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 4 Legendary Indian Women In Science

Although technology has evolved and advanced to a great extent, we often forget to give credit to the minds that contributed to it behind the scenes. Here are four such Indian women who have made notable contributions in various fields of science, but remain largely unknown to the world.

Janaki Ammal 
Janaki Ammal
Illustration: Harsho Mohan Chattoraj

 Janaki Ammal was a well-known botanist and plant cytologist who came from a middle-class family in Tellichery, Kerala. She received her honours degree in Botany from Presidency College in 1921 and further studied at the University of Michigan in the USA for her master’s degree in 1925. After returning with a master’s degree, she continued to teach at the Women’s Christian College. However, she soon returned to Michigan for her doctorate and came back to India in 1931. 

She then worked at the Sugarcane Breeding Institute in Coimbatore, as a geneticist. From 1940-1951 she was in London working as a cytologist at the John Innes Horticultural Institution and then at the Royal Horticultural Society at Wisely. On returning to India in 1951, she reorganized the Botanical Survey of India, then went on to head the ‘Central Botanical Laboratory at Allahabad’ and was a special officer on duty in Jammu. Later, she worked in the Centre’s Field Laboratory at Maduravoyal until her demise. She made numerous contributions in the field of genetics, evolution, phytogeography, and ethnobotany.

In 1935 and 1957, Janaki Ammal was elected as Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences and of the India National Science Academy respectively. She was also conferred an honorary LL.D in her name in 1956. In 1957, she received the Padma Shri, and the Ministry of Environment and Forestry of India established the National Award of Taxonomy in her name. 

Janaki Ammal’s passion for botany was ignited by living in the greenery in Kerala. She lived a simple unmarried life and completely dedicated herself to botany.

Anna Mani 
Anna Mani
Illustration: Dilip Kadam

Anna Mani was born into an upper-middle-class family in Travancore, where the men were groomed for high-level careers whereas the women were groomed for marriage. However, Anna Mani refused to settle for that fate and enrolled for an honours program in physics at the Presidency College in Chennai. A year after finishing college, in 1940,  she got accepted into C.V. Raman’s laboratory and received a scholarship to do research in physics at the Indian Institute Of Science. At Raman’s laboratory, she worked on analyzing the fluorescence, absorption, temperature dependence, and polarization effects of over thirty different diamonds. She single-handedly wrote over five papers on diamonds in the span of three years. 

However, Anna Mani never got a PhD degree, for the Madras University that granted her scholarship for research at the Indian Institute of Science claimed that she did not have an M.Sc. degree; therefore, she couldn’t get a PhD. Nevertheless, this didn’t stop her. Soon after finishing her research in India, she left for England where she specialized in meteorological instrumentation.  In 1948, she returned to India and joined the Indian Meteorological Department in Pune. She was in charge of the construction of radiation instrumentation and she published several papers on topics ranging from atmospheric ozone to national standardization of meteorological instrumentation. Finally, she retired as the Deputy Director-General of the Indian Meteorological Department. 

She believed that the development of wind and solar energy was quite essential for the nation’s development, and so she worked on several projects for harnessing wind energy in India. Later, she set up her own company that manufactured instruments for measuring wind and solar energy. Anna Mani never let the discrimination she faced as a woman scientist affects her work and created not only a laboratory but a factory of her own.

A. Lalitha
A Lalitha
Illustration: Ketan Pal

Lalitha was the first woman engineer of India. In 1937, her husband died, leaving her behind as an eighteen-year-old widow with a four-month-old daughter. According to the norms of the time, this should have been the last we ever heard of them. But A. Lalitha was stronger than her circumstances.

A child bride at 15, a single mother and widow at 18, she promised herself that her daughter would never feel the lack of a father. Picking up the broken pieces of her life, she realised that the first thing she needed was to be self-sufficient. Her father was a professor at the College of Engineering, Guindy. With his help, she managed to get admission there. Many eyebrows were raised, and her father was forced to get approval from the British government.

