UNRAVEL STUDIO: Recent Episodes
Rutuja Sangitrao
Veer Savarkar was born to a Hindu family on 28 May, 1883, at Nashik District. He was known for his bravery and so earned the nickname 'Veer' that is a courageous person. Veer Savarkar also became a revolutionary young man. When he was young, he organised a youth group named 'Mitra Mela'.
Here the language of stone surpasses the language of man”, says Rabindranath Tagore, about the iconic Sun Temple at Konark. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Konark Sun temple is a striking model of ancient artistry, fluidity of ideas, and a pedagogic treasury. Dedicated to the sun god, Surya, the first rays of the sun fall on the entrance of the temple. Much of the temple has fallen into rack and ruin but what remains still holds enough charm to captivate. An interpretation of a greater imagination, it has seen empires rise and fall, identities washed away, yet appealing to our sensorium even today.
From exquisite diamond like the Kohinoor to forward thinking text like the Veda, from advanced agricultural techniques to splendid scenery, 17th century India had it all. At the time, being one of the wealthiest nations in the world, India was known as ‘sone ki chidiya’ – Golden Sparrow and for a very good reason.
It is the story of the magnificent King Suheldev of the 11th century. King Who Saved India Suhaldev or Suheldev is a legendary Indian king from Shravasti, popularly known to have defeated and killed the Ghaznavid general Ghazi Salar Masud at Bahraich in 1034 CE.
A massive territory to the west of the Chahamana dynasty was ruled by Muhammad of Ghor, who wanted to expand his empire towards the east. In order to do so, Muhammad of Ghor had to defeat Prithviraj Chauhan and hence, he waged a war against the Chahamanas. Though many legends claim that Prithviraj and Muhammad of Ghor fought many battles, historians confirm that at least two battles were fought between the two. Since they were fought near the town of Tarain, they later came to be known as ‘Battles of Tarain.’
The Indian government had appointed three commissions. The Shah Nawaz Committee(1956) and Khosla Commission (1970) said that Bose died in an air crash on August 18, 1945 at Taihoku airport in Japanese-occupied Taipei, while the Mukherjee Commission (1999) concluded that he did not die in an air-crash. The government, however, rejected the findings of the Mukherjee Commission. But that didn't stop scholars from dwelling deep to find the truth.
Subhash Chandra Bose is fondly remembered as one of the greatest freedom fighters of India, and popularly known by the name of 'Netaji' (Respected Leader). Bose was an Indian nationalist, and a prominent figure of the Indian independence movement. The leader spearheaded the revolutionary Indian National Army during World War II. He always pitched for complete and unconditional independence of India from the British Rule. Bose (photo), a revolutionary lawyer and leader of the Congress Party in India who stood in direct confrontation with Gandhi’s passive and nonviolent resistance methods against the British, escaped from India in 1941 following British imprisonment and made his way to Berlin, after failing to get himself smuggled to the Soviet Union.
The renowned 'Palace Of The Winds', or Hawa Mahal, is one of the prominent tourist attractions in Jaipur city. Located in the heart of Jaipur, this beautiful five-storey palace was constructed in 1799 by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh who belonged to Kachhwaha Rajput dynasty. The main architect of this palace built of red and pink sandstone, is Lal Chand Ustad and the palace is believed to have been constructed in the form of the crown of Krishna, the Hindu god. Considered as an embodiment of Rajputana architecture, the main highlight of Hawa Mahal is its pyramid shape and its 953 windows or 'Jharokhas' which are decorated with intricate designs. The main intention behind the construction of the Mahal was to facilitate the royal women and provide them a view of everyday life through the windows, as they never appeared in public.
Ayurveda has both preventive and curative aspects. The preventive component emphasizes the need for a strict code of personal and social hygiene, the details of which depend upon individual, climatic, and environmental needs. Bodily exercises, the use of herbal preparations, and Yoga form a part of the remedial measures. The curative aspects of Ayurveda involve the use of herbal medicines, external preparations, physiotherapy, and diet. It is a principle of Ayurveda that the preventive and therapeutic measures be adapted to the personal requirements of each patient.
