‘Every man dies, not everyone really lives’ – lines from movie Braveheart

Historians have been ignorant and biased towards unsung heroes like Ibrahim Khan Gardi who fought along with Marathas against the invader Ahmed Shah Abdali. Readers won’t find any mention about this brave warrior Ibrahim Khan Gardi in history textbooks. I got acquainted with Ibrahim Khan Gardi’s story while watching the 2019 war movie – Panipat: The great betrayal. It was Sadashiv rao Bhau (nephew of Bajirao) who recruited Ibrahim Khan Gardi in Peshwa’s armed forces. Prior to joining Marathas, Gardi served Nizam of Hyderabad. Ibrahim Khan Gardi was a war general with great leadership qualities and commanded a powerful army of 10,000 warriors’ expert in cavalry and infantry. He had a strong grip over cannons. When it came to cannon battles, Gardi was one man army who was unconquerable. Many allies of Peshwa backed out at last moment when Sadashiv rao Bhau needed their support at the most during the battle of Panipat. The Peshwa battalion was outnumbered. Lack of food rations, weapons and man power was the greatest factor that crumbled the courage of Peshwa army. Despite all these adverse circumstances, Ibrahim Khan Gardi fought like a lion, blowing away all the advancing forces of Abdali with cannons. Gardi was the only warrior who stood like a solid rock, a moral support for Sadashiv Rao Bhau in last tragic moments of battle. The third battle of Panipat claimed the lives of many great warriors like Jankoji Shinde, Vishwas Rao Bhau and the great warrior Sadashiv Rao Bhau. According to historians, several Maratha chiefs didn’t have faith in Ibrahim Khan Gardi’s loyalty. Except Sadashiv Rao Bhau, no one showed faith in Gardi. Ibrahim Khan Gardi was not only a great warrior, but also a patriot who fought for his motherland. Had the Maratha chiefs followed the war strategy of Ibrahim Khan Gardi, the result of Panipat battle would have been different.

Martyrdom – Ibrahim Khan Gardi was captured in a wounded state by Abdali’s army men and was subjected to torture before being killed in 1761. Even in his last moments, Gardi didn’t bow before Abdali. He remained loyal to Peshwa Sadashiv Rao Bhau even in his dying moments. Ibrahim Khan Gardi’s sacrifice didn’t go in vain. Though Ahmed Shah Abdali won the third battle of Panipat, he couldn’t stand before the courage of great war heroes like Sadashiv Rao Bhau, Jankoji Shinde and Gardi. He returned to Afghanistan and never came back to India. Later the Maratha Empire regained its lost power under the leadership of Peshwa Madhav Rao. As long as third battle of Panipat is remembered, Indians will never forget the valor and sacrifice of Ibrahim Khan Gardi who fought till the last man for honor of Maratha Empire.

The role of Ibrahim Khan Gardi was played by Mukesh Khanna in the historical TV series – The Great Maratha while actor Nawab Shah portrayed Ibrahim Khan Gardi in 2019’s magnum opus movie – Panipat: The great betrayal.

To know about Panipat battle and Ibrahim Khan Gardi, I highly recommend readers to read ‘Panipat’ the epic Marathi novel penned by Vishwas Patil. There are so many stories connected to Panipat battle that it cannot be conveyed in one article. This is my second article related to third battle of Panipat and the stories of unsung warriors who laid down their lives for nation. There will be more stories on Panipat that will throw a light on the untold events happened on third battle of Panipat.

You may be wondering what historical books have to do with mental stress? In day to day life we are so much let down and discouraged by stressful situations in life related to health, job, family, daily expenses and the strain of swearing threats given by company boss. Running a family is not an easy task for a commoner. Due to mounting load of life, people do undergo depression. Doctors prescribe either an anti-depressant pill or a short vacation. When you are dull or mentally disturbed, it is good to pick a book and read the story. Especially history books are perfect anti-dote to stress. Pick any history book and start reading it. History is full of heroism, courage, adventure, romance and war. There is so much violence in the historical events that when you compare those events to your day to day stress, your problems will look tiny. Whether you are reading Roman history, book on Mughals or biography on Alexander the great, you will witness that life was unpredictable in that era. There was betrayal, conspiracy and backstabbing at every moment. History is partly heroism, partly carnage. When you complete reading any historical novel, you will realize that your life’s problems are trivial. Author Dale Carnegie had mentioned about this tip of reading history books in his best-seller – ‘How to stop worrying and start living’.

Whenever I feel let down, I do pick a historical book and realize how uncertain life was in that age. Whether you are reading Homer’s Illiad or Indian history, your perspective towards life will change. It will help you emerge as a warrior to deal with petty problems of life. I highly recommend readers to read books on Maratha warriors, Mughal emperors and Roman generals. Brave heroes like Achilles, Leonidas, Hercules, Shivaji Maharaj, Maharana Pratap, Tanaji Malusare and Banda Singh Bahadur are sure to inspire you with their courageous tales. So next time when you feel stressed, don’t forget to have a history book by your side. It is really as stress-buster.

Happy reading !!!

Travelogue writing opens flood gates of memories. Especially when we are writing a travel diary about a destination that conjures up memories of happy bygone days of childhood. Be it Che Guevera’s Motorcycle Diaries, Jack Kerouac’s ‘On the road’ or Ruskin Bond’s best-selling classic –‘A Town called Dehra’; each travelogue/memoir has been hailed as a literary triumph. As I visited my hometown, I was too thrilled to pour down those feelings on my personal blog and share how the delightful years shaped my mind to turn into a writer with a poetic flair.

My hometown was a haven of old world charm where kids gathered on terrace to fly kites and old citizens found contentment on feeding grains to pigeons. After 20 years, I just walked down the nostalgic roads of my hometown. A lot has changed in terms of architecture, work and lifestyle. Yet the simplicity of town is untouched. I first visited my hometown in early 80’s when single screen cinema hall was with bustling with crowd and Gold Spot was favourite cold drink of youngsters. The Iranian restaurants, foods stalls, power looms, small furniture shops give a vintage feeling to ambience. I love those vintage surroundings where I once roamed as a child with my dear ones.

Though there is nothing special mentioning about my hometown, but the joyful memories with loved ones makes that surrounding a nostalgic destination. Today when I looked around my hometown, I found it cramped and jammed with too many overcrowded vehicles, buildings and chawl. The single screen cinema halls and book shops no longer exist. It was once the most sought destination of movie lovers and bibliophiles. A lot has changed in these 20 years. I got so much engaged in my professional commitments that I couldn’t spare a time to take a glance at my favourite vacation place which is nothing but a forgotten sleepy town. The noise of power loom machines still echo in my mind. The old fashioned surroundings and architecture give me a feel that I am in Mohalla Balli Maran (the locality where famous poet Mirza Ghalib lived once in Delhi).

As I sit in my cab to move back to my routine work schedule, I feel hollowness in my heart to leave behind those nostalgic roads where the footprints of my tiny feet are still imprinted.

I am no Jack Kerouac or Che Guevera who swept the literary world with their travelogues/road trip memoirs. I have penned this small write up to give a nostalgic glimpse of my hometown which is sure to give travel vibes to people who love visiting calm locations and sleepy towns.

