rv in t

	11:43 AM (4 hours ago)

The Maharaja of Travancore and his younger brother welcoming Richard Temple-Grenville, 3rd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, Governor-General  of Madras (1875-80), on his official visit to Trivandrum in 1880
oil on canvas, inscribed on the reverse in a contemporary hand Ravi Varma Coil Tampooran, January 1881

By Raja Ravi Varma (India, 1848-1906)

The painting depicts the welcoming party at Trivandrum, capital of Travancore (a princely state in southern India) for the 3rd Duke of  Buckingham and Chandos, Richard Temple-Grenville, who was  Governor-General of Madras from 1875 to 1880. Accompanied by his  aide-de-camp and British army officers, he is received here by Visakham Tirunal, the younger brother of the Maharaja of Travancore, who was to  succeed his brother in May 1880. Governors normally toured during the  cold weather, visiting the Indian princes, and hence the event can be  dated to the months before May 1880. The Maharaja, Ayilayam Tirunal  (reg. 1860-1880), stands behind him. The building behind them bears the  conch shell, the symbol of the state of Travancore, as well as a  welcoming message for the Duke.

There is no known contemporary reference to this particular work, since  the diary kept meticulously by the artist's brother, C. Raja Raja Varma, had begun to be kept only from 1895. There is however another  contemporary account, which puts us at a moment soon after that depicted  in the painting:

1880 Visit of the Governor of Madras (The Duke of Buckingham) to Travancore. The governor's eagerness to meet RV caused jealousy in the  king. When the Duke met Ravi Varma in the presence of the king, he asked  him to sit with them, which, according to the custom of the land was  unthinkable. RV declined to sit in the presence of the king and the three, the governor, the king, and the painter, remained standing while talking. RV knew that he was now out of favour with the king and left Trivandrum never to come back during the lifetime of the king. (quoted in Neumayer and Schelberger, p. 300).

not to take things personally

• Stop Worrying So Much About What Other People Think of You. ...
• Recognize the “Spotlight Effect”. ...
• Become More Confident. ...
• Think: “Troll-Delete”. ...
• Be Too Busy to Care. ...
• Stop Giving Your Power Away. ...
• Don't Drink the Poison.
• When people disrespect you or do not treat you well, it is easy to take their behavior personally, to blame yourself and think you have anything to do with someone else's behavior. Taking things personally is emotionally draining, and an unnecessary, constant reevaluation of your self-esteem. There's a difference between being reflective and constantly taking slights personally, one is productive and lends itself to self improvement, the other is the opposite. Not taking things personally gives you more control over how you respond, your emotions and your energy level. Here are a few ways to stop taking things personally:
  Stop Worrying About What Other People Think  
  At the end of the day, it really is not anyone's business what people think of you, or anything else. You should worry about what you think of yourself, and what people you know love and care about you think of you, and that's it. Strangers and aquaintances volunteering their opinion of you has nothing to do with you, and everything to do with them. The sooner you do not care what other people think, the more liberated you will feel, and you will have more of a sense of self.

Know Your Worth  

You're  not going to believe what other people think and say about you, when you know who you are, and you like who you are. Having self-confidence, and knowing your self-worth is the foundation on which everything else is built: your achievements, your relationships, your ability to keep going when life and work gets tough. Doing the work to have self-confidence, and self-worth is the best work you will put in. The dividends will show in every aspect of your life, personally and professionally.

Don't Jump To Conclusions  

According to Psychology Today, when people make a judgement about you, or critiques, they are rarely about you. "In fact, it’s almost always about them, their issues, their needs, and their desire to control you and/or a situation," writes Dr. Abigail Brenner. To help manage your response to confrontation, know what you're sensitive about, and what triggers your emotions so you can prepare yourself if someone mentions them.

Let Things Go   

Frame painful experiences as lessons, on how to be stronger and how to better navigate bad situations. Do not let them make you angry or bitter, use them to make you better and move on. Holding on to pain does more damage to you than to the other person. So learn to let things go, make more room for joy and happiness.

Fill Your Calendar  

If you are busy, it is hard to find time to think about other people and what other people think. Fill your life with family, friends and work that brings you joy, and prioritize accordingly. Chances are, the strangers and acquaintances that are passing judgment and making critiques are not going to cross your mind.

