When the Indian Air Force bombed Aizawl

In the aftermath of the massacre of 76 security personnel by the Naxals in Chhattisgarh, a debate is on regarding the use of air power against the leftist militants.

While the government might still be contemplating about initiating such action, it wouldn't be unprecedented for India.

[I had, almost five years ago, posted a post on this blog, but am not able to locate it now. Thankfully, found it in the email inbox. Reposting.]

It is a little known fact but perhaps the only instance in history where a country conducted an air raid on its own territory, against its citizens. On March 5-6, 1966 the Indian Air Force carried out air raids on the town Aizawl, in Mizoram, to soften the situation, so that the Indian military can recapture the town.

This dark chapter of Indian anti-insurgency history remains shrouded in the classified files. Very few people have spoken about it.

Gen. (Retd.) DK Palit states "… 5th March was the crucial day. At last, at 1130hrs came the air strike, IAF fighters strafing hostile positions all around the battalion area. The strafing was repeated in the afternoon… (6th March)… There was another air strike that day and that put paid to the investment. The hostiles melted away."

[Gen. (Retd) DK Palit, Sentinels of the North East: The Assam Rifles, p. 264.]

Shobhit (in a comment to this post) asked for a more information on the incident. Here it is:

In 1958 there was a famine (locally called Mautam - meaning bamboo death in Mizo) in the Lushai Hills area of Assam (now Mizoram). Disillusioned with the lack of administrative aid during the famine, the Mizo National Famine Front (MNFF) was formed.

The MNFF in 1961 changed its name to Mizo National Front (MNF), an armed political organisation. The MNF waged a secessionist movement against the Indian state. In early 1966 parts of Lushai Hills including the district headquarters, Aizawl, slipped out of the administration's hands into MNF control.

The Indian government, in an attempt to regain control over the rebel occupied regions, called in Air Force fighter planes from the Tezpur air base. The town of Aizawl and Tualbung and Hnahlan villages were bombarded.

The administration also moved out people from villages in the hills and resettled them in regrouped villages along the highways as a counter insurgency measure.

Though the government was successful in regaining control over Aizawl town, the insurgency continued for 20 years and ended with the signing of the Mizoram Accord between the Government of India and the MNF in 1986.

Pu Laldenga, the founder of the MNF, was sworn in as the Chief Minister of the newly crafted state of Mizoram in 1986.

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That '80s Show

Children had trouble understanding what the hell Nirodh was…why all the rain and the singing and the pink umbrella. Grown up had trouble understanding it too, the population kept growing in spite of all the talk and wall painting by the Family welfare department…Jacha Bacha Bachoo ka Baap sab khush all happy under the one big palm. That again is another story.

Vinayak at At the Edge has put together quite a comprehensive collage of life in the 1980s (both in text and images). We oldies should read it for the n-effect and the bacchas to know of the world as it existed before internet and satellite television.

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Indian Air Force Turns 75

Yesterday - October 8, 2007 - marked the 75th anniversary of the Indian Air Force.

The Indian Air Force was officially established on 8 October 1932.Its first ac flight came into being on 01 Apr 1933. It possessed a strength of six RAF-trained officers and 19 Havai Sepoys (literally, air soldiers). The aircraft inventory comprised of four Westland Wapiti IIA army co-operation biplanes at Drigh Road as the "A" Flight nucleus of the planned No.1 (Army Co-operation) Squadron.

I had found this nice video on the IAF somewhere online a long time ago, thought of posting it yesterday but was preoccupied. Here it is:


To share/embed this video click here
Download video [00:00:59 FLV 1.29 MB]

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Indian Cigarette Ads from 1800s to 2000s

The song that is on the tip of the tongue of every Hindi-film-loving Indian smoker is getting a paint job. Dev Anand starrer Hum Dono (1961) will be soon released in colour (a la Mughal-e-Azam and Naya Daur). Mohammad Rafi's colourful rendition of the song penned by Sahir Ludhianvi and composed by Jaidev will have Dev Anand puffing Hindi cinema's most famous cigarette in a watercolour-like enviromnent.