The growth of education in British period was not uniform at all levels, they had never emphasized on the primary education. The more attention was given to the expansion of high schools and colleges. Primary schools particularly suffered for lack of funds therefore vast masses of the country remained illiterate.
But as the poison induced by Macaulay continues to weaken this nation, we hardly even care to know about "Indian thinking", Indian problems and Indian models and solutions to these problems. The best brains and the best energies are concentrated on evolving and applying western models and solutions. We seem to know less and less about our own nation
Portuguese explorer Vasco de Gama becomes the first European to reach India via the Atlantic Ocean when he arrives at Calicut on the Malabar Coast.
Da Gama sailed from Lisbon, Portugal, in July 1497, rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and anchored at Malindi on the east coast of Africa. With the aid of an Indian merchant he met there, he then set off across the Indian Ocean. The Portuguese explorer was not greeted warmly by the Muslim merchants of Calicut, and in 1499 he had to fight his way out of the harbor on his return trip home. In 1502, he led a squadron of ships to Calicut to avenge the massacre of Portuguese explorers there and succeeded in subduing the inhabitants. In 1524, he was sent as viceroy to India, but he fell ill and died in Cochin.
Peshwa Bajirao is considered to be the most important figure in making the Maratha Empire a dominant force in 18th century India. Here’s his story. Not often does one man stamp his presence in an entire sub-continent and establish an empire that spreads across the huge Indian land mass. His movements, from Delhi to Srirangapatnam and Gujarat to Berar over a twenty year period in the 18th century, were unequalled in speed and distance.
His innate ability to gauge the opponent’s strengths and weaknesses and spring the trap when his enemy is lulled into what appeared a position of strength was his forte. A victory in every battle is a dream for any military leader. Bajirao achieved it because he had the head to plan and the hand to execute.
Chhatrapati Shivaji was one of the bravest, most progressive and sensible rulers of India. The founder of the Maratha Kingdom, Shivaji was born to be a natural leader and fighter on 19th February, 1630 in the prestigious Shivneri Fort. Till date, the day is celebrated as Shiv Jayanti with great rigour and traditional style by Maharashtrians.
Shivaji established a royal name for himself in history with his administrative skills by upholding the Swarajya values and the Maratha heritage. He was known for his bravery and tactics with which he won numerous wars against the Mughals
For nearly 30 years, India and Bangladesh have argued over control of a tiny rock island in the Bay of Bengal. Now rising sea levels have resolved the dispute for them: the island has gone. New Moore island in the Sunderbans has been completely submerged, Its disappearance has been confirmed by satellite imagery and sea patrols, he said. "What these two countries could not achieve from years of talking has been resolved by global warming,"
New Moore Island in India and South Talpatti Island in Bangladesh. It was an unhabitated island which emerged in the Bay of Bengal in the aftermath of the Bhola cyclone in 1970. It had been created by the delta currents. It was located south of the Hariabhanga river. Now it has disappeared due to raising sea levels.
Rakhigarhi hit the headlines when the DNA extracted from a woman who lived in the village around 4,500 years ago yielded clues to the ancestry of ancient Indians. Being a hub of ancient history, though, has come at a cost to this Indus Valley Civilisation site
A wide range of water structures -- bathing platforms and house drains -- are found in Dholavira, both within and outside the walls of the city. Some are the ordinary kinds also found commonly in several Harappan settlements. But in many Harappan centres, these structures were made of baked bricks because stones were not readily available. Sometimes, the bricks were lined with a cementing clay to render them less porous.
At Dholavira, stones were available in plenty and were used to make tiles for the water structures; drains were made with both ordinary ungeometrical stones as well as neatly cut blocks. There are several channels carefully cut in stone blocks or slabs of varying lengths. Pottery pipes were also used. In some places, mortar was made of superfine, sticky, grey clay. At Mohenjodaro, bitumen, gypsum and lime were used as waterproofing agents.
