Our Culture, History and Heritage - Some Thoughts

I am not biased towards anyone or anything - no matter what. I try my best to be as objective as possible and whatever I write - I do after thorough research and careful deliberation. To the best of my knowledge and ability, that is. So, with that anticipatory bail, let me begin my latest post.

Frankly, I think we are very callous about our own history, culture and heritage. We neglect history, but there is no present and no future - without the past. [Note: I tried my best to not let this one sound like the latest potboiler from KJo's stable. So, pardon me, if it does.]

However that's not all, we have even bettered it by letting foreigners to pen books about our history, culture and heritage; while we have become champions at rote learning and this has been our bane - for several centuries now, or perhaps a millennium.

We have - as a nation - outsourced the documentation and writing of our history, culture and heritage to foreigners - including the ones that have colonized us! We are more than happy to read those books and extremely content - to learn by rote - all that rests within their pages. Our generosity of spirit - is immeasurable indeed.

However rote learning of anything, even of our own history or culture - written by foreigners - is not the way forward. That is not how clarity comes or knowledge imparted.

And if we were to recollect what Lord Curzon (Viceroy to India from 1899-1905) wrote in his letter to Queen Victoria: that in order to keep up their superiority of race, culture, heritage and history - they needed to have colonized countries and colonized people, or words to that effect. Ever wondered what that says about their mindset?

Yet, how many of us have tried to know about the reign of say, Samrat Chandragupta Vikramaditya?

Very few! We have quite happily restricted him to Vikram and Betal.

How many of us have cared to learn about Chanakya, Varahamihir, Aryabhatta and Sushruta? How many of us have tried to or even wanted to read and know about our great warriors and freedom fighters?

A small faction amongst a multitude of item number addicts, no?

Umm, I recently discovered that chocolate consumption in India has nearly trebled since 2005. Though I continue to wonder why it doesn't reflect on our population graph then?!

But let me not digress.

Frankly, our history is a mix of lies and half-truths. We need to come out of this intellectual bog, this mind numbing quicksand - this double trap of rote learning + letting foreigners to write our history. We need to separate the grain from the chaff, 'coz it is us that has given the chaff the status of the grain - if I may say so.

But there's one more thing that piques my curiosity no end and that is the origin of the modern day Europeans - those who wield all the influence and power today.

A couple of millenniums ago several destructive martial and warlike clans and tribes abounded - in various parts of modern Asia.

Samrat Chandragupta Vikramaditya drove away many such mercenaries and tribes - the Sakas and the Huns (white and red) - are some examples, from modern Asia and established his writ over these lands.

Hannibal overran Europe and I presume destroyed a lot of their ingenious culture and people. Attila the Hun ravaged Europe too.

But, what happened to the progeny of these marauding hordes??

Hopefully they aren't writing our history and holding forth on our culture and heritage. Or forcibly brainwashing us into believing this fictitious Aryan Invasion Theory and racial superiority, among others?! Not that we are not to be blamed - for lapping it all up - without question.

Strangely, even our ancient itihasa (history) have been termed as mythology and epic and turned into fables of 'victory of good over evil' - when we simply do not have this concept of 'evil'.

Now, lets turn our attention towards Alexander the Great. The freshly minted PM of Pakistan - Raja Parvaiz Ashraf - is a Rajput from the Potohar region of Punjab. But the Potohar region of Punjab is famous for another Raja - Raja Paurav (also known as King Porus).

Our history tells us that the mighty Alexander defeated him, yet folklore in that area and its surroundings tell a different story.

There is a line of thought that Alexander the Great fought three major wars in his life and won two. And that the third one was papered over by the Greek historians - because he lost it - beaten back by the forces of Raja Paurav and the ancient Persians. And that this defeat stopped him from plundering this fabled land - of her riches.

That the story of his 'magnanimity' with Porus could very likely be a fantasy - to keep Alexander's aura intact?

Ancient India was a land of immense wealth and knowledge. Hordes of conquerors have charged in - some of them multiple times - in order to loot and plunder and carry away vast quantities of her wealth. What made Alexander - a marauding conqueror himself - suddenly turn altruistic?

And who are the original inhabitants of Europe or America? Who are the indigenous people - of these lands?

If we look at the ones who are clustered in some parts of Europe: the Swedes, the Norwegians - I mean, the Scandinavian people: they are very different.

Unfortunately, the death of several languages and tribes, as well as the systematic conversion of indigenous people or adivashis (tribals) - all over the world, to some or the other organized religion - has had devastating effects vis-à-vis written and oral history, heritage, scriptures, languages, culture and folklore. We simply have no idea of what has been lost - forever.

I wonder how much of our culture, heritage and history has been destroyed - thanks to the marauders from the west and the east (aided and abetted by home grown vested interests). How many of our ancient monuments have been captured and then renamed? And how many of them destroyed?

Perhaps our forefathers were prudent and farsighted, and therefore locked in our history, etc in coded texts and/or camouflaged language. We have not been able to unlock.

Yet sadly, we pay no attention to the Gupta era - especially to that of Samrat Chandragupta Vikramaditya, whose reign encompassed vast lands and predated Islam. We seem to have not only forgotten him, but also buried him deep - in the sands of time. He faded off the pages, while we banished him from our collective psyche. We periodically and selectively remember Samrat Asoka - but only to emphasize on his embracing 'ahimsa' (non-violence) bit and extolling of Buddhism.

But, what is it that played a major role in ensuring that we fell to barbaric and marauding hordes? Why is it that despite a glorious ancient history and a very prosperous early medieval era ... we suddenly declined so rapidly ... and have never recovered ever since?

Frankly, I wonder why there has never been an attempt to understand what has been the impact of Buddhism - when it flourished - on the society, over a period of time; especially its message of peace and ahimsa. And whether there has been a misunderstanding or misinterpretation somewhere.

Samrat Chandragupta Maurya's reign was also a golden era, and he too was a great Emperor and a very able administrator - also attested by the ancient Greek historian and diplomat, Megasthenes (the author of an account of ancient India, the Indica, in four books).

While Samrat Chandragupta Vikramaditya, to my mind, was and is the greatest Emperor - to have walked on this planet - in the current era: the Kaliyug. He was paternal and nurturing - of his praja (subjects), without having embraced Buddhism.