[00:01:20]
Download a midi version of the song [zip | mid 00:01:52 3 KB]

Though not with an intention to celebrate the much admonished hard-to-break habit of smoking, I've put together collection of cigarette advertisements in India right from the late 18th century to the early 21st century just before advertising for tobacco products was prohibited by the promulgation of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003. [pdf]

Lest I am accused of violating the spirit of the act, here are a few anti-smoking messages (they usually quite creative) as a deterring-prelude.

[Click on the images for a larger view]


Smoking kills (Cancer Patients Aid Association)


The smoke grave (Cancer Patients Aid Association)


Believe it or not, he actually smokes 20 different brands. Passive smoking, deadlier than you think (WHO and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare)


Between the two of them, they smoke fifteen cigarettes a day. Passive smoking, deadlier than you think (WHO and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare)


The irony is she doesn't know she smokes. Passive smoking, deadlier than you think (WHO and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare)

One puff and a slap of fine of Rs 200
Under Sec. 4 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003 smoking in railway premises including trains, stations, waiting halls and offices is prohibited.
South Eastern Railway
Striving for a tobacco free environment

Smokers are cockroaches and cigarettes roach exterminator (Cancer Patients Aid Association)


Smoking reduces weight. One lung at a time (Cancer Patients Aid Association)


O&M's brilliant take on one of the world's most popular campaigns, that of the Marlboro Man and his horse. The 'Second hand smoke kills' campaign went on to win numerous awards (Cancer Patients Aid Association)


Another gem from the O&M stable. Succinct and sure. This won the Gold Lion in the 'Outdoor Public Health and Safety' category at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival 2003 (Cancer Patients Aid Association)

Cigarette advertising in India from the late 1800s to the early 2000s

(This collection does not necessarily reflect the best in India's tobacco advertising. It is an exercise of convenience rather than comprehensiveness)


An early Indian tobacco advertisement, probably dating back to the late 18th century. The copy makes an interesting read (Anbumani Ramadoss would strongly disagree):

Support the Indian industry by smoking guaranteed Indian made Nizam, Vazeer & Gold Tipped Nizam.
Packed in packets of 10 each.
Made in India! By Indians! For Indians!
Registered
Ask your tobacconist for
Nizam, Vazeer & G.T. Nizam cigarettes
Manufactured in Bombay by John Petrino & Co.


An ad for cigarettes for women from the 1920s. The copy reads:
On every lip "Maspero" Specials & Felucca. The same high quality at Rs 3/12 per tin of 50. Sold by all tobacconists. A Maspero tip.


An ad from the 1930s. The text says:

Pradhan Specials Cigarettes
Made from Virginia Tobacco Planted in India
Indian Capital Management
Better than any Imported Cigarette for its price
Sole Agents - Chopra & Co., Chandni Chowk, Delhi
Local stockists: Shahabuddin Md. Ibrahim, Fatepuri
Local stockists: Maharaja Hotel, Delhi


One of the most popular cigarette brands in India - Wills Navy Cut's advertising campaigns has the highest recall value. Their 'Made for each other' campaign spanned generations of cigarette smokers. Here's an early Wills ad, when it was called 'Wills Filter' and old timers still do, some say 'Filter Wills.' From the mid or late 1960s.

The copy reads:
Made for each other
Like Wills Filter
Filter and tobacco perfectly matched. Taste that truly satisfies - time after time. Millions of smokers wouldn't have it any other way.
Wills Filter. Once you've tried it - you stay with it.
India's largest selling filter cigarette
Wills Filter
Filter and tobacco perfectly matched

In 1969 ITC, the manufacturers of Wills, introduced the Wills Made for Each Other contest to select the perfectly matched couple. Which half forms the paper rolled tobacco and who's the filter is a topic of an unending debate.


A few tobacco crops later, the branding changed to Wills Navy Cut - Filter Tipped. And the ad text evolved to:
Made for each other filter and tobacco perfectly matched
What tobacco men call marriage - the marriage of the right tobacco with the right filter - is what makes Wills Filter Tipped extra special. A filter cigarette as good as Wills is not just a good cigarette with a filter at one end - it is a good filter cigarette. The fine tobacco in Wills are specially blended to match the filter, enhance the taste. That is why you will find Wills Filter Tipped so satisfying. So many discriminating smokers already have.
they're great... they're Wills
Rs 1.20 for 20; 60 paise for 10

The ad was published in 1971 and 36 years later a pack of 10s costs Rs 34. An inflation of 5566.67 per cent! An annual rate would be around 154.63 per cent.


