At The Edge

I guess its customary for Newspapers to come out with these silly things at the end of the year. The following cutting is from Hindustan Times dated December 20, 1997. The odd thing is that the article didn't mention how gorilla became a cop. I wanted to know.

"It was a strange sight at Taihoku airport near Taiwan on the morning of August 18, 1945. Hot steam emanated from the body of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Clad in tight woolen riding breeches, tight belt, his body was blistered by hot oil from the plane that had crashed minutes ago. Strewn around Netaji were jewels, ornaments, gold and pearls donated by Indian for the independence struggle, which he was carrying with him on his way to Japan. Netaji struggled throughout the day and finally passed away at 10.30 p.m. on Aug, 18, 1945 and was cremated by the Japanese at Taiwan itself." from Hindustan Times, August 17, 1997. One of the rare instances in which P. N. Oak (March 2, 1917 - December 4, 2007) refuted and not propagated a 'crackpot' theory. In this particular case the theory was: 'Netaji is alive. He became a Sadhu, a hermit.' Oak created this vivid scene based on an account apparently offered to him by Colonel Habibur Rehman who was with Bose when h...

England cricket selector Graham Gooch has his moustache shaved off by Australian Test cricketer Greg Matthews in London  when both donned a new image in time for the summer Ashes series after they chose a hair replacement procedure. Year 1998.

Cartoon by famous Indian cartoonist Shankar dated August 29, 1935. Cartoon mocks the way Sir James Grigg, the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament from 1934-38, adopted to allow Great Britain to drain India of its wealth. Shankar on America Atomic Bombing Hiroshima , published in Hindustan Times dated September 11, 1945. [ previously posted ]  Some cartoons by Rajendra Puri who had a corner called 'What a Life!' February 20, 1963. A take on Railway budget presented by Swaran Singh. April 17, 1963 A dig at Congress' claim of being secular. Some cartoon by Sudhir Dar who had a corner called 'This is it!'. He is not to be confused with Sudhir Tailang who also worked with HT for some time just after Sudhir Dar left. I grew up following work of these two artists. September 1, 1970. In 1971 Indira Gandhi ended privy purses given to princely states by making changes to the Constitution (twenty-sixth Amendment) Act. The changes were proposed i...

Pillai with his herbal fuel making machine.Year 1996-97. In August of 1996 a man named P.Ramar Pillai, a high school dropout, claimed he has managed to convert water into fuel -a hydrocarbon fuel- by boiling certain ''secret' herbs in it. The method simple : Boil two ounces of special leaves and bark in a liter of water, cool, and add a small amount of salt, citric acid, and some (patent awaited) chemicals . Thirty minutes later you get: About a pint of combustible liquid floats to top (fuel being lighter than water) that smells and burns like kerosene. The world was saved. He gave demonstration of the process at the Big institute - a IIT. The people there conferred. People at The National Chemical Laboratory (Pune, India) tested it. People at  the Indian Institute of Petroleum checked the process. 'It is hydrocarbon for sure, boiling point 170° C,' they all agreed (Oh! don't we like these stories. Stupidified Scientists. School dropout Scientists. )and some...

  Hello ladies ! Caption: Air hostesses were first introduced in Air-India way back in 1946. Beautifully tailored European dresses with caps set at a jaunty angle formed the uniform. Sari, as a uniform, was introduced when Air-India acquired its first Boeing 707 in 1960s. Found it published in Hindustan Times (1997-98).

Andy Green , the first person to break the sound barrier on land and the current holder of the World Land speed record reached a speed of 763.035 mph (1227.99 km/h) on October 15 , 1997 , exactly 50 years and 1 day after the sound barrier was broken in aerial flight by Chuck Yeager . Andy is now working to break the 1,000 mph mark in a car called Bloodhound SSC . It should be complete by the end of this year and the first attempt may come in 2011. Image (left): Castrol celebrating the feat and its contribution to the machine in an ad published that week of year 1997 in Hindustan Times.

This is what the front page of The Hindustan Times (Delhi Edition) looked like on August 15, 1947. [Click the image to enlarge] Things to not note: Newspaper banner has the by line, 'largest Circulation in Northern, North-Western and Central India' Head line, simple,  'India Independent: British Rule Ends' Only three ads and two of them carry public message. Ad on top left corner, 'Help the Refugees Ahuja Swadeshi Stores Chandni Chowk, Delhi.' Ad on top right corner carries an ad for Quality Publicity Service Office Opp. British Motor Car Co. Connaught Place, New Delhi. Designers and Printers. Somewhere on the page you will find a line, 'It was the greatest hour for Delhi.' Cover Photograph: India's Big Three - Earl Mountbatten(new of his Earldom at the bottom), Governor-General of India, Pandit Nehru, Prime Minister, and Dr. Rajendra Prasad, president of the Constituent Assembly.  Bottom left carries a homage to the Father of the...