VIDUR&#039;s Blog

www.facebook.com/VidursKreatingCharacters

www.kreatingcharakters.net

www.facebook.com/vidur.chaturvedi

www.youtube.com/ividur

google.com/+VidurChaturvedi

Is Anil Kapoor’s ’24’ going to change the way we perceive Indian TV? (ibnlive.in.com)
Television Mini-Series Review: 24 (thenewstribe.com)
I did ’24′ for Anil Kapoor: Shabana Azmi (vancouverdesi.com)
Sequel to Anil Kapoor’s 24 to be based on Mumbai attacks? (niticentral.com)
Anil Kapoor’s TV show ’24’: Be prepared for a thrilling season (ibnlive.in.com)
24 – The Indian series (happenstanceee.wordpress.com)

Filed under: Telly Tales | Tagged: 20th Century Fox, 24, 24 India, Abhinay Deo, Acting Institute, Acting Trainer, Adhir Bhatt, Ajinkya Deo, Anil Kapoor, Anil Kapoor Films, Anti Terrorist Unit, Anupam Kher, Apurba Sengupta, ATU, Bhavani Iyer, Bollywood, Colors TV, Diction Trainer, Hindi, Hindi Teacher, India, Jack Bauer, Jay Oza, Kamal Nayan Chaturvedi, Kiefer Sutherland, Kishore Namit Kapoor, Maharashtra, Mandira Bedi, Mumbai, MUMBAI - MAHARASHTRA - INDIA, Neil Bhoopalam, Nivedita Basu, Omar Hassan, Political Thriller 24, Pooja Ruparel, Priya Pinto, Priyanka Bose, Rahul Singh, Rensil D'Silva, Success Has Many Fathers But Failure Is An Orphan, Tanay Satam, Television program, Telly Tales, TV Series 24, United States, Vidur, VIDUR Acting Institute, Vidur Chaturvedi, VIDUR Club, VIDUR Editing Studio, VIDUR NewsLetter, Vidur on Twitter, VIDUR Theatre, Vidur's Blog, Vidur's Kreating Charakters, Vidur's Students, Vidur's Telly Tales, Yuri Suri | Leave a comment »

Roger Ebert – A Film Critic With Poet’s Heart

Posted on April 11, 2013 by VIDUR [ Kamal Nayan Chaturvedi ]

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA APRIL 11 , 2013 04.35 P.M.

Roger Ebert Memorial Portrait (Photo credit: faithmouse)

Roger Ebert , the renowned US film critic and TV anchor , who was almost as famous as many of the Hollywood stars , died on April 04 , 2013 aged 70. It is sad that I got introduced to his world very late in my life . I am thankful to internet that I could know him intimately through his blogs , his twitter-handle and his hugely popular columns in newspapers . Now I do follow him on twitter but it all started recently . It all began just now .

Roger Ebert, American Film Critic. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Roger Joseph Ebert

June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013

” No good film is too long and no bad movie is short enough ”.

Roger Ebert was an American journalist, film critic, and screenwriter . He was a film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death . In 1975, he was the first film critic to win the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism, an award given to newspaper writers . As of 2010, his reviews were syndicated to more than 200 newspapers in the United States and abroad . Ebert also published more than 20 books and dozens of collections of reviews .

Described as a “critic with the soul of a poet” Roger Ebert was named the most powerful critic in America by Forbes in 2007.

Writing on his blog on Tuesday i.e. April 02 , 2013 , he said he planned to take a “leave of presence”. He explained: “It means I am not going away. My intent is to continue to write selected reviews but to leave the rest to a talented team of writers handpicked and greatly admired by me. I’ll be able at last to do what I’ve always fantasized about doing : reviewing only the movies I want to review.”

But two days later on April 04 , 2013 , he died early in the afternoon at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.

Ebert, a guest lecturer at the University of Chicago, was said to have been “prolific, almost to the point of disbelief” with the weekend section of the Sun-Times often featuring as many as nine of his interviews, profiles and reviews.

His work included interviews and profiles of notable actors and directors in addition to his reviews – celebrating such legends as Alfred Hitchcock, John Wayne and Robert Mitchum.

In 1969 he took a leave of absence from the Sun-Times to write the screenplay of ” Beyond the Valley of the Dolls “ for Russ Meyer .

Cover of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls

He also found television fame on Sneak Previews on PBS . It made Ebert a household name along with fellow critic Gene Siskel – who died in 1999 . Ebert’s television career was curtailed in 2002 when he was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer. He was unable to speak and eat after further surgery in 2006.

Movie critic Gene Siskel at the Governor’s Ball party after the 1989 Academy Awards, March 29, 1989 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Writing his last blog this week in April 2013 he said: “It really stinks that the cancer has returned and that I have spent too many days in the hospital . So, on bad days I may write about the vulnerability that accompanies illness. On good days, I may wax ecstatic about a movie so good it transports me beyond illness.”

His thumbs up and thumbs down reviews were very famous among the connoisseurs of cinema , who read his column or watched his show .

Thumbs down : Classic Ebert reviews :

Stargate (1994) “The movie Ed Wood, about the worst director of all time, was made to prepare us for Stargate.”

