Masala History by Siva

In Bollywood movies, it is not uncommon where a long lost family reunites with a 'family' song. Or that someone finds a brother (whom he has never seen from childhood) by identifying that they have same mannerisms. Even a case where someone remembers something random so vividly only to be explained that it is from his former birth. In short, these are some interesting connections. In today's Masala History by Siva, I will try to explain to you some interesting connections between 2 far away countries/communities of India (Tamilnadu) and Korea - and trace back to the event that could have sparked it in the first place. I will admit that some of these are educated guesses and conjectures with lighter evidence, nevertheless something definitely to consider; Perhaps will give you a wow moment. So buckle your seatbelt and set the time dial to 45 CE as we travel to the Kingdom of Geumgwan Gaya which is the southeast part of modern day South Korea. Listen to the rest of the story here on in a platform of your choice from www.masalahistorybysiva.in #tamilhistory #indianhistory #koreanhistory #korea #pandyas #gaya #suro #heohwangok #suriratna #ayuta #ayodhya #ayuthya #southkorea #gimhae #twinfish #culture #southkorea

Pop quiz. Who is the first woman monarch in India? If you said Jhansi Rani Lakshmi Bai, try again. Although, a solid percentage of randomly polled people said that. If you said Rani Mangammal or Rani Velu Naachiyaar, it still isn't the right answer - but you certainly deserve an applause for knowing these terrific queens. If you said Razia Sultana, I would disagree - although the topmost search results in Google for the above question points to her. If you said Rani Rudramma Devi, I am impressed of your knowledge of the Kakatiyas - we would do a podcast on her some day, she has a very interesting history too. Nevertheless, you have to try harder. Welcome to Masala History by Siva. We are celebrating International Women's day this week and March 2021 is Women's History Month - and let's do that by knowing a little more about India's first woman ruler. Until some historical seals were discovered a couple of years ago near Nagpur, her reign was largely underrated and forgotten. And to learn more about her, we will travel 1600 years back, to the golden age of India - the times of the Gupta empire. Listen to the story here on in a platform of your choice from www.masalahistorbysiva.in #gupta #internationalwomensday #prabhavatigupta #vakataka #guptaempire #indianfemalemonarch #history #indianhistory #razia #jhansirani #womenleader

"I am in Baker Street, London - been here for 180+ years. Anyone who has visited London has possibly visited my place. And even those who haven't visited England have most likely heard of me. In today's edition of Masala History by Siva, I chose to tell my strange story. So travel with me 250 years back as I narrate what I have seen, done and continue to do today." Come and listen to the creepy story of the resident of Baker Street here or in a platform of your choice from www.masalahistorybysiva.in . #ukhistory #history #historystories #masalahistory #madametussaud #tussaud #waxmuseum #londonwaxmuseum #england #bakerstreet #ukhistory #frenchrevolution #taleoftwocities #Paris #robespierre #guillotine #waxsculputure #tourism #bakerstreet

The United Kingdom is one of the oldest constitutional monarchies in the world. Starting with Magna Carta in 1215 CE, England went slowly but surely in the direction of having an overseeing community and then a constitution that kept the power of crown under check. And with that in place, they also were the first power perhaps to try their own King, a sovereign, in a court of law and sentence him to death. When King Charles I was executed as Citizen Charles Stuart by his own people, it was unprecedented. In today's episode we are going to talk about a brief period where England had no formal monarch. You will see that the person who was the leader of this period was a head of state, head of government and once monarchy was resorted, all was left was just his head, quite literally. So get on your time machines and lets travel to London exactly 361 years back to the day to view the stomach churning story of Mr. Oliver Cromwell. You can listen to the story here on in a platform of your choice from www.masalahistorybysiva.in #ukhistory #england #cromwell #englishhistory #kingcharles #revenge #head #headofstate #masalahistory #unitedkingdom #royalty #commonwealth

