Latest news with #LaMartiniere
Time of India
31-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Plea for La Martiniere water seepage repair ahead of inspection tomorrow
Kolkata: Ahead of the Calcutta High Court-directed joint inspection of the heritage buildings at La Martiniere schools in Kolkata on Monday, school secretary Supriyo Dhar pointed at water seepage at the main buildings of both the boys' and girls' schools to flag the urgent need to carry out preventive repairs and maintenance. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The buildings are 190 years old. Dhar told TOI on Saturday that water seepage during pre-monsoon showers was further damaging the heritage buildings. "Seepage is causing damp and cracks. The seepage will increase in monsoon unless we repair it urgently. It is a challenge to keep a two-century-old building functional. It gets even more difficult if the KMC does not cooperate," said Dhar, citing 10 letters from the school to the civic body, pleading for repairs during the summer vacation. On May 21, a large chunk of plaster from the ceiling, measuring 10ft × 3ft, fell 40 ft below on the ground floor at the boys' school. Dhar said workers were at the spot minutes before the incident. "What would have happened had the plaster fallen on them? If it was not summer vacation, such collapsing debris could have caused severe injuries or fatalities to students. Around 6,000 children study in the two schools. Their safety is our responsibility," said Dhar. Stressing the need for constant maintenance of heritage structures to ensure occupant safety, he said the hurdles posed by KMC in carrying out preventive repairs were a key reason behind the school moving court to get the properties off the KMC heritage list. Repairs and preventive restoration were the most responsible approach to heritage building maintenance, addressing structural concerns before they were irreversibly damaged, he said. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now La Martiniere has multiple cases at the Calcutta HC on this issue. It filed a case, challenging a KMC stop-work notice last Nov after the school's alumni association moved the civic body over the replacement of its historic steps with marble tiles. The school management maintained it did not carry out any renovation, construction or demolition but only repairs and routine maintenance. Thereafter, the school moved court, seeking the delisting of the twin schools from the heritage list. Later, on KMC suggestion, La Martiniere appointed KMC-empanelled restoration architect Partha Ranjan Das to guide it on repairs and maintenance of the heritage buildings. When the civic body failed to clear the repair proposals, the school again moved the HC. Based on this appeal that the court ordered a joint inspection.
Time of India
25-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Awadh's heritage & French connection
(Left) A portrait of Jahangir (1617) by Abul Hasan; a painting of Akbar from Akbarnama (Source: Victoria & Albert Museum, London) The story of Awadh, and Lucknow in particular, is incomplete without the mention of its French connection. While many see tangible elements like the La Martiniere, only a few know that the French came to Lucknow much before it. Shailvee Sharda explores the bond... Awadh's heritage & French connection The beginning Lucknow's French connection owes its genesis to the times of Mughal Emperor Jahangir (1605-27). References from the 'Akbarnama' – the chronicles of the reign of Akbar penned by one of his 'Navratnas' Abul Fazl – are often cited to suggest that Jahangir came to Lucknow during the lifetime of his father and founded Mirza Mandi to the west of Machhi Bhavan. In his Latin book 'De Imperio Magni Mogolis Sive India Vera Commentarius'. Dutch geographer and director of the Dutch west India Company Joannes De-Laet is also said to have described Lucknow as a 'thriving centre of trade'. It is believed that during those days, the French merchant obtained a permit for one year to conduct commercial trade in the region. The merchant made great fortunes in the city and spent a good part of it in building a mansion described as Franc's Quarter near the Machhi Bhavan. However, when he did not pay taxes to the Mughal court, the permit was cancelled, and the trader was deported. The mansion was confiscated and given the name of Farangi Mahal as it was built by foreigners. During the reign of Aurangzeb, the Farangi Mahal was given to Mulla Qutubuddin, a scholar who developed the place as a seat of Islamic teachings. His successors still have a copy of Aurangzeb's 'farman' (dated Apr 9, 1694). 'It says 'yak haveli faranki' (one Frenchman/foreigner's home) in Awadh's Lucknow is to be handed over to Sheikh Mohammad and Mohammad Saeed (sons of Mulla Qutubuddin). Mulla had taken a representation to Aurangzeb entailing the martyrdom of their father and the family losing a roof over their head,' says Adnan Abdul Wali Farangi Mahali, whose mother's ancestor was Saeed. Adnan says that the story is mentioned in 'Baniy-e-dars-e-Nizami', a biography of their family member Mulla Nizamuddin by Mufti Mohammad Raza Ansari Farangi Mahali. The incident finds mention in Meer Sher Ali Jafri's book 'Aaraish-e-Mehfil'. Frenchmen in the court The third Nawab of Awadh Shuja-ud-Daulah was grand wazir of Mughal emperor Shah Alam II who participated in the Battle of Buxar (Oct 1764 alongside Mir Qasim, the Nawab of Bengal). After the fall of the French in Pondicherry in 1761, French Army officer Jean Baptiste Gentil managed to make it to the court of Mir Qasim. After the debacle in the Battle of Buxar, Gentil offered his services to Shuja-ud-Daulah. In