As commoners say every action can be viewed from more then one perspective. Similarly, India’s struggle for independence was interpreted in different ways by many historians who lived during that period. For some it was a worthless act by jobless people whereas for others it was their prime motive of life. Many viewed British rule over India as a means for civilising the uncivilised, poor people in India and for some others British rule was the symbol of exploitation.
In this seventy fifth year of independence, we could Look back to these thoughts and could identify the reality from the facts available before us. Let us look into some of these school of thoughts:
Colonial Approach is influenced by the colonial ideology of domination. It focuses on criticism of indigenous society and culture, and praises the Western culture and values. James Mill, Vincent Smith etc., followed this approach.
Nationalist Approach evolved as a response to and in confrontation with the colonial approach. Before independence, this school dealt with the ancient and medieval periods of Indian history, and not the modern period. After independence this school focused on modern India. R.C. Majumdar and Tara Chand belonged to this school.
Marxist Approach focuses on the primary contradiction between the interests of the colonial masters and the native subjects. It also takes notice of the inner contradictions between the different sections of Indian society. R.P. Dutt and A.R. Desai were noted Marxist historians of India.
Subaltern Approach takes the position that the entire tradition of Indian historiography has an elitist bias and the role of the common masses has been neglected. Ranajit Guha belonged to this school.
Communalist Approach views Hindus and Muslims as permanently hostile groups whose interests are mutually different and antagonistic to each other.
Cambridge School envisages Indian nationalism as a product of conflicts among the Indians themselves for getting the benefits from the British rulers. For them Indian nationalist leaders were inspired by the greed of power and material benefits.
Liberal and Neo-liberal Interpretations imply that the economic exploitation of the colonies was not beneficial to the people of Britain as it delayed the development of the ‘new’ industries in Britain.
Feminist Historiography focuses on areas of research that analyse colonial structures, such as the legal structure, which affected women’s lives. It also focuses on women’s vulnerability due to the denial of ownership of productive resources.
When we closely examine these thoughts, we could find some of these extremely different from reality. It also symbolizes different ideologies that prevailed during the period. Even if bring it to discussion today, people may find it difficult to reach to an opinion accepted by all the people. It is because even today many stands with colonial thinkers and many are with nationalists.
Even though it is the case when we closely examine the historical text from ancient and medieval ages India was a civilised nation with rich historical background rooted in Indus valley civilisation and such golden ages. The present position of India as the torch bearer of world democracy also makes it clear that India never required an external intervention to be civilised. The people of India were capable of building a strong nation then, now and in future.
So, we could conclude that most of the thinkers who tried to give a communalist, colonial or any such face to this great struggle were mistaken. It was India’s struggle to reach its uncontrollable destiny and on fifteenth of august in 1947, it made its tryst with destiny.
Australian author Thomas Keneally‘s novel first “Schindler’s Ark” (later republished as Schindler’s List) brought the story of Oskar Schindler’s rescue of Jewish people during the Nazi Holocaust, to international attention in 1982, when it won the Booker Prize. It was made by Steven Spielberg into the Oscar-winning film Schindler’s Listin 1993, the year Schindler and his wife were named Righteous Among the Nations.
Schindler’s Ark later republished as Schindler’s List
About The Author
Thomas Michael Keneally, (born 7 October 1935) is an Australian novelist, playwright, essayist and actor. Keneally’s first story was published in The Bulletin magazine in 1962 under the pseudonym Bernard Coyle. By February 2014, he had written over 50 books, including 30 novels. He is particularly famed for his Schindler’s Ark (1982) (later republished as Schindler’s List), the first novel by an Australian to win the Booker Prize and is the basis of the film Schindler’s List. He had already been shortlisted for the Booker three times prior to that: 1972 for The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith, 1975 for Gossip from the Forest, and 1979 for Confederates. Many of his novels are reworkings of historical material, although modern in their psychology and style.
Thomas Keneally
Storyline of The Novel
The story of the novel is based on true events, on account of the Nazi Holocaust during World War II. Oskar Schindler, (born April 28, 1908, Svitavy [Zwittau], Moravia, Austria-Hungary [now in the Czech Republic]—died October 9, 1974, Hildesheim, West Germany), German industrialist who, aided by his wife and staff, sheltered approximately 1,100 Jews from the Nazis by employing them in his factories, which supplied the German army during World War II.
Poster of Steven Spielberg‘s movie Schindler’s List (1993)
In the shadow of Auschwitz, a flamboyant German industrialist grew into a living legend to the Jews of Kraków. He was a womaniser, a heavy-drinker and a bon viveur, but to them he became a saviour. This is the extraordinary story of Oskar Schindler, who risked his life to protect Jews in Nazi-occupied Poland and who was transformed by the war into a man with a mission, a compassionate angel of mercy.
Liam Neeson as Oskar Schindler in Schindler’s List (1993)
Analysis of The Storyline
The novel introduced a vast and diverse cast of characters. However, the focus of the narrative was between Oskar Schindler and Amon Goeth. In the story, there was a dichotomy between what is essentially good and what is evil, that was personified by these two primary characters. Goeth represented everything evil. The war churned out a selfish and heartless sadist who found delight in inflicting pain on the Jews. Ironically, he lusted after his Jewish maid. Schindler, on the other hand, was portrayed as the Good German. He didn’t believe everything that the Nazi regime was saying against the Jews. He was, however, a man of contradictions. Despite being depicted as the epitome of goodness, he lived a self-indulgent lifestyle, which included proclivity towards the bottle and women. His infidelities have been a constant source of pain for his wife, Emilie. He also uses his connections to gain the upper hand in negotiations; it would also be a seminal part of his campaign to save the Jews.
Ralph Fiennes as Amon Goeth in Schindler’s List (1993)
Criticism of The Storyline
The amount of research poured to recreate the story of Oskar Schindler was astounding. And the starting point to this is as interesting as the novel itself. As noted in the Author’s Note, a chance encounter in 1980 led to the novel. Schindler’s motivation for protecting his workers was rarely ever clear, especially at the start. Questions still hound his true intentions. He, after all, brazenly took advantage of the cheap labour the Jews offered at the start of his enterprise. Is Schindler an anti-hero? The answer can be found in Keneally’s extensive research. Through interviews with surviving Schindlerjuden and different Second World War archives, he managed to identify the point in which Schindler decided to protect the Jews. While horseback riding on the hills surrounding Kraków, he witnessed an SS Aktion unfold on the Jewish ghetto below. The Jews were forcefully taken out of their houses. Those who resisted were shot dead, even in the presence of children. Witnessing the atrocious acts firsthand turned Schindler’s stomach. It was then that he resolved to save as many Jews as he can.
Scene from Schindler’s List (1993)
Overall, what didn’t work was the manner in which Keneally related the story of Oskar Schindler. As the story moved forward, it became clearer that Keneally was unsure of how to deliver the story. His resolve to remain loyal to Oskar’s story was commendable. He endeavored to do just that but it never fully came across. The result was an amalgamation of fiction and historical textbook. The strange mix muddled the story and the result was a perplexing work of historical fiction. It is without a doubt that one of the darkest phases of contemporary human history is the Second World War. Nobody expected that the meteoric ascent of Der Führer, Adolf Hitler, in the German political ladder would lead to a devastation of global scale. As the Axis forces march towards and beyond their boundaries, they would leave death and destruction in their wake, stretching from Europe, to the Pacific, and to the Far East. The consequences of the war would resonate well beyond its time. With genocides, concentration camps, and slave labour commonplace, the war was a reflection of the human conditions. Its peak, the Holocaust, exhibited the extent of the darkest shades of the human spirit. It was a grim portrait.