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) “If you want to save yourself the ticket price, go into the kitchen, cue up a male choir singing the music of hell, and get a kid to start banging pots and pans together. Then close your eyes and use your imagination.”

Battlefield Earth (2000) “Battlefield Earth is like taking a bus trip with someone who has needed a bath for a long time. It’s not merely bad; it’s unpleasant in a hostile way

Armageddon (1998) “No matter what they’re charging to get in, it’s worth more to get out.”

North (1994) “I hated this movie. Hated, hated, hated, hated, hated this movie. Hated it. Hated every simpering stupid vacant audience-insulting moment of it. Hated the sensibility that thought anyone would like it. Hated the implied insult to the audience by its belief that anyone would be entertained by it.”

His last blog amplifies his persona in the best possible way . I am re-producing the whole piece from his website :

A Leave of Presence

by Roger Ebert

April 2, 2013 | 1032

Thank you. Forty-six years ago on April 3, 1967, I became the film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times. Some of you have read my reviews and columns and even written to me since that time. Others were introduced to my film criticism through the television show, my books, the website, the film festival, or the Ebert Club and newsletter. However you came to know me, I’m glad you did and thank you for being the best readers any film critic could ask for.

Typically, I write over 200 reviews a year for the Sun-Times that are carried by Universal Press Syndicate in some 200 newspapers. Last year, I wrote the most of my career, including 306 movie reviews, a blog post or two a week, and assorted other articles. I must slow down now, which is why I’m taking what I like to call “a leave of presence.”

What in the world is a leave of presence? It means I am not going away. My intent is to continue to write selected reviews but to leave the rest to a talented team of writers handpicked and greatly admired by me. What’s more, I’ll be able at last to do what I’ve always fantasized about doing: reviewing only the movies I want to review.

At the same time, I am re-launching the new and improved Rogerebert.com and taking ownership of the site under a separate entity, Ebert Digital, run by me, my beloved wife, Chaz, and our brilliant friend, Josh Golden of Table XI. Stepping away from the day-to-day grind will enable me to continue as a film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, and roll out other projects under the Ebert brand in the coming year.

Ebertfest, my annual film festival, celebrating its 15th year, will continue at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, my alma mater and home town, April 17-21. In response to your repeated requests to bring back the TV show “At the Movies,” I am launching a fundraising campaign via Kickstarter in the next couple of weeks. And gamers beware, I am even thinking about a movie version of a video game or mobile app. Once completed, you can engage me in debate on whether you think it is art.

And I continue to cooperate with the talented filmmaker Steve James on the bio-documentary he, Steve Zaillian and Martin Scorsese are making about my life. I am humbled that anyone would even think to do it, but I am also grateful.

Of course, there will be some changes. The immediate reason for my “leave of presence” is my health. The “painful fracture” that made it difficult for me to walk has recently been revealed to be a cancer. It is being treated with radiation, which has made it impossible for me to attend as many movies as I used to. I have been watching more of them on screener copies that the studios have been kind enough to send to me. My friend and colleague Richard Roeper and other critics have stepped up and kept the newspaper and website current with reviews of all the major releases. So we have and will continue to go on. At this point in my life, in addition to writing about movies, I may write about what it’s like to cope with health challenges and the limitations they can force upon you. It really stinks that the cancer has returned and that I have spent too many days in the hospital. So on bad days I may write about the vulnerability that accompanies illness. On good days, I may wax ecstatic about a movie so good it transports me beyond illness.

I’ll also be able to review classics for my “Great Movies” collection, which has produced three books and could justify a fourth.

For now, I am throwing myself into Ebert Digital and the redesigned, highly interactive and searchable Rogerebert.com. You’ll learn more about its exciting new features on April 9 when the site is launched. In addition to housing an archive of more than 10,000 of my reviews dating back to 1967 we will also feature reviews written by other critics. You may disagree with them like you have with me, but will nonetheless appreciate what they bring to the party. Some I recruited from the ranks of my Far Flung Correspondents, an inspiration I had four years ago when I noticed how many of the comments on my blog came from foreign lands and how knowledgeable they were about cinema.

We’ll be recruiting more critics and it is my hope that some of the writers I have admired over the years will be among them. We’ll offer many more reviews of Indie, foreign, documentary and restored classic revivals. As the space between broadcast television, cable and the internet morph into a hybrid of content, we will continue to spotlight the musings of Pulitzer Prize-winning TV critic Tom Shales, as well as the blog “Scanners” by Jim Emerson, who I first met at Microsoft when he edited Cinemania. The Ebert Club newsletter, under editor Marie Haws of Vancouver, will be expanded to give its thousands of subscribers even bigger and better benefits.

For years I devoutly took every one of my tear sheets, folded them and added them to a pile on my desk. The photo above shows the height of that pile in 1985 as it appeared on the cover of my first book about the movies published by my old friends John McMeel and Donna Martin of Andrews & McMeel. Today, because of technology, the opportunities to become bigger, better and reach more people are piling up too. The fact that we’re re-launching the site now, in the midst of other challenges, should give you an idea how important Rogerebert.com and Ebert Digital are to Chaz and me. I hope you’ll stop by, and look for me. I’ll be there.