Till the ninth year of his rule, Ashoka followed the expansionist policies of the Mauryan Empire. In this sequence, he attacked Kalinga.Kalinga, which was an independent democratic state at that time. Ashok attacked it to win it. The ghost of victory was so much on Ashoka that he kept moving fast and cutting people. In this war, about 100,000 soldiers were killed and more than 150000 people were imprisoned. When Ashoka reached the battlefield after winning this war, he was heartbroken after seeing the dead bodies and the relatives mourning over them. From here the condition and direction of his life changed. The horrors of the Kalinga War brought about a sudden change in the heart of Asoka. Deep remorse overtook him almost immediately. The death, destruction, violence and bloodshed of the war left a permanent impression in his mind for long time to come.
What is your motivation to run a Google Developer Student Club at your College? I want to establish a community of developers where we can come together to solve real world problems. I want to bring a change with the aid of technology. Women empowerment is a buzz word today, our college being a girl’s college has led by an example, and empowered us. I want to grab this opportunity to run Google Developer student club to empower us further and help us explore the huge arena of technology to become proficient coder and successful software developers. I want to motivate people to become the best version of themselves both as a developer and a person. I want to bring awareness about different technical domains and technologies that will shape the future . Learning is much beautiful when shared with others this is how I want to lead the club, I will bridge the gap to bring the experience to nurture everyone in our community.
What is your experience in leading a project or a team? A leader is someone who will bring out the best in you; will enhance your personal skill set and exactly in this way I want to use this opportunity of a DSC lead Given below are my leadership experiences: - Co-founder of JIGSAWMINDZ During the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, I along with my friends stared an online community - JIGSAWMINDZ in September 2020. Jigsawmindz community intends to provide a platform for talented and motivated youth in overall development, we take sessions on personality development, interview skills, and tech-based events for free which help students to build their open-source profiles. Our community aim is to provide experience to the newbies from experienced corporate personnel and other experts. We have reached to more than 10,000 plus students within a span of 7 months. We also have reached a milestone of 5000 subscribes on our YouTube channel. Manager of Outgoing Global Entrepreneur at AIESEC (Sep 2019 to May 2020) I was Manager at AIESEC, Pune. AIESEC is an international youth-run, non-governmental and not-for-profit organization that provides young people with leadership development, cross-cultural internships, and global volunteer exchange experiences. My work involved contacting companies, organizations, alumni and other contacts to try to raise interest and leads in possible traineeships with AIESEC. I developed understanding of project management, communication skills, leadership and also able to increase my network. Volunteering and Trainings Supported my mother in organizing online faculty Short Term training program using OBS, You Tube and Webex for Saraswathi Engineering College, New Mumbai in June 2020 I also worked as volunteer & organized fun and innovative games in Innovation – 2020 Tech Fest held at Pune “Decrypt in the dark” Successfully completed TCS-ION on soft-skills (Internee-ship), Robotics (Organized by IIT Delhi) Host of Podcast Channel, “Think about it” I am an avid reader and have deep interest in history. I host a podcast channel named “Think about it” The channel is to make people aware of the less known historical facts. I have so far podcasted 18 stories on my channel which are well appreciated. What technology do you find most interesting and why? What is your experience with this technology? I have acquired technical knowledge in web development and android development. In android development I have worked on audio controls, getting the current location using GPS and currency convertor. I am also working on a travel planner project. What excites me about android development is that ,every year, Android brings up innovative ideas and trends that symbolize the future. The devices and technologies used by users help them to solve the problems they face. Courtesy of numerous apps like alarms, reminders, to-do-lists and all types of notification apps that could be programmed to our individual needs and requirements thus making life more comfortable, easier and more productive. Thus, android has
The name Maharana Pratap brings to the mind the image of an indefatigable warrior who did not bow before an invader. Over the years, the story of the 16th century king of Mewar, who took head on the might of Mughal emperor Akbar, transcended the rough landscape of Rajasthan and firmly ensconced itself in the hearts of the people in every corner of India. That he was one of the Rajput rulers to have never submitted turned Pratap into an inspiring hero to many.
Who won the Battle of Haldighati, fought between Emperor Akbar’s Mughal army and the Mewar forces of Maharana Pratap?
The story of Haldighati has been told and sung century after century. It is a story of great courage and sacrifice; of the clash of indomitable wills; of Mughal ambition and expansion versus Rajput pride and honour.