Happy new year 2021 everyone. Wait!! Is that wish right? In this complex and diverse world, does a statement like the above generically apply? Let's validate every word up there. "Happy" is a state of mind, so let's keep it aside for a history blog and hope that is true for everyone. "New year" - Does the year get new on January 1? Why? Since when? And for whom? 2021 - is this the current year? How and why? For whom? everyone - Does the wish apply to everyone? Who does everyone refer to? After all, we as a human race can't still standardize date formats (dd/mm v. mm/dd). So how do we come together on this? Welcome to Masala History by Siva. Lets do a quick time travel for a couple of thousand years as we try to make sense of why dates are hard (no pun intended ;)). You can listen to the story here or in a platform of your choice from www.masalahistorybysiva.in . We the people of the world, have not come into agreement even today on a topic like timekeeping, which some might consider simple and straightforward. We are so diverse that it is not surprising we simply cannot agree to one uniform thing.. But perhaps in this diversity lies the colourfulness and fun of life. Possible that it is a new year in some calendar every single day; and if so, so what? Maybe we can wish every single day as if it were a fresh beginning, start of a brand new year. On that note, Happy new year everyone. Stay safe and may 2021 be kind to us all. #masalahistory #history #historynerd #historybuff #calendar #Julian #gregorian #juliuscaesar #timekeeping #europeanhistory #historyoftime #rome #romancalendar #PopeGregory #dateformats #happynewyear #newyear

Welcome to Masala History by Siva. Travel with me to the modern day Tamilnadu state of India, as we discuss some interesting secrets of a UNESCO World Heritage site. As promised in one of my earlier podcasts on Rajendra Chola, this edition is based on the magnum opus of the Chola reign - the grand Brihadeeswara temple in Thanjavur. Just like the first podcast where we discussed a foreign statue in the Srirangam temple, in today's show we will be talking about another foreigner image in the Brihadeeswara Temple. Rajaraja Chola was one of the greatest Chola emperors who took the Cholan glory beyond the borders of Indian subcontinent. He was a great patron of arts and commissioned to build what was then called the Southern Meru, the tallest temple ever attempted. Construction of the Peruvudaiyar temple started in 1003 CE and ended by 1010 CE, into Rajaraja's 25th year of rule. The temple was called Rajarajeshwaram during the Chola days. In later years, when a part of Marathas setup shop in Tanjore, they gave the name Brihadeeswara to deity and the temple. Listen to its mysteries here or in a platform of your choice from www.masalahistorybysiva.in . And with this podcast, I will say goodbye for this year and our first season of Masala History podcasts. Thanks a ton to all of you for being supportive by listening, commenting, messaging, sending candidate topics and providing feedback. Happy holidays, stay safe and I will see you with a fresh season of Masala History in 2021.

Today, Telegram stands for the app/product that is trying to compete with WhatsApp or Messenger. For those of you who can remember, telegram was one of the earliest instant communicator - it stood for the telegraphed messages that passed from one user to another via telegraphic offices globally. Today we will be seeing significant big world event caused by a telegram. This telegram was sent from Germany, intended to a recipient in Mexico in the middle of the Great War. Germany decided that the best way to keep America from dedicating men and arms to the War is to keep them busy on their side of the Atlantic. So they decided to get America's neighbour Mexico involved. The plan was simple - lure Mexico to attack the Southern United States by offering them support to reclaim lands in Nevada & Texas by offering ammunition support. This will ensure US will divert all its attention to Mexico and will not interfere in the ongoing European situation. So Zimmermann, Secretary of State for the German Empire sent a telegram to the German ambassador in Mexico. Listen to what happened here or in a platform of your choice from www.masalahistorybysiva.in #zimmermann #telegram #germany #worldwar1 #greatwar #unitedstates #history #worldhistory #ushistory #historybuff #historynerd #historypodcast #podcast #england #britishhistory #ukhistory #room40 #codebreak #code #army #militaryhistory #mexico #worldwarhistory #curioushistory #tuchman