The deadline had been set. Time was running out. It was fight or flight situation. My ears were constantly tortured by the phone calls of my editor. The article needed to be delivered by 6 pm today. I was staring at my laptop. Nothing was coming on my mind. My palms were getting sweaty. I had already gulped down three to four cups of coffee. Still no idea was striking my mind. It wasn’t writer’s block. What really bothering me was the breakup with my girlfriend. We had parted two days back.

I was emotionally wrecked. How could I write an article on relationships and love when my own love life was already over? I tried calling her. It was my last hope to clear off the misunderstandings. There was no response. To divert my attention from this mind wrecking situation, I visited my favourite book store. It was my rejuvenating destination. In the company of books, I was always happy. I was browsing through the sections in the bookstore. Though I was browsing through the books, the sweat of stress was still wet on my forehead. My eyes were soaked with tears. A young lady besides me too was browsing through the books arranged on the shelf. She noticed my tears. To ease my stress, she started the conversation. Hi!! I am Jane. I was suddenly taken aback by her friendly gesture. Though I hadn’t met her before, there was some familiarity in her face. Had I met her before? She enquired about my worried situation. I was too hesitant to share my personal matters with a stranger. But she broke the ice with her kind gesture. Within a few minutes, I poured out my emotional outrage to her.

Are you the only one who has suffered heartbreak? She enquired. I was too confused to reply. ‘Even Lefroy and I weren’t destined for each other’ replied Jane. We were madly in love. Our worlds were apart. He was aspiring to become a lawyer and I was just an amateur writer, planning to make it big in literature world. We even planned to run away and get married. But the situations were against us. We decided to part away. Did you never meet again? I enquired.’ No, we never met again’ said Jane. I never heard of Lefroy again. The pain of separation was too much. To heal my pain, I focused on writing romantic comedies. One was a best-seller.

While sharing her story, Jane was emotional. I could notice small drops of tears in corner of her eyes. From her story, I realized that every love story need not have a fairy tale ending. Some also end in sadness. She later told me that she modelled most of her male characters based on Lefroy. One was a cold, reserved character in her romantic comedy that had become very popular among readers. I had met my muse in form of Jane. I was not longer the heartbroken writer. My confidence in my writing craft was renewed. I was bursting with ideas. As I took out my smartphone to note down the number of Jane, a huge crowd suddenly swarmed in the bookstore. Jane was nowhere to be seen. A celebrated writer had arrived in the store for the launch of his new book. He was signing off the copies of his new rom-com book.

When I regained my composure, I enquired with the staff about the unexpected disappearance of the young lady. To my surprise, they were clueless about her presence. They had neither seen her arriving or leaving. Was I hallucinating? Did I have any encounter with a phantom figure? All my doubts were cleared off when I found myself holding the copy of ‘Pride and Prejudice’. I now knew that it was Jane Austen who had crossed the oceans of time to inspire me. Despite being deprived of love, Jane Austen wrote romantic comedies like ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and ‘Emma’.

‘An idea can turn to dust or magic, depending on the talent that rubs against it’ –William Bernbach

Till I returned home, it was already late afternoon. I completed my article on relationship in flat one hour. The article was posted before the deadline. I was not only confident to take toughest writing endeavours, but also understood what love truly meant. I had met my muse.

Is there any such thing as ‘Muse? I wondered. I never believed in concepts of ‘Muse’. ‘Writers’ block never affected me. So what was the reason behind my writings getting rejected? Did my writings really lack the soul? Though outwardly, I was boasting of my talents, internally somewhere confidence in my craft was shaken. Should I leave my writing job? Such confusing questions were lowering my confidence.

To relieve myself from this stress, I planned to go for a short trip. May be a change of location would help me to re-energize my writing prowess. By a strange coincidence, my senior colleague Subhash Banerjee, a follower of Gurudev Tagore invited me to visit Shantiniketan. It was a golden opportunity to meet the Nobel Laureate. My curiosity had heightened. I would not only meet Gurudev, but also enquire about his craft and what is that thing that motivates him to write stories like ‘Chokher Bali’ and ‘Kabuliwala?

During our journey to Shantiniketan, I was discussing with Subhash regarding the idea of ‘Muse’. My ideas didn’t match with Subhash. Though Subhash advocated the idea of ‘Muse’ in writing activity, I opposed the concept. Our discussion was moving towards point of debate. A young woman was overhearing our conversation. What intrigued the woman to join our conversation was the mention of Gurudev Tagore in our topic. She politely interrupted our conversation and showed her keen interest to present her thoughts towards writing. We were taken aback by her curious & strange participation in our discussion. To add more surprising things to the conversation, she told that she belonged to Gurudev Tagore’s family. Even she was traveling to Shantiniketan to meet Rabindranath. The discussion re-started.

The woman in the train also advocated about the idea of ‘Muse’. According to her views, creative people need a muse. It can be in any form – a book, sculpture, stage play, scenery or any motivating person. She even told about Tagore’s early years as a writer and how he connected with natural surroundings to bring out the poetic flair in him. Apart from having an inspiration, his hard work too was instrumental in bring out the writer in him. Like every writer, even Tagore had a mysterious muse. He never revealed it to anyone. Her untimely death had left Tagore in shock. The woman’s revelation about Tagore’s craft of writing & the mysterious muse left us both intrigued. In era of 1940’s, this woman’s progressive ideas about writing were way ahead of times.

Her words were so convincing that I was drawn towards her ideas which I was earlier rejecting. There was a mystic aura in her presence. My thoughtful reverie was broken by the halting of train. We had reached our destination. It was time to head for Shantiniketan. Somewhere between the reverie of thought and the excitement of reaching Shantiniketan, I had lost the clue about the woman. Where had she disappeared? Even she was supposed to reach Shantiniketan. Had she dropped the plans to visit Shantiniketan? I and Subhash were clueless about her surprising disappearance. We dismissed the thoughts about the woman in the train.

Meeting a great personality like Gurudev Tagore at Shantiniketan was an epic moment in my life. It was like a devotee meeting his God. The conversation with him unlocked many ideas about literature, life and writing. He shared his thoughts about poetry, prose and how his family motivated his writing. That was the last I saw of Gurudev Tagore. Gurudev breathed his last on 7th August 1941, leaving a rich legacy of literature to budding and amateur writers like me.

Several decades later, my grandson, an aspiring writer showed me an exclusive story published on his personal blog. By a strange coincidence, he had written a story on Tagore’s muse and how the person who shaped his writing skills with her encouragement. It even had the photo of the woman published on the blog post.
I was shocked on seeing that photo. Yes!! I have met this woman. Even after several decades, her mystic personality was etched in my memory. How could I mistake? So, she was Kadambari Devi!! Unfortunately very less was written and heard about her.

The woman was Kadambari Devi, Rabindranath Tagore’s sister-in-law. It was she who nurtured Tagore’s writings. She died in mysterious circumstances. The reason of her death was unknown. The bonding of Tagore with his sister-in-law was a subject of discussion.

Some say that Kadambari Devi’s emotional bonding was so strong that she couldn’t bear the shock of Tagore getting married off to Mrinalini Devi. Except Tagore, there was no one with whom she could share her feelings. Her tragic suicide in 1884 raised many questions.

“She, my queen, has died and my world has shut against the door of its inner apartment of beauty which gives on the real taste of freedom” – Tagore

Many of female characters from Tagore’s short stories were modelled on Kadambari Devi. Even Tagore’s popular story ‘The Broken nest’ was loosely based on his relationship with Kadambari Devi. How I met Kadambari Devi is really a supernatural coincidence. How can I convince people that I have met Kadambari Devi? Somewhere knowingly or unknowingly she had shown me a new direction towards the craft of writing.

