Mata, Martyr, Maharani
3 Glimpses- 3 contrivers of controversy

The Mata

Margaretha Geetruida is a woman scarcely talked about. Grietje (as Margaretha was called) was born in 1876 and by the time she was in early adulthood, the strands of her life were enveloped by a diabolic intruder- war. At the tender age of 18, she moved to Hague and was thereafter married to a navy officer Rudolf McLeod. The couple then moved to Java where, following a tumultuous stint, Grietje began her autonomous journey to be an international concubine. In 1905, she began to win fame as an exotic dancer from Asia and by the time she retuned to Paris, she had become Mata Hari- Eye of the day. Promiscuous, flirtious and openly flaunting her body with a mystique that captivated both her audiences and public, Mata Hari was an overnight success. During the First World War, Mata Hari was viewed as a wanton and international seductress. As a widely travelled courtesan and oriental princess Mata Hari was intercepted as a traitor coded H-21 by the Gestapo, whom they thought was deployed by the French to distract the attention of their personnel. Termed first as an international concubine and later as a double agent, Mata Hari was executed at the age of 41, following a worldwide controversy.

The Martyr

The ‘spy princess’ is a woman inconspicuously celebrated. Noor- un- Nisa Inayat Khan, or Noor was born to Indian Sufi Hazrat Inayat Khan (who was the grandson of Tipu Sultan, Maharajah of Mysore) and Begum Ora Meena Ray Baker in 1914. Although deeply influenced by the pacifist teachings of her father, Noor Inayat Khan willed to defeat Nazi tyranny. She did so by joining the French resistance in 1940 and trained in the Women’s Auxiliary Force as a wireless operator. Soon to be the first wartime woman to use wireless, Noor was deployed to Germany codenamed Nora Baker and there worked tremendously with famous underground French circuits such as ‘Prosper’. Her operations were executed under the code name Madeleine. During the interim of her stay at Germany, Madeleine also worked as a nurse and finally helped French political prisoners escape from the Gestapo. While at the war field, she dodged the Nazis till her eventual doom in 1944. Marked as a ‘Highly Dangerous Prisoner’ she was executed at Dachau concentration camp. Her timely escapes from German captivity were recorded in Nazi history as some of the most audacious. Noor was subjected to mass controversy for wartime espionage.

The Maharani

Nobody would know of that slender and sleek, white Spanish maiden till the Maharajah of Kapurthala hadn’t chanced to drop into that bar one night. She was barely a bar dancer and her’s was a true rags to riches tale. Anita Delgado- the Spanish princess of Kapurthala- a seventeen year old, sitting atop a magnificently decorated elephant who made her entry into a small town in Northern India, while congregations flanked the streets, waiting to see their queen, whiter than the Himalayas. Anita Delgado was primarily seen as a figure of defiance and controversy because she had dared to marry an Indian Maharajah. While she flaunted her villas, tennis courts, jewels and Rolls Royce’s, the internal politics of the Harem encompassed her life too. Being some fifth wife of Jagatjit Singh was just an excuse for Anita, who stole parties and social gatherings and was subjected to every mans praise. Be it the voluptuous English officers, the Nawab of Hyderabad, or the Viceroy himself, ever body fell in love with the Spanish lass. But nobody ever thought that this exotic princess would end up entwining herself in one of the most forbidden incestuous controversies that have ever rattled the British Empire. She was desolate in the end and eventually returned to Spain, bereft of the love of her Maharajah or her kingdom. She breathed her last in the arms of her son Ajit. In July 1962, Anita Delgado Briones would at last rest in peace.
Nikhil Pandhi, 10

Oxy (Moron)

Many times, while driving a point home (or at least trying to), one often ends up making a fool of oneself without realizing it. In the heat of the moment, one isn’t usually aware of one's figures of speech. At other times, we accept certain linguistic usages without thinking about what they actually mean. Stereotypes, redundancies, malapropisms and other such usages abound in our everyday conversations. A moment’s reflection on such usages reveals absurdities of meaning. Let’s, for the moment, call such usages oxymorons, though the actual meaning of this term is somewhat more technical. A few funny oxymorons that come to mind are:
a) “I saw it with my own eyes” I would never have guessed. Until you said that, I thought you saw it with someone else’s eyes.
b) “Both my hands/My two legs” Here’s my question - when you say “my hands”, or “my legs”, isn’t it understood that you’re referring to two of each since you have only two hands and two legs (unless you’re a spider)?
c) “Behind your back” Wouldn’t behind your back become your front? Think about it. The part behind your back is your front. I would, therefore, urge you, dear reader, to choose your words wisely the next time you’re faced with a discerning group. Many a time, one gets away with these oxymorons. But, when one points them out, it can get rather embarrassing.
Tushar Mehta, 12

The Song of the Snake

Look at him,
Slithering in the darkness,
Powerful & stealthy.
Look at his gleaming amber eyes,
Watch him sway his head
To the music playing in his own mind.
Watch his shining skin,
Slithering majestically on the marble.
Bow to the royalty,
The aura
He displays.
Power & authority showered by him,
The eyes livid with anger.
Slowly and softly towards his prey,
The snake he moves.
Watching death overcome,
The writhing burdened play
His forked tongue,
Exemplifying the evil,
Running through his blood.
Black and vile his body,
Robed in darkness,
Giving the appearance of a non-existent crown.
Yes he is a king.
A king sly and sharp,
The aura of death,
Cloaks him.
A king amongst beasts,
Unrivalled.
Kartikeya Khanna, 12