Don't Climb Down  

When someone disrespects you or is cruel to you, the worst reaction is to reply with more negativity and toxicity. Do not climb down the rabbit hole, and be part of the problem. It may be satisfying in the moment, but it won't be in the long term, and will likely be something you regret. Take the high road, and let it wash off of you

learning.

Every new beginning comes from some other new beginnings end.

focus.

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken,
The crownless again shall be king.

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

This is an inspiring poem. On the surface it’s about Aragorn, the rightful heir of Gondor. Yet it really conveys how people who lose their way can still bounce back in life.

You never intended to go off-track, right?

It just happened overtime, you say?

People lose their way often because they take the path of least resistance. What they fail to understand is that this actually involves the most pain.

As we grow older some of us find it harder to rationalize our choices. A sense of dissatisfaction permeates our lives. We’d like to change our situation, but oftentimes we no longer have a vision of our own.

No life purpose = no motivation.

The back burner is no place for dreams.

The moral of Tolkien’s poem is you can have a great destiny ahead of you assuming you (eventually) take action to rightfully claim what is yours.

You’ll notice Tolkien’s poem starts off with another famous line ~ All that is gold does not glitter. This is ‘borrowed’ from Shakespeare, the greatest writer of all time.

All that glitters is not gold.

The Merchant of Venice has the line all that glitters (or glisters) is not gold.

O hell! what have we here?
A carrion Death, within whose empty eye
There is a written scroll! I’ll read the writing.
All that glitters is not gold;
Often have you heard that told:
Many a man his life hath sold
But my outside to behold:
Gilded tombs do worms enfold.

The Bard is the best-known writer to have expressed the idea that shiny things aren’t necessarily precious. Yet, it stands to reason that others before him had coined the idea.

Everything is adaption, a connecting of dots.

Writers paraphrase all the time.

For instance, it is a truth universally acknowledged that all writers love to adapt famous quotes (you saw what I did there, right?).

Inspirational quotes have the power to change the way we feel about our lives.

Often instantly. As writers, that’s why we find them so appealing.

Brain Tracey said it best:

You grow either flowers or weeds in the garden of your life, whichever you plant by the mental equivalents you create.

Here are a few quotes that encapsulate the varied dimensions of mindset I explore in my writing.

Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love. — Mother Teresa

This quote reminds us that small acts of kindness aren’t small when you consider the knock-on effect. People doing good deeds send out ripples into the world. Those ripples are significant in creating positive social change!

Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom. ―George S. Patton

Most people don’t set out believing they will fail. Yet, it’s tough out there. When things don’t go to plan, you need the strength to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and try again.

Our greatest fear should not be of failure… but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter. ―Francis Chan

People often set goals based on what others think. Instead of pleasing others, think about what you care about, and set goals that achieve what is important to you.

Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. ― George Bernard Shaw

Your mindset is a secret weapon. It can make or break you. When you have the right mindset you can cruise along effortlessly. When you have the wrong one you may feel stuck (or worse) in life.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. ― Mark Twain

Conventional wisdom says you needn’t do something if it makes you uncomfortable. Most people choose safety over uncertainty. But do safe choices always bring you happiness in life?

Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game. ― Babe Ruth

Doubts and fears can be hard to let go. The truth is if something scares you, you should do it because it scares you. Trust me, you are capable of a great deal more than you realize!

Life is trying things to see if they work. ― Ray Bradbury

Productivity is a recurrent theme in my writing. Taking action (any action!) is better than endlessly preparing, or worse doing nothing at all.

Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly. ―JFK

Creators of all stripes take risks. The best ones hardly think about failure. The bar is set high and they expect to fail over and over before they get it right. That’s what experimentation is all about!

Character is destiny — Heraclitus

If you chose to look for downsides in life, you will find them. When you cast things in a positive light, you can create opportunities for yourself.

As always it comes down to mindset.

The last word

Taking advice from those who have gone before is a smart move. After all, the problems we face today are not new as the quotes prove; it is the normal human condition.

What is your favourite inspirational quote? I’d love to hear it in the comments below.

Malika Kishwar, the Awadh Queen Who Rests in France’s Most Famous Cemetery

Few Indians know the story of Jenab Aliya Begum a.k.a Malika Kishwar, the remarkable queen of Awadh who lies in an unmarked grave at Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris.

