging to one Nagaraja Rao.
The rockets were basically metal cylinders that were filled with gunpowder and then strapped to a bamboo pole, sometimes up to 30 feet long. Mysore rockets had the highest range of around 1 km. During Tipu’s time, more changes were made to these rockets. From a few hundreds, the ‘cushoons’ – or regiments handling rockets – reached a high of 5,000 men during his time. During the battles of the III and the IV Anglo-Mysore Wars, the rocket cushoons had a terrifying impact on the British forces, as recounted in several accounts of the period.
The area where these rockets were found was part of the Keladi Kingdom, one of the bigger principalities in Karnataka and was annexed to the Mysore Kingdom in 1763 by Hyder Ali. His successor, Tipu Sultan built a mint and an armoury at Nagara. Thus, these rockets are from between 1763 and 1799.
Nidhin George Olikara, a historian with specialisation in Tipu’s era, said: “These rockets were found sometime ago but were identified as rockets recently. Nagara in Shivamogga district earlier was home to an armoury and mint during Tipu Sultan’s rule. The work of researchers is now over and scientists should step in to find out what kind of iron has been used to make rockets.”
THE REMAINS
The newly discovered rockets are actually the iron casings. Those are the only part of the rocket that could have survived being buried for 200 years. The other parts, such as the bamboo pole and straps, are long gone. Like the records of that age which mention Mysore rockets of various sizes, the Shivamogga rockets are also found in various sizes. Most of the rockets are 7-8 inch long. A few of them are longer. The circumferences are 1, 2 or 3 inches.
source: http://www.bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Bangalore> Cover Story / by Bangalore Mirror Bureau / by S. Shyam Prasad & Gururaj B R / January 20th, 2018
Mohammad Ali Baig in a scene from ‘Under an Oak Tree’ in London
Hyderabad :
A play based on a Hyderabadi palace set in the mid-19th century has taken centre stage in London. The play’s premier attracted connoisseurs of theatre and enthusiasts of Hyderabadi history, drama and heritage.
“Under an Oak Tree”, presented by Hyderabadi theatre revivalist Mohammad Ali Baig, is based on the story of a boy born in the 19th century Ahmed Bowla Bagh Palace built by Nizam V Nawab Afzal Jah Bahadur. The play was produced by Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation. The premiere show was sold out one week before the play was staged.
“The hour-long bio-play retraces the protagonist’s journey from the seclusion of a 19th century palace spread over 100 acres with a 100-horse stud farm, to the glitzy world of advertising and ultimately, to the intense spotlight of theatre, getting him one of the highest civilian honours of the country. The play aptly presents the changing political and social scenario in a post-Independence, post-Privy Purse era of the princely state of Berar and Deccan and consequently, the changing times,” Mohammad Ali Baig told TOI.
He said the play beautifully captures the story of a boy growing into adolescence without any friends, where the next neighbour was 5km away. The boy had more ponies than toys to play with. Written by Noor Baig, the play was directed by Mohammad Ali Baig. He also acts in it.
Mohammad Ali Baig has presented his plays earlier in Turkey, US, Canada and UK, taking Hyderabadi heritage to the global spotlight. The play is scheduled for its Indian tour in Bengaluru, Mumbai and other places this month.
“It’s really fulfilling when global audiences, accustomed to the best of world theatre, give an original Hyderabadi flavour such an amazing response with full house attendance,” he said.
According to Rehana Ameer, councillor of the City of London (the first Indian-origin woman of the elite Westminister district), the buzz was such that people from the Edinburgh and Oxford Universities came to London to watch the show. Prof Tariq Muneer, Millennium Fellow at Edinburgh University, also lauded the Hyderabadi play.
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News> City News> Hyderabad News / by Syed Akbar / TNN / April 12th, 2018
Commonwealth Games bronze medallist in boxing Mohammed Hussamuddin with SATS Chairman A. Venkateshwar Reddy in Gold Coast on Friday.
‘This serves as an inspiration to prepare for bigger events’
Mohammad Hussamuddin from Nizamabad has become the first-ever boxer to win an individual medal (bronze in 56 kg) from Telangana in the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast on Friday.
