Hindustan

Karan Kundrra is an Indian actor and the second runner-up of the popular television reality show Big Boss. A few days ago, the actor bought a classic Hindustan Contessa sedan. He posted images of the car on his Instagram profile and has now shared a video on his profile story, expressing that his newly bought Contessa car is missing. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Karan Kundrra (@kkundrra) The video was posted by Karan Kundrra on his profile story. Karan has…

As the new year dawned, I recalled what a friend, John, had mentioned a few years ago. You could walk, he’d said, all the way from Bandra to Versova. This, by road, is around 11 kilometres, a good 45 minutes in peak traffic. It is quite a journey in logistical and aspirational terms. In my coastal home town, Mumbai, you hang out at the seashore. The sea is part of your existence if you live anywhere within whiffing distance of it. The idea that you could commute on foot as a novelty awakened in me a primal urge to…

Hindustan Ambassador is one of those models that play an important role in Indian automotive history. It was an aspirational product and was once the status symbol of many Indian families. The production for the Hindustan Ambassador ended in 2014, but even today there is a decent demand for this sedan among collectors. Over the years, we have come across several modified and restored examples of this sedan from different parts of the country. Here we have one such video where an old Ambassador has been neatly restored and…

It has taken nearly 250 years for the first full length translation of Mir’s putative autobiography, Zikr-e Mir to appear in Urdu. The section that has been consistently elided is the one relating to “jokes and witty anecdotes”, which Mir, arguably the greatest Urdu poet ever, appended at the end of his autobiography for the “entertainment and edification of friends”. Consider here, two of them: A portrait of Mir (Wikimedia Commons) An atheist called Abdur Rahman used to sit in the courtyard of the building…

Sadhu Meher (1940-2024), who died on 2 February, made his debut in Shyam Benegal’s Ankur (1974) with Shabana Azmi and won the National Film Award for Best Actor that year. He went on to work for a host of eminent directors including Mrinal Sen for Mrigayaa (1976), RN Sippy for Inkaar(1977), Bhim Sain in Gharaonda (1977) and Tapan Sinha in Safed Haathi (1977). He also appeared in a few episodes of Basu Chattarjee’s serial Byomkesh Bakshi (1993-97). Despite appearing only in a small number of films, his magnificent acting…

“Two bullocks yoked together.” Nothing like this sentence to make you feel the weight of a monogamous relationship. In Shashi Deshpande’s novel, That Long Silence these were the protagonist Jaya’s words for her own marriage. A claustrophobic metaphor of togetherness. As long as the yoke is there, the pair can only walk in mutual bondage, in one direction. Intimacy is a shackle and a commandment. PREMIUM Love in Mumbai. (Shashi S Kashyap/HT PHOTO) Bullocks are yoked in labour. Not in love. Their collective tread…

Over the last decade I have clicked more than a hundred pictures of the neighbourhood Pithecellobium dulce tree, commonly known as Madras thorn or jungle jalebi tree. Pictures of happy squirrels, parrots and so many other birds enjoying the sour-sweet, bright red and green jungle jalebis(Manila tamarinds). The tree that stood proudly, laden with fruit, just outside the boundary wall of my house. An uneven brown stump exists in the place of that beautiful tree now. Nom nom: A rose ringed parakeet feasting on ripe…

Hindustan Ambassador is considered to one of the iconic vehicles in the Indian automotive history. It was used by politicians, diplomats and other government officials as their official vehicle for years. Even people who could afford to buy one considered this as a status symbol. Hindustan Motors stopped their operations back in 2014. Even today, there are several well-maintained examples of Ambassador from different parts of the country. There are even examples of modified Ambassador sedans. Here we have a…

Let’s take a trip down memory lane to revisit some of the most iconic automobiles that once captured our hearts but have since bid us farewell. Among these legends are the Hindustan Ambassador, Tata Sierra, Hindustan Contessa, Maruti 800, Maruti Omni, Maruti Gypsy, and Suzuki Zen. These cars, although they may have left us, still hold a special place in our hearts, and some are about to make their debuts once again in the country. Hindustan Ambassador – Yes! But date unknown Image The first and probably the most…

What feelings did you go through when you learnt that Fire Bird won the JCB Prize for Literature? Janani Kannan (Courtesy the subject) I was in utter disbelief for quite a long time. Then the euphoria set it. I haven’t felt this way in a long time. I could not stop smiling the next few days. It is quite possible that I was smiling while I was asleep too! Wrap up the year gone by & gear up for 2024 with HT! Click here How did you end up working on this project? Were you approached with an offer to translate…