But life as the sole woman in a completely male-dominated campus was lonely and challenging. So her father went one step further; he advertised in ‘The Hindu’ inviting other women to join the college! In 1943, Lalitha made history as the first-ever woman engineer in the country. but this was only the start of her journey.

Lalitha first joined the Central Standards Organisation of India in Shimla where one of her brothers lived. In 1948, she went to Calcutta and joined the Associate Electrical Industries.

It was in Calcutta that Lalitha got a chance to design transmission lines and work on the Bhakra Nangal Dam. In 1964, she was invited to the First International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists (ICWES) in New York. She was the only Indian at this conference. she took it upon herself to actively encourage other Indian women engineers. When the Second International Conference was held in 1967, she managed to send five of them!

Lalitha passed away when she was just 60 years old. She inspired Indian women to study further, to carve out careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and make themselves self-sufficient.

Kamala Sohonie
Illustration: Ketan Pal

Kamala Sohonie grew up unlike other girls of her time. She was born into a family of distinguished scientists and was encouraged to study. In 1933, she topped Bombay University when she completed her B.Sc in chemistry and physics, after which she applied to the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) for a research fellowship. That was where the harsh reality of gender came like a slap in the face. Nobel Laureate Prof. C. V. Raman, the Director of IISc, refused her application simply because she was a woman!

But if Prof. Raman was firm about not giving her admission, Kamala was equally firm about getting it. For days, she sat outside his office until he agreed to admit her. But he had conditions. “You will be on probation for one year, you will work only at night so as to not disrupt the atmosphere of the campus, and finally, you must conduct yourself ‘honourably'”, he said. Humiliated but with no choice, Kamala had to agree. She passed her M.Sc with distinction. Very soon, the gates of IISc and other science institutes were opened to women. A quiet revolution had taken place.

Kamala went on to study at Cambridge University where her discovery of cytochrome C, which helps plants in respiration, helped her get a doctorate. She was the first Indian woman to be awarded a PhD.

Kamala then came back to take part in the Indian freedom struggle. After she got married in 1947, she joined the Royal Institute of Science in Bombay. All along, she had been working on finding a way to improve the diet of the poor. On a request from the then President of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad, she started studying the nutritional benefits of ‘neera’ (sap from the palm tree) and discovered that it had significant amounts of iron and vitamins A and C. She found a way to include this in the diet of malnourished people. For this discovery, Kamala won the President’s Award.

She made history when she became the Director of the Institute of Science in Bombay – the first lady to head such a premier scientific institution.

In 1998, at a ceremony organised to felicitate her, Kamala collapsed. She passed away a few days later. Thus came to an end a life that quietly challenged society’s norms and steadily worked to enrich the life of India’s masses.

Read more about these and other revolutionary Indian women in our title ‘Women Path-breakers‘. Now available on the ACK Comics app, Kindle, Flipkart, Amazon, and other major e-tailers. 

The Story Of Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand

Crowned with snow-capped peaks, dotted with beautiful valleys, the birthplace of many rivers and with numerous places of pilgrimage, Uttarakhand is justifiably called the abode of the gods or Devabhumi. This Indian state is located in the north-western part of the country. It has a long and ancient history. 

Early history

The archaeological remains like ancient rock paintings, rock shelters and stone tools show that the region has been inhabited since prehistoric times. It also finds a mention in many Vedic texts. The tribes that inhabited the Garhwal and Kumaon region, which make the present Uttarakhand, are mentioned in many other early scriptures. It is believed that the sage Veda Vyasa wrote the epic Mahabharata in this mountainous state. Among the early tribes, the Paharis were the only people in Garhwal and Kumaon regions until the arrival of the Rajputs around the 13th century. 

