A young Indira Gandhi would often watch the Deepak brothers, who popularised Bhangra on stage, rehearse when they came to Delhi to perform on Republic Day or other big occasions in the early '50s, and there were occasions her father's security personnel had to beg her to go back home, claims a new book.
"The government of India's Information and Broadcasting Unit became aware of the Bhangra dance and the Deepak Brothers, and they dispatched a special unit to cover the performances. A special documentary titled 'Dharti di Jhankar' was commissioned to cover the Bhangra performances at Sunam (Punjab), writes Jewan Deepak in "Mahroks: The Story of the Kambojas, Sikhs and Shaheeds".
According to the author, the friendship Gandhi created, especially with Manohar Deepak, lasted even after she became the prime minister. According to the author, the Kamboja people are a famous Aryan tribe whose descendants are found in the Kamboja community of today's northern Indian subcontinent.
A social activist gets his face painted during a Save Democracy campaign on the eve of the birth anniversary
of BR Ambedkar, in Bhopal on Thursday.