her book, 'The Lion and the Lily – The rise and fall of Avadh', author Ira Mukhoty indicates that Gentil could speak Urdu fluently. She also notes that 'he was instrumental in brokering peace for Shuja… and returned to Faizabad where he was a steadfast and loyal presence and a generous friend to needy Frenchman wandering the country'. She says that the Nawab encouraged Gentil to create a corps of French soldiers. Gentil also set up an art atelier that produced some of the very first examples of European influence that later became 'Company Paintings'. Another Frenchman close to Nawab Shuja-ud-Daulah was architect Charles Emmanuel Canaple who helped the Nawab strengthen his artillery. In the five years in which Canaple worked for the Nawab, he built 36,000 guns, established a large cannon foundry and cast 74 pieces of cannons of different sizes. He also built a huge star-shaped fort in which 30,000 men worked daily and it was seen as a rival to Calcutta's Fort William. By 1773, the outer wall and covered path remained to be completed and according to Gentil, the English were furious that construction of such a fort had been allowed. They returned to their native places in France after the treaty of 1775, clause three of which compelled Shuja's successor Asaf to dismiss all Frenchmen from his service. Another Frenchman in the Court of Awadh was Colonel Antoine-Louis Henri de Polier. He was an adventurer, an art collector, military engineer and British Army soldier who worked under Robert Clive. His French origin impeded his growth in ranks of the Company and therefore he agreed to be deputed into the survey department of Shuja-ud-Daulah on the recommendation of Warren Hastings. In the course of his job, Polier created a niche for himself in Awadh, amassing fortunes via private trade and by assisting Shuja-ud-Daulah in military transactions, especially during the Nawab's fight against the Jats, which involved a siege of Agra's fort. His dual role caused embarrassment for Hastings and compelled Polier to resign in 1775. From France, with love After the demise of Shuja, his son Asaf-ud-Daulah made Lucknow his joined the company again in 1781 and came back to Awadh first in Faizabad and then in Lucknow. Here, he developed an interest in collecting manuscripts and paintings. It was here in 1783 that he met well-known British painters William Hodges and John Zoffany, with whom he developed a long-lasting friendship. Polier figures prominently in Johann Zoffany's famous painting 'Colonel Mordant's Cock-match' (1786) along with another Frenchman in Lucknow, Claude Martin, Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula and others. As an ambitious collector, Polier acquired precious manuscripts, miniatures and calligraphies. He commissioned countless new pictures and made a decisive contribution to the flowering of Indian miniature painting in Awadh. The genre's best-known representative, the painter Mihr Chand, created several notable artworks for Polier. But the most influential Frenchman in Awadh was Claude Martin, who left the French army after the fall of Pondicherry in 1960, deserted to the Bengal Army and was eventually posted in Awadh. In the words of Ira Mukhoty, '(In Awadh) he spent 25 years hanging on to this most lucrative province despite many attempts to dislodge him from there. He used bribery, corruption and extortionate usury to amass a truly gob smacking fortune. Historians described him as being a border crosser, social climber, chameleon and collector.' While others left, Martin became a permanent figure in Awadh's identity through timeless buildings and endowment. Queen of Awadh sleeps in paris Lucknow always lured the British, and therefore, the then British Resident of Lucknow alleged that Awadh was being misgoverned, and banished its ruler Wajid Ali Shah to Calcutta for the rest of his life. In contrast, Shah was seen as a peace-loving ruler of varied interests and refined tastes. Instead of putting his beloved subjects in the adversities of war, he chose to leave for Calcutta, with the intention of travelling to London and convincing Queen Victoria to reverse the annexation of Awadh. The Nawab's mother Jenab Aliya Begum Mallika Kishwar, known for her feisty persona accompanied him. Upon reaching Calcutta, Wajid Ali Shah fell ill, and taking advantage of the situation, the Company imprisoned him at Fort William. But his mother decided to go to England alone which was a daunting task in those days. Hoping that Victoria, ruling queen of England, would hear her out as a mother against the company and restore her family's rights, she sailed on June 18, 1856. The Queen Mother's hopes were shattered as Queen Victoria refused all her initial requests for an audience. In due course, Kishwar understood that Victoria had little to offer to her as real power lay with the British Parliament. Adding to her misery, the Parliament told her that if she wished to travel, she would have to declare herself a 'British subject' to get passports, which she refused. Meanwhile, the Indian royals combined their forces to oust the East India Company in 1857 even as in a fresh try, a despaired Kishwar decided to return to India via France. Exhausted by now, Mallika Kishwar took seriously ill and on Jan 24 breathed her last in Paris. Her simple but stately funeral was attended by representatives of the Turkish sultans and a marble cenotaph was constructed over her tomb at the Pere Lachaise Cemetery. Many Indians visit her grave even today where she lies in the company of the likes of Irish poet Oscar Wilde, American singer and rockstar Jim Morrison, polish composer and pianist Federich Chopin, besides others.