So on this day of reflection I say again, thank you for going on this journey with me. I’ll see you at the movies.

[ Above portion is Taken from his website ]

Ebert compiled “best of the year” movie lists beginning in the 1960s, thereby helping provide an overview of his critical preferences . His top choices were :

1982: Sophie’s Choice
1983: The Right Stuff
1984: Amadeus
1985: The Color Purple
1986: Platoon
1987: House of Games
1988: Mississippi Burning
1989: Do the Right Thing
1990: Goodfellas
1991: JFK
1992: Malcolm X
1993: Schindler’s List
1994: Hoop Dreams
1995: Leaving Las Vegas
1996: Fargo

1997: Eve’s Bayou
1998: Dark City
1999: Being John Malkovich
2000: Almost Famous
2001: Monster’s Ball
2002: Minority Report
2003: Monster
2004: Million Dollar Baby
2005: Crash
2006: Pan’s Labyrinth
2007: Juno
2008: Synecdoche, New York
2009: The Hurt Locker
2010: The Social Network
2011: A Separation
2012: Argo

On behalf of all the students and staff of my acting institute Vidur’s Kreating Charakters , I offer my condolences to Ebert’s wife Madame Chaz Hammel-Smith and his family and admirers .

I may not be running the most famous acting school of Mumbai , or the most famous acting institute of India , or the most famous acting academy of bollywood , or the most famous acting institute of the world , I may be small and very insignificant , but I thought it proper to offer my condolences to Madame Chaz and show my respect to the most famous film critic of the world . On his death even Barack Obama , the president of United States of America , expressed his grief . It shows his stature and importance .

Rest in peace sir ! You will be missed a lot . I will always be in touch with you through your website and your books . I will always regret the fact that I came to know you when the end was so close .

[ This blog is not entirely written by me . Name of the movies posted above is taken from Wikipedia . Long introduction of Roger Ebert is taken from his website and his thumbs down quotes about movies have been taken from the various sources and articles posted on the internet . I am indebted and express my gratitude .]

VIDUR

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA

www.facebook.com/VidursKreatingCharacters

www.kreatingcharakters.net

www.facebook.com/vidur.chaturvedi

www.youtube.com/ividur

Roger Ebert Dead: Chicago Sun-Times Film Critic Passes Away at Age 70 (news.moviefone.com)
Sun-Times: Famed Movie Critic Roger Ebert Dies (witn.com)
Roger Ebert, celebrated film critic, dies at 70 (ctvnews.ca)
Sun-Times: Famed movie critic Roger Ebert dies (wcnc.com)
Chicago Sun-Times Film Critic Roger Ebert has died (cltv.com)
Chicago Sun-Times Film Critic Roger Ebert has died (wgntv.com)
Sun-Times: Famed movie critic Roger Ebert dies (krem.com)
Legendary film critic Roger Ebert dies (buzzhub.wordpress.com)
Roger Ebert Dies at 70 (swaggcentral.com)
Stars React to Roger Ebert’s Death (abcnews.go.com)

Filed under: Obituary | Tagged: 3 Women, A Leave of Presence, A Separation, Acting Institute, Acting Trainer, Alfred Hitchcock, Almost Famous, Amadeus, American Film Critic Roger Ebert, An Unmarried Woman, Apocalypse Now, Argo, Armageddon, At The Movies, Barack Obama, Battlefield Earth, Being John Malkovich, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, Bollywood, Bonnie and Clyde, Chaz, Chaz Hammel-Smith, Chicago Sun-Times, Crash, Cries and Whispers, Critic With The Soul of A Poet, Dark City, Diction Trainer, Do the Right Thing, Ebert, Ebert Digital, Ebertfest, Eve's Bayou, Fargo, Film, Film Criticism, Film Journalism, Five Easy Pieces, Forbes, Gene Siskel, Goodfellas, Hindi Teacher, Hoop Dreams, House of Games, India, JFK, John Travolta, John Wayne, Juno, Kamal Nayan Chaturvedi, Leaving Las Vegas, Maharashtra, Malcolm X, Martin Scorsese, Million Dollar Baby, Minority Report, Mississippi Burning, Monster, Monster's Ball, Movies, Mumbai, MUMBAI - MAHARASHTRA - INDIA, My Dinner with Andre, Nashville, North, Obituary, Pan's Labyrinth, PBS Television, Platoon, President of United States of America, President of USA, Pulitzer Prize, Pulitzer Prize for Criticism, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Robert Mitchum, Roger Ebert, Roger Ebert American Film Critic, Russ Meyer, Scenes from a Marriage, Schindler's List, Small Change, Sophie's Choice, Stargate, Synecdoche New York, The Battle of Algiers, The Black Stallion, The Color Purple, The Ebert Club, The Godfather, The Hurt Locker, The Last Picture Show, The Most Famous Acting Academy of Bollywood, The Most Famous Acting Institute of India, The Most Famous Acting Institute of the World, The Most Famous Acting School of Mumbai, The Right Stuff, The Social Network, Transformers Revenge of the Fallen, United States, Universal Press Syndicate, US Film Critic Roger Ebert, Vidur, Vidur Chaturvedi, Vidur on Twitter, Vidur's Blog, Vidur's Kreating Charakters, Vidur's Students | Leave a comment »

50 Years of Cuban Missile Crisis

Posted on October 30, 2012 by VIDUR [ Kamal Nayan Chaturvedi ]

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA OCTOBER 30, 2012 00.45 A.M.

