An Indecisive Indian

  High-Speed Talgo Trains in Uzbekistan Much faster than Vande Bharat! Sudhanshu Mani I recently visited Uzbekistan with my wife and some friends. For me, a lifelong wish to experience the land of the invader Amir Timur, or Tamerlane (1336-1405), who never lost a battle and to decipher the intrigue. A Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid in areas which are now Central Asia, Agghanistan, Iran and even Russia, o ne of the greatest, albeit also one of the most brutal, military leader in history, yet also reputed as a great patron of art and architecture. He was the only one to have defeated the Ottomons and of course, we all know about his plunder and massacres in India after defeating the Rajputs and the Delhi sultanate in India. And added to this intrigue was the quest to know about Babur, his much-maligned descendant, who conquered Delhi and established the Mughal empire.   The experience was quite rewa...

It’s not all cricket! Shakespeare and Ghālib trade poetic punches Sudhanshu Mani Once upon a time, the cricketing saga between India and England was as bitter as an unripe lemon, as colonial echoes reverberated through the rivalry like an outdated playlist. But the times have changed! It all kicked off in '71 when Ajit Wadekar's squad waltzed into England and left with a victorious swagger. Fast forward to July 2002, and we witnessed the rather funny image of Sourav Ganguly celebrating a NatWest series win by twirling his jersey like a cricket-themed Beyoncé on the Lord's balcony as the mighty target of 326 in the final over crumbled like a poorly constructed sandcastle.   Over the years, more than a hundred ODIs have been waged, and oh, the drama! Tempers flared hotter than any Indian curry, banter flowed smoother than tea at a British garden party, and competitiveness hung in the air like a well-tossed googly. But by the time the recent Cricket World Cup approached, t...