My years of hard work was finally getting paid off. A reputed publishing house had shown green signal towards my work. I was feeling like the character ‘Pip’ from Dickens’ novel – ‘Great Expectations’ whose dreams were suddenly getting fulfilled. In the pursuit of my dreams, I was abandoning her. Emotions had taken a backseat. There was no looking back. My first book was scheduled to hit the bookstores in coming weekend. I was on cloud nine to see all these encouraging happenings.

Finally the day arrived!! I was signing off the copies of my debut book to the readers. I owed this success to the great writer Dickens who had channelized my mind towards writing with his book – David Copperfield. Though my dreams were getting fulfilled, somewhere unknowingly I was crushing her dreams. I had betrayed her. My chain of thought was broken by the presence of a gentleman. He too had lined up to get a signed copy of my book. There was a sense of familiarity in his presence. Had I met him before? Smilingly I gave him my copy of my debut book. He congratulated me on my book and dispersed from the crowd. Suddenly it struck me that the person resembled Dickens a lot. Or was he really Dickens? Had he crossed the oceans of time to meet his protégé? I dismissed the supernatural thought. The book release event was successful.

Call it a coincidence or miracle; I crossed the path with the same person, the doppelganger of Dickens after few days. I was heading towards the publication house for talks regarding my upcoming work. The gentleman waved his hand to say ‘Hello’ to me. I couldn’t avoid my reader. I politely responded to him.

‘Your book is amazing Kumar Sir’. He was bursting with enthusiasm.
I was glad to know that my debut book had lived up to the expectations of my reader. To celebrate this small moment of recognition, I invited him to join for a coffee. His name was David. Like me, he too had struggled to make his name in world of writing. After a long wait, his book too was ready to hit the bookstores in few months. Apart from sharing his success story, he also shared his personal grievances about losing his love in pursuit of success. He regretted neglecting Nelly. Now that he had got success, he had lost Nelly.

‘In pursuit of my selfish dreams, I neglected Nelly’.

David couldn’t control his tears. I was touched by his tragic story. I felt sorry for David. The time flew off so quickly. It was time for meeting the editor of publishing house. I wished David for his writing endeavors and left for my meeting.

A few days later while I was browsing English movie channels, I came across a movie ‘The Invisible Woman’ based on life of Dickens. I never knew when I got absorbed in the movie. Did Dickens have a secret mistress? Her name was Nelly Ternan. Despite the age gap, Nelly was deeply in love with old aged Dickens. Though Dickens loved Nelly, he couldn’t accept this relationship officially. Nelly was emotionally attached to Dickens even after his death. I was stunned by the tragic love story of Dickens and Nelly.

Suddenly a realization hit me. Even David was talking about his love interest Nelly. Was there any connection between David’s Nelly and Dickens’ Nelly? Was David talking about Nelly Ternan? Even David resembled Dickens. Hey!! David Copperfield!! The immortal literary character created by Dickens. It was the book David Copperfield that had once inspired me to become writer. How didn’t I guess that David was none other than Dickens? After researching about Nelly Ternan on Google, I discovered that the female protagonists(Estella & Lucy) from Dickens’ books had shades of Nelly Ternan’s personality.

My mind was numb with these puzzling thoughts. Somewhere I too was guilty of neglecting my own love. I had shattered her expectations of a happy married life. Was I abandoning her similarly like Dickens? No, I wouldn’t let that happen. I personally met her and apologized for my negligence. We got married off in few days. I was settled on both fronts – personally and professionally.

I never saw David again. There was no trace of his whereabouts. I thanked Dickens again for showing me the right track that led to true happiness. My expectation of a happy life was fulfilled.

26th Feb 1931 – The manhunt for the most wanted rebel was in full swing. There was no chance of escape for the outlaw this time. Maximum guns and bullets were been packed. One of the rebel’s members had turned mole for British police officials. The informer had hinted about the revolutionary’s upcoming movement. There was a scoop that he will be present at Alfred Park for a personal meeting with his revolutionary members.

In their eyes, he was a outlaw. In my eyes, he was a fierce patriot fighting for country’s freedom. How could I raise my gun against my own brother? I had enrolled in British Police service for better monetary prospects. Now I curse that day.

27th Feb 1931, Allahabad – Four Police vans were racing towards Alfred Park. I was among the 80 policemen who were officially selected to carry out the mission. I was reluctantly dragged in this gruesome task. My mind was constantly thinking about his daring actions. He was mastermind of many patriotic missions. He was untraceable for several years. He was really invisible. Today, he had to be arrested at any cost. On one side, I was bound by duty and on other side I was also aspiring to be like that revolutionary.

Suddenly my reverie was broken when the firing started. The revolutionary was finally in the sight. His chances of escape were zero. The British Police force had started firing furiously. Despite being hit by a bullet in the thigh, the brave revolutionary continued giving a tough fight in return. Though I had raised my gun, my conscience wasn’t ready to fire the bullet. For 30 minutes that brave patriot held the fight. With just one pistol, he had managed to kill at least 3 Policeman. How could one brave-heart manage to face 80 policemen?

Suddenly after a few minutes, everything was dead calm. Had the revolutionary decided to surrender? There was a devilish satisfaction in the smile of the British officers. Was the mission successful? No it wasn’t. They found him dead. He couldn’t be arrested. He had kept the promise of staying ‘Azad’ (free) till the last breathe of his life. A bullet was lodged in his head. He had shot himself. I was literally crying. He was no ordinary revolutionary. He was Chandrashekhar Azad, the leader of Hindustan Republic Association and mentor to great patriots like Bhagat Singh, Rajguru & Sukhdev.

28th Feb 1931 – What was the difference between our bullets and his? His bullets were used for a noble purpose to free nation from slavery while our bullets were aimed to kill the selfless patriots. I couldn’t live with the guilt of being part of a mission to arrest India’s most loved revolutionary. I resigned from British Police Service right away. I went to Alfred Park and paid my respect to that tree where Azad had taken cover to carry out his last battle of life. He had spared one last bullet to attain martyrdom and fulfilled his oath of staying ‘Azad’ even in his final moment. The last bullet mattered a lot.

My muse has become ‘gone girl’. She has vanished without leaving any trace. We didn’t fight or quarrel. I hoped that she will return back to me when I sit on my writing table, waiting for her inspiring presence. Sadly, she didn’t return. I tried typing words on my computer to come up with a good story, article or a thoughtful write-up, but nothing came out on the word doc. I gulped seven to eight cups of coffee to gain inspiration, browsed through several stories and article on Google and mind-stormed on various ideas. I later realized that I am facing writer’s block.

The absence of my writing muse has put a full stop on my writing process. My muse had been with me for past 10 years, inspiring me to roll out great stories and articles. Sometimes she came in form of visual, story, movie, painting or a role model. I took her for granted. I knew I would be grabbing the attention of readers with every new published story. I was wrong. Now that she has disappeared, I realized her value. Muse is nothing but an idea or inspiration. A writer needs to write daily. He should keep reading and reading every day to pick that one great story that will make him stand out from the crowd. After decade of writing on blog medium, I am keen to explore a new platform – may be publishing a book, script-writing a movie or editing a newspaper article. Platforms are unlimited. I will be taking a short break from blog writing for a while till my muse returns back. May be she has gone on an undeclared holiday.