The success story of Hussamuddin is another gentle reminder of the abundance of talent in the State that badly needs to be nurtured. The gifted pugilist, the youngest of six bothers, was lucky in a way to be mentored by his father Mohammad Samsamuddin himself. He is the same person who also groomed woman boxer Nikhat Zareen (former World Youth gold medallist) in her formative years in Nizamabad.
“We are delighted that he is the first boxer from Telangana to achieve this. We knew it was coming, but were hoping for a much better performance,” exclaimed the proud father.
For someone who made an impact in the 2011 Youth Nationals with a silver and clinched a gold in his maiden Senior Nationals last year, Hussamuddin has always been tipped as one of the potential champions by SATS coach Omkar Yadav, who had seen his progress since childhood.
But what clearly changed his career graph for the good was when he joined the 1 EME Centre before moving over to the famed Army Sports Institute in Pune to be trained by Narender Rana and Kuttappa later.
Naturally, 24-year-old Hussamuddin is pleased, if not overjoyed, with his bronze in the ring on Friday. “I was targeting gold, but had to be content with bronze. Anyhow, this will remain a huge inspirational moment for me as I prepare for the bigger events later this year, including the Asian Games,” was what the boxer conveyed to SATS Chairman A. Venkateshwar Reddy, who was there to cheer the boxer.
“No doubt this is the beginning of a new chapter in my career and I am hopeful of winning in bigger events given the kind of motivation I get from this one,” was his message from Gold Coast when the SATS official made it a point to personally congratulate him.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by V. V. Subrahmanyam / Hyderabad – April 13th, 2018
The area of Panje Shah houses relics of saints and the Messenger of God and many stories of forgotten riches .
Kali Kaman road in Panje Shah. — Photos: Surya Sridhar
The area of Panje shah has a rich history behind it. The word, ‘Panja’ means an ‘imprint of hand’. It is located on the left of the main road leading towards Kaali Kamaan from Aitbaar Chowk. The story goes that during the reign of Sultan Abdullah Qutb Shah, a person named Ibn-e-Sher Ali came to Golconda from Najaf-e-Shareef in Iraq, where Hazrat Ali is buried.
He brought an imprint of the Hazrat’s hand and gifted it to the Sultan, who built an Aashoor Khana and installed the imprint there. The imprint is an amalgamation of metals and resembles solid wax. Light brown in colour, it is about 15 inches in length and 8-10 inches in width. The holy names of Prophet Mohammed, Hazrat Ali, Hazrat Bibi Fatima, Hazrat Hasan and Hazrat Hussain are engraved on the Panja. It is covered with a piece of cloth. Above the Panja on a platform is an alam(standard). Since it was installed by the king, the area came to be known as Panje shah.
During the mourning month of Moharram, more alams are set up around it. A round stone cistern is placed in the courtyard, where the sharbat prepared during this month is stored and distributed to the visitors.
On the walls are some paintings depicting the martyrs of Karbala, scenes of strange phenomena like bleeding trees among other subjects of the artworks.
Opposite this holy place is another place of faith called ‘Qadam-e-Rasool’, where a foot-print of Prophet Mohammed is placed. Sayyad Mohammed Ali is said to have got it from Isfahan, Iran, in 1575, along with adequate proof of its authenticity. He bought a large house, got it decorated and installed the footprint there. (Qadam-foot, Rasool-Prophet Mohammed). There are two stone reservoirs at the gate which are filled with milk beverage (sharbat) and distributed to the devotees during Moharram.
The annual Bibi ki Sawari, which arrives on an elephant stops here on the 10th day of Moharram. It is said Bibi Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet and mother of Hazrat Hussain, laments and woes about the merciless killing of her son in Karbala. This scene is so heart-rending that it leaves everybody present in tears and inconsolable.
Apart from the holy footprint, relics such as the hair of Hazrat Ali and Hazrat Hussain are also kept here.
