PUBLICATIONS

BOOKS

Nautch Girls of The Raj Penguin Books India (2009)
Love Stories from the Raj Penguin Books India (2009)
Marvels of Indian Painting: Rise and Demise of Company School Nevile Books (2007)
KL Saigal - Immortal Singer and Superstar Nevile Books (2006)
Beyond the Veil - Indian Women in the Raj Nevile Books (2005)
Stories from the Raj - Sahibs, Memsahibs and Others Nevile Books (2004)
Rare Glimpses of the Raj Somaiya (1998)
Nautch Girls of India: Dancers, Singers, Playmates Ravi Kumar Publisher (1996)
Love Stories from the Raj Penguin (1994)
Lahore - A sentimental Journey Allied Publishers (1992)

ARTICLES

India's Past On Canvas [source] The Tribune (2009)
William Hodges was the first artist whose works introduced the Indian landscape, architecture and life to the West. Pran Ne... [more]
INDIA: A French View [source] The Tribune (2009)
            Artist’s representation of celebrations of “Charak Puj... [more]
God's Own Land [source] The Tribune (2009)
God's own land The magnificence and beauty of Kashmir is unrivalled and undisputed. This paradise on ear... [more]
The story of Pushkar [source] The Tribune (2008)
The story of Pushkar The first pictorial representation of Pushkar appeared in 1848, nineteen years after the first written account of ... [more]
Beating the heat [source] The Tribune (2008)
Beating the heat Cooling tales from the Raj by Pran Nevile ... [more]
Melodies on record [source] The Tribune (2008)
Melodies on record Much before playback singers entertained listeners, a host... [more]
In The Company of Art [source] The Tribune (2007)
The Company School of Painting, or pictures made by artists during the British Raj, refers to the genre of pictures that were specifically commissioned by or made for the... [more]
Forgotten voiceMASTER MADAN [source] The Tribune (2006)
There has never been a singer like Master Madan who sang with a touch of the divine. There has been no effort to keep the memory of the child prodigy alive either in Jala... [more]
Back to Lahore [source] The Tribune (2006)
Pran Nevile reminisces about the land of his birth, once called the Paris of the East. The memoir recaptures the atmosphere, ambience, mood, lifestyle that existed in thi... [more]
Golden era's melody man [source] The Tribune (2005)
Gifted with a rich sonorous voice, Pankaj Mullick has left his imprint on both film and non-film music. Pran Neville remembers this musical genius in his centenary year ... [more]
Star who sang her way into hearts [source] The Tribune (2005)
Suraiya was the last one to play the dual role of a singing-star in cinema before the advent of playback singers in the late 1940s. She co-starred with K.L. Saigal, the l... [more]
Remembering Khurshid [source] The Tribune (2004)
CELEBRATIONS of singing legend K.L. Saigal’s centenary cannot but revive memories of Khurshid, a singing star of the 1940s who attained fame and popularity after teaming up w... [more]
Noor Jehan lives on in her songs [source] The Tribune (2004)
NOOR Jehan, the melody queen who enchanted millions of music lovers in the subcontinent for more than half a century passed away four years ago in Karachi on December 23,... [more]
Portraits of feminine mystique [source] The Tribune (2004)
"ART is the creation of beauty", says Will Durant. "It is the expression of thought or feeling in a form that seems beautiful or sublime." Indian art is a mirror of femininity ... [more]
Nautch girls: Sahibs danced to their tune [source] The Tribune (2004)
The nautch girl held the white sahib spellbound for nearly two centuries. Pran Nevile describes the magnetic appeal, grace and romance of the nautch which was found superior to all operas of t... [more]
True Punjabi [source] The Tribune (2004)
MY association with Prakash Tandon who passed away recently covered nearly four decades. He was my boss at one time during my stint with the State Trading Corporation (1969-73)... [more]
Salute to a legend [source] The Tribune (2004)
HE was all music, an extraordinary artiste and master of his craft. Whether K.L. Saigal sang better with or without liquor is of little importance. Sadly though, there is hard... [more]
Heroine who carried honey in her throat [source] The Tribune (2004)
Kanan Bala was among the first superstars of Indian cinema. Her melodious voice and exceptional acting abilities mesmerised audiences. Pran Nevile pays a tribute to the actress whose death a... [more]
More than a bus, it’s a bridge of faith [source] The Tribune (2003)
THE Delhi-Lahore bus, put back on track on July 11, was once again hailed as a historic step on the long road to Indo-Pak peace. The Wagah border came to life with jubilant cro... [more]
Memsahibs and the Indian marriage bazaar [source] The Tribune (2003)
THE imperial enterprise was a masculine affair. Until the late 18th century, very few British women ventured to come to India. The original charters of the East India Company a... [more]
Hindi cinema's First superstar [source] The Tribune (2003)
With his stunning portrayal of Devdas, Saigal brought the author Saratchandra’s desperate character to life. His brooding looks, that drooping lock of hair and his mournful s... [more]
The importance of being Gauhar Jan [source] The Tribune (2002)