Uttarakhand
Image: Wikipedia | Design: ACK Design Team
Pre-British Period

The Kunindas and the Katyuris were among the major dynasties ruling this area followed by the Chands. In 1803, with the invasion of the Gorkhas, the Nepalese invaders, the course of succession in these mountains changed. The Gorkha forces first captured Kumaon and then attacked Garhwal. In the battle of Khurbara in 1804, King Pradyumna Shah was defeated and killed. The Gorkhas now became the rulers of most of the regions of both Kumaon and Garhwal. In 1815, the Gorkha rule ended when the British crushed them in battle, and threw them out of Uttarakhand. 

British Rule 

Garhwal and Kumaon regions were joined during the British rule and made a part of the Avadh province in 1856. The British used a different mode of governance for the hilly regions of this province. They set up a small administrative unit known as Patwari Halka for efficient governing. The Patwari was equipped with the power of a tax collector and also of the police. English was also introduced in this region. Tehri was formed in 1815 and became the capital of Garhwal in British India. 

The people of Kumaon and Garhwal, along with its soldiers played a vital role in the Indian freedom struggle. The Indian Army has two regiments from this state, namely the Garhwal Regiment and the Kumaon Regiment. These regiments have numerous battle honours and citations to their credit and have contributed bravely in wars in both pre and post-independence times. 

Uttarakhand
Illustration: ACK Design Team
Separation from Uttar Pradesh

After independence, this region was added to the state of Uttar Pradesh. Due to the differences in the overall culture and lifestyle of the people of the hills and those from the rest of the state, the demand for separate statehood started gaining momentum. 

Finally, in November 2000 with a reorganisation of states, Uttaranchal (meaning northern mountain) was created as the 27th state of India. In 2007 Uttaranchal was renamed Uttarakhand.

Indian Navy Facts 

India possesses a glorious maritime heritage that spans over five millennia. The seas, on the three sides of India, have served as natural protection while providing us with a gateway to go out and discover the world and explore. When we did explore, the long coastline and many islands shaped our art, culture, philosophy, economy, ideas, and more, while influencing the world. Take a look at some of the most astonishing facts about the Indian Navy. 

The mythology connect 
Illustration: ACK Design Team

One can find numerous mentions of oceans in Indian mythology. Some of the most popular ones include the churning of the ocean milk, Hanuman’s leap to Lanka, and Saraswati’s Vadavagni deposit, among others. So what’s the connection with the Indian Navy? After Independence, the Indian Navy adopted the motto, Śaṃ no Varuṇaḥ. This is an ancient invocation to Lord Varuna from the Upanishads, meaning ‘May the Ocean God be auspicious unto us’. This chant is the motto of the Indian Navy to date. 

Did you know?

India is the only nation in the world to have an ocean named after her, the Indian Ocean. 

The world’s first tidal dock
Illustration: ACK Design Team

Many places that are now inland were coastal centuries ago. Higher sea levels due to warm weather and long coastline gave rise to numerous trading centres. Lothal, in present-day Gujarat, was one such trading centre. It was an engineering marvel and boasted one of the world’s first tidal docks. It had clever mechanisms to maintain the water-levels despite the changing tides. Precious gemstones, ivory, and shells were exported by the Lothal merchants to places as far as Mesopotamia, present-day the area between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers.

Cultural influence 
Illustration: ACK Design Team

Sea routes not only helped widen the economic horizons but also led to a spread and amalgamation of cultures and traditions. From the temple complex of Angkor Vat in Cambodia to the many versions of Ramayana to the festival of Boita Bandana celebrated in Odisha, this influence is clearly evident. 

In fact, around the 2nd century BCE, when the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka was horrified and disturbed after he witnessed the bloodshed of the Kalinga war, he gave up violence. Embarking on a new journey of life embracing Buddhism, he began sending missionaries across the ocean to spread the teaching of Buddha. Many Indian Buddhists settled in various countries for trade also helped this mission. Even today, Buddhism thrives in countries as far as Myanmar, South Korea, Japan, and Thailand.      