Made for each other in 1994. The models had changed but not much difference in the theme and also the copy.


Wills Navy Cut in a more modern avatar, not the ad, the packaging (2001)


Celebrating the arrival of 2003


A Wills ad from April 2004. Would be among the last ones to appear in mainstream print.

Other brands:


Charminar GOLD. I don't see this brand anywhere nowadays.

The copy reads:
Smoothness has never been so satisfying
Charminar GOLD Filter
Rs 1/95 for 20
Local taxes extra
Such a rare combination: smoothness, but with all the taste, all the satisfaction.
Just what you always wanted: Charminar GOLD


Wills Insignia. Where quality touches infinity.
(2004)


Gold Flake is by far the most popular cigarette brand in India (when I last saw the stats).


Gold Flake. It's Honeydew Smooth (2003)


Gold Flake. It's Honeydew Smooth (2003)


Gold Flake Lights. It's Honeydew Smooth


Gold Flake Ultima (2004)


Wills Classic Ultra Milds. Discover a passion (2002)


Wills Classic. Discover a passion. For those who value taste (2003)


India Kings. One of the premium cigarette brands in India. (2004)


Godfrey Phillips. There can be no fire without passion.


Godfrey Phillips Jaiselmer


Godfrey Phillips Originals


Four Square. The Man with the Smooth Edge (2004)


Four Square. The Man with the Smooth Edge (2003)


Four Square. The Man with the Smooth Edge.


Four Square. The Man with the Smooth Edge (2001)


Spicy fresh offer
Camera mobile phone
Movie tickets couple
Music CDs
Win instant prizes with Cluv Spice 10s pack!


Stellar Slims
Introducing India's first slim cigarette

Here are some that I borrowed from Vinayak's post at At the Edge. Vinakak Vinayak has a growing collection of vintage Indian print ads.


Give me a bike.
Give me a highway.
Give me my girl.
And give me the taste of toasted tobacco.
Toasted taste made milder.
That's the way I like it.
Discover the taste of toasted tobacco enjoyed by millions the world over. Now made milder and captured for your smoking pleasure in Charminar Filter.
Charminar Filter
Main dealer: Vazir Sultan & Sons, Hyderabad


Live life Kingssize
Four Suqare Kings
All the taste, all the way
(Input from Vinayak: Four Square Cigarette ad featuring Suresh Oberoi from 1970s. I think the woman in the background is Supriya Pathak.)


An exclusive affair
Regent Cigarettes


Bookshops are for browsing
And it was Sunday morning...
At last I found what I wanted
So had she.
This called for a quick plotting or I'd get shelved.
Visa Filter Kings Cigarettes

The ads have been scanned from old copies of Outlook, India Today, Parade, Man's World, The Times of India, The Statesman, The Week, Frontline; sourced from Indian Advertising 1780-1950; and downloaded from the internet. Dates for the early advertisements are assumed and may not be precise.

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An Afternoon at the Taj

[Click on image for a larger view / download options]

A few photographs from my visit to the Taj at the last puff of 2006.

From the Archaeological Survey of India plaque outside the monument:

The Taj Mahal was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (reign 1628-1658 AD), grandson of Akbar, the Great, in memory of his queen Arjumand Bano Begum, entitled 'Mumtaz Mahal.' She was niece of Empress Nur Jahan and grand-daughter of Mirza Ghias Beg "I'timad-ud-Daulah" Vazir of Emperor Jehangir. She was born in 1593 and was married to Prince Khurram (Shah Jahan) in 1612. She died in 1631 on the birth of her 14th child, at Burhanpur where she was temporarily buried. Six months later the body was transferred to Agra and finally enshrined in the crypt of the main tomb. Shah Jahan who died in 1666 was also buried here. The Taj Mahal is the mausoleum of both Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan. Originally styled as 'Pauza-i-Munavvara' and 'Rauza-i-Mumtaz Mahal,' gradually it became famous as Taj Mahal and Taj-Bibi-ka-Rauza (the Garden Tomb of the Taj Queen).