Do ghost ships exist? Is there anything such as supernatural entity that makes one aware of its presence? Scientists rubbish off such theories as product of human’s overstuffed imagination. Whether ghosts and spirits exist is a subject of debate, they do have left their mark on psyche of human mind. From Ambrose Bierce, Rudyard Kipling, Dickens, Ruskin Bond to Stephen King, all have penned down their ideas of paranormal elements through short stories and full length novels. The recent Bollywood movie – Bhoot Part One: The haunted ship deals with a shipping engineer’s encounter with ghostly entities on a strange, isolated ship – Sea bird that is suddenly stranded on Mumbai’s Juhu beach.

The story line from this movie is inspired by a true event in 2011 when suddenly out of blue a gigantic ship named Wisdom was seen on Mumbai’ seashore. There is no clue about the ship’s appearance on Mumbai’s beach. Coming back to the story, Prithvi, a shipping officer takes on the task to investigate the background of the ship. While Prithvi is investigating the mysterious entities lurking within the confines of the ship, he is also facing his own personal tragedy – the death of his wife and daughter in an accident. The trauma is so devastating that he takes anti-depressant pills to overcome the hallucinations. He often sees his deceased wife and daughter around him. He later avoids taking the pills so that he could at least meet his wife and daughter through hallucinations.

As Prithvi starts his search in the confines of the abandoned ship ‘Sea Bird’, he experiences ghostly vibes around him. He also finds a video camera on the ship. Hoping to find some clues hidden in the video camera, he starts seeing the videos in the camera only to experience haunted figures around him. The more he gets involved in the investigation of the ghost ship – Sea bird, the more he comes closer to the ghostly entity. Whether he succeeds in finding the dark truth behind the ghost ship forms the crux of the story. Bhoot: The Haunted ship Part one features Vicky Kaushal as Prithvi, the shipping officer who confronts the ghostly entities on Sea Bird ship. Are the ghosts on the ship real or is it the hallucination of Prithvi? Bhoot: The Haunted Ship is inspired by the Hollywood movie – Ghost Ship where a group of ship crew comes face to face with apparitions of passengers on an abandoned ship.

There are lots of stories related to ghost ships. One such ship was Mary Celeste. I often wonder if Titanic ship was also haunted. In the movie ‘Titanic’ the old woman Rose narrates the story behind the sinking of Titanic. She had boarded the ship Titanic when she was young. She even falls in love with a passenger named Jack. But was Rose’s story really true? Was it the product of her imagination? Did Jack survive? The movie leaves lots of questions unanswered.

Compared to other horror flicks, Bhoot: The haunted ship looks promising. It is first in the spooky series where audience will see a ghost on the premises of an abandoned ship. I am keen to explore and pen my thoughts on the haunted ship Mary Celeste that has left lots of researchers baffled even today.

August 4, 1962, Los Angeles – There was a strong buzz among the paparazzi that had swarmed at 12305, Fifth Helena Drive, Los Angeles. I was among the crowd, eager to catch the latest scoop related to the shocking death of the Hollywood sensation. My editor was expecting controversial breaking news regarding the actress’ shocking demise. The residence of the Hollywood actress was heavily guarded by FBI officials. According to medical sources, the actress had died due to consumption of sleeping pills. For the Hollywood, she was Marilyn, but in real life, she was Norma Jean Baker, a girl who never found true in her love. Though my editor was happy with my sensational news coverage regarding Monroe, I was not at all happy glamorizing someone’s death. I was keen to know really what happened with Marilyn. Was she threatened by Mafia? What shocking secret was Marilyn hiding from the world? Did Kennedy Brothers kill Marilyn? I was restless with these conspiracy theories.

Like every admirer, I queued up to pay my respects to her at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery. Next to me in the queue was a fattish guy. As I paid my respects to the actress at her grave, I noticed something strange about this fattish guy. His eyes were nearly in tears. I presumed him to be a die-hard fan of Monroe.

While paying my respects to Monroe at her resting place, I was actually working on investigative news article that would spill out the secrets that compelled Monroe to commit suicide. I was at the cemetery till the late evening. Though the admirers dispersed after offering flowers at her grave, the fattish guy was still there. I sensed something strange about his affection towards the actress. Would he be the person who would divulge details about Marilyn? I followed the person for a week and kept eye on his day to day movements. I later came to know that the fat guy was a small time writer named Robert Slatzer. I utilized my network and through a reference got introduced to Robert. He didn’t even have a slightest hint that I was chasing him for a scoop. During a conversation, he mentioned about the sad tragic life of Marilyn.

‘For world, she was Marilyn, but for me she was Norma’

‘How do you know Marilyn so closely?’ I enquired

‘I knew her since her audition days at several studios’, replied Robert

‘She had even requested me to make a portfolio for her’

‘So you met frequently’

‘Yes we did. I was with her at during her Playboy Magazine shoot’

Robert was witness to every moment of Marilyn’s struggle from a small town girl to her rise as a Hollywood sensation. I was deeply touched to discover that Robert never got his due as a writer while Marilyn climbed the steps of stardom by using her charm. Despite being married thrice, Marilyn couldn’t lead a happy married life. Had she happily settled with Robert, the picture would have been different. The undisclosed shocking details shared by Robert about Marilyn left me in shock.

‘Did you know Peter that Norma was molested by one of her relatives?

‘She never had a happy childhood’ Robert was soaked in tears while sharing this secret.

‘She loved children, but ironically couldn’t never conceive’

‘We were even married, but Marilyn never wanted to live a commoner’s life’

Robert was too heartbroken to talk anymore about Marilyn. I was feeling guilty for using Robert as a medium for my investigative work connected to Marilyn’s death. Was Marilyn really married to Robert? Marilyn had hidden this secret affair from the world to achieve stardom. Ironically success came to her at a heavy price. What did Marilyn really gain from this stardom? – Mental stress, unhappy marriage, painful miscarriages.

Who really killed Marilyn? The world will never know. Perhaps I knew the answer – loneliness. I never published the article regarding Monroe’s death. I couldn’t live with the guilt of scandalizing someone’s personal life for my professional growth.

In May 2005, I was at the grave of Robert Slatzer, paying my last respects to the man who loved Marilyn. Though the media labelled him as a fraud for using Marilyn’s name to gain cheap publicity, I couldn’t agree with these claims. Robert Slatzer was the only person who knew Monroe so closely.

Korean horror movies have their own fan following. The scary element is very strong in Korean horror flicks. Many Hollywood movies – The Eye, Grudge, The Ring, The Uninvited, Alone and Shutter are remakes of Korean scary flicks. Among them, the Thai movie ‘Alone’ is a baffling movie of conjoined twin sisters whose fate changes when they fall in love with a same guy. It is been said that twin siblings are like one soul in two bodies. If one falls sick, other too is affected by the sickness. In case of conjoined twins, the parents have to take special care. Even the operation of conjoined twins is risky because any one of the siblings may die during the operating stage.

Recently I was watching a South horror flick – Chaarulatha which was unofficial remake of Thai movie ‘Alone’. I was thoroughly impressed with the storyline and the mind games that the storyline plays with the viewers’ psyche till the climax. It reminded me of one more Hollywood movie – The Uninvited which revolves around two sisters. Though ‘The Uninvited’ movie was more of a psychological thriller with touch of supernatural elements, Chaarulatha is about sibling rivalry.

