Historychatter Podcast

There was some controversy about whether it was right or fair to clothe the nude bronze figurine from Mohenjo Daro when it was recently adopted as the mascot of an International Museum Expo, 2023 being held in New Delhi. Dr. Ashish Kumar, an expert in ancient Indian history who teaches at the Punjab University, Chandigarh in a freewheeling conversation with the host Dr. Anirban Bandyopadhyay discusses the caterer of this most interesting archaeological discovery. It turns out that the figure was inaccurately characterized as a dancing girl from an Adivasi background. Dr. Kumar also offers an account of how the turns of contemporary histories, such as the partition, often determine the career and public images of historical artifacts in strangely unanticipated ways. You can follow us and leave us feedback on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @eplogmedia, For advertising/partnerships send you can send us an email at bonjour@eplog.media. If you like this show, please subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts, so other people can find us. You can also find us on https://www.eplog.media DISCLAIMER: The views expressed on all the shows produced and distributed by Ep.Log Media are personal to the host and the guest of the shows respectively and with no intention to harm the sentiments of any individual/organization.The said content is not obscene or blasphemous or defamatory of any event and/or person deceased or alive or in contempt of court or breach of contract or breach of privilege, or in violation of any provisions of the statute, nor hurt the sentiments of any religious groups/ person/government/non-government authorities and/or breach or be against any declared public policy of any nation or state.Ep.Log Media does not take any liability for the accuracy or completeness of the information presented in the podcast. Listener discretion is advised.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cricket commentary has just turned hundred years old. It has undergone great transformation as it grew from modest beginnings in Australia and England in the 1920s. This episode looks into the debut and early history of cricket commentary in Australia, England, India and Pakistan. You can follow us and leave us feedback on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @eplogmedia, For advertising/partnerships send you can send us an email at bonjour@eplog.media. If you like this show, please subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts, so other people can find us. You can also find us on https://www.eplog.media DISCLAIMER: The views expressed on all the shows produced and distributed by Ep.Log Media are personal to the host and the guest of the shows respectively and with no intention to harm the sentiments of any individual/organization.The said content is not obscene or blasphemous or defamatory of any event and/or person deceased or alive or in contempt of court or breach of contract or breach of privilege, or in violation of any provisions of the statute, nor hurt the sentiments of any religious groups/ person/government/non-government authorities and/or breach or be against any declared public policy of any nation or state.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

India came close to testing an atomic bomb several times between 1974 and 1998. One of those times was in 1983 when Indira Gandhi withdrew authorization at the last moment. Narasimha Rao was about to test a nuclear weapon in 1995. This special episode examines why and how the test was considered necessary and why it could not be carried out. You can follow us and leave us feedback on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @eplogmedia, For advertising/partnerships send you can send us an email at bonjour@eplog.media. If you like this show, please subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts, so other people can find us. You can also find us on https://www.eplog.media DISCLAIMER: The views expressed on all the shows produced and distributed by Ep.Log Media are personal to the host and the guest of the shows respectively and with no intention to harm the sentiments of any individual/organization.The said content is not obscene or blasphemous or defamatory of any event and/or person deceased or alive or in contempt of court or breach of contract or breach of privilege, or in violation of any provisions of the statute, nor hurt the sentiments of any religious groups/ person/government/non-government authorities and/or breach or be against any declared public policy of any nation or state.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happened to the Indian nuclear programme after the explosion? Did it settle into a regular rhythm of making bombs? Did it focus on producing electricity? Or did it lapse into factional fights and remain beholden to the personal interest of the Prime Minister? This final episode takes up these questions while examining the history of the prospects and performance of atomic energy research in India since the first explosion in 1974. Hard-hitting, unsparing, and based on credible academic research, the episode is likely to demolish several romantic myths about India’s atomic research accomplishments. You can follow us and leave us feedback on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @eplogmedia, For advertising/partnerships send you can send us an email at bonjour@eplog.media. If you like this show, please subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts, so other people can find us. You can also find us on https://www.eplog.media DISCLAIMER: The views expressed on all the shows produced and distributed by Ep.Log Media are personal to the host and the guest of the shows respectively and with no intention to harm the sentiments of any individual/organization.The said content is not obscene or blasphemous or defamatory of any event and/or person deceased or alive or in contempt of court or breach of contract or breach of privilege, or in violation of any provisions of the statute, nor hurt the sentiments of any religious groups/ person/government/non-government authorities and/or breach or be against any declared public policy of any nation or state.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

