taqdiir kaa sikandar

[Rajesh Kochhar]

Both Hindus and Muslims have been using Sikandar as a "Christian " name:
Sikandar Lal, Sikandar Bakht.There is a "popular" saying: gaya  jab sikandar
duniya se dono haath khali the.This means that when Sikandar died both his
hands were empty. ( Futility of ambition)Sikandar  by his campaigns
introduced the cocept of empire into India. Interestingly, the Indian word
for Greek, Yunani, predates Alexander, who was a Macedonian. Northwest
India's introduction to Greeks came during the Persian Achaemenid times when
Ionians were brougt over, as punishment for revolt or for their  safety.
rajesh kochhar
*********************************************************************
Prof Rajesh Kochhar
Director
National Institute of Science, Technology and Development Studies
Pusa Gate , K S Krishnan Marg , New Delhi 110012
ph + 91 11  5764064 / 5743227   fax 5754640
altenative email rkochhar2000 at yahoo.com
web site  http://nistads.res.in
-----Original Message-----
From: Rajarshi Banerjee <rajarshi.banerjee at SMGINC.COM>
To: INDOLOGY at LISTSERV.LIV.AC.UK <INDOLOGY at LISTSERV.LIV.AC.UK>
Date: Wednesday, July 19, 2000 8:30 PM
Subject: taqdiir kaa sikandar


>(an Alexander in fortune > very lucky person)
>
> How common is "taqdiir kaa sikandar" as an expression
> in Urdu? in Hindi?
>
> Any other Indian languages have equivalents (with sikandar)?
>
>
> Has Alexander's name been remembered in India/Pakistan ever
> since his trip to Pakistan?
>
>RB> Bucephalus is supposed to have been buried in pakistan. Is there any
>site?
>
> Do other expressions with 'sikandar' exist in
> Urdu and Hindi?
>
>RB> muqaddar kA sikandar:  a popular hindi film.
>
>the word sikandar comes from the arabic persian/world to india and is urdu
>ranther hindi. There is no pre islamic memory of alexander in
india/pakistan
>as far as I have heard. Greek kings/satraps like antiochus and demetrius
and
>selucus(not sure?) have been mentioned but not alexander.
>
>In fact I am not even sure if there any indian records which mention ambhi
>and paruravas (porus). A popular TV series chanakya showed chanakya
>interacting with porus wonder what the basis for such stories are.