His empire stretched from Bali to the Baltic and from Korea to ancient Arvasthan. [Note: Arva in Sanskrit means, 'horse' and sthan refers to, 'land or place' - Arvasthan therefore signifies the land of horses.]

A lion-hearted, noble, generous, erudite and dutiful ruler, he was devoted to the welfare of his praja - his people, even those from vanquished lands. No subjugation, slave-taking, opium-cultivation, burning and pillaging for him. No discrimination on the basis of language, customs or colour of skin. Once he conquered a land, he did not indulge in rape and plunder nor leave behind devastated cities and rotting corpses, unlike the marauding hordes that came in from the east and the west and perpetuated untold atrocities over us - the vanquished people and land.

Vikramaditya reintroduced the Vedic way of life, built beautiful monuments, imparted education and established law and order; his paternal and filial rule ended an uneasy period of turmoil and ignorance, ushering in an era of tranquility in these conquered lands. This IS ahimsa my friend - the true essence of the doctrine of ahimsa. What phoren and phony pundits' have been preaching to us is pathetic, leading us to a dead-end.

Ahimsa concocted and Ahimsa imported - have only made us bite the dust. As to why various forces and nations are only too keen to serve us this version of ahimsa - I know not.

However, we continue to conveniently ignore that sthan is a Sanskrit word, meaning land or place. And despite the passage of time and various isms cropping up - the names of various nations stand testimony even today - silently proclaiming their Vedic heritage.

Still, we take no interest in learning about the ancient Kambuja Desa or Suvarnadvipa - the ancient Indian Colonies in the Far East.

And our history books are silent about the Egyptian king Tushratta and the queen Sitamen.

Parting Shot: The way things are ... I won't be surprised if we are also told that some Greco-Romans disguised as Rishi Valmiki and Maharishi Vedvyasa - penned the Ramayan and the Mahabharat!

Photograph: Pic courtesy: Link.

Chanakya's Chant by Ashwin Sanghi

Authors Note: This book review has been published in association with Vodafone Crossword Book Awards - 2010. Please click here to know more about the awards.

An exciting read!

Chanakya's Chant is author-entrepreneur Ashwin Sanghi aka Shawn Haigins' second offering after the 2007 The Rozabal Line that went on to become a national bestseller. It has been nominated for the Vodafone Crossword Book Awards for 2010 - in the Popular Award category - along with nine others. I do not know who will win, but since 'win' is one half of 'Ashwin' ... he may already be half way through *smile*

Chanakya is no stranger to us. Through history books, the Amar Chitra Katha comics and the TV series by the same name, along with his two seminal works, the Arthashastra and the Nitishastra, we all claim to "know" him. Though his life and works have been lost to us, due to the antiquities of time, yet several attempts have been made to reconstruct his persona. However his legend has lived on and will continue to do so.

In Chanakya's Chant, the author has relied on his own imagination along with materials culled from various sources, including perhaps Mudrarakshasa (The Signet of the Minister) - a historical play in Sanskrit by Vishakhadatta. There are two narratives that runs parallel to each other: one is that of Vishnugupt/Kautilya aka Chanakya - the son of Chanak and the other is that of Pt. Gangasagar Mishra - a modern day Chanakya like figure. They are separated by over two millennia and there is no physical similarity between them yet they are very much alike: cold, calculating, cunning and motivated by higher ideals. Their stated aim is to unify India (for Pt. Mishra it was of course a much truncated version). Neither of them wished for nor received any material gains, nor did they desire for roads and statues to be built after them. They were selfless in the truest sense and they were the followers of the doctrine of "ahimsa" - in their own way.

Chanakya had Chandragupta Maurya while Pt. Gangasagar has Chandini Gupta - a slum kid he is determined to install as the PM of India, as their protégés. Chandragupta - from whatever we can gather about him - was valiant and sharp, however in the book he comes across as a tad puppetish. Which is fine, since Chanakya is the focus of the narrative, but a little more assertive and cerebral Chandragupta wouldn't have disappointed. Chandini by contrast is much beholden to Pt. Gangasagar, though she does display some spark and spunk sporadically. However, come to think of it, it could just be that both were simply following the paths outlined by their respective gurus and did so because of their immense faith in them, all the while learning via osmosis ... which do not make them puppets, but clever! And ideal examples of guru and shishya (protégé).

Both the narratives flow along quite well, pulling you into their midst and going back and forth 2300 years - taking you through the ups and downs, the struggle, the revenge, the cunning, the wars and battles, the intrigues, the mind games, the spies and vishkanyas, the battle of instinct, changing loyalties and promises. The book encompasses history, religion and politics among other things in quite a mouthwatering mix.

Chanakya's character is much more strongly etched, which is not surprising, and even though the author has borrowed quotations from others and attributed them to Chanakya ... none can say that the great man himself had not said similar things. However, the cuss words mouthed by him seem too undignified to have been uttered by the great man himself. I'm sure Chanakya's cuss words too would have sounded erudite *smile*

The author hasn't changed the names of places too much. E.g., Taxila is not called Takshashila. Peshawar is not called Pushkalwati or even Purushapura or Pushpapura - perhaps for the ease of reading.

Chanakya - one of the most illustrious among the students to have graduated from the famed Takshashila University authored the world's finest treatise on political duties, statecraft, economic policies, state intelligence systems, administrative skills and military strategy, called the Arthashastra, consisting of 15 books. He also ably guided Chandragupta Maurya to lay the foundations of the great Mauryan Empire, and also served as his prime minister. Emperor Ashok the Great was the grandson of Chandragupta Maurya.

Takshashila, the place where this university existed, is currently in Pakistan, and gets its name from Taksha, who was the son of Bharath (the brother of Shri Ram). Taksha ruled over the kingdom of Taksha Khanda, which even extended beyond modern day Uzbekistan, and Tashkent - the present day Uzbek capital also gets its name from Taksha/Takshashila. As to why modern scholars and experts are so keen to classify the Ramayan and the Mahabharat as 'mythology' instead of the history of the Treta and Dwapar Yug ... my guess is as good as yours. And why they try their bestest to restrict them within the current landmass of India, with a reluctant reference to Sri Lanka and Gandhar (in modern Afghanistan) ... I have not a clue.

