Bombay Dyeing ad (1984) with Ardhendu Bose (updated)
thanks to Nitin Kumar..
thanks to Munna for digging this up.. and it was quite extraordinary to have Mr Bose himself comment on a related thread..
thanks to Nitin Kumar..
thanks to Munna for digging this up.. and it was quite extraordinary to have Mr Bose himself comment on a related thread..
December 20, 2010 at 10:04 AM
Very elegant – the man, the background, the total ambience.
LikeLike
December 21, 2010 at 4:50 AM
hey thanks oldgold! ardhendu
LikeLike
December 20, 2010 at 3:15 PM
he also star in some hindi-bengali movies like cobra and kalkut.
LikeLike
December 21, 2010 at 4:52 AM
yes rajib – i did work in the hindi film “cobra” and the bengali re-make “kalkut”. it was a martial art film. then i did also work in a couple of hindi films as a villain, a couple of hindi serials and a couple of video films made by nari hira’s hiba films – shingora and khatarnak irade. regards, ardhendu
LikeLike
January 16, 2011 at 2:13 PM
http://aniltejani.blogspot.com/2009/06/on-sets-of-shingora1985.html
LikeLike
October 9, 2011 at 11:04 AM
hi munna – where did you get these posters?? regards, ardhendu
LikeLike
December 20, 2010 at 5:03 PM
I think he tied in with the James-Bond-As-A-Spy image during that time.
LikeLike
December 20, 2010 at 5:05 PM
Looks like he is wearing a half sleeve shirt under the jacket. A major fashion faux pas.
LikeLike
December 20, 2010 at 5:51 PM
That is Fashion designer’s problem?
LikeLike
December 21, 2010 at 11:26 PM
hi munna – in those days there were no fashion desigenrs around like you have now. maureen wadia used to design my outfits and “artistic” at colaba would stitch them!!
regards,
ardhendu
LikeLike
January 5, 2011 at 9:23 AM
ARDHENDU BOSE WAS ONE OF THE MOST DASHING MODELS OF MY TIMES.IF I M NOT WRONG HE ALSO APPEARED IN AN AD FOR A PENCIL BRAND.
SOMEBODY MAY PLEASE POST SOME MORE PHOTOGRAPHS OF THIS FAMOUS SPY WITH GUN
LikeLike
January 16, 2011 at 12:03 PM
hi kumar – yes i did a tv commercial for camlin pens. regards, ardhendu
LikeLike
October 23, 2011 at 11:08 AM
hi kumar – nitin kumar has posted one of the films i did for bombay dyeing. brings back memories!! ardhendu bose
LikeLike
October 23, 2011 at 11:31 AM
this is a classic ad! They don’t make them like that anymore. The ads today are simply too slick, too sophisticated. A certain fun element is lost. Barring exceptions here and there.
LikeLike
November 20, 2012 at 9:52 PM
ya. that was camlin pencils.
LikeLike
October 22, 2011 at 7:00 PM
Take this Rajen (watch first 30 seconds) 😉
Well the movie is on Youtube..
Some decent numbers
LikeLike
December 20, 2010 at 5:13 PM
Off Topic: There’s a twitter feed called #BollywoodInsults. Some samples are reproduced below..
Your breath smells like @BeingSalmanKhan on a Sunday morning
your hair style and Anil Kapoor’s chest hair must be twins
U have a personality like Tusshar Kapoor!
Your child is more indecent than @iamsrk
Mein tera life Chandrachur chur kar doonga
Akshay Kumar has less teeth than u!
Ur as innocent as Shiney Ahuja
Zindagi ne tere saath Uday Chopra se bhi bada mazaak kiya hai
May ur son grow up and be the next @udaychopra
Kuttey kaminey…main tumhe RGV ki aag dikhaa doonga
you r the size of shahid kapoor’s ass with butt plugs!
LikeLike
December 20, 2010 at 6:03 PM
There are some hilarious replies to actual tweets by BW stars:
1) @NeilNMukesh: There is a johnny in all of us. That mysterious person who we don’t knw :).
REPLY: This Johnny fellow must be one horny guy.
2) @TusshKapoor: Still trying to get into the groove of hard core shoots and good sleep but unsuccessful…
REPLY: Wow. You’re in porn now?
3) This is a tweet about Ashu Gowarikar:
“Ashutosh Gowariker could make a film about premature ejaculation, and it would still go on for 4 hours.” LOL!
4) @ameesha_patel “@AshmitPatel is safe safe safe. Yehhh. Thank u all u tweeple. Muaah!!”
REPLY: Chill. It’s Big Boss, not an AIDS test.
5) @MaheshNBhatt: Man lives in hope and dies in hope.
REPLY: Plot for next flop?
LikeLike
December 20, 2010 at 6:08 PM
@emraanhashmi: if u stare at a burger long enuf ,itll make you fat !!
REPLY: So if someone stares at you long enough, it’ll make them retarded? (Great one!)
LikeLike
December 20, 2010 at 6:28 PM
LOL
LikeLike
October 9, 2011 at 11:52 AM
I just stumbled across this, this is hilarious!
LikeLike
December 20, 2010 at 8:31 PM
Zindagi ne tere saath Uday Chopra se bhi bada mazaak kiya hai
LMAO
there are others too- Harmaan, Rajeev Kapoor, and the guy from “Family” etc.
LikeLike
December 20, 2010 at 8:32 PM
He is so much better than Saif for Gwalier suitings.
LikeLike
December 20, 2010 at 9:05 PM
This Bombay dyeing ad reminds me of an old sardar joke.
One day Rocky Singh and Saket Singh go to a city from their small town in Punjab and they re looking at all the hoardings Suddenly Rocky Singh goes: Arre Saket Paaji, Bombay dying,Bombay dying !
Saket Singh goes- Kyun, kyun
Rocky Singh says – because Gwalior shooting!
LikeLike
December 20, 2010 at 9:26 PM
Have you heard this joke?
A Muslim suicide bomber, um, dies, and…in fact goes to Heaven.
At the gates he is greeted by…George Washington, who is very pleasant and welcomes him to the pearly gates.
The bomber is taken aback, but goes with the flow, and goes on to meet… Thomas Jefferson. Who is similarly pleasant and welcoming. The bomber is even more confused.
…but goes on to meet James Madison, who gives him a big hug. The bomber greets him politely but has had enough; after Madison goes off he yells “What is going on?!”, at which point a booming voice answers: “What do you mean ‘what’s going on?’?! You were promised 72 Virginians, and you have 69 to go!”
LikeLike
December 21, 2010 at 8:13 AM
Good one! There’s another where Mohd Ata arrives at the gates of paradise with some of his buddies and the gatekeeper tells him to slow it down as they’re running out of virgins!
LikeLike
December 21, 2010 at 8:11 AM
LOL!
LikeLike
December 21, 2010 at 4:53 AM
wow! ardhendu
LikeLike
April 17, 2011 at 1:07 PM
/Users/ardhendu/Desktop/scan0063.jpg
LikeLike
April 17, 2011 at 3:17 PM
can’t access this scan..
LikeLike
September 5, 2011 at 12:19 PM
hi ardhendu, just watching this bombay dyeing ad picture, it took me in the past and refresh my memories of my childhood where i saw you in the tv commercial of bombay dyeing with one lady. in the ad you were trying to save the girl from and one helicopter was there, something like james bond type ad. can u please let me know where i can find that ad. is it onthe youtube ?
LikeLike
October 23, 2011 at 11:09 AM
mukesh – the ad with the helicopter is now very much on this site!! regards, ardhendu
LikeLike
September 10, 2011 at 7:36 AM
hi mukesh – great to hear from you – yes i remember that ad – it was the first eevr film prahlad kakkar made – his stepping stone to success – i rememmber the shot was that i was in a jeep with a lady and a helicopter was chasing me – i drove into a tunnel and the helicopter crashed! i’m afraid i cannot tell you where you can find that ad – i wish i could get hold of it myself – i guess you will have to ask bombay dyeing if they have it in their archives – take care – ardhendu
LikeLike
June 19, 2012 at 4:52 AM
Hi ardhendu, i was just going through the messages down here and got to know that you belongs to Netaji’s family. Its really really great. Howz your life now a days. You are into which biz, where do u stay, etc. etc.
LikeLike
June 19, 2012 at 11:41 AM
Hi Mukesh,
Yes I am a son of Netaji Subhas Bose’s younger brother. I am a leather technologist by profession and always have been. Modelling and acting were my hobbies. I consult overseas buyers who want to source from India. I live in Mumbai – don’t like it though.
Keep in touch,
Ardhendu
LikeLike
September 10, 2011 at 7:38 AM
Hi ardhendu–are you the guy actually in this ad–good pic.
Are u still involved in re ad /film world…
LikeLike
September 10, 2011 at 8:08 AM
He is and it’s been wonderful to have him make an appearance from time to time.. Don’t think he’s involved with ads anymore but he’d be best to answer this.
LikeLike
September 12, 2011 at 3:20 AM
hi alex/satyam – great to be on this site – from time to time as you say! yes alex i am “actually” the guy in this ad!! no i am not involved in the ad biz any more – i do feel people should step down gracefully at some point of time!! i was the “bombay dyeing man” for a solid 10 years – then i myself started getting stale with myself and i’m sure so was the client – so we had a chat and i bowed out!! i do still occasionally get some offers for films and serials but nothing that really arouses great interest in me – then the thought of endless waits on the sets for the shot to get ready (most most boring) deters me to a very great extent. one might spend a good 8 hours on the set and actual time spent in front of the camera would be 10 minutes!!!! it takes more that one hour to do a shot which would last for 1 minute or less on the screen!! man! it takes a lot of patience and that is what i m short of!! anyway if something interesting does come my way i will go for it!! take care and thanks for remembering me – it is a great feeling! ardhendu
LikeLike
September 12, 2011 at 6:07 PM
“yes alex i am “actually” the guy in this ad!!”—U look great Mr Bose..
Thanx for visiting intermittently
“it takes more that one hour to do a shot which would last for 1 minute or less on the screen!! man! it takes a lot of patience and that is what i m short of!!”—Same here mate——That is exactly why I refused the offer of the leading man in Dhoom3 and mission impossible 5….hahaha
(not) Joking–lol
LikeLike
September 23, 2011 at 6:42 AM
Alex – Many thanks for the compliments. Will think of a suitable response and come back. Love being on thi site – intermittently!! Cheers – Ardhendu
LikeLike
September 23, 2011 at 9:51 AM
Yo maan cheers
LikeLike
October 9, 2011 at 11:59 AM
^^^ agree.
Virgins are really in short supply
LikeLike
October 22, 2011 at 12:56 PM
hi guys !!!
now enjoy …. the great phenomena … dashing and stylish ARDDHENDU BOSE … all over once again..
LikeLike
October 22, 2011 at 1:34 PM
Thanks Nitin.. this was great! Ardhendu Bose checks out the post from time to time. Hope he does so again.
LikeLike
October 23, 2011 at 11:41 AM
hi satyam – here i am!! what nitin has posted brings back wonderful fond memories!! thank you nitin! ardhendu
LikeLike
October 23, 2011 at 11:49 AM
great to have you visit as always..
LikeLike
October 23, 2011 at 12:08 PM
you are very welcome!!
LikeLike
October 23, 2011 at 3:28 PM
How times have changed ! While seeing these ads in movies and in the magazines way back in 1970s and 80s , i used to get dam thrilled and wonder, who this guy must be ? wht he be doing? And today mr bose is right here , with us ..in real time ! Thank u mr bose , u bring back the spirit and thrill of those exciting and youthful college days.! By the way , mr bose himself is a highly learned , humble and an intellectual personality. , belonging to great family of honorable Netaji Subhash bose. Three cheers for “The Marksman “!!!
LikeLike
October 23, 2011 at 5:35 PM
Really? Had no idea he belonged to Subhash Chandra Bose’s family!
LikeLike
October 25, 2011 at 12:29 AM
Hi Satyam – yes I am a nephew of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. My father Sailesh Chandra Bose was Netaji’s younger brother. My grandfather Rai Bahadur Janakinath Bose had 8 sons – Netaji was the 6th. son and my father was the 7th. Best regards and compliments of the season. Ardhendu
LikeLike
October 25, 2011 at 5:36 AM
Agree with NYkavi, although it seems like you were too young (or perhaps not yet born) to remember Subhash Chandra Bose — but what about Sarat Chandra? And I take it you must be in close contact with the academic/writer Sugata Bose? Do share!!!
LikeLike
October 25, 2011 at 12:01 PM
hi guys – i,m sorry i was not even born and i never saw or met my uncle. Sarat Chandra Bose was the second son of my grandfather. He was also my uncle. Sugata is his grandson – son of Sarat Bose’s 3rd son Sisir Kumar Bose who was my first cousin brother so in effect Sugata is my nephew. I am the second youngest of my generation – the generation after Subhas Bose and my younger brother Vikramaditya is the youngest!! Please let me know if you need any more info but please do not ask me about the disappearance of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Regards, Ardhendu
LikeLike
October 25, 2011 at 12:07 PM
“but please do not ask me about the disappearance of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose”
ha! We were all going to get to that! The disappearance makes him truly mythic among all the Independence era figures. Obviously he was something of an adventurer in politics anyway but the end and the surrounding mystery only work to magnify his legend..
