Discovery Of Colonial India
Open|December 21, 2015

Lord Hastings 1814 journey from Calcutta to Punjab with painter Sita Ram is a discovery of Colonial India through lives mundane and magical.

Shreya Ray
Discovery Of Colonial India

The annals of official history —echoed in schoolbooks and newspaper headlines— seldom concerns itself with the wholeness of stories it professes to tell, filling it up as it does with wars, dates, monarchs and murders. The greatest or most evil of rulers make an appearance, as do political achievements and disasters. An entire people’s stories exist within these subjective, caricatured polarities.

On the other side is a personal, microhistory which concerns itself with the minutae, the mundane, the crayon that colours in the black lines of official history. Personal history humanises even the political figure; it distances him from his treaties and battles, offering a window to his mind; it shows us the stunning views that surrounded him, the animals he saw, and if the author is English, his observations on the weather. Where recorded history shows disregard for these details, personal history returns the favour by existing as a parallel stream of reality, rarely punctuated with ‘The Big Picture’.

One of these political figures in Indian history textbooks is Lord Hastings—often memorised by schoolchildren as one of seven governor generals to have served India before Independence. It is a less known fact that Lord Hastings’ travels across the country were accompanied and documented by one of the greatest Indian artists of the pre-modern era, Sita Ram.

Denne historien er fra December 21, 2015-utgaven av Open.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra December 21, 2015-utgaven av Open.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA OPENSe alt
Can Therapy Break The Taboo Of Hypersexuality?
Open

Can Therapy Break The Taboo Of Hypersexuality?

Can therapy break the taboo of hypersexuality?

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 28, 2015
Afghanistan: Waiting For A New Life
Open

Afghanistan: Waiting For A New Life

Ravaged by war, terror and bad politics, Afghanistan is waiting for a new life after the withdrawal of American troops.

time-read
8 mins  |
December 28, 2015
Grand Opening Of Dance Bars, Are The Girls Excited?
Open

Grand Opening Of Dance Bars, Are The Girls Excited?

Following a Supreme Court order, Mumbais dance bars are preparing for a grand opening. Are the girls equally excited?

time-read
10 mins  |
December 21, 2015
Discovery Of Colonial India
Open

Discovery Of Colonial India

Lord Hastings 1814 journey from Calcutta to Punjab with painter Sita Ram is a discovery of Colonial India through lives mundane and magical.

time-read
8 mins  |
December 21, 2015
Imtiaz Ali: Auteur In Love
Open

Imtiaz Ali: Auteur In Love

Imtiaz Ali's new film too is a celebration of desire and longing. The filmmaker in conversation with Divya Unny.

time-read
8 mins  |
December 14, 2015
Athleisure, A Lifestyle Trend Of This Decade
Open

Athleisure, A Lifestyle Trend Of This Decade

As the defining lifestyle trend of this decade, athleisure has changed the way we dress, appear, move and feel.

time-read
9 mins  |
January 18, 2016
Hate Wave In Communal India
Open

Hate Wave In Communal India

Provocative clerics, frenzied mobs and the widening fault lines of communal India.

time-read
10+ mins  |
January 25, 2016
Delhi Government: Getting Even With The Odd Chief Minister
Open

Delhi Government: Getting Even With The Odd Chief Minister

A righteous Kejriwal makes the governance of Delhi all about one man’s whims and paranoia.

time-read
8 mins  |
January 25, 2016
India’s Cricket Prodigies: Who Will Stay Like Tendulkar?
Open

India’s Cricket Prodigies: Who Will Stay Like Tendulkar?

India’s cricket prodigies today are luckier than their predecessors, but who will stay the distance like Tendulkar? 

time-read
7 mins  |
January 25, 2016
Dating Apps: A Sexual Revolution
Open

Dating Apps: A Sexual Revolution

As the dating app sets up office in India, its first ever outside the US, Lhendup G Bhutia signs on to see what the fuss is all about. He comes out unwanted.

time-read
9 mins  |
February 2, 2016