Frankly, Chanakya is considered to be the first great political realist, a master strategist, the world's first "Management Guru" and a true Man of Destiny (Yug Purush). To my mind, he is the Shri Krishna of Kali Yug (the age of Kali - the era in which we live). He is the third among famous political strategists to have walked on this land, after Shri Krishna and Shakuni. Yes, Shakuni. Shri Krishna's successful guidance of the Pandavas in the Mahabharat is legendary and the Bhagavad Gita is universally renowned, as the jewel of India's spiritual wisdom, yet let us not forget that without Shakuni's cunning, the Kauravas were nothing really. It took someone of the caliber of Shri Krishna to finally outwit Shakuni.

Sadly our knowledge of Shakuni is limited. I see a repeat in the face-off between Chanakya and Rakshas but here too our knowledge of them is sketchy at the most. Ashwin has however tried to flesh it out a bit.

The central theme of Chanakya's Chant is a Shakti Mantra that is uttered by both Chanakya as well as Pt. Gangasagar Mishra:

"Adi Shakti, Namo Namah
Sarab Shakti, Namo Namah
Prithum Bhagvati, Namo Namah
Kundalini Mata Shakti
Mata Shakti, Namo Namah"

(translated: Primal Shakti, I bow to thee All-encompassing Shakti, I bow to thee That through which God creates, I bow to thee Creative power of the Kundalini Mother of all, to thee I bow.)

It is generally believed that Chanakya's views on women were a tad regressive. However I have always felt that his utterances towards women were not per se but w.r.t specific events and contexts.

Chanakya apart from being a great teacher was also a master strategist with deep insights into warfare, military technology and plans ... including the art of intelligence gathering. Whatever he has said could be interpreted in the light of the above. He was farsighted and hence may have meant his writings to be a cautionary note for the future generations - since he may not have believed that his generation has seen the last of the mischief mongers and mlechchas.

Could it not be that vested interests have tweaked his works to suit their needs? Just as our scriptures, etc was tweaked, e.g., to make 'aagre' (to lead) turn into 'aagne' (into the fire). A widow is supposed to lead the funeral procession of her deceased husband and not immolate herself on his pyre to commit 'Sati' (known as 'Satidaha' in Bengal – meaning 'the burning of Sati')

It took immense efforts under extremely trying circumstances (since the vested interests fought tooth and nail) from a succession of social reformers lead by the great Iswarchandra Vidyasagar to point that out and finally abolish 'Sati'.

Yet we still see it and much more happening under the guise of 'our ancient customs and traditions' of which there is no shortage of upholders. Sadly.

In 2009, we commemorated the bicentennial or the 200th anniversary of the birth of two historic figures, whose ideas and actions shaped the modern world - the evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin and President Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States (US), who successfully led the US through its greatest internal crisis, the American Civil War, preserving the Union and ending slavery. On the other hand, we succeeded in completely overlooking another important occasion - the 100th anniversary of the publication of the Arthashastra - (written in the period 321 - 296 B.C.) - the ancient Indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy, authored by the world's original political realist, Chanakya. Chanakya's long forgotten wisdom from the 3rd and 4th century B.C. was restored to modern India when Dr. R. Shamashastri of Mysore discovered a manuscript of the Arthashastra in 1904, then edited and published it to great acclaim in 1909.

So, in a way Ashwin Sanghi's novel has come at the right time. Chanakya is timeless and therefore there cannot be a time or era when he or his teachings can ever become redundant.

Chanakya's Chant has revived our interest in the life and teachings of the great Chanakya. I am keen to know more about him and Chandragupta Maurya ... and I wonder what would India (and her people) been like had they lived in today's times. If only ... we could find visionaries and leaders like them - so personified by Pt. Gangasagar Mishra and Chandini Gupta, even their circumstances and/or events that they are a part of ring a bell with the reader.

We all know that Chandragupta fared well even after Chanakya decided to retire and write his treatises. But for a modern Chandragupta, that may be difficult, nay impossible, given the gargantuan proportions of the challenges we as a nation face.

However, there is a need for some serious introspection, a need for soul searching - to understand as to where we went wrong in the last millennium or in the last one thousand years, that the great Empires and the Vedic civilization collapsed. That this great land saw the advent of conquerors after conquerors ... the ones who could not be rebuffed or defeated, and this land was plundered of her wealth and saw the forced demise of a part of her culture. Paying mere lip service to our culture and traditions and reminiscing about our past glories will not do and is not enough. A glorious past is no guarantee for a shining future unless we are prepared to jettison petty-mindedness for serious intent to execute the common goal of making India (Bharatavarsh) emerge as a great power in the 21st century.

In these times of turbulence and violence - the Kali Yug - Chanakya's thinking, his teachings and his philosophy are even more relevant. Each of us needs his guidance like never before. 'Coz a nation is made great by her people. And we all know a weak spine cannot support a strong and righteous mind ... and vice versa.

Details of the book: Chanakya's Chant/ Ashwin Sanghi/ Publisher: Westland/ Pages: 441/ Paperback/ ISBN: 978-93-80658-67-4/ Price: Rs.195/

Photograph: The book jacket cover of Chanakya's Chant. Picture courtesy: link.
About the author: Ashwin Sanghi (born January 25, 1969): An entrepreneur by profession, Ashwin Sanghi writes extensively on history, religion and politics in his spare time, but historical fiction in the thriller genre is his passion and hobby. Sanghi holds a master s degree from Yale. He lives in India with his wife Anushika and son Raghuvir.

His first novel, The Rozabal Line, was originally published in 2007 under his pseudonym, Shawn Haigins. The book was subsequently published in 2008 and 2010 in India under his own name and went on to become a national bestseller.

A 'history' of the Indian subcontinent - Part II.

Author's note: Do read the 1st part of this post here.

This is the 2nd part of the same post that I discovered while trawling the net... and decided to share it on my blog... so that all my readers can be entertained as well :)

After the Tehmuri dynasty was over the throne of unified India was once again empty, and since somebody had to be king it was decided by mutual consent to let Babur, an unemployed regent at the time, take the seat of power. Babur had lost his own kingdom in Samarkand you see, and since Samarkand was a pretty big place, he didn't want to go looking for it.

Besides, Babur was obligated by history to fight in the battle of Panipat and found the Mughul Sultanate. If he hadn't come to the sub-continent, the battle of Panipat would've been rather one sided, given that only Ibrahim Lodhi would have turned up for it, who himself might have been convinced to stay home learning of Babur's lack of interest. Then nobody would have turned up for it. That would have been very embarrassing for historians.