It is sited at the right bank of the river Jamuna at a point where it takes a sharp turn and flows eastward. The location has a correct orientation for the adjunct-mosque, minimum thrust of water, and above all, a large natural lake to provide it with a continuous protective cover of moisture. The river with 30 feet deep clean water was thus a constituent of its original design.

Originally the land where the Taj Mahal stands belonged to the Kachhwahas of Amer (Jaipur) and was acquired from them in lieu of four havelis. The construction began from the foundations. A network of wells was laid in the sub-structure to support the huge building. Masons, stonecutters, inlayers, carvers, painters, calligraphers, dome-builders and other artisans were requisitioned from the whole of the Empire and from Central Asia and Iran. While bricks for internal skeleton were locally made, white marble for external surfaces was obtained from Makrana. Semi-precious stones for inlay ornamentation were brought from distant regions of India, Ceylon and Afghanistan. It was completed in 1648 in 17 years, at the cost of Rupees four crore (40 million) when gold was sold at Rs 15 per tola (11.66 grams).

In all, it covers an area of 60 bhigas. As terrain gradually sloped from south to north, towards the river, it is laid out in descending terraces. At the southern point is the forecourt with the main gate in the front and tombs of Akbarabadi Begum and Fatehpuri Begum, two other queens of Shah Jahan, on its south-east and south-west corners, respectively. On the second terrace is a spacious char-bagh garden divided into four quarters by broad shallow canals, with wide walkways and cypress avenues on the sides. They are studded with fountains which were fed by overhead water tanks situated in the adjoining Bagh Khan-i-'Alam.

The main tomb is placed at the northern edge of this garden, to tower majestically on the river. It integrated the Taj with the blue sky, and provided it with a beautiful natural background, which was constantly changing from sunrise to midnight. The changing colours of the sky descended softly on its white marble and it looked ever new at every moment. This newness is the secret of its beauty.

The main tomb was designed under the guidance of the Emperor himself. It marks the perfect moment in the evolution of Mughal tomb-architecture and only its composition is novel. Thus the minarets are detached and placed to face the chamfered angles (corners) of the main tomb. Its perfect proportions were evolved in wooden models and, though it is such a gigantic building, rising to 285 feet from the river level with 187 feet width (of the main tomb), it looks in fact like a small model. Its geometrical symmetry is also unique. On its sides are red sandstone Mosque and Jam'at-Khana, architecturally for a contrast.

Though it has some wonderful specimens of polychrome inlay art, in the interior: on the dados, on cenotaphs and on the marble jhajjari (jali-screen) around them, and on the exterior on the spandrels of the arches, this ornament is sparce and minimal, and it does not play any role in the total aesthetic effect of the building, which is totally architectonic.

It was efficiently maintained by expert architects and engineers with the help of skilled masons, gardeners, and other workers, until it fell on bad days, in the 18th century AD [Portion of text whitened out. Probably refers to vandalism by the colonial powers. A mention which perhaps wasn't to the liking of some]. The British replaced the original gold kalash finial in 1810 and, the Taj was once - during the regime of William Bentinck - put to auction only for the value of its marble. Fortunately this sacrilege was averted. The Taj survived, although in bare skeletal form without the imperial coverings. Since the Archeological Survey of India was established in 1861, it is properly maintained and conserved.

One of the most beautiful creations of man on earth, it is variously admired: as a 'Materialised vision of Loveliness,' a 'Dream in Marble,' a 'Nobel Tribute to the Grace of Indian Womanhood' and a 'Resplendent Immortal Tear Drop on the Cheek of Time.' It symbolises India's composite culture. It is reckoned among the wonders of the world and is inscribed as a WORLD HERITAGE SITE by UNESCO.

According to a rough calculation based on the figures mentioned above, the cost of construction of the Taj Mahal in today's currency would be around Rs 2,604 crores (Rs 26.04 billion), the US currency equivalent would be approximately $651 million.

In comparison Delhi's ostentatious Akshardham Temple took Rs 200 crores to build.

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On the Great Revolt and More

It's been a hectic and exhausting last week. Therefore no posts. Tonight as I sit on my newly formatted PC (a real pain to format and install all those programs big and small that you seemingly can't do without).