LikeLike
October 25, 2011 at 7:28 AM
Wow! Never knew Subhash Chandra Bose had that many siblings. Had just heard of Sarat Chandra Bose. Remember reading a double biography on these two brothers many years ago (Brothers against the Raj) but never retained this detail (if it was mentioned in the book). In any case this is a remarkable family connection you have! Thanks for sharing..
By the way have you seen Benegal’s Bose? Any thoughts on it if you have?
LikeLike
October 25, 2011 at 12:03 PM
I know Shyam Benegal very well. I’m afraid his film was a disaster and a pathetic portrayal of Subhas Bose. He failed to bring out the great man’s personality. Ardhendu
LikeLike
October 25, 2011 at 12:48 PM
The world has been told that Subhas Chandra Bose perished in an aircrash at Taipei airport on August 18, 1945.The Taiwanese Govt has certified that there was no aircrash on that date at Taipei airport and so has the American Secret Service!!! The PMO will not release files on Subhas Chandra Bose dated August 18, 1945 and thereafter inspite of RTI activists asking for these. What does one conclude??!! Ardhendu
LikeLike
October 25, 2011 at 12:31 AM
Thank you Nitin and compliments of the season. Ardhendu
LikeLike
October 23, 2011 at 3:28 PM
That top ad has to rank among the most badass commercials I’ve ever seen. Awesome.
LikeLike
October 25, 2011 at 2:59 AM
Wow Ardhenduji, its wonderful to know that you belong to Netaji’s family. Not sure if you were old enough to remember seeing the Great man, but if you could share any memory of his, it will be a humongous favor to the readers of this blog.
Compliments of the season to you.
LikeLike
October 25, 2011 at 12:41 PM
Hi NyKavi – As mentioned above I was not even born and so did not get the opportunity to see or meet my uncle. My information about him comes from my late father who was Netaji’s younger sibling and the two were very close and of course from my mother and other members of my extended family. We hail from the village of Kodaliar in the 24 Parganas of Bengal. We trace our direct ancestry back to 1509 – and our ancestral home built in that era still stands. We belong to the “Boses of Mahinagar” – if you type this in a whole lot of info will come out on our ancestry and you will also see notes written by Subhas Bose on our ancestors. My grandfather Janakinath Bose was a legal practitioner who migrated to Cuttack in Orissa to practice. Here he lived and brought up his family. My grandmother was Prabhavati Bose. They had 8 sons and 6 daughters – all born in Cuttack. They all went to the Ravenshaw Collegiate School in Cuttack and after that to various colleges in Kolkata following which they all went to various universities overseas to pursue their favoured profession. Subhas, after a tumultous time in Calcutta University and after having graduated (second in the University) proceeded to Fitzwilliam Hall Cambridge University from where he did his tripos (second in the University – his name is still in the list of honours at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge) – thereafter he appeared for the ICS and again stood second. It is believed that he stood second and not first because he failed in horse riding and it is ironic that in many parts of India you see statues of him riding a horse!! Then of course it is part of history that Subhas Bose resigned from the ICS whilst on his way back from England and upon arrival in Bombay he went to meet Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and decided to join the freedom movement. My grandfather was made a Rai Bahadur by the British and then would have been knghted but when his son joined the freedom struggle he surrendered his tiltle of Rai Bahadur.
I do feel I have tested the patience of the readers of this blog enough and so I shall now recede into the background.
Best regards,
Ardhendu
LikeLike
October 25, 2011 at 12:48 PM
No this is all very welcome info and the fact that you are presenting it as a member of the family makes it that much more personal and valuable.. so feel free to write as much as you want to on this or any other subject..
LikeLike
October 25, 2011 at 2:45 PM
Thanks Ardhendu, this is awesome!
LikeLike
October 25, 2011 at 5:25 PM
Thanks a lot Ardhenduji. This was really a great eye opener into the history of Netaji, and your family. It is a privilege to have such a close relative of Netaji share with us these details, and to get to know of one of the most intriguing and shall I say most nationalistic of all our Freedom Fighters.
Thanks again,and Jai Hind!
LikeLike
October 25, 2011 at 1:29 PM
Thanks for the memories here, I do remember these ads, Was really young when these used to come, I remember watching it in Alankar theater, Bombay right before the movie Namak Halal started. Thank You for sharing. Also, my regards to the Bose family for being part of our freedom struggle, Thank You for your sacrifices and the blood that you gave for our country. Please relay the message to your family sir.
LikeLike
October 25, 2011 at 11:54 PM
Thank you Kash, I will. On this day let us remember all those thousands who gave their blood and life and remain unknown!! They are the true martyrs!!
LikeLike
October 26, 2011 at 10:32 AM
Indeed Sir. Happy Diwali to you and the family.
LikeLike
October 25, 2011 at 1:42 PM
Wow,what a great thread this has turned out to be for a number of reasons but mostly because Ardhendu’s active participation and sharing of a lot of interesting info. Thank you.
And , agree with GF- that ad is bad ass.
LikeLike
October 26, 2011 at 4:26 AM
Ardhendu-ji…The advertisement I don’t remember in gr8 details (I was young) but I still remember those haunting light eyes and almost far-east-oriental features (like many bongs have)….very cute, handsome. I also remember the hair which was light brown, slightly curly and very neatly cut, very atheletic figure.
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose is my all time fav. hero (and truely still he is hero of the youth of India!). In those days people left their lucrative careers and personal gains aside so that all of us could have freedom and enjoy the life that we have today! Hats off to these glorious men and women of India.
LikeLike
October 26, 2011 at 10:07 AM
Hi Dimps – you’ve sent me into a right tizzy with all those compliments!! I can see myself blushing!!
Sometimes it makes one wonder if the sacrifices made by our forefathers was all in vain!! They got rid of the British but we brought in the Italian!! Who would you prefer – the Brits or the Itais?? The Brits get my vote!! Shame on us. Now you can guess the calibre of the bunch of eunuchs we have in Delhi ruling us. That great sardar with the phoney Brit accent says Rs. 32.50 per day is good enough for us to live on — does that imbecile know that bhindi is Rs. 40 per kg?? In 1947 – each one was a stalwart in his or her own right – how deep have we fallen now? We are fighting a worse and more dangerous dushman now – CORRUPTION!! It is in our veins and will be very difficult to expel – but we all have to put in our might to save this country from doom and make it a better place for our children. I have visited Ralegaon Siddhi – met Anna Hazare- and have offered him my services in any way he thinks fit. I am now awaiting his summons. Let us all strengthen his hands.
By the way – I am not used to the suffix “ji” after my name – it is used freely mainly to address and refer to hoodlums (‘ji” and “bhai”) and I do not wish to join that club. Hence my earnest request – please do not refer to me as “ji”!! Thank you.
To all of you on this blog – my very best wishes for Diwali and may the ensuing New Year bring all of you great joy and success. Believe me to be – Ardhendu Bose
LikeLike
October 26, 2011 at 10:39 AM
Thanks Ardhendu on the Diwali wishes and the very best to you as well..
LikeLike
October 26, 2011 at 3:23 PM
Ardhendu Bose, wishing you and your family, a very happy Diwali and new year.
You share initials (AB) with another famous actor that administrator of this blog is huge fan of 🙂
Why blame the politicians…I don’t blame them…I think the desi janta is very selfish. Everyone is busy looking at their own personal interests/gains. Today a bollywood star is of more importance than say Bhagat Singh or a great poet or a writer. I see overall decay in values, meritocracy and mediocracy has taken its place in most areas such as politics. What a gr8 civilization we are and what pathetic treatment we have given to our ancient values and system. So in that regards, I don’t hate Sonia but the spineless desi people who have given her so much importance and elevated her to that position (given her free home to live in even when she was not in power while millions are living in slums). She who struggles to speak hindi and Katrina Kaif…the white people have left but our people are still prisoners of the white skin and suffer from inferiority complex.
On a side note: I absolutely CANNOT believe I am talking to someone who is related to Subhash Chandra Bose. I always wondered about Swami Vivekananda as well. Whether his relatives are still around…what they must be doing as well….whether they are OK. I am a huge fan of Swami V. I think Bengal gave so many greats (leaders/writers/poets/filmmakers endless list) to India!!
LikeLike
October 27, 2011 at 1:09 AM
Hi Dimps- You are right – Bollywood and cricket are in the forefront in this country. It allows the people to live in a make belief world and forget all their problems and woes. It diverts the mind from the real issues. Why do you blame the desi janta? The politicians have kept them as mindless robots – it suits their purpose. 64 years after the independence the situation in the villages is as bad or worse than during the British Raj. The majority of the rural areas do not have the basics such as electricity, medical care or schools. Food of course is not available and if available – not affordable. The feudal system is still all powerful. There are separate designated areas in villages for the high class and the low class. Are we following the teachings of the greta Mahatma?? Funds are allocated for setting up of schools, medical centers, electricity generation but wonder where it goes?? Funds are allocated for bridges and bridges do not come up. After that funds are also allocated to maintain the bridge that does not exist??!! The majority of the population in this country is illiterate but that have the right of franchise!! Do they really know who they are voting for??
Doubtful! They are all dying of starvation – a hundred rupees will help feed a family for a week – and so it will win a vote. Or of course a vote can always be won by the barrel of a gun!! Drive out 20 km from the city where you live – go off the main road and drive into a village and see if what I am saying is not true!! Is this what our forefathers gave their lives for?? We were better off under the Brits, the Portuguese, the French etc. Look at reality Dimps!!
Swami Vivekananda as you know as a brhmachari so he left no direct descendants. He had brothers who I’m sure had families and so I’m sure there are descendants. You’ve made a point and got my mind ticking. I shall check on this and revert.
Take care – Ardhendu
LikeLike
October 27, 2011 at 8:31 AM
I absolutely agree with you Ardhendu (I want to say Sahab or babu or something…just first name sounds disrespectful to me, for which I apologize). The rural folks have NO hope. I guess my panga is with the middle-india (middle class) who are educated (this middle class includes me) and like either in big cities or semi-big cities. From this class comes the IITians, the NRI (me and many bloggers on this site), doctors/engineers etc. It is this seqment that has forsaken India (the mother) and have worked selfishly to furthur their own personal gains. There is a place in Rang De Basanti where this area is explored. Seems like during 1940s, the mentality of India/indians (middle-intellectual folks not the village people) was not all that different. And out of this mostly lackadaisical junta came these handful of idealistic folks and rest is history. In the movie, the letter Bhagat Singh (ji) wrote to his parents is moving. For a revolution to occur, we need few radical people; a handful of idealistic leaders. What point is then to be armchair critic? What point is there to just make observations (which is what we all are doing most of the time) and not take some grassroot action? This is what I feel strongly (about myself). I have a dream. That once my kids are in college and I don’t have sansaric duties, I will go to my very remote village (which my ancestors left many generations ago) and build a library there. I have a dream of working in orphanage for one year, selflessly. If a part of our lives don’t go into some selfless act, then life is not worth living…it doesn’t have to be entire life (like Netaji or Mahatma) but only one day in a fortnight should be sufficient (imagine this effect if EVERYONE in middle class practiced this?). The culture of volunteerism has to be inculcated (in ancient times it was done thro’ religion and principles of nishkam dharma in Bhagvat Gita) in the youth from the very beginning of life. If city folks went to villages once in fortnight, can you imagine the results?!? If not, check in Swadhyay movement (the leader of it got the very esteemed Templeton award which is “reserved” for christian mainly)…it was done and can be done at grass root level for all of India. There is no “politician” who is going to come and save us…WE (the people) have to save ourselves.
LikeLike
October 27, 2011 at 8:52 AM
Bravo to you Ardhendu, to go up to Anna Hazarey and express your support!! I think he is a lone voice, a lone crusader in mordern times. Though I find it interesting (and worth a great amount of thought) that ALL over the world there are such movements going on ( wall street in USA, Libya, Egypt, greece…so forth). Seems like Social unrest is very high in the world and people are in general dis-satisfied. I think a huge % of people will have to go back to grassroot way of living. I think desires/materialistic viewpoints have led to exhausion of resources and discontent every where.
LikeLike
October 26, 2011 at 4:29 AM
I came to the site due to late working hours, curious and looking for RA-1 stuff (it seems to have flopped) but found this tjread instead…grateful for it!!!
LikeLike
October 26, 2011 at 3:26 PM
ardhendu bose : You MUST write a blog…Please do…please please. All the oral history should be preserved for eternity! Start one and please let us know the link/site address.