To become the unequivocal ruler of Hindustan, Babur also had to deal with the Rajputs. He had to defeat Rana Sanga, Ranatunga and other members of the Sri Lankan cricket team to consolidate his authority.

Babur was reputedly an extremely strong man who used to climb the stairs to his palace with a couple of men on his shoulders. This, he said, was for exercise although there are rumours that he provided this service for some much needed disposable income. It was tough being a ruler in those days, the salary was very little and opportunities for kickbacks and appropriations so few. There were no Swiss banks to embezzle the national treasury into, either.

Babur was succeeded by his son Humayun, who had spent years coining the royal title Al-Sultan al-'Azam wal Khaqan al-Mukarram, Jam-i-Sultanat-i-haqiqi wa Majazi, Sayyid al-Salatin, Abu'l Muzaffar Nasir ud-din Muhammad Humayun Padshah Ghazi, Zillu'llah for himself. He really should have done something better with his time, because no sooner had he ascended to power that someone with a much shorter name and much more experience in warfare defeated him and took his throne.

Humayun, like any blue-blooded emperor in his position, did the brave thing and fled to Persia. Since Sher Shah Suri was much older than the young Mughul ruler, Humayun's strategy was now to wait for the Pashtun lord to die first, an eventuality that occurred in the summer of 1545. Nine years later, Sher Shah's son followed suit.

Emboldened by the natural demise of his enemies, the ambitious Humayun marched back into India with his eyes towards the heavens, and fell down numerous times for not looking where he was going. After many wrong turns and much bickering with his generals, he finally reached Delhi in 1555 to lay down on his father's throne, as he was far too tired to sit.

Humayun's death proved to be as comical as his life, as in early 1556 he fell down the library stairs after getting his robe caught under his foot, injuring himself badly. Or injuring himself very well, rather, because he died just three days afterwards. This should serve to highlight the danger posed to health by reading too many books.

It is also worth repeating that India was at one time ruled by a man who tripped himself down the stairs to his own death. This should be kept in mind when furiously contemplating how a company of traders and merchants from Britain managed to take down an entire empire in a matter of years. They just built their offices on the second floor.

Humayun left his throne to his thirteen year old son, Akbar, who proved to be an astute monarch. He gave the sub-continent a thorough system of taxation, printed his own currency and gave the media and judiciary all the independence that could reasonably be expected from an unelected monarch which, it goes without saying, pales in comparison to the freedom granted by today’s elected monarchs.

During his regime, the prices of utilities and food items were very low, at least much lower than they are today. Poor people could afford sugar and petrol, they didn't have to ration their tea, they weren't forced to sell their internal organs just to pay the electricity bills and all in all it was a time of greatly relative prosperity.

Akbar-e-Azam was a religious pluralist who had no delusions of self-grandeur. Those rumours were base and false. His Majesty Imam-i-'Adil, Amir-ul-Mu’minin, Sultan ul-Islam Kafatt ul-Anam did not start his own religion for self-deification. Din-i-Ilahi was a self-less venture intended to strengthen the communal bondage between the various religious communities of India and his undisputed throne.

But Akbar (played wonderfully by Prithviraj Kapoor) having conquered all the external threats to his power would find trouble much closer to home. His eccentric son Salim (Dilip Kumar) would become smitten by one of the courtly concubines, Anarkali (Madhubala) while his wife, Jodha Bai (Durga Khote), would largely be a spectator as Bahar (Nigar Sultana) exposed the affair in an open court. Akbar would sentence Anarkali to be buried alive as the pleas of her mother (Jilloo Bai) would fall on ears not quite deaf but definitely hard of hearing.

Critics agree that the character of Mann Singh (played by Murad) was largely inconsequential to the proceedings but Anarkali's classical rendition of 'Pyar Kiya to Darna Kya' received great plaudits and would inspire the latter day Lata Mangeshkar hit.

In Part 3: Dilip Kumar's revenge and ascension to the Mughal throne as Jahangir.

Meanwhile, more practice questions:

"Have you ever fallen to your death down any stairs?"

"Why not?"

A point to ponder: Why did Asia stagnate despite being ahead of Europe earlier? Just before Europe's take-off, Central Asian nomads, who reveled particularly in destroying formal knowledge, attacked Baghdad, India and China. One of Ancient India's seats of learning, the Nalanda University burned for 3 months after Khilji's attack while Mongols piled the books in Baghdad's House of Wisdom to cross the Tigris. Without such attacks, some Asian intellectual centers too may have soon then sparked Europe-like societal changes. While Europe suffered warfare too, its intellectual repositories survived them.

Note: For further readings:

1. The Legacy of Muslim Rule in India.

2. The Convenient Omissions From Islamic History.

3. Why the West? Race, Religion, Culture and Development.

4. On Raja Paurava and Alexander.

Photograph: A still from the movie 'Mughal-e-Azam'... with Prithviraj Kapoor as the Emperor Akbar and Dilip Kumar (Yusuf Khan) as Prince Salim (later Emperor Jahangir). Pic courtesy: link.

Review: The Silent Monument by Shobha Nihalani.

A very good read. Exciting, riveting, thought provoking.

'The Silent Monument'. The name sure is intriguing and so is the book jacket cover. And those were the very reasons I happily acquiesced to review this book. This is Hong Kong based author Shobha Nihalani's second novel... and the first to be published in India.

The Blurb: The Silent Monument is a thrilling tale of an age-old scroll discovered in the hidden chambers of the Taj Mahal - one of the seven wonders of the world.

The journalist (Parag Saxena) who finds the ancient artifact is murdered. His feisty widow Manzil is suddenly burdened with the deadly secret, the contents of which could rock the nation. She becomes the most wanted person in the country.

Methinks: Thrilling it sure is, nicely interwoven with history and modern day politics. The narrative moves forward at a brisk pace yet do not overwhelm... nor it prods you towards the surreal. It does not call for the (un)willing suspension of disbelief either. TSM is not in the whodunnit format. I think that the graph of such a novel drops when the motives are revealed towards the end. Whodunnits don't have much of a repeat value once we know what the mystery is all about. Here the author has taken pains to cover a wide gamut of emotions and events while weaving the plot. It takes guts to write a novel that combines an ancient scroll, history, culture, religious conflict, vested interests, a secret organization, deadly assassins, archaeologists, police, and politics over religion. With an attractive dancer, a beautiful widow and powerful underworld dons thrown into the mixture. Plus it raises some pertinent questions. It takes talent to make such a novel a page-turner. Kudos to Shobha for having achieved that!