Perhaps the most visited cemetery in the world, Père Lachaise in Paris receives over 3.5 million visitors each year; nearly the same number of people who hit up the Empire State Building in the same amount of time!

Unsurprising, since the hillside graveyard is the resting place of some of the planet’s most famous artists, writers, and musicians. Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Edith Piaf, Marcel Proust and Frederic Chopin — they all have their final homes on the premises of Père Lachaise, with trains of ‘tombstone tourists’ coming to pay homage to these legends.

However, few people have heard of the forgotten Indian queen who has lain at Père Lachaise in an unmarked grave for far longer than many of her venerated neighbours.

Here’s the story of Jenab Aliya Begum a.k.a Malika Kishwar, the remarkable queen of Awadh (in present-day Uttar Pradesh).

“Tari ki raah se jata hai qafala dil ka (A convoy of sorrows has come out on the waterway)” were the words written by the Nawab Begum of Awadh — a poet and the mother of King Asaf-ud-Daula — in 1778 when the first Governor-General of India, Warren Hastings, wrongfully seized her jewels and huge amounts of money from the royal treasury.

Nearly 80 years later, in mid-nineteenth century, the kingdom of Awadh again faced unjust actions by the colonial British Raj.

Under the Doctrine of Lapse, the then Governor-General of India, Lord Dalhousie, had decreed that if a ruler did not have a direct male heir (adopted children would not be admissible) or if the ruler was unable to ensure good governance, his kingdom would be taken by the East India Company, which retained the arbitrary right of the aforementioned determination.

Using this unfair annexation policy, the 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. A peace-loving man of refined tastes, Shah was a popular ruler and this decision by the British was one of the main reasons why Awadh became a major seat of the uprising of 1857.

And so, Wajid Ali Shah left his ancestral seat for Calcutta, with the intention of travelling to London and convincing Queen Victoria to reverse the annexation of Awadh.

While his brave wife, Begum Hazrat Mahal, decided to stay back and challenge the British decision, the Nawab was accompanied by his feisty mother, Jenab Aliya Begum a.k.a Malika Kishwar.

However, Wajid Ali Shah fell seriously sick on reaching Calcutta (where he was immediately imprisoned at Fort William) and couldn’t go further. But his undaunted mother decided to go on to England alone, determined to win back that which was her family’s by right.

At that time, journeys to distant lands by Indians, especially those across oceans, was heavily frowned upon, This embargo was especially applied to royal women who were expected to know little beyond their sequestered palaces. This, however, did not deter the ageing Kishwar, from sailing on June 18, 1856, to the cold climes of London to speak to the British queen in person.

After all, Kishwar declared, Victoria was “also a mother”; she would recognize the injustice unleashed by her people, and restore to Awadh its rightful king and honour. But nothing but heartbreak awaited Kishwar at London, for Queen Victoria refused all her initial requests for an audience.

Even when an audience was finally granted, Kishwar quickly realised that the English queen had little to offer her besides polite conversation since the real power lay with the British Parliament. So she turned to them but they dismissed her petition on false grounds. Furthermore, they told her that if she wished to travel, she would have to declare herself a “British subject” to get the required passports.

Insulted and infuriated, Kishwar refused to do anything of the sort, even as the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 worsened matters. Fixated upon demonstrating their superiority and strength, the British were now unwilling to relinquish even a fragment of their hold on Awadh.

And so, in 1858, a defeated and despairing Kishwar decided to return to India via France. Maybe she could convince the French to intervene? But by this time, the exhausted queen’s health was already in decline and on January 24, a seriously ill Kishwar 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.

By the time the news of her death reached Awadh, Kishwar’s daughter-in-law Hazrat Mahal has already mustered a rebel force to recapture Lucknow and crown her 11-year-old son as the ruler of the kingdom.

For young Hazrat, the news came as a terrible shock — there had been immense affection and admiration between the two queens, both recognizing the innate strength in each other.

Consoling herself that Kishwar would never have forgiven herself if she had not done every possible thing to save her son’s throne, a heartbroken Hazrat threw herself into the rebellion against the British. She ruled for ten months as regent and it was under her leadership that the British were confined to the Lucknow Residency, events that would later become famous in history as the Siege of Lucknow.

But the focussed might of the British Army was too much to hold of for long and Hazrat’s rebel forces were eventually defeated. Rejecting the life of comfort and privilege offered by the British, she took political asylum in Nepal and it was here that she died on April 7, 1879.