With the first episode of The Crown - Season 4 starting with events of 1979, I found myself remembering the histories of this flamboyant fellow Gemini, who was a part of several remarkable events of 20th century. The spicy histories of this person practically started when he was born and followed him until his death. He had controversies for breakfast and gossips for dinner with no shortage of any drama in between. It is inconceivable that he could have had it any other way and is perhaps more eligible to have the title of 'Masala' before his name than anyone else in recent history. Welcome to Masala History. In this episode, we will take a whirlwind trip of 20th century following the animated saga of a fascinating British Imperialist - Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma. For those hoping for some juicy gossips, let me disappoint you upfront - I will not be discussing Lady Edwina. That topic needs its own podcast. But believe me, Mountbatten's story of amusing incidents has a lot more outside of Edwina's stories too. We will look at the various spices that when brought together form this unique gourmet, the Spice Guy called Masala Mountbatten. So lets get on our time machine and set the dial to June 1900 and start our cooking recipe at Windsor. Our ingredients are - 1 tbl spoon of Name Spice: What's in a name? 2 tbl spoons of Media Spice: Lights, camera, action! 3 tbl spoons of Military & Strategy Spice: The International politician 4 tbl spoons of Multi talents Spice: Master of Many Arts 5 tbl spoons of Romance Spice: Casanova Royale Like him or hate him, but you cannot deny that you admire how Lord Masala Mountbatten lived a full life and on his own terms. You can listen to the story here or from a platform of your choice from www.masalahistorybysiva.in

Welcome to Masala History by Siva. Travel with me a 1000 years back as we explore the real life Bahubali - Rajendra Chola, the son who eclipsed his illustrious father, the great Arunmozhi Varman or more commonly known as Rajaraja Chola. Rajaraja Chola is considered the greatest Chola King. He expanded his empire substantially in the south, organized a naval force and stormed northern Ceylon. Rajaraja also built the then tallest structure of Asia - the Brahadeesvara temple, an engineering marvel and still stands proud today. But arguably, the greatest Chola was his son Rajendra, the Emperor who would end up conquering 58 other Kings and will remain undefeated. Rajendra Chola spent 20 years of his adult life in battlefields. Under him the Chola military gained its peak strength. The army consisted of the Infantry, Cavalry and Elephant corps alongwith specialists like bowmen. The Chola army is said to have had over two million ie 20 lakh soldiers simultaneously fighting for their kingdom. In the exact same time when Rajendra was expanding Chola boundaries, there was a very famous raider from modern day Afghanistan. He raided India 17 times, looting and plundering temples all along the way, the last one being the desperation of Somnath temple. The raider was the ruler of Ghazni empire, Mahmud and was the first King to style himself as Sultan in the whole world. Now why am I talking about Mahmud of Ghazni suddenly? In one of the most curious and unexplainable incidents in history, Rajendra Chola and Mahmud of Ghazni were just 200 kilometres apart - and yet they did not meet at battle. How did Rajendra, being a staunch Shivite king, not go fight the man who just destroyed the most popular Shiva temple in North of India? And why did Mahmud, whose main aim was to loot, not attack Rajendra and subsequently go South, which was known to have vast wealth in forms of gold & diamonds?

As I was reading through the story of Estado da India or Portugese India, I came across very interesting material around how the modern Europeans, who arrived in the Indian Malabar coast via the Oceanic routes, found themselves totally unaware of the Indian culture and customs. I found it fascinating and thought I will share it with all of you. In today's edition of Masala History by Siva, we will travel back in time to when Vasco da Gama landed his fleet for the first time at Southwest India. Travel with me here on in a platform of your choice (from www.masalahistorybysiva.in , link in bio) to see how the modern European travelers completely fumbled in their first trade mission with this country, all because they didn't understand the culture. #history #indianhistory #portugal #vascodagama #culture

As a school kid , I have always wondered, why are Daman & Diu grouped together as a single Union Territory inspite of being so far from each other, especially when Daman & and other Union Territory of Dadra & Nagra Haveli were just 20 kilometres apart. And Dadra & Nagar Haveli had its own one day Prime Minister in 1961. The invention of the Caravel shipping boat, proved to be an inflection point in seafaring in Europe. Vasco da Gama, the Portugese explorer successfully set sail to East Indies and landed in modern day Kozhikode on 20th May 1498, about 30 years before Babar established the Moghal Sultanate in India and a full 100 years before British set foot in Indian soil. Vasco da Gama himself made 2 more trips after that to India, the last one as the Viceroy of Portugese India. By the time Vasco da Gama made his last trip, the Portugese had moved their capital from modern day Cochin to Goa in the year 1510. In next couple of decades they had fortifications in several Indian cities on the Malabar coast - Cochin, Kannur, Quilon, Goa, Daman, Diu, Mangalore, Surat and the city of Good bay called Bom-bahia or modern day Mumbai. While several of these cities were either lost in wars with Indian kings or gifted to the British, Portugese continued to hold Diu, Daman, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Goa - and maintained suzerainty over these colonies for 450 years! Collectively these enclaves came to be referred as Estado da India or Portugese India. Fast forward to 15th August 1947. India gained independence from the British and became a free nation. The country had several provinces administered directly by the British and 560+ princely states. By 1950, India became a republic and all princely states completely acceded to the Indian Union. Now it was the turn of the non British run colonies in the Indian sub continent to fall in line. How did Goa become part of India? To know more, listen to the podcast here or read/listen to the story in a platform of your choice from www.masalahistorybysiva.in