Read the fascinating naval history of India in our latest release ‘The Naval Journey of India Book I: Millennia of Sea Travel’, now available on the ACK Comics app.

Interesting facts about Jana Gana Mana

By Srinidhi Murthy

The national anthem of India was written by Rabindranath Tagore. Majority of us are aware of this but here are some of the lesser-known facts about ‘Jana Gana Mana’ that you should know.

Illustration: Souren Roy

Did you know that the complete national anthem is just one of the five stanzas of the original hymn?

In 1911, Tagore wrote a five-stanza Bengali hymn, Bharata Bhagyo Bidhata, which was published in a journal named Tatwabodhini Patrika. The first stanza of this hymn was adopted as the national anthem of India in 1950.

It was rumoured to be written to honour the British king.

The song was written a day before the coronation of King George V. Many quickly concluded that this was written by Tagore to honour the British king. Tagore was distressed by this rumour. He penned his feelings in a letter which stated that he had written the song to pronounce the victory and greatness of India and it was never meant to praise any British king.

It was first sung by a group of school students at the annual Indian National Conference.

The Jana Gana Mana, originally written in Bengali, was translated in Hindi by an Indian army officer, Captain Abid Hasan Safrani, and the translated version was titled Subh Sukh Chain.

The English translation was done by Tagore.

The English translation was done by Tagore in an impromptu when he was visiting a college in Madanapalle. It was titled ‘The Morning Song of India’. The original translation can still be found framed in the library of Besant Theosophical College in Madanapalle.

Illustration: ACK Design Team

The song was first selected by Subhas Chandra Bose as the national anthem.

On September 1942, at the inauguration of the German-Indian Society in Hamburg, Subhas Chandra Bose declared that the song Jana Gana Mana will be the national anthem of free India. However, it received its official status only in 1950.

Featured in the 1945 film, Hamrahi.

Before it was officially adopted, Jana Gana Mana was featured in a 1945 Hindi movie, Hamrahi. It was featured as a chorus song, and the music for the movie was composed by Raichand Boral.

As a norm, the anthem is not played for the prime minister

The full version of the national anthem is played to indicate the arrival of the president at formal state functions and it is played again to indicate his departure too. As a norm, the national anthem is not be played for the arrival or departure of the prime minister at state functions, though some exceptions are made on special occasions.

Read legendary stories from the chapters of Indian history and a lot more fascinating stories from India in our Ultimate Collection Volume 2. 

The Pashupati Seal of Mohenjo-Daro

By Shivam Pathania

Illustration: Shivam Pathania

The Indus Valley civilization is an enigma. Since its discovery, many historians have been trying to study the life of the ancient cities’ dwellers through the historic monuments and the ancient relics. The Pashupati seal, found during the excavation of the ancient city of Mohenjo-Daro in Indus valley is one such relic, with many different and contradicting interpretations by different historians that shed a light on the religious practices of the civilization. The small relic is a big piece to solve the ancient puzzle, that is Indus Valley civilization.

The tiny seal measures 3.56 cm by 3.53 cm, with a thickness of 0.76 cm and is made out of soapstone or steatite. The seal was uncovered in 1928-1929 and is considered to be made during 2350-2000 BCE. The prominent figure in the seal is the man with the horned headdress, which is unusual as most Indus Valley seals show animals as the central figure in their seals instead of a human being. The man is seated on a raised platform in a yogic position and he is depicted to have three long faces with pointed noses. His arms are adorned with numerous bangles, from his wrist and all the way to his shoulder and his entire torso is covered in necklaces. He also has a belt decorated with tassels at his waistline. The seal depicts various wild animals around the seated figure, most of which are herbivores. A rhinoceros, an elephant, a buffalo and a tiger are shown in the seal, where the tiger seems to be pouncing on the seated man. Two goats also can be seen right in front of the seated figure, but it seems to be unclear whether the goats are actual animals or a design aspect of the raised platform. The seal is also inscribed with the Indus Valley civilization script, which has still not been deciphered. The exact functional purpose of the seal is still unknown, but according to some experts, such seals were used during the trade. But many seals also have a hole behind them suggesting that such seals were also worn as amulets. Therefore, the seal could have been an identification seal of a community in the settlement or was worn as a symbol of status.