As for Kishwar’s grave in Père Lachaise, it lies in ruins — the marble cenotaph having fallen to pieces long ago. Unmarked and unsung, it sits quietly in a graveyard full of magnificent memorials, waiting to tell the tragic tale of a remarkable queen who has been forgotten by her people.

B makes a speech.

 Brutus's makes a speech to the general public explaining why he killed Caesar. Brutus explains that he did not kill Caesar because he envied him, but rather that he cared for Rome much more than he cared for his dear friend. He accused Caesar of being ambitious and being a threat to Rome. He also speaks of everyone dying a slave if Caesar were to have lived. He basically apologizes for the murder of Caesar, but justifies he and his fellow conspirators' actions. The crowd eventually agrees with him and understands why he did what he did. Brutus then introduces Mark Antony who wielded Caesar's body and had agreed to do Caesar's eulogy.
             The play is one of the more important in the play. It makes clear the reason why the conspirator's killed. In this speech Brutus is revealed to be a wise man that is capable of taking Caesar's place (at least that is what the plebeians think at first). This speech also reveals that even though all the conspirators say they killed Caesar because he was ambitious, Brutus was the only one who killed Caesar because he actually loved Rome more. "With this I depart: that, as I slew my best lover for the good of Rome, I have the same dagger for myself when it shall please my country to need my death." This is also actually the first part of the play that is affected by Julius Caesar even though he is dead.
             This speech fits in well with the whole dramatic aura of the story. It sheds much emotion, but does so in a way that it can still be used for political gain. In Brutus's speech figurative language is used to describe the effect Caesar were to have if he were to live. "Had you rather Caesar were living and die all slaves, than that to Caesar were dead, to live all freemen." This line is one of the more significant lines of the speech and is what convinced the public that it was necessary that Caesar died. At the end

oration to remember

Antony has been allowed by Brutus and the other conspirators to make a funeral oration for Caesar on condition that he will not blame them for Caesar's death; however, while Antony's speech outwardly begins by justifying the actions of Brutus and the assassins "I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him", Antony uses rhetoric and genuine reminders to ultimately portray Caesar in such a positive light that the crowd are enraged against the conspirators.

Throughout his speech, Antony calls the conspirators "honourable men" – his implied sarcasm becoming increasingly obvious. He begins by carefully rebutting the notion that his friend Caesar deserved to die because he was ambitious, instead claiming that his actions were for the good of the Roman people, whom he cared for deeply ("When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept:/ Ambition should be made of sterner stuff"). He denies that Caesar wanted to make himself king, for there were many who witnessed the latter's denying the crown three times.

As Antony reflects on Caesar's death and the injustice of the idea that nobody will blame him, he becomes overwhelmed with emotion and deliberately pauses ("My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar,/ And I must pause till it come back to me"). As he does this, the crowd begins to turn against the conspirators.

Antony then teases the crowd with Caesar's will, which they beg him to read, but he refuses. Antony tells the crowd to "have patience" and expresses his feeling that he will "wrong the honourable men whose daggers have stabbed Caesar" if he is to read the will. The crowd, increasingly agitated, calls the conspirators "traitors" and demands that Antony read out the will.

Instead of reading the will immediately, however, he focuses the crowd's attention on Caesar's body, pointing out his wounds and stressing the conspirators' betrayal of a man who trusted them, in particular the betrayal of Brutus ("Judge, O you gods, how dearly Caesar loved him!") In response to the passion of the crowd Antony denies that he is trying to agitate them ("I come not, friends, to steal away your hearts") but contrasts Brutus, "an orator", with himself "a plain, blunt man" implying that Brutus has manipulated them through deceitful rhetoric. He claims that if he were as eloquent as Brutus he could give a voice to each of Caesar's wounds: "...that should move/ The stones of Rome to rise and mutiny and spread"

After that Antony deals his final blow by revealing to the crowd Caesar's will, in which "To every Roman citizen he gives,/ To every several man seventy-five drachmas" as well as land. He ends his speech with a dramatic flourish: "Here was a Caesar, when comes such another?", at which point the crowd begin to riot and search out the assassins with the intention of giving them to death or of killing them and of giving them of the sufferings it has cause to them or not or simply killing them.

Antony then utters to himself: "Now let it work. Mischief, thou art afoot. Take thou what course thou wilt."