Warm Regards,
Di
LikeLike
October 27, 2011 at 1:11 AM
How does one get to write a blog??
LikeLike
October 27, 2011 at 8:46 AM
Oh…it should be very easy Ardhendu Moshai. If you have gmail account, look into options (or go to blogspot.com). There are various sites. WordPress.com is one. Bigadda.com is another. Rediff also has its blogging site. WordPress and blogspot are more popular ones. You can write in it as if you are writing a diary. You have the option to keep it private (so no one can see it) or have limited viewing (where only friends/family who are invited by you can see the blog) or alternatively you can keep it public. If you choose the public option, you can keep your name/location/identity a secret (best option) and only few friends/family that know it is you blogging (it is best to be safe on internet). So you can have “AB’s blog” or some such name. There is no harm is experimenting with writing a blog. I think everyone should blog (that everyone should write…a piece of history that we leave behind for posterity!).
LikeLike
October 27, 2011 at 10:35 AM
Dimps – Great hearing from you again. Can you please keep it plain and simple “Ardhendu”?? Thanks!!
Your notes are highly thought provoking. Will have to ponder over the same and will come back with some views.
Also – many thanks on the methodology of the “Blog” – will look into it – and if I am successful will announce the details on this blog. Am I permitted to do so??
Cheers,
Ardhendu
LikeLike
October 27, 2011 at 11:37 AM
“the methodology of the “Blog” – will look into it – and if I am successful will announce the details on this blog. Am I permitted to do so??”
Of course you are Ardhendu. I am sure Satyam won’t mind either.
LikeLike
October 27, 2011 at 6:29 PM
thanx for educating us Dimps about blogs and how to open them…
Me and ardhendu uncle appreciate it a lot
and how r u—have u unblocked the “child surf lock” on your computer
Congrats
Nice to “see” more of u now lol
LikeLike
October 29, 2011 at 1:32 AM
hi dimps – a few thoughts on what you have said above. a very noble thought and idea – to go back to your village and start a library. most of us have our roots in the rural areas and if all of us can give back a little to where we originally came from it would be great. many of the successful iitians and the iimans are giving back to their alma mater – great. i’m sure all this will help in alleviating some hardships and wants faced in our villages – but marginally. the govt. has the mandate to provide to the people all the basic necessities of life – that is what they claim in their manifestos when the politicians come to seek votes – that is what we pay taxes for. unfortunately this is just not happening and instead unfortunately we see all the promises made by these politicians face the fate of being empty promises – like what is happening right now – that joker advani going around in that 5 star luxury coach making all sorts of promises – he is as corrupt as all the others or maybe more so!! i don’t mind if they don’t keep their promises but i do mind when they loot my money. and that as we all know is what is happening and it is a curse. whatever you and conscientious people like you do for your villages will help in a small measure but the might of it has to come form these politicians who rule our destiny. unfortunately india is steeped in corruption – corruption is like cancer and has to be cut out. we the people have to take to the streets to show our displeasure and do whatever is in our power to root out this curse, get rid of those who are raping us shamelessly and usher in some justice. people in india are starving – their patience is being tried – how long will they remain mute?? god forbid – they are not forced to go the way of egypt, libya etc!! the last thing i would wish to happen is anarchy but who knows?? people are being pushed to the brink. this is why people like anna hazare are our saviours and all of us should endeavor to strengthen his hands. dimps – don’t blame the middle classes – they have the right to do what they are doing and it is not their mandate to give back some from what they have. they are doing so by paying taxes – the question is – where is all this money going?? you get my point?? regards – ardhendu
LikeLike
October 29, 2011 at 8:52 AM
Ardhendu, I will come back with more (have to take my kiddo to ballet class) but do read these two articles.
There is hope my friend…there is.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2097870,00.html
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2097984,00.html
LikeLike
October 29, 2011 at 11:02 AM
“dimps – don’t blame the middle classes –”
Ardhendu, I do understand and absolutely agree with rest of what you are saying about frustrations and fury of the aam junta (poor people in rural areas excluding the middle class who is completely apathetic to their brothers/sisters in villages), however I completely disagree with your statement of blameless middle class. It is the onus of middle india to send their highly educated kids towards politics. The awareness and fight has to be at grass root level and not one lone crusader like Anna H. How many of us just turn our neck the other way? How many of us refuse to send our kids to become politicians (read leaders/thinker/policy makers) of tomorrow? So what happens? The politics then is “ruled” by gundas. Who is then responsible for gunda-ization of politics? We the people (the middle class). Why can’t our iitians fight elections? Why do they always have to keep thinking of making more and more money? If you are not vigilant and aware of your rights and responsibilities, this is what happens! So Onus/blame lies in the hands of middle class of India. UNTIL a time comes when the attitute of middle India doesn’t change, we will continue to see what all you have written (frustration, fury and starving junta).
LikeLike
October 30, 2011 at 8:20 AM
Dimps – every family to send kids into politics – let me give you an example – in the old days – during World War 2 and after most officers in the armed forces came from families of good background – most of them were public school (Mayo College, Doon School, Rashtriya Military College etc. ) products. The salaries and perks the armed forces provided matched with what was prevailing in the private sector and there was pride in wearing a uniform – one found that from many well backgrounded families at least one went into the armed forces. What happened then?? As in all cases the Govt went and screwed it all up – The salaries and perks did not keep up with what was happening in the civvy world, the uniform was degraded and so the armed forces stopped getting officers of good cadre – youngsters preferred to go into more lucrative fields and the armed forces had to scrape the bottom of the barrel and got filled with guys who could not get jobs elsewhere. Same is the case in politics – when my son grows up and graduates his priority will be to get into an occupation that will provide him with a decent standard of living – what will he get in politics – nothing and what is worse he has to contend with people of low calibre who are corrupt to the core!! Politics is not a profession in India – it started of as service to the people and has ended up now as a means to loot the people!! The middle class do enough by way of paying taxes. The question is where does all this money go??
The politicians of today have our mandate and it is upto them to use all such funds and provide improved forms of living as promised by them in the first place. This they do not do – they swallow up all the money and leave the public languishing!! Thes s.o.bs have to be eliminated in whatever way possible and clean governance be brought in by force. This is our only salvation.
600 million people in this country live in conditions where the basics of life are not available – no electricity, no water, no education, no medical help no food – BUT GODDAMIT INDIA IS HOSTING THE F1!!!! HOW MORE SCREWED UP CAN YOU GET???? AND MAYAVATI THE B—-H HANDED OUT THE TROPHY TO THE WINNER. I guess now she feels that it is high time a statue of hers is erected on the track!!
No Dimps – the IITANs do not have to give up lucrative jobs and get into politics.The people of this country have to find ways to get rid of the blood suckers who are ruling this country and take on the task of deciding their future.
Best regards,
Ardhendu
LikeLike
October 30, 2011 at 2:05 PM
I see a slight socialistic/communist bend here. The govt doesn’t have to “give” any money to the common man. Common man has to earn it himself. However they tax people to build bridges, roads, electricity and there is complete corruption. If we follow your strategy, remove one blood sucker, then another blood sucker will come in its place. The only way to “clean” up the system is to let teens/youth of middle class Indians consider politics their career even if there is not tons of money to be made (at least not white money) but the houses and other benefits are still awesome in politics.
I see a sort of contradiction in what you are saying. Don’t let our kids go into politics and then clean up the system of blood sucking/corrupt politicians. Why only blame F1 race? Even in my time (mid 90s), crores were spent on advertising (sorry for that was your field) and I remember my teacher discussing this “waste” in the class when most people are below poverty lines (e.g. how many could afford those bombay dyeing suits). So today it is bollywood, advertising, sports and so forth were there is crazy money while poor are still not having basic amenities (even in mumbai).
Bottom line is average indian has to stop being arm chair critics. B) Some leader or some savior is not going to emerge from this middle india; each one has to take things in his/her hands by going above and beyond personal duties and work to clean up the system. Social activism has to become way of life.
LikeLike
October 31, 2011 at 1:38 PM
Dimps – Advertising is not my field and never was – I was a model by mistake – I had no intention of being one – Maureen Wadia (Bombay Dyeing) is a friend – she was looking for a chinky eyed guy with a martial arts background to be their mascot – so she asked me (I was shuttling between the U.K. and the U.S at the time) if I would do it. I thought it would be a one time shot so I agreed to do it for a laugh!! This started in 1975 and suddenly I became the “Bombay Dyeing Man” and remained so till 1985 – till I got stale with myself – I talked to Mureen and told her that I was sure that she was fed up of my mug – so we mutually decided to call it a day!! Story of my life!! Now we’ll get down to some more interesting and meaningful discussions. Ardhendu
LikeLike
October 31, 2011 at 3:47 PM
Kudos to Maureen for making the “mistake”. You are quite an eye candy (for us ladies) for all times. I was in the same era as you, I would……….(fill in the blanks). Lolx
LikeLike
November 1, 2011 at 1:30 AM
Flattery?!!?? Tsk! Tsk! Ardhendu
LikeLike
November 7, 2011 at 6:44 AM
Khushamad toh khuda ko bhi pyari hoti hai.
Now-now…don’t be utterly humble. You must have ladies chasing you all over the place…come on…tell us the truth!!
😉
LikeLike
November 1, 2011 at 1:10 PM
Hi Dimps – Of course you see a socialistic bend – I am a socialist – most bongs are!! I feel for the poor – I feel for the downtrodden and do what best I can to alleviate their problems. I absolutely hate the likes of Sonia Gandhi/ Rahul Gandhi/Kapil Sibal/Manu Singhvi/Digvijay Singh/Laloo/Pawar and their like. This is my birthright. I detest corruption in any form and I do believe this country of ours needs to be cleaned up. And the way to do this is not to have TV debates such as the one that fraud Arnab Goswami anchors every evening. This is only a money making method – the mantra of the Times Group sadly – Ashok Jain was a stalwart but his sons are pitiable examples!! Much more practical steps need to be taken and as soon as possible so that our children can live in a clean and prosperous India. Regards, Ardhendu
LikeLike
November 1, 2011 at 1:27 PM
Correction – I don’t really hate anybody – I never have – hate is a harsh term and a harsh emotion and I apologise for having used the term – I just cannot accept any form of corruption – corruption is a curse and a cancer and has to be cut out. I hope India can work towards it. Ardhendu
LikeLike
November 7, 2011 at 6:43 AM
“– Of course you see a socialistic bend – I am a socialist – most bongs are!! I feel for the poor – I feel for the downtrodden”
Malum hai, malum hai. LOLz. But we have to lift ourselves from blanket ideologies, preconceived notions, sterotype thinking. To even think that someone is “poor” therefore unhappy is sacrilige.
Maybe India needs a benevolent dictator!!! According to Satyam (admin of this site) corruption is NOT india’s real problem. {what does he know..he is innocent NRI like moi}.
Personally I think if India invests in proper Education/libraries (at grassroot level in villages) then its future will definitely change. If we have a class of patriotism in our schools (national anthem a must everday etc) and if we empower the women (instead of ST/SC there should be quota for women in colleges for they are india’s true downtrodden} then no one can defeat India. We are a BRAC nation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BRIC
LikeLike
November 7, 2011 at 11:07 PM
Dimps – “Khusahmad to Khuda — ” wah kya farmaya aapne!! Lekin deviji – aaap mujhko kyon khushamad karegi??!! And for ladies chasing me!!! – If wishes were horses — !!?? Have to run now – in Pune – have to drive back to Mumbai for an appointment. Will catch up with you later. Cheers, Ardhendu
LikeLike
October 30, 2011 at 5:19 PM
I don’t see anything wrong if private companies are oragnizing F1 or anything. Atleast it is giving some livelihood to some people. Govt job is to make everyone competitive on equal footing. Rest is upto people to find their way and earn.
ps – But there are god made differences in individual talents, that can not be equated by any form of forced equality.
ps1 – As a society we have to change attitude towards different professions.
LikeLike
October 30, 2011 at 9:02 PM
There is lot of wastage and very little value add. F1 caters to 1% of population.
LikeLike
October 31, 2011 at 1:43 PM
Even less!! Kudos to Mayavati – carried it off without a blemish – as compared to the Commonwealth games fiasco!! Not that I subscribe to it! Ardhendu
LikeLike
November 7, 2011 at 6:48 AM
Munnabhai…there is nothing “wrong” with private companies organizing F1 but it is the Irony of the situation is that it is in country where masses don’t have basics of roti-kapda-makan even after 60 years of independance.
LikeLike
October 30, 2011 at 7:51 AM
Hi Dimps – Good on you – taking your kid for ballet!! Interesting coverage of Nitish Kumar in Time. He has made his pile and so he is one of the reformed politicians who now believes that it is now time to give back to the people. He is doing wonders in Bihar. The fact that emigrant workers/labour from Bihar who left because they were starving in Bihar are now returning home. I don’t think this phenomena has occured any where else. Shows that the Nitish Kumar is doing his job!! Kudos to him! – Cheers, Ardhendu
LikeLike
October 30, 2011 at 2:06 PM
How many kids do you have Ardhendu?