Many interpretations have been made by historians to decode the intended narrative of the scene depicted in the small seal. According to the most common and most widely accepted interpretation, the seated human figure is Shiva or his Vedic alias Rudra. Archaeologist John Marshall, the Director-General of the Archaeological Survey of India, first came up with this interpretation due to four reasons. In some forms Shiva is depicted with four or five heads, which appear to be three, when seen from the front view, matching with the number of faces of the seated figure. Further, the horns on the headpiece can be associated with the bull, Nandi, Shiva’s vahana. Also, the yogic posture of the seated man, ties him closely to Shiva, as Shiva is known as Adiyogi or the first yogi and the originator of yoga. The seated man is surrounded with wild animals, which can be associated with another form of Shiva called as Pashupati, which translates as ‘the king of all animals’. Hence, the name, Pashupati was given to the seal.

The theory was widely accepted, but it was met with objections too, with some historians reinterpreting the seal differently. Doris Srinivasan, a professor of Indian studies, said that the human figure in the seal was rather a deity who was half-buffalo and half-man. According to her studies, the seated figure had cow-like ears instead of three faces. Since the Indus valley civilization was an agrarian society, cattle were crucial assets for them. Male cattle helped with ploughing and carrying a load, while their female counterparts provided with dairy and thus having a deity dedicated to cattle made sense.

There is another interpretation with the same buffalo-man hybrid, but instead of being a deity, the seated entity is identified as an asura. Some scholars believe the horned entity to be the earliest pictorial depictions of Mahishasura, the asura, who was half-buffalo and half-man and the evil asura was defeated by Goddess Durga. Her vahana, Dawon, a tiger, is depicted attacking the horned asura in the seal. Many historians have also associated the seated figure in the seal to Vedic deities like Agni, Indra and Varun.

Apart from the religious interpretation of the seal, the yogic posture of the seated man helps to trace back the history of yoga in the Indian subcontinent. The yogi in the seal is seated in an advanced yogic position called Mulabandhasana which requires flexibility in the hips, knees, legs, ankles and feet. This level of difficult yoga was prevalent in the Indus Valley which suggests that yoga has been practised by the people in the civilisation from a long time and therefore, there is a possibility that yoga was established before or with the Indus Valley civilisation.

Read more about the Harrapan civilisation in our title ‘The Indus Valley Adventure’. Now available on the ACK Comics app, Kindle, Flipkart, Amazon, and other major e-tailers. 

The Armed Forces In Peacetime

By Vaneeta Vaid

The primary role of the Armed Forces is to defend the nation against external aggression. Success in war comes to those who are well equipped and trained. The Armed Forces, therefore, constantly train themselves so that they are better prepared than the adversary for any eventuality.

Illustration: Durgesh Velhal

India has very long borders which mostly do not follow geographic features. Most of our borders are active and conflict-prone due to difference in perception with our neighbours. In order to guard these active borders, especially in mountainous and inhospitable terrain, the Army remains deployed to thwart recurring encroachment attempts and to battle relentless ceasefire violations. The Air Force and the Navy remain in a state of readiness to respond to any impending air or sea threats to our country.

Armed Forces units and formations, stationed in peace locations, follow a rigorous training routine which include physical and weapon training, arms/equipment repair and maintenance tasks, in order to remain operationally ready. Regular two-sided exercises and war games in which various defensive and offensive scenarios are enacted, are undertaken to validate and update operational plans and bathe procedures. Logistic planning and preparation for operations and contingencies are also undertaken.