A round stone cistern in the courtyard, where the sharbat prepared during the month of Muharram, is stored and distributed to the visitors. — Photos: Surya Sridhar
Gurvanna gali
Opposite Panje shah is a lane named after Hakeem Guruvanna, which leads to Mir Alam Mandi. An important landmark of this lane is Kashmiri Qivam factory, established by the descendants of Guajarati businessman Poorandas Ranchoddas, in 1973. Qivam is a paste made of saffron, tobacco, cardamom and other spices which is added to paan to give it a kick. This Kashmiri Qivam was a favourite with film stars like Sunil Dutt, Meena Kumari and Nargis. Shaik Mujeeb-ur-rahman, the first President of Bangladesh was also a customer. Apart from Qivam, a hair oil named ‘Zulf-e-Kashmir hair oil’ is also prepared here. The factory is spread over a vast area of 3,700 sq yards and is managed by the grandsons of Poorandas ji. A Shivalaya has been constructed here near a large peepal tree.
Deghchi galli
This lane is situated close to Guruvanna galli and owes its name to a fantasy like story. Long ago, a deghchi (a vessel) full of rich gems and jewellery was found here during digging. Close to Panje shah is another lane called Kotaah galli (narrow lane) which is erroneously called Kotta galli.
On the way to Panje shah from Aitbaar Chowk, lies the haveli of Raja Mahipat Ram, an army commander and a minister of the second Nizam. It was called ‘baawan darwaazon ki haveli’ since it had 52 doors. The havelis of Raja Vithal Pershad and Raja Shainblum Pershad were also located here and came on the way to Kaali Kamaan and Gulzar Houz.
Upon crossing the Kaali Kamaan, one also gets to see several shops selling kites, thread, maanja and charqas. The kites have many fascinating names like dulhan, pachchisi, langot, aiyyawar, ek qakam, gola suleman, chand-tara, singhada, and lehanga. Similarly, the names of maanja are also very interesting like motiya, gandhak, feroza, and angoori to name a few.
source: http://www.telanganatoday.com / Telangana Today / Home / by Dr. Anand Raj Varma / April 15th, 2018
The calligraphy is the soul of The Musalman. | Photo Credit: R. Ragu
The Musalman was established in Chennai in 1927
Reed pens, ink bottles, stacks of papers — these are the first things you notice when you step into the computer-less office of The Musalman. Aged a venerable 91, what is possibly the world’s only handwritten newspaper (and the only one without a computer) shows no signs of signing off.
In its office in Chennai, a dark green visiting card bears the newspaper’s name and that of its editor, Sayed Arifullah, and lists the 13 degrees he holds.
Arifullah, in his mid-30s with a salt-and-pepper beard, exudes a casual confidence. He has been at the helm for nearly 10 years now.
The Musalman, established in 1927, was started by Syed Azathulla, Arifullah’s grandfather, because “he felt there was no voice for Muslims and there should be one.” Located in a small lane next to Chennai’s iconic Wallajah Mosque, the office is a tight space with two rooms, one housing the press and the other acting as reception area. “We are renovating, hence the bustle,” he says.
Since its inception, the newspaper has seen three editors: Azathulla, his son Syed Fazlullah and now, Arifullah. When I ask if he had always planned to take over the reins from his father, he shrugs. “It was important that the newspaper be kept running and so I chose to do it. I edit, I write, and I run the paper now.”
Potter-esque
Almost all the articles in the four-page broadsheet are selected by Arifullah himself. He says he has reporters in different parts of the country, but the newspaper, much like The Economist, does not carry bylines. Around 10 every morning, two translators come in and set out the news in Urdu. In the next two hours, the paper’s three calligraphers, called katibs, painstakingly write out each news item on to the broadsheet using calligraphy pens in a Harry Potter-esque manner.
The calligraphy is really the soul of the paper. But with the advent of technology, the katibs, earlier employed in newspapers and Urdu publishing houses, have become redundant. The Industrial Training Institute in Srinagar, one of the last government institutes where Urdu calligraphy was taught, wound up the course last May because of no takers.
Finding skilled scribes is a challenge, Arifullah acknowledges, but he is quick to add that he isn’t looking yet. His scribes have been with the paper for the past 30 years. “At that time, my father conducted calligraphy tests, analysed their handwriting, and hired them. They have remained with us all these years — we’re like a family,” he says.