This month, a bronze statue is being unveiled in a medical school campus in Northern China. This statue is that of Dr. Ke Dihua, a heroic medical practitioner who died in 1942. Multiple Chinese top leaders - Zhou Enlai, Li Peng, Hu Jinato, Le Keqiang & Xi Jingping have met and honoured the living family members of Dr. Ke Dihua - even 75 years after his death. Now, why is this significant? Isn't it common for heroes to be remembered with statues and their memories honoured? This is significant because Ke Dihua wasn't Chinese. Ke Dihua is the Chinese name of an Indian doctor. Welcome to Masala History. In our series, we have celebrated those unsung heroes that our history books have forgotten - the likes of Kinthup of Darjeeling, Velu Nachiyar of Sivaganga, John Pennycuick of Mullaperiyar dam etc. (If you are curious to learn more please visit XXX and hit the archives). In that spirit, today I will tell you the story of an Indian who transcends borders and stands revered in China even in the backdrop of Indo-Chinese relationship strains. The inspiration to do this episode comes from a long time friend, fan and advisor - Kalpana. A few weeks back she seeded this topic in my head that eventually lead to this episode - This one is for you Kalpana. Thanks! And with that intro, lets sit in our time machines and set the dial to 1938. You can continue the journey by listening here or from a platform of your choice from linktr.ee/masalahistory #history #masalahistory #kotnis #china #maozedong #drkotnis #shantaram #doctor

In this episode of Masala History by Siva, join me in a treasure hunt that promises at least $22 billion, and some more. The Padamanabha temple in modern day Trivandrum is one of the oldest Hindu temples and has been referred in ancient texts and several times in the Sangam literature in the 5th century BCE. It was referred as 'Golden temple' and has perpetually been known for its richness and "walls of gold". The Padmanabha temple was supported quite well by pretty much all South Indian Hindu kings, regardless of the fact that they were fighting off each other all the time. The Cheras, Pandyas, Pallavas, Cholas and the Travancore Royal family were the most generous donors. There were also gifts and donations to the temple from the Kings and traders from Mesopatomia, Jerusalem, Greek & Roman empires too. The Travancore Royal family have been historically the protectors of the temple. The Kingdom of Travancore or Thiruvithamcode as it is referred in Malayalam or Thiruvidhangoor in Tamil has a 1000 year history. The Cheras ruled this area until their dynasty crumbled in the 12th century. After that it was ruled by multiple smaller kingdoms until the early 18th century, when King Marthanda Varma with an iron hand, united them all and established the Kingdom of Travancore again. Marthanda Varma reconstructed the Padmanabha temple & reconstituted the dues collection to bring it back to its glory. On January 3, 1750, King Marthanda Varma prostrated in front of Swami Padamanabha, thereby offering his entire Kingdom to the Lord. On June 27, 2011, based on the court order the open secret treasure chests were opened. Everyone was aware of the presence of 6 vaults on western side of the Lord's seat, labeled A to F. However The auditors found 2 more subterranean vaults, labelling them G & H. Listen to rest of the podcast here to learn what was in the vaults. #padmanabhatemple #travancore #templetreasure #masalahistory #history #indianhistory #kerala #treasure