But before you jump to any conclusions let me state that 'The Silent Monument' is not the Indian version of 'The Da Vinci Code' or 'Angels & Demons' ... nor is Shobha Nihalani India's answer to Dan Brown. Both have distinctive styles of writing and the plots differ. Yet there are echoes. And Shobha Nihalani is certainly not the Shobhaa with an extra 'a' whether night or de *wink*

The plot is not physically very deep. Metaphorically, yes. But then as best-selling British crime writer Peter James says, "A shallow grave works better than a deep one."

Why did Parag have to die? Why is Manzil being hunted? What is the explosive secret hidden in the scroll... that if revealed will prompt people to kill each other? What is the role of the Indian Institute of Archaeology (IIA)? What is the archaeologist Mahesh Bhakti's agenda? Who is KD and who or what is the 'Onyx'? What do they want? Why are the two dons, the two modern gods – Deva and Khanbaba – involved? What are their interests and their modus operandi? What is the 'Yuva'? What will the Police officer - Yadav - do? How is the media involved in this cesspool? What is the filmmaker's role? What will Manzil do? What is the message at the end of the novel? What happens to the scroll?

Questions, questions! Read the book to find out.

A Deeper Analysis: Don't read The Silent Monument as just another exciting thriller. Read the book for its engagement with issues and events that are not usually spoken about in fiction, and for its interest in a big city's little people. Also... it raises certain critical and uncomfortable questions that we need to ask ourselves and to each other. Now.

It meanders between the power dynamics of the underworld, conflicts between religions/faiths and the larger plot of a nation's identity and heritage. What the dangerous threesome between politics, power and religion has achieved over the years. The Taj Mahal is the metaphor.

The Taj Mahal... the near ethereal monument of love built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favourite and beloved consort Mumtaz Mahal... who passed away due to anemia while giving birth to their 14th child in an 18/19-year marriage. Has the whole dreamy, romantic angle twisted history and hidden certain uncomfortable facts successfully? Is the Taj Mahal named after Mumtaz Mahal (real name Arjumand Banu Begum/Mumtaz-ul-Zamani)? But isn't that too far fetched? What about the architecture that tells a different story?

Apparently... more than 20,000 workmen/craftsmen toiled for 22 years to build the Taj. With the Maharaja of Jaipur sending the marble as a gift to the Mughal Emperor. But no traveler including the ones from Europe has ever mentioned about something being built on such a large scale in any of their chronicles.

The structure that is today known as the "Qutub Minar" was supposedly built by the Emperor Chandragupta Vikramaditya... the greatest Emperor of all times... to commemorate his conquest of Arabia (ancient Arvasthan, 'arva' in Sanskrit means a horse and 'sthan' means place/land. 'Arvasthan' signifies a land of horses, and as we all know, Arabia is famous for its horses). His empire stretched from Bali to Turkmenistan... and Bactria.

However... today the same structure is known as the "Qutub Minar" after Qutb-ud-din Aibak... one of the generals of the marauding conqueror Mohammed of Ghor, who ruled the far north from the Sultanate of Delhi... and established the 'Slave Dynasty'. How come breathtaking pieces of architecture, beautiful monuments, forts and buildings came to be regarded as the legacy of the marauding conquerors who came on horse backs from the east and the west... and left behind devastated cities and rotting corpses? How is it that the places they came from do not boast of such architectural marvels?

History is generally ignored and considered to be burdensome by most of us. Is history a past and closed chapter? Or is it work-in-progress? When we celebrate a new year... is it really a new year? Or is it history carried forward? Is it mere coincidence that both yesterday (the past) and tomorrow (the future) is referred to as 'kal'? And 'kal' (the past), 'aaj' (the present) aur 'kal' (the future) are strung together.

Does a nation's history affect the psyche of its people? Do people who are repeatedly told that they were conquered by outsiders and subjugated for centuries grow up with a different psyche/psychology compared to people who learn that 'they' had ruled and 'civilized the world’? I sometimes wonder... why are we strangers to our own glorious history. Why folks belonging to nations whose own history is but a few hundred years usually write the history of our country or the 'extinct' civilizations. And somehow... our history never goes beyond the British and the Mughals, with a smattering of French and Portuguese thrown in here and there. And the Dutch... for garnishing perhaps! As for the great Emperor Chandragupta Vikramaditya... we have successfully reduced him to 'Vikram and Betal'.

But I digress.

Does history speak? Or is history made to speak what the 'forces of history' wants to hear? Can we or should we correct the anomalies? Or should we let the past remain buried in the dunes of time... for the sake of peace? Is the 'unity in diversity' mantra hollow? Can Indians view events, people and history objectively without 'colouring' them? Or will it always be 'Us' Vs 'Them'? Can it ever be 'Ours'? Can we ever become proud Indians? Is there hope? Can Gurudeb Rabindranath Tagore's dream of a free and glorious India ever become a reality? Shall we ever awake to an India that will live up to his following immortal words... or will it remain a fantasy... a mirage?

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high

Where knowledge is free

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments

By narrow domestic walls

Where words come out from the depth of truth

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection

Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way

Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit

Where the mind is led forward by thee

Into ever-widening thought and action

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

My rating: I will give it a very good 4.25/5.

The printer's devil has not been able to do much damage. Whatever little it has... can be ignored. The production quality of the book is pretty good and the book jacket cover is the star attraction. It piques your interest and captures your attention instantly... while the narrative sweeps you up in its fold. I liked the language in which this book has been written. Not simple, not flowery... but erudite, yet easy to understand. Which makes it a pleasure to read. No wonder it has made it to the top 10 in the bestseller list (in the Fiction category) consistently since January 2011. Happy reading!

Shobha is one author to watch out for. I am waiting for her next book with high expectations.

The Author's blog: Shobha Nihalani: Meanderings

Details of the book: Author: Shobha Nihalani/ Publisher: Tara Press/ Edition: 2010/ Language: English/ ISBN-13: 9788183860994/ ISBN-10: 8183860990/ Book binding: Paperback/ Price: Rs. 250/ No. of pages: 304.

Photograph: The book jacket cover of 'The Silent Monument'. Picture courtesy: link.

Language Capers... ! (Part-III)

Author's Note: Read the 1st part here and the 2nd part here.