Once the laborious scripting is done, the advertisements are added and the paper is set to the negative. It goes to print around 1 p.m. and reaches most of its 21,000 readers by the evening. And it costs 75 paise. “It’s the cheapest paper in the country!” Arifulla quips dryly, his income coming from the press and not the paper.
“We cover all sorts of news: national, international, local… all the important happenings,” says the editor. From the Egypt elections to ‘carcinogenic’ coffee, The Musalman does cover it all. But like most Urdu newspapers, the focus is on opinions rather than news itself. “The Urdu newspapers in our country are often revenue-strapped and might not be able to carry breaking news or pay for agency copy, so the focus is on providing opinions and context,” says veteran journalist and Urdu aficionado Shams Ur Rehman Alavi.
Arifullah seconds this. “We don’t carry breaking news. It’s very difficult to rewrite entire pages, so we stopped.” He also says that there is a strong preference for topics that are close to the community. “Our focus is obviously on Islam and Islamic teachings, but that is not all of it. We have many Urdureaders who are non-Muslims as well,” he says.
Personal process
The paper has readers all over the country. “Delhi, Kolkata… families who have been subscribing to the newspaper for generations. We send them the paper by courier. It’s a very personal process,” says Arifullah.
The newspaper carries a few advertisements, in English and Urdu, for jewellery, furniture, tour operators, even a few government tenders. Otherwise, it largely sticks to a format. The front page is for top stories with a thrust on international news. Page two carries the editorial, and the other two pages are for local news and advertisements. The Monday edition is different — there are more articles on the Quran and a bit of Islamic history.
In the pre-Independence era, many prominent newspapers in north India were in Urdu and were read by everybody, regardless of religion. But after Partition, Urdu fell out of favour and many newspapers shut down. The last decade has seen a slow reversal, with the revival of papers like Sahara (renamed Roznama Sahara) and Inquilab.
Other papers might be going online, but The Musalman has no such plans. As Arifullah says, the paper’s uniqueness is in being handwritten, and anything else would kill the legacy.
For 91 years, the paper has been published every day, without fail. Even during Partition, The Musalman was on duty. So what happens after Arifullah? Will his children carry forward the legacy? “Sure,” he says, sounding amused. “They aren’t even five yet, but sure.”
navmi.krishna@thehindu.co.in
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Focus> Society / by Navmi Krishna / April 14th, 2018
Malik Muhammad Jayasi’s Padmaavat in Hyderabad. | Photo Credit: The Hindu
Digitised manuscript of epic tale draws scholars from all over
Away from the violence and din surrounding the release of Padmaavat, a nearly 200-year-old copy of Malik Muhammad Jayasi’s 16th-century epic poem, on which the film is based, sits in the library of the Jamia Nizamia Islamic seminary here.
Records at the Jamia, which is itself a 140-year-old institution, show that the book was copied in 1239 Hijiri (Islamic calendar), which corresponds to 1823 CE.
The title finds a place in the library alongside over 2,500 books and rare manuscripts, one of which — on Islamic jurisprudence — is 700 years old.
In the poem, the Sufi Jayasi speaks of Padmavati, princess of Sinhaldweep in Sri Lanka, and Ratansen, the King of Chittor. After hearing of the princess’ beauty from Hiraman, a parrot, the king, who is already married to Nagmati, embarks on an arduous journey to Sinhaldweep, and later marries the princess.
But there is a twist: Devpal, another king, too, has heard of Padmavati’s unmatched beauty and covets her. A battle ensues between the two kings. Meanwhile, a banished courtier seeking vengeance tells Alauddin Khilji of Padmavati and he marches to Chittor. But upon his arrival, he sees that the princess has committed jauhar.
The Jamia’s library is on the first storey in one of several buildings on its sprawling campus in the Old City. There are several cupboards and shelves which contain books, most of them handwritten, on different disciplines. One has books on tasawwuf, or Sufi mysticism, written in Farsi, others house books on Arabic grammar, and a third has books on liturgy in Urdu.