I am not a fan of alternative history, or what-if history - imagining scenarios of what could have happened. But there are some watershed moments, that will pause you to think - If only this had happened; or not!.... and today we are going to see one such moment, one that would leave you thinking if this could have altered the course of history of India. In this episode of Masala History, we are going to look at a sensational history of how Aurangazeb almost threw British out of India and made them launch the world's first global manhunt. In August 1695, a convoy of about 25 ships left modern day city of Mocha in Yemen along the Red Sea coast to Surat in India. The convoy's jewel was a ship called Ganj-i-Sawai - a trading ship - in British literature, this name is anglicised to Gunsway. The name Ganj-i-Sawai means Exceeding treasure. The ship was also heavily armed with 62 mounted guns, cannons and 500 armed guard. It was perhaps the largest ship in the world at that time, carrying also a lot of treasure in form of gold, jewellery, monies, fabric, ivory and the like. And it was owned by none other than the Emperor Aurangazeb himself. When Pirate Henry Every heard of the convoy moving towards India, he formed a quick alliance with 5 other pirate captains and headed in their direction to loot them. On September 7th 1695, Every's ship Fancy overtook the ship when it was about 8 days away from Surat. The pirates overpowered Gunsway, tortured the passengers, harassed them and ended up recovering treasures worth anywhere from 325,000 to 600,000 pounds. Upon hearing the news Aurangazeb was enraged and immediately shut down all 5 major setups of the East India Company in India. He imprisoned the company's officers and threatened to execute them. He cut off British's presence in India effectively and demanded action from the King of England to bring Every to justice. (Listen to the podcast for the rest of the story here. You can also read the narrative at the Facebook page fb.me/masalahistorybysiva). #history #indianhistory #moghulempire #aurangazeb #henryevery #pirates #piratehistory #gunsway #eastindiacompany #britishindia

We are back to talking about the Springing Tiger. There are millions of Indians who strongly believe even today that Netaji wasn't killed in the 1945 Taiwan fatal air crash. And there are multiple theories going around what happened to him - lived as a Sadhu in India to slaved in a labor camp in Russia. There is a reason why there is so much speculation and disbelief around Netaji's death. Because when he lived, he had lived always on the edge; daring, adventurous and kept everyone guessing his next move. In today's podcast we are talking about one such adventures - his time at the Third Reich and meeting Hitler. Those of you who follow the Masala History page at Facebook may have read the Great escape of Netaji from Calcutta to Berlin in 1941. Today's episode is a sequel to this escape. The scene is Germany, in the years 1941-43 - right in the middle of the Second World War. I dedicate this to all Netaji fans, including myself; specially to my friend Shreeya Paul who is an ardent fan of Bose and has been doing a lot of self study and research on All things Netaji. It was probably in Germany that Subhas Chandra Bose was first known as ‘Netaji' (Ironically, ‘Führer' is the equivalent German expression). These 'Berlin Years' of Netaji are still a riddle, how did he put up with such inhuman dictatorship for 2 long years? No matter what one can say, it is beyond any shadow of doubt that Bose was guided by one simple & singular desire– the liberation of Mother India. Listen to the story of Netaji's tryst with the Fuhrer of the Third Reich. (And while you are there don't forget to Like/Subscribe/Follow and leave comments & feedback). (Also many thanks to all of you for an extremely overwhelming response to my podcast on India's first government. I still have several dozen questions to be answered and I promise I will get to them soon). #history #bose #netaji #hitler #indianindependence #berlin #germany #worldwar2

On August 15, 1947 India made its tryst with destiny. Jawaharlal Nehru was sworn in as the first Minister of Free India in Red Fort by Lord Mountbatten. What is the significance of the word 'Free' here. Were their other PMs (or Heads of Government of India) before? The natural answer to the question is Yes! After all you are at Masala History, not a history textbook influenced by politics. So, who were the Prime Ministers before Aug 15 1947? And were they legitimately recognised? Who was the first? Was it Jawaharlal Nehru himself? Or was it Subash Chandra Bose? Or someone else? Today's episode is journey of the first Head of Government of India. A brave patriot who traveled across the globe enlisting support for India's freedom struggle. Exiled for 25+ years. A Nobel peace prize nominee. And someone who pulled off a brilliant win on another tall leader in Parliament elections after Independence. Take an Independence Day walk with me by listening to the history (with patriotic fervour) of a forgotten Indian leader who gave everything up for our country's liberation. Happy Independence Day, India. #history #indianhistory #indianindependence #jathistory #nehru #bose #netaji #britishindia #indianprimeminister #azadhind #japan #russia #ussr #lenin #mahendrapratap #podcast #historypodcast #indiangovernment