🙂
LikeLike
October 31, 2011 at 1:25 PM
I have one son – he has just turned 19 -he was in boarding at Hebron School Ootacamund since 2004 – and has just completed his “A” Levels. He will be going to The Hague next February to pursue a 4 year degree course in Hospitality and Management. What about you Dimps?? Cheers – Ardhendu
LikeLike
October 31, 2011 at 3:27 PM
Three kids. 2 boys and one girl. The older one is approaching middle ages….LOLz.
One is in elementary and one in middle school..one of each..both the most beautiful kids in the entire universe and adorable, especially the little one, the ballerina diva lady!! They all are very smart and have gift of gab (unlike their mumma).
LikeLike
October 30, 2011 at 2:56 PM
Nitish kumar is one sensible politician around. In fact , wht we need today is that at our own pers level each one of us shuld attempt for excellence / try and change ourselves, . ( That itself is a life time job).That would b ones biggest contribution towards society .This shuld , in future ,lead to formation of a society where people like Anna hazare and Nitish kumar will be elected and chosen for leading the nation. This will also b the time when our children would volunteer all by themselves for politics.. . I We are a democratic nation and democracy breeds corruption ( especially in a poor society )! At times i feel corruption is a price we pay to enjoy freedom of democracy .In such a form of governance , things change slowly but once changed , they have lasting and irreversible effect.. ! am trying to change myself, and i see Ardhendu and Dimps and a lot others also … thinking .. discussing ..and ..moving towards…action ! The process I believe has just started !!
LikeLike
October 31, 2011 at 2:04 PM
There is no democracy in India. We are living in a police state. The Police can pick you up at will, ;ock you up, beat rthe shit out of you and you will not even get the opportunity to call either your family or your lawyer until such time as you aprt with one helluva lot of money – and let some one on this blog tell me that I am wrong?? Is this democracy – Abraham Lincoln declared the United States of America a Govt. of the people, by the people and for the people – and that swine Kapil Sibal and his partners in crime Manu Singhvi, Manish Tiwari say that Parlaiment is supreme – and that for as long as they are in power they have the right to do whatever they want – and nobody has the power to stop them. Is this democracy?? Do you really believe that there are human rights in this country?? Somebody please remind those ass—-s that the Constituion of this country starts with the words “We the People”. Hail Anna for wanting to introduce the right to recall!! Dimps – who did you say should be guillotined?? The people hiding their wealth in Swiss banks are amateurs compared to these vulturesArdhendu
LikeLike
October 31, 2011 at 8:58 PM
“Is this democracy?? Do you really believe that there are human rights in this country?”
Totally agree.
However (leftist) govt redistributing income is least bit of idea I would subscribe to. We need to go more towards capitalism. I would rather take inequality of income over govt interference any day.
LikeLike
November 1, 2011 at 3:46 AM
Re: “Hail Anna for wanting to introduce the right to recall!!”
Everyone who favors the right to recall should study California’s experience with this; it has proven very disruptive, and for years meant a state of permanent campaigning — the moment an election ended, the recall campaigns would begin. This would be especially problematic in a country like India where (especially in the Hindi heartland) the winning candidate often does not even clear 40%, and thus you would always have 60+% people willing to sign up for it… [Who do people think would fund the recall campaigns? anyone different from those who fund the election campaigns?]
LikeLike
November 1, 2011 at 4:46 AM
Yes, but the other side of the story is that it at least puts some pressure on the elected candidate! Right now there’s none and clearly the MPs think they have 5 full years to loot public resources…
LikeLike
November 1, 2011 at 5:45 AM
The question is if the pressure would be “public” or not? In the US, recall campaigns have often been funded by extremely wealthy individuals with their own axes to grind. Personally I think beefed up ombudsmen (like the Lokpal) are a better idea than the right to recall. I would be more open to a right of recall if we had a proportional representation system, but under a first-past-the-post system (especially where it isn’t a 2-party system), most “winners” get LESS than 50% of the vote, and are by definition vulnerable to recall movements from Day 1 itself.
LikeLike
November 1, 2011 at 6:02 AM
This is a valid point, Qalandar and indeed, the right to recall needs to address the increasing possibility of a malicious recall campaign. Perhaps a greater than 50% vote to even suggest a right to recall; the fundamentals can be worked out, but the central idea is to put immense pressure on the elected representatives and make them accountable. One can sense, quite easily, how much an MP cares for his/her constituency. This might just spur competition among politicians that can prove beneficial to the common man. In the absence of a better alternative, democracy is the best form of governance. And so is the ‘right to recall’ …
LikeLike
November 1, 2011 at 6:13 AM
Aside: I wish Anna Hazare had taken up campaign finance reform in addition to the Lokpal bill and the right to recall. [That he hasn’t done so is not the most surprising thing: in the final analysis he and his movement have always been softer on malfeasance by private parties colluding with politicians; rather than with politicians; but then it’s easier to pick a soft target — who would stand up for the likes of our netas? — than the Ambanis etc. of the world.] I remember reading somewhere many years ago that 80%(!) of all funds raised during an Indian political campaign can be traced to corporations and other businessmen. If that figure is anything like the truth, that is astounding — but we don’t have much of a regulatory apparatus for this sort of thing (we could borrow a leaf from other democracies, many of which do monitor private contributions to and funding of political activity). And, most people in India don’t even seem that bothered about it (even when references to “black money” are bandied about, the image is of money being stolen and parked in Swiss bank accounts) — I think at least some of this is attributable to the fact that the (not just economic, but even social and moral) prestige of the private sector is such in the eyes of the middle classes that private corruption is easily forgiven. [The 2G scam is a good example: hardly anyone is talking about the private companies who made out like bandits; I get why we should be angry at _____ minister or bureaucrat, but I don’t get why only 10% of the concern should be reserved for the private parties.] This isn’t just a theoretical issue, but a practical one: whether China or Russia or India, we see this sort of crony capitalism (in a more bloodless/sophisticated way, one might say we see it in the US too)…
LikeLike
November 11, 2011 at 4:15 PM
http://www.youtube.com/user/CHAUTHIDUNIYA#p/u/9/3uVEBAwX-1k
Q…do watch this clip/entire video….see what Dr S. has to say on lokpal (I totally admire Dr S.S.).
LikeLike
November 11, 2011 at 4:27 PM
Dimps.. You are so dedicated to this entire cause I wonder why you weren’t among the demonstrators!
LikeLike
November 12, 2011 at 8:31 AM
@Satyam: In India with Team Anna? Or in wallstreet?
I don’t agree with basic concept of occupy wallstreet. I would go down on a morcha in a heartbeat.
The basic point is MOST of us are armchair, whatever. No action. This is main reason or cause of problems. I still standby what I said.
LikeLike
November 12, 2011 at 9:33 AM
It’s rather surprising you don’t agree with Occupy Wall Street when the concerns seem to be very similar. Here it’s about the institutional corruption of the system.
On the rest you should be more precise about ‘action’. A hazy and vague call to arms is sometimes more dangerous than armchair commentary! But also many great revolutions have their seeds in ‘armchair’ commentary. what would Lenin or Mao be without Marx not to mention tons of lesser movements elsewhere? In any sphere the ‘idea’ usually comes first. One doesn’t act ‘blindly’. One acts based on ideology. The question still remains: what kind of ‘action’ do you want or expect from the rest of us? Since in your worldview one is either Anna Hazare or the armchair commentator! Doesn’t seem to be anything in the middle. And I’ll say this again. Whether one uses words or one acts on them both are spheres of great responsibility. Neither one should be taken lightly.
LikeLike
November 12, 2011 at 11:49 AM
Alright since you want to debate:
What point is bhakti if a bhakt sits in temple and does jaap or mala all day long, when he could be seeing god in everything and using his shakti to serve (poor hungry etc). Similarly what use is that idea, however dynamic/rocking/revolutionary, if it is not used to incite thousands, if not millions (either thro’ speeches or thro writing). So yes, writing also can be full of action IF it is in the form of a letter written to editor of a newpaper refuting or putting forth something or writing in a newletter that reaches several thousand students (I can go on with examples) or a blog where thousand readers are being influenced (I can name few blogs here). Behind every ChandraGupta Maura there is a chanakya (an idea/intellectual person/strategician). In last 60 some years suddenly India has not leaders of any calibre who can take action and lead its people. Anna’s movement has a specific demand as Tom Friedman says. Does occupy wallstreet?
LikeLike
November 12, 2011 at 12:27 PM
One has to start somewhere with the writing. One can’t insist that one will only say something if one is published in the NY Times or the Huffington Post!
First you said you didn’t agree with Occupy Wall St. Now you’re saying they don’t have specific demands. Which one is it?
LikeLike
November 1, 2011 at 1:25 AM
Nitin – how right you are!! Ardhendu
LikeLike
November 1, 2011 at 12:11 PM
Nitish kumar is also in sync with us ….
http://english.samaylive.com/regional-news/bihar-news/676495475/bihar-nitish-appoints-lokpal-in-12-districts.html
LikeLike
November 1, 2011 at 1:11 PM
Good on you Nitin. Ardhendu
LikeLike
October 30, 2011 at 5:13 PM
Some really nice posts here Ardhendhu and Dimps…
Nice read
By the way–good to hear back from Dimps
Where had u disappeared?
LikeLike
October 30, 2011 at 7:27 PM
Your Satyam bagaoed me from the blog 😉
lol.
How is life dude? I am just not that much into movies especially can’t go on and on discussing “returns of investment” on a movie. Too much such discussions are so… well…now if there is some technical stuff about movie making or about acting or about art or about direction…it might amuse and be worth wasting ones time on. But “nett” of movie just doesn’t interest me much, to be honest.
LikeLike
October 30, 2011 at 7:37 PM
So getting back at solving india’s many problems:
1) Gandhiji was right, at least his economics was correct. If we had followed his model, we wouldn’t have had so many crowded big cities (due to lack of employment or betterment of ones lives in rural areas). So bringing jobs and economic growth thro’ cottage industries in rural india will help take the pressure off of the big cities and we should still give it a try.
2) People in urban areas: white collar workers or govt. workers should be MADE to do some volunteering work in rural areas or so many hours of community service as part of their jobs. Govt should send its employees to rural areas for 15-20 days out of the year or 6 months and make them do teaching/building/ etc in rural communiites. If Govt. doesn’t deliver on ABSOLUTELY anything else but does it much (paid govt employees going to villages) then it would be great favor to people of india
3) people of india: can take up activism and goad their own kids towards “politics”. Women can take up projects such as “clean up the streets” or we can have vigilantees towards non-spitting, non-urinating in public.
4) people who make crores and who have swiss bank accounts should have public trial and should be guilloiteened in public after making them give up their wealth from swiss banks to poor.
1) to 4)=Utopia. We are never going to have any dramatic change and therefore we are doomed!
LikeLike
October 30, 2011 at 7:58 PM
“People in urban areas: white collar workers or govt. workers should be MADE to do some volunteering work in rural areas or so many hours of community service as part of their jobs.”
This idea is far left from center! If you give freedom to choose why force people to do this kind of things. You can give incentive to people who work in rural areas in form of tax credits and other benefits. Make better road,give electricity , have good law and order. People don’t expect more.
LikeLike
October 30, 2011 at 9:08 PM
“This idea is far left from center!”
When a PAID worker is sent to do some real value added work (rural work or whatever that work might be) and it is made part of the job, there are benefits all round:
1) white collar worker gets to do “selfless” act and feels good because he is paid (on the job).
2) Rural projects or poor are the beneficiaries
3) Govt. doesn’t have to do much other than giving salary to workers while they are not “on” the job.
Its a win-win situation all the way. Given a choice no one is going to volunteer. As Ardhendu points out, why should they? So this is the ONLY way people will do “volunteering” when they are already paid on the (govt) jobs. In fact the company I work in USA has similar programs. They sent their employees at 50% paid for one year, if the employees so wishes!
LikeLike
October 31, 2011 at 1:27 PM
Hey – got you guys going huh?? Great stuff – very interesting blogging – will ponder seriously and come back on my thoughts. Await!! Regards – Ardhendu
LikeLike
November 3, 2011 at 12:54 PM
Another good one in NYtimes:
LikeLike
November 4, 2011 at 10:15 AM
Agree Dimps! What are the reactions to the Wall Street protests??
LikeLike
November 5, 2011 at 2:11 PM
We should ask Satyam…he is a newyorker…he might have some deeper insight. Last I heard the wall street protest are a tourist spot 🙂
LikeLike
November 5, 2011 at 11:50 AM
amerika is founded on capitalism….should that 1% (wealth) population be responsible for agony of rest of the population? Should paradigm shift, reducing opportunity, shift in the world power be categorized as “revolution”….not sure what “occupy wallstreet” will achieve. I think it is baccha movement (movement in its nascent form)…lets see how this unfolds. IMO: the world population has grown so big. The way we are (consumerist), the planet earth cannot sustain us. We have to reduce our wants and go back to basic needs…and this way there will be enough to go around. Especially middle class america. We just have too much. Big houses. Big cars. We have to reduce our consumption. I think it will take a revolution to change our lifestyles. We have to go beyond ideologies (capitalism/communism/utopia) and try to find ways to not burden mother earth so.