But perched on a shelf marked adab, or literature, is Padmaavat. The poem, handwritten in delicate nastaliq calligraphy on ageing paper, is contained within fine boundaries in red ink. Its 216 pages, which narrate the tale, are largely well-preserved. It has also been digitised.
The Jamia’s chief librarian of 20 years, Mohammed Fasihuddin Nizami, alumnus of the Islamic varsity, points out that the book belonged to its founder Maulana Anwarullah Farooqui.
Reverentially referring to Maulana Farooqui as Baani-e-Jamia, he says, “He was the vazeer (Minister) for the Umoor-e-Mazhabi (ecclesiastical affairs) in the Hyderabad State. He tutored the sixth Nizam Mir Mahbub Ali Khan and seventh Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan. Once he was appointed Minister, it was realised that the Hyderabad State did not have a Jamia. The Jamia Nizamia is a result of this realisation. This copy of Padmaavat is a part of his vast collection.”
Mr. Nizami explains how the book reached Maulana Farooqui’s library. “While we do not know for how much [this copy of] Padmaavat was procured, Baani-e-Jamia was a Minister and he had the required resources at his disposal. He had men and money to procure books,” he says.
The seasoned librarian then turns to the last page of the book and reads the name of the calligrapher who painstakingly made of the copy of the original so that it could be preserved for posterity, “Az qalam Tilokchand.” From the pen of Tilokchand. Apart from using scientific methods to preserve the book, the Jamia has digitised it for scholars. Researchers have arrived here from West Asian countries and even Japan. “We cannot say that there is an increase in footfalls as the general public is unaware of its [the copy of Padmaavat] existence here. Primarily, the kutub khana is for scholars and researchers.
The book is old and needs to be preserved. We do not want to damage the manuscript by wear and tear. This is why we let scholars use the digitised version,” Mr. Nizami says.
But there is more to the poem than meets the eye. Jayasi’s work is deeply allegorical as is the nature of Sufi mysticism. Each character in Padmaavat has an implied meaning.
Speaking to The Hindu, noted historian Rana Safvi said, “The parrot is the spiritual teacher. Ratansen is the Sufi seeker. Padmavati is the wisdom which he is seeking. Nagmati, the first wife, is the material world. Ratansen brings Padmavati to his palace. There is a fight between the two wives. He tells them that they have to live together. This is the existence of the temporal and spiritual world.”
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad – Sunday Special / by Syed Mohammed / Hyderabad – January 27th, 2018
Drypetes kalamii: The plant is found in the wet, shaded areas of subtropical, moist semi-evergreen forests, at heights of 50-100 metres.
The plant is named after former President Abdul Kalam
Scientists from the Botanical Survey of India have identified a new plant species from two protected National Parks in West Bengal. Named Drypetes kalamii, it is a small shrub found to be shorter version of its close relative Drypetes ellisii. This adds to the rich floral wealth of India.
Standing just 1 metre tall, the newly described plant is unisexual in nature, which means they have separate male and female plants.
“During the survey and documentation of the flora of Buxa National Park, West Bengal (core area of Buxa Tiger Reserve), in 2011, I came across these plants, but could not identify them. Another author of the paper had collected a new female plant with fruits from Jaldapara National Park, West Bengal. The fruiting specimen can be easily identified in Drypetes. We later found that both the plants belonged to the same species. Further consultations with plant biologists from India and abroad helped us confirm its new identity,” says Dr Gopal Krishna from BSI who is the first author of the paper published in Phytotaxa. The researchers compared the new plant with other Drypetes species and found differences in the leaf, flower and fruit structures. There are about 220 species of Drypetes identified across the globe of which 20 have been reported from India.
Medicinal cousin
“The new species is a close relative of a medicinal plant known in Sanskrit as Putrajivah”, says Dr K. Karthigeyan, scientist at BSI and corresponding author of the work. “NASA had recently named a new bacterium after Dr Kalam, and we also chose his name as he is a big inspiration for students and young researchers,” adds Dr Karthigeyan.