On eve of her birthday, a tarot card reader predicts that one of Chaaru’s lost things will return back. After that day, Chaaru starts seeing paranormal events around her. She feels the ghostly presence of her deceased twin sister Latha. Every now and then the apparition of Latha keeps haunting Chaaru. Chaaru even consults a psychiatrist on advice of her fiancée Ravi. Despite the psychiatric consultation, Chaaru can’t wipe out the memories of Latha from her mind. The movie later moves in flashback and it is been shown that Chaaru and Latha, the conjoined twins fall in love with Ravi, a student at a violin class. Things complicate when Ravi expresses his love for Chaaru and ignores Latha. Unfortunately in an argumentative fight, Chaaru and Latha are fatally wounded. Ironically one of the conjoined twins Latha dies during the operation. Though Chaaru survives, the ghosts of her past keep bothering her.

To make matters worse, the apparition of Chaaru’s sister makes her presence felt even to Ravi. What is she trying to indicate Ravi? Only the mother of the conjoined twins knows the real truth behind the death of one of the sisters. Ravi is shocked when he discovers the truth from the mother of the conjoined twins. Was Ravi cheated? Is Latha really dead? Why is Chaaru tormented by the ghost of her sister? What guilt Chaaru is hiding from the world?

The only difference in the nature between the sisters is that Chaaru is kind hearted while Latha is obsessive and jealous. The movie ends on a shocking note and Ravi realizes later which one of the sisters was really dead.

Compared to the original Thai movie – Alone, Chaarulatha is an emotional supernatural movie that is mild in jump scares and horrifying thrills. Even the climax has been changed. While the climax of original movie is chilling, this ends on a redemption note. The lead actress Priyamani in double role as Chaaru and Latha was convincing in showing two different shades – one as innocent Chaaru and other as obsessive Latha. I would have been happy if the makers of the movie had stuck to the original plot of movie ‘Alone’. Even the 2015 Bollywood movie – Alone starring Bipasha Basu was remake of the Thai movie – Alone. Since I have enjoyed watching Chaarulatha, I am keen to watch the original movie which promises lots of jump scares and scary moments.

Historians have been biased towards great warriors like Baji Pasalkar who fought for Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s dream of achieving ‘Swarajya’. Very less is known, read and discussed about this Maratha who was the first warrior to lay down his life for goal of Swarajya. The recent Bollywood biopic on Maratha warrior Tanaji Malusare captivated the attention of several audiences worldwide. The movie on Tanaji made audience realize that there are several unsung Maratha warriors whose courageous feats haven’t been recorded in history textbooks.

Sadly, there is no mention of Baji Pasalkar in history books. He was the first warrior to sacrifice his life for cause of Swarajya and set an example for great warriors like Baji Prabhu, Farzand & Murarbaji. The story of Baji Pasalkar dates back to the events before the establishment of Swarajya and Shivaji Maharaj’s coronation.

Long before Tanaji and Baji Prabhu Deshpande sacrificed their lives, Baji Pasalkar had already started his battle against Adilshah of Bijapur. His real valor was recognized when he fought with Adilshah’s mighty army to gain back the fort Purandar. For Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Fort Purandar was strategically important to strengthen the dream of Swarajya. On order of Shivaji Maharaj, Baji Pasalkar with his handful of men attacked the enemies stationed at Purandar. Baji clashed with Fattekhan, one of Adilshah’s generals. Such was the ferocity of Baji Pasalkar that Fattekhan couldn’t face the wrath of this great warrior. Fearing for his life, Fattekhan fled from the battlefield. Baji was unstoppable. He chased Fattekhan alone. Unfortunately, it was a death trap for Baji Pasalkar. Fattekhan gathered his armed forces and deceptively attacked Baji. Baji fought till the last man but was killed in line of action while defending Swarajya. Though Baji Pasalkar died, he had ensured that Purandar fort was secure and safe in hands of Marathas. The martyrdom of Baji Pasalkar was a tragic setback to Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj. It was Baji Pasalkar who had personally trained Shivaji in martial arts.

The legacy of sacrifice that started with Baji Pasalkar was continued further by Baji Prabhu, Tanaji and Murarbaji Deshpande to bring the dream of Swarajya to reality. This is just a small glimpse of this great warrior. I am keen to pen more stories on the Maratha warriors in my upcoming blog posts.

‘Either I will come after hoisting the tricolour or return wrapped in it, but I will return for sure’

It just stills feel like yesterday. The memories of war appear in my mind like reruns of a television series. The epic lines spoken by that dare devil captain still echo in my mind. How can I forget him? I owe him a debt which cannot be repaid in this lifetime.

Kargil Sector, 10th May, 1999 – I had returned to my regiment after a week’s leave. I was on cloud nine. I couldn’t stop gazing at my engagement ring for the umpteenth time. I had promised her that our wedding reception would be grandest of all. A pat on the back broke my thought process. It was Captain Vikram.

‘Hey buddy Sushant. It’s celebration time. Congrats’, Captain Vikram said.

‘Thank you sir’
‘So when is the wedding date planned?’ enquired Vikram.

‘Not yet planned sir’, I replied.

‘Hey Sushant, even our buddy Anuj Nayyar has got engaged’
I was happy to receive the wishes from my senior officials and colleagues. Even in peak time of war, celebration was in air. No one knows what events may unfold tomorrow. Life is uncertain in times of war. Still I kept my spirits high. We had to give a fitting reply to the infiltrators.

Kargil Sector, 7th July 1999 –
As per Captain Vikram’s instructions and plan, we succeeded to scale the point 4875. It was time for action. A heavy exchange of firing started on both sides. Bullets were flying in the air. I was on killing rampage, shooting maximum enemy soldiers on point 4875. Suddenly out of blue, a bombshell was hurled by an enemy soldier in my direction. Though I had managed to move out of my position, the bombshell had found its mark. The explosives had nearly torn up my leg. A few pieces of shrapnel had even penetrated in my chest.

The force of bomb explosion was so immense that I could see death approaching me. My fiancée’s face was flashing in front of my eyes. I was losing my consciousness. On other side on point 4875, Captain Vikram and the fellow soldiers had wiped out maximum enemies at the peak. When Captain Vikram was informed about my condition, he rushed to the spot where I was almost dead. Without thinking for a second, Captain Vikram and a soldier from our regiment decided to evacuate me from that spot. The place where I was wounded was not still safe. Heavy firing was in full force. Though I was evacuated to a safe place, a bullet from an enemy’s sniper had hit Captain Vikram. Even in his dying moments, he had cared for my safety. 13 J & K Rifles had lost its great officer. India had won the war at heavy costs. Even Captain Anuj Nayyar had lost his life in line of action.

It took me six months to fully recover. Though I lived to see the day, I had lost my left leg. But the biggest shock of life was yet to hit me. The wedding decision was called off. May be, she wasn’t prepared to spend her life with a handicap. Wish I hadn’t lived to see this day. I was bursting with tears. With passing of time, I came to terms with life. I took off the engagement ring. I had to move on. I not only emerged from my emotional trauma, but I was also able to walk with help of prosthetic leg.

