
Writer & Geek
By Writer & Geek

Writer & GeekMay 23, 2021

108: Operation Overlord
Operation Overlord was launched on 6 June 1944 and is to date the largest amphibious assault in the history of warfare. Nearly 160,000 troops crossed the English Channel on 6 June, and more than two million Allied troops were in France by the end of August. It led to the successful invasion of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II.
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Image MIckStephenson at English Wikipedia.

107: Pyramids
The Pyramids are one of the ancient wonders of the world. It is one of the most mysterious structures ever built. In this episode, we try to uncover some of the mysteries.
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Image by Soupy Squirrel from Pixabay

106: Colonialism in India - Part 12: The Indian Revolutionaries
The Indian Revolutionary Movement
The first signs of the revolutionary movement can be traced back to 1847 when 5000 peasants rose against the British East India Company (EIC) in Kurnool district (Andra Pradesh) under the leadership of Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy. They were protesting against the changes made to the traditional agrarian system.
Jugantar Party
The revolutionary movement was not organised till the 20th Century. The first signs of its organisation can be noticed in 1905, during the partition of Bengal.
The Jugantar party was formed in April 1906 by Aurobindo Ghosh, Barindra Kumar Ghosh, Bhupendranath Datta, Lal Bal Pal, Subodh Chandra Mullick.
They collected and manufactured bombs. The Jugantars sent some of their members for training abroad, too. But the attempted murder of a district judge in Muzaffarpur resulted in the arrest of many of them.
They planned to revolt against the British during the First World War with the help of Indians living abroad. It relied on the clandestine landing of German arms and ammunitions in the Indian coast, which never materialised.
They supported Mahatma Gandhi's Non-Cooperation Movement while conducting revolutionary activities.
Hindustan Socialist Republican Association
It was established in October 1924 in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh by revolutionaries like Ramprasad Bismil, Jogesh Chatterjee, Chandrashekhar Azad, Yogendra Shukla and Sachindranath Sanyal. They aimed to throw out the British and establish the Federal Republic of the United States of India.
The Kakori train robbery is one of the notable mutinies by the group. It led to the hanging of Ashfaqullah Khan, Ramprasad Bismil, Roshan Singh, Rajendra Lahiri.
The group reorganised under Chandrashekhar Azad with new members of the likes of Bhagat Singh, Bhagwati Charan Vohra and Sukhdev and renamed themselves the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association (HSRA).
They killed Saunders, a police officer involved in the lathi-charge that killed Lala Lajpat Rai.
Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru threw a bomb inside the Central Legislative Assembly. It was followed by their trial and hanging on 23 March 1931.
Abhinav Bharat Secret Society
It was a secret society started by VD Savarkar and GD Savarkar in 1904. It was involved in many revolutionary activities until its disbandment in 1952.
One of the popular deeds of the society was the assassination of Lt. Col. William Curzon-Wyllie on 1 July 1909.
After the existence of the society was unearthed, Savarkar was transported to the Cellular Jail in the Andaman Islands in 1910.
Kotwal Dasta
It was formed by Veer Bhai Kotwal with around 50 members during the Quit India Movement. They cut down electric pylons to cripple the industries and railways. Around 11 pylons were cut from September to November 1942.
Previous episode mentioned in this episode: 074: Oh beer, oh beer!
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Image by Rueben lys

105: The Boeing Debacle (MCAS)
In this episode, we talk about the Boeing 737 Max accidents and the reason behind it.
Boeing’s 737 is one of the most widely used aircraft. But two crashes of its new 737 Max 8 model and the following investigation, led to some dark details about how a software system overpowered the pilots and plunged everyone on board to a horrific end.
Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System, abbreviated as MCAS is a software designed to save an aeroplane from a potential stall due to a high angle of attack. The angle of attack is the angle between the aircraft direction of mention forward and the wing. Aircraft usually have a slight positive angle of attack to create more lift at slower speeds. But if the angle of attack becomes too high, added drag is created and there is a danger of a stall where aircraft falls out of the sky uncontrollably.
MCAS was designed to lower the airplane’s nose when the angle of attack becomes too high and thus preventing a stall. But in two of Boeing’s 737 Max 8 aircraft, these systems erroneously pushed the planes into nosedive resulting in catastrophic accidents. The worst part of this disaster was that the pilots of 737 were not informed of this particular software and wasn’t even mentioned in any training documents.
In this episode, we delve a little deeper into the background of these tragedies and learn how competition between two aircraft manufacturers resulted in the loss of hundreds of lives.
Previous episode mentioned in the episode: 048: Jet Engines
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Image by nickyhardinguk from Pixabay

104: Serial KIller Files - Part 9: Rodney Alcala
Rodney Alcala is a notorious serial killer who spread terror in the United States from 1968 to 1979.
Name: Rodrigo Jacques Alcala Buquor
Birth: 23 August 1943
Convictions: Battery, kidnapping, murder, probation violation, rape, providing cannabis to a minor
Victims: 8 to 130
Span: 1968 to 1979
Crime penalty: Death
Aliases: The Dating Game Killer, John Berger, John Burger, Rod Alcala
During his appearance in The Dating Game in 1978, the host, Jim Lange introduced him as a "successful photographer who got his start when his father found him in the darkroom at the age of 13, fully developed. Between takes, you might find him skydiving or motorcycling." Alcala won the competition (a date with Cheryl Bradshaw) with his charm. But Bradshaw later declined the date because Alcala started acting creepy. The fellow bachelors in the show described Alcala to be very strange and have bizarre opinions. It is believed that the rejection led Alcala on a killing spree where he killed at least three women.
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Source:Image from LA Weekly