Year 1962 in general and October 1962 in particular is permanently etched and engraved in my memory for two historical events . First is Chinese invasion of India and the second one is Cuban Missile Crisis .

I was 10 years old boy living in Deoria , Uttar Pradesh . My adolescent mind was getting awakened to the happenings of the world . I was curious . I was eager to gather knowledge . I was fascinated by the twists and turns of history . And these two epoch – making chapters of history opened in front of my eyes . I will write a separate blog about Chinese Invasion of India . Let me concentrate here on Cuban Missile Crisis .

U.S. reconnaissance photograph of soviet missile sites on Cuba, taken from a Lockheed U-2 spy plane following the Cuban missile crisis. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

CIA reference photograph of Soviet medium-range ballistic missile (SS-4 in U.S. documents, R-12 in Soviet documents) in Red Square, Moscow. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Two main protagonists of the drama are now gone . J. F. Kennedy , the then President of U.S.A. got assassinated and Nikita Khrushchev , the then Premier of U.S.S.R. was deposed and subsequently died a natural death . But Comrade Fidel Castro , the then President of Cuba is still alive . His brother Raul Castro , who held parley with Nikita Khrushchev , is now President of Cuba . Let me unveil the incidents of the crisis , which might have escalated into World War III .

John F. Kennedy meeting with Nikita Khrushchev in Vienna. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

EXCOMM meeting at the White House Cabinet Room during the Cuban Missile Crisis on October 29, 1962. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Soviet Union sending nuclear warheads to Cuba followed the 1958 deployment by the United States of Thor IRBMs in the UK (Project Emily) and Jupiter IRBMs to Italy and Turkey in 1961 – more than 100 US-built missiles having the capability to strike Moscow with nuclear warheads. After provocative political moves and the failed US attempts to overthrow the Cuban regime (Bay of Pigs, Operation Mongoose), in May 1962 Nikita Khrushchev proposed the idea of placing Soviet nuclear missiles on Cuba to deter any future invasion attempt. During a meeting between Khrushchev and Raúl Castro that July, a secret agreement was reached and construction of several missile sites began in the late summer. These preparations were noticed, and on 14 October an US U-2 aircraft took several pictures clearly showing sites for medium-range and intermediate-range ballistic nuclear missiles (MRBMs and IRBMs) under construction. These images were processed and presented on October 15, which marks the beginning of the 13-day crisis from the US perspective.

The United States considered attacking Cuba via air and sea, but decided on a military blockade instead, calling it a “quarantine” for legal and other reasons. The US announced that it would not permit offensive weapons to be delivered to Cuba, demanded that the Soviets dismantle the missile bases already under construction or completed, and return all offensive weapons to the USSR. The Kennedy administration held only a slim hope that the Kremlin would agree to their demands, and expected a military confrontation.

On the Soviet side, Premier Nikita Khrushchev wrote in a letter from October 24, 1962 to President John F. Kennedy that his blockade of “navigation in international waters and air space” constituted “an act of aggression propelling humankind into the abyss of a world nuclear-missile war”.However, in secret back-channel communications the President and Premier initiated a proposal to resolve the crisis. While this was taking place, several Soviet ships attempted to run the blockade, increasing tensions to the point that orders to US Navy ships to fire warning shots and then open fire were sent out. On 27 October a U-2 was shot down by a Soviet missile crew, an action that could have resulted in immediate retaliation from the Kennedy crisis cabinet, according to Secretary of Defense McNamara‘s later testimony. However, in the event itself, Kennedy stayed his hand and the negotiations continued.

The engine of Lockheed U-2 which has been brought down above Cuba in Museum of the Revolution in Havana (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Nikita Kruschev letter to President Kennedy stating that the Cuban Missile Crisis quarantine “constitute[s] an act of aggression propelling humankind into the abyss of a world nuclear-missile war.” (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The confrontation ended on October 28, 1962,when Kennedy and United Nations Secretary-General U Thant reached an agreement with Khrushchev. Publicly, the Soviets would dismantle their offensive weapons in Cuba and return them to the Soviet Union, subject to United Nations verification, in exchange for an US public declaration and agreement never to invade Cuba. Secretly, the US agreed that it would dismantle all US-built Jupiter IRBMs deployed in Turkey and Italy.

Adlai Stevenson II shows aerial photos of Russian missiles in Cuba to the United Nations Security Council in the presence of USSR ambassador Valerian Zorin. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I am quoting the events of the crisis from Wikipedia . Because , though I vividly remember the crisis but day-to-day events in chronological order have been almost obfuscated from my memory .