India’s atomic energy research took a new turn by the 1960s. On the one hand, the atomic scientists had to seek out a new challenge as the objective of nuclear power production was within reach. They had to do something dramatic to maintain the top-secret status of their enterprise. The bomb was the obvious answer. On the other hand, Americans were now ready to do business with India, since India would have gone ahead to manufacture nuclear power anyway. Death of quite a few leading figures nonetheless slowed down the progress towards the bomb. The Chinese testing their bomb by 1964 had already turned popular opinion in favour of an Indian bomb. In retrospect, it would seem as though the rush through the passage of the Nuclear Bill of 1962 in the parliament was a preparation for the bomb. The explosion did finally take place in May 1974, but not before the country went through a series of temporary reverses and recoveries. You can follow us and leave us feedback on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @eplogmedia, For advertising/partnerships send you can send us an email at bonjour@eplog.media. If you like this show, please subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts, so other people can find us. You can also find us on https://www.eplog.media DISCLAIMER: The views expressed on all the shows produced and distributed by Ep.Log Media are personal to the host and the guest of the shows respectively and with no intention to harm the sentiments of any individual/organization.The said content is not obscene or blasphemous or defamatory of any event and/or person deceased or alive or in contempt of court or breach of contract or breach of privilege, or in violation of any provisions of the statute, nor hurt the sentiments of any religious groups/ person/government/non-government authorities and/or breach or be against any declared public policy of any nation or state.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Atomic energy research in India made only modest progress in the early years. The cult of secrecy around it often provoked criticism. Indian atomic scientists were still years away from building a nuclear reactor. Finally, they were forced to approach various developed countries for cooperation. When the first nuclear reactors were built in India, it was only through major international collaborations with countries such as Britain and Canada. The third episode of the series #AtomicIndia on #HistoryChatter explores this tentative early phase in the history of atomic energy research in India. You can follow us and leave us feedback on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @eplogmedia, For advertising/partnerships send you can send us an email at bonjour@eplog.media. If you like this show, please subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts, so other people can find us. You can also find us on https://www.eplog.media DISCLAIMER: The views expressed on all the shows produced and distributed by Ep.Log Media are personal to the host and the guest of the shows respectively and with no intention to harm the sentiments of any individual/organization.The said content is not obscene or blasphemous or defamatory of any event and/or person deceased or alive or in contempt of court or breach of contract or breach of privilege, or in violation of any provisions of the statute, nor hurt the sentiments of any religious groups/ person/government/non-government authorities and/or breach or be against any declared public policy of any nation or state.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Indian scientists and politicians carried out vigorous discussions on how to organize advanced scientific research on an industrial scale in India as a means of development between 1938 and 1948. This episode revisits some of those conversations about the management of scientific research. At the same time, it looks into the politically charged process of the integration of princely states into the Indian union with particular reference to Travancore. Travancore had been planning to build an independent economy on the strength of its reserves of radioactive Thorium. Since 1945, when its utility as an atomic fuel was revealed, the value of Thorium shot up in the international market. However, Nehru and the nationalist Indian scientists virtually forced Travancore to surrender its entire reserve to India’s absolute control. Control over all material related to nuclear research thus emerged as a necessary attribute of the sovereignty of the new Indian state.   You can follow us and leave us feedback on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @eplogmedia, For advertising/partnerships send you can send us an email at bonjour@eplog.media. If you like this show, please subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts, so other people can find us. You can also find us on https://www.eplog.media DISCLAIMER: The views expressed on all the shows produced and distributed by Ep.Log Media are personal to the host and the guest of the shows respectively and with no intention to harm the sentiments of any individual/organization.The said content is not obscene or blasphemous or defamatory of any event and/or person deceased or alive or in contempt of court or breach of contract or breach of privilege, or in violation of any provisions of the statute, nor hurt the sentiments of any religious groups/ person/government/non-government authorities and/or breach or be against any declared public policy of any nation or state.