LikeLike
November 5, 2011 at 12:19 PM
“IMO: the world population has grown so big. The way we are (consumerist),”
Counter view of that..
http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2011/11/03/141943008/when-governments-pay-people-to-have-babies
Most of the companies work on premise that they will garner more customer and that happens with more population. But More population leads to unsustainable resource consumption. It is a vicious circle 🙂
LikeLike
November 6, 2011 at 8:12 AM
Munnabhai do read this article:
http://www.worldcrunch.com/slavery-footprint-how-many-exploited-workers-does-it-take-support-your-lifestyle/4041
LikeLike
November 7, 2011 at 3:03 AM
Thanks..will comment later..
Please read the comments also..
LikeLike
November 7, 2011 at 6:30 AM
Thomas Friedman loves India, so his opinion is going to be biased and therefore cannot be considered valid in our discussion. Of course from emotional point of view and patriotism, I love everything he says…makes me warm and fuzzy. The ground reality is always different from what is in western media who views things from multi-colored chashma….I think he likes India because unlike china we have freedom (including freedom to protest) Now let me find another article and post it here…lolz
🙂
LikeLike
November 7, 2011 at 10:35 AM
That is why I asked you to read comments..
LikeLike
November 7, 2011 at 1:49 PM
OOOO…comments in the article (?)…OK…will do that dude…will get back.
LikeLike
November 5, 2011 at 2:09 PM
Munna…What a waste of subsidy. It will be used by people who are going to have baby anyways and the subsidy is not going to entice non-baby people to have babies top it off with role of govt in people’s reproduction…totally indignant for such gross interference!!
In any case, we cannot use reverse logic in resolving complex issues.
We just have to take a leaf out of various revolutions thro’ out the history…when the divide bet. haves and haves-not increased…when role of govt/monarchy/royalty. increased…when people were hungry…the present state of affairs, not that different to what already occurred in history.
Alternatively we all can escape in the world of cinema and don’t have to face what is happening in real-life :-))))
LikeLike
November 7, 2011 at 3:01 PM
Poor dimps has got locked in this thread
Dimps : still up2 mischief?
LikeLike
November 8, 2011 at 10:58 AM
Dimps – “India needs a benevolent dictator” – If you read Subhas Bose’s thesis written 70 odd years ago, he said – Quote ” Upon gaining independence from the British for the first 25 years there will be benevolent dictatorship and I will be the benevolent dictator”. He was a man with a vision far apart from his contemporaries. Due to the tumultous times India had gone through – and the subsequent freedom struggle – he felt India, at that time was not ready for democracy. There was too much indiscipline around – and so he felt India needed a stern hand in re-birthing discipline – 25 years give or take a few – then India would be ready for democracy and he would gracefully step down. WHAT FORESIGHT??!! HOW RIGHT HE WAS!!
Dimps – Qalandar has posted an article authored by Amartya Sen – read it. The Planning Commission is bogus – they have a nincompoop heading it and a bigger nincompoop in the guise of our PM supporting whatever he says. He says – India’s growth is around 9% and inflation 11,5% – potatoes Rs. 24/kg, onions Rs. 20 per kg, tomatoes rs 24/kg, peas Rs. 160/kg, french beans Rs. 40/kg, garlic Rs. 160/kg/ gas cylinder will be Rs. 400 per cylinder, petrolRs. 77 per litre, regular rice Rs. 30 per kg (of course Omar Abdullah and his clan in Kashmir get it fir Re 1 per kg – our largesse – and we cannot buy property in Kashmir but Omar Abdullah owns property in “India” as the Kashmiris like to call it – I have personal experience of this) – you want more?? More than 600 million of our people live below the poverty line – they live dangerously bordering starvation – how can they afford even one good meal a day??
Satyam feels corruption is not India’s problem – my friend come home – spend some time with me and I promise to send you back to the U.S. of A a reformed person.
Cheers, Ardhendu
LikeLike
November 8, 2011 at 2:55 PM
“If you read Subhas Bose’s thesis written 70 odd years ago, he said – Quote ” Upon gaining independence from the British for the first 25 years there will be benevolent dictatorship and I will be the benevolent dictator”. He was a man with a vision far apart from his contemporaries.”
DIDN’T KNOW THAT!!! I was quoting a local-talk/radio host from U.S. Could you recommend me the best biography that I can read on Netaji? I am ashamed to say that I don’t know much. Along with Netaji, I have highest respect for Sardar Patel and also Mahatma Gandhi (though he was man of religion and not a politician IMHO).
“Satyam feels corruption is not India’s problem – my friend come home – spend some time with me and I promise to send you back to the U.S. of A a reformed person.”
From what I interpret, he doesn’t think it is major issue (that it is an issue but not a big issue or big deal). He can clarify more on it. But ya…we NRIs are living in Ivory Towers, arm-chair discussions and escape in movies
LikeLike
November 8, 2011 at 3:01 PM
don’t believe I said something quite as simple as that:
LikeLike
November 8, 2011 at 9:16 PM
I stand corrected…thanks for clarifying 🙂
LikeLike
November 8, 2011 at 9:10 PM
Quoting Satyam:
“The Anna Hazare kind of event I’m afraid constitutes little more than theater on both sides of the equation and we have this sort of figure emerge in the popular imagination every few decades or so (Jayaprakash Narayan anyone?!). Not because I am necessarily doubting the integrity of either Anna Hazare or those who love his cause. I also do not mean to suggest that one shouldn’t focus on corruption. But the enormous stress on this seems to operate as a means of precluding more precisely defined politics. And need I add that the Anna Hazare phenomenon is largely one for the very same classes who love the Rang De Basanti kind of film with its candle-light vigils. To put it another way if you’re obsessed with corruption it quite probably is true that you have the luxury to be concerned only with this!”
LikeLike
November 8, 2011 at 10:55 PM
yes I stand by everything I said there..
LikeLike
November 10, 2011 at 11:07 AM
I know Satyam….not trying to prove anything otherwise.
Just that movement is relevant, whether JayPrakash or Anna, because:
1) At least someone is doing something: instead of us sitting on blog and debating and doing absolutely nothing about it. Action however ineffective is always to be admired over just empty debates (IMHO).
2) it has given a tool to youth of india to voice their concern and express their support…anna being the face of the movement. You have to remember majority of india is under 25 today.
3) See Dr S.Swami’s take on Anna (I am a huge admirer of Dr S): According to him, if only one part of the lokpal gets approved, it would be worth fighting for (the part where one doesn’t have to get court sanction when corruption complaint is registered) even though the bill as a whole may be fantasy.
LikeLike
November 10, 2011 at 11:25 AM
I don’t think exchanging ideas on a blog is doing ‘nothing’. It’s the same as someone starting a small newspaper with a very small readership. Secondly all ‘action’ is not commendable simply because one is doing ‘something’. Sometimes it is better to do ‘nothing’! This might sound counter-intuitive but I’m making a more general point here.
Here’s by the way a Ramchandra Guha piece that supports the perspective of many on the Anna Hazare side of the equation:
http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?270136
I’ll say this once again though — I am not opposed to the Anna Hazare movement or the kind of popular protest it has inspired (incidentally read this great Caravan piece on who the real architect and organizer of this movement has been). I am simply stepping back a bit and trying to understand how for bourgeois society in India this kind of thing is a way of ‘avoiding’ politics. Who could be ‘against’ such an anti-corruption move after all?!
LikeLike
November 9, 2011 at 12:18 PM
Dimps -Biography on Subhas Bose – the 3 books I can readily think of are “Brothers Against The Raj” by Professor Leonard Gordon, “The Lost Hero” by Mihir Bose (no relative but a good friend), “His Majesty’s Opponent’ by Prof. Sugata Bose (relative – holds a chair at Harvard). Will get back on the corruption issue. Cannot understand how every issue – political or otherwise- is connected to Bollywood on this blog!!?? Are you guys so besotted with Bollywood? I’ve been part of it and I’m happy I’m rid of it!! No self respecting person would want to be part of Bollywood! Regards, Ardhendu
LikeLike
November 10, 2011 at 11:11 AM
Ardhendu: Did you ever create your blog? R U on Facebook? Do you have old family pics that you can scan and put up (maybe on your blog)? Would love to see those…..Thank you for coming here on this discussion and discussing/debating.
With tons of love and admiration
Di
LikeLike
November 10, 2011 at 10:43 PM
Hi Dimps – Have not yet created my blog – but intend to do so soon. Yes have many family pics – all the Bose brothers (all 8 of them) together in their youth – with their father – Netaji taking the oath as Supreme Commander Azad Hind Fauj – Netaji with General Tojo/Emperor Hirohito etc. Will post these when I create my blog. Yes I am on Facebook – are you?? Take care, Ardhendu
LikeLike
November 11, 2011 at 7:52 PM
Oh…would love to see those pics (since I am emotional type, I always oscillate bet. love and hate…nothing in between…but then what is life without those strong emotions).
I am on FB but I am not sure you would want to receive a friend request from a crazy fan and I will be scratching your wall with my love messages…not sure all that will be welcome or not!!
🙂
LikeLike
November 11, 2011 at 11:11 PM
How about me sending you a friend request??
LikeLike
November 10, 2011 at 11:02 AM
Thank you Ardhendu…I will order the books.
I am glad you were in bollywood/ad world!
LikeLike
November 10, 2011 at 11:11 AM
Thank you for the sentiments Dimps. Look forward to hearing from you again. Very interesting reading whatever you write – great depth and thought!! Rather emotional sometimes – but thats good!! Take care!
LikeLike
November 11, 2011 at 11:22 AM
Good “interaction” there dimps/ardhendu
Btw Have u guys seen RNBDJ? Lol
LikeLike
November 11, 2011 at 12:27 PM
What is “RNBDJ”????!!!!
LikeLike
November 11, 2011 at 12:29 PM
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.. which if you haven’t seen you are more fortunate than many of us here!
LikeLike
November 11, 2011 at 12:55 PM
yes – heard about it – but not seen it! thank god!!
LikeLike
November 11, 2011 at 7:47 PM
Ardhendu…I believe Alex is being tongue in cheek…RNBDJ…for you and me.
LOL.
Alex: I won’t mind. Ahem. BTW. I am also fan of Satyam (albeit only fan of his writing not all his ideas). Do you have any other movie title for us?? Dundh kay batana.
For you I have title “Shaitan ki Dosti” Hahahhaha.
LikeLike
November 12, 2011 at 5:06 AM
Hahaha dimps got of right–dimps just tryin to be “helpful” lol
By the way ardhendu: just for your info–dimps is no less glamorous and dashing than what u appear in this ad
C’mon dimps
LikeLike
November 12, 2011 at 11:44 AM
I’m sure she is Alex – and God bless! And please do not embarrass me with all those superlatives.As i mentioned to Dimps sometime earlier on this blog – I am not a professional model – never have been – I had no aspirations in being one – I made no money doing the Bombay Dyeing assignments – it was all by fluke and by mistake!! I remember when my Mother – God bless her soul – saw my first “Bombay Dyeing” stills she could not stop laughing!! James Bond!!?? More like 0061/2 was the reaction!!
LikeLike
November 12, 2011 at 8:56 AM
After “helping out” friend dimps–something serious…
Armchair activism is usually of no import other than massaging a persons mind, fingertips (& ego)
But inthe current climate of social media -facebook etc it is Muniz unlikely for it to snowball into something worthwhile
So guys -no harm in typing stuff in …
LikeLike
January 18, 2012 at 11:11 AM
Hi guys ! The sacrifice and selflessness of Netaji Subhas chandra has no parallels in the contemporary history . His death still remains one of the most intriguing and mysterious chapter of our times .An unanswered question !! His sacrifice becomes even more heart breaking and assumes higher proportions if one imagines that the man of his kind , spent his remaining life ( after 1945) as a recluse !! A monk in some unknown ashram of west bengal, or may be a Gumnami baba, living in a dark isolated room in an old house somewhere in narrow gullies of Faizabad , I feel extremely sorry even to think that the man who could have altered the history of his nation , who was a top notch scholar and intellectual, who left a comfortable and affluent life , only out of deep love and respect for his motherland , who once commanded the respect and loyalty of an entire generation,led an armed revolution against enemies of the state, …. died a lonely ,unnoticed, unknown and unidentified death …. in some remote corner of ,his own very country !! .Following link is worth reading …
LikeLike
September 22, 2015 at 7:27 AM
The stories of individuals masquerading as Netaji who may have been PLANTED gained credibility clearly indicated his popularity. Even if it was not true the people felt that who knows it might have been the real Netaji. This demonstrates the subconscious to believe the lies deliberately spread by the vested interests. The desire of Indian masses to be lead by him was quite strong and its intensity can be still felt. Unfortunately, compulsions of roti kapda and makaan forced the Indian masses to lose sight of getting the truth extracted from the scheming vested interests. Or else who knows one fine day the desire to know what ultimately happened to the great man might have spilled on the streets.But this is what many like me feel and sulk as this did not happen.