Illustration: Ghanshyam Bochegeri

The Armed Forces are called upon to assist in times of internal disorders and calamities both natural and man-made such as floods, earthquakes etc. On December 26, 2004, when a devastating tsunami swept across the Indian Ocean submerging islands, destroying coastlines and taking thousands of lives, the Air Force and the Navy swung into action carrying out rescue missions and transporting medical and food supplies to the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. The recent floods in Jammu & Kashmir saw men from the Armed Forces deployed in rescuing hundreds of people from the fury of the rising water.

The Armed Forces are also called upon to restore peace and order during internal strife and unrest. The Indian Navy by patrolling the waters, guards the international shipping corridors in the Indian Ocean against the threat of piracy and terrorism.

Illustration: Rakesh C.S.

Apart from securing the nation against external and internal threats, the Indian Army has been involved in nation-building initiatives too through multifaceted activities such as laying bridges, providing medical facilities, running educational and vocational training, etc., for common people especially in inaccessible areas of J&K and the north-eastern states.

When mandated, the Armed Forces also participate in conflict prevention in neighbouring countries as during Operation Pawan in Sri-Lanka (1987) and Operation Cactus in the Maldives (1988).

The Armed Forces also participate in peace-keeping missions of the United Nations under the UN Flag.

Swami Vivekananda (1863 – 1902)

World history has witnessed several legends who have gone beyond their limits and have achieved a name for themselves like no other. When it comes to Indians who have made such an impact on the world, Swami Vivekananda is one man who cannot be overlooked. Let us take a look at the life of the man who journeyed to a path of enlightenment.

Childhood and early years:

Illustration: T. Kesava Rao and Souren Roy

Born in a Bengali family, Narendranath Dutta was the name given to him. At a young age where kids would be busy playing outside with their friends, young Narendra kept himself occupied with meditation. He fascinated the lives of sanyasis. While many kids struggle to decide a future for themselves, young Narendra knew for sure that he was going to grow up to be a sanyasi.

Growing up, Narendra found the right balance between his body and mind. He kept himself academically well-read and at the same time was at the peak of his fitness. This personality and dedication made him stand out in school as well as in college! Soon, he found himself journeying towards the path of spiritual enlightenment as he began seeking for answers and searching for God.

The spiritual path:

After extensive searching, Narendra was not able to seek the answers he longed for. Until one day, he was asked to go see Shri Ramakrishna of Dakshineshwar. Before he knew it, Ramakrishna had already seen Narendra’s arrival and his destiny. He knew that Narendra is destined to help humanity. Narendra kept visiting him to search for answers. However, after the untimely death of his father, Vishwanath Datta, Narendra grew restless and desperate for a steady income for his mother.

He found himself at Ramakrishna’s feet, seeking aid. After a few encounters with him, Narendra finally had his first spiritual experience! It was as if his mind had exploded and expanded into the depths and secrets of the universe. Since then, Narendra decided to stay closer to Ramakrishna. He would spend days under deep meditation. He was an eager man, he wanted to learn more. But good things come to those who wait and rightly so, Ramakrishna asked him to be patient.

Illustration: T. Kesava Rao and Souren Roy

When Shri Ramakrishna was on his deathbed, he called for Narendra who was sorrowful as he could see the inevitable future his master awaited. Ramakrishna understood that it’s time for Narendra to carry on his master’s work and thus with a touch of a hand, Ramakrishna transferred his divine knowledge onto Narendra. Narendra could feel the divine spirit of his master enter him. After Ramakrishna’s death, Narendra donned a saffron garb that symbolised renunciation and shaved his head. He sought blessings from Ramakrishna’s wife and set out on a mission.

Fulfilling his destiny:

Just as he wished when he was a child, Narendra was now a sanyasi. He decided to see his beloved country from all corners. This decision made him embark on a journey where he traversed around the country. Wherever he went, the crowd would gather to hear him talk. He never discriminated on the basis of caste or religion. He treated all men alike.