Three dreams of happy married life were shattered in that war. Vikram Sir had once mentioned to me that he would get married once the war was over. Ironically it never materialized. His girlfriend Dimple vowed to never get married. I recalled that moment when Captain Anuj Nayyar had handed over his engagement ring to his senior officer, requesting to keep it safe. He had said that he would take back the ring once he returned from war. Vikram Sir & Anuj did return, but wrapped in tricolour.

The war changed my perception towards my life and emotions. Hadn’t he saved my life; I wouldn’t have lived to tell the story. Love for nation comes first.

Salute to you Captain Vikram Batra.

P.S – The inspiration for writing this story came from various movies, real stories of soldiers and actual events happened during Kargil war. Though this short story is fictionalized, the characters – especially Captain Vikram Batra and Captain Anuj Nayyar were actually stationed at Kargil sector. They laid their lives for nation. This story is tribute to those brave soldiers of our nation. I remember watching movie – Saving Private Ryan where a group of senior soldiers head on a mission to save a newbie soldier named Ryan. A little inspiration came from this movie.

The life of Monroe has always been in controversy, secrets and scoops. Ironically her death too was concealed in mystery. Till this date, no one has able to crack down the case of Monroe’s death. All her secrets are buried with her – even her traumatic childhood days. Before Marilyn became Hollywood’s sensation, she was Norma Jean Baker. Little Norma never got the parental affection as most of children are blessed with. She never knew the identity of her biological father. It is been said that her biological father never owned her.

Half of the life of Norma was spent in foster homes during her childhood times. Her mother Gladys Pearl Baker was not mentally strong to raise Norma Jean. Sadly, little Marilyn was raised by foster parents. Like her mother, even Norma Jean used to consume anti-depressant pills when she was at the peak of her stardom. It is ironical that the world only saw the sensual side of Marilyn, but not her tragic side when she was just Norma, a girl next door. To know about her traumatic childhood days, I highly recommend readers to watch ‘Norma Jean and Marilyn’ a TV movie produced by HBO channel. The TV movie showed the dark side of Marilyn’s childhood days when she was lustily preyed. It was more shocking to discover that Marilyn was raped by one of her foster relatives when she was a teenager. The scar of physical abuse stayed with her for rest of her life till her death.

Even in other biopics – Blonde (2001) and Secret life of Marilyn Monroe (2015), her childhood days are been presented with heart breaking scenes. Award winning Hollywood actress Susan Sarandon portrayed the role of Marilyn’s mentally depressed mother in 2015’s biopic (Secret life of Marilyn Monroe). It is through biography books and biopic movies one gets a small glimpse at the disturbed life of Marilyn. To get a glimpse at her life, I brought the book – Marilyn Monroe: Private and undisclosed in which there is a mention of mental illness in her family. Even Marilyn’s grandmother suffered from mental illness. May be, the hereditary illness was passed on to Marilyn. There were some times, when Marilyn’s mother even failed to recognize her due to schizophrenia. Had Marilyn got the love of her parents, her childhood would have been blessed. Sadly, the childhood memories were nightmares that haunted Marilyn throughout her life. It is been said that Marilyn was looked down as an illegitimate child by her grandmother. Marilyn’s mother had an affair with a married man Charles Gifford. Marilyn’s mother Gladys had assumptions that Gifford will marry her. Unfortunately, Gladys’ dreams were shattered when Gifford refused to marry her. He even disowned the newly born baby daughter. In later times, Gifford was keen to adopt Marilyn, but Gladys scolded him bitterly and never allowed him in her life. When Marilyn grew up, she attempted to connect with her biological father, but he was untraceable.

Marilyn died on August 4th, 1962 due to consumption of sleeping pills. The trauma of handling stardom, marriage failures and miscarriages was so high on her that she finally succumbed to it. This article is just a small glimpse on life of Marilyn Monroe’s childhood days. There are lots of stories connected to Marilyn Monroe that are yet to be told to the world. No one knew who really Monroe was? – A sexy Hollywood sensation or an innocent girl Norma who longed for parental affection.

Had gangster Manya Surve had not been killed in Police encounter; his story would have been different. The most wanted public enemy, Manya was more dangerous criminal than the Colombian crime lord Pablo Escobar. His legend was subject of 2013’s gangster flick – Shootout at Wadala starring Bollywood actor John Abraham as the dreaded criminal Manya. He was the first criminal who challenged the biggies of Mumbai underworld. It is been said that it was Manya who took the contract of killing brother of Mumbai’s most dangerous Don. His story was featured in crime thriller book – Dongri to Dubai written by author S.Hussain Zaidi. Manya terrorized Mumbai in 70’s. He was the most wanted criminal on hit list who had to be arrested at any cost by Mumbai’s cops.

He was been compared to John Dillinger, the most wanted gangster of America who was shot down in 1934 by Federal Agents. Even the 2010 gangster biopic – The Public Enemies was quite similar to Bollywood movie ‘Shootout at Wadala’ in terms of storytelling. Johnny Depp played the role of John Dillinger who terrorized the American streets with his robbery acts. Coming back to Manya Surve, within a short time he had carved a niche for himself in world of crime within a short span with bank robberies that splashed as headlines in every newspaper. His popularity grew up to such an extent that a crime syndicate hired Surve to kill one of their rivals. With help of his team, Manya executed the task by killing a gangster’s brother in cold blood at a petrol pump.

It is surprising that a chemistry student like Manohar Arjun Surve from Kirti College would end up becoming a dreaded gangster ‘Manya’. Whether he became a criminal by wish or circumstances is subject of debate. If Manya had surrendered to law, he could have lead life of an honest commoner. But his criminal activities were drawing the attention of Mumbai Police.

11th January 1982 – Police authorities had got a tip off about the activities of Manya Surve and there was confirmed news that Manya would be meeting his girlfriend Vidya at Ambedkar College in Wadala. The police were dressed as college students waiting to arrest Manya. A taxi was making rounds at the college premises and suddenly stopped. Manya was in the taxi, monitoring the premises so that there are no police around. The moment Manya got down from taxi to meet Vidya, he was suddenly alarmed and alert. He was sensing something fishy around him. The moment he realized he was surrounded by Police, he pulled out his revolver to retaliate back. Within minutes he was lying in pool of blood. He was shot by police officers Isaque Bagwan and Tambat. Rest was history. He was dragged from the scene and dumped into the ambulance where the gangster met his ghastly end. During his dying moments, he was furious at Police for not giving him fair chance to fight. There is lot of conspiracy theory related to Manya’s death. It is been said that a top don had given information about Manya’s whereabouts while it is also been discussed that actually it was Manya’s girlfriend who had leaked information about his arrival at Wadala. After Manya’s death, Vidya disappeared from the public eye and no one heard about her ever again. The killing of Manya Surve changed the course of history and his killing became the first official encounter recorded in Police files.

Even today, he is been hailed as one of the boldest gangsters who dared to challenge the most popular crime empires in his times. Whether he was modern day Robinhood or an outlaw, he was the public enemy whose reign had to end.

Those who have read Rishi Valmiki’s epic work – Ramayana will be familiar with Vali, the ambitious, powerful monkey king who ruled over kingdom of Kishkindha (Hampi, Karnataka). He had a twin brother Sugreeva whom he loved like his son. So what circumstances forced Vali to banish Sugreeva from his kingdom? Was Vali right in his action to disown his own brother? Did Sugreeva really yearn to rule Kishkindha? All these curious queries inspired me to pick up author Anand Neelkanthan’s book – Vaanara which is written from perspective of Vali. A mighty monkey with grey shades, Vali’s arrogance, and overconfidence became the reason of his downfall when he was killed by Lord Rama, the seventh avatar of God Vishnu. Since I had read about Vali’s story in Amar Chitra Katha book, I was captivated by his character even though he had dark shades.