Though historical references to the city predate 900 AD, a modern written history of continuous settlement exists only from 1537, when Kempe Gowda I (c 1513-1569, c 1510-1570 AD) a vassal of the imperial Vijayanagara Empire built a mud-brick fort at the site and established it as a province of the empire. He is therefore credited with having founded the city of Bangalore in 1537. Kempe Gowda also referred to the new town as his "gandu bhoomi" or "Land of Heroes". His grandson... Kempe Gowda II (ruled from 1585 to 1633 AD) built the four towers that marked the outer most boundaries of Bangalore in 1597 AD. Today the city has grown by leaps and bounds and left the towers behind! They now stand prominently in the heart of the city. He built more than 100 lakes (or rather tanks) and many markets in and around Bangalore. He also built many monuments in and around Bangalore, including the Bull Temple... one of the oldest temples in the city. The temple is dedicated to Nandi, the sacred bull. One of the towers - in Lalbagh - has been rebuilt to look like a temple. The Lalbagh was started by Hyder Ali in 1760 and later completed by Tipu Sultan. This 240 acre landscaped park is home to some very rare species of plants. The 'Glass House' inspired by the 'Crystal Palace' in London, is the venue of an annual Flower show.

The story goes that when Kempe Gowda I was building his new fort (in Bangalore), its southern gate would collapse every night. Astrologers advised him to conduct a human sacrifice (that of a pregnant woman) but Kempe Gowda was reluctant to do so. He refused the offer of his daughter-in-law, who was then in the family way, to sacrifice herself. And then one morning, as the workers went to work on the gate once again, they found it had not collapsed. But nearby they found the body of Lakshmamma, Kempe Gowda's pregnant daughter-in-law, with her head severed. She had killed herself to appease the Gods. A distraught Kempe Gowda is said to have built a temple in Lakshmamma's name... and installed in it the idol of his heroic daughter-in-law. The temple is less than half a kilometre from this memorial in 6th Block, Koramangala.

This poignant story of sacrifice is almost certainly apocryphal. If only some of the Horticulture Department's plans for Lalbagh would also remain so. The Department wants to have a musical fountain and laser show close to the very rock where Kempe Gowda II, grandson of Bangalore's founder Kempe Gowda I, built one of his iconic towers. This is also near the place where archaeologists discovered an Iron Age burial site, 1800 to 3000 years old. The Tower in Lalbagh at the end of Double Road - is on top of a hillock. This is the most visited among all the towers. From here you can actually see the Bangalore Skyline. The tower is on a rock which is very ancient and believed to be 3,000 million years old according to the Geological Survey of India.

The rest of Lalbagh also has a distinguished history. Ever since Hyder Ali set up a formal garden here some 250 years ago, people have always added to its wealth of trees, be it Tipu Sultan or later, the botanists who administered it for the East India Company, the Mysore Maharajas, and after Independence, the new Mysore state government. And it isn't just Lalbagh's halo of history and tradition that should give the Department pause. Have they thought of how laser shows will affect the garden's vibrant birdlife? As it is... even the humble sparrow has turned elusive... in Bangalore these days. Thanks to the vanishing green cover (in the name of metro rail, martyr's memorial, etc) and the closure of lakes to make way for malls, apartments, et al. As several people have suggested, if the government wants musical fountains and laser shows, there are other sites in Bangalore where it might be appropriate. Leave Lalbagh be.

It was during the British rule that the name of the city became anglicised to Bangalore. (See a Citizen Matters article on Bangalore Cantonment). During the British Raj, it became a centre of colonial rule in South India. The establishment of the Bangalore Cantonment brought in large numbers of migrants from other parts of the country.

Today as a large city and growing metropolis, Bangalore is home to many reputed colleges and research institutions. Numerous public sector heavy industries, software companies, biotech firms, high-end hospitals, aerospace, telecommunications, and defence organisations are located in the city. Bangalore is known as the "Silicon Valley of India" because of its position as the nation's leading IT exporter. A demographically diverse city, Bangalore is a major economic and cultural hub and one of the fastest growing major metropolis in India. In the good ol' days (sigh!)... prior to the "developments" of the last 1.5 - 2 decades, Bangalore was a well-laid-out city with many spacious gardens and parks. This earned it the monikers... the "Garden City" and "Pensioners' Paradise". Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and fifth-most populous urban agglomeration. As of 2009, Bangalore was inducted in the list of Global cities and ranked as a "Beta World City" alongside Geneva, Copenhagen, Boston, Cairo, Riyadh, Berlin, to name a few, in the studies performed by the Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network in 2008.

The proposal of name change first came up in December 2005, during a meeting of litterateurs at the state's golden jubilee - the Suvarna Karnataka celebrations. Jnanapith award winner U.R. Ananthamurthy mooted that "Bangalore" be renamed "Bengaluru" to mark the occasion. The then Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh welcomed the idea and announced (on 11th December 2005) that it would be done.

On 27 September 2006, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) passed a resolution to implement the proposed name change. On November 1st, 2006 the then CM, H.D. Kumaraswamy announced that it was official (1st November being "Kannada Rajyotsava" every year... or the "Karnataka Formation Day". Literally: "Birth of the Kannada State").

Brief History About Kannada Rajyotsava: India became a Republic in the year 1950 and in the same year linguistic provinces were formed. The state of Mysore is one such state in south India.

The state of Mysore was created taking into fold various parts of the region, which were ruled by kings. Several districts in, now called North Karnataka and Hyderabad Karnataka were dissolved in the new state. The new state was named after Mysore, which by itself was a princely state. The people (?) of North Karnataka and Hyderabad areas did not accept the name "Mysore"... and demanded a change of name. (Whether that was 'public' opinion or 'publicised' opinion... your guess is as good as mine!) After a prolonged debate the name of the state was changed to "Karnataka" on November 1, 1973.

Late Devaraj Urs... the then Chief Minister of the state took this landmark decision. Officially the new state was born on Nov. 1 and on this day every year "Kannada Rajyotsava" is celebrated... accompanied by songs - via loudspeakers - whose inspiring lyrics go like this, "Singapore hogi alli shopping madonna..." This is also known as "Karnataka Rajyotsava". "Rajyotsava" means "State festival." Some places and state government establishments have a ceremonial state flag hoisting... while most B2B establishments remain closed. If they don't, the "Mannina Magas/Magalus" (read: the sons of the soil of Karnataka) make their presence felt... all in the name of "protecting" Karnataka and Kannada.