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Science and technology were considered as the face of modernity in independent India. A mastery and application of technology on an industrial scale was perceived as the only means of delivering development and democracy rapidly and extensively. Atomic energy or nuclear technology was perceived as a necessary attribute of sovereignty and honour among the international community. This episode explores the history of how technology and atomic energy research in particular rose to such unassailable heights in independent India. You can follow us and leave us feedback on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @eplogmedia, For advertising/partnerships send you can send us an email at bonjour@eplog.media. If you like this show, please subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts, so other people can find us. You can also find us on https://www.eplog.media DISCLAIMER: The views expressed on all the shows produced and distributed by Ep.Log Media are personal to the host and the guest of the shows respectively and with no intention to harm the sentiments of any individual/organization.Listener discretion is advised.The said content is not obscene or blasphemous or defamatory of any event and/or person deceased or alive or in contempt of court or breach of contract or breach of privilege, or in violation of any provisions of the statute, nor hurt the sentiments of any religious groups/ person/government/non-government authorities and/or breach or be against any declared public policy of any nation or state.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Atomic energy research in India started well before independence, but since independence, it has assumed an uncontested priority above all other branches of science and technology. Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, believed that countries that possessed nuclear energy alone would have the capacity to rule the future. He was convinced that the resources required for atomic energy research could not be mobilized by individuals or universities, and the state must play a leading role. The subsequent premiers have broadly conformed to this policy. India's nuclear energy research has always been shrouded under secrecy as much as it has received unquestioned priority from the political establishment. We at HistoryChatter are excited to introduce Atomic India, a 5-part series that takes up the history of atomic energy research in India,  down to the nuclear explosions and their ramifications in national and international diplomacy, with all its dramas, intrigues and anxieties, narrated by Dr. Anirban Bandyopadhyay. New Episodes Releasing Every Sunday from 5th March 2023 Intro Clip Courtesy: Films Division   You can follow us and leave us feedback on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @eplogmedia, For advertising/partnerships send you can send us an email at bonjour@eplog.media. If you like this show, please subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts, so other people can find us. You can also find us on https://www.eplog.media   DISCLAIMER: The views expressed on all the shows produced and distributed by Ep.Log Media are personal to the host and the guest of the shows respectively and with no intention to harm the sentiments of any individual/organization.The said content is not obscene or blasphemous or defamatory of any event and/or person deceased or alive or in contempt of court or breach of contract or breach of privilege, or in violation of any provisions of the statute, nor hurt the sentiments of any religious groups/ person/government/non-government authorities and/or breach or be against any declared public policy of any nation or state.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the tenth and final episode of the series Bombay Born, I talk to Amrit Gangar, who has researching and writing on films and Bombay for over forty years now. A scholar, curator, archivist and the quintessential Bombayite, Mr. Gangar spoke to me about the unique qualities of Bombay or Mumbai as a city, how Bombay emerged as the capital of movie making in India, and some landmark films on Mumbai as a city. Finally, we agree that films have performed as an archive of the city over the last hundred years, yet there is a crying need to systematically preserve older films, most of which have already perished.   You can follow us and leave us feedback on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @eplogmedia, For advertising/partnerships send you can send us an email at bonjour@eplog.media. If you like this show, please subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts, so other people can find us. You can also find us on https://www.eplog.mediaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Bombay Chronicle emerged as the voice of Bombay by the early twentieth century. Between the 1910s and 1950s, but especially since the 1920s, it reflected the diverse interests of Bombay and yet always managed to remain loyal to the mainstream of Indian nationalism. This episode of HistoryChatter, of episode 9 of the series Bombay Born, recalls the career of this unique publication, through the career of two of its most distinguished editors. Join us on this 10-part journey as we decode, the rise of Bombay You can follow us and leave us feedback on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @eplogmedia, For advertising/partnerships send you can send us an email at bonjour@eplog.media. If you like this show, please subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts, so other people can find us. You can also find us on