First Quote Added
April 10, 2026
Latest Quote Added
"Just imagine seeing this radical guitar for the first time in 1958. Launched in the midst of the great space race and despite America's obsession with science fiction at the time, the world wasn't quite ready for this futuristic six-string – but to paraphrase Marty McFly, their kids were gonna love it. While the original guitar didn't resonate with players in the late '50s and early '60s, the Explorer would go on to find an audience in the '70s when more flamboyant guitarists started to emerge. [...] Nowadays, the Explorer has firmly established itself as one of the great electric guitar designs, with famous fans such as James Hetfield, The Edge, Dave Grohl and Allen Collins using one to devastating effect on countless classic records."
"Another icon of rock ‘n’ roll rebellion and innovation from Gibson is Gibson Explorer. Its radical shape, far removed from the traditional curves of the Les Paul or the Stratocaster, was too futuristic for then guitar enthusiasts. [...] What was once seen as Gibson’s folly would go on to become one of rock’s most enduring symbols, nobody could have thought."
"Between the 1970s and 1980s this guitar truly found its audience, thanks to the rise of hard rock and heavy metal. Guitarists like Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Allen Collins and Metallica’s James Hetfield jacked Explorers, showcasing its heavy, cutting tone and solidifying its status as a rock icon. Today, the Gibson Explorer remains a well sought-after model for its historical significance, unique design, and powerful sound. It continues to be a symbol of musical innovation, embodying the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll rebellion. Whether on stage or in the studio, the Explorer challenges conventions and invites players to venture into uncharted musical territories."
Young though he was, his radiant energy produced such an impression of absolute reliability that Hedgewar made him the first sarkaryavah, or general secretary, of the RSS.
- Gopal Mukund Huddar
Largely because of the influence of communists in London, Huddar's conversion into an enthusiastic supporter of the fight against fascism was quick and smooth. The ease with which he crossed from one worldview to another betrays the fact that he had not properly understood the world he had grown in.
Huddar would have been 101 now had he been alive. But then centenaries are not celebrated only to register how old so and so would have been and when. They are usually celebrated to explore how much poorer our lives are without them. Maharashtrian public life is poorer without him. It is poorer for not having made the effort to recall an extraordinary life.
I regret I was not there to listen to Balaji Huddar's speech [...] No matter how many times you listen to him, his speeches are so delightful that you feel like listening to them again and again.
By the time he came out of Franco's prison, Huddar had relinquished many of his old ideas. He displayed a worldview completely different from that of the RSS, even though he continued to remain deferential to Hedgewar and maintained a personal relationship with him.