Indeed, the Second World War brought out the worst in humanity. However, in times of darkness, there are those among us who rise to the occasion. One of them is Oskar Schindler whose story was related by Thomas Keneally in his nonfiction novel, Schindler’s List (1982).
Conclusion
While Keneally‘s dramatization of this great man’s exploits is lacking in novelistic shape or depth, the brutality and heroism are satisfyingly, meticulously presented–as plain, impressive, historical record; and if admirers of Keneally’s more imaginative work may be disappointed, others will find this a worthy volume to place beside one of the several Wallenberg biographies.
The studies of History never ceases to amaze us with its unfolding secrets, bizarre facts and notable events that took place throughout ages. History has made many rulers popular, many famous and many infamous through their deeds during their ruling periods. But, Cleopatra VII of Egypt, still remains a fantasy for the connoisseurs of History for her incredible brain and beauty. In Today’s editorial, we’re going to discuss about Cleopatra, the empress of Egypt who enticed the world with her inevitableruling skills and irresistiblecharm.
Cleopatra VII
Cleopatra: Who She Was
Cleopatra VII ruled ancient Egypt as co-regent (first with her father, then with her two younger brothers and finally with her son) for almost three decades. She was part of a dynasty of Macedonian rulers founded by Ptolemy, who served as general under Alexander the Great during his conquest of Egypt in 332 B.C. Well-educated and clever, Cleopatra could speak various languages and served as the dominant ruler in all three of her co-regencies. Her romantic liaisons and military alliances with the Roman leadersJulius Caesar and Mark Antony, as well as her supposed exotic beauty and powers of seduction, earned her an enduring place in history and popular myth.
Artwork of Cleopatra, by Frederick Arthur Bridgman (1896)
Early Life and Ascension to The Throne
Cleopatra, in full Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (born 70/69 BCE—died August 30 BCE, Alexandria) was the daughter of King Ptolemy XII Auletes. Cleopatra was destined to become the last queen of the Macedonian dynasty that ruled Egypt between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE and its annexation by Rome in 30 BCE. The line had been founded by Alexander’s general Ptolemy, who became King Ptolemy I Soter of Egypt. Cleopatra was of Macedonian descent and had little, if any, Egyptian blood. Coin portraits of Cleopatra show a countenance alive rather than beautiful, with a sensitive mouth, firm chin, liquid eyes, broad forehead, and prominent nose. When Ptolemy XII died in 51 BCE, the throne passed to his young son, Ptolemy XIII, and daughter, Cleopatra VII. It is likely, but not proven, that the two married soon after their father’s death. The 18-year-old Cleopatra, older than her brother by about eight years, became the dominant ruler. Evidence shows that the first decree in which Ptolemy’s name precedes Cleopatra’s was in October of 50 BCE. Soon after, Cleopatra was forced to flee Egypt for Syria, where she raised an army and in 48 BCE returned to face her brother at Pelusium, on Egypt’s eastern border. The murder of the Roman general Pompey, who had sought refuge from Ptolemy XIII at Pelusium, and the arrival of Julius Caesar brought temporary peace.
Statue of Julius Caesar in Rome, Italy
Cleopatra’s Romantic Roman Connection
Cleopatra realized that she needed Roman support, or, more specifically, Caesar’s support, if she was to regain her throne. Each was determined to use the other. Caesar sought money for repayment of the debts incurred by Cleopatra’s father, Auletes, as he struggled to retain his throne. Cleopatra was determined to keep her throne and, if possible, to restore the glories of the first Ptolemies and recover as much as possible of their dominions, which had included southern Syria and Palestine. Caesar and Cleopatra became lovers and spent the winter besieged in Alexandria. Roman reinforcements arrived the following spring, and Ptolemy XIII fled and drowned in the Nile. Cleopatra, now married to her brother Ptolemy XIV, was restored to her throne. In June 47 BCE she gave birth to Ptolem Caesar . The Child was believed to be Caesar’s child, and was known by the Egyptian people as Caesarion, or Little Caesar.
Assassination of Julius Caesar
Sometime in 46-45 B.C., Cleopatra traveled with Ptolemy XIV and Caesarion to Rome to visit Caesar, who had returned earlier. After Caesar was assasinated in March 44 B.C., Cleopatra went back to Egypt; Ptolemy XIV was killed soon after (possibly by Cleopatra’s agents) and the three-year-old Caesarion was named co-regent with his mother, as Ptolemy XV.
Mark Antony
Mark Antony: The Love of Cleopatra
When, at the Battle of Phillpi in 42 BCE, Caesar’s assassins were routed, Mark Antony became the heir apparent of Caesar’s authority—or so it seemed, for Caesar’s great-nephew and personal heir, Octavian, was but a sickly boy. Antony, now controller of Rome’s eastern territories, sent for Cleopatra so that she might explain her role in the aftermath of Caesar’s assassination. She set out for Tarsus in Asia Minor loaded with gifts, having delayed her departure to heighten Antony’s expectation. She entered the city by sailing up the Cydnus River in a barge while dressed in the robes of the new Isis. Antony, who equated himself with the God Dionysus, was captivated.
Decadent affair between Mark Antony and Cleopatra
In 40 BCE Cleopatra gave birth to twins, whom she named Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene.
Cleopatra’s Death: The End
On September 2, 31 B.C., Octavian’s forces soundly defeated those of Antony and Cleopatra in the Battle of Actium . Cleopatra’s ships deserted the battle and fled to Egypt, and Antony soon managed to break away and follow her with a few ships. With Alexandria under attack from Octavian’s forces, Antony heard a rumour that Cleopatra had committed suicide. He fell on his sword, and died just as news arrived that the rumour had been false.
Mark Antony‘s Death
On August 12, 30 B.C., after burying Antony and meeting with the victorious Octavian, Cleopatra closed herself in her chamber with two of her female servants. The means of her death is uncertain, but Plutarch and other writers advanced the theory that she used a poisonous snake known as the asp, a symbol of divine royalty, to commit suicide at age 39. According to her wishes, Cleopatra’s body was buried with Antony’s, leaving Octavian (later Emperor AugustusI) to celebrate his conquest of Egypt and his consolidation of power in Rome.
William Shakespeare‘s Antony and Cleopatra
Cleopatra: The Enchantress Throughout Ages
Cleopatra remains a charm to cultures having relevance even today. Her bizarre beauty hacks including pomegranatelip-tint and a bath regime curated out of jennet(female donkey) milk arestill a talk among Beauty enthusiasts. Her famous pearl in vinegar concoction drink stirs curiosity among people. Her life was made into various plays and movies. From Shakespeare stems a wealth of Cleopatra-themed art—plays, poetry, paintings, and operas. In the 20th century Cleopatra’s story was preserved and further developed through film.
Theda Bara as Cleopatra (1917)Claudette Colbert as Cleopatra (1934)Cleopatra (1934)Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra (1963)Cleopatra (1963)Cleopatra (1963) poster
Many actresses, including Theda Bara (1917), Claudette Colbert (1934), and Elizabeth Taylor (1963), have played the queen, typically in expensive, exotic films that concentrate on the queen’s love life rather than her politics. Caesar and Cleopatra, four-act play by George Barnard Shaw , written in 1898, published in 1901, and first produced in 1906. It is considered Shaw’s first great play. Cleopatra, American epic movie, released in 1963, that was perhaps best known for its off-screen drama, notably production overruns that nearly bankrupted Twentieth Century-Fox and the affair between stars Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.
Conclusion
A queen, an empress, a ruler, a passionate lover, a beauty with brain – Cleopatra was literally all in one. She’s definitely considered as one of the most celebrated queen recorded in World history. Tales of her rule and of her beauty still make her unforgettable to the modern Era of History learners. She was a legend, who is encrypted in History forever, with the never ending myths surrounding her life.