It should come as no surprise that the first recorded use of the number zero happened in India. Mathematics on the Indian subcontinent has a rich history going back over 3,000 years and thrived for centuries before similar advances were made in Europe, with its influence meanwhile spreading to China and the Middle East. Indian mathematicians made seminal contributions to the study of trigonometry, algebra, arithmetic and negative numbers among other areas. Perhaps most significantly, the decimal system that we still employ worldwide today was first seen in India.
The leap, made in India, that transformed zero from a simple placeholder to a number in its own right indicates the mathematically enlightened culture that was flourishing on the subcontinent at a time when Europe was stuck in the dark ages. Although its reputation suffers from the Eurocentric bias, the subcontinent has a strong mathematical heritage, which it continues into the 21st century by providing key players at the forefront of every branch of mathematics.
A look at the handling of the plague crisis of 1896-97 clearly shows that the British had a poor understanding of Indian social customs and mind-set. It also reveals their complete lack of preparedness to tackle the epidemic, which resulted in the deaths of lakhs of people. They initially allowed the plague to spread just to keep global trade afloat and took brutal measures to crack down only after it had spiralled out of control. Besides, the hastily drafted Epidemic Disease Act of 1897, which gave absolute powers to the local authorities, turned out to be too draconian to bring about any actual relief to the affected. Now the same law has been resurrected and is being implemented, without any amendments to suit the modern scenario.
Anandibai Gopalrao Joshi was the first female Indian physician. She was also the first woman in India to complete her studies in western medicine from the United States. Anandibai has a rich legacy and inspired many women to pursue the field of of medicine in India and in the United States.
She will always be remembered as an intelligent, self-sufficient, independent young woman, who was staunchly nationalistic but open minded about ideas on religion, & outspoken about women’s healthcare & education. Anandi succeeded in converting countless minds who ever doubted women’s capabilities & inspired generations to be unafraid of challenges.
In the 1800's, it was very unusual for husbands to focus on their wives' education. Gopalrao was obsessed with the idea of Anandibai's education and wanted her to learn medicine and create her own identity in the world.
Born on May 31, 1725, in the village of Chondi in Jamkhed, Ahmednagar, today marks the 295th anniversary of the brave queen, Maharani or Rajmata Ahilyabai Holkar, regarded as one of the finest female rulers in Indian history. As a prominent ruler of the Malwa kingdom, she spread the message of dharma and promoted industrialisation in the 18th century. Ahilyabai did not belong to a royal lineage, however, her entry into royalty is nothing short of a twist of fate. It was when Malhar Rao Holkar, an acclaimed nobleman in the Malwa territory spotted an eight-year-old Ahilyabai at a temple service feeding the hungry and poor, while on his way to Pune. Immensely moved by the young girl’s act of kindness and strength of character, he decided to ask her hand in marriage for his son Khanderao Holkar. Ahilyabai was married to Khanderao Holkar in 1733 at the tender age of 8.
She is Rani Tarabai Bhonsle, the brave daughter-in-law of Chhatrapati Shivaji and one of India’s greatest medieval monarchs . Fiercely independent as a young girl, she was well-trained in sword fighting, archery, cavalry, military strategy, diplomacy and all other subjects of statecraft. An intelligent woman, Tarabai had earned a reputation during her husband’s lifetime for her knowledge of civil, diplomatic and military matters. She used this knowledge to lead from the front —travelling between forts, forging crucial partnerships, mobilizing resources and men.
Did you know there was one tribe that defeated the Mughals 17 times in battle? Yes, The mighty Ahoms fought and won against the Mughal empire seventeen times! In fact, they were the only dynasty not to fall to the Mughal Empire. Let us learn more about these brave Ahoms. One of the most fascinating aspects of Ahom history, has been their long conflict with the Mughals. While we do known about the long Maratha-Mughal war, not much is known about the long history of Ahom resistance to Mughal rule from 1615 when their kingdom was atttacked by Abu Bakr to the Battle of Itakhuli in 1682 that saw a decisive Ahom victory, resulting in the Mughal retreat. There were 18 major conflicts between the Ahoms and Mughals, out of which only one in 1663 was a major victory for the latter. In most other conflicts, the Ahoms either routed the Mughals and sent them back, or even if the Mughals won, they could not hold for long on to their gains.