103: Colonialism in India - Part 11: Mahatma Gandhi
Name: Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
Born: 2 October 1869 (Porbandar, Gujarat)
Known for: Being the father of the nation, political activism leading to Indian independence, nonviolence (ahimsa)
Occupation: Lawyer, activist, writer, politician
Died: 30 January 1948
Cause of death: Assassination through gunshot by Nathuram Godse
Introduction
He was the youngest son from his father, Karamchand Gandhi’s fourth marriage to Putlibai Gandhi.
Karamchand Gandhi did not have much elementary education but was capable to be the dewan of Porbandar.
He went on to become the dewan of Rajkot later on.
Mohandas Gandhi was a mediocre student who won the occasional prizes and scholarships who was - “good at English, fair in Arithmetic and weak in Geography; conduct very good, bad handwriting.”
He got married at the age of thirteen to Kasturba Makhanji Kapadia.
They went on to have four children - Harilal, Manilal, Ramdas, Devdas.
Education
He liked to be a doctor but coming from a background of Vaishnava faith, they were against vivisection.
To attain a good post in the high posts in one of the states in Gujarat, he had to be a barrister.
He went to England and joined the Inner Temple which is one of the four London law colleges.
He struggled with more issues than academic problems, especially vegetarianism became a major struggle for him.
He came under constant pressure from his friends about how vegetarianism is going to wreck his studies and health.
But then he found a vegetarian restaurant and a book reasoning the goodness of vegetarianism.
He became a member of the executive committee of the London Vegetarian Society, contributing articles to its journal and attending its conferences.
Early Career
He had a lot of issues practising law.
His fear of public speaking took a toll on him as he could not get any prestigious barrister jobs back in India.
This led to him moving to South Africa and taking a job there.
South Africa taught him a lot about the disparities between the white and the coloured.
India (1915-1947)
Non-Cooperation Movement (1920)
It began because of the Rowlatt Act and the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
Ended with the Chauri Chaura incident of 1922.
It led to the arrest of Gandhi and many other prominent leaders.
Civil Disobedience Movement(1930)
Dandi March (12th March - 6th April 1930)
Time Man of the Year 1930
Gandhi and 78 trusted volunteers marched from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi (384 km) in 25 days.
Resulted in the Government of India Act 1935 which granted large measures of autonomy to the provinces of British India.
Quit Indian Movement (1942)
It was opposed by Hindu Mahasabha, All India Muslim League, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Communist Party of India, and the Princely States.
Quotes mentioned in the podcasts from Britannica:
“Gandhi had critics in his own country and indeed in his own party. The liberal leaders protested that he was going too fast; the young radicals complained that he was not going fast enough; left-wing politicians alleged that he was not serious about evicting the British or liquidating such vested Indian interests as princes and landlords; the leaders of the untouchables doubted his good faith as a social reformer; and Muslim leaders accused him of partiality to his own community.”
“Scholars have continued to judge Gandhi’s place in history. He was the catalyst if not the initiator of three of the major revolutions of the 20th century: the movements against colonialism, racism, and violence.”
Book mentioned in the episode:
The Story of My Experiments with Truth by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi: Paperback | Hardcover | Kindle Edition | MP3 CD | Audio Cassette
Fin

RECAST: Dyatlov Pass Incident
We are taking a month long break to come back with some more amazing content for you. Till then we will be recasting four of our favourite episodes from the past. Hope you enjoy it! :)
This week, we recast the episode where we talked about Dyatlov Pass Incident.
To the east of the Ural mountains, in Yekaterinburg city cemetery, there is a group grave of 9 members from a hiking group who died mysteriously.
Timeline
Arrived by train at Ivdel a town at the centre of the northern province of Sverdlovsk Oblast on 25th January 1959.
Took a truck ride to Vizhai (last settlement towards the north).
Hikers purchased and had loaves of bread when they were in Vizhai to keep energy high.
Started trek towards Otorten from Vizhai on 27th January.
Yuri Yudin returned on 28th due to health issues.
On 31st, the hikers arrived at a highland area and started preparing for their climb. They saved surplus food in a wooded area for their return hike.
Snowstorms resulted in hikers being deviated from their intended path and ended up on the slopes of Kholat Syakhl (Dead Mountain).
Group decided to camp on the slopes of Kholat Syakhl instead of hiking all the way back into the wooded area about 1.5 km away. It is speculated that the group wanted to practice camping on a mountain slope.
Dyatlov had told his sports club that he would send a telegram from Vizhai no later than 12th February and that it might take even longer.
It was not until 20th that the relatives of the hikers demanded a search be conducted for the missing hikers.
The search party was mobilised and the military also took part in the search. On 26th of February, the search party found the tent that was used by the hikers.
The tent was torn from inside and the hikers were missing. All the belongings including warm clothing and shoes were left behind.
A set of footprints could be found heading away from the tent towards the woods, but after 500m, the tracks disappeared in the snow.
At the edge of the forest, under a Siberian Pine tree, there was a visible sign of a fire that was lit.
The first two bodies, Krivonischenko and Doroshenko were found shoeless near the fire site wearing only their underwears.
The tree also had visible marks of someone having climbed it, with branches up to 5 metres broken. Someone seems to have climbed the tree to either escape from something or to look at something in distance.
Further search in the snow between the camp and the pine tree revealed the bodies of Dyatlov, Kolmogorova and Slobodin. Their poses suggested that they were trying to return to the campsite perhaps for food and warm clothing. They were found at a distance of 300, 480 and 630 metres from the tree respectively.
The four remaining hikers were not found until 4th of May under 4 metres of snow around 75 metres away from the pine tree towards the woods. These four happened to be better dressed than others and the ones who died later were wearing the clothes of the ones who had died earlier. A hastily constructed den was found near the bodies.
Something happened on the night of 31st - 1st which lead to the death of all the hikers.
Inquiry
An inquiry was started into the matter after the first five bodies were found. It was concluded that hypothermia was the reason for the deaths.
The finding of the four bodies later presented puzzling details which changed the course of the inquest.
Three of the four hikers had serious fatal injuries to the head and chest area.
Doctors concluded that the force required to cause a similar injury would be something similar to that of a car hitting a person.
Except for Dubinina who was missing her tongue, eyes, parts of lips and a part of the skull, no major external wounds were found on the bodies. It was later claimed that these injuries were a result of her being face down on the water.
Theories
The inquest concluded that all the hikers had died of a compelling natural force. The inquiry was stopped in May and all

RECAST: Cosmic Time Measurement In Hinduism

RECAST: Is Smoking Cool?