Kolkata, also fondly know as “The City of Joy”, never ceases to amaze generations with its breathtaking beauty, not only with its metro city status of today’s India, but also in the days of past. In today’s editorial, we’re going to take glance at glimpses of Vintage Kolkata from the past.
Brief History and Importance
Kolkata’s recorded history began in 1690 with the arrival of the English East India Company, which was consolidating its trade business in Bengal. Job Charnock, an administrator who worked for the company, was formerly credited as the founder of the city; In response to a public petition, the Calcutta High Court ruled in 2003 that the city does not have a founder. The area occupied by the present-day city encompassed three villages: Kalikata, Gobindapur and Sutanuti.
Kolkata , also known as Calcutta (official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the eastern bank of the Hooghly river, the city is approximately 80 kilometres (50 mi) west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, commercial, and financial hub of Eastern India and the main port of communication for North-East India .According to the 2011 Indian census, Kolkata is the 7th most populous city in India, with a population of 45 lakh (4.5 million) residents within the city limits, and a population of over 1.41 crore (14.1 million) residents in the Kolkata Metropolitan Area. The Port of Kolkata is India’s oldest operating port and its sole major riverine port. Kolkata is regarded as the Cultural Capital of India.
Vintage Kolkata Album
Here we take a look at the vintage snaps of Kolkata’s most iconic places
Crossing of Harrison Street, StrandRoad and Burra Bazaar AreaPark Street Calcutta High CourtTraditional Goddess Durga IdolVictoria Memorial HallThe Hindustan Building on Central Avenue once served as the office of US ArmyThe Bathing Ghat of Hooghly River Hustle in front of Calcutta Stock Exchange Early days of Howrah Bridge The auspicious Kalighat Temple of Goddess KaliSt. Paul’s Cathedral ChurchBurra Bazaar AreaEsplanadeAreaCalcutta Town Hall
Conclusion
Though the time has changed, and history has taken many turns but the essence of Kolkata, has remained the same over ages. The Government has come forward to preserve the heritages of Kolkata, that have made the Bengal and Bengalis proud through decades. People are hopeful that this tradition follows down with the upcoming generations by passing love and the celebration of the beauty of Kolkata.
Howrah Bridge is an architectural marvel and a well-known Kolkata landmark. It has served as a backdrop for numerous movies since the 1950s, including a 1958 film named after the bridge. One can walk across the bridge and admire its unique construction or glide underneath while on a boat ride along the Hooghly River. With a central span of 1,500 feet (457 meters) between its two towers, this enormous steel structure is one of the longest cantilever bridges of its type in the world. Howrah Bridge extends across the Hooghly River, connecting the city of Howrah to Kolkata.
Historic Background
The construction of the Howrah Bridge was first proposed in 1862. The Government of Bengal wanted to build a bridge over the Hooghly River. They asked the Chief Engineer of the East India Railway Company to study the feasibility of the idea and come up with a proposal. But for several reasons, his proposal never materialised.
Later in the 1800s, a pontoon bridge or floating bridge was built between Howrah and Kolkata. But it wasn’t strong enough to handle the huge traffic between the two cities or to weather the frequent storms in the area. So the Bengal government continued to look for alternatives and, several decades later, the new bridge was finally commissioned. The contract to build it was awarded to a company called The Braithwaite Burn and Jessop Construction Company.The design of the Howrah bridge was made by Rendel, Palmer and Tritton and the bridge was constructed by Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company. The construction of bridge was started on 1936 and ended in 1942. It was opened for the public transport on 3 Feb 1943. It was renamed as Rabindra Setu in June 1965 after the first Indian Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
The Act for the construction of Howrah Bridge
Key Structure of The Bridge
The Howrah Bridge is a suspension-type balanced Cantilever Bridge. It has a central span of 1500ft between the main towers. The anchor and cantilever arms are 325ft and 468ft long, respectively.The suspended span has a length of 564ft. The main towers are 280ft-high above the monoliths and 76ft apart at the top. The bridge deck measures 71ft in width and features two footpaths of 15ft on either side.The super-structure is built up with riveted sections made of a combination of high tensile and mild steel. The bridge deck descends from panel points placed in the middle of the towers, which are located in the lower chord of the main trusses through hungers.The bridge deck consists of a 71ft carriageway and a 15ft pathway projected on both sides of the trusses and supported by a fascia girder.The carriageway outside the tower is backed on the ground by an anchor arm. The deck system includes cross girders suspended between pairs of hungers by a pinned connection. Six rows of longitudinal stringer girders are arranged between cross girders and floor beams support transversally on top of the stringers.These joints support a continuous pressed steel troughing system surfaced with concrete. Two main expansion joints are placed at the interfaces in the middle of the suspended span and the cantilever arms.Eight articulation joints exist at the cantilever arms and suspended portions and separate the bridge into segments by a vertical pin connection to allow the deck’s rotational movements. The bridge deck features a longitudinal ruling gradient at each end.The main tower is based on single monoliths with 21 chambers. The minimum vertical clearance for the carriageway is 5.8m and 8.8m for the river traffic.
The early days of Howrah Bridge
Specialities of The Bridge: What Made It A Heritage
Constructed without nuts and bolts, the Howrah Bridge was formed by riveting the entire steel structure. The bridge officially opened in 1943 when it was the world’s third longest cantilever bridge. Today, it is the sixth longest bridge of its type in the world. The Howrah Bridge is also thought to be the world’s busiest cantilever bridge.
In 1946, in a census carried out, it said that the bridge saw a daily traffic of 27400 vehicles and 12100 pedestrians. In fact ages ago the bridge had also carried trams that left from Howrah station terminus. However, it seemed like the bridge could not take the weight of the heavy weight and hence running trams on the bridge was discontinued. Currently, the bridge can bear the weight of 60,000 vehicles only but it still carried almost 90000 vehicles daily. The bridge also has a separate foot path for pedestrians to walk.While the bridge remains one of the key attractions in the city, the Howrah Railway Station at its Howrah end is another site of much historical significance as the country’s oldest railway station. At the Kolkata end, the bridge ends right by the stunning and colourful Mallick Ghat flower market, one of the city’s most vibrant markets.
Night View of Howrah Bridge
Cultural Significance of The Bridge
Since the beginning of its journey, the bridge has been featured in numerous Bengali Hindi even International films, such as Do Bigha Zamin (1953), Bari Theke Paliye(1958), Parash Pathar(1958), Howrah Bridge(1958), Neel Akasher Neechey (1959), China Town(1962 ) and Amar Prem (1971), Teen Devian(1965), Calcutta 71 1972), Padatik (1973), Richard Attenborough’s 1982 Academy Award winning film Gandhi, Paar(1984), Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985) , Nicolas Klotz’s The Bengali Night(1988), Rolland Joffé’s City of Joy (1992), Florian Gallenberger’s Shadows of Time (2004), Yuva(2004), Parineeta (2005) and the list goes on.
Recent Renovations of The Bridge
The articulation joints at deck level were renovated in 2008, and the bridge was illuminated in colours of gold and magenta in November 2006.Bridge operator Kolkata Port Trust (KPT) invested Rs35M in the project for laying 13km of cable, 700 lights, a new control tower and a sub-station. Around Rs27.3m was spent on the maintenance of the bridge in 2005.The pylons, the steel-lattice inner structure, the under-deck and the pathway were fixed with white and the upper structure with blue LEDs. Painted in June 2005, the bridge required more than 26,500l of aluminium paint to cover 23,500t of steel, occupying a surface area of 2.2mm².Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi launched the interactive light and sound show of the bridge in January 2020. The new Rabindra Setu decorative lighting features 650 power-efficient LEDs and spotlight fittings for programmable multi-colour lighting, including a music-syncing show.
