Author: RA

The Coronation of Britain’s King Charles III and Camila the Queen consort is scheduled for 6 May 2023 at Westminster Abbey. While their procession will depart from Buckingham Palace and many ceremonial objects have been placed enroute, here in Delhi India Post has pulled out one of the last few surviving Victorian Crown Letter Boxes (aka Pillar Box, Victorian Letter Box) and placed it outside the Philately Bureau in the main post office at Parliament Street, Delhi. These letter boxes were first installed in India in 1856 and were in use till late 1960s. The Crown atop this particular letter box is not complete as both – the round Monde and the Cross – placed atop the four arches are missing. There are only seven or eight of these kind left in India. These antique letter boxes can still be seen in Kasauli, Shimla, Mussoorie, Darjeeling and one in Taj Hotel in Bangalore. India Post had also issued a Rs 5 stamp on his letter box in the year 2005 (inset bottom left). This letter box is also called Suttie Box after the name of its manufacturer Suttie & Co., Scotland. By the way, France was the first country in the world to have introduced roadside letter boxes (1655) followed by Germany and Belgium. This picture was taken by me on 28th April 2023.

In the paradise Kingfishers grieve

for drying Dal and dying Chinars  

On a Shikara a mother wails for her long-lost son

Like frail old men the Zabarwans await death

A rabid recruit fires the gun to kill time.

_ 1 May 2023

On the India theatrical release of the film The Song of Scorpions, April 28, 2023.

Two of Sunny’s interviews quoted in the press.

“Irrfan is one of my most favourite actors… One day we went on a bike ride together on the sand dunes, something I will never forget. He was a poet at heart. It is a dream for an actor to work with someone like him,” Shashank noted. 

https://english.jagran.com/entertainment/anup-singh-shashank-recall-working-with-irrfan-khan-in-the-song-of-scorpions-its-a-dream-for-actor-to-work-with-him-10075616

Shashank not only looks up to Irrfan in the movie but also in real life. He shared, “Irrfan is one of my most favourite actors. It was a wonderful experience, to spend time with him on the sand dunes and learn from him. He is a very gentle, kind soul. From what I gathered during the limited time with me is, he loved gulkand ka halwa, and flying kites. One day we went on a bike ride together on the sand dunes, something I will never forget. He was a poet at heart. It’s a dream for an actor to work with someone like him.” – The Hindustan Times

https://www.hindustantimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/director-anup-singh-recalls-last-moments-of-irrfan-khan-101682755682814.html

The latest sensation, Shashank Arora, is fine yet again, and that’s no surprise. He gets into the skin of the character, and it’s not the first time I’m saying this.

• By Sameer Ahire
• https://www.movietalkies.com/movies-reviews/the-song-of-scorpions-review-legendary-irrfan-khans-last-release-stings-more-poison-than-scorpion/

<Labour Day> From a distance these looked ominous, like a conference of the headstones in a graveyard. As if the interred bodies had moved closer to each other and decided to hold a congregation, a demonstration, or a protest. Ramavtar (with saafa on his head) and Mansoor were dazed when I stopped by to take a picture and talk to them. They stopped working and looked at me as if I had come to interrupt their work and deprive them of their day’s earnings. What are these I asked? They looked around before answering, “taar ke upar sadak pe lagenge saab”. I nodded, they smiled at my ignorance. Dihadi kitni milti hai, I continued avoiding their eyes. They looked at each other and hung their heads down. I didn’t wait for the answer which would have embarrassed them further. Brightly coloured, being painted in situ at the edge of a busy highway, these high-voltage cable marker stones are a shocker of a story of exploitation in amritkal. Will there ever be a period called Mazdoor Kaal or Kissan Kaal. 30 April 2023, Gurgaon. <Danger Before Excavation. I could hear the dirge that the stones sang>. 

Posted on 1 May 2023

On a lovely, cool, and breezy Sunday Dadi and Poti Chandni out for coffee at the Cyber Hub. I suppose Dadi misses shopping and her  rendezvous too. 

April 30, 2023