You are here

Home

Culture

"Car of Juggernaut" (1851) (Source: The Illustrated London Reading Book)
Did you know that the word Juggernaut has its roots in Odisha?
Sean Connery wearing a Nehru Jacket in Dr. No (Source: Affordablebond007 (Dr. No Nehru Jacket))
An Indian prime minister and a fashion trend?
Nanda Parbat (Source: Wikia (Nanda Parbat))
Nanda Parbat? Rama Kushna? Batman? What in the world is going on?!
Savitri Devi (1 December, 1937, Calcutta) (Source: The Savitri Devi Archive (Gallery))
What relationship does a "Savitri Devi Mukherji" have with Nazism?
Hindu Squats (Source: extremebodyweightworkouts (Hindu Squats – Harder Than They Look?))
Hindu squats? Hindu push-ups?
Spider-man in a Dhoti (Source: Wikipedia (Spider-man: India Cover Art))
Does the name Pavitr Prabhakar sound familiar to you?

Quotable quotes

India's link language

Since every school in India teaches English, why can't it be our link language? Why do Tamils have to study English for communication with the world and Hindi for communications within India? Do we need a big door for the big dog and a small door for the small dog? I say, let the small dog use the big door too!

India's rashtrabhasha

It is claimed that Hindi should be the common language because it is spoken by the majority. Why should we then claim the tiger as our national animal instead of the rat which is so much more numerous? Or the peacock as our national bird when the crow is ubiquitous?

Neutralising the press

Like the god Vishnu, my press will have a hundred arms, and these arms will stretch out their hands throughout the country delicately giving form to all manner of opinion. Everyone will belong to my party without knowing it. Those who think they are speaking the language of their party will be acting for mine. Those who think they are marching under their own banner will be marching under mine.

Did you know?

Bill Cosby and Malaria

American comedian Bill Cosby, now more famous for his cases of sexual assault, used to sedate his victims using a drug called quaalude. Quaalude is a brand name for Methaqualone, a hypnotic sedative first synthesised in India in 1951 by Indra Kishore Kacker and Syed Husain Zaheer, who were conducting research on finding new antimalarial medications. It became popular as a recreational drug in the late 60s and 70s, known variously as "ludes", "sopers" ("soaps") "mandrakes", "mandies", "disco biscuits", etc. It is now banned.

A Sikh Animal

Vic Briggs, a guitarist of the British rock band, The Animals, later became interested in Sikh devotional music and its use of the harmonium. He converted to Sikhism (taking on the name Vikram Singh Khalsa) and has performed at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.