RECAST: Serial Killer Files - Cyanide Mohan

RECAST: Why Is Horror So Fascinating? Feat. Nikesh Murali

102: Audiophile Related Stuff
Watch the episode on YouTube.
We have always been hardcore music enthusiasts since our childhood. We have had exposure to a variety of music styles, and it has influenced our daily lives a lot. But over the past few months, we realised we have not been listening to music the way it is supposed to. And in this episode, we talk about stuff related to audiophiles and our journey from being complete rookies to beginner audiophiles. We also talk about some of the equipment that we use.
"An audiophile is a person who is enthusiastic about high-fidelity sound reproduction." - Wikipedia
DAC
A digital-to-analogue converter (DAC, D/A, D2A, or D-to-A) is a system that converts a digital signal into an analogue signal. Most of the listening devices that we use, such as laptops and smartphones have inbuilt DAC in them. But being multipurpose devices, it is equipped with sub-par DACs. So, to get the best quality from the audio, a dedicated external DAC is required.
Headphone Amplifier
A headphone amplifier is a low-powered audio amplifier designed to drive headphones worn on or in the ears. It helps increase the threshold of the maximum volume achievable on a headphone.
DAC vs Headphone Amplifier
A DAC help in the seamless conversion of digital signals to analogue. On the other hand, a headphone amplifier only helps to increase the maximum volume of a headphone.
A DAC removes the white noise from the headphone. But a headphone amplifier does not help with that as it still uses the listening device's inbuilt DAC.
Closed-Back Headphones
Closed-back headphones have a solid outer shell with no perforations of any sort such that the shell effectively cups the entire ear. This results in noise cancellation, reduction in sound bleeding but a reduced sound staging. These are mostly used by studio professionals while recording.
Open-Back Headphones
Open-back headphones are designed so that the outer shell of the ear covering is perforated in some fashion, typically with horizontal cutouts. Thus, resulting in sound bleeding but providing a better sound stage. These are mostly used by studio professionals while mixing and mastering.
True Wireless Earbuds
True Wireless Earbuds are earphones that are completely wireless and does not even have wires connecting the two buds. It is a revolutionary piece of technology that came along with Apple removing the headphone jacks from their headphones. The technology is still at its infancy but has grown tremendously since its inception in late 2016.
Sound Signatures
Extra Bass - It is in the name. These headphones have their bass boosted while the mids and highs suppressed. Most of the JBL and V-Moda headphones follow this sound signature. Suits for DJs.
Warm and Smooth - Here, the bass is emphasised with the high trebles cut to remove the harshness of the audio. Sennheiser is known for creating some great warm and smooth sounding headphones.
V-Shaped - It emphasizes bass and treble while cutting down on the mid-ranges. Apple's Airpod Pro is the best example of such earphones.
Flat - As the name suggests, these headphones do not emphasis on any frequencies. These are well-suited for studio professionals as it provides what is there in the audio.
Balanced - Balanced is similar to the flat signature but has all the frequencies tweaked a bit to give you a fun sound. The Jabra Elite 75t is an example of balanced sounding earbuds.
Bright - They have boosted treble and mid-ranges. These depend on the quality of the audio you listen to because if the audio quality is low, it can get quite jarring and uncomfortable. But at the same time, it exposes the imperfections in well-recorded audio.
Find all the products mentioned in the podcast below:
Headphone Zone
DAC - ifi Audio Zen
Closed-back headphones - Audio Technica ATH

101: Kunchan Nambiar - The Creator of Ottamthullal

100: Numbers

099: Colonialism in India - Part 10: British Raj and Indian National Congress

098: Unscripted - Part 3: Life and Death

097: Telephones

096: History of Aircraft Carriers feat. INS Viraat

095: The Internet

094: Colonialism in India - Part 9: The Causes and Impact of the Revolt of 1857
Political Causes:
Doctrine of Lapse
Cancelling of Nana Sahib’s pension (Bajirao II)
Not letting Rani Lakshmi Bhai rule Jhansi
Abolish the Mughal Emperor title after the death of Bahadur Shah II
Economical Causes:
India was turned into a colonial economy to serve the British capitalist interests
High taxes, eviction of people, discriminatory practices, and destruction of traditional handicrafts
Social and Religious Causes:
Sati, infanticide, re-marriage of widows were considered to be interference by the Indians
The work of the Christian missionaries and the introduction of English education
The change of the Hindu law of property to accommodate conversion to Christianity
Military Causes:
The Indian soldiers were considered inferior
The high ranks in the army were exclusively reserved for English men
Sending Indian soldiers overseas
Immediate Cause:
The introduction of the Enfield rifle and the greased cartridge
Timeline:
On 29th March 1857, a sepoy called Mangal Pandey killed his superior English officers during a parade in Barrackpore, Bengal.
It spread to Berhampore on 24th April 1857 where the cavalrymen refused to accept the greased cartridges.
On 10th May 1857, Mutineers killed their superiors in Meerut and started marching towards Delhi.
On 12th May, Bahadur Shah was proclaimed the Emperor of India. He was 81. But the real command was in the hands of Bakht Khan who led the troops in Bareilly and moved them to Delhi.
Nana Sahib led the troops in Kanpur. He proclaimed himself to be the Peshwa and governor of the region. It was Tantya Tope who did most of the fighting there.
Hazrat Mahal, the Begum of Awadh led the revolt in Lucknow. She proclaimed her song Birjis Qadr as the Nawab of Awadh.
It is in Lucknow where Sir Henry Montgomery Lawrence (the British resident) was killed.
Rani Laxmi Bai was defeated in Jhansi, but she captured Gwalior with the help of Tantya Tope.
In Bareilly, Khan Bahadur Khan Rohilla led the revolt and proclaimed himself as the Nawab.
Banaras, Allahabad, Nasirabad, Indore, Aligarh and Kota where the other centres of the battle were the mutineers killed their superiors, not even sparing women or children, burned the land records, plundered the treasury.
Bahadur Shah II proved to be a weak leader and the Britishers were able to suppress the revolt soon enough. He was arrested and deported to Rangoon where he died in 1862.
They recaptured Delhi on 20th September 1857 under the leadership of John Nicholson.
General Havelock defeated the rebels in Kanpur.
After his defeat, Nana Sahib refused to surrender and escaped to Nepal.
Hugh Henry Rose suppressed the revolt in Jhansi and Rani Laxmi Bai died on the battlefield.
Banaras, Bareilly, and Gwalior were recaptured by the Britishers.
Why did the revolt fail?
It was a highly localised revolt mainly restricted to North India.
It was poorly organised and the leaders lacked coordination.
Scindia of Gwalior, the Nizam of Hyderabad, the Holkar of Indore, the Nawab of Bhopal, the Raja of Jodhpur, the Rulers of Kashmir, Patiala, and Sindh, and the Rana of Nepal actively support the British during the revolt.
The British had way better and advanced resources and also proven generals leading their troops.
There was no common cause for the rebels, they had different goals.
Impact of the Revolt:
The Queen’s Proclamation of November 1858 announced the policy of the British Government to be followed in India.
It abolished territorial extension, the native rulers were assured of their title, land and rights, and honour if they cooperated with the British.
The ruler's right to adopt a child in the case of the absence of a natural heir was accepted.
The policy of divide and rule was actively pursued to keep the Hindus and Muslims separated leading to the gro