Time of India
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
What does Ali Khan Mahmudabad teach at Ashoka University?
, a prominent academic at , was arrested on Sunday following a complaint filed by a leader. The arrest stems from a social media post he made in response to public praise for . The post, which has since been deleted, read: 'I am very happy to see so many right wing commentators applauding Colonel Sofiya Qureshi but perhaps they could also equally loudly demand that the victims of mob lynchings, arbitrary bulldozing and others who are victims of the BJP's hate mongering be protected as Indian citizens. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The optics of two women soldiers presenting their findings is important, but optics must translate to reality on the ground, otherwise it's just hypocrisy.' Police confirmed that Mahmudabad was taken into custody under relevant sections of the law related to promoting enmity. The arrest has triggered sharp reactions from the academic community and civil liberties groups, who argue that criticism of state policy should not be grounds for criminal action. Courses rooted in History, Identity, and Political Thought At Ashoka University, Ali Khan Mahmudabad serves as Head of the Department of History and is an associate professor of . His academic instruction centers on the intellectual and political history of modern South Asia, with a strong emphasis on nationalism, religious identity, and communalism. He is known for guiding students through complex historical events with a critical lens and for fostering open discussions on state, identity, and belonging. His curriculum often merges rigorous historical research with contemporary political discourse, encouraging students to explore the intersections of religion, language, and law in shaping public life in India. A distinguished education across continents Mahmudabad's academic path reflects both depth and diversity. After completing primary education at La Martiniere in Lucknow, he continued schooling in the United Kingdom at King's College School, followed by Winchester College. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now He earned his undergraduate degree in History and Political Science from Amherst College, USA, in 2006. Pursuing language and regional expertise, he studied Arabic at the University of Damascus before heading to the University of Cambridge, where he earned both an MPhil and a PhD in History. His doctoral dissertation, supervised by Professor Sir Christopher Bayly and Professor Javed Majeed, examined 'Rhetorics and Spaces of Belonging among North Indian Muslims, 1850–1950.' His academic work has been widely recognized and published in journals and scholarly books focused on and Shi'a networks. Public intellectual and political commentator Fluent in Urdu, Arabic, Persian, French, Hindi, and English, Mahmudabad is also a prolific writer. He contributes a fortnightly column to The Inquilab and writes regularly for publications including The Guardian, The Straits Times, and HuffPost . His scholarly writings appear in edited volumes like The Shi'a in Modern South Asia and Lucknow: A City Between Cultures. His book, , explores Muslim conceptions of homeland and identity in pre- and post-colonial India. As a translator, he has rendered Urdu literary works into English, most notably Break of Dawn by Khan Mahboob Tarzi . Among his notable literary contributions, Ali Khan Mahmudabad translated Break of Dawn , the English version of Aghaaz-e-Sahr by Khan Mahboob Tarzi , bringing a classic piece of Urdu fiction to a wider audience. A royal lineage and political legacy Born on December 2, 1982, in Mahmudabad, Uttar Pradesh, Ali Khan Mahmudabad hails from a family deeply entrenched in the political history of the subcontinent. He is the grandson of Mohammad Amir Ahmad Khan, the last ruling Raja of Mahmudabad and a significant financier of the Muslim League during India's partition. His father, Sulaiman Khan, holds the titular title of Raja of Mahmudabad, while his mother, Rani Vijay, is the daughter of the distinguished diplomat Jagat Singh Mehta.