Silhouette of Howrah Bridge at the time of Sunrise. Howrah Bridge is a bridge with a suspended span over the Hooghly River in West Bengal.
Conclusion
The surprising fact about this bridge is that, despite being such a heritage, it has suffered a lot of damage. And the damage is not only because of trams plying heavy load, but it is also because of human spit and bird excreta.The corrosion on the bridge is because of prolonged chemical reaction that has occurred because of continuous bird droppings. Calcutta Port Trust is currently in charge for the maintenance of the bridge. Along with the authority, the citizens should also be responsible for protecting the living heritage of our country.
Dante Aligheiri, the famous Italian poet, is without any debate, one of the most passionate poets of all time who believed in and lived by the true meaning of Love through his exceptional writings . His works are still considered as the Canvases of Human Mind, sparkling and expressing love through words. Though, the love of his own life remained unrequited and that agony fueled his journey of writing as a neverhealed wound, creating some masterpieces of Romantic Literature.
Early Life of Dante
Born in Florence, Italy around 1265, Dante was the son of Alighiero di Bellincione Alighieri and Bella di Abati, and he grew up among Florentine aristocracy. Scholars surmise that he received formal instruction in grammar, language, and philosophy at one of the Franciscan schools in the city.
Dante’s Love : Beatrice Portinari
Dante first met Beatrice Portinari, daughter of Folco Portinari, when he was only nine years old and he claimed to have fallen in love with her “at first sight”, apparently without even talking with her. He would later write about his instant love for her in “Vita Nuova”, saying “Behold, a deity stronger than I; who coming, shall rule over me.”
When he was 12, however, he was promised in marriage to Gemma di Manetto Donati, daughter of Manetto Donati, member of the powerful Donati family. Contracting marriages for children at such an early age was quite common and involved a formal ceremony, including contracts signed before a notary. Dante claimed to have seen Beatrice again frequently after he turned 18, exchanging greetings with her in the streets of Florence, though he never knew her well.
Dante meeting Beatrice for the first time (Art work)
Beatrice’s Death: Presence in Dante’s work
Beatrice died in 1290 at age twenty four. Beatrice probably never had any idea of the depth of his passion for her, yet she was to become one of literature’s most famous figures.
After Beatrice’s death, Dante withdrew into intense study and began composing poems dedicated to her memory. The collection of these poems, along with others he had previously written in his journal in awe of Beatrice, became La Vita Nuova, a prose work interlaced with lyrics. Dante describes his meetings with her, praises her beauty and goodness, describes his own intense reactions to her kindness or lack thereof, tells of events in both their lives, and explains the nature of his feelings for her. She represents an idealized love, the kind of love that transcends physicality. Alighieri included her in both La Vita Nuova and Divine Comedy. She is his salvation; the “gentilissima” (most kind) and “benedetta”(blessed). It is Beatrice who serves as his guide in Heaven in Divine Comedy. La Vita Nuova also relates of the day when Dante was informed of her death and contains several anguished poems written after that event. In the final chapter, Dante vows to write nothing further of Beatrice until he writes “concerning her what hath not before been written of any woman.”
Portrait of Beatrice
Analysis of Dante’s Love and Literature
The promise is fulfilled in the epic poem The Divine Comedy, which he composed many years later. In that poem, he expresses his exalted and spiritual love for Beatrice, who is his intercessor in the Inferno, his purpose in traveling through Purgatorio, and his guide through Paradiso.
Beatrice addresses Dante, the author and a character himself, for the first time in Canto 2 of Dante’s “Inferno”: she descends into Limbo and prays that the poet Virgil can rescue Dante. She then reappears in Canto 30 of Purgatorio, when Virgil disappears.
At first sight of her in Purgatorio, he is as overwhelmed as he was at the age of nine and is dazzled by her presence throughout the journey until she ascends again to her place in heaven, the point closest to God that he is allowed to reach. This expression of sublimated and spiritualized love ends with Dante’s total absorption into the divine. Their last meeting is set among the blessed in Heaven at the end of their journey into the afterlife.
Dante’s work Vita Nuova, heavily influenced by Beatrice
Conclusion
Dante’s love for Beatrice may have been idealized and unattainable, but at the core of that love is admiration, goodness, and respect. That’s a type of love that we don’t see much of in the media of today’s world. We prize the scintillating and love has become synonymous with physical lust.Dante’s love transcends the physical. It is a love of the heart and the intellect. She represented the ideal of beauty and grace, but was also a real woman. Beatrice appeared to Dante as the woman/angel that guides him through Paradise, but also remained a real woman who made his heart beat in the streets of Florence.
A portrait illustrating how Transparent Muslins were
Introduction
Muslin today has come to mean almost any lightweight, gauzy, mostly inexpensive, machine-milled cotton cloth. The word has lost all connection to the handwoven fabric that once came exclusively from Bengal. Cotton, stated the historian Fernand Braudel, was first used by the ancient civilizations on the Indus, while the art of weaving itself has been traced back to much earlier times. This head start perhaps was why ancient India became proficient in making cotton textiles. They became a staple export commodity to the Roman Empire, and they expanded in volume in the Middle Ages with the growth of the “maritime Silk Road” in the Indian Ocean.
Historic Background
Muslin a brand name of pre-colonial Bengal textile, especially of Dhaka origins. Muslin was manufactured in the city of Dhaka and in some surrounding stations, by local skill with locally produced cotton and attained world-wide fame as the Dhaka Muslin. The origin of the word Muslin is obscure; some say that the word was derived from Mosul, an old trade centre in Iraq, while others think that Muslin was connected with Musulipattam, sometime headquarters of European trading companies in southern India. Muslin is not a Persian word, nor Sanskrit, nor Bengali, so it is very likely that the name Muslin was given by the Europeans to cotton cloth imported by them from Mosul, and through Mosul from other eastern countries, and when they saw the fine cotton goods of Dhaka, they gave the same name to Dhaka fabrics. That the name Muslin was given by the Europeans admits of little doubt, because not only Dhaka cotton textiles, but cotton goods imported by the Europeans from other parts of India like Gujrat, Golconda, etc were also called Muslin.
The route connecting the Hubs of Muslin Industry in Bengal
How Muslins Were Made
The textile industry of Bengal is very old. Bengal cotton fabrics were exported to the Roman and the Chinese empires and they are mentioned in Ptolemy’s Geography and the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, and by the ancient Chinese travellers. But Dhaka Muslin became famous and attracted foreign and transmarine buyers after the establishment of the Mughal capital at Dhaka. The Muslin industry of Dhaka received patronage from the Mughal emperors and the Mughal nobility. A huge quantity of the finest sort of Muslin was procured for the use of the Mughal emperors, provincial governors and high officers and nobles. In the great 1851 Exhibition of London, Dhaka Muslin occupied a prominent place, attracted a large number of visitors and the British Press spoke very highly of the marvelous Muslin fabrics of Dhaka. Weavers in Dhaka, Bangladesh, used to make this incredibly fine cloth using a method called the discontinuous weft technique. This technique required the weaver to work two layers of weft – one as fine as spider’s silk to hold the cloth together and the other forming the pattern. Each pattern motif was worked individually, using fine bamboo sticks to interlace the pattern threads with the warp threads.