093: Unscripted - Part 2: Entertainment during Lockdown

092: Colonialism in India - Part 8: British East India Company Policies and Robert Clive
After the Battle of Plassey, the British East India Company under the leadership of Robert Clive realised that they can administer the Indian colony and expand their territories and improve their profits. This led to a series of new policies which resulted in many battles.
Battle of Buxar (23 June 1764)
Fought against the British under Major Hector Munro by Mir Qasim, Shuja-ud-Daulah of Avadh and Shah Alam II of Mughal
Mir Qasim fled the battlefield and later committed suicide
The Allies are defeated and Mir Jaffer is again crowned as the puppet Nawab
The company did not want to indulge in the administration of the country
They wanted to expand their settlements to improve the trade
They began involving in the affairs of the Princely States to achieve this objective
They began appointing Residents in all the Princely States to look after the relationship and trade between the company and the State
The company wanted to use political, economic and diplomatic methods to extend their influence
With the residents, the company decides who would be the successor and also who should be appointed in administrative posts in these Princely States
Robert Clive chose Warren Hastings as the British Resident for Bengal in 1758
Warren Hastings was one of the prisoners of Siraj-ud-Daulah during his campaign in Fort William
Robert Clive left India in 1760 amassing massive wealth
Clive returned to India in 1765 after the Battle of Buxar and was appointed the Governor of Bengal
After the death of Mir Jaffer in 1765, the tone of the company changed
Clive wrote a letter to the company chairman that they should become the nawab themselves
In the same year, the dual system of governance was introduced
Dual System of Bengal (1765-1772):
The East India Company set up a dual system of Diwan and Nizam
The Diwan was selected by the company for revenue collection for them and the Nizam to rule the region
The company basically took over the defence administration and left the nawab with the civil administration
This happened under the Mughal emperor, Shah Alam II who was forced to allow the company to collect taxes from Bengal, Bihar and Orissa
In return, the company paid an annual tribute to the Emperor
The revenue received from these regions were used to buy merchandise from India and the returns would go to England
Thus the company became economically self-sufficient in India - Thus began the British loot of India
The Regulating Act of 1773
The act brought the three provinces under one rule and established the governor-general of India
By 1772, the company acquired Bombay and Madras, too, as their presidencies
Warren Hastings (1773-1785) became the first Governor-General of Bengal in 1771 and the Governor-General of India in 1773
The Great Famine of 1770 (almost 10 million deaths) brought about a need to change the system in the colonies
The share prices of the company plummet and the British Government had to bail out the company
Hastings’ Judicial Plan of 1772 created Faujdhari (criminal) and Diwani Adalat in the districts of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa
Each district had a district collector - he had the power of administrator, judge and magistrate
The Kazis and pandits translated the local laws to the officials
This created a fair justice system and it led to the present-day District Administrative System
It helped correct the defects and retain the local traditions of the courts and law in the regions
But it also this led to unsatisfactory judgements due to the bias of Kazis and pandits
In 1773, a Supreme Court was established in Fort William
It was set up due to the dilemma the British government was in due to the importance of the company but their need to stop corruption
Want for expansion
After Bombay and Madras presidency, the British wanted to ex