First let me take time to thank everyone who has been supportive since our launch, am happy to state that we have hit more than a 1000 regular readers + listeners across multiple channels. I want to take this opportunity to thank all the folks who keep encouraging me by sending articles & books, feedback, topics to explore. I also want to thank Anu, Arshdeep and the Kwazi team that have breathed life into my hobby with their design and consulting on channel and content type strategies. The Romanovs were an all powerful autocratic dynasty that had ruled Russia for about 300 years. Furthermore the emperors of Russian, British and German empires were all first cousins. And inspite of a powerful army, rich long heritage and strong royal relationships, the Russian empire collapsed. Amongst many reasons, there is one prominent player who can claim the credit for this - he wasn't a king or a general, wasn't a minister or banker, wasn't a revolutionary or a influencing author - just a uneducated peasant - and he broke the spine of this all powerful empire. His name was Rasputin. Grigori Raputin was the forerunner of several of todays so called 'sadhus' and 'anandas'.. This self styled godman gained access to the Winter palace to treat Russian prince. Slowly and steadily our man Rasputin started building on the goodwill and dependence bestowed on him by the Tsarina Alexandra and hence the Tsar.. The crazy part of the Rasputin story was that of his assassination. Several members of the Royal family who had attempted convincing Nikolai to get rid of Rasputin & had failed in that attempt, decided to take matters into their own hands. It took poisoned wines & cakes, close range gun shots and also drowning in a completely frozen river - to get rid of Rasputin #history #masalahistory #worldwar1 #russia #lastczar #rasputin #podcast #historypodcast #russianrevolution #godman #ussr

A few days back one of my friends asked to me to tell her a history that is unbelievable & outrageous.. and in this edition am narrating that story for everyone's benefit. Come join me in listening to today's Masala History, or rather a Garam Masala History episode to know the story of Lt. Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese soldier trained to survive and wage guerrilla warfare, who kept the World War II going on for almost 29 years after the official end of the war. A real story that is nothing short of a Hollywood Matt Damon rescue movie (Saving Pvt Ryan, Interstellar, The Martian etc ) coupled with Bollywood style scenes! You can listen to the podcast here on in a platform of your choice (Google, Apple, YouTube, Spotify, Instagram TV or Facebook) by visiting linktr.ee/masalahistory . And while you are there don't forget to subscribe. #history #masalahistory #worldwar2 #war #militaryhistory #Japan #philippines #podcast #historypodcast #discipline #army #orders #soldier #unbelievable

History is always filled with remarkable journeys that changed the course of the world. Be it the Hijra of Mohammed from Mecca to Medina or Netaji Subash Bose's escape from Calcutta to Berlin or Mao Zedong's long march across China - they have all been very critical and timely. And in 1917, there was one such very significant homecoming trip. This is the train journey of Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov or better known as Lenin and 30 of his followers from Zurich to Petrograd, the capital of Russian empire then. Lenin was living in exile in Zurich when the last Tsar abdicated. He knew instantly that his time had come to return and declare a war on the "dictatorship of the proletariat" . To go back to Russia, a plan was hatched. Lenin and his followers would be put on a sealed carriage and attached to a train that would go from Zurich, all across Germany. From the Baltic sea border, they will enter neutral Sweden, cross Frozen river and enter into Russia via Finland. Of course, it was risky throughout - they could be shot in Germany on account of being Russians or they could be shot in Finland/Russia as they could be considered German spies. To learn more, read or listen to the episode in a platform of your choice from linktr.ee/masalahistory & follow us while you are there. #masalahistory #history #historybuff #historynerd #russia #russianrevolution #ussr #lenin #trains #stalin #communism #worldwar1 #greatwar #czar #lastczar #stpetersburg #finland #zurich #war #warhistory #revolution #journey