As with any other change, the city's name change has been opposed by many. A few are worried about the city's brand value diminishing, while some say it goes with local culture. Unlike the debates over the name change of most other cities in India (Bombay to Mumbai, Calcutta to Kolkata, Madras to Chennai, Trivandrum to Thiruvanantapuram) and elsewhere in the world (Peking to Beijing, Edo to Tokyo, Constantinople to Istanbul, etc.), the "debate" over the name change of Bangalore is happening at the local, national and global levels.

"Bangalore" had become India's most famous brand. Being "Bangalored" is now part of the global lexicon and comes from the IT and BPO business boom. The question now is how quickly will the world adapt to being "Bengalurued". Wonder what being "Bengalurued" would be like. Any ideas?? Also by not coming to Bangalore (Bengaluru?) while worrying about jobs in Buffalo being "Bangalored", namma Barackanna won't know that the jobs are actually being "Bengalurued", thanks to U.R. Anantha Murthy.

Being a city with a high immigrant population, some media polls show that the majority of the people are not in favour of the name "Bengaluru"/"Bengalooru". One hopes that brand Bangalore will remain intact and that better sense will prevail. This pensioners' paradise of a decade ago (rather a decade and a half) is turning rapidly into its veritable opposite, a baby boom city. Bangalore's demography has changed, it's become young. So a baby boom is inevitable. The influx of youngsters from across the country into Bangalore's IT and BPO businesses is producing what youngsters most typically produce - babies.

From a sleepy township to a bustling metro. From a pensioners' paradise to a happening city. Bangalore has grown by leaps and bounds in the last one-and-a-half decades. The city has catapulted itself on to the world map. However... the city's managers have failed to provide matching infrastructure. They basked in the glory that the software industry brought. They reaped dividends from huge investments and earned big revenue. But they failed to provide adequate power and water supply, good roads, better connectivity, transport planning and traffic management and a corruption-free system. Result: Haphazard growth. Frequent power breakdowns. Inadequate drinking water supply. Garbage dumped everywhere. Chock-a-block vehicular traffic. (Incidentally in 1906, Bangalore became the first city in Asia to have electricity, supplied by the hydroelectric plant situated in Shivanasamudra.) Going forward... the majority of inhabited accommodation will be at or above the tree canopy level... thus paving the way for 'development in the sky'. Big promises are made now and then. But many remain on paper. The will to get going is sadly missing. And I thought... where there is a will... there is a highway! But looks like... where there is a lack of will... there is a metro rail! As Bangalore takes two steps forward, it's forced to take a step backward... or maybe vice versa. Methinks... "BUNGLEuru" is a more apt name and reflects the state of affairs succinctly! What?? Bangalore's infrastructure needs to be improved... and that cannot be achieved by changing its name to "Bengaluru"/"Bengalooru". I'm even willing to discount the "corruption-free system" bit!

(More later...)

Note: The views expressed here are entirely in good humour and without malice.

Photograph:

Pic courtesy: Link.

Language Capers... ! (Part-II)

Author's Note: Read the 1st part here.

The origin of a city's name and its antiquity is of special interest to historians. Infact the name of any city and the changes in it or even its colloquialization have always fascinated people, and "Bangalore" indeed has caught the interest of many. Folklores, guesses, historical evidences, and inscriptions are quoted to prove different theories of the origin of the name "Bangalore".

The joke goes like this... that namma "Bangalore" derives it name from the over 4 lakh Bengalis who reside here. If you delete the last 3 alphabets from "Bangalore" or from "Bengaluru" you are left with "Bangal" or "Bengal". Right?! Even though "Bengaluru"... the new name for Bangalore City is yet to be confirmed by the central government.

What's in a name (?)... you may ask. Plenty of politics... looks like.

Anytime soon, "Bangalore" is expected to be officially christened "Bengaluru'. But the issue is now stuck with the Union Home Ministry. And the famed and formidable web of "red tape" woven by the even more formidable Babus.

The name "Bengaluru", though, appears to be catching up fast, with several major corporate houses and television channels adopting the new name. The official nod for the change in name has, however, not been given yet. Also, the confusion over how to spell the new name ("Bengalooru" or "Bengaluru") still prevails. Had the great bard William Shakespeare lived in these times... he would have never written the following lines for his play (Romeo and Juliet [II, ii, 1-2]):

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet."

The Centre reportedly has no objection to permitting the change of 12 of the 13 names sent across by the Karnataka government: Bangalore as Bengaluru; Mangalore as Mangaluru; Bellary as Ballari; Bijapur as Vijayapura; Chikmagalur as Chikkamagaluru; Gulbarga as Kalburagi; Mysore as Mysuru; Hospet as Hosapete; Shimoga as Shivamogga; Hubli as Hubbali; Tumkur as Tumakuru and Kaup as Kapu.

Although a small town along the west coast, the name change of "Kaup" as "Kapu" was sought much earlier and has been pending with the Centre for years. But nobody seems to have spared a thought for the delectable 'Mysore Pak'. 'Mysuru Pak' just does not sound delectable enough. What...??

The objection only pertains to Belgaum as Belagavi, but Karnataka has categorically told the Centre that it would like to affect all the 13 changes at one go. If the State gives in to the objections (unofficial) raised by the Home Ministry, it could be read as neglect of Belgaum, and that would be construed as politically insensitive. It could also be seen as neglecting Belgaum's interest. Kannada protagonists (including the activists of the "Kannada Rakshana Vedike" aka KRV and the "Akhila Karnataka Gadi Horata Samiti"... an umbrella organization of about 200 pro-Kannada organizations... whose sole aim is the "protection of the state's borders") have said the name change should first start with Belgaum since Belagavi is closer to Kannada than Belgaum. As former Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil hailed from Maharashtra, he was under pressure from his home turf for rejecting this proposal. The current incumbent - PC - is busy rebooting. The "Master Plaster" and his family too have invited themselves to this "naming ceremony". Add to this the 'Kar-nataka' brand of jataka tales with the cheap minister busy prostrating himself in front of assorted Gods and Goddesses - mortal and celestial. So the name change is now entangled in political twirl.

From Boiled Beans to Bangalore to Bengaluru: Among the metropolises in India, Bangalore is next to Delhi in antiquity.