He was so mighty that even the demon king Ravana couldn’t equal him in strength. Vali had killed many dangerous demons like Dundhubi and Mayavi. It is been said that during a fight or duel, Vali would get half the power of his opponent and it was impossible to overpower him. Once a demon named Dundhubi challenged Vali for a duel. Dundhubi was obsessed with his strength that he didn’t realize whom he was dealing with. Ultimately Vali not only killed him, but hurled his carcass in the sky. Unfortunately the carcass crashed in the ashram of Rishi Matanga. The carcass of Dundhubi spoiled the purity of Sage Matanga. Furiously, Sage Matanga cursed Vali that he will die if he set his foot on Rishimukh Mountain. The main rift between Sugreeva and Vali began when a demon named Mayavi provoked Vali for a fight. Vali had ordered Sugreeva to wait outside the cave before the fight began. The fight between Vali and Mayavi lasted for one year in the cave. Like an obedient brother, Sugreeva waited for Vali’s return for one year outside the cave. Finally one day, he heard the deadly scream from the cave. He was under the impression that Vali was killed by Mayavi. Unknowingly, he blocked the cave with a stone, trapping Vali inside. The rest was history. Vali and Sugreeva became sworn enemies. Vali not only banished Sugreeva, but also kept Sugreeva’s wife captive.

Eventually it was Lord Rama who promised Sugreeva to kill Vali. Finally Vali was shot by the arrow of Lord Rama. The death of Vali is the most tragic episode in Ramayana. Despite being a villain, one feels sympathy for Vali. Unknowingly Rama is dragged in war between Vali and Sugreeva. When Vali realizes that he was deceptively killed by Lord Rama, he feels that this slaying was unethical and against the rule of battle. Very few know that Lord Rama blessed Vali that he will be reincarnated as a hunter ‘Jara’ in Mahabharata time and kill Ram in next avatar as Lord Krishna. Vali realized his folly and handed over his kingdom to Sugreeva back. Had Vali realized the love of Sugreeva for him, he didn’t have to die.

Actually Sugreeva was never greedy for kingdom. He reluctantly ruled Kishkindha on behalf of Vali on advice of ministers. When Vali returned, he felt he was betrayed by Sugreeva. In his dying moment, Vali sought atonement for his sins by returning back Sugreeva’s wife. Vali personally requested Sugreeva to take care of his son Angad after his death. True to his word, Sugreeva took care of Angad like his own son. Even though Vali lead his life in arrogance like a villain, he was hero in his death. The sibling rivalry of Sugreeva-Vali and Ravana-Vibhishan is in sharp contrast to the affection of princes of Ayodhya – Ram, Lakshmana, Bharat and Shatrughan. Even in Mahabharata, the sibling rivalry continues between Pandavas and Kauravas. Despite knowing that Karna was a Pandava, he sided with Duryodhana only for sake of friendship. Karna was a misunderstood hero who never got his due and was killed deceptively when he was in a vulnerable state. Had Arjuna been a great hero, he could have given time for Karna to pull out his chariot which was accidentally stuck. Like Vali, even Karna’s killing was not justifiable.

The idea of writing the story of Vali was in my mind for several years since I had read about his courageous feats in Amar Chitra Katha book. It is so surprising that even after so many ages; the characters of Valmiki’s Ramayana are still memorable in minds of readers. To know more about Vali, I highly recommend reading Anand Neelkanthan’s book – Vanara. It is exciting to know that author Anand Neelkanthan has given a new twist to the story where readers will discover the love triangle of Sugreeva, Vali and Tara. (Tara was Vali’s wife)

Do you agree that Vali was really a villain? Please post your suggestions and view in the comment section.

Had gangster Manya Surve had not been killed in Police encounter; his story would have been different. The most wanted public enemy, Manya was more dangerous than the Colombian crime lord Pablo Escobar. His legend was subject of 2013’s gangster flick – Shootout at Wadala starring Bollywood actor John Abraham as the dreaded criminal Manya. He was the first criminal who challenged the biggies of Mumbai underworld. His story was featured in crime thriller book – Dongri to Dubai written by author S.Hussain Zaidi. Manya terrorized Mumbai in 70’s. He was the most wanted criminal on hit list who had to be arrested at any cost by Mumbai’s cops.

He was been compared to John Dillinger, the most wanted gangster of America who was shot down in 1934 by Federal Agents. Even the 2010 gangster biopic – The Public Enemies was quite similar to Bollywood movie ‘Shootout at Wadala’ in terms of storytelling. Johnny Depp played the role of John Dillinger who terrorized the American streets with his robbery acts. Coming back to Manya Surve, within a short time he had carved a niche for himself in world of crime within a short span with bank robberies that splashed as headlines in every newspaper.

It is surprising that a chemistry student like Manohar Arjun Surve from Kirti College would end up becoming a dreaded gangster ‘Manya’. Whether he became a criminal by wish or circumstances is subject of debate. If Manya had surrendered to law, he could have lead life of an honest commoner. But his criminal activities were drawing the attention of Mumbai Police.

11th January 1982 – Police authorities had got a tip off about the activities of Manya Surve and there was confirmed news that Manya would be meeting his girlfriend Vidya at Ambedkar College in Wadala. The police were dressed as college students waiting to arrest Manya. A taxi was making rounds at the college premises and suddenly stopped. Manya was in the taxi, monitoring the premises so that there are no police around. The moment Manya got down from taxi to meet Vidya, he was suddenly alarmed and alert. He was sensing something fishy around him. The moment he realized he was surrounded by Police, he pulled out his revolver to retaliate back. Within minutes he was lying in pool of blood. He was shot by police officers Isaque Bagwan and Tambat. Rest was history. He was dragged from the scene and dumped into the ambulance where the gangster met his ghastly end. During his dying moments, he was furious at Police for not giving him fair chance to fight. There is lot of conspiracy theory related to Manya’s death. It is been said that a top don had given information about Manya’s whereabouts while it is also been discussed that actually it was Manya’s girlfriend Vidya who had leaked information about his arrival at Wadala. After Manya’s death, Vidya disappeared from the public eye and no one heard about her ever again. The killing of Manya Surve changed the course of history and his killing became the first official encounter recorded in Police files.

Even today, he is been hailed as one of the boldest gangsters who dared to challenge the most popular crime empires in his times. Whether he was modern day Robinhood or an outlaw, he was the public enemy whose reign had to end.

The heroic legends of courageous warriors Gora & Badal are lost somewhere in dusty pages of forgotten history books. Even in recent Bollywood historic movie – Padmavat, the legend of Gora & Badal is not show on screen with impact as was expected. They were the one who came for help of Chittor’s queen Padmini when her husband Maharana Ratansingh was deceptively abducted and kept hostage by Alauddin Khilji, the Sultan of Delhi. Gora and Badal (uncle and nephew duo) were the last hope for Rani Padmini when Chittor was attacked by Khilji’s army. How they brought back Maharana Ratan Singh safely from the clutches of Khilji is really worth inspiring. While reading the historical book – Padmini: The Spirited queen of Chittor written by author Mridula Bihari, I realized that their courage and sacrifice played a pivotal role in restoring Rajputana pride.

