Old Photos-Vintage Photos-Part 7



An Angular View of the Roof and Magnificent Marble Pillars of the Diwan-i-Khas in Red Fort, Delhi




Clock Tower and Town Hall at Chandni Chowk in Delhi




Safdarjung's Tomb Delhi - The last flicker in the lamp of Mughal architecture




Interior View of Pearl Mosque (Moti Masjid) in Red Fort Delhi Built by Emperor Shahjahan in 1648




Marble Throne in Diwan-I-Am in Red Fort Delhi




The Indian Parliament, New Delhi. Containing the Council of State Princes Chamber & the Legislative Assembly




Jama Masjid Dehli, Royal Gate




Gate of Red Fort in Delhi



Old Photos- Vintage Photos-Part 6



Chowringhee Road (Esplanade at left) looking north over Calcutta (Kolkata) - 1903



The Strand Road - Kolkata (Calcutta) 1865

 

The Esplanade and Government House from Chowringhee - Calcutta (Kolkata) 1865



Esplanade Row - Calcutta (Kolkata) 1878

Edan Gardens-Kolkata-1860



Old Photos- Vintage Photos- Part 5

 

One of the Sikkim Tents at the Delhi Durbar in 1903

  

Prince Jiwaji Rao Scindia (1916-1961) of Gwalior - c1920

 

Princess Sultan Jahan (1858-1910) of Bhopal - November 1862



Maharaja Shivaji Bhonsle (1863-1883) of Kolhapur Hand Painted Photograph - c1870




Princess Nizam Un Nisa Begum of Hyderabad - 1890

 

Princess Shah Jahan (1838-1901) of Bhopal - November 1862




Royal children from Patiala - c1930



Old Photos- Vintage Photos- Part 4



International Athlete Paan Singh Tomar with his family before he turned Baagi (Dacoit)



Indian Kathak Dance Performer Brijmohan Maharaj Popularly Known as Pandit Birju Maharaj

 

Bridge of Boats - India 1870's

 

The Bhakra Dam Under Construction - July 1960



Indian Fishing Boats - c1880's

 

Maharaja Ganga Singh Bikaner - 1896



Old Photos- Vintage Photos- Part 3

 

Shankaracharya temple on Takht-e-Suleiman hill - Srinagar Kashmir 1880's

 

Manasbal Lake - Kashmir 1880's



Loyal Native Officers taken at Umballa (Ambala) - 1850's

 

Indian Prince with Sword - Vintage Photograph 1870's



The Lahore Gate of the Delhi Red Fort - 1860's



Golden Temple or Harmandir Sahib Sikh Gurdwara in Amritsar Punjab - 1880's

Old Photos- Vintage Photos-Part2

Hooghly River at Low Tide along Custom House Ghat - Calcutta (Kolkata) 1865



Photographer: Samuel Bourne
Source: British Library



Cows on the pavement of Harrison street in Calcutta - 1903 

Photographer: James Ricalton

Source: British Library



Old Photos- Vintage Photos-Part 1



Indian Snake Chammer-1880

  

Swami Vivekananda's first photo as a Wandering monk at Jaipur - 1888



Sellers are Waiting in Garment Stores for Customer - 1880's

  

Vintage Photograph Of Traders and Buyers in a Dehli Market

  

Burmees Family-1880

 

Buffaloes are wallowing in water-1880



Gold smith at work-1880



Old Photos-Vintage India



Holwel's Monument, Kolkata



Sward Swalloing trick- Calcutta




Fort Williams & Red Road, Calcutta




Family Planning, Calcutta




Bengal club, Calcuta



Charm Of Charity

A poor young man was helpless, homeless and hopeless. He lost his job and had no one to help him. Depressed and dejected, he decided to commit suicide. He collected all the coins he had with him and bought from a shop a ripe banana wrapped in an old newspaper. He opened the packet and started to eat his last food when an old beggar approached him. With trembling lips, the beggar told him that he has not had anything to eat for several days and was too weak to walk.

The young man felt pity and gave the banana to the beggar. He ate it with great joy and thanked him. While leaving, the beggar gave him a very old coin, saying, "Thank you very much. You gave me everything you had. Kindly accept this coin as my humble gift."