Weaving of Muslins under the supervision of royal official( Painting, in 1800s)
Types And Variations
The finest sort of Muslin was made of phuti cotton, which was grown in certain localities on the banks of the Brahmaputra and his branches. The other kinds of cotton called bairait and desee were inferior and were produced in different parts of Dhaka and neighbouring areas; they were used for manufacturing slightly inferior and coarse clothes.The productions of Dhaka weavers consisted of fabrics of varying quality, ranging from the finest texture used by the highly aristocratic people, the emperor, viziers, nawabs and so on, down to the coarse thick wrapper used by the poor people. Muslins were designated by names denoting either fineness or transparency of texture, or the place of manufacture or the uses to which they were applied as articles of dress. Names thus derived were Malmal (the finest sort), Jhuna (used by native dancers), Rang (of transparent and net-like texture), Abirawan (fancifully compared with running water), Khasa (special quality, fine or elegant), Shabnam (morning dew) Alaballee (very fine), Tanzib (adorning the body), Nayansukh (pleasing to the eye), Buddankhas (a special sort of cloth), Seerbund (used for turbans), Kumees (used for making shirts), Doorea (striped), Charkona (chequered cloth), Jamdanee (figured cloth). The finest sort of Muslin was called Malmal, sometimes mentioned as Malmal Shahi or Malmal Khas by foreign travellers. It was costly, and the weavers spent a long time, sometimes six months, to make a piece of this sort. It was used by emperors, nawabs etc. Muslins procured for emperors were called Malbus Khas and those procured for nawabs were called Sarkar-i-Ala. The Mughal government appointed an officer, Darogah or Darogah-i-Malbus Khas to supervise the manufacture of Muslins meant for the emperor or a nawab.
A real Muslin dress exported to England from colonized India
Areas of Production
Weaving was prevalent in the Dhaka district in almost every village, but some places became famous for manufacturing superior quality of Muslins. These places were Dhaka, Sonargaon , Dhamrai, Teetbady, Junglebary and Bajitpur.
Why It Was So Exclusive
The finest of Muslins were honoured with evocative names conjured up by imperial poets, such as “baft-hawa”, literally “woven air”. These high-end muslins were said to be as light and soft as the wind. According to one traveller, they were so fluid you could pull a bolt – a length of 300ft, or 91m, through the centre of a ring. Another wrote that you could fit a piece of 60ft, or 18m, into a pocket match-box. Dhaka muslin was also more than a little transparent.
Muslins were adored by the elites
How The Industry Was Lost
Unfortunately, during the period of the East India Company, European manufacturers all but destroyed the industry by flooding the market with factory produced muslin equivalents. Through a combination of punitive taxes on locally produced textiles and the dissolution of local and influential patrons, Jamdani muslin became uneconomical to produce and the skills were almost lost.
Conclusion
Thankfully, there are organisations in Bangladesh today that are encouraging local weavers to continue to practice their craft. Coupled with the UNESCO listing of Jamdani muslin on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, there is more impetus to continuing production, albeit on a very small scale. With the proliferation of mass produced and synthetic fabrics on the market today, it is important that these historical techniques aren’t lost forever. No factory can ever emulate the quality arising out of a skilled artisan. Their skills are part of our textile heritage and it’s wonderful they are being recognised and preserved.
Beauty has always been the greatest concern for women since ages. Women , all over the world did what not, to look pretty and presentable throughout the history of Human Civilization. And to address the need of looking flawlessly beautiful, the practice of using cosmetic or make-up came to the play. Women, sometimes, followed bizarre rituals to enhance their look, but sometimes, to their worst, the cosmetic turned out to be toxic and endangered their lives. To look beautiful it cost them a fatal price. Royalties and Elites were victims of the same death trap, including the Great Queen Elizabeth I.
Queen Elizabeth: The Beginning
Elizabeth I was the fifth and last monarch of the House of Tudor. She was born in the Palace of Placentia on 7 September 1533 and was died on 24 March 1603 at the age of 69. Her father was Henry VIII and her mother was Anne Boleyn who was her father’s second wife. On 17 November 1558, she became the Queen of England and Ireland and ruled it for 44 years until her death. She was also called the Virgin Queen and Good Queen Bess. Elizabeth was third in line to become the monarch and she was not even destined to be queen. She was behind her half younger brother Edward VI and half elder sister Mary I. As her father Henry VIII died, on 28 January 1547, her younger brother Edward VI became the monarch at age nine and ruled for six years, dying at the age of 15 because of tuberculosis. After, Mary I became queen and ruled for five years, dying at age 42 on 17 November 1558. Finally, Elizabeth was the last child of Henry VIII to rule England and became the Queen of England, ruling for 44 years.
The Scars in Her Beauty : What Led Her to Toxic Cosmetics
During her 20’s the Queen got infected with smallpox. Though the young queen survived smallpox but the disease left scars and blemishes on her skin and in order to hide those she started using the makeup more vigorously.
Portrait of the Queen
Bizarre Beauty Standards
The cosmetics that were worn by women in the time of Queen Elizabeth are drastically different from those we wear today. Not only were the materials they used very different but the look they were trying to achieve was very different as well. Standards of beauty change all the time. To understand the cosmetics worn by Elizabethan women, it’s important to understand the effect they were trying to achieve—that “ideal” beauty they wanted to imitate. The ideal Elizabethan female had bright wide-set eyes, snow white skin, rosy cheeks, red lips and fair hair. Pale skin was a sign of nobility, wealth and delicacy was sought after by many. In a time where sunscreen was unheard of, skin problems and pox was a common thing smooth, unblemished skin was a rarity. The pale skin women (and men) wanted was achieved by a number of ways. The most popular being Venetian Ceruse (also known as Spirits of Saturn), a mixture of white lead and vinegar. This white foundation was applied to the face, neck and bosom. Naturally, smearing lead all over one’s skin caused some serious skin damage not only did it make the skin look “grey and shrivelled” there was lead poisoning, hair loss and if used over an extended period of time could cause death. They lined their eyes with black kohl to make them look darker and belladonna eyedrops (used to dilate women’s pupils, an effect considered to be attractive and seductive). Fashion required eyebrows to be thin and arched which would create a high forehead it was considered to be a sign of aristocracy. Rouged cheeks and red lips were very popular. This was obtained with plants and animal dyes.
Her Majesty’ s Royal Makeup
She used ingredients like lead and vinegar in her makeup which is called — “Venetian ceruse“. It is said that she was the only monarch that always took a long time to get ready. She used multiple layers of lead and vinegar and applied a thick white mask to her face and neck. The white skin was not a part of racism but it depicted that a woman was of a higher class. she applied was from If you have seen a portrait of Queen Elizabeth you may have noticed that her lips are very red. The red colour cinnabar, a mercury. poisonous substance that contains She used to remove it with a mixture of elements like eggshells, alum, and mercury. Thus, this leads to another use of poison in her makeup. People at that time would say that her skin became soft after makeup re moval but basically, it was peeling one layer at a time. All these caused wrinkles, aging, and the deterioration of her health. And it is assumed by the historians, that continuous use of those deadly chemicals as Cosmetics, led to her death.
Cinematic Portrait of the Queen, played by actress Margot Robbie
Conclusion
The urge of looking beautiful , sometimes proves hard on women’s overall health. body and The obsession of being perfect, has killed many women, including such Royalties like Queen Elizabeth I. Even today, women are insure about their natural beauty and sometimes find it hard to accept body positivity. We should learn to feel confident in our skin first, and the glow then comes from within as our flaws make us Earthly and more humane.
Red lipstickis a classic essential to every girl’s beauty bag. It’s fashionable 🌟, classy, and flattering, but it’s also a lot more. It’s audacious, daring, indisputably feminine, and visually stunning. Like its color, Red lipstickhas a vibrant, turbulent history,steeped in centuries of significance.