While I was sitting in the office of my acting institute Vidur’s Kreating Charakters , I suddenly remembered those fateful days and decided to write a blog on the topic in the night .

I still wonder , what would have been fate of the world in general and India in particular , had the crisis been not diffused in 1962 ?

VIDUR

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA

www.kreatingcharakters.net

The Cuban Missile Crisis Pilot Whose Death May Have Saved Millions (history.com)
10 Things You May Not Know About the Cuban Missile Crisis (history.com)
Cuban missile crisis offers lessons on dealing with Iran (japantimes.co.jp)
Cuban Missile Crisis Lessons for Iran (voanews.com)
Transmedia Project Recreates Cuban Missile Crisis for 50th Anniversary (prweb.com)
The untold story of the Cuban Missile Crisis (kansas.com)
Cuban missile crisis beliefs endure after 50 years (sfgate.com)
Cuban Missile Crisis Beliefs Endure After 50 Years (abcnews.go.com)
Cuban Missile Crisis 50th anniversary marked by new exhibit (telegraph.co.uk)
October 22 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis (craighill.net)

Filed under: World View | Tagged: 50 Years of Cuban Missile Crisis, Acting Institute, Acting Trainer, Bay of Pigs Invasion, Chinese Invasion of India, Cuba, Cuban Missile Crisis, Deoria, Diction Trainer, Fidel Castro, Hindi Teacher, History - India, India, India - China War of 1962, IRBM, J. F. Kennedy, John F Kennedy, Kamal Nayan Chaturvedi, Kennedy, Kennedy Administration, Kremlin, McNamara, MRBM, MUMBAI - MAHARASHTRA - INDIA, Nikita Khrushchev, Operation Mongoose, Project Emily, Raul Castro, Soviet, Soviet Union, U Thant, U.S.A., U.S.S.R., Union of Soviet Socialist Republic, United Nations Secretary General, United States, United States of America, Uttar Pradesh, Vidur, Vidur Chaturvedi, Vidur on Twitter, Vidur's Blog, Vidur's Blog on History, Vidur's Kreating Charakters, World War III | Leave a comment »

Sunset Boulevard ( 7 ) : ” Vanishing Milestones “

Posted on July 7, 2012 by VIDUR [ Kamal Nayan Chaturvedi ]

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA JULY 07 , 2012 01.00 A.M.

I wrote 1st blog in the ” Sunset Boulevard ” category on December 28 , 2009 . It was about Bajaj Scooter . There was news that owners of Bajaj are discontinuing the production of their iconic Bajaj scooter permanently . A sense of nostalgia gripped me and I wrote about ” Hamara Bajaj ” . I never thought that one day I would be writing 7th blog in this category .

Recently when I visited my native place Deoria , I suddenly noticed that ubiquitous milestones are slowly but steadily vanishing from the roads . Such iconic part of one’s life is now giving way to some metallic mileposts and no one is noticing it .

What is a milestone ?

As dictionary explains its meaning ; ” a milestone is a stone functioning as a milepost .”

Later on the word milestone started carrying other meaning also . A milestone is refered to as ” a significant event or stage in the life , progress , development in the life of a person and / or a nation . “

Since olden times , milestones are used on the roads to show a mile of distance from one place to another . In those days of yore when ” Google Earth ” and ” Google Maps ” were yet to appear and digital maps with the ; GPRS [ Global Positioning Radio System ] or GPS [ Global Positioning System ] technology were yet to become a part of our lives , a milestone was the only indicator or sign which indicated that we are travelling on the right path .

Roman Empire

Milestones were originally stone obelisks – made from granite , marble or whatever local stone was available – and later concrete posts. They were widely used by Roman Empire road builders and were an important part of any Roman road network . Many Roman milestones only record the name of the reigning emperor without giving any place names or distances. The first Roman milestones appeared on the Appian way. At the centre of Rome, the “Golden Milestone” was erected to mark the presumed centre of the empire : this milestone has since been lost. The Golden Milestone inspired the Zero Milestone in Washington, D.C., intended as the point from which all road distances in the United States should be reckoned.

Zero Milestone (1923), The Ellipse, Washington, D.C. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Byzantine Empire

A mile-marker monument, the Milion , was erected in the early 4th century AD in Constantinople . It served as the starting point for measurement of distances for all the roads leading to the cities of the Byzantine Empire , and had the same function as the Milliarium Aureum of Ancient Rome . The Milion survived intact until at least the late 15th century. Its fragments were discovered again in the late 1960s. A fragment is re-erected as a pillar.

Post Medieval Europe

In Europe , the distance measured typically starts at specified point within a city or town , as many roads were named for the towns at either end . For example in London , United Kingdom , a plaque near the Eleanor cross at Charing Cross is the reference point from which distances from London to other towns and cities are measured . In the UK, milestones are especially associated with former Turnpike roads .

Modern highways

The historical term milestone is still used today, even though the “stones” are typically metal signs and in most countries are based on metric rather than imperial units of measure . Also found today are more closely spaced signs containing fractional numbers , and signs along railways, beaches and canals .

