Google Doodle honours Samuel Johnson, father of modern dictionary, on 308th birthday

Google Doodle pays homage to Samuel Johnson, a British lexicographer, published the Johnson’s: A Dictionary of the English Language in 1755. At 18-inches tall, the dictionary was described as “one of the greatest single achievements of scholarship,” and had a far-reaching effect on modern English.

Now you might google a word for its meaning, but long before 1996 (or 1998, depending on which year you credit the birth of Google, the project or the company), there was the not-so-humble dictionary. If you needed to check a word, its meaning or pronunciation, that’s where you’d have to go. Which is what makes today’s Google doodle a tad bit ironical as it honours Samuel Johnson, known as the father of the modern dictionary, on his 308th birthday.

The British lexicographer – a person who compiles dictionaries – published the Johnson’s: A Dictionary of the English Language in 1755. It took him nine years to compile the book (and it is said he sat only after noon to work on it), which he’d initially intended to finish in three. It was described as “one of the greatest single achievements of scholarship,” and had a far-reaching effect on modern English. The man himself has been described by the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography as “arguably the most distinguished man of letters in English history”.

Born in 1709 to a bookseller and his wife in Staffordshire, England, Johnson’s dictionary was called ‘colossal’ at nearly 18 inches tall, and was the premier English dictionary till the Oxford English Dictionary was published in 1928 (this was when the last volume was published. The first was out in 1884). Though, it’s important to note that Johnson’s was not the first dictionary, but the ones that preceded him were of poor quality, while the committed Tory’s version had wit and the explanations were quite entertaining.

Sample this, “Lexicographer: A writer of dictionaries; a harmless drudge that busies himself in tracing the original, and detailing the signification of words”; “Dull: Not exhilaterating (sic); not delightful; as, to make dictionaries is dull work”.

According to the Google Doodle team, “Johnson was also a poet, essayist, critic, biographer and editor. Johnson’s dictionary was more than just a word list: his work provided a vast understanding of 18th century’s language and culture. His lasting contributions guaranteed him a place in literary history.”

Johnson’s dictionary is said to have just 42,773 entries, compared to more than 250,000 words in the English language, and was reportedly sold at a £4 10s at the time (which is said to be equivalent to £350, or Rs 30,500, today).

The Truth Behind One of Princess Diana's Most Memorable Dresses

 Princess Diana and Prince Charles separated in late 1992 after 11 years of marriage (and scandals), and by the Summer of 1994, the 30-year-old mother of two was single and ready to mingle. In addition to being newly unattached, Diana was also

In addition to being newly unattached, Diana was also a bona fide style icon. She was renowned and revered for her taste in fashion, and designers all over the world clamoured to dress her for high-profile events — so when it came time for her to choose a look for an upcoming party, Diana didn't take the decision lightly.

Nobody expected that the dress she would wear would become one of the most iconic moments in fashion history — except, perhaps, for Diana herself.

On June 29, 1994, Serpentine Gallery held its annual Summer soiree in London's Kensington Gardens, and Diana was due to attend the dinner being hosted by Vanity Fair.

She bought a dress from Valentino, but much to her chagrin, his house released an unauthorised press statement about her look — Diana was so put off by the display of "crude opportunism" that she immediately changed her mind.

Instead, she decided to wear what would become one of her most memorable and statement-making looks: a form-fitting black off-the-shoulder number by Greek designer Christina Stambolian.

The s**y LBD was actually made for Diana three years earlier, but according to Christina, the princess "thought it was too daring."

The dress, which had a ruched, asymmetrical bodice with cap sleeves and a sash at the side, hugged Diana's curves perfectly, and was perhaps her most daring and strategic fashion move to date.

Why? Because Diana knew that on the same night as the Serpentine event, her estranged husband Prince Charles would officially confess to his adulterous relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles in a televised documentary about his life and work. "She wanted to look a million dollars," said her former stylist, Anna Harvey. "And she did."

When Diana stepped out of her car to greet the party hosts and waiting fans, she knew her stunning look would make an impression (and be all over the news).

She paired the dress with a monochrome choker and pearl earrings; simple, elegant accessories that aided — and didn't distract from — the look, an ensemble that was much more brazen than anything she had worn in the past.

Auction house boss Kerry Taylor, whose company auctioned off 10 of Diana's dresses in 2013 — further explained the significance of the moment in a documentary about the late princess. "We called that 'The Revenge Dress,'" Kerry said. "While some would have been like, 'I can't face it this evening,' Diana went out in that dress looking drop dead gorgeous. She made a big statement right there."