LikeLike
January 26, 2012 at 11:39 PM
hi nitin – subhas bose was a mystic. way back in early life – soon after passing out of school, one day he disappeared from home and could not be traced leaving his parents and family extremely worried. after a long spell of time he returned. apparently he had gone off to the himalayas to find “meaning” to life and spent time with the mystics up in the mountains in search of a guru. eventually he did find one such sadhu who encouraged confidence in him and with whom he spent a lot of time. this sadhu understood his disciple very well, realized that he was cut out for greater things, told his disciple as much and advised him to go back to the material world to pursue what he was destined to do. hence young subhas came back. and if it is true that it was subhas bose that was the sadhu at shaulmarie or the gumnami baba it would probably be true in keeping with the nature of subhas bose. his only goal in life was to see india free – in 1947 that was achieved. so i guess he thought that his mission was complete and therefore retired into a life of mysticism which was his attraction in the first place. he had no further use for the material world. we as a family do not believe that he perished in the so called air crash at taipei airport on august 18 1945 – and now the govt of taiwan and also the american secret service (taipei was under american control at that time) have certified that there was no air crash at the airport on august 18, 1945 – hence who knows – maybe one of these sadhus was netaji subhas bose!! and nitin – subhas bose preferred an existence of solace and peace, meditation and prayer
( even his colleaugues who were with him during the war period in burma say that he would work till midnight, then meditate and pray till 4 in the morning and then would be up to work again at 9 am) and so if one of the sadhus was really him – he had fulfilled his life’s desire.
regards,
Ardhendu
LikeLike
June 1, 2012 at 6:58 AM
Dear Ardhendu
We always remember you fondly as the Bombay Dyeing Icon nothing can change that thought with us too date. Those were the lively days if Eves Weekly Femina – Anita Reddi, Anna Bredemyer, Ursula, Verma, Nandini Sen, Ruksana Todiwala, Veena Malhotra, Sharmils Roy Chowdhury, Javed Khan, Deepak Parashar and the one and only You! Oh how we still miss u all and hope u are well! Love and godbless! Coral
LikeLike
June 1, 2012 at 1:21 PM
Hi Coral, – thanks to Nitin that I was able to see and read your message. He posted it on my email page. I am not a regular on this site – as Satyam once remarked – an infrequent visitor!! Thank you Coral for the sentiments you have expressed – I am very flattered and deeply touched. I am very well thank you and I do appreciate the support I get from friends like you. Keep in touch – will be great to hers from you. Love, Ardhendu.
LikeLike
February 10, 2013 at 11:32 PM
What a wank! Ha! Ha! Ha! …………… Are you the Calcutta ‘Saint’ or Ardendhu Bond ……….. From now on I am calling you ‘007’! Love thebig collars and the pointy shoes???? Ha! Ha!Ha!
LikeLike
April 5, 2013 at 1:50 PM
Hey Melvis – plain and simple Ardhendu Bose!! Regards
LikeLike
April 5, 2013 at 1:53 PM
Hiya Mr Bose–how are you.Keeping well?
Are you still into modelling?
Would you like to work in a european commercial for ‘mature’ people–lemme know….
ps–saw your bombay die-ing advert–u were so haaand–some =, must say…
LikeLike
April 29, 2013 at 1:09 PM
Thanks Apex. And no thanks for the “mature commercial”!! Regards, Ardhendu
LikeLike
April 29, 2013 at 3:40 PM
No problems mr Bose– nice to hear from u– hope u r well. Any latest scoop/ gossip from the ad world– or nostalgic memories -do share thanx
LikeLike
April 29, 2013 at 4:01 PM
& mr Bose–I know u visit only once in a blue moon. When u do visit next, plz update us about ‘casting couch’-did it exist in the ad world –just for academic interest…
LikeLike
May 7, 2013 at 10:32 PM
Hi Apex – I never was a professional model. I never did go from agency to agency looking for work. I got into it purely by chance. Maureen Wadia – wife of Nusli Wadia (they own Bombay Dyeing) is a friend – and she once asked if I would be interested in modelling for their brand of fabrics. I therefore took it on as a laugh. I thought it would be a one shot deal (one film and one print campaign) but this went on every subsequesnt year for 10 long years – and I came to be known as the “Bombay Dyeing Man”. I only did Bombay Dyeing and nothing else and hence I was identified. Maybe that is why people still identify me as the “Bombay Dyeing Man”. Hence I don’t really know much about the inside happenings but maybe, as in other fields, people do ask for favours!! Sorry for sounding so ignorant. Regards, Ardhendu
LikeLike
May 8, 2013 at 8:52 AM
thanx Mr Bose-Nice to have this sort of ‘flexi-interview’ with u.
Must say Ms Naureen Wadia must have seen some ‘x-factor’ in u(besides being a friend)
By the way, when u do visit next–who do u feel are your best fashion icons male & female -indian & international over the past couple of decades?
And did u ever think of films like messrs J Abraham, arjun rampal?
& rampal reminds me–came across some fashion archival material at a friends’– rampals now wife –Mehr Jessia was quite a looker(@ her time)–not sure if u know her though …
LikeLike
May 13, 2013 at 11:12 PM
Hi Apex – I did do a couple of movies. My first one was a martila arts movie by name “Cobra”.You could download the film. Then did 4-5 more – “Kaun Kaisey”, Mera Yaar Mera Dushman” etc. Also worked in a few TV serials way back in the 90s. I dropped out of this line because I did not feel comfortable in it!! There are so many models today that it is difficult to have a favourite – and they all look the same and they all have the same physique!! Steroid manufacturers must be making a killing!! Yup John Abraham and Rampal are good. Regards, Ardhendu
LikeLike
May 14, 2013 at 7:00 AM
Oh mr bose-nice to know u have done films as well? Actually just like Maureen wadia in your case, some friend who dabbles part time in media /films has asked me to do some indie film/modelling etc just for the kicks. Obviously needs time-off etc–& it’s low scale/low key amateur stuff anyways-so I’m not sure…
Anyways– when u visit again, plz tell us your favorite actors/actresses past and present. I guess u are based in Bombay–being the ‘Bombay dyeing man’ eh…. 😉
LikeLike
July 11, 2013 at 1:40 PM
Hi Apex,
Ys I live in Mumbai. Regards, Ardhendu
LikeLike
July 11, 2013 at 2:02 PM
Hi mr Bose–can u give me some tips on amateur casual modelling …@ some friends’ insistence–not serious stuff though..thanx
LikeLike
June 1, 2013 at 2:21 AM
Dear Mr. Ardhendhu,
I came here quite by accident as I was looking for the song; Every Night He walks my Dreams…
That was the Jingle for the TV advertisements of Bombay Dyeing. I did find one version of Dream Lover by The Paris Sisters.
Would like to know if the video of the advertisement is available anywhere online.
Regards
Uttam
LikeLike
July 11, 2013 at 1:42 PM
Hi Uttam,
The Dream Lover series is Karan Kapoor who took over from me. I,m sorry I have no idea if the ad is availlable online.
Regards,
Ardhendu
LikeLike
August 22, 2013 at 3:09 PM
Hi Ardhendu,
I stumbled upon this site and being a history buff, got great pleasure in learning the personal details of your Illustrious family. I hope a sustained effort from the public will force the government to open up their archives on Netaji.
On a side note, I met you briefly in Bombay in the late seventies at PB and late Rhoda Mistry’s home where I paying guest’d for a few months. Small world.
Warm regards
Dan
LikeLike
October 6, 2013 at 1:57 PM
Hi Dan,
I come on this site very rarely. I used to be at Rhoda’s house almost evry other day and knew every paying guest well. What is your full name?? Must keep in touch.
Regards, Ardhendu
LikeLike
October 14, 2013 at 11:31 PM
just out off curiousity i typed ardhendu bose cos a young boy in school i used to wait for the james bond type of ad bombay dyeing and most times asked my mother for clothes from bombay dyeing as our clothes were stitched by family tailor in good ol days.when karan kapoor was doing ad for bombay dyeing was asking for same cloth and a bombay dyeing director dont remember who walked in at the goa store in margao.Was very excited about ashish roys COBRA when anounced in SCREEN.So wanted to know how ardhendu looked like now.
All the best Mr.Bose.
Gabriel Mascarenhas
Goa
LikeLike
October 17, 2013 at 1:41 PM
Thanks Gabriel! I love Goa!!! Keep in touch!!
Cheers,
Ardhendu
LikeLike
October 18, 2013 at 7:00 AM
Happy to hear from you ardhendu.did not read but just scrolled in between your post.I am disgusted with the system as you and have stopped voting.My Goa which was more than beautiful is destroyed.And coming to your ads for Bombay Dyeing the Girls who used to stand behind were very pretty Lucky you standing with a gun in hand.
Someday maybe see you in goa
Gabriel
LikeLike
October 19, 2013 at 6:59 AM
By the way my father used to make liquor and his wine was ery popular in goa and mumbai Nitas Port n.7 Every new person i go out to eat thinks that i am a liquor aficiando and ask me.I dont know a whisky from a brandy by taste.I am sure you being a nephew(i came to know from this site) of The Great hero Subhash Chandra Bose you are asked about him.Who is the inventor of Bose speakers is he related to you i am told it was a relative of subhash chandra bose.
Have a great Day Mr.Bond /Mr.Bose
LikeLike
October 21, 2013 at 2:48 PM
Hi Gabriel – thank you for your post. You are right – India unfortunately is in complete doldrums and unfortunately I don’t see any hope for this country in the near future. Corruption has reached such proportions that the politicians are engaging in it openly – they don’t give a damn!! I’m afraid Goa has also become corrupt – Churchill Alemao!! But I understand your present CM is comparatively clean so maybe there is some hope!!Like the rest of India misses the British I’m sure Goa misses the Portuguese!
I am Netaji Subhas Bose’s nephew – my father Sailesh Chandra Bose was his younger brother. We are not related to Amar Bose of Bose speakers. Keep in touch and hope you are well. Ardhendu
LikeLike
October 21, 2013 at 3:12 PM
“I am Netaji Subhas Bose’s nephew “-I didn’t know that…that’s gr8
Btw Are there reports true?
“”Like the rest of India misses the British I’m sure Goa misses the Portuguese!”– haha let’s ‘colonise’ India again lol
LikeLike
October 22, 2013 at 1:22 AM
netaji’s nephew …
ya death has lot of mysteries and some nehruvians will never allow it into surface when documents related to death have been found missin…one from t.s george
http://newindianexpress.com/opinion/pointofview/Netaji-died-in-India-not-in-aircrash-He-not-Gandhi-made-Britain-leave/2012/07/14/article567106.ece
A return to the theme of Subhas Chandra Bose is necessitated by the “discovery” of two books. Both are by Lt. Manwati Arya who was born in Burma and joined the INA’s women’s wing, the Rani Jhansi Regiment, in her early 20s. Patriot (2007) is a “personalised biography” of Netaji. It is flowery and exaggerated: Bose’s marriage to Emilie Schenkl is called “the divine wedlock”.
Judgment: No Aircrash, No Death (2010) is a compendium of records and stories about Netaji’s widely reported death in Formosa in an aircrash. The burden of the book is that both the aircrash and the death were figments of Japan’s—and Netaji’s—imagination and that in fact Bose escaped to Russia, then made his way to India. (With Japan collapsing in the war, the British were planning to arrest Bose. Which would explain his eagerness to avoid landing in Japan).
These are not books* in the modern idiom, with style and polish making for pleasurable reading. But they contain historically important material. Judgment, in particular, marshalls evidence to show that Bose lived as “Pardewala Baba” in Naimisharanya in Uttar Pradesh and as Gumnami Baba in Faizabad and Ayodhya until he died on September 16, 1985.
Many of the details have appeared in newspapers and books. There have been several commissions of inquiry as well although it was known that Jawaharlal Nehru was ambivalent about Bose (some say hostile) and wanted the aircrash story to stick. According to the just-published India’s Biggest Cover-up by Anuj Dhar, British intelligence did not believe reports of Bose’s death, but Indian officials suppressed that part of Britain’s input.
Judgment says papers received by Nehru indicated that Netaji flew from Saigon to Diren in Manchuria in August 1945 in a Japanese bomber, then drove in a waiting jeep towards Russian territory. There is also a letter purportedly written by Nehru to British Prime Minister Attlee saying that “Subhas Chandra Bose, your war criminal, has been allowed to enter Russian territory by Stalin… a clear treachery by the Russians”.