I attempt recall all those ideas and observations that I tried hard to keep in an easily retrievable portion of my brain. But like in the computer hard disk, there are things which refuse to reveal themselves even with the help of wildcards.

Last week marked the 150th anniversary of a momentous event, the Mutiny of 1857 or the First War for India's Independence, depending on how you wish to look at it. With my limited sense of history and irrespective of what a few MPs feel, I would go with Veer Savarkar's interpretation. All the previous battles were with a motive to regain or retain territorial sovereignty and had an impact within a specified geographical domain and the participants had a greater degree of homogeneity. But 1857 was different.

My first contact with the turmoil of san sattawan was through Subhadra Kumari Chauhan's eulogy of the Queen of Jhansi - Rani Laxmi Bai, which formed a part of my primary school Hindi text.

सिंहासन हिल उठे राजवंशों ने भृकुटी तानी थी
बूढ़े भारत में आई फिर से नयी जवानी थी
गुमी हुई आज़ादी की कीमत सबने पहचानी थी
दूर फिरंगी को करने की सबने मन में ठानी थी

चमक उठी सन सत्तावन में, वह तलवार पुरानी थी
बुंदेले हरबोलों के मुँह हमने सुनी कहानी थी
खूब लड़ी मर्दानी वह तो झांसी वाली रानी थी

[Complete text of the above poem can be found here. For the poem in Roman script along with an English translation click here]

The intermittent years between Subhadra Kumari and the higher class history text were filled by tales of valour and horror fed to me by my ever eager elder brother.

Pity the celebrations had to coincide with the Uttar Pradesh election results and all the celebratory joy was drowned by a greater din of a socially-engineered election victory. It was clearly obvious even before the elections that Maya would successfully cast her spell on the most populous Indian state and yet again psephologists were way off the mark, the only thing that they got right was that the BSP would be the single largest party, but got the figures all awry. It is time that the 'electoral pundits' are relegated to a small box or a ticker scrolling across the screen and spare us from their gaseous pontifications.

Coming back to 1857, it was a year which neither literature nor cinema could make the best of. There would've been so many tales to tell which just remained a part of the folklore, ever more distorted by each passing generation. Even my village has an 1857 connection - some mutineers had stayed overnight there (or something similar that I was told during my younger years). I can hardly recollect any notable Hindi films based on the life and times of the Great Revolt other than Shatranj Ke Khiladi, Junoon and Mangal Pandey.

Even the media did little justice to the epic event. The Election Commission should've taken note and adjusted the dates accordingly. Talking about the Election Commission, do read the transcript of the Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami's interview with Shekhar Gupta on NDTV 24x7s Walk the Talk. The problem is that the sense that the Election Commission talks incites fear within the political class and therefore they are hardly implemented as many of them would require modification to the current set of laws. Anyway, I get to meet the CEC in person tomorrow (unless the boss thinks otherwise).

Map courtesy: William Carey University

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Glimpses of Delhi History

The Mehrauli Archaeological Park doesn't feel or look like Delhi. Located besides the busy Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road, the place feels centuries and hundreds of kilometres away from the bustling metropolis. Tired legs prevented the complete exploration of the park (had been elsewhere earlier in the day).

Metcalf's Canopy
1850s



This canopy was built by Charles Metcalf as a 'folly' - a new building meant to look like old to be viewed in the landscape. The semi circular arches in relief give-away the time period of the building meant to be seen from the southern opening of Quli Khan's Tomb, which Metcalf used as a retreat. The canopy provides excellent views of the surrounding areas.

Jamali Kamali
Mosque and Tomb
1528 AD








[Qutub Minar in the distance, as seen from Jamali Kamali Mosque]

Jamali was a traveller and a great poet, known to have served the court of Sikander Lodi. The grand mosque is five bay wide with the central opening is flanked by turrets. Within the enclosure is the small square tomb with a profusely decorated interior which includes verses penned by Jamali on the cornice.

Ruins: Balban's Tomb
16th-17th Century









This was obviously a flourishing settlement in the 16th-17th Century, with a central courtyard and residential wings.

[Descriptions are from the Archeological Survey of India plaques]

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