091: Colonialism in India - Part 7: British East India Company and the Battle of Plassey
In 1588, British traders asked for permission to conduct trade in East India
The British acquired a charter from Queen Elizabeth I in 1600 and arrived in India in 1608 at Surat
The British East India Company had competitors like the Portuguese and the Dutch who had reached India before
The British decided to rely on politics to do trade with India till 1661 when they set up their first factory in Hubli (they only had trade posts till then)
They used the internal conflicts among empires for their advantage
By 1696, they began building a fort around the settlement
In 1698, they bribed the Mughal officials to give them zamindari rights to three villages (one of the villages were Calcutta)
The British also persuaded Aurangzeb to issue a Farman (a Farman is a royal order providing permission to trade)
This Farman had a condition that the trade will be duty-free leading to a huge loss for Bengal
The British officials used to indulge in private trade, adding to the woes of Bengal
After the death of Aurangzeb, the empire struggled to survive with internal issues
Murshid Quli Khan (1717-1720), Alvardi Khan (1740-1756), and Siraj-Ud-Daulah (1756-1757) were the three most powerful nawabs of Bengal
Murshid Quli Khan, the 1st Nawab of Bengal, took the matter in his own hands and started fighting against the British
Alvardi Khan was also engaged in conflicts with the Marathas
The British didn’t pay taxes, they expanded their fortification, wrote disrespectful letters to the nawab, and caused huge revenue loss to Bengal
The company tried to justify their action by saying that the nawabs made unjust demands, they imposed extreme taxes and duties, and trade can expand only through increasing settlements
The Company wanted to remove Siraj-Ud-Daulah from the rule and place a puppet ruler
The nawab asked the company to stop interfering in the region’s politics, stop fortification, and start paying taxes
These conflict of interest led to the Battle of Plassey starting with the Nawab capturing Fort William
Nawab Siraj-Ud-Daulah ordered the French and British to stop fortification of Fort William
He captured 146 Britishers and locked them up in a room that can hold only 25 people for 3 days (Black Hole Incident)
123 people died and the British retaliated leading to the Battle of Plassey
Robert Clive with an army of 3000 defeated Nawab with the help of Mir Jaffer, Nawab’s Commander-in-Chief
After defeating the nawab, he fled in a camel, but was later captured and assassinated by Mir Jafar
Mir Jaffer becomes the puppet Nawab
The Battle of Plassey was the first major victory of the company in India and it instilled the confidence in them to start administering in the colony
Source:
Crash Course Modern History | British East India Company from 1600 - 1857
Economic Impact of Colonial Rule in India
How did British occupy India? | British India Timeline | British East India Company | Eclectic
East India Company Wikipedia
Trucial States Wikipedia
Princely States Wikipedia
Attribution:
This work includes the following sounds from freesound.org/
“EPIC GAME MUSIC BEST ONE DONE ON KEYBOARD BY KRIS KLAVENES.wav” by Freesound.org member klavo1985
“Epicmusic.wav” by Freesound.org member nuria1512
“Wooden_door_open.wav” by Freesound.org member joedeshon
“field recording wood stairs going running” by Freesound.org member Garuda1982
“Writing” by Freesound.org member Hornetan1
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

090: How Does Vaccination Work?
First used to eradicate smallpox estimated to have killed about 300-500 million people.
Vaccination is different from inoculation in that inoculation is a process where the actual pathogen itself is injected and in some cases, the person inoculated may catch the disease and infection can become serious as well.
Variolation: Practised in Ottoman Empire for immunity against smallpox, brought to England by lady Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. Required quarantine. Milk Maids rejected the procedure claiming they had cowpox.
Immune cells start as stem cells within the bone marrow. Lymph nods store immune cells to be released during pathogen infection and swell during infection as a result.
Antigen Presenting Cells (APC) monitors blood for pathogens and on finding them start the process of Phagocytosis where the pathogens are ingested and broken down to be presented to the nearest lymph nodes which start the immune response. These pieces of pathogens are called antigens.
APC activates the T cells which oversee the cytokine proteins. These proteins of the immune system help regulate immunity. B cells multiply and generate antibodies that can kill the pathogens.
After the first infection, these T and B cells remain in the system preparing for future pathogen invasions.
Two types of vaccines:
Live attenuated vaccines: a mild version of the pathogen is used. Effective for a long time but the risk of being infected.
Inactivated vaccine: Dead pathogens or parts of pathogens are used. It is effective for a short term and repeated booster shots might be essential. Safer.
Herd Immunity: When a majority of people in the society get immunity which slows down the spread.
Immunological memory: Ability of an immune system to quickly and specifically recognise an antigen the body has previously seen and then initiate an immune response.
Acquired Immune System: It is a subsystem of the immune system that consists of specialised cells and processes that eliminate pathogens by limiting their growth.
Vaccination can fail due to difference in immunity amongst people. Usually has side effects and no vaccine is 100% effective
Source:
Infographic Show video: How Are Vaccines Actually Made
Reddit post on Rabies: What's a scary or disturbing fact that would probably keep most people awake at night?
Image by cottonbro from Pexels

089: Colonialism in India - Part 6: Japanese Occupation of India
They were merciless and gained confidence after the Japanese-Russian war.
The war happened between 1904-1905
The Russians did not have resources or technological advancements to fight against the Japanese
Conquered China in the 1930s
The Chinese invasion of Manchuria began on 18 September 1931
It happened right after the staged Mukden Incident
They established the puppet state of Manchukuo
The deception was exposed in 1932 by the Lytton Report
It led to Japan being diplomatically isolated and eventually, their withdrawal from the League of Nations
Nanjing Massacre
It was an episode of mass murder and rape by the Imperial Army of Japan in Nanjing, the then capital of China during the second Sino-Japanese War.
China was the underdog and much inferior army and the Japanese showed no remorse.
It happened over a period of six weeks starting from 13 December 1937
Around 40,000 to 300,000 people were murdered and looted during this period of time
The accounts of the massacre were erased by Japan shortly before their surrender in 1945
There is a huge controversy surrounding the issue including outright denial of the occurrence of the massacre to the accusation that the Chinese government exaggerated the number of people killed
But many in the Japanese government themselves have admitted to killing many non-combatants
Conquering of Burma
Japan occupied Burma (a previous British territory) from 1942-1945
The conquest began in December of 1941
Conquer of Andaman and Nicobar Islands
The conquest of the island by Japan took place in 1942
The accounts are collected from
the unpublished reports of a local resident Rama Krishna: The Andaman Islands under Japanese Occupation 1942–1945
unpublished account by a British Officer, D. McCarthy: The Andaman Interlude (he was sent on a secret mission to the islands in 1944)
and with the memories of the older inhabitants interviewed by historians
On the fourth day after the arrival of the Japanese, the first victim was killed.
A young man Zulfiqar Ali angered by the soldiers pursuing chickens in his house fired an airgun at the soldiers. He was forced to go into hiding. Once he was captured his arms were twisted till they broke and then he was fired at.
Locals joined the Indian Independence League founded by Rash Behari Bose
One of its members, Dr Diwan Singh also formed a peace committee
An airport was built through forced labour
Comfort Women were brought from South Korea to these garrisons
Most of the topmost leaders of the Indian Independence League were captured and killed
Andaman and Nicobar Islands were handed over to Indian National Army in 29 December 1943
Subhas Chandra Bose visited Port Blair and raised the INA tricolour proclaiming Azad Hind
The Japanese screened his every movement to shield the reality of the situation from Bose
The Homfray Ganj massacre took place on 30 January 1944, where 44 civilians from the island were killed on the accusation that they were spies
The Islands were ruled by the Japanese till the British took it back in October 7, 1945
In 1945, due to scarcity of food, around 250-700 inhabitants of the islands were forced to move to uninhabited islands to produce food
A rescue mission could only find 12 survivors and hundreds of skeletons on the islands. Many also died due to shark attacks
Around 2000 people were killed and over 500 tortured during the course of Japanese occupation
The Battle of Imphal
The battleground was spread across present-day Manipur and Nagaland
30,000 soldiers died. More than half while retreating due to starvation and diseases
Japan was not prepared at all. Expected to get it over within 3 weeks, but went on for months
The allied air supply was far superior
Lt. Gen. Renya Mutaguchi said the conquest would require the sacrifice of 5,000 soldiers
Hirokuni Saito’s journal gave

