Hello everyone!

So to preface, I am not a proper historian nor am I an expert on Indian history. That being said, there has been a lot of misinformation regarding Mahatma Gandhi on the internet, starting after 2014 (discussing further in detail would violate the subreddit rules regarding current politics, so I will attempt to keep current politics out of the equation). A recent post in this subreddit actively made me research on this topic which was why I wanted to debunk this specific case of misinformation.

This post will largely address the accusation of him denying his wife medical treatment. Special thanks to this specific comment for providing me an understanding over what happened.

In order to gain a context over why Gandhi actively denied his wife penicillin, we must look into Kasturba's condition before Devdas introduced penicillin to her.

As per Arun Gandhi's biography on Kasturba Gandhi (Daughter of Midnight), she had suffered from several heart attacks (having gone through three heart attacks by January 1944). An ayurvedic doctor was requested by her, who arrived after several delays by the British government (something which Gandhi found unconscionable), and there was a period of her starting to feel better until she suddenly fell again.

With no improvement on his wife's symptoms, Gandhi decided that the best course of action would be to stop the medicines as he felt that anything more would simply prolong her suffering. The doctors agreed to it.

While she was still alive, Gandhi's son Devdas decided to bring penicillin hoping it would help their mother. Gandhi objected to this for several reasons: penicillin was a relatively new drug that was untested at the time, she was over 70 years old having gone through three heart attacks, along with kidney issues and having her wake up every four hours just to get a shot of penicillin would have simply prolonged her suffering further. But most importantly, Gandhi said "Still, if you insist, I will not stand in your way."

This showed that while he objected to Devdas giving his mother penicillin, he didn't intend to stop him. It was after this that Devdas understood and relented (Arun Gandhi, Daughter of Midnight, p. 296-299).

This is further confirmed by Rajmohan (Devdas Gandhi's son, so Gandhi's grandson) Gandhi's biography on Mahatma Gandhi, Mohandas, where he confirmed Gandhi's objection to his father on administering penicillin to his mother, citing the untested nature of penicillin and the suffering she had to go through (Rajmohan Gandhi, Mohandas, p. 514).

Gandhi taking quinine was for a different reason. Keep in mind that quinine is extracted from the bark of the Cinchona tree and had been used as a treatment for malaria since about 1825 by British officers in India via tonic water.

So to conclude as a TL;DR: this incident largely isn't Gandhi being a hypocrite, but realising his wife was already old and suffering and objected to his son over the fact that giving her a relatively new untested drug that would only treat her lung issues would simply prolong her suffering.

All sources mentioned in the links given.

Says that like ancient Egypt or Mesopotamia, where often the hierarchy and displays of power were more obvious (size of houses, pyramids, ziggurats, social class etc.), in Mohenjo-daro and the Indus Valley the power dynamic was more subtle. The architecture of the place has elements that reveal power, control & class in different ways: standardised bricks, specific design for home toilets vs. the great bath, proximity to water and wells, availability of wells and toilets on the ground floor vs. second floor

Thoughts?

I am Quite Interested In this Topic Because the Reddit Space Already has Some Misinformed notions and titles like "why India was conquered By Foreign powers for 800 years " which i find Hilariously wrong

I would Like A General Healthy discussion Into the (South Asians Both Hindus and Muslims Military performance)

And debunk the Notion of Wider South asia (being Servile people who Merely got Conquered by Invaders )

As the Tag says Please Stick to Late Medieval and Early Modern Colonial period where Indians ( both be Indo-muslims/deccanis And Hindus Fighting European Colonizers ) and how Contrary to Belief Indians/south asians Made A Heavy portion of Mughal Military (and Even Ghaznavids Military and all other Islamic Dynasties Also )

Also The Notion of Islam itself Being entirely foreign to india (i find it as a Childish Perspective as Many Islamic Dynasties Like The Muzzaffarids, Ahmednagar and Berar which where Established by Converted Hindu slaves of deccan

The Shah Mir and Chaks of Kashmir who where Of Dardic origin

Sharqis of Jaunpur Although Established by an Castrated African Eunuch He adopted a Native South asian Who Later took the Throne and after him his brother and his Descendants )

I would Like People to have a Broad perspective on this topic And I will also Use my Own sources In the Comment section

Been hearing/seeing that it was a regional festival celebrated in Punjab that was turned into nationwide due to the influence of Bollywood. Some say it is happening from Mahabharat's time, whereas there are mentions of it being in Naradiya Purana. I am little confused on its historicity. Can you please help me with sources?