When the old man departed, he carelessly glanced at the piece of paper used to wrap the fruit. There he saw an advertisement from an agency dealing with old coins. Any one possessing old coins was invited to visit the agency and receive suitable price for their old coins on the spot. Out of simple curiosity, he carried the coin to the agency, which was quite close to him. He showed the coin gifted by the beggar.

The person managing the agency stared at it and exclaimed in excitement, "What a surprise! It is very rare and several centuries old. It is worth a fortune!" He was given a hefty sum of money as the price of the rare coin. Jumping with joy on receiving the unexpected amount of money, he searched everywhere to find the old man who gifted him the coin. He wanted to share his joy and the money with the beggar. But he could not find the beggar anywhere. He started a new life with renewed hope and enthusiasm.

Kindness cannot be given away. It always comes back!

Beautiful Horse

A wild horse became envious of the zebras which are naturally blessed with beautiful black stripes all over their body. The horse spent sleepless nights meditating about a method to get decorated with beautiful stripes like a zebra. He sought the advice of a monkey who was the best scholar, artist and beautician of the forest.

The monkey led the horse to a place where a wildfire had just burnt down several trees. Using the pieces of charcoal from the burnt wood, the monkey painted fine stripes on the body of the horse. The happy horse thanked the monkey and joined a group of zebras who accepted him without a doubt.

As they were grazing together, a heavy rainfall occurred. The 'painted zebra' was in great trouble. The stripes of charcoal dissolved in the rain and created a dirty mess. The stripes lost their outline. The zebras rejected him. The horse ran away with a disfigured body. He came to his own relatives who were reluctant to accept him seeing his weird appearance.

Dejected and depressed, he approached the monkey who created the stripes and requested him to end his misery. The monkey led him to a stream and washed his body, rubbing hard with the husk of a coconut. Having restored his natural appearance, the horse watched his appearance in the still water. He said to himself, "I am really beautiful!"

Every creature is blessed with a unique form and appearance. We must be ready to accept the gifts of God instead of worrying about our appearance. Comparing our features with those of others and trying to imitate others creates unnecessary worry. Let us look at the less privileged brothers and thank God for His generous gifts. That is the path to peace and progress.

Unity in Diversity

Three cats lived in neighbouring houses. They were close friends and used to meet to discuss matters of common interest. One of them was white in colour. Another one was black. The third was brown. One day the black cat argued that his colour was the best as he could hide in dim light and pounce on the prey without getting noticed. He added that the white colour of his friend was a terrible disadvantage in catching a prey in dim light.

The white cat retorted that white was a superior colour as it was a combination of all colours and a symbol of purity. He added that black was the absence of any colour and a symbol of hell. When the argument became uncontrollable, the brown cat intervened. He said, "I will tell a story. Listen carefully and then decide which is the better colour." He narrated a novel story:
"Before the creation of cats, God made models of cats using clay. Then he put them one by one in the fire to strengthen and harden them before instilling life into them. When he introduced the first model in the furnace, he had no idea about the optimum time for hardening. He kept it for a long time and it got charred and over burnt. That was how the first 'black' cat was created. He learned a lesson but brought the black model to life. All black cats are his descendants. The next time, God was very cautious to avoid overheating. So he removed the model from the furnace a bit early to avoid overheating. The model was under burnt and white in colour. The white cats descended from him. Now God became proficient in the art and science of hardening the models. So the third experiment was successful and the model was removed after correct heating. It was perfect and had a beautiful brown colour. All brown cats, including me, are his descendants. We were heated and hardened correctly for the optimum time and temperature. Now you know who is the result of a perfect creation."

The story amused the black and white cats though they knew that it was fictitious. They stopped their fight and became friends again, realizing that external appearance is insignificant and that nobody wins by an argument.

Man has fought thoughtlessly, throughout human history, arguing about the superiority of one race over others. Men may differ in characteristics and qualities such as calibre, caste, character, charm, cognition, colour, community, complexion, costume, courage, creed, culture and customs. But he is the roof and crown of creations and a noble work of God. We must appreciate unity in diversity and harmony in variety.

Bad Habits

A wealthy man requested an old scholar to wean his son away from his bad habits. The scholar took the youth for a stroll through a garden. Stopping suddenly he asked the boy to pull out a tiny plant growing there.