088: Unscripted - Part 1: Locked Down

087: Hand Sanitizer & Mouth Wash
Visit BodyCafé and use the coupon code HI15 for the best quality hand sanitizers and other beauty products.
Coupon code: HI15
What is a hand sanitizer?
It is a liquid, gel or foam used to reduce infectious agents in on our hands.
Hand wash is usually preferred as hand sanitizers cannot kill certain kinds of germs and it cannot remove harmful chemicals. But during certain situations, it is handy to use hand sanitizer over hand wash.
Effective hand sanitizer has over 60% of alcohol content. It is usually a combination of isopropyl alcohol, ethanol (ethyl alcohol) or n-propanol from 60% to 95% concentration.
It works with many microorganisms but does not have much effect in spores (a primitive usually unicellular often environmentally resistant dormant or reproductive body produced by plants, fungi, and some microorganisms and capable of development into a new individual either directly or after fusion with another spore).
Glycerol can be added to reduce drying of the skin. Fragrances can be added but it can lead to allergic reactions.
There are non-alcoholic hand sanitizers but are mostly ineffective. Alcohol-free sanitizers use povidone-iodine, benzalkonium chloride or triclosan.
Alcohol's antiseptic properties have been put into use since the 14th century but in the modern world, alcohol-based hand sanitizer became a fixture from the 1980s.
Hand sanitizers were introduced to the healthcare setting in 1966 and were popularised in the 90s.
Hand sanitizer not effective on greasy, oily surfaces. It cannot remove heavy metal and pesticides like contaminants.
Hand sanitizers are recommended only if hand wash is not available.
It is flammable so has to be handled with care.
It does not affect the beneficial microorganisms but removes the outer oil layer from the skin.
Cases of ingestion have caused deaths. During the pandemic, the scarcity of alcohol leads to nine alcoholics in New Mexico to drink hand sanitizer. They were severely injured and three died.
How to use it?
Apply product to the palm of one hand.
Rub hands together.
Rub the product over all surfaces of hands and fingers until hands are dry.
Do not go near flame or gas burner or any burning object during applying hand sanitizer.
Listerine:
Founded in 1879 by Joseph Lawrence
Named after John Lister
Kill germs that cause bad breath
Joseph Lister demonstrated in 1865 that using carbolic acid on surgical dressings drastically reduces the chance of post-surgical infection. His demonstration was inspired by Louis Pasteur's study of microbial infection.
It was promoted to the dentist as an oral care product from 1895. Finally released as over the counter mouthwash in the US from 1914.
It started as a powerful surgical antiseptic, the distilled form was sold both as a floor cleaner and as a cure for gonorrhoea.
It was not successful until the 1920s when it was promoted as a solution for chronic halitosis (bad breath).
(Mention the advertisement.)
From the 1920s-1970s it was also marketed as a preventive measure for sore throat and cold. (did not work at all)
Listerine cigarettes were also marketed in 1927.
From the 1930s - mid-1950s it was also advertised as a preventive measure for infectious dandruff.
Safety concerns were raised saying acidic mouthwash increases the chances of oral cancer but was cleared as no evidence was found to support it.
The active ingredients listed on Listerine packaging are essential oils which are menthol (mint) 0.042%, thymol (thyme) 0.064%, methyl salicylate (wintergreen) 0.06%, and eucalyptol (eucalyptus) 0.092%.
Dettol vs Savlon:
Dettol was released in 1933 as an antiseptic liquid for the treatment of cuts and wounds. It remained like that for the next 50 years.
Now it has hand wash, liquid antiseptics, body wash, plater, soap and shaving cream with 50% of market sh

