Culture

Uttarakhand and Sanskrit

The state of Uttarakhand has two official languages, Hindi and Sanskrit. It also has a Sanskrit Education Minister.

The Mayura in Maurya

Chandragupta hailed from a family or tribe of peacock (mayura/मयूर in Sanskrit) tamers whence came his practical surname of Maurya.

Salima Begum, Bairam Khan, and Akbar

Humayun's advisor and Akbar's guardian (and regent), Bairam Khan's second wife was Babar's granddaughter, Salima Begum. After Bairam Khan was murdered in 1561, she became her cousin, Akbar's, second wife and Mughal Empress. Akbar's first wife, Ruqaiya, was his cousin as well.

Barbarous Indian and shrill Western music

In what perfection [Indian] music stands (as I am no competent judge), I could never give my ears the trouble to examine, it seeming loud and barbarous; yet they observe time and measure in their singing and dancing, and are mightily delighted with their tumbling and noise. They as much dislike our shriller music, hardly allowing our waits fit to play to bears, and our stringed instruments strike not their hard-to-be-raised fancies; but our organs are the music of the spheres with them, charming them to listen as long as they play.

The Humble Harm-onium

The harmonium was banned on All India Radio's networks between 1940 and 1971. The instrument was deemed incapable of handling the complex notes of Indian classical music and was also dubbed un-Indian.

Kipling's swastikas

Early editions of Rudyard Kipling's works bore embossed or printed swastikas. He ordered his publishers to stop the practice after the rise of Hitler.

Culture