The COVID 19 pandemic has throws lives of many people into disarray across the world. And sadly, in India, migrant worker communities have become like refugees in their own country. As we continue to grapple with the situation and come to terms with how to help rebuild the lives of those affected by this calamity, it will be timely to see how, several decades back, this country and one of its Kings welcomed with open arms refugees from a different nation, created a home for them (and not a camp), while they were themselves dealing with drought and famine. The hero of this week's episode of Masala History is Digvijaysinghi Ranjitsinghji Jadeja of Nawanagar (modern day Jamnagar). In the year 1933, he succeeded Raja Ranjitsinghji, the illustrious cricketer, as the "Maharaja Jam Saheb" (King) of Nawanagar. In 1942 600+ children and few women, mostly orphans left Polish shores in multiple small ships hoping for a refuge in some friendly country. The children were not welcome in any city/country they tried gaining entry into - not just in Europe, but even Africa. The Jam Saheb asked the ships to dock at Rosi, a port that fell under his province. When the ships anchored, he welcomed the 600 children and 40 women with open arms saying "you aren't a refugee here. You are Nawanagarians and this is your home". Maharaja Digvijaysinghi was clear that none of the people who were in the camp were to be treated like refugees. He is known to have said in an interview to a Polish weekly "Maybe there, in the beautiful hills beside the seashore, the children will be able to recover their health and to forget the ordeal they went through…". And he didn't offer just lip service but walked the walk and treated the kids with dignity. In 1946, post World War II when the children were rehabilitated back to Poland by the United Nations, they proudly address Raja Digvijaysinghji as the "Polish Maharajah Jam Saheb". His act of generosity is saluted even today in Poland, where he was posthumously award the Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit. There is also a ‘Good Maharaja Square' in Warsaw celebrating him. In 2018, few of the survivors from the Balachadi camp, paid a visit to the very place where they lived and called as home for 4+ years for a highly emotional and nostalgic get-together. Read the full story at fb.me/masalahistorybysiva or listen to the story in Google podcasts, Apple podcasts & Spotify. (A full list of platforms where Masala History is available can be found at linktr.ee/masalahistory . Don't forget to subscribe!). #masalahistory #history #historybuff #historynerd #nawanagar #jamnagar #poland #worldwar2 #worldwar #refugee #goodmaharaja #warsaw #britishindia #podcast

A Hindu God worshipped in a Muslim attire? A Muslim princess having a shrine at a Hindu temple? Whenever faiths have been at conflict and politics in crossroads, mixing a portion of legend to existing facts has always helped bring communities together. Continuing with the theme of history spiced up with myths, unverified facts and conscious rewrites, in today's episode of Masala History, we are going to look at how an historic incident, coupled with a little of legend, gives us a beautiful example on harmony and inclusiveness. - something perhaps we could do more with in today's times. Listen to the story of ' Thulukka Nachiyaar' - history of a Muslim princess having a shrine in world's largest working Hindu temple. You can view & listen to podcast via Facebook, Instagram and YouTube and for those who prefer the audio version, we are available at Google podcasts, Spotify & Anchor. Please don't forget to subscribe the page. And if you have more questions than answers after today's episode, please feed back your comments. PS: A list of platforms where Masala History is available: http://linktr.ee/masalahistory #history #historybuff #historynerd #masalahistory #srirangam #hindumuslim #khilji #ghazni #ramanuja #melkote #thulukkanachiyar #podcast

A huge thanks for listening to my podcast and all the feedback. I feel very humbled and encouraged by the support and enthusiasm! A picture is worth a thousand words is old adage. In modern world, scores of photo editing tools and pictures exist on even smartphones and one has the power to alter the picture of reality in minutes, making the same picture say several sets of thousand words. In today's video podcast, you will see a powerful dictator (ab)using the power of photo editing for rewriting history, propoganda and image building. I like to call him the original father of photoshopping. Sources: - The Commissar Vanishes, by David King - Research articles from History, Hoover institution PS: If possible, please listen with headphones and watch the video for better understanding. And keep the comments coming! You can subscribe to my stories from https://linktr.ee/masalahistory #masalahistory #historybuff #historynerd #history #russia #stalin #photoshop #lenin #trotsky #ussr #podcast

Masala history by Siva is available at Facebook and Instagram. 1 tbsp of History + 1 tbsp of fiction + 1 tbsp of patriotic sentiment + 1 tbsp of mythology = a dangerous mixture that will spread faster than any virus, when rolled out in social media, esp WhatsApp. In today's episode of Masala History, I attempt to break down such a 'fake news' post and try to show the underlying historical fact. Also for first time, I am trying out a podcast approach. This is a 10 minute podcast. Listen with headphones if possible. I hope you stay awake till end of the episode - and if you manage to, please send me feedback.