086: Colonialism in India - Part 5: French Occupation of India
Their major establishments in India were Pondicherry, Karaikal, Yanam (Andra Pradesh) on Coromandel Coast and Mahe on the Malabar Coast and Chandernagor in Bengal.
By the time the French came to India, other colonial powers had multiple trading stations and ports set up. Their customs barriers, belief systems, inexperience in such large investments are quoted as some reasons for their late entry in the trade.
The first French East India Company was set up under Henry IV in 1603 but didn’t have any settlements. The second was set up in 1642, but it took its proper shape only in 1664 with the help of Jean Baptist Caillouet under Louis XIV. The company gained a monopoly for the next 50 years.
The company was given the go-ahead to trade in Madagascar (a fertile land for agriculture). But it took up a lot of resources and they dropped the idea in a few years to concentrate on India.
The duties of the company were handled by Francois Caron who previously worked with the Dutch East India Company for 30 years and reached the post of Governor-General.
Factories were opened in Surat in 1668, Masulipatnam in 1669, and Bantam, Indonesian. And in 1673 with the permission of Mughal in Chandernagore.
They established their stronghold in Pondicherry by 1674. Pondicherry was obtained from the Sultan of Bijapur. In 1701, Pondicherry was made the headquarters of French East India Company.
Dutch had seized Pondicherry from the French in the 1690s, but they took it back in 6 years through the Treaty of Ryswick. But the Dutch held their garrison in Pondicherry for another two years before leaving, eventually. (The Peace of Ryswick, or Rijswijk, was a series of treaties signed in the Dutch city of Rijswijk between 20 September and 30 October 1697. They ended the Nine Years' War which took place from 1688 to 1697 between France, and the Grand Alliance, which included England, Spain, Emperor Leopold, and the Dutch Republic.)
The War of Spanish Succession in Europe led to French losing many of their factories in India.
As the Dutch left Mauritius in 1715, the French replaced them there. Later they took over Seychelles and Chagos Islands.
By 1718 they had to leave Surat, Masulipatnam and Bantam factories because they were not able to compete with the Dutch and the British.
The company was combined with John Law’s Mississippi company in 1719. Its purpose was to run both the west and east Indian companies. But the company dissolved in a year.
In 1723, the company restarted and set up their factories in Yanam in Andhra Pradesh, Mahe, and Karaikal. They worked under the name of “The Perpetual Company of the Indies”.
They rose in power from 1720-1742 under the leadership of governors Pierre Christophe Le Noir and Pierre Benoît Dumas backed by the possession of Mauritius and the Southern Indian Ocean.
The political situation in South India was weak during the 1740s. The princely states were busy fighting each other, leaving the colonial power to conquer territories that were left without much protection such as the Coromandel Coast. (Hyderabad battling Marathas)
Joseph François Dupleix (most successful general), after he arrived in 1741, wanted to create a French empire in India. This clashed with the interest of the British. They extended their empire from Hyderabad to Kanyakumari. But the dream of further expansion was squashed by the arrival of British Governor, Robert Clive. Dupleix was sent back to France after the peace talks failed.
The British and the French got too much into the political scene of India leading to a conflict between them - Carnatic Wars (1740-1748).
Seven-year war - French and British - 1756-1763 - it is also referred to as Zero World War.
In 175

085: Colonialism in India - Part 4: Dano-Norwegian Occupation of India
First Danish East India Company
Danish India was the name given to Danish-Norwegian colonies in India.
The Danish used to trade with India before the Portuguese drove them off.
Their empire survived for over 200 years in India.
They established bases in Tharangambadi in Tamil Nadu, Serampore in West Bengal, and the Nicobar Islands.
They were able to hold on to their posts in India because they created their own niche in the trade so there was no conflict between the other empires.
But as always, the British finally took the Danish occupied regions in the 19th century (1839, 1845, 1868 to be exact).
Christian IV on 17 March 1616, ordered the creation of the Danish East India Company for managing trade with Asia for the next 12 years.
But the project took another 2 years to launch as they were not able to secure finances right away. (Dutch assistance to trade with Sri Lanka)
The first expedition to Asia took place in 1618 under the leadership of Admiral Ove Gjedde.
The crew took two years (May 1620) to reach Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka) and lost more than half its crew.
They had to occupy Koneswaram Temple as the Emperor no longer wanted to trade with anyone other than the Portuguese due to the peace treaty they signed in between.
Their trade director, Robert Crappe had already set sail to Asia a month before the main voyage started.
Their ship was sunk near Karaikal with most of the crew killed and two were placed on the beach on spikes by the Portuguese as a warning to the Danish.
Crappe and 13 other crew members who escaped were captured by native Indian and taken to the leader of Thanjavur.
The leader was interested in trading opportunities and let the Danish set up their base in Tharangambadi, building Fort Dansborg on 20 November 1620.
1621-1650
The colony faced a lot of issues due to this time. From administration to investment and loss of two-thirds of trading vessels, things looked bleak. The geographical location of the colony resulted in high tides resulting in the destruction of everything they built. The dire financial situation forced them to directly conduct business.
1625 a factory established in Masulipatnam (major hub)
Mini hubs in Pipli and Balasore
They still were under poor financial conditions and had only three ships left
Tensions began building up as they could not pay the local leader
The British and the Dutch also wanted them out but did not do anything as it would complicate their relationships in mainland Europe.
They try to sell Fort Dansborg to the Dutch in 1640
Go to war against the Mughals in 1642, capture one of their ships in the Bay of Bengal and make it theirs naming it Bengali Prize.
In 1643, the Dutch and Sweden declared war on Denmark. The Danish holdings profit decreases drastically under the Dutch and the leader sends his band to raid Tranquebar.
Christian IV, the King, dies and the company goes bankrupt.
Two years after Christian IV’s death Frederick II, his son, abolished the company.
Though abolished, the colony remained a royal property of the Danes and it was held by a garrison unaware of the developments back home. But over the years, the number of Danes decreased and it was hired by the Portuguese. It was later taken back by Eskild Anderson Kongsbakke (the only remaining Dane in Tranquebar) in 1665 and he defended it from everyone. He kept on seizing ships in the Bay of Bengal and built a wall and finally negotiated with the local leaders. This news prompted the King to send another vessel captained by Captain Sivardt Adelaer, to confirm the coming back of the colony in India again after 19 years of isolation.
Second Danish East India Company (1672-1732)
With

084: History of Marriage - Part 2
Marriages may be conducted for legal, social, emotional, financial, spiritual, political and various other reasons.
Early marriages started as strategic alliances and the parties marrying each other usually have no say in the matter at all.
Some specific rules exist about who is allowed to marry. Certain relationships are forbidden from marrying.
In modern times, interfaith and same-sex marriages are common and part of many societies around the world.
Marriage happens when the parties bring government into the commitment!
Most countries require a civil marriage and registration of the marriage to be considered valid and not just the religious ceremony.
Crazy facts:
In Ancient Greece, if a woman's father dies without a male heir, she can be forced to divorce the nearest relative. Even if she has to divorce the first wife.In some cultures, marrying to the spirit of a deceased person was also conducted to strengthen the family bond.A Roman statesman married off his wife to his friend to strengthen their bond and then remarried her when the friend died.Upper-class aristocrats usually had arranged marriages and practised adultery to help nurture the marriages. Weird.People from lower strata of the society in Europe, like peasants, had to pay a fee to marry someone they loved, else the village decides for them.It some parts of the world, loving your spouse too much and calling nicknames was all considered to be impolite.
Sources:
Wikipedia
The Spruce
Psychology Today
Live Science
International Business Times
Image by marla66 from Pixabay