ORIGIN
Many historians claim that red lipstick was first devised in the Sumerian region of southern Mesopotamia at approximately 3,500 B.C.E. Others ascribe the invention of lipstick to the ancient Egyptian elites, who wore scarlet red lipstick made from crushed bugs as a sign of social supremacy.
Irrespective of its exact origin, wearing red lipstick has long been a powerful social icon with a myriad of connotations. Depending on the place and period, the aesthetic was a teasing sign of enticement, a proclamation of social rank, a display of affluence, or an assertion of confidence.
Following the rise of Christianity and puritanical beliefs, the church forbade the wearing of lipsticks or any makeup. Women wearing lipsticks were accused of being sorcerers and witches, as red lips were being associated with Satan worship.
Prostitutes in Ancient Greece were mandated by law to wear red lipstick, so they could not be mistaken for respectable upper-class ladies. The ancient Greeksused a concoction of red dye, sheep sweat, and crocodile droppings in their lipstick.
Queen Elizabeth rekindled the passion for red lipstick in 16th century England with her signature pale face and crimson lips. However, this time, Red lipstick was solely worn by upper-class women & was made of beeswax and red plant-based dyes.
And by the 1700s, England banned Red Lipstick, purportedly because women were using cosmetics to entice men to marry them. Similar restrictions existed in the United States, authorizing for the repudiation of marriage if revealed that the lady had been courting with red lipstick.
Until the late 1800s, most lipsticks were manufactured at home with carmine extracted from insects called cochineal. In 1884, French perfumers created the first commercially available lipstick, using a concoction of deer tallow, castor oil, and beeswax. Lipsticks did not come in plastic or metal tubes like it does today. Rather, they were sold in paper tubes, little pots, and paper-wrapped bundles.
In the late 1800s, Guerlain began making red lipstick with grapefruit, butter, and wax. In the late 1890s, the Sears Roebuck catalog featured rouge for the lips and cheeks.
In 1911, metal lipstick tubes were debuted, making it possible for ladies to retouch their lipstick quickly and easily.
By 1912, stylish ladies in Western culture were openly wearing makeup.
As women’s use of make-up rose, so did the colors and materials used in lipstick. Brightly colored lipstick had become an emblem of sexual and social defiance by the 1970s. In the 1980s, red became the “it” color.
Natural colors and substances became popular in the 1990s. Lipstick accounted for nearly $9.4 billion in cosmetic sales at the turn of the century.
Two inventors are credited with creating the “tube” of lipstick, that enabled women to carry lipstick in their handbags.
The metal tube container for lipstick was designed by Maurice Levy of the Scovil Manufacturing Company in 1915. It had a little lever on the side of the tube that lowered and lifted the lipstick. The “Levy Tube” was the name given to Levy’s innovation.
James Bruce Mason Jr.
The first swivel-up tube was patented in 1923 by JamesBruce Mason Jr.
Earlier lipstick formulae utilized pigment powder, crushed insects, butter, beeswax, and olive oil, however, these early formulas only lasted for a few hours before getting rancid, and they often had negative health consequences.
Paul Baudercroux, a French chemist, created the Rouge Baiser formula in 1927, touted as the very first kiss-proof lipstick. Rouge Baiser, seemingly, was so good at staying on one’s lips that it had to be pulled from the market as it was too difficult to remove.
Decades later, in 1950, Hazel Bishop, a chemist, created No-Smear Lipstick, a new type of long-lasting lipstick, and it became a phenomenal commercial success.
Max Factor, a Polish immigrant cosmetician, founded the brand in 1909, which went on to become one of the most well-known in the history of beauty. In the 1930s, Max Factor introduced their first lip gloss, the first to be worn by movie stars, however soon wider populace also started wearing it.
TheRed lip coloris here to stay & will forever remain a cult classic.
Egyptian craftsmen, whose aptitudes are best exemplified in form, viewed themselves basically as craftspeople. Inferable from their control and exceptionally created stylish sense, nonetheless, the results of their speciality have the right to rank as craftsmanship extraordinary by any principles.
A great part of the enduring model is funerary—i.e., sculptures for burial chambers. The greater part of the rest of made for setting in sanctuaries—votive for private people and custom for imperial and awesome portrayals. Regal monsters were custom and furthermore served todeclare the greatness and intensity of the lord. Without anyone else, in any case, a sculpture could speak to nobody except if it conveyed a recognizable proof in symbolic representations.
The standing male figure with left leg progressed and the situated figure was the most widely recognized sort of Egyptian sculpture. Hints of wooden figures found at Ṣaqqārah show that the principal type was being made as ahead of schedule as the first tradition. The soonest situated figures are two of Lord Khasekhem of the second administration, which, albeit moderately little, as of now epitomize the basic monumentality of all regal models.
The preeminent sculptural capability was accomplished strikingly rapidly. The enormously noteworthy life-size sculpture of Djoser guided the path toward the eminent imperial figures from the fourth tradition pyramid buildings at Giza. For nuance of cutting and genuine glorious pride, hardly anything of later date outperforms the diorite sculpture of Khafre. Barely less fine are the models of Menkaure (Mycerinus). The pair sculpture of the lord and his significant other epitomizes brilliantly both respect and conjugal love; the groups of three indicating the ruler with goddesses and nome (common) gods display a total authority of cutting hard stone in numerous planes.
This association of ability and virtuoso was accomplished in nonroyal sculpture just as in the painted limestone sculptures of Ruler Rahotep and his better half, Nofret, which additionally show the Egyptians’ amazing aptitude in decorating eyes into models, expertise further exhibited in the wooden figure of Kaʿaper, known as Shaykh al-Balad, the very encapsulation of the affected authority.
Among increments to the sculptural collection during the Old Realm was the scribal sculpture.
The three paintings shown are Madame de Pompadour 1756 by François Boucher, Mona Lisa 1503 by Leonardo da Vinci and The Girl with the Pearl Earring 1665 by Johannes Vermeer.
The first painting of Madame de Pompadour, was by Francois Boucher, it’s a Rococo painting and like other artists of this period the style is ornate and uses light colors along with asymmetrical designs to bring out the emphasis on Madame de Pompadour. Rococo artists and architects generally used a more jocular, florid, and graceful approach to Baroque works. In this painting, she is lying on a couch with a book in her hand, wearing a frivolous dress and an intricate up-do, and she is gazing off into the distance. All of the focus is on Madame de Pompadour, with her intricate dress and hairdo a distinctive contrast from the purple background. There is a lot of shadow in the dress which gives it a lot more depth, making it appear very realistic.
The painting Mona Lisa– a Baroque masterpiece by Da Vinci evokes an intense emotional response from viewers just as Seventeenth-century masters sought to engage viewers as participants in the work of art and often reached out to incorporate or activate the world beyond the frame into nature and meaning of the work itself. The painting presents a woman in half-body portrait, which has as a backdrop a distant landscape. The sense of overall harmony achieved in the painting—especially apparent in the sitter’s faint smile—reflects Leonardo’s idea of the cosmic link connecting humanity and nature, making this painting an enduring record of Leonardo’s vision.
The painting of the Girl with a Pearl Earring shows a young girl in a dark space, a setting that seems extremely quiet and intimate. The background of the painting sets the mood of the painting and draws the viewer’s attention primarily to the girl. She’s wearing the eponymic pear earrings along with a blue and pale-yellow head turban which provides a pleasant contrast to the viewer’s eye. Unlike many others of Vermeer’s works, she is not unaware of her viewer or caught in a moment of concentration over some chore. Instead, she is caught in a fleeting moment and turns her head over her shoulder, meeting the viewer’s gaze with her eyes wide and lips parted as if about to speak. The girl’s facial expression could be compared to that of Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, wherein both the paintings’ subjects are captured in a way that the viewer is beheld by curiosity as to what both subjects were thinking of when the painting was made, as both have a serene, and subtle mysterious smile. The three paintings however, are exquisite as they each portray three vastly different women, each of which are expressed and painted with individual styles, textures, contrast and depth- an indication of the artist’s expertise and the period in which the painting was made.