An interesting peek into history reveals the evolution of the name "Bangalore". An apocryphal yet popular anecdote recounts that the 11th-century Hoysala king Veera Ballala II (1173 - 1220 CE), while on a hunting expedition, lost his way in the forest. Tired and hungry, he came across a poor old woman who offered him shelter for the night and served him some boiled beans and water, as was the custom in rural areas. The grateful king named the place "benda-kaala-ooru" or "Benda Kalooru" (literally, "town of boiled beans"), which eventually evolved into "Bengalūru".

Another story tells us how "Venkataru" (because of the many Venkataramana Swamy temples built by Kempe Gowda) became "Benkaturu" and finally "Bengaluru". Yet another tale talks of "Benacha kalluru" ("Benachu" is quartz stone found in plenty in this area) becoming "Bengaluru". Another theory traces the name to "Benge/Benga trees" or "Ven-kai" (also known as the Indian Kino Tree... Pterocarpus marsupium) found in "Bengeuru", which became "Bengaluru".

"Bangalore" also had other names such as "Devarayapattana" (16th Century) and "Kalyanapura"/"Mangalapura". However, the word "Bengaluru" first appeared in an inscription of 890 A.D. found in Begur, about 10 miles south of Bangalore. Historians believe that Bengaluru mentioned in the inscription may be different from the Bengaluru near Kodigehalli near Hebbal. It may be noted here that Bengaluru near Kodigehalli was the parental house of Kempe Gowda's mother as well as of his wife. This must have prompted him to name his city as Bengaluru.

The Gangas ruled Gangavadi from Kolar starting c. 350 and later shifted their capital to Talakadu. Their rule often extended over large parts of Tamil Nadu. The earliest reference to the name Bengaluru was found in a ninth century Western Ganga Dynasty stone inscription on a "vīra gallu" (literally, "hero stone", a rock edict extolling the virtues of a warrior). In this inscription found in Begur, Bengaluru is referred to as a place in which a battle was fought in 890 AD. It states that the place was part of the Ganga kingdom until 1004 and was known as "Bengaval-uru", the "City of Guards" in Halegannada (old Kannada). Apparently, around 5th Century, the Ganga rulers constructed a hamlet near Kengeri for their security guards - known as "Bengavalu" in Kannada. Their dwelling place was popularly known as "Bengavaluru", which later on seems to have changed to "Bengaluru".

An inscription, dating back to 890 CE, shows Bangalore is over 1,000 years old. But it stands neglected at the Parvathi Nageshwara Temple in Begur near the city. Written in Hale Kannada (Ancient Kannada) of the 9th century CE, the epigraph refers to a Bengaluru war in 890 in which Buttanachetty, a servant of Nagatta, died. Though this has been recorded by historian R. Narasimhachar in his Epigraphia of Carnatica (Vol. 10 supplementary), no efforts have been made to preserve it. The inscription stone found near Begur reveals, that the district was part of the Ganga kingdom ruled from Gangavadi until 1024 C.E and was known as "Benga-val-oru", the "City of Guards" in old Kannada. In 1024 C.E, the Chola Empire captured the city. Today, little evidence can be seen of this period. A small village in south Bengalooru and one in Anantapur district bear the Chola name but the residents are of native stock. The later Gangas often fought alongside the Chalukyas, Rastrakutas and the Hoysalas. In 1117 C.E, the Hoysala king Veera Ballala II defeated the Cholas in the battle of Talakad which lead to the downfall of the Chola empire.

There is an inscription dated 1628 C.E in the Ranganatha Temple in Telugu. The English translation of which is: "Be it well, When Rajadhi-Raja-Parameshwara Vira Pratapa Vira-Maha-Deva Maharaya seated in the Jewel throne was ruling the empire of the world: When of the Asannavakula, the Yelahanka Nadu Prabhu Kempanacharya-Gauni's grandson Kempe Gowda's son, Immadi Kempegaunayya was ruling a peaceful kingdom in righteousness with the decline of the Vijayanagar empire, the eclipse of the rule of Yelahanka Nadu Prabhus took place at the dawn of the 17th century."

Bangalore was the capital of Yelahankanadu Prabhu's for 101 years from 1537 to 1638 A.D. Kempe Gowda I or Hiriya Kempe Gowda (c 1513-1569, c 1510-1570 AD) was a great visionary, a builder, and an enthusiastic and energetic ruler. He subdued the warring neighbourly chieftains and brought in prosperity and peace to the people. After 32 years of his rule, his son Gidde Gowda ruled for 15 years from 1570 to 1585. Thereafter, Kempe Gowda II ruled for 48 years (from 1585 to 1633), and like his grandfather, he was a brave soldier and a great builder. He is known for many constructions like the Ranganathaswamy temple in Balepet, forts in Magadi and Savanadurga and tanks including the Kempapura and Karanjikere tanks. The watch-towers in Lalbagh, Kempambudhi tank, Halasur tank (near Ulsoor lake), and near Mekhri circle have become famous as Kempe Gowda towers... that marked Bengalore's boundary. The watch- tower is now the insignia of the Bangalore City Corporation.

Therefore origin of Bangalore is clearly marked by the ceremony of furrowing the main streets by Kempe Gowda I in 1537 A.D. This can also be assumed as the commencement of its political history. However, there was human habitation much earlier around the place now known as Bangalore. Stone Age weapons belonging to 2000 to 1000 B.C. have been found near Jalahalli, Siddapur, and Gavipura. Iron Age relics of about 800 B.C. have been found in Kannur, Jadigenahalli, Koramangla, and other places. Roman coins of Augustus, Tibirius, Cadius, and Caligula of about 1st Century A.D. have been unearthed from Yeshwantapur and HAL areas. Inscriptions and historical evidences belonging to various periods - Talakadu Gangas (2nd to 10th Century A.D.), Cholas (1004-1116 A.D.), Hoysalas (1116-1336 A.D.), and Vijayanagar Kings (1336 A.D. onwards) - show that several dynasties ruled over this area. In addition, many veeragals (hero stones) have been found in various places of Bangalore. Hero stones found in Lalbagh and Kengeri (10th Century), lake in Krishnarajapura (11th Century), near Railway Housing Colony (13th Century), and near the band-stand in Lalbagh Glass House (13th Century) clearly show that the area was well inhabited and well settled.

(More later...)

Note: The views expressed here are entirely in good humour and without malice.

Photograph:

Hilarious take on the topic of this post. Apt... right?!! Pic courtesy: Link.