Milestones on Indian highways typically have white backgrounds with yellow tops (on national highways) or green tops (on state highways) . The names of cities and distances are painted in black . The names of the nearest towns and cities are written along with distance in kilometres . On undivided highways , both sides of the milestones are used , telling the distance to the nearest cities in each direction . The highway number is written on the head of the milestone . The sum of the distances of two nearest cities in each direction from the milestone is listed on the side .

I am posting recently clicked photo of Zero Milestone of Deoria city . It is freshly painted because it is just opposite the District magistrate’s Bungalow .

A Milestone at Deoria

This huge stone structure , which gives the distance of various city from Deoria , is also freshly painted and it stands just in front of the District Magistrate’s Bungalow . These three are a part of my life . I have seen these three milestones or mileposts since my childhood days . I am a wanderer and am used to see milestones while travelling .

A Milestone at Deoria [ Larger Version ]

These photos , which I have taken from the internet , tell us that a milestone is the part of our civilization since the days of Roman Empire .

Slate milestone near Bangor, Wales (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Newell Green milestone (Photo credit: sleepymyf)

Milestone, Bath Road (Photo credit: Pete Reed)

Zero Milestone (1923), The Ellipse, Washington, D.C. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Milestone (Photo credit: A.M. Kuchling)

But alas , things are changing . Roads of yore are gone . Now Highways and Expressways have taken their place . And with the advent of these Highways and Expressways , milestones are also gone . Now metal mileposts with fluorescent colours have taken their place . On my numerous journeys , I have noticed these new age milestones but it never occurred to me that old milestones of my childhood will vanish one day .

These metal milestones are more convenient and easy to see during night because of the fluorescent colours , but the older version of the milestones have some distinct charm and some romantic attraction .

New Age Milestone

On my recent visit to Deoria when I travelled to my wife’s village Ghortap , I noticed the pitiable condition of the milestones . You can watch yourselves . You can’t read the name or distance because it is almost buried in the ground and also not painted . And remember , this road connects Deoria to Kushinagar , a Buddhist pilgrimage centre where Gautam Buddha attained NIRVANA . Several foreign dignitaries visit this place quite often .

Current State of Milestone

Milestones of foreign countries are also going through the same phase .

Milestone, Bath Road (Photo credit: Pete Reed)

Milestone, Datchett (Photo credit: Pete Reed)

Very soon these new age milestones or mileposts will replace our age-old milestones made of stone or rock . People of younger generation will forget about these ubiquitous milestones , which were so intrinsically attached to our being not very long ago .

New Age Milestone

Alas ! One more part of my life will cease to exist very soon . There is no official announcement . There is no official order of discontinuation of old milestones . But I know it wont be seen anymore . It wont be around few years after .

Milestone will be googled and it will only be seen in some dictionary or encyclopaedia .

[ Some information about Roman Empire and Byzantine Empire is taken from Wikipedia . I express gratitude . ]

VIDUR

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA

Roman Roads (trolldens.blogspot.com)
California Dreaming The Allure of a Summer Tunic (landacrystal.wordpress.com)
Traffic Control Signs – a History of Sign Shapes (roadtrafficsigns.com)
Interactive Maps of Travel Routes Throughout the Roman Empire (freetech4teachers.com)
Greek Subway Project Unearths Ancient Roman Road (euzicasa.wordpress.com)
Ancient Roman road found in Greece (bigpondnews.com)
Byzantine (callawayinteriordesign.wordpress.com)

Filed under: Sunset Boulevards | Tagged: Acting Trainer, Ancient Rome, Appian Way, Byzantine Empire, Constantinople, Deoria, Diction Trainer, Gautam Buddha, Golden Milestone of Roman Empire, Google Earth, Google Map, GPRS, GPS, Hindi Teacher, History - India, India, Kamal Nayan Chaturvedi, Kushinagar, London, Milepost, Milestone, Milion, Milliarium Aureum, Mumbai, MUMBAI - MAHARASHTRA - INDIA, Obelisk, Roman Empire, Roman roads, Rome, Sunset Boulevard, UK, United Kingdom, United States, Vidur, Vidur Chaturvedi, Vidur on Twitter, Vidur's Blog, Wales, Zero Milestone of USA | Leave a comment »

60 Years of Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II

Posted on June 7, 2012 by VIDUR [ Kamal Nayan Chaturvedi ]

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA JUNE 07 , 2012 01.40 A.M.

Queen of United Kingdom (as well as Canada, Australia, and other Commonwealth realms )

I am a student of history and I have studied History of England also . I am quite familiar with numerous kings and queens of United Kingdom . When I was doing post graduation in English Literature , British history was a subject in the University of Allahabad . Reign of Queen Victoria always fascinated me . Her reign is epochal and will be remembered because she is the longest reigning monarch in the history of United Kingdom . She ruled for 63 years and 7 months . Since Queen Elizabeth II , is celebrating diamond jubilee of her coronation this week , and she has become the 2nd longest reigning monarch of United Kingdom after Queen Victoria , I thought that I must write a blog on this event .