GAUHAR Jan of Calcutta, who became a legend at the turn of the 20th century was one of the most renowned and charismatic performing artistes of her time. The first art... [more]
Defending astrology teaching in educational institutions [source] The Tribune (2002)
One fails to understand the noise about the introduction of astrology teaching in the Indian educational institutions. From time immemorial, astrology has wielded pervasive or peripheral influence in ... [more]
There was divine magic in his voice [source] The Tribune (2002)
REMEMBERED as one of the greatest singers of the 20th century, K.L. Saigal was an outstanding artiste who brought music to the masses. Earlier, enjoyment of music was a privile... [more]
Stories of royal romance from Mughal India [source] The Tribune (2002)
THE Mughal India presented an exotic view of the Orient. Royal harems were famous the world over for their hordes of ravishing beauties, dripping with pearls and diamonds... [more]
An ode to the painted photograph [source] The Tribune (2002)
THE camera made its appearance in 1839 when Louis Daguerre unveiled his invention in Paris. The first photographs were hailed as mirrors of reality. It brought a crisis in art ... [more]
The Ghazal King and Mirza Ghalib [source] The Tribune (2001)
K.L. Saigal passed away on January 18, 1947, even before completing 43 years of life. Fiftyfour years have gone by and it is pity that we have, so far, not set up any fit... [more]
Sahibs’ impressions of Divali [source] The Tribune (2001)
British were greatly impressed by the hectic gaiety of the Indians at their fairs and festivals. We come across fascinating accounts of these joyous events by men and women authors... [more]
Tales of nautch entertainment [source] The Tribune (2001)
LOUIS Rousselet was an extraordinary French traveller who visited India in the second half of the 19th century. He has left behind one of the most detailed accounts of hi... [more]
Trees with spiritual attributes [source] The Tribune (2001)
FROM time immemorial, certain trees and plants in India have been invested with divine attributes. Hindus were taught to worship and revere trees and plants in the belief... [more]
Forgotten feats of Indian jugglers [source] The Tribune (2001)
THE most amazing and mind-boggling tricks and feats are said to have been performed by Indian jugglers. European accounts refer at length to their performances, including... [more]
Stunning Portrayals [source] The Tribune (2000)
From Anarkali to present-day beauty queens, Punjabi women have reigned supreme in terms of their grace, charm and beauty. Portraits done by artists during the 18th century ... [more]
The World of a Geisha [source] The Tribune (2000)
The age -old Japanese institution of the geisha has once again come into limelight with the reported tirade by Mineko Iwasaki, the world’s most famous geisha, against A... [more]
When everybody is a "mass of red and yellow" [source] The Tribune (2000)
Holi, the festival of spring, has always been popular in India for its colourful hilarity, fun and laughter. It had special attraction for the British sahibs who descri... [more]
What a heaven she must make of CASHMERE [source] The Tribune (2000)
British professional artists, lured by the prospect of fame and fortune, began arriving in India from 1760s onwards. While most of them applied their talents to landscape... [more]
Imperial Beauties of the Raj [source] The Tribune (2000)
European artists devoted their talents to depicting imperial Indian beauties in their own inimitable style. Among the earliest European observers, who claim to have gazed at th... [more]
Tamancha Jan [source] The Friday Times (1999)
Tamancha Jan- by Pran Nevile, The Friday Times Meeting Tamancha Jan after nearly 52 years was a moving and memorable experience during my recent visit to Lahore. Who is Tama... [more]
The nautch girls of colonial Punjab [source] The Tribune (1999)
FROM time immemorial, poets and bards have sung in praise of the dancing damsels who appear as Apsaras in mythology, and as ganikas, nartakis, devadasis, kanchanis, tawaifs and... [more]
The courtesan was also a scholar [source] The Tribune (1999)
Devadasis from Andhra dominated the cultural scene in South India. The classic example was the celebrated devadasi Muddupalani who adorned the royal court of the Nayak... [more]
Enchanting women of Himachal [source] The Tribune (1999)
THE British who came to India as traders, eventually emerged as a dominant political power by the end of 18th century. The prospect of fame and fortune also lured the British a... [more]
He poured his soul into songs [source] The Tribune (1999)
REMEMBERED as the greatest singer of the century, K.L. Saigal with his god-gifted voice became a legend in his own lifetime. This singing superstar of the 30s and the 40s still... [more]
Early images of the Golden Temple [source] The Tribune (1999)
SRI HARMANDAR SAHIB or the Golden Temple dominates the holy city of Amritsar, which commands the same adoration and reverence of the Sikhs as does Varanasi of the Hindus. Found... [more]
Lahore revisited [source] The Tribune (1998)
LAHORE has a long and ancient past. The gateway to the subcontinent, it had through the centuries attracted trade caravans, plundering hordes and conquerors in search of wealth and ... [more]