While we tragically lost Princess Diana in a car crash in August 1997, her legacy lives on in her two sons, Princes William and Harry, her endless dedication to philanthropy, and yes, her elegant (and sometimes daring) sense of style. Diana's smart, s**y LBD will go down in the books as one of the most audacious and deliberate examples of revenge dressing.

34 times the Duchess of Cambridge dressed like Princess Diana 

Princess still in distress

Illustration by Vinay Kumar

The pathos of Princess Jahanara’s life is reflected in her grave too

Jahanara Begum led a life of hardships and now more than 300 years after death her agony continues as her grave lies neglected with the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the Nizamuddin Dargah Committee washing their hands off the matter. The ASI says guards are there only to protect the tomb from vandals while the Nizami family, trustees of the shrine of Hazrat Nizamuddin, contend that the ASI is the caretaker since the grave comes under the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act. As it cannot circumvent this it is just a helpless onlooker. But the fact remains that the grave needs repairs and clearing of waste left behind by pilgrims to the adjacent shrine, most of whom don’t even know who Jahanara was!

It’s not so much grass that grows on Jahanara Begum’s grave these days as shrubs. Her wish to be buried in a “kuccha” grave was duly fulfilled though a sarcophagus protects it from the elements, open as it is to the sky but situated in an enclosed chamber with perforated marble screens, south of the Dargah of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. 

Still, when one sees it, one is reminded of the Persian poet Sadi’s poignant lines :

“I saw some handful of the rose in bloom with bands of grass suspended from a dome/I said, ‘What means this worthless grass that it should in the rose’s fairy circle sit?”/Then wept the grass and said, ‘Be still and know the kind their old associates ne’er forgo/Mine is no beauty here or fragrance-true. But in the garden of the Lord I grew.” No wonder grass springs up like hope eternal even on old forgotten monuments, where no roses may bloom. Grass is never a deserter. That was why Shah Jahan’s eldest daughter wanted it to grow on her grave.

Forced spinsterhood found an outlet in poetry and both Jahanara and her sister Roshanara gave vent to their feelings in verse. Persian was the language employed, as Urdu was considered the camp language and was yet to take over its predominant position. Persian similes and metaphors, like the jam (wine cup), the shama (lamp), the moth, the mythical mountain Kohkaf and the bulbul were hardly considered alien at a time when the ambience at the Mughal court was the same as that of Persia, Arabia or Turkey. As a matter of fact, even present day Urdu poetry waxes eloquent on them – and who doesn’t enjoy this escape to a romantic past, so far removed from the mundane image of the modern age when Kohkaf has been identified as the Caucasus mountain?

Even such a selfless person as Jahanara must have no doubt yearned for someone, who could be the master of her heart. Her emotions are portrayed in her poetry, which is that of a pious woman deeply attached to her Maker. She was also a great lover of gardens and laid the Begum Bagh in Delhi, in which was also situated the Begum Sarai. Outside the bagh was the Chandni Chowk, which was also her creation. After Aurangzeb came to power Jahanara preferred to stay with her father, who was held captive in the Agra Fort for seven years until his death on 16th January, 1666. She became a recluse after that and patronized mystics and mendicants until her own death. As per her wishes, she was buried in the tomb she had built for herself in 1681, next to the shrine of the saint she held in high regard.

The hollow sarcophagus is the receptacle, in which the grass grows in accordance with her epitaph. “Let naught cover my grave save the green grass, for grass will suffice as covering for the lowly.” And yet she was the one, who was once the virtual ruler of Hindustan and whose “pandan kharch” (betel leaf expenses literally but pin-money in this case) which was met by the revenue of two flourishing ports of the Mughal empire. Sleep well, gentle princess!

When Rudyard Kipling visited her grave in the 19th Century he couldn’t help comparing her to Christina Georgina Rossetti, the celebrated sister of Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882) writer of the famous poem “The Blessed Damozel”. Christina too died a spinster in 1894 when the last of the Mughal princess were still alive in the Mori Gate. Hence Kipling’s poignant comparison of the green grass growing over their lowly graves, with Christina’s words ringing in his ears; “Be the green grass above me/With showers and dewdrops wet…/I shall not hear the nightingale/Sing on as if in pain/And dreaming through the twilight/That doth not rise nor set/Haply I may remember/And haply may forget.” Few indeed forget Christina Rossetti after visiting her last resting place! The same is true of Jahanara.