She is the longest-lived and second-longest-reigning monarch of the United Kingdom, after Queen Victoria and the second-longest-serving current head of state after King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand , who ascended the throne in 1946 , 6 years before Queen Elizabeth II .

Victoria of the United Kingdom (英女王維多利亞)

Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom (Photo credit: Kvasir79)

Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej waves to well-wishers during a concert at Siriraj hospital in Bangkok on September 29, 2010.(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

For the connoisseurs and students of history , Queen Elizabeth II has other many fascinating records also to her credit . She outlived many Prime Ministers of India and United Kingdom and several Presidents of France and United States of America . During her 60 year-long tenure , India has seen , from Jawahar Lal Nehru to Manmohan Singh , as many as 13 Prime Ministers . Out of these 13 Prime Ministers 09 are already dead .

During her tenure , USA saw 12 Presidents . From Harry S. Truman , the 33rd President to the present incumbent Barack Obama , the 44th President , she has seen them all . Out of these 12 Presidents of USA , 7 are already dead .

During her tenure , France elected as many as 11 Presidents . Out of these 11 Presidents ; 2 belonged to the 4th French Republic and the rest 9 , including the present incumbent , belonged to the 5th French Republic .

She , during her tenure , administered oath of office to as many as 11 Prime Ministers of United Kingdom . Out of these 11 Prime Ministers , many served for more than one term .

So for the record , she has seen 11 Prime Ministers of United Kingdom , 11 Presidents of France , 12 Presidents of USA and 13 Prime Ministers of India . 3 more years of her reign and she will eclipse Queen Victoria also as the longest reigning monarch of United Kingdom .

Princess Elizabeth of York, currently Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, painted when she was seven years old (1933) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

” Queen Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; born 21 April 1926 is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms, and head of the 54-member Commonwealth of Nations. She is also head of state of the Crown Dependencies. On her accession in 1952, she became Head of the Commonwealth and queen regnant of seven independent Commonwealth countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon. Between 1956 and 1992, the number of her realms varied as territories gained independence and some realms became republics. Today, in addition to the first four aforementioned countries, Elizabeth is Queen of Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Kitts and Nevis. Her reign of 60 years is the second longest for a British monarch; only Queen Victoria has reigned longer at 63 years. Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee is being celebrated during 2012. ”

{ Above posted piece is taken from Wikipedia ]

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Coronation portrait, June 1953, London, England.

Badge issued for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation

GB Elizabeth II Coronation Stamp 1953 Scanned from personal collection Jeff Knaggs 10:45, 29 Nov 2004

English: Coronation Tree, Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC1 This tree was planted in 1953 to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. [1247865]

Members of the Royal Family in the Royal box at Westminster Abbey during the coronation of Elizabeth II.

A map of the British Empire in 1921 when it was at its height. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Queen Elizabeth II’s Empire in 2012 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip

Records always fascinate me . Queen Victoria’s reign of 63 years and 7 months [ 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901 ] , Queen Elizabeth’s reign of 60 years [ 6 February 1952 – Present ] and Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s reign of 66 years [ 9 June 1946 – Present ] is very fascinating for me .

I have nothing new or personal things to say about Queen Elizabeth II . She ascended the throne in 1952 , the year I was born in and she is still there as I am a 60-year-old man . I did watch her celebrating her Silver Jubilee in 1977 and Golden Jubilee in 2002 . And in 2012 , I am watching her celebrating Diamond Jubilee of her coronation . The fact that she is the second longest reigning monarch of United Kingdom and within 3 years she will become the longest reigning monarch of United Kingdom , is very exciting for me .

I think , I will be witness to that epoch – making event also , when she will become the longest reigning monarch of United Kingdom . Or who knows , she might outlive me also as she outlived so many people .

Flag of United Kingdom (Photo credit: stumayhew)

VIDUR

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA

6 Websites To Learn About Queen Elizabeth II During Her Diamond Jubilee Year (makeuseof.com)
Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Celebration (askmarion.wordpress.com)
Queen Is ‘Extraordinary’ (foxnews.com)
Britain Celebrates Diamond Jubilee – 60 Years With Queen Elizabeth II (thegatewaypundit.com)
Photos: Queen Elizabeth II: Young and Fashionable (abcnews.go.com)
Red, White & Blue for the Diamond Jubilee/The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II (thebinweevilsworld.wordpress.com)
Boats take to Thames for queen’s jubilee flotilla (sacbee.com)
Obama congratulates Queen Elizabeth II on Diamond Jubilee (politico.com)
Red, White & Blue for the Diamond Jubilee/The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II (weevilyworld.wordpress.com)
Photos: Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee (abcnews.go.com)