One day, he was asked to represent India at the Parliament of Religions which was going to take place in Chicago, USA. At first, Narendra put a pin on the thought of going but after a vision from his master, Shri Ramakrishna, he decided to go. Soon then, the Maharaja of Khetri invited him to his darbar, provided him with his contribution for his trip and gave him the title of Swami Vivekananda which means one who rejoices in wisdom.

The Chicago event:

After a long journey, Swami Vivekananda had finally arrived in Chicago. Entering the Parliament of Religions wasn’t easy for him. After a lot of hustle and help from kind strangers, he finally made it. There, the Indian delegates resented his presence but once he spoke, everyone was in awe of him. In fact, they even scurried to meet him after his address. Soon after he was requested to deliver lectures all around America. Wherever he went, his pearls of wisdom moved people.

A grand welcome back home:

Illustration: Souren Roy

After journeying to America and England, it was time for Swami Vivekanand to return home. He arrived in India on January 15, 1897, and was welcomed by thousands of people waiting to touch his feet and seek his blessings. Now in his beloved motherland, he decided to help the needy, sick, and the poor. He established various institutions and travelled all around India spreading his knowledge. Even in his last days, Swami Vivekananda meditated and helped the poor. When his spirit had left his body, he had a divine expression on his face.

Swami Vivekananda firmly believed that the nation’s youth holds the key to solve various issues faced by India. This is why his birth anniversary, January 12th, is also celebrated as National Youth Day. He believed in the true spirit of Hinduism which abolished the lenses of untouchability and in helping the poor sections of India as they are the backbone of the country. Even a century later, he remains to be a prominent name in spiritualism and his institutions continue to spread his wisdom!

Read the complete story of this great monk in our title ‘Vivekananda’. Now available on the ACK Comics app, Kindle, Amazon, Flipkart, and other major e-tailers. 

Famous Quotes #11

This quote by a renowned Bengali saint, Anandamayi Ma, describes the true traits of a saint.

Illustration: Swathi Sambasivam

Celebrating Christmas

By Srinidhi Murthy

Illustration: ACK Design Team

Christmas is celebrated with great pomp and enthusiasm all over the world a few days prior to the beginning of a new year. The history of Christmas celebrations dates back to the emergence of Christianity in the country. India had been a British colony till 1947. Still, the tradition of celebrating Christmas stayed in India even after Independence due to colonialism. 

The story of Christmas
Illustration: Pratap Mullick

Christmas marks the birth of Jesus Christ, the one who spoke of goodness with wisdom and brought peace to all men through goodwill. According to the New Testament, when the couple, Joseph and Mary, had no room in Jerusalem, they sought shelter in a stable where Jesus was born at midnight. The angels proclaimed the birth of Jesus, who was destined to be the saviour. The shepherds spread this information to others. According to the Gregorian Calendar, this date was December 25th. Hence, Christians celebrate Christmas on this date every year.   

The link to colonialism 

India was a British colony for around two hundred years. The British had a prominent control over various places in India which led to the spread of Christianity in India. Goa, which has been one of the favourite destinations for Indians to celebrate Christmas, was famous for its Portuguese legacy and Catholic population. Like Goa, Kerala has its own history of Portuguese and British legacy. In 1498, Vasco Da Gama raised Portuguese settlements by establishing sea routes to Kerala. In fact, the British gained Kerala with the alliance of Travancore. Kerala’s Christmas festival is too grand and fascinating to miss, as the state has a large number of Christians who gloriously celebrate the festival. 

Having a past of over three hundred years, the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, also known as Samba Kovil, in Pondicherry, is one of the oldest churches which makes it to the list of must-visit during Christmas. The Jesuit fathers came to the French colony of Pondicherry and built three churches that were, eventually, destroyed due to the subsequent wars between the French and Dutch and, further again, during the British rule. 

