Part 2: The Gayatri Devi ‘Aandhi’
...And, she arrived. In style.
Not because of her beauty, garments, jewellery, handbags, perfumes or shoes. But because when she reached Jaipur for her marriage, it is believed, she had told her husband that she would not follow him by three steps as all Rajasthani women had to but she would walk beside him. He agreed but also told her to be patient as it would take his court some time to accept someone like her.
Rajmata
The word sends a shiver and thrill down every MGDian! For us, there is only one person who has earned this reaction. She is Rajmata Gayatri Deviji Sahiba, Queen Mother of the erstwhile royal state of Jaipur, the present capital of Rajasthan. Though she left us in 2009 she will continue to live in every breath we take, for generations …
This series of five posts is a tribute to Rajmata, written to share with the world who she really was and what she represented for little girls from Rajasthan, a western desert of India, recognised for its valour, colour and cultural heritage. It is also a state that, today, even nearly 75 years after India’s independence has one of the highest crime rates against women, an alarming number of child marriages and dowry deaths, and continues to practice the heinous crime of female foeticide (the killing of the girl child in the womb or immediately on birth, before they even take their first breath).
23rd January is the birth day of Subhas Chandra Bose, revered in India as Netaji ('Neta' means leader and 'Ji' is a title of respect). He was born in 1897 to Prabhabati Devi and Sri Janakinath Bose at Cuttak, in Orissa. He spent the first 16 years of his life there and loved Orissa and she loved her back, I will tell how. He studied in Calcutta (now Kolkata) and got selected for the Indian Civil Services (ICS) now known as Indian Administrative Services (IAS). He was inspired by Swami Vivekananda's speeches during his Cuttak years and decided to fight for India's freedom, in a different manner. Below are some lesser know facts related to him.
Wishing everyone a very Happy, Safe and Healthy Durga Pujo 🙂 This is the second Durga Pujo during the lockdown induced by the dreaded Covid 19. Nearly everyone is exhausted and drained - emotionally, physically, financially, intellectually and every other possible way. We have collected a special offering for you which are inspired from Durga Pujo celebrations from Bengal. We would not want you to miss out on the festivities associated with this festival and season ❤ so re live your memories and joys of the season, and plan for the grand one next year. May the power of the Mother Goddess be with you 🙂
Stephen Barker, Heritage Advisor, Author, Guided Tour leader In December 2018, I decided to fly to Florence (Firenze), on a whim (remember those days of spontaneity?). A relationship had ended at the beginning of the year and with England’s winter now well established, I was in need of a change of scene and lucky enough... Continue Reading →
https://videopress.com/v/1PmZwtxU?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fvarnikadesigns.files.wordpress.com%2F2020%2F06%2F2-1.png&preloadContent=metadata Yeaaahhh, we are one 🙂 ‘The Museum Memories Project’ - an oral history documentation digital platform - was launched on April 15, 2020. For the first time, museum visitors were invited to delve deep and freely express their memories. They could share their favourite artefacts, spaces and moments in museums that they loved. This... Continue Reading →
Wishing everyone a very Happy Holi 💕 this is a video I took of the flower locally called in Bangla/Bengali - Phagun Bou - meaning Spring Bride
'The Museum Memories Project' had launched its Youtube Channel in October 2020 with 3 videos with experts from the world of museums in a section called 'Impresario: a Heritage Foundry'. We asked them to dip into their memories and experiences and share what, according to them, a museum represented and conveyed, which museums they liked and disliked and why, what were the responsibilities of a curator, some behind-the-scenes suggestions for a museum in the post-pandemic world. It is free resource digital channel - kindly like, subscribe and share it.
This post is about Dia, in the context of patriarchy, feminism, widowhood, hypocrisy of the Bengali community, sexual need, gender roles, power struggle, and mental health awareness, narrated by her granddaughter in whom she confided a lot but could never get herself to love as much as the grandson.
Writing Mahabharata is easier than penning my memory of Durga Puja that spans 40 plus years. The rains slowed down, sky was still cloudy and sombre, structures of bamboo and cheap wood would mushroom everywhere in the city, our new playgrounds. We used to climb the structures the whole day and scolded by the uncles... Continue Reading →