Socrates of Athens was one of the most famous figures in world history for his contributions to the development of ancient Greek philosophy which provided the foundation for all of Western Philosophy. He is, in fact, known as the “Father of Western Philosophy” for this reason. He was originally a sculptor who seems to have also had a number of other occupations, including soldier, before he was told by the Oracle at Delphi that he was the wisest man in the world. In an effort to prove the oracle wrong, he embarked on a new career of questioning those who were said to be wise and, in doing so, proved the oracle correct: Socrates was the wisest man in the world because he did not claim to know anything of importance.
Plato
His most famous student was Plato (l. c. 428/427-348/347 BCE) who would honor his name through the establishment of a school in Athens (Plato’s Academy) and, more so, through the philosophical dialogues he wrote featuring Socrates as the central character. Whether Plato’s dialogues accurately represent Socrates’ teachings continues to be debated but a definitive answer is unlikely to be reached. Plato’s best known student was Aristotle of Stagira (l. 384-322 BCE) who would then tutor Alexander the Great (l. 356-323 BCE) and establish his own school. By this progression, Greek philosophy, as first developed by Socrates, was spread throughout the known world during, and after, Alexander’s conquests.
Early Life
Socrates was born c. 469/470 BCE to the sculptor Sophronicus and the mid-wife Phaenarete. He studied music, gymnastics, and grammar in his youth (the common subjects of study for a young Greek) and followed his father’s profession as a sculptor. Tradition holds that he was an exceptional artist and his statue of the Graces, on the road to the Acropolis, is said to have been admired into the 2nd century CE. Socrates served with distinction in the army and, at the Battle of Potidaea, saved the life of the General Alcibiades. He married Xanthippe, an upper-class woman, around the age of fifty and had three sons by her. According to contemporary writers such as Xenophon, these boys were incredibly dull and nothing like their father. Socrates seems to have lived a fairly normal life until he was told by the Oracle at Delphi that he was the wisest of men. His challenge to the oracle’s claim set him the course that would establish him as a philosopher and the founder of Western Philosophy.
The Oracle and Socrates
When he was middle-aged, Socrates’ friend Chaerephon asked the famous Oracle at Delphi if there was anyone wiser than Socrates, to which the Oracle answered, “None.” Bewildered by this answer and hoping to prove the Oracle wrong, Socrates went about questioning people who were held to be ‘wise’ in their own estimation and that of others. He found, to his dismay, “that the men whose reputation for wisdom stood highest were nearly the most lacking in it, while others who were looked down on as common people were much more intelligent”. The youth of Athens delighted in watching Socrates question their elders in the market and, soon, he had a following of young men who, because of his example and his teachings, would go on to abandon their early aspirations and devote themselves to philosophy (from the Greek ‘Philo’, love, and ‘Sophia’, wisdom – literally ‘the love of wisdom’). Among these were Antisthenes of Athens (l. c. 445-365 BCE), founder of the Cynic school, Aristippus of Cyrene (l. c. 435-356 BCE), founder of the Cyrenaic school), Xenophon, whose writings would influence Zeno of Citium, (l.c. 336-265 BCE) founder of the Stoic school, and, most famously, Plato (the main source of our information of Socrates in his Dialogues) among many others.
Trial and Death of Socrates
In 399 BCE Socrates was charged with impiety by Meletus the poet, Anytus the tanner, and Lycon the orator who sought the death penalty in the case. The accusation read: “Socrates is guilty, firstly, of denying the gods recognized by the state and introducing new divinities, and, secondly, of corrupting the young.” It has been suggested that this charge was both personally and politically motivated as Athens was trying to purge itself of those associated with the scourge of the Thirty Tyrants of Athens who had only recently been overthrown. His execution was delayed for 30 days due to a religious festival, during which the philosopher’s distraught friends tried unsuccessfully to convince him to escape from Athens. On his last day, Plato says, he “appeared both happy in manner and words as he died nobly and without fear.” He drank the cup of brewed hemlock his executioner handed him, walked around until his legs grew numb and then lay down, surrounded by his friends, and waited for the poison to reach his heart.
One of the most tragic instances in history would be that of the holocaust – a word that in itself is a definition of six years of European geopolitics. In Russia, Palestine and China, the expulsion of the White Army, the expulsion of the Arabs and the brutual suppression of cultures across China in the name of cultural revolution respectively bring to picture the way in which states and not just people can sometimes be the enemy of people. However, there have been several such instances in history, most of them hidden because they were carried out by the more ancestors of the ones who ended up being economically and intellectually influential communities.
A poster calling out for Chinese Cultural Revolution
Human history is a record of forced displacements both internal and external, ethnic cleaning and genocides and murders both to the dismay and sponsored by states. When Captain Cook discovered the down under, it led a massive import of British criminals on the continent. With them came officers, scientists and explorers. The businessmen and civilians searching for more opportunities came in later. The people of the continent – the Australian arboginals, the Maoris from Oceania and many more tribes were reduced to a mere holder of small patches of lands and often no land at all by the British who had a superior military.
When the first Irish and British settlers landed in the new World of America, the red Indians offered them food and shelter which soon became a situation where the Red Indians had to fight for the survival of their lives and their cultures which was systematically and quite institutionally taken away by the New World settlers. Similarly, when the Spanish invaded Latin America, it meant a complete and absolute dissolution of their traditions and a genocide that would annihilate their population to an extent where even after 400 years, they would not attain the same.
Machu Pichu stands as a testimony to the Grand Incan Empire in the Andes before the Spanish arrived.
To add to all these miseries are the tales of the Rohingya community from Myanmar, the Tamils in Sri Lanka, the Kashmiri Pandits in Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, the now diminishing sea faring communities in Philippines and Malaysia and many more. Japanese and Italian unifications were also carried out at the cost of the local traditions, cultures and ways that the communities living there had been practicing for a millennia. In India, the use of English and Hindi have slowly gobbled up on the rich culture of local languages that the communities had. In fact, many communities from the state of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh have completely given up on their languages. Bihar – a state where only 6% people had Hindi as their mother tongue now has a minority of about 20%!!
World loses about 1 language every 15 days!!!
Wikipedia defines Indigenous people as – “Indigenous peoples, also referred to as first people, aboriginal people, native people, or autochthonous people, are culturally distinct ethnic groups who are native to a place which has been colonised and settled by another ethnic group. ” But, a broader definition is the fact that indigenous people are defined by their cultures which is at a steady loss across the globe. The most important thing is to treasure the fragments of their traditions that still remain. Because a rainbow is better a rainbow.
Happy International Day for the Indigenous communites.
King Tutankhamen, popularly known as Tutankhamun, was born in the year 1341 BCE. “Aten’s living image” is the etymology of his name. He was crowned Egypt’s pharaoh at the young age of nine. He reigned from circa 1332 to 1323 B.C.E. as the 12th pharaoh of the 18th Egyptian dynasty. He ruled at a time when Egypt and the neighboring kingdom of Nubia were at odds over land and trade routes.
King Tut was confirmed to be the grandchild of the renowned pharaoh Amenhotep III and the offspring of Akhenaten, a contentious character of the 18th dynasty of Egypt’s the New Kingdom.