Christmas Celebrations
Illustration: Ritoparna Hazra

Christmas is celebrated across the nation, especially in the metropolitan cities, with great pomp and vigour. Special festive markets are set up. Streets are decorated with lights and lanterns, men dressed as Santa Claus roam the streets singing “Ho.. Ho.. Ho..” and spreading joy and cheer. Some also distribute sweets and chocolates to kids. Christmas trees are decorated in malls, local shops, and houses. Baking cakes, sharing gifts, and hanging up stockings on Christmas Eve, and attending special mass prayers in a church are some prominent traditions of this festival. Traditional Christmas plum cakes are made with dry fruits soaked in wine for forty days. Interestingly, the first Christmas cake was baked in India by Mambally Bapu from Thalassery, Kerala. Since then a variety of cakes have been baked as a part of the celebrations but plum cakes remain to be a favourite of the majority.

Read the life story of Christ in our title ‘Jesus Christ’ on the ACK Comics app and Kindle. Also available on Amazon, Flipkart, and other major e-tailers.

Shah Jahan’s Dining Habits

By Srinidhi Murthy

Shah Jahan was the fifth Mughal emperor, under whose reign the Mughal Empire reached the peak of its cultural glory. Shah Jahan was famous for his competency on the battlefield, his knowledge in political affairs, and his interest in architecture. However, an interesting and lesser known facet of Shah Jahan was his unique culinary tastes. Here are a few facts from the Nuskha-e-ShahJahani that reveals the diet and dining patterns of the erstwhile Mughal ruler. 

Illustration: Souren Roy
  • Quantity and Quality 

Like any standard royal court, most of the dishes were prepared in bulk. Food was prepared for many guests on a daily basis and hence, huge quantities of ingredients were used. The emperors dined with their queens, except on festive occasions when they dined with nobles and courtiers. Since an exceptionally large number of dishes were served at each meal, a production line of staff undertook the chopping and cleaning and washing and grinding. Food was cooked in rainwater mixed with water brought in from the Ganges. An elaborate chain of commands was given to servers who ensured the right food was served in the right order at the right time on the right occasion.

  • Adapting Foreign Tastes 

Thanks to their numerous trade routes, the Portuguese had established a relationship with the Mughals a long time ago. This led to the royal kitchens encountering an additional ingredient, chilli, brought by the Portuguese. The chilli, due to its similarity with the long pepper, effortlessly blended with Indian recipes and ingredients, making it easier for the royal chefs of the Mughal era to use it liberally. 

  • Long hours at the Dastarkhwan

Shah Jahan was a slow eater. He loved to enjoy every morsel he ate. During his reign, banquets ran for hours and Shah Jahan ended up spending long hours at the Dastarkhwan or the royal dining hall.

Illustration: Souren Roy
  • His Love for Mangoes

Shah Jahan’s love for mangoes was a known fact and every time, the emperor received mangoes as gifts, he personally got the weight and quality checked. He once got angry with his son, Aurangzeb, who had eaten mangoes from his favourite tree in the Deccan Plateau instead of sending the mangoes to him.

  • The Royal Dietician 

An interesting fact about the Mughal royal kitchen is that it was a royal physician who planned the menu each day. This was to ensure that medicinally beneficial ingredients were included in each dish. This way, the people in the royal court could be assured that the food they ate was not only good for their taste buds but also their body. 

  • Culinary Paradise

Based on the Nuskha-e-Shahjahani, it can be inferred that it was not only the royal kitchen, but even the bazaars that were filled with different flavours from all over the known world. The city was known as a paradise of food then, with records from the time speaking to Shah Jahan’s reputation as a gastronome. 

  • His Last Suppers

Deposed by his son Aurangzeb, Shah Jahan was imprisoned in Agra Fort and remained there for eight years until his death in 1666. Legends narrate how Aurangzeb ordered that his father be allowed just one ingredient of his preference and Shah Jahan chose chickpeas because that could be cooked in multiple ways.

Read the complete story of the fifth Mughal emperor in our title ‘Shah Jahan’, available on the ACK Comics app, Kindle, Amazon, Flipkart, and other major e-tailers.