https://www.eplog.mediaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bombay was transformed from a prosperous port city to a major industrial metropolis largely through the expansion of the cotton textile industry. The growing mill industry called for labor. The influx also brought forth fresh challenges. Housing and sanitation for the vast incoming population, schools for their children, and medical aid called for urgent solutions. The Bombay City Improvement Trust was set up and along came the chawl, one of the most distinctive institutions of Bambay turned Mumbai, which has since defined the energies of the city in the political, economic, social and cultural domains in multiple ways. Join us on this 10-part journey as we decode, the rise of Bombay You can follow us and leave us feedback on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @eplogmedia, For advertising/partnerships send you can send us an email at bonjour@eplog.media. If you like this show, please subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts, so other people can find us. You can also find us on https://www.eplog.mediaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bombay did not have respectable hotels even during the 1850s. There were some taverns but they did not attract the respectable folks, who usually found accommodation with friends or family. An enterprising Parsi set up the earliest modern hotel in Bombay with an in-house restaurant. I take up the early History of Hotels in Bombay in episode 7 of the series Bombay born. The episode focuses closely on the Watson’s Hotel, the first five-star hotel, as it were, in India, which is also where cinema, or moving images, was screened for the first time in India in July 1896. In fact, I begin with the advertisement about that very event. Join us on this 10-part journey as we decode, the rise of Bombay You can follow us and leave us feedback on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @eplogmedia, For advertising/partnerships send you can send us an email at bonjour@eplog.media. If you like this show, please subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts, so other people can find us. You can also find us on https://www.eplog.mediaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the factors which gradually rescued Mumbai or Bombay from the effects of the crash of 1865 was the development of an improved communication system. Episode 6 of Bombay Bombay born recalls the dramatic history of the postal services in Bombay, through the eyes of the businessmen of the times. The episode maps the communication revolution in nineteenth and early twentieth century Bombay, beginning with a colourful description of the private agencies which carried or delivered posts when postage stamps or postcards had not been in circulation. Join us on this 10-part journey as we decode, the rise of Bombay You can follow us and leave us feedback on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @eplogmedia, For advertising/partnerships send you can send us an email at bonjour@eplog.media. If you like this show, please subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts, so other people can find us. You can also find us on https://www.eplog.mediaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mumbai or Bombay was struck by the first major share market scandal in India in 1865. The American Civil War and the sudden cotton export boom it had caused suddenly brought massive fortunes in the hands of speculators. From merchant princes to lowly menials, everyone in Bombay jumped right into the speculation mania. In the second part of understanding the effects of the cotton bubble burst, we look into the details to learn the reasons behind the burst and how a few leading brains had more or less consciously manufactured the crisis. Join us on this 10-part journey as we decode, the rise of Bombay You can follow us and leave us feedback on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @eplogmedia, For advertising/partnerships send you can send us an email at bonjour@eplog.media. If you like this show, please subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts, so other people can find us. You can also find us on https://www.eplog.media  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mumbai or Bombay was struck by the first major share market scandal in India in 1865. The American Civil War and the sudden cotton export boom it had caused suddenly brought massive fortunes in the hands of speculators. From merchant princes to lowly menials, everyone in Bombay jumped right into the speculation mania. I look into the details of this episode in this and the next episode. Join us on this 10-part journey as we decode, the rise of Bombay You can follow us and leave us feedback on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @eplogmedia, For advertising/partnerships send you can send us an email at bonjour@eplog.media. If you like this show, please subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts, so other people can find us. You can also find us on https://www.eplog.media  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join us on this 10-part journey as we decode, the rise of Bombay In the third episode of Bombay Born, I revisit 1857 in Mumabai. Bombay largely remained quiet, but there were a few cases of conspiracy in the army. I revisit that case in some detail, with details of how it was dealt with by the Governor and the Chief of Police at the time. I also look at the life in the Maidan, where the Parsees would often gather for leisure and participate in a number of amusing entertainments. Along the way, I recall the rise of the early Indian leaders of the Bombay society, most of whom were financiers and bankers and made a name following their collaboration with various European