Filed under: World View | Tagged: 60 Years of Queen Elizabeth II, A Map of British Empire in 1921, Acting Trainer, Antigua andBarbuda, Barack Obama, Barbados, Beliz, Bhumibol Adulyadej, British History, Commonwealth, Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth realm, Crown Dependencies of Britain, Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth, Diction Trainer, Elizabeth II, England, French 4th Republic, French 5th Republic, Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth, Granadines, Grenada, Harry S. Truman, Hindi Teacher, History - India, History of England, History of United Kingdom, India, Jamaica, Jawahar Lal Nehru, Kamal Nayan Chaturvedi, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, KIng of Thailand, Longest Reigning Monarch of United Kingdom, MUMBAI - MAHARASHTRA - INDIA, Papua New Guinea, Presidents of France, Presidents of USA, Prime Ministers of Britain, Prime Ministers of India, Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Elizabeth II's Empire in 2012, Queen of United Kingdom, Queen Victoria, Reign of Queen Elizabeth II, Reign of Queen Victoria, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth, Solomon Islands, The Bahamas, Tuvalu, United States, University of Allahabad, Vidur, Vidur Chaturvedi, Vidur on Twitter, Vidur's Blog | Leave a comment »

Svetlana Alliluyeva : From Russia With Love

Posted on January 14, 2012 by VIDUR [ Kamal Nayan Chaturvedi ]

Svetlana Alliluyeva

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA JANUARY 14 , 2012 02.55 A.M.

Svetlana Alliluyeva , daughter of Soviet Communist dictator Josef Stalin , died on November 22 , 2011 at the age of 85 . She died in Wisconsin , U. S. A.

I missed the news then . When I was going through the bunch of old news papers few days ago , I came across a small news item about her death in the Times of India . This innocuous news of Svetlana’s death brought back some forgotten memories . It opened a dog – ear – page of my book of life . Some sepia – toned photos rushed to the firmament of my being .

The year was 1967 . I passed High School and went to Allahabad for further studies . In the Government Inter College of Allahabad , I was slowly opening up . I was curious to know everything . I wanted to know all the aspects of the world and I used to devour knowledge of every kind .

News papers of 1966 were full of the Svetlana episode . Svetlana left USSR [ Union of Soviet Socialist Republic ] in 1966 , and came to India with the ashes of her third husband Brijesh Singh , a scion of Kalakankar state in Uttar Pradesh . Indian news papers were full of her stories and every one was anxious and curious to know more about her .

Svetlana Alliluyeva

Svetlana Iosifovna Alliluyeva , youngest child and only daughter of Josef Stalin and Nadezhda Alliluyeva was raised by a nanny . Her mother died when Svetlana was only 6 years old . According to Soviet premiere Nikita Khrushchev , Stalin was an abusive husband . It is rumoured that Nadezhda Alliluyeva committed suicide due to the atrocities of Stalin . According to some , she was killed by Stalin himself .

Josef Stalin

Stalin & Svetlana

Svetlana married twice but her marriages were not successful . Stalin died in 1953 . Svetlana was 27 years old then . After her father’s death , she worked as a lecturer of history and political thought in Moscow . Apart from Russian , she was fluent in German , French and English .

Svetlana & Stalin

Svetlana met Brijesh Singh , her third husband in a hospital in 1963 . She was admitted for a minor surgery and Brijesh Singh , a scion of Kalakankar state of Uttar Pradesh , was very ill at that time and was admitted for a major operation . They met , fell in love and love blossomed when they shifted to a resort near Black Sea . Couple returned to Moscow in 1965 but were not allowed to marry . Singh died in 1966 and with his ashes , Svetlana left USSR [ Union of Soviet Socialist Republic ] in 1966 , and came to India with the ashes to immerse it in the Holy Ganga .

She stayed in Kalakankar Palace for 8 months and wanted to take asylum in India . It was refused and she approached U. S. A. embassy in New Delhi and was granted U. S. citizenship .

सैकत शैय्या पर दुग्ध धवल ,
तन्वंगी गंगा ग्रीष्म विरल ,
बैठीं हैं शांत क्लांत निश्चल ||
कालाकांकर का राज भवन ……..

I still remember these lines of famous Hindi poet Sumitra Nandan Pant . Kalakankar was etched in my memory . Like the other fellow students of my age , I was aghast that the Congress government of Indira Nehru Gandhi didn’t grant asylum to Svetlana . Majority of students of Allahabad University were critical of the Congress government’s decision .

She got asylum in United States of America and later on became a citizen also . Later on she wrote a best-selling book ; ” Twenty Letters To A Friend ” and married there and had a daughter , Olga .

Cover of Twenty Letters to a Friend

She moved back to Soviet Union in 1980 and again returned to U. S. A. within a year . Slowly she moved away from the front pages of the news papers . Slowly her memory faded .

Last week , when I read about her death . flood of memories gushed to my mind and I started remembering those days of 1966 , when Svetlana came to India seeking asylum and was denied that . We suspected that the Congress government refused asylum to her under pressure from government of the then USSR .

With her death , a forgotten and faded chapter of my dog – eared book of life is lost forever .

Svetlana Alliluyeva

Farewell Svetlana Iosifovna Alliluyeva ! May you rest in peace !

I am sorry that my country , which is famous for not refusing shelter to anyone , failed for the first time . I am sorry that a long tradition of granting shelter to the shelter – seekers was broken for the first time during the tenure of Indira Nehru Gandhi of the Congress , The Indian National Congress .

I was ashamed then and I am saddened now .

VIDUR

MUMBAI – MAHARASHTRA – INDIA