Akhenaten disrupted Egypt’s centuries-old religious system by favoring the worship of a single god, the sun god Aten, and relocating the country’s religious capital from Thebes to Amarna. Several of his father’s actions were annulled by King Tut, with the assistance of his advisor Ay, and Egypt returned to polytheism during his reign. Following Akhenaten’s demise, two pharaohs served for a short time until Tutankhaten inherited the crown.
Nearly a decade after attaining power, the “boy king” died under dubious circumstances only at 19. Below-mentioned are the few assumptions-
The Egyptian royal family’s longstanding incest is also believed to have contributed to the young prince’s ill health and early demise. His parents were siblings, as per DNA testing revealed in 2010, and his spouse, Ankhesenamun, was also his half-sister.
He stood tall but was fragile, with a terrible bone condition in his malformed left foot. He is the only pharaoh, believed to have sat while engaging in physical sports like archery. As per researchers, King Tut died from a gangrene infection, most likely triggered by a fractured leg.
It was assumed Tutankhamun was slain because his remains exhibited a hole in the back of his skull, but current findings reveal the wound was formed during mummification.
In 1995, CT scans indicated that the pharaoh had a crippled left leg, and DNA from his mummy showed signs of multiple malaria illnesses, all of which could have attributed to his premature death.
Tutankhamun suffered from malaria and was crippled, necessitating a cane to move, as per a 2010 analysis of his DNA, which could have triggered his fall and exacerbated his leg infection.
King Tut was mummified after he perished, in compliance with Egyptian religious practice. Embalmers removed his organs, dressed him in resin-soaked bandages, and then put in several nested coffins—three golden coffins, a granite sarcophagus, and four gilded wooden shrines, the greatest of which barely fit inside the tomb’s burial chamber.
According to archaeologists, King Tut’s death might’ve been unforeseen considering the modest size of his tomb.
More than 5,000 antiquities, comprising a solid gold mask, furniture, chariots, apparel, couches, canopies, funerary objects, musical instruments, scribal instruments, jars, sticks, thrones, headrests, swords, and 130 of the crippled pharaoh’s walking sticks, were crammed into the tomb’s antechambers. The entryway passage was believed to have been ransacked shortly after the interment, whilst innermost chambers remained concealed. King Tut’s gold mask was crafted utilizing 22 pounds of gold.
TREASURES OF Tutankhamun
1. Walking on gold
These sandals, made of solid gold for burial purpose, would’ve been put on dead Pharaoh’s feet before he was draped in layers of linen. These resembled the leather and plant sandals Tutankhamun wore in actuality.
2. Symbols of pharaonic power
In Ancient Egypt, the crook and flail were the most important metaphor of royal power, with the shepherd’s crook symbolizing royalty and the flail indicating agricultural productivity. Within Tutankhamun’s mummy’s wrapping, The crook and flail featured silver centers, while the crossed hands were crafted of gold with colored glass.
3. Divine protection
Pectorals, or extravagant pieces of jewelry, were worn across the chest. The gold Falcon depicts god Horus clutching the sign for eternity in his claws. Horus was believed to be the pharaohs’ creator and guardian.
4. Fierce protector
One of 8 wooden shields excavated in the tomb’s annex depicts Tutankhamun as a sphinx crushing his adversaries. The sphinx is surmounted by a falcon, which is a representation of the fighting deity, Montu. The openwork of the wood indicates that this armor was designed for ritualistic rather than fighting purposes. The Pharaoh’s armor represents him as a formidable pharaoh who safeguards Egypt from its enemies.
5. The hand of the king
The majority of the items unearthed in the tomb were ritualistic or were meant for the Pharaoh’s afterlife use. But, researchers believe Tutankhamun used these linen gloves during his lifetime, most likely during the cold months, when in Memphis or while riding his royal chariot.
6. Gilded Wooden Bed
This gold-covered bed is assumed to have been prepared for King Tut’s funeral. The Ancient Egyptians felt that the deceased is just resting and that they’d awaken in the afterlife when they were reborn. Religious figures were carved on the bed to guarantee the Pharaoh’s safe travel into the afterlife and to keep evil powers away.
7. Immortal body
The ancient Egyptians believed that the body will be required in the afterlife, so they took great care to protect it after its demise. Stalls were used to maintain the shape of fingers and toes. Gold was highly regarded because it doesn’t rust or alter. It goes on and on.
Indian handloom industry saw a reduction in 30% of its trade in the year 2020. This means that the already struggling industry will see further cut in costs. There is an urgent need to innovate new ways to market the goods it produces. The modern state of India still has one of the largest employed workforce in the textile sector, and a large part of it is the handloom industry – which is mostly worked in by the artisans who are either poor or are working hard to preserve their traditional way of manufacturing clothes and designs. For India presents a rainbow in manufacturing methods – right from the famous Benarasi Saree to the now almost extinct methods of making silk and woolen garments in the remote hills of Ladakh and Kashmir.
Cotton has been cultivated in the Indian subcontinent for over 3000 years. And that is probably also the age of a rich tradition of fabric making. With the advent of the bronze age through the influx of Greco-Roman, Mongol, Iranian, Vedic and Afghan cultures into the modern age of Mughals, Marathas, British and later the republic of India and her neighbours – the Indian textile industry has seen a plethora of changes and demand.
From dhotis and sarees to kurtas and Salwars – India has seen a plethora of changes in its clothing culture.
Handloom has a great symbolic importance to India. For it was the first Industry that stood as a symbol of self-reliance during the British Raj resistance period, a rhetoric the current Indian Prime Minister used in his Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign. After all, if it were not for Indian fabric – the famed Muslins and Pashminas and Indian spices – the British would have had to search for other reasons to come and settle in a land so very far away from their motherland.
Gandhi used handloom as a symbol of self reliance
7th August marks the National Handloom day – a day dedicated to an industry that is rapidly finding itself in a stage where only the ones who are super-nationalist and the rich opting for it. Handloom products are often costly than the cheap produce of the machines that invaded the textile industry 200 years ago, effectively ushering in the Industrial Revolution in the 17th century England.
Back to India, here is a list of some famous Indian handloom industries and the cities in which they are concentrated.
Varanasi – The famed Banaras Silk sari is the prized possession of many north Indian women as that is the standard sari of the bride in marriages in households that can afford them. And yet, the Benarasi artists are increasingly been replaced by machines that are producing cheaper saris though with reduced finesse. To add to it is the Zamdani works on cotton fabric, quite endemic to the city.
Jaipur – Jaipur and its handloom industry have the royal family of Jaipur as its patrons. There are establishments and shops that were opened by the last Rajmata of the city, Gayatri Deviji to promote local industries. To add to that is the already existing tradition of Bandhni, Zari and Patti works.
Surat – One of the oldest textile industries that were spotted and used by the local rulers and the British alike. The silk industry in Surat is one of the largest of its kind in the country.
Kota – The tuition capital of the country is also home to the Kota Doria, Gotta Patti and the Kota weave artisans.
Lucknow – The city has an industry that keeps alive the times when nawabs ruled over the city of Lucknow, the then capital of the Awadh state. Most famous of its local weaves is the Chikankari work.
Bhadohi – The small town is only 40km from Varanasi and has been the centre of Indo-Persian carpet work since the era of the Mughal Emperor Akbar and has the largest carpet making industry in the country.
Well, there are many more of such cities and villages when one researches about them. Many of the ingenious art forms that are involved in making clothes are dying with less than 50 families left that carry forward the tradition. The sad part – machines cannot replicate that finesse. Such is the case of the wool and silk industry in the Gharwal and Kashmir valleys.
After the pandemic or even during it, let us and our government support this remnant of our history, our art, our tradition and a symbol of first instance of our modern industrial self reliance.
Eduindex News 
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