BBC Asian Network Sets Guinness World Record - More than 250 people joined @bbcasiannetwork Breakfast presenter @NikitaKanda in Birmingham to set a @GWR Guinness World Records title for the longest relay of people dunking pakoras. Participants formed a continuous line, dipping each pakora into the next person’s chutney before eating it and passing the challenge along. The record attempt was held at The Old Library and broadcast live on Asian Network. @bobbyfriction@MeeraSyal@TVSanjeev
Great interview with the influential and underrated @sheila_chandra on @BBC6Music with @bobbyfriction Tragic that she lost her voice, but great that she has emerged as a writer of books. Lovely Sunday soundtrack from Bobby F.
The Destruction of Sikh Art
Of all South Asia's religions, Sikhism has perhaps the worst-preserved art history. Its heritage was destroyed in three great waves.
Emperor Nero’s 2,000-year-old bathtub was carved from one of the rarest stones on Earth and is estimated to be worth around $1 billion today.
Before modern luxury, this monumental bathtub represented the height of imperial prestige. Traditionally linked to Emperor Nero, it was carved from a single block of imperial purple porphyry, one of the rarest and most prized stones of the ancient world. Mined exclusively at Mons Porphyrites in Egypt’s Eastern Desert, the deep purple stone was reserved almost entirely for Roman emperors as a symbol of absolute power and divine authority.
Several meters wide and weighing many tons, the massive basin is a remarkable example of Roman engineering and craftsmanship. Since the ancient quarry has been abandoned for centuries and imperial purple porphyry is no longer commercially available, experts estimate that sourcing an equivalent amount of the stone today could cost around $1 billion, making it one of the most valuable bathtubs ever created.