Category: History

India’s Little-Known Spymaster: Noshir Framji Suntook

“Was N.F. Suntook a Parsi?” I asked Mr. Vappala Balachandran, former Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, who also worked in India’s intelligence services. He replied: “Yes. Noshir Framji Suntook was the longest-serving R&AW (India’s foreign intelligence agency) chief. He was from Bombay. He had married the late Pocha’s (famous Pocha seeds, Pune) daughter. I had worked… Continue reading India’s Little-Known Spymaster: Noshir Framji Suntook

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The many stories hidden in Royapuram’s heritage landmarks

Hidden behind Royapuram’s Indo-Saracenic facades and historic places of worship are stories of a neighbourhood shaped by the people who once called it home Article by Elsa Sunny | The Hindu In the early 20th Century, Chennai’s Royapuram underwent a transformation that made it look distinct from the rest of Madras. With the sea on… Continue reading The many stories hidden in Royapuram’s heritage landmarks

Historic Dadabhai Naoroji Portrait to Go on Display at UK’s National Portrait Gallery

A historic portrait of Dadabhai Naoroji — the Parsi nationalist leader who became Britain’s first Asian MP — is set to go on public display at the National Portrait Gallery in London from September 2nd. For more than 70 years, the painting hung at the India Club on the Strand, until the restaurant lost its… Continue reading Historic Dadabhai Naoroji Portrait to Go on Display at UK’s National Portrait Gallery

Time travel with Meher Marfatia, Mumbai’s memory-keeper

Meher Marfatia is a city chronicler who captures Mumbai’s past and present in prose, photos, and videos, so future generations will always have this collective history to look back on Meher Marfatia exploring the little Bandra village of Sherly from where she works. Pic/Satej Shinde Article by Debjani Paul | Mid-Day Meher Marfatia knows where… Continue reading Time travel with Meher Marfatia, Mumbai’s memory-keeper

Mumbai’s Parsis, Iran refugees from centuries ago, have a justice folklore

Few things represent life in Mumbai better than the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT). The colossal, 19th-century railway station sees thousands – students, office-goers, tourists, vendors — flit in and out at all hours, giving a glimpse of not only the city’s famed fast pace but also its ‘melting pot spirit’ that makes way for… Continue reading Mumbai’s Parsis, Iran refugees from centuries ago, have a justice folklore

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How two men refused to bend to press censorship during the Emergency

Dhun Mehta hollered a greeting as he passed by the compound of our office on the morning of June 26, 1975. Were we aware, he inquired, that prominent opposition leaders like Jayaprakash Narayan, Morarji Desai, Jyoti Basu, LK Advani and others had been arrested, censorship imposed and a state of emergency declared in the country?… Continue reading How two men refused to bend to press censorship during the Emergency

Echoes in a Parsi attic: How a box of keepsakes opens story of early Jamshedpur via Mumbai

In 1935, Khurshed Maneckji Bharucha, the first Indian chief cashier of Tata Steel in Jamshedpur, borrowed ₹3.5 lakh from a friend who owned an island near Bombay. Soon, on an open ground at Bistupur junction, arose a four-storey building with partition walls made of surkhi, a burnt clay and limestone mix. Article by Sharmila Ganesan… Continue reading Echoes in a Parsi attic: How a box of keepsakes opens story of early Jamshedpur via Mumbai

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