Kangra Fort is located at a distance of 20km from the town of Dharamsala on the outskirts of Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, India. It’s the largest fort in the Himalayas, and according to the Archaeological Survey of India, it is the 8th largest in the country – covering an area of 463 acres. It is also India’s oldest dated fort and is believed to have been built around 3500 years ago by Maharaja Susharma Chandra, a descendant of the Katoch family, according to the Archaeological Survey of India.
This royal Rajput family is said to have been founded by Rajanaka Bhumi Chand in 4300 B.C. Legend has it that there was a time when Goddess Ambika (a form of Goddess Parvati) was fighting a ferocious demon. In the long and hard battle, a drop of the goddess’s sweat fell on Earth. From this emerged Bhumi Chand of the Chandravanshi (the moon clan), who helped the goddess fight the demon. As a blessing, Ambika granted him the kingdom of Trigarta, located between the three rivers – Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi. Kangra is a part of this region.
The Kailasa Temple is number 16 out of 32 cave temples and monasteries collectively known as the Ellora Caves in Maharashtra, India. However, it is considered to be one of the greatest and most remarkable cave temples in India because of its size, and the engineering that went into carving the temple out of one single piece of volcanic rock from the top down!
The great Kailasa temple (also known as the Kailash or Kailasanatha Temple) mystery revolves around how the temple was built. It is most notable for its vertical excavation; the carvers began at the top of the rock then carved their way downward. This was a traditional excavation method in India that was overseen by a master architect. Amazingly, the temple stands 60 feet (18.29 meters) tall and 200 feet (60.69 meters) wide.
The Kohinoor Diamond is one of the most famous diamonds in the world. The Kohinoor diamond was first mentioned in 1306 when it was taken from a Rajah of Malwa, whose family had held the diamond for centuries. It was described as weighing 186 carats and was an oval cut white diamond – the shape and size of a small hen’s egg. The Curse of the Kohinoor Diamond (aka Koh-i-Noor) The Curse of Kohinoor Diamond dates back to a Hindu text from the time of the first authenticated appearance of the diamond in 1306. The Curse of the Kohinoor Diamond reads: “He who owns this diamond will own the world, but will also know all it’s misfortunes. Only God, or a woman, can wear it with impunity.”
India has a rich maritime history dating back 5,000 years. The world’s first tidal dock is believed to have been built at Lothal around 2300 BCE during the Indus Valley Civilization, near the present day Mangrol harbour on the Gujarat coast. A compass, Matsya yantra, was used for navigation in the 4th and 5th century AD. The very word Navigation is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Navgatih’. The word navy is also derived from Sanskrit ‘Nou’.
The early Hindu astrologers are said to have used the magnet, in fixing the North and East, in laying foundations, and other religious ceremonies. The Hindu compass was an iron fish that floated in a vessel of oil and pointed to the North. The fact of this older Hindu compass seems placed beyond doubt by the Sanskrit word Maccha Yantra, or fish machine, which Molesworth gives as a name for the mariner’s compass”.
Sea lanes between India and neighboring lands were the usual form of trade for many centuries, and are responsible for the widespread influence of Indian Culture on other societies, particularly in the Indian Ocean region. Powerful navies included those of the Maurya, Satavahana, Chola,Vijayanagara, Kalinga, Maratha and Mughal empires. The Cholas excelled in foreign trade and maritime activity, extending their influence overseas to China and Southeast Asia.
Chanakya also known as Vishnugupta or Kautilya was the pioneer of political science in ancient India, whose works have great relevance even today. He served as an advisor to the great Chandragupta Maurya and played a vital role in the emergence of the Mauryan Empire. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that he played guardian to the Mauryan dynasty founder and was instrumental in the formation of the empire. . He took a small boy named Chandragupta under his wing and trained him Chanakya plotted to overthrow Dhananada and the whole Nanda empire, not because of revenge, but because he wanted a united and prosperous India. After he left Pataliputra, he found an apt candidate in a boy named Chandragupta. He saw potential in him, and hence taught his everything he knew about politics, economics and warfare.