The youth held the plant between his thumb and forefinger and pulled it out. The old man then asked him to pull out a slightly bigger plant. The youth pulled hard and the plant came out, roots and all.

“Now pull out that one,” said the old man pointing to a bush. The boy had to use all his strength to pull it out.

“Now take this one out,” said the old man, indicating a guava tree. The youth grasped the trunk and tried to pull it out. But it would not budge. “It’s impossible,” said the boy, panting with the effort.

“So it is with bad habits,” said the sage. “When they are young it is easy to pull them out but when they take hold they cannot be uprooted.”
The session with the old man changed the boy’s life.

Don’t wait for Bad Habits to grow in you, drop them while you have control over it else they will get control you.

Fear

"I am fear. I am the menace that lurks in the path of life, never visible to the eye but sharply felt in the heart. I am the father of despair, the brother of procrastination, the enemy of progress, the tool of tyranny. Born of ignorance and nursed on misguided thought, I have darkened more hopes, stifled more ambitions, shattered more ideals and prevented more accomplishments than history could ever record.

"Like the changing chameleon, I assume many disguises. I masquerade as caution. I am sometimes known as doubt or worry. But whatever I'm called, am still fear, the obstacle of achievement.

"I know no master but one. It's name is understanding. I have no power but what the human mind gives me, and I vanish completely when the light of understanding reveals the facts as they really are, for I am really nothing."

"You see, if you have the courage to acknowledge your fears, you will be taking the first step toward controlling them instead of them controlling you. And if you take the next step toward understanding, you will be able to move past them to compassion,... perhaps even to love."

Faith

There was a tightrope walker, who was so good that he could walk between two twenty stories building on a tight rope with a balancing pole.

Thousands of people would watch him perform his breathtaking feat. After he walked across the building he would have his assistant sit on his shoulder and he would proceed to walk across the building.

Everybody were amazed and gave him a thunderous applause. He asked them whether they believed that he could do it again. The crowd said, “Yes, we believe that you can!”

After a while he asked the crowd again, “Now, who wants to volunteer to
get on my shoulder?” With that the crowd became silent.

There is a difference between Believe and Faith. We can believe what we see. In the above story, the crowd believed in the tightrope walker because they saw him perform the feat. But when he asked them “Who wants to get on my shoulder?” everyone was silent. You see, the crowd had Belief but they did not have Faith. This story clearly illustrates the difference between belief and having faith.

Prayer for Brother

Two brothers lived in constant poverty. The elder brother was satisfied with his humble assets and led a life of peace and contentment. But the younger brother was always unhappy, ambitious and greedy. He wanted to enjoy all the pleasures of life and was envious of his wealthy neighbours. He rejected his elder brother’s views with contempt.

One day they met a saintly preacher on the way. The younger brother complained about his constant poverty and God’s apparent cruelty. The preacher consoled him and advised them to pray for receiving richer resources if it is the will of God.

They returned to their homes and resumed their prayers with greater zeal. The younger brother soon started receiving several blessings. His land gave a rich harvest and he obtained a loan to start a new business. His financial status soared steadily. But his elder brother remained poor as before. The younger brother considered his brother to be unworthy to receive the blessings of God as his prayers were not answered so far.

The saintly preacher later returned to their village and met both the brothers. He was surprised to find that the younger brother had become a successful and wealthy businessman in a short period. The preacher asked him why he did not share a part of his blessings with his elder brother who was still very poor. The rich man replied that the blessings he received were the results of his own fervent prayers and his brother did not deserve any gift because even God had disregarded his prayers and deserted him.

Then the preacher told him, “You are thoroughly mistaken, my son. God has answered all the prayers of your brother.”

“But I don’t find that he received any blessing from God. He is unworthy to get the grace of God and I don’t care for him”, the rich man replied.

The preacher corrected him, “I know what he had prayed for. He was praying to God for you. He was praying that all your prayers shall be answered and your wishes be fulfilled. He did not pray for his own prosperity. Whatever you enjoy now is the result of his intercession. You should be thankful to him for ever.” These words transformed the rich man.

He learned that the blessings we receive need not be the fruits of our own prayers or efforts alone, but can be the results of the prayers of others for us.