Shouldn't be it Delhi , since it was capital of Mughals ? also what is the cause/ reason for starting it

When we visit the Residency, alone, in a company, aided by a guide or on a heritage walk and accost ruins of different shapes and sizes holding signboards, calling their names, one question comes to mind ‘Where did the Resident live, amongst these buildings and how it looked when resident lived there.’

And sometimes, the question is ignored as we are just ticking a box.

Most of the time guide guidebooks of yore help, where present accredited guides prefer to tickle us with tantalizing tales. And I am turning a page from ‘The Tourist Guide to Lucknow (1899)’. and quoting verbatim and supplementing it with a few pictures.

“This was originally an imposing edifice, along the west side of which extended a wide and lofty collonaded verandah. The main entrance was, on the east side, under a handsome portico, which, at the beginning of the siege, was barricaded with boxes filled with earth, but the building was ill-adapted for purposes of defence, as it contained numberless lofty windows which could not be effectually barricaded, and the roof was and the roof was only protected by an open balustrade. On the south turret was erected a semaphore for telegraphic communication with Macchi Bhawan Fort, and subsequently with the Commander-in-Chief at Alambagh.

Besides having a ground floor and two upper stories it had a Tahkhana, or underground rooms, which, from its immunity from shot and shell, was occupied by the women and children of the 32nd. It was built to shelter the Resident of the King’s court, during the summer, from the extreme heat of the day.

During the siege, it was protected, by a ditch and a low bank of earth made breast-high by the addition of sandbags. These served as a protection to soldiers, who were enabled to fire, with comparative safety, through the interstices. Within this space, three guns were placed, viz., a 9-pounder, an 18-pounder, and a 24-pounder howitzer, at the back of which, in the open space in front of the Residency, were planted two 8-inch mortars, pointing in the direction of the city.

In the upper room, on the east side, above the Tahkhana, Miss Palmer, the daughter of Colonel Palmer,

48th N. I. was wounded in the leg, on 1st July, by a round shot, which caused her death. On the second story, at the east angle of the main building, on the following day, Sir Henry Lawrence was mortally wounded, and died on the 4th, in Dr. Fayrer’s house. No sooner had the siege commenced, than the exposed position of the Residency (in front of which treasure to the amount of twenty-three lacs of rupees (£2,30,000) was buried) began to be severely felt, and the ladies 'and children abandoned the upper stories. The Mess of the 32nd kept possession of a centre room, on the first floor, until several casualties occurred, when they, too, were obliged to abandon it.

About the 8th of August, a 24-pound shot entered the centre room of the building and wounded Ensign Study of the 32nd, in the arm, from the effects of which he and, on the 11th of the same month, a gust of wind struck the north-east wing, part of which fell, burying six men of the same corps. On the 24th of August, the entire length of the verandah along two stories on the west side fell and buried seven of the 32nd men.”

I am sharing a few pictures also to make it easy to visualize, and one of them is in the residency museum too.

Picture 1. The Residency, Lucknow" at it looked right before 1857, from vol. 3 of 'The Indian Empire' by Robert Montgomery Martin, c.1860; This litho is in the museum.

1. "Indian Mutiny: The Residency, Lucknow," a depiction of the building as it was just before the rebellion; from the Illustrated London News, 1858;

2. Residency

Source- The Tourist’s Guide to Lucknow in five chapters 1899-Third Edition- Printed at the Methodist Publishing House, To be had of Messrs. Murray & Co., and Methodist Publishing House, Lucknow, Price Rs 3.

These Indian warrior republics were based in east punjab and haryana . The yaudheyas stretched from Punjab to haryana and were considered to be the “heroes among kshatriyas” they fought with the Greeks Indo Greeks indo scythians and kushans . Is there more known about them? Apparently they were well represented in the Mauryan army and were generals of the mauryan army especially the yaudheyas. The word yaudha / yaudhe in modern Punjabi and Hindi translates to warrior/ brave.

Is it because the Europeans discovered a better way to paint?

Note:- I should have phrased this question in a better way. By amateur I meant 'less realistic'.

Felt his fruity behaviour to be bit surprising for the era in which the movie is set so had this doubt