trading firms. You can follow us and leave us feedback on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @eplogmedia, For advertising/partnerships send you can send us an email at bonjour@eplog.media. If you like this show, please subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts, so other people can find us. You can also find us on https://www.eplog.media   DISCLAIMER: The views expressed on all the shows produced and distributed by Ep.Log Media are personal to the host and the guest of the shows respectively and with no intention to harm the sentiments of any individual/organization.The said content is not obscene or blasphemous or defamatory of any event and/or person deceased or alive or in contempt of court or breach of contract or breach of privilege, or in violation of any provisions of the statute, nor hurt the sentiments of any religious groups/ person/government/non-government authorities and/or breach or be against any declared public policy of any nation or state.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The second episode of Bombay Born begins with the coming of the Railways and the demolition of the Ramparts. These two developments in the 1850s and 1860s virtually ushered in the modern city of Bombay. Then we briefly recall how the Fort came about hundred years ago and how it had outlived its utility by the 1860s. Finally, the story concludes with the sights and sounds of the Maidan during the 1850s and the 1860s. Join us on this 10-part journey as we decode, the rise of Bombay   You can follow us and leave us feedback on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @eplogmedia, For advertising/partnerships send you can send us an email at bonjour@eplog.media. If you like this show, please subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts, so other people can find us. You can also find us on https://www.eplog.media   DISCLAIMER: The views expressed on all the shows produced and distributed by Ep.Log Media are personal to the host and the guest of the shows respectively and with no intention to harm the sentiments of any individual/organization.The said content is not obscene or blasphemous or defamatory of any event and/or person deceased or alive or in contempt of court or breach of contract or breach of privilege, or in violation of any provisions of the statute, nor hurt the sentiments of any religious groups/ person/government/non-government authorities and/or breach or be against any declared public policy of any nation or state.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The history of Mumbai or Bombay took a major new turn once the British took over in the late seventeenth century. They not only envisaged a great future for the harbour but also made arrangements to make it secure. The first episode of the series Bombay Born focuses on life around the harbor in the mid-nineteenth century. The future metropolis was still a town around the Fort and the harbor. Potential ruin was never too far away. The cyclone of 1854 was one such milestone. The episode concludes with a detailed account of the havoc it wrecked. Now that climate change specialists have warned that Mumbai might well go under the sea by another fifty or so years, it makes sense, to begin with, similar eventualities in the past. Join us on this 10-part journey as we decode, the rise of Bombay   You can follow us and leave us feedback on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @eplogmedia, For advertising/partnerships send you can send us an email at bonjour@eplog.media. If you like this show, please subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts, so other people can find us. You can also find us on https://www.eplog.media   DISCLAIMER: The views expressed on all the shows produced and distributed by Ep.Log Media are personal to the host and the guest of the shows respectively and with no intention to harm the sentiments of any individual/organization.The said content is not obscene or blasphemous or defamatory of any event and/or person deceased or alive or in contempt of court or breach of contract or breach of privilege, or in violation of any provisions of the statute, nor hurt the sentiments of any religious groups/ person/government/non-government authorities and/or breach or be against any declared public policy of any nation or state.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mumbai or Bombay has long been a city of dreams, aspirations and untold wealth. Yet, even in 1850s, it was a narrow walled town. Bombay Born recalls the birth of this megapolis since then. It explores the people and the events since then that magically transformed the city into the commercial heaven it has since become. Join us on this 10-part journey as we decode, the rise of Bombay   You can follow us and leave us feedback on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @eplogmedia, For advertising/partnerships send you can send us an email at bonjour@eplog.media. If you like this show, please subscribe and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts, so other people can find us. You can also find us on https://www.eplog.media   DISCLAIMER: The views expressed on all the shows produced and distributed by Ep.Log Media are personal to the host and the guest of the shows respectively and with no intention to harm the sentiments of any individual/organization.The said content is not obscene or blasphemous or defamatory of any event and/or person deceased or alive or in contempt of court or breach of contract or breach of privilege, or in violation of any provisions of the statute, nor hurt the sentiments of any religious groups/ person/government/non-government authorities and/or breach or be against any declared public policy of any nation or state.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.