According to this book, Gumnami Baba would talk at length to visitors from behind a curtain. He would refer to little-known roads and localities in Berlin, Tokyo, Kabul and Singapore. He would mention details about world leaders such as “Churchill could not pronounce the sound S”. Among papers catalogued after his death were photocopies of letters written and received by Netaji. Photographs of Netaji’s parents were said to have been in the Baba’s rooms. It was said that Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi knew all about him and the District Administration in Faizabad took care to ensure the Baba’s privacy.
The book reminds us that it was Hitler who suggested that Netaji travel from Germany to Asia in a submarine to avoid the risk of air travel. The Japanese naval command objected, saying civilians could not travel in a warship in wartime. The Germans said that Bose was “by no means a private person, but commander-in-chief of the Indian Liberation Army”. In a risky rendezvous off Madagascar, Bose was transferred to a Japanese sub.
A passage quoted from Justice P B Chakraborty shows that in Attlee’s assessment, Mahatma Gandhi had “minimal” impact on British policies. The final decision to “leave India in a hurry” was due to the “activities of Subhas Bose which weakened the very foundations of the attachment of the Indian land and naval forces to the British Government” (Attlee, a guest at the Calcutta Raj Bhavan in 1956, mentioned this directly to Justice Chakraborty who was then the acting governor).
The historical value of information pertaining to the life and death of Bose cannot be denied. Yet there is no definitive book on the subject. One reason is the government’s insistence that the papers in its possession are “top secret”. Civilised countries declassify the topmost secrets after a certain period of time. India’s policy of secrecy only leads to twisted histories. Even on the India-China war, we only have a biased Englishman’s version.
(*Published by Lotus Press, New Delhi. The books were made available to this column by reader Channamallappa Patil Rotnadgi.)
LikeLike
October 22, 2013 at 1:39 AM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhagwanji ( any idea on these)
admiration for patriots like netaji will always there as he faught against british in world war 2 and weakened them…there was a reason when ww2 ended in 45 many british colonies( so called commonwealth gained independence
http://www.open.ac.uk/researchprojects/makingbritain/content/second-world-war-1939-1945
LikeLike
October 22, 2013 at 3:43 AM
fwiki:
Indian National Army
Main articles: Indian National Army, Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, and World War II
See also: Legion Freies Indien, Battaglione Azad Hindoustan, Capt. Mohan Singh, Indian Independence League, and INA trials
The arbitrary entry of India into the war was strongly opposed by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, who had been elected President of the Congress twice, in 1938 and 1939. After lobbying against participation in the war, he resigned from Congress in 1939 and started a new party, the All India Forward Bloc. In 1940, a year after war broke out, the British had put Bose under house arrest in Calcutta. However, he escaped and made his way through Afghanistan to Germany to seek Axis help to raise an army to fight the British. Here, he raised with Erwin Rommel’s Indian POWs what came to be known as the Free India Legion. Bose made his way to Japanese South Asia, where he formed what came to be known as the Azad Hind Government, a Provisional Free Indian Government in exile, and organised the Indian National Army with Indian POWs and Indian expatriates in South-East Asia, with the help of the Japanese. Its aim was to reach India as a fighting force that would build on public resentment to inspire revolts among Indian soldiers to defeat the British raj.
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
The INA was to see action against the allies, including the British Indian Army, in the forests of Arakan, Burma and in Assam, laying siege on Imphal and Kohima with the Japanese 15th Army. During the war, the Andaman and Nicobar islands were captured by the Japanese and handed over by them to the INA. Bose renamed them Shahid (Martyr) and Swaraj (Independence).
The INA was to see action against the allies, including the British Indian Army, in the forests of Arakan, Burma and in Assam, laying siege on Imphal and Kohima with the Japanese 15th Army. During the war, the Andaman and Nicobar islands were captured by the Japanese and handed over by them to the INA. Bose renamed them Shahid (Martyr) and Swaraj (Independence).
The INA failed, owing to disrupted logistics, poor arms and supplies from the Japanese, and lack of support and training.[42] The supposed death of Bose is seen as culmination of the entire Azad Hind Movement. Following the surrender of Japan, the troops of the INA were brought to India and a number of them charged with treason. However, Bose’s actions had captured the public imagination and also turned the inclination of the native soldiers of the British Indian Forces from one of loyalty to the crown to support for the soldiers that the Raj deemed as collaborators.[43][44]
After the war, the stories of the Azad Hind movement and its army that came into public limelight during the trials of soldiers of the INA in 1945 were seen as so inflammatory that, fearing mass revolts and uprisings — not just in India, but across its empire — the British Government forbade the BBC from broadcasting their story.[45] Newspapers reported the summary execution of INA soldiers held at Red Fort.[46] During and after the trial, mutinies broke out in the British Indian Armed forces, most notably in the Royal Indian Navy which found public support throughout India, from Karachi to Mumbai and from Vizag to Kolkata.[47][48][49] Many historians have argued that the INA, and the mutinies it inspired, were strong driving forces behind the transfer of power in 1947.[
LikeLike
November 1, 2013 at 3:47 PM
Hi Rockstar – you are very well up on the history of Subhas Bose and the INA. Cheers, Ardhendu
LikeLike
November 6, 2013 at 1:30 PM
this mean something coming from his kin
respect and adulation for supreme commander
LikeLike
October 22, 2013 at 12:01 AM
Ardendhu, Dont you find it amusing that Models like you and milind soman shekhar kapoor for digjam are remembered even 20 – 30 years later.I am sure my kids and their generation will not know one single model by name except those who came into films.Of couurse they know the film stars doing the ads and cricketers .Regarding the above comment i hope apex understands that
ardhendhu meant the adminstration of portuguese which was good did no harm to goa but off course the freedom fighters were treated brutally and the upper classes were given a upper hand according to old timers.One positive thing that the portuguese gave us is that we are allowed to take up portuguese citizenship.The same has helped our youth to take up employment in europe.Please dont call them antinationals becuse they are doing the same purely for the purpose of employment.I come from a village in south goa called chandor which was known as chandrapur in olden times the capital of goa.It was a beautiful village where there exists a house called Menezes Braganza which is used for film shootings nowadays, you see it on google earth.I am sure like we had father of the nation and netaji,History will have another chapter dedicated to Father of Indian Corruption Sharad pawarji(some others may fight for the coveted post.I am not getting these posts on my email but on my email dont know how.
LikeLike
October 22, 2013 at 1:26 AM
you just are to cynical on goa
a real educated person(an iitian) is c.m and one does not see him in media much like akhilesh(the stooge) and was very impressed with one thing when whole country was increasing the price of petrol this guy reduced it
LikeLike
October 22, 2013 at 6:11 AM
Ardhendhu
Did Netaji meet Hitler to seek help for Independence.I read somewhere.Hitler for sure must have not cared for dark skinned people.By the Way Mr.Churchill Alemao is know as Chor chill Alemao by many goans.
I came on this site to contact you Mr.Bose.
But If anybody can suggest some good books on the Nazi Era to read Thanks.
LikeLike
October 22, 2013 at 12:13 PM
“But If anybody can suggest some good books on the Nazi Era to read Thanks.”
Oh wow, this is a massive field! A great recent trilogy is by Richard J Evans (Coming of the Third Reich, the Third Reich in Power, the Third Reich at War). This is about 3000 pages of reading. If you wish for something shorter (relatively!) there’s another recent one by Michael Burleigh (The Third Reich, a new history). This is a 1000 page volume.
Beyond this there is tons and tons of stuff. It’s one of the most written-about subjects.
LikeLike
November 1, 2013 at 3:24 PM
Hi Gabriel – yes Netaji did meet Hitler to seek his assistance to free India from foreign yoke. His motto was “my enemy’s enemy is my friend” – and so his motive in meeting Hitler was purely to seek his help for a liberated India. Regards, Ardhendu
LikeLike
October 22, 2013 at 6:59 AM
LikeLike
October 22, 2013 at 2:13 PM
Any contemporary western politician will go to town with this pic! But hopefully, the Jewish people will understand the compulsions of that era that let Bose to shaking hands with the Fuehrer.
LikeLike
November 1, 2013 at 3:34 PM
Hi NyKavi – as I have mentioned above – Netaji’s motto was “my enemy’s enemy is my friend” – and so the association with Hitler was purely to seek his assistance to liberate India. Netaji had no anti Zionest feelings whatsoever. Many Jewish people in Calcutta were his friends and admirers and followers. Netaji made no distinction in class, creed or race. Of his closest aides in S.E.Asia there were Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and Christians. As a matter of fact he gave the responsibility to build the INA memorial in Singapore to a Christian INA Officer. And then Gen. Shah Nawaz Khan was a Moslem, as were Gen Kiani and Col Habibur Reman, Col Dhillon was a Sikh and Col Prem Sehgal was a Punjabi Hindu. This picture is a very well known and vastly viewed one. Regards,
Ardhendu
LikeLike
November 1, 2013 at 9:31 PM
> Netaji’s motto was “my enemy’s enemy is my friend” – and so the association with Hitler was purely to seek his assistance to liberate India.
Don’t want to put you in a spot and getting defensive, but… the enemy’s enemy were many not just British. Getting help from Hitler???? To free India??? Am I glad he got none!!!
LikeLike
November 1, 2013 at 9:32 PM
Correction:
Here of course I’m calling Hitler ‘enemy’.
LikeLike
January 25, 2014 at 10:45 AM
on belated dead aniversary it erupts again”
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2014-01-23/varanasi/46512861_1_sitangpur-air-crash-netaji-subhash-chandra-bose
LikeLike
October 22, 2013 at 2:03 PM
After I long time i remembered Ardhendu Bose (a unique name). I used to like him a lot during my younger days. A handsome hero during those days. I remember he was another name for ‘martial arts’. I want to see more of you Ardhendu! Where are you ? Why don’t you show yourself in some good roles in big as well as small screen. Let the younger generation know more about you. Do whatever, but make it big once again Ardhendu. Miss you man … Please let me know your thoughts on this. Thanks.
LikeLike
November 1, 2013 at 3:42 PM
Hi Suri, Great to hear from you! I live in Mumbai. I’ve had my days of fame and glory – it was great – but now I guess its time for me to take a back seat. It is very gratifying to know that some people like you still remember me. Thank you Suri!! It is a great feeling. Maybe one day I’ll wake up and do some television – who knows!! Take care and keep in touch – Ardhendu
LikeLike
October 23, 2013 at 11:10 PM
thanks rockstar for the pic.My Ignorance
LikeLike
October 24, 2013 at 11:45 PM
Dream lover song is originaly by Bobby Derin.But the Best one is by lobo
LikeLike
October 24, 2013 at 11:51 PM
Ardhendu
During your Bombay Dyeing days there was a beautiful girl,Sabita or sabira danrajgir who appeared in Cuticura Talc ad.Did youknow her.Her pics were plastered all over my books.wonder where she is today. You and karan kapoor had style in bombay dyeing ads but i was happy when karan did not ddo well in films cos was jealous as girls and women used to talk about him adoringly.He came to our village feast for photography and the girls and women had eyes only for him.
Gabriel
LikeLike
November 1, 2013 at 3:44 PM
Hi Gabriel – Sabita Dhanrajgir lives across the road from where I am sitting writing this to you!! Small world huh!! Ardhendu
LikeLike
November 1, 2013 at 9:58 PM
I wonder if sabita danrajgir looks as pretty as she used to.ardhendhu when I reactivate my facebook ac. Can I send u a request.lucky u again living next door to sabita.ardhendhu did u really know martial arts or was the joke on us just kiaaaaa… and action.happy that you reply to the posts.
Happy diwali
LikeLike
November 3, 2013 at 1:47 AM
hard to believe though that i ask you about a beautiful girl we saw 28 yrs back sabira and you say she lives across the street amazing,and also that i connected to the the first james bond in india till mithun came along of course he did not fit in the same class as you.I watched all james bond movies.Favourite being Pierce Brosnan.Inspite of stupid gadgets they looked good.Daniel Craig well he could be another beefy russian by the pool.I would prefer Tom Cruise in MI series to his movies.Whats your take on the bond movies
Gabriel
LikeLike
November 6, 2013 at 12:13 PM
Bond films?? Great! But nobody is a patch on Sean Connery!! The ultimate 007!! The other are 006 1/2!! Yes I do practice some forms of the martial arts to keep myself fit. Regards, Ardhendu
LikeLike
November 10, 2013 at 11:14 PM
In one of your above posts i read about shyam benegals film on Netaji.One film he will be remembered for by us goan people is a film he made on Goa ‘TRIKAAL’ the best film made by a bollywood filmmaker on Goan Life.It depicts life of a familly in preliberation goa to post.It was shot in the house of Late Cartoonist Mario Miranda.Life in Goan villages remained the same till around 1990-1992 till the winds of change.Watch the Movie if you have the time it can be downloaded from thepiratebay.se.If you can Thank him on my behalf when you meet him for the film.I congratulated Lucky Ali who was in the film when i met by a swimming pool at a Goa hotel this year for the role played by him.