The praise of Queen Padmini’s beauty had reached to the cruel emperor of Delhi – Alauddin Khilji from Khilji dynasty. It was Raghav Chetan, a cunning courtier who had poisoned the mind of Khilji to avenge the insult inflicted on him by Maharana Ratan Singh. By manipulative means, Khilji not only dared to set his evil eyes on Queen Padmini, but also betrayed the trust of Ratan Singh who had invited him as friend to his palace. Ratan Singh was held captive by Khilji’s soldiers until Queen Padmini surrendered herself. Queen Padmini preferred to die than surrender herself to an invader. At this critical juncture, Gora and Badal, the relatives of Padmini not only promised to rescue King Ratan Singh and retain the Rajputana honor.

A false message was been conveyed to Khilji that Queen Padmini would be arriving with her servants in palanquins. In fact, it was Gora and Badal’s plan to send soldiers in the palanquins. The Khilji’s army was taken by sacrifice when Gora, Badal and the brave warriors of Chittor emerged from palanquins. Though Badal succeeded in releasing Ratan Singh from Khilji’s clutches, Gora was deceptively killed by Khilji’s soldiers. Khilji would have died at the hands of Gora if Khilji hadn’t placed his loyal concubine in front of Gora. Since it was against Rajput’s ideals to raise weapon against a woman, this was enough for Khilji to slay Gora. Though Gora became a martyr in line of action, he had inflicted enough damage by killing maximum of Khilji’s army. Maharana Ratan Singh reached Chittor palace safely. This was only temporary happiness for Rani Padmini. Later Ratan Singh was killed in a battle and Padmini was left with no choice except committing Jauhar (self-immolation). Though Khilji succeeded in attacking Chittor, what he later found was ashes of the deceased Rajput queen Padmini. The courageous feats of Gora and Badal are mentioned in Padmavat & Gora Badal Padmini Chaupai. Even Gora’s wife committed sati when she heard about the heartbreaking martyrdom of her husband.

Reference Books for Reading:

To know more Gora and Badal, I highly recommend these books based on Rani Padmini.

Padmini: The Spirited Queen of Chittor by Mridula Behari (Highly recommended)

Padmavati: The Queen tells her story by Sutapa Basu

Rani Padmavati: The Burning Queen by Anuja Chandramouli

Had Gora succeeded in killing Khilji, the history would have been different. Yet in a very small battle, Gora and his nephew Badal became legendary heroes. As long as the history of Chittor’s brave heroes is remembered with pride, the sacrifice of Rajput warriors Gora and Badal will never fade from memories of Indians.

Writing and reading on historical heroes gives me motivation to face the odds of life and compare my life’s situations with the historical events where there was uncertainty, betrayal, war, backstabbing and mortality at every step. Somewhere I felt that the legend of Gora and Badal was sidelined and they never got the due they deserved. Through this blog post, I am paying my small tribute to the great warriors – Gora and Badal.

Is the outbreak of Corona a signal of judgement day? Is it the end of Kaliyuga?

There are several theories been made on the pandemic? Some say that Nostradamus had predicted about Corona ages back. Whatever may be the speculations, the outbreak has taught everyone lots of things they never thought before its arrival. Today I realized how necessity is more important than luxuries: Holiday trip, Movies in Multiplex, Expensive smartphones, Shopping etc. Nothing is important than survival.

My mind becomes numb when I read or hear the word ‘Lockdown’ on news channels or social networking sites. Lockdown is seriously a negative word. I would rather call it unlocking ourselves. Human is a social animal and hence the temptation to connect with people is vigorous. Presently, he is connected only to himself in times of Corona outbreak. Isn’t that great? During this self-isolation, I realized that every system needs rebooting. Has God also rebooted the Mother Nature’s system through this pandemic? When our computer hangs up, we reboot it. Same theory applies for nature too. Last year several trees were chopped to give way for speedy metro trains in Mumbai. Weren’t we harming our mother nature? Is it the wrath of nature? I feel bad when I read about the mortality rates and the growing rise of patients who are affected by this epidemic. Today everyone is equal in eyes of God. No one is celebrity or a VIP. Each one is praying for this outbreak to come under control. Though this is time of crisis, I personally feel that this is hour to rediscover ourselves – our strengths and our flaws and rework on it. Theoretically it may sound easy, but practically it is tough to channelize ourselves in times of uncertainty. It may be tough, but not impossible. Whenever I feel low, I recollect the words written by motivating writer Robert Schuller.

‘Tough times don’t last, but tough people do’

I may be disconnected for a while, but I am connecting with myself.

These are some random thoughts of self-discovery I penned down to instill some hope, courage in myself so that I can continue penning positive thoughts and keep inspiring my readers.

The 2009 Hollywood motion picture – Law Abiding Citizen is a brilliant thriller flick that raises more questions on the law system and how far a man can go to seek justice by using all the wrong means. It is partly court room thriller, partly a suspense flick that keeps you engrossed till the climax. The happy life of Clyde Shelton tragically cuts short when two criminals break in his house, leaving him for dead and brutally murdering his wife and little daughter. Things go for worse, when one of the criminals Clarence Darby is sentenced only for few years while the other criminal Rupert’s death sentence is delayed to ten years.

Betrayed by the law, Clyde decides to seek vengeance in his own ways. What follows later is thrilling chase of cat and mouse where Clyde crosses the path with attorney Nick Rice. Nick Rice is convinced that the murder of the criminals Clarence Derby and Rupert Ames is none other than Clyde. But due to lack of evidence, Nick can’t confess from Clyde that he is the mastermind behind these crimes. The biggest challenge comes for attorney Nick when all of his associates within the law system are brutally killed by Clyde. But how Nick will prove that Clyde is the convict? Since Clyde is behind the bars, how can he commit the crimes from the comforts of the cell? Is there any other mastermind who is working for Clyde? Why is the killer targeting the attorneys? Will Clyde succeed in seeking his vengeance? Are Nick’s wife and daughter the next target of the criminal mastermind? The climax will leave you baffled. To discover the thrill, you can’t miss ‘The law abiding citizen’ starring Gerard Butler as Clyde Shelton, the family man who uses his tactical ways to settle score with his adversaries. Actor Jamie Foxx is convincing as the attorney Nick Rice who will go to any extent to seek justice.

The thriller ‘Law Abiding Citizen’ raises more queries about the flaws within the law system and why a law abiding person like Clyde has to implement wrong means to seek justice. Had attorney Nick Rice sought justice for Clyde, Clyde wouldn’t have become a criminal himself. This thriller reminded me of Alexandre Dumas’ book – The Count of Monte Cristo where an honest sailor is falsely accused of conspiring with his nation and put behind bar by three of his enemies. How the sailor seeks revenge against his enemies is best to be read. What I didn’t like about the climax is the unjustified ending for the flawed protagonist – Clyde Shelton. That left me bit disappointed. Gerard Butler shines in one of his best performances since his role as King Leonidas in 300. His character has little shades of Anthony Hopkins’ character – Hannibal Lecter who is genius and cunning. ‘Law abiding citizen’ feels like a thrilling courtroom novel by best-selling author John Grisham. The movie was really worth the watch and worth recommending. Seriously this is a timeless thriller compared to the silly web series. I had watched this movie during the lockdown and highly recommend my readers to watch this intelligent thriller.