Dheeraj Kalgutkar

Vijay Sthamb (victory pillar) - The pillar was erected by the East India Company in memory of those who fought the battle and includes the names of the Mahar soldiers who unknowingly brought an end to the Peshwa rule in 1818.   The battle on January 1, 1818, where the British, with just 834 infantrymen — about 500 of them from the Mahar community — and 12 officers defeated the 28,000-strong army of Peshwa Bajirao II - was one of the last battles of the Third Anglo-Maratha War, which ended the Peshwa domination. While this would tempt many to suggest Mahars/Dalits always sided with the British - absolutely nothing wrong if they did give the conditions they were forced to live in - in truth, they were before this battle part of the Maratha army. During Shivaji’s reign, especially before Peshwas, many didn’t realise that Peshwas were not a continuation of Marathas under Shivaji but a deviation from it. One would do well here to remember how Brahmins of his dominion refused to conduct ...

It is six months since the genome sequence of SARS-CoV-2 was published by Chinese scientists and was available to the world. What has India done since that January should find no excuse in the otherwise legitimate accusation that China did not inform about the novel virus to the world in time or it kept WHO in dark. It is true that China erred and it is also true that there are reasons to scrutinize WHO. But what have we done since it indeed released the information about the virus? For instance, while some countries like Taiwan, South Korea, Japan had cases of probable infection long before China released the vital information, India registered its first case only in late January, long after China had published genome sequence of the virus and WHO had informed the world about such an outbreak. So unlike those countries, and they have it under control now and cases are breaking new records in India, we cannot blame the outbreak on Chinese malfeasance. Whatever situation we are in to...

Monsoons evaded Maharashtra in 1992. In a country where even today agriculture is largely dependent on rains, this naturally made people distraught then. In this helplessness, blankness, in this void came Maharashtra governor’s appeal other rather a dictate. On a particular day at 11 am, people were to collectively pray. Authorities jumped in to enforce the governor’s appeal. Directions were announced left, right and centre. And pray people did. Newspapers were awash with pictures of people praying for relief from imminent danger, ordinary people to district collectors to workers. Everyone obliged. If WhatsApp University existed then, I’m sure it’s double degree holders would churn out theories of how collective prayer would kindle the kundalini and force gods of rain to bring showers upon them. And we will all be sharing these forwards because why not?! Fast forward to 2020 and coronavirus. Modi came on national television, and like the big boss from that horrible show, ga...

16 मज़दूर औरंगाबाद में ट्रैन की पटरी के नीचे कुचल के मर गए है। शायद आप तक यह खबर पहुंच भी गई है। आपको शायद बताया जा रहा है कि यह हादसा था। हादसा क्या होता है? हादसा वह होता है जहां किसीको पता नहीं रहता कि वह होनेवाला है। रवीश कुमार अपने चैनल पर हफ्तों से बता रहे थे/है कि पुलिस अपने गंतव्य की तरफ चलनेवाले मज़दूर वर्ग के लोगों को रास्तो से कैसे हटा रही है और पुलिस से बचने के लिए मज़दूर कैसे रेल्वे की पटरियों पर चल रहे है। वे कह रहे थे कि यह कितना भयावह और ख़तरनाक है। वे पुछ रहे थे कि जैसे हमने भारत के बाहर से भारतीयों को फ़्लाइट पर लाया वैसे मजदूरों की घर जाने की व्यवस्था क्यों नहीं की जा रही है... आप शायद रवीश को सुन नहीं रहे थे, आप शायद व्यस्त थे सुधीर चौधरी जैसे गोदी मीडिया को सुनने में जो पैदल चलते मज़दूर और शराब के लिए लाइन लगाने वाले लोगों में फर्क़ तक नहीं कर पाते - कैसे करेंगे वो भी - उनके ऐसी स्टुडियों से सब कीड़े-मकोड़े बाहर उनको एक ही तरह के दिखते है। और आप उनकी बातों में मस्त है। आपने अपने विवेक और बुद्धि का त्याग तो सरकार के चरण कमलों में कब का कर दिया है... मुबारक हो आप...

That’s just a random picture of crowded Delhi. Photo by Fancycrave on  Unsplash         Bus rides are joyful experiences. To travel peacefully on a window seat staring quietly at the passerby's, looking at people on bikes and cars hurrying themselves to reach someplace quicker, buildings by buildings of varying sizes passing like a film via the window glass. And then if you are lucky you meet a nice fellow passenger, you both talk and somehow in its own small and strange ways, you become part of someone’s life who was stranger a while ago. Aha. That is if you are lucky. But I was with no luck in my pockets. I did not get a fellow passenger to talk to. I did not even get a seat to sit forget the window one. I was standing in a crowded bus near the back door of this public transport vehicle with my travel bag. Not big but not too small either. The bus had moved few stops from where I had boarded and had just stopped at another stop. Of the many people who...

Nana Patekar. A power house of talent when meets Mahesh Manjrekar, the brilliant filmmaker, claps were certain to go high at the end of movie, not just any other claps but the loud ones coming straight from hearts, reserved only for few special occasions! Just came out from one such experience. I don't know when was the last time I had watched a Marathi movie in cinema hall, oh wait, I have seen none. This was my first. There have been many good stories, technological brilliances but good performances? Of late there was dearth of it all but thanks to Mahesh Manjrekar for filling that gap with this celluloid treat - Nana Patekar obviously but Medha Manjrekar and Vikram Gokhale, it was just oh-so-great combo. I wanted to watch it on first day but then I thought I won't, it's trailer was not bad but not something that provokes you to watch it, it looked like any other story, like those old movies with lots of drama but believe me, this one is lot more than JUST THA...

Bajirao Mastani, is a treat offered on celluloid for movie buffs, a brilliance at best but also a lost opportunity in portraying the greatness of the best known Peshwa! A canvas where love story has taken centre-stage while in life it was battles, 40 straight wins is no joke my friend! But then you can't really blame Bhansali because going by the title it was meant to put the story of two protagonists above all and he achieved it with brilliance, a little less I would say! I'm no reviewer and won't go into nuances of the art of doing what I'm not but I believe you need to give it a watch. For the brilliant sets, colorful canvas, larger than life imagery, things for which Bhansali is best known in the industry! And stellar piece of acting from Ranveer Singh and others. In fact Ranveer is the life of this credulous display of a time from history known for its larger than life living and blood soaked battlegrouds. I can't believe I had doubts initially when cast...