First Quote Added
April 10, 2026
Latest Quote Added
"[While blind and reduced to begging] Oh ye whom Allah gave the gift of sight, To fill your eyes with beauty and delight, Spare me a thought to whom your wondrous world is but a city of eternal night. Alms for the love of Allah."
"[to the Princess, who believes he is a spirit living in the palace pond] Very good dijinn are just as tiresome as very good men."
"Mortals are weak and frail. If their stomach speaks, they forget their brains. If their brain speaks, they forget their hearts. And if their hearts speak, hahahahaha, if their hearts speak, they forget everything!"
"[to Ahmad] Men are evil, hatred in their eyes, lies on their lips, betrayal in their hearts. You will learn one day, great king, that there are three things that men respect; the lash that descends, the yoke that breaks and the sword that slays. By the power and terror of these you may conquer the Earth."
"[to the Princess, after she attempts to flee to find Ahmad] Forget Ahmad; he's no longer blind. For a man with eyes, the world is full of women. Only I am cursed, that I can see only you."
"Three brave hearts, adventuring in a wonder world!"
"One thousand and one sights from the thousand of one nights...."
"THE WONDER of the Enchanted Princess. Whoever looks upon her beauty dies---but Ahmad dares to win her favor!"
"THE MOST ROMANTIC ROGUE OF ALL TIME!"
"Conrad Veidt - Jaffar"
"Sabu| - Abu"
"June Duprez - the Princess"
"John Justin - Ahmad"
"Rex Ingram - the Djinn"
"Miles Malleson - the Sultan of Basra"
"Morton Selten - the Old King"
"Mary Morris - Halima, Jaffar's agent, and the "Silver Maid""
"Bruce Winston - the Merchant"
"Hay Petrie - the Astrologer"
"Adelaide Hall - the Singer"
"Roy Emerton - the Jailor"
"Allan Jeayes - the Story Teller"
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.