“I didn’t write it. God wrote it. I merely did his dictation.” Few books in the history of humankind have been able to keep a tryst with destiny. Das Kapital is believed to be one such book. But there have been others too. Some are privileged by providence to be widely acclaimed while some others,Continue reading “An Abolitionist Little Woman who started the Great War”
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A President Raises a Beard
Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of United States was born today February 12 in the year 1809. He was the tallest President, physically (6 feet 3 inches), literally, morally and intellectually, and definitely the tallest in public esteem and regard. He was also the first President to sport a beard though not the only one.Continue reading “A President Raises a Beard”
Robert Peel and Police Reforms
“the police are the public and that the public are the police, the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence.”Perhaps one of the most discussed public issues of all times is theContinue reading “Robert Peel and Police Reforms”
Le Guet de Lausanne(The Night Watchman of Lausanne)
“C’est le guet…Il a sonné dix!Il a sonné dix!”This booming, resonating call is heard every night between 10 and 2 for the last six hundred years by the residents of Lausanne, Switzerland. This is the call of the night watchman. Emanating from the ramparts of the local Cathedral, if this call were not to come,Continue reading “Le Guet de Lausanne(The Night Watchman of Lausanne)”
Theodora: Empress to an Emperor
The Roman empire has produced many outstanding emperors and dictators – Julius Caesar, Augustus Caesar, Marcus Aurelius, to name a few. But an Empress? Popular history does not sing paeans of female despots of the era. It has undervalued several women on merit and has given them far less than what was overwhelmingly their due.Continue reading “Theodora: Empress to an Emperor“
The Execution of Oliver Cromwell
“I hope to render the English name as great and formidable as ever the Roman was”, thus spake Oliver Cromwell, on being made the Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland in the year 1653. Oliver Cromwell was an English general and statesman who, first as a subordinate and later as Commander-in-Chief, led armies ofContinue reading “The Execution of Oliver Cromwell“
The Master of Zero Ending
“Remove everything that has no relevance to the story. If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. If it’s not going to be fired, it shouldn’t be hanging there.” This advice offered to Maxim Gorki inContinue reading “The Master of Zero Ending“
Mona Lisa’s Smile – Endearing Enigma or Bell’s Palsy?
The Mona Lisa is perhaps the most celebrated painting in the world. There could be few equals in terms of the number of eyes that have cast glances, furtive or deep, flitting or lingering on this small piece of immortal art. An archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, it has been described as “the bestContinue reading “Mona Lisa’s Smile – Endearing Enigma or Bell’s Palsy?“
Justice John G. Roberts Jr. – A Liberal Conservative?
No man is mightier than the institution he represents. Posterity, if not history, commemorates not the might displayed when in power, but the imprint left behind in the trail of a man’s temporary exaltation to stations of authority. Today is the birthday of Justice John G. Roberts Jr., the sitting Chief Justice of the USContinue reading “Justice John G. Roberts Jr. – A Liberal Conservative?”
Diamonds are Forever; Sans Doute!
A hundred and seventeen years ago on this day an immodest piece of glinting rock caught the curious, restless and searching eyes of Frederick Wells, a surface Manager employed to supervise the mining of diamonds in Transvaal, South Africa. He was very sceptical of his find but the glint emanating from that half-kilogram of off-brightContinue reading “Diamonds are Forever; Sans Doute!“
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