The new species is found in wet, shaded areas of subtropical moist semi-evergreen forests, at a height ranging 50-100 metres. With pale yellow flowers in clusters and bright orange to red fruits, the plant is exclusive to the two national parks.
By following the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) rules, the scientists have provisionally assessed the plant to be “Critically Endangered”. The report states forest fires and grazing as two plausible threats to the new species.
source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Science / by Aswathi Pacha / February 24th, 2018
In 1963, a human skull was discovered in a pub in Kent in south-east England. A brief handwritten note stuck inside the cavity revealed it to be that of Alum Bheg, an Indian soldier in British service who was executed during the aftermath of the 1857 Uprising. Alum Bheg was blown from a cannon for having allegedly murdered British civilians, and his head was brought back as a grisly war-trophy by an Irish officer present at his execution. The skull is a troublesome relic of both anti-colonial violence and the brutality and spectacle of British retribution.
Kim Wagner presents an intimate and vivid account of life and death in British India in the throes of the largest rebellion of the nineteenth century. Fugitive rebels spent months, even years, hiding in the vastness of the Himalayas before they were eventually hunted down and punished by a vengeful colonial state. Examining the colonial practice of collecting and exhibiting human remains, this book offers a critical assessment of British imperialism that speaks to contemporary debates about the legacies of Empire and the myth of the ‘Mutiny’.
source: http://www.penguin.co.in / Penguin House / Books> Non-Fiction
The skull belonged to a 32-year-old Indian soldier who revolted against the British
In 2014, while sitting in an office in London’s Mile End, historian Kim Wagner received an email from a couple who said they owned a skull.
Dr Wagner, who teaches imperial history at Queen Mary University of London, says the couple told him they did not feel comfortable with the “thing” in their house, and did not know what to do with it.
The lower jaw of the skull was missing, the few remaining teeth were loose, and it had the “sepia hue of old age”.
But what was remarkable was a detailed handwritten note in a neatly folded slip of paper inserted in an eye socket. The note told the brief story of the skull:
Skull of Havildar “Alum Bheg,” 46th Regt. Bengal N. Infantry who was blown away from a gun, amongst several others of his Regt. He was a principal leader in the mutiny of 1857 & of a most ruffianly disposition. He took possession (at the head of a small party) of the road leading to the fort, to which place all the Europeans were hurrying for safety. His party surprised and killed Dr. Graham shooting him in his buggy by the side of his daughter. His next victim was the Rev. Mr. Hunter, a missionary, who was flying with his wife and daughters in the same direction. He murdered Mr Hunter, and his wife and daughters after being brutally treated were butchered by the road side.
Alum Bheg was about 32 years of age; 5 feet 7 ½ inches high and by no means an ill looking native.
The skull was brought home by Captain (AR) Costello (late Capt. 7th Drag. Guards), who was on duty when Alum Bheg was executed.
A handwritten note inserted in an eye socket told the brief story of the skull
What was clear from the note was that the skull was of a rebel Indian soldier called Alum Bheg, who belonged to the Bengal Regiment and who was executed in 1858 by being blown from the mouth of a cannon in Sialkot (a town in Punjab province located in present-day Pakistan); and that a man who witnessed the execution brought the skull to England. The note is silent on why Bheg committed the alleged murders.
Native Hindu and Muslim soldiers, also known as sepoys, rebelled against the British East India Company in 1857 over fears that gun cartridges were greased with animal fat forbidden by their religions. The British ruled India for 200 years until the country’s independence in 1947.
The couple in Essex had trawled the internet and failed to find anything about Bheg. They contacted Dr Wagner after they found his name as a historian who had authored a book on the Indian uprising, often referred to as the first war of independence.
‘Grisly trophy’
On a wet November day, which was also his birthday, Dr Wagner met the couple. They told him that they had inherited the skull after one of their relatives took over a pub in Kent called The Lord Clyde in 1963, and found the skull stored under some old crates and boxes in a small room in the back of the building.
Nobody quite knows how the skull ended up in the pub. The local media had excitedly reported on the “nerve-shattering discovery” in 1963 and carried pictures of the new pub owners “proudly posing with the grisly trophy” before it was put up on display at the pub. When the owners died, it was finally passed on to their relatives who simply hid it away.