For almost a decade, Alexander the Great and his army swept across Western Asia and into Egypt, defeating King Darius III and the Persians at the battles of River Granicus, Issus and Gaugamela. Next, despite the objections of the loyal army who had been with him since leaving Macedonia in 334 BCE, he turned his attention southward towards India.When Porus, who exhibited great talent in the battle, performing the deeds not only of a general but also of a valiant soldier, observed the slaughter of his cavalry, and some of his elephants lying dead, while most of his infantry had perished, he did not depart, setting an example of flight to his men; but as long as any body of Indians remained compact in the battle, he kept up the struggle. But at last, having received a wound on the right shoulder, which part of his body alone was unprotected during the battle, he wheeled round.”
On May 13, 1998, at 15:45 hours, India secretly conducted a series of underground nuclear tests with five bombs in Pokhran, Rajasthan. Although this was not the first time the country was testing its nuclear weapons (the first successful test took place in 1974 under the codename “Smiling Buddha”), this one was certainly the most memorable if one takes into consideration the sheer effect it had on its states and neighbouring countries. Amid these events, a very important question that most people miss is, how did the United States fail to identify in advance that Pokhran-II was going to take place? Listen to the complete PODCAST to know the complete story
For over 800 years NU was one of the best universities in the world. Students from across the globe came here to study in one of the greatest libraries in the world. It was spread over three buildings: Ratnasagara, Ratnadadhi and Ratnaranjaka. Each building was nine stories high and had an enormous collection of books that covered various subjects ranging from religion, literature, astrology, astronomy, medicine and much more. At the height of it’s glory, Nalanda University was devoted to not only Buddhist studies, but also trained students in fine arts, medicine, mathematics, astronomy, politics and the art of war.
He went to Tashkent to sign the Tashkent MoU to end the 1965 war with Pakistan. At that time, he was well, but immediately after that, on the night of 11 January 1966, there was sudden news that he had died of a heart attack. However, the mystery regarding his suspicious death remains to date. What happened next had a ring of unusualness about it. Given here 1)The KGB suspected poisoning 2) Shastri’s near and dear ones see a needle of suspicion pointing towards an insider's hand 3) No post mortem was carried out on Shastri’s body 4) Tragic end of witnesses
Rani Abbakka The only woman in history to confront, fight and repeatedly defeat the Portuguese, Rani Abbakka had unflagging courage and indomitable spirit are at par with the legendary Rani Laxmi Bai of Jhansi, Rani Rudramma Devi of Warangal and Rani Chennamma of Kittur. Yet, little is written about her or her incredible story in the history books.
daughters who continued to defend Tulu Nadu from the Portuguese. A warrior queen who gave her life in defence of her freedom and motherland, Rani Abbakka remained a major thorn in the Portuguese’ side throughout her rule despite their superior military power. This itself speaks volumes about her courage and ingenuity. Yet her splendid story remains largely forgotten by history books.
Here’s the untold story of Rani Abbakka Chowta, the valiant queen of Ullal.
Aryan invasion theory , A propaganda that is not true The theory of the Aryan invasion (or migration) was first put forward by Western scholars during the colonial age. Is proposed People of Steppe-pastoralist ancestry likely “brought horses and the Indo-European languages now spoken on the subcontinent,” BUT Some path-breaking insights came to light after scientists were able to sequence genome from the skeleton of a woman and study the archaeological evidence found in Rakhigarhi, “The ancient-DNA results completely reject the theory of steppe pastoral or ancient Iranian farmers as source of ancestry to the Harappan population. This research also demolishes the hypothesis about mass human migration during the Harappan time from outside South Asia,”
In January 2019, a team of archaeologists from the Institute of Archaeology started excavations in Sanauli, around 60 km from New Delhi, a site that made headlines due to some astonishing finds here – ‘royal’ burials and chariots that may have been pulled by horses “Chariots have never been found in the Indian subcontinent before Who were these mysterious settlers in Sanauli? The Sanaulians lived in a complex society with an advanced ‘warrior class’ as suggested by the weaponry excavated in the burial pits.