Gabriel
LikeLike
November 18, 2013 at 3:00 PM
Hi Gabriel, if I meet Shyam Benegal I will convey your message to hjm. Ardhendu
LikeLike
September 21, 2015 at 5:50 PM
In my earlier post I wanted to write that Mr Benegal ever thought of casting you as Netaji but then I removed that line. Now after seeing this comment I am tempted to ask you did Mr Benegal ever discuss with you the idea of casting you as Netaji??
LikeLike
March 4, 2014 at 2:34 PM
Hey Ardhendu.One of my facebook friends posted some old Vimal and Bombay Dyeing ads. I was instantly reminded of your ads; searched the net and landed here. Nice to read the comments. Grew up in Bombay around the time the ads hit. Fond memories. Manoj Mazumder Memphis TN
LikeLike
May 9, 2014 at 2:31 PM
Hi Manoj – Glad to have caught up although after 2 months!! Not a frequent visitor on this site!! Good to live in Memphis?? As for here – waiting for Narendra Modi to take charge. Keep in touch. Ardhendu
LikeLike
April 21, 2015 at 1:31 AM
Ardhendu nice to see you after years on news hour. The Noise Hour.
LikeLike
April 21, 2015 at 2:59 AM
LikeLike
April 21, 2015 at 6:41 AM
yes saw this entire ‘debate’ if one call this that (not just this but any Arnab Goswami show)..
I better stay out of this debate though! For more than one reason..
LikeLike
April 21, 2015 at 3:04 AM
LikeLike
April 21, 2015 at 3:06 AM
LikeLike
April 29, 2015 at 11:33 PM
Thanks Gabriel! Howse Goa??
LikeLike
May 2, 2015 at 6:37 AM
Goa is Hot. And time to collect cashew nuts from the property,So that we can roast them in rainy season.World gets smaller i went to Marriott in Goa for pen refills and i come across a shop which is said to be run by sabita dhanrajgir daughter.
A line from our goan singer remos song. Mystery of history Murder of Democracy.
You did not accept my facebook request
LikeLike
April 27, 2015 at 5:30 AM
Hi. Thanks for the BD commercial. It was fun to see after all these years. I was involved in the shooting of this film and it was sometime between 1975 and 1980. I left Bombay for Calcutta in 1981, so your date of 1984 is not correct.
Hi, Ardhendu. I hope you see this. It’s great to catch up with you, again.
Meera Pillai (ex-Ulka)
LikeLike
April 29, 2015 at 11:32 PM
Hi Meera – wonderful to hear from you! Where are you these days?? Devjit Kohli says Bangalore!! Understand Rumi is also in Bangalore. Keep in touch! Ardhendu
LikeLike
September 21, 2015 at 5:42 PM
Dear Dear Respected Sir,
I’ve remember you since Bombay Dyeing days and always felt that no one could take your place. So when Karan Kapoor took over from you I was convinced that since no other Indian could replace Ardhendu Bose so they had to rope in a firang. I always used to think “who is this man and there is something extraordinary about him and it remained a captivating mystery”. For a 8-9 year old boy things would remain that way in the early or mid-80s.” Now at 39 the mystery has unravelled in front of me.
It came as an ABSOLUTELY PLEASANT SURPRISE just now that you are one of the nephews of Netaji. Never ever in my wildest of imaginations the thought crossed my mind that you could be the nephew of Netaji. I won an essay competition on Netaji way back in 1991 or 1992 when I was in school. While researching for the essay, the charisma of arguably the greatest freedom fighter got etched forever in my heart and mind. I can’t express what I am feeling while writing this missive to you.
I saw the 41 minute long discussion on Times Now and if I am not mistaken you spoke only twice and on both the occasions.On both the occasions you spoke in a captivating manner.
LikeLike
September 21, 2015 at 8:09 PM
If I am not mistaken, are acting in Ishq ka rang safed on Colors. You look very handsome.
LikeLike
October 26, 2015 at 2:16 PM
Thanks Sanjana!!!
LikeLike
September 23, 2015 at 4:10 AM
Dear Sir,
Haven’t read anything about Netaji’s interactions with Mr Jinnah… Since your association with the Wadias has been quite long I guess your are the right person to throw some light on this topic.
What was their stand on various issues and how often they met to discuss such matters?
How often do you and the Wadias discuss(ed) the interactions of Netaji and Mr Jinnah and so on….?
Regards,
LikeLike
September 23, 2015 at 12:34 PM
and its more unique for him to comment:
ardhendu being from netaji’s family modelling for bombay dyeing on whom jinnah daughter dina wadia had stake( its any founder of pakistan abandoned her daughter for marring a non muslim)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dina_Wadia
LikeLike
October 26, 2015 at 2:18 PM
Hi Nick, As far as I know Bose and Jinnah had very cordial relations. Both had similar trends of thought.
LikeLike
September 23, 2015 at 12:39 PM
and these is very hard for some of the pakistanis to swallow:
dina’s grandson ness wadia owns one of team in ipl (punjab to be precise) but still even jinnah kin are not ready to take pakistani players in ipl
LikeLike
September 23, 2015 at 12:53 PM
Surila,
This comment is not required in this thread. Most of IPL teams don’t take Pakistan players. Ness Wadia is no different than any other owner.
It was very difficult for Indians to Swallow that an Indian origin person(Preet Bharara) was prosecuting Devyani in US?
All these are rabble rousing; nothing more.
LikeLike
September 23, 2015 at 1:04 PM
it isn’t a rabble rousing dear but a fact
preet is not related to any country’s father of nation and prosecuted many including faisal shahzad the time square bomber
LikeLike
September 24, 2015 at 5:10 AM
Gentlemen, I say with full conviction that both Netaji and Mr Jinnah had exceptional qualities. It is unfortunate that their capabilities remained unutilized and their visions were not fulfilled. Just because we made a villain out of Mr J does not mean that he had “nothing in him” or for that matter he wanted an eternal animosity to flourish between India & Pakistan.To give an example, and this is on record, he saw peaceful coexistence between the neighbors and stated that both these nations would coexist as USA and Canada after independence. But we all know what happened in reality….
One factor as I see it is the age gap between the two. They were born 21 years apart. In other words Mr J was as old as Netaji’s father. Read somewhere that Netaji sought help of Muslim League in 1940, this explains they were warming up to each other. Other collaborations might have happened but the only noteworthy coverage of their interaction was that of 1938/39 which ended in a fiasco.
LikeLike
October 26, 2015 at 2:31 PM
Hi Nick, I have read all your comments with great interest. When we, as a family, met Narendra Modi he committed that he would start the de-classification process on January 23, 2016 – this being the birthday of Subhas Bose. Raj Nath Singh and Sushma Swaraj were present. As Home Minister Raj Nath Singh has the responsibility to oversee the declassification process in India and Sushma Swaraj will request foreign govts. mainly Russia, China, Japan, The U.K. and Germany to declassify the files that they are holding. Modi also said that as he would be going to Russia in December he would personally request the authority in that country to declassify the files that they hold on Subhas Bose. This is very significant because it is believed that Bose made his way to Stalinist Russia post August 1945 and so the files at the erstwhile KGB offices will hold a lot of information. I don’t expect that the files in Delhi will disclose much. The Nehru gandhi family ruled India for 60 years and they obviously would have destroyed all files that would implicate them. But as a matter of routine the files lying in Delhi have to be released for public view. Stay tuned – the history of India stands to be re-written!
LikeLike
October 26, 2015 at 4:27 PM
Hi Ardhendu,
What could be possible motive not to declassify for so long, if there is nothing incriminating?
I see probable two reasons:
1. During independence India and UK signed some kind of secret pact not to incriminate UK.
2. Bose may have been captured in Russia; Congress Govt. knew and did nothing.
LikeLike
October 26, 2015 at 5:29 PM
I’ll but it as bluntly as I can. I’d be very surprised if anything emerged from the files that was especially noteworthy. But certainly I’d be stunned if anything emerged that contradicted the basic facts of his death as generations of scholars have accepted them including Sugata Bose who in his fine biography (his Majesty’s Opponent) goes through all of this stuff (chapter 9) and even refers to Sisir Kumar Bose who also satisfied himself about the basic facts of his death with his own investigation in the 60s. In any case and with all due respect to the Bose family (at least those who indulge in these wild claims on TV) conspiracy theories are rarely every ‘proved’ just about anywhere. And actually this is precisely what gives oxygen to the theory. The very absence of evidence ‘confirms’ the conspiracy! From JFK to Elvis (just in recent US history) not to mention similar things elsewhere these theories are frankly a dime a dozen. Of course the Bose family and the nation has a total right to understand what the truth is for the files to be declassified but the circus that’s been ongoing on TV is quite frankly just that. No serious historian that I am aware of attaches any importance to this idea. But ‘legends’ are not defeated by facts and there are lots of ‘careers’ built on such conspiracy mongering. As for the Congress and Nehru-bashing that has become part of this narrative (as in every other matter) this too is where things have become more than a little unhinged in contemporary India. I have nothing against those members of the Bose family who are frankly still in denial (as a human emotion this is completely understandable but it’s not exactly a historical argument, at least for anyone who knows something about how conspiracy theories operate in various parts of the world or about the study of history in general). I could be completely wrong and perhaps what will emerge from the files is that Netaji was Stalin’s ‘state guest’ for a while! I somehow doubt it. Incidentally the declassification process in just about any country of the world is quite often if not always a murky affair. In this case at any rate if those files reveal nothing special the conspiracy will just shift to other countries and their files and so on. Again no conspiracy is ever defeated by the ‘facts’. Even if the Indian files or the Soviet ones or whatever revealed nothing this conspiracy would not die. Because people would then talk about gaps in those archives and hints about things and so on. These things just go on. We are still learning about JFK!
LikeLike
October 26, 2015 at 6:20 PM
Satyam, what you are suggesting is logical. But it did come out from last year unknowingly declassified document that there was some surveillance of Bose’s family. What could be possible reason for that? It is entirely possible that someone just wanted to know any political maneuvering by Bose’s kin but nonetheless it was done, and it must have been authorized at highest levels? IMO it adds to conspiracy theory.
LikeLike
October 26, 2015 at 6:45 PM
I don’t disagree. But the surveillance bit seems odder in isolation. It could be that a lot of people were under surveillance. Political figures, families and so on. Again we don’t know the whole story. Unfortunately the history of surveillance is also a rather sordid one even in many Western democracies. It could have been British era practices that were maintained after Independence. We still have British laws in place! Including some truly antiquated ones. the ‘falseness’ if you will is in the larger narrative not in the individual details. For instance if news leaked out that the US was listening in on Merkel’s phone calls this would be scandalous. As it of course was! But they were doing it with everyone and most countries use this as a practice (though in Germany post-Nazi laws are much tougher in this regard). The point being it’s often not directed at one particular person but if one doesn’t have the complete story it can seem that way. Also remember there’s this larger absurd narrative where everything that has happened in India over the last 70 years from Kashmir to bad weather is laid at Nehru’s doorstep. he’s gradually being turned into a villain of sorts while every other contemporary of his is being rendered a saint. The Bose narrative has now become part of this. So King Nehru was so consumed with paranoia and anxiety that if Bose ever returned he’d come and supplant him that he spent all his time obsessing with this stuff and had the family’s phone’s tapped! Frankly this is schoolyard stuff but it’s peddled as a serious theory on the news outlets. Why? Because this too is part of that grander narrative whereby Nehru is at once too evil and too tyrannical, hence causing every problem in India. Meanwhile he’s also so weak and powerless that dozens of other leaders could have replaced him! many evidently are as great as him but they’ve not been given their due. actually I agree with the last bit. The Congress has been selective in many ways but it doesn’t follow that those guys were as eminent. This anti-Nehru narratively is systematically being used everywhere. Now I don’t have a problem with an ideological objection to nehru. The same folks admit this but far more than this they use a very insidious paranoid narrative in which all kinds of weird stuff is always happening and Nehru is the only one pulling the strings. The Bose thing has formed a chapter in this larger narrative. Again I think everything should be declassified. But it’s one thing to make certain claims on new facts. Unfortunately what we have is just a series of conspiracy theories. And you’re right that the surveillance adds fuel to the fire. except that the fire has been started in a very cynical sort of way.
LikeLiked by 1 person
January 9, 2016 at 2:43 PM
http://www.bosefiles.info
LikeLike
January 24, 2016 at 3:03 AM
http://netajipapers.gov.in/
LikeLike
January 25, 2016 at 1:09 AM
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/us-scholar-denied-access-to-bose-papers/article8148984.ece?homepage=true
LikeLike
January 25, 2016 at 1:10 AM
Now the phoneys will try to write impeccable english phoney letters by Nehru.
LikeLike