“And so it was I found myself standing in a small train station in Essex with a human skull in my bag. Not just any other skull but one directly related to a part of history that I write about and that I teach my students every year,” says Dr Wagner.
What was very clear, he says, is that it was a “trophy skull, irrevocably linked to a narrative of violence”.
But first Dr Wagner had to confirm that the skull matched the history outlined in the note, written by an unknown person. At London’s Natural History Museum, an expert examined it and suggested that it dated back to the mid-19th Century; and that it definitely belonged to a male of Asian ancestry, who was possibly in his mid-30s.
The skull was discovered in a pub in Kent called The Lord Clyde in 1963
There was no sign of violence, said the expert, which is not unusual in the case of execution by cannon, where the torso takes the full impact of the blast. The skull also bore cut marks from a tool, suggesting that the head was defleshed by being boiled or being left exposed to insects.
Dr Wagner says he did not believe immediately that it would be possible to find out very much more about Bheg.
Individual soldiers rarely left any traces in the colonial archives, with the possible exception of someone like Mangal Pandey, who fired the first shot at a British officer on 29 March 1857 on the outskirts of Kolkata and stirred up a wave of rebellion in India against the colonial power.
Bheg’s name was not mentioned in any of the documents, reports, letters, memoirs and trial records from the period in the archives and libraries in India and UK. There were also no descendants demanding the return of the skull.
But there were a few helpful discoveries.
Dr Wagner found the letters of Bheg’s alleged victims to their families. What proved crucial, he says, in piecing the story together were the letters and memoirs of an American missionary, Andrew Gordon, who lived in Sialkot during and after the uprising. He knew both Dr Graham and the Hunters – Bheg’s victims – personally and he had attended the soldier’s execution.
There was also a revealing report in the illustrated newspaper, The Sphere, in 1911 on a grisly exhibit in a museum in Whitehall:
The ghastly memento of the Indian Mutiny has, we are informed, just been placed in the museum of the Royal United Service Institution at Whitehall. It is a skull of a sepoy of the 49th Regiment of Bengal Infantry who was blown from the guns in 1858 with eighteen others. The skull has been converted into a cigar box as we see.
The newspaper said that “while we may be able to understand all the savagery of the terrible time – the cruelty of the natives and the cruel retribution that followed – is it not an outrage that a memento of our retribution, which in these days would not be tolerated for a moment, should be placed on exhibition in a great public institution?”
Indian soldiers rose up against the British in 1857
Battling a famine of evidence, Dr Wagner began researching Bheg. He worked in the archives in London and Delhi, and travelled to Sialkot to locate the forgotten battlefield of the four-day Trimmu Ghat clash in July 1857 – during which the Sialkot rebels, including Bheg, were intercepted and defeated by General John Nicholson. The general was mortlly wounded two months later leading the assault to recapture Delhi from the mutineers.
He relied on letters, petitions, proclamations and statements by rebels after the outbreak of the uprising, went through 19th Century newspaper databases and scanned books.
“It was only after I spent some time researching the story, in the UK and in India, that I managed to piece a historical narrative together and realised that there was a bigger story to tell,” he told me.
‘Detective novel’
The result is Wagner’s new book, The Skull of Alum Bheg, a vivid page-turner on life and death in British India during the largest anti-colonial revolt of the 19th Century. Yasmin Khan, associate professor of history at the University of Oxford, says the book “reads like a detective novel and yet is also an important contribution to understanding British rule and the extent of colonial violence”.
Dr Wagner writes that his book sets out to “restore some of the humanity and dignity that has been denied to Alum Bheg by telling the story of his life and death during one of the most dramatic episodes in the history of British India”.
“I hope I have prepared the ground for Alum Bheg to finally find some peace, some 160 years late.”