083: History of Marriage - Part 1
Marriages may be conducted for legal, social, emotional, financial, spiritual, political and various other reasons.
Early marriages started as strategic alliances and the parties marrying each other usually have no say in the matter at all.
Some specific rules exist about who is allowed to marry. Certain relationships are forbidden from marrying.
In modern times, interfaith and same-sex marriages are common and part of many societies around the world.
Marriage happens when the parties bring government into the commitment!
Most countries require a civil marriage and registration of the marriage to be considered valid and not just the religious ceremony.
Crazy facts:
In Ancient Greece, if a woman's father dies without a male heir, she can be forced to divorce the nearest relative. Even if she has to divorce the first wife.In some cultures, marrying to the spirit of a deceased person was also conducted to strengthen the family bond.A Roman statesman married off his wife to his friend to strengthen their bond and then remarried her when the friend died.Upper-class aristocrats usually had arranged marriages and practised adultery to help nurture the marriages. Weird.People from lower strata of the society in Europe, like peasants, had to pay a fee to marry someone they loved, else the village decides for them.It some parts of the world, loving your spouse too much and calling nicknames was all considered to be impolite.
Sources:
Wikipedia
The Spruce
Psychology Today
Live Science
International Business Times
Image by marla66 from Pixabay

082: A Comprehensive Overview of the History Malayalam Cinema - Part 2: The 1970s till the Present
The 1970s witnessed a new wave of Malayalam cinema where the bridging of parallel and commercial cinema was at its best. It was also the time when political and action movies gained a following. Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s directorial debut, Swayamvaram in 1972 is known for pioneering the new wave of cinema movement in the industry. Chattakari (1974) and Avalude Ravukal (1978) were some of the boldest Malayalam movies of that time with the latter being the first A certified movie. The movies were based on the themes of teenage pregnancy and prostitution, respectively, which were topics that were profoundly frowned upon during those times.
The latter half of the 1970s witnessed the emergence of the legendary actor Jayan. He reformed the industry with his macho image and action sequences never seen before. Like who can forget the “We are not beggars…” dialogue from the movie Angadi (1980). It still gives me goosebumps.
Notable movies from the 1970s
Swayamvaram (1972)
Arakkallan Mukkalkkallan (1974)
Chattakari (1974)
Kodiyettam (1977)
Avalude Raavukam (1978)
Thacholi Ambu (1978)
The 1980s was the decade of combining common man’s problems with comedy. The rise of geniuses like Sreenivasan spearheaded this genre of movies to the forefront with movies such as Odaruthammava Aalariyam (1984), Sanmanassullavarkku Samadhanam (1986), Nadodikkattu (1987), and Varavelpu (1989). 1981 was a milestone year for Malayalam cinema with the release of Elippathayam and Manjil Virinja Pookkal. The former being screened at the London Film Festival and winning the Sunderland Trophy and the latter propelling Mohanlal Viswanathan, our very own Lalettan, to stardom. Though it is almost impossible to imagine that he started his career predominantly playing antagonistic characters.
M T Vasudevan Nair made his presence known with his screenplay for movies like Nakhakshathangal (1986), that helped Monisha win the National Award for Best Actress at the age of 15, and Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha (1988), an epic historical drama which showed Chandu Chekavar as a misunderstood hero. Director P Padmarajan also made his mark with the 1987 romantic drama, Thoovanathumbikal, and the 1988 mystery thriller, Aparan. The decade also delivered Malayalam’s own investigative thriller detective series with Oru CBI Diary Kurippu (1988), the first movie from the four-part series, with Mammootty playing the role of Sethurama Iyer.
The 80s observed many firsts with Padayottam (1982), a film based on the novel The Count of Monte Cristo, becoming the first Malayalam film to be shot in 70 mm, My Dear Kuttichathan (1984), the first Indian 3D film, and Adipapam (1988) gaining the crown of being the first Malayalam softcore film.
Notable movies from the 1980s
Angadi (1980)
Manjil Virinja Pookkal (1981)
Elippathayam (1981)
Padayottam (1982)
Odaruthammava Aalariyam (1984)
My Dear Kuttichathan (1984)
Nakhakshathangal (1986)
Sanmanassullavarkku Samadhanam (1986)
Nadodikkattu (1987)
Thaniyavartanam (1987)
Aparan (1988)
Oru CBI Diary Kurippu (1988)
Varavelpu (1989)
Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha (1989)
The 1990s had a great start with movies such as the comedy-thriller In Harihar Nagar (1990) and comedy-drama Godfather (1991) running for over a year in theatres gaining cult status. It also saw a few larger than life stars take on a majority of screentime. With Mohanlal and Mammooty taking lead roles in almost all genres, Suresh Gopi shining in the action movie landscape, and Jayaram starring in your next-door neighbour, family-friendly characters.
Siddique-Lal’s Vietnam Colony was released in 1992 and it is noteworthy for having plot similarities with the 2009 movie Avatar — the second highest-grossing movie in the world. What does James Cameron have to say about that, I wonder? The time also witnessed movies like Manichitrathazhu (1993) where the female

081: A Comprehensive Overview of the History of Malayalam Cinema - Part 1: Inception and Progress till 1970

080: Colonialism in India - Part 3: United East India Company and Dutch Occupation of India

079: Serial KIller Files - Part 8: Stoneman of India

078: Colonialism in India - Part 2: The Journey of Vasco da Gama and Portuguese Occupation of India

077: Colonialism in India - Part 1: Indus Valley Civilisation

076: Black Death - The Pandemic that Shook the World

075: Dissecting Blue Whales

074: Oh beer, oh beer!

073: Why Do We Remember Things?

072: Serial Killer Files Part 7 - Cyanide Lady

071: Cosmic Time Measurement In Hinduism

070: Renting A House

069: '69'

068: Water Crisis In Bangalore

067: History Of Money

066: Dyatlov Pass Incident

065: More horror featuring Indian Noir