Kim Wagner says the ‘final chapter of Alum Bheg’s story has yet to be written’
In Dr Wagner’s telling, Alum Bheg – properly transliterated as Alim Beg – was a Sunni Muslim from northern India. The Bengal Regiment was raised in Cawnpore (now Kanpur) in today’s Uttar Pradesh state, and it is likely that Bheg hailed from the region. Muslims made up around 20% of the largely Hindu regiments.
Bheg was responsible for a small detachment of soldiers, and had a gruelling routine, guarding the camp, carrying letters and working as a peon for higher officials of the regiment. After the revolt in July 1857, he appeared to have evaded the British troops until his capture and execution nearly a year later.
Resting place
Captain Costello, who was described as being present at the execution in the note, was established as Robert George Costello. Dr Wagner believes he is the man who brought the skull back to Britain. He was born in Ireland and sent to India in 1857, and retired from his commission 10 months later, boarded a steamer from India in October 1858, and reached Southampton a little more than a month later.
“The final aim of my research is to prepare for Bheg to be repatriated to India, if at all possible,” Dr Wagner says.
He says there have been no claims to the skull, but he’s in touch with Indian institutions and the British High Commission in India is also involved in the initial discussions.
“I am very keen for Alum Bheg’s repatriation not to be politicised, and for the skull not to end up in a glass-case in a museum or simply be forgotten in a box somewhere,” says Dr Wagner.
Dr. Wagner says Bhegh should be buried in an island on the current India- Pakistan border
“My hope is for Alum Bheg to be repatriated and buried in a respectful manner in the near future.”
A fitting place to bury Bheg, he believes, would be on the island on the Ravi river, where the sepoy and his fellow soldiers had taken refuge after surviving the first day of the battle and which today marks the border between India and Pakistan.
“Ultimately, that is not for me to decide, but whatever happens, the final chapter of Alum Bheg’s story has yet to be written.”
Photographs courtesy Kim Wagner
source: http://www.bbc.com / BBC News / Home> India / by Soutik Biswas / India Correspondent / April 05th, 2018
Jordanian food is delicious with varied dishes paired with Jordanian hospitality, that makes for a once in a lifetime experience. If you can’t make the visit to the country, visit mini Jordan for food in Tolichowki with the same recipe and imported ingredients.
Ever see a tiny copper bowl immersed in hot sand to brew coffee? Or even a traditional chicken grilling on charcoal for shawarma? If not, Jordan’s Charcoal Shawarma and Falafel is the place for it. Jordanian food is delicious with varied dishes paired with Jordanian hospitality, that makes for a once in a lifetime experience. If you can’t make the visit to the country, visit mini Jordan for food in Tolichowki with the same recipes and imported ingredients.
Located near Brindavan Colony Road, Tolichowki, Jordan’s Charcoal Shawarma and Falafel has become a happening hotspot as it offers a nice break from usual hangout spots.
Managed by 19-year-old Musharraf Niazi who is pursuing B.com in Computers, the place is inspired by the spices of Jordan.
“My brother who was working in Riyadh came up with the idea to set up a store with the spices and coffee powder imported from Jordan. We follow the traditional method of making shawarmas on charcoal and coffee on sand.”
Traditional method of cooking is the USP of the place. Here, coffee is brewed on hot sand, as it generates consistent heat. This method of brewing is practiced in Turkey so it’s called Turkish sand coffee. The ingredients in Turkish sand coffee are same as that of a regular coffee – milk, finely-ground coffee beans and sugar, if desired. The shawarmas here are unlike those grilled on gas. The juicy pieces of chicken grilled on charcoal, differ in the aroma and taste from the usual fare.
Their menu is simple with limited options and includes charcoal shawarma roll, charcoal shawarma plate (with hummus), falafel with Indian dressing, hummus and coffee. The price ranges between Rs 20 and Rs 160 inclusive of all taxes.
“I’m a coffee lover, and I usually come here with friends to sip a cup of coffee and have authentic shawarma. Coffee making is what attracts me to visit the place over and over,” says Mohd Taqi, a resident of Tolichowki.
Jordan’s Charcoal shawarma and falafel is open from evening 4 pm to 12 am.
source: http://www.telanganatoday.com / Telangana Today / Home / by Nikisha Uddagiri / April 07th, 2018
