Frankly Speaking

A Mistake Is Entitled To A Correction

2012-01-04T15:41:00.000+05:30

Few years back I approached Army Headquarters’ Adjutant General's Branch to obtain dependent certificates for my sons. As I approached the concerned officer in the AG’s Branch, he noted down my service details and asked me to wait in the visitors' room for a while. Though, I was expecting that after submitting my request I would be asked to come the next day or after few days, as it is done in other Government Departments, but to my pleasant surprise, in just about fifteen minutes' time, the Subedar Clerk of the concerned section came to the visitors' room and handed me the dependent certificate (swift action might have been due to the genius of computerization). As I glanced through the document I was surprised to find a different name of one of my sons, although other details on the document were correct. On asking for the dependent certificate for the second son, the Subedar Clerk replied that my record of service showed only one child.

I thought for a while and could immediately put two and two together.

Both my sons were born at Military Hospital, Jalandhar Cantt, where I was posted during my Army tenure in early eighties. When my first child was expected, we, in the family often discussed that if it was a boy we would name him Sapandeep and if it was a girl, then the name would be Deepali, (that reflected my fancy for word 'Deep' which means lamp or the source of light). While my wife was in total agreement with me on this matter, my mother differed and categorically told us that firstly, she was damn sure that it would be a boy and secondly that he would be named Sartaj Singh.

As the D day approached, we were blessed with a son, the grandmother’s wish was honored and the new born was christened Sartaj Singh.

In the Army, the personal effects of an officer, like marriage and birth of children are published by the officer’s unit in which he or she is serving, which are called Part Two Orders which are further forwarded to the Army Headquarters for putting them in the record of service of the officers in addition to the official effects like date of birth, date of commission, dates of transfers/postings, appointments held, training courses undergone, promotion examinations passed, medical category held, battles fought, and honors and awards won.

It had so happened that after the birth of my elder son, the Unit Head Clerk, while publishing the Part Two Orders, had not consulted me about the name of the child and had instead depended on the informal information emanating out of the discussion which had been going on for some time amongst Battalion officers about the name of my son and had published his name as Sapandeep Singh which in turn was recorded in the Army Headquartes too. Another mistake which was committed was that the Part Two Orders were not at all published with regard to the birth of my second son due to an oversight, since, at the time of his birth, i was away undergoing three months' Junior Command Course at College of Combat Mhow (Madhya Pradesh), and in the bargain, my record of service in the Army Headquarters showed only one child and that too with a wrong name.

I narrated the complete story to the Officer concerned of the section who asked me to submit two affidavits, one for the change of the name of my elder son, giving due justification and second, for the birth of my younger son, along with relevant documents like, birth certificate and or class tenth certificate, where the correct date of birth is recorded along with the names of both the parents. I submitted the said affidavits, with the desired documents and I got my Modified Record of Service, duly showing all the correct details about my service and my family etc.

Well a mistake can always be committed in documentation due to an oversight but a mistake is also entitled to a correction. I don’t know the actual facts of two dates of birth shown in General VK Singh’s record of service, but if it was a mistake committed by him while filling up his UPSC forms then certainly the mistake needs to be rectified.

Happy New Year

2011-12-30T14:58:00.003+05:30

Wishing all my friends, a very Happy and Prosperous New Year

Please Don't Fall into This Trap

2011-10-31T19:55:00.007+05:30

I have received a mail from some Burton who calls himself the Google Promotion Agent and tells me that my e-mail account has won 5,00,000 GBP. He says that my e-mail id has been short listed for the prize to celebrate the 13th anniversary of Google and the that i am being rewarded for using google mail for last so many years. I checked up by searching his name in the google search engine and found out that there were numerous Gmail users like me who have received such mail calling them winners. The modus operendi seems to be to ask you to come to a fictitious address in London or if you are staying in some far away land on this globe and can not come to London (which most probabaly must be the case while selecting the victims by the senders) then you will be asked for your bank account details and then either your account balance will be syphoned off or you will be asked to first deposit some money as International Transfer commission in his bank and then you will never hear from him. Earlier many citizens have been defrauded by some fraudsters who used Reserve Bank's Logo on the mail and asked them to deposit cash in some bank account. My sencere request to all my friends is not to fall into such traps.

Can Google check up that who is sending such mails on thier behalf and take appropriate action ??

The text of the said mail is reproduced below in green clour for distinction. I could not capture the Google Logo and the Watermark received in the mail while copying this document on my blog as it was in Microsoft Word Format :-

©2011 Giveaway Promo Team

Belgrave House, #76 Buckingham Palace Road London SW1W 9TQ.

Tel: +44 702 4084626, +44 702 4064514,

Fax: +448704710767, +44 700 597 8372.

Office Open 7 Days, 8am-6pm.

DEAR GOOGLER (WINNER),

13TH ANNIVERSARY PROMOTIONs.

I'm pleased to inform you that your email address has been checked and it falls among our ten (10) lucky winning email addresses for this year promo draw. On behalf of all team, I'm happy to inform you that you actually emerged a winner of £500,000.00 GBP (Five hundred thousand Great British Pounds) under Category (A), which is part of our 13th Anniversary promotional draws. No purchase of Tickets were required for this draw, all Participants (email addresses) for this draws were randomly picked from a worldwide range of Gmail users, web searchers (our Google Search Engine users) and other Google ancillary services through a computer ballot system and this was how your email was picked. This promo is organized by Google UK Organization to mark her 12th year of existence in the UK which also aimed to say "Thank you" to our numerous customers/users of our search engine and other ancillary services who have in one way or the other made us what we are today.

OPTIONS OF CLAIM (MODALITIES):

1 - Personal prize Pickup:

All winners are required to come down in person to personally pickup their prize at any of our disbursement locations (cash pickup centers) here in LONDON.

Requirements for personal prize pickup are:

(a) A printed copy of your Winning Notification (the first mail you received from us)

(b) An International Passport or Drivers license

(c) A tax clearance certification.

(d) Birth Certificate or Affidavit of age Declaration

(e) Police report attesting your patriotism and crime free citizen of your Country (Note: You are only required to present the above documents only when visiting us in person)

NOTE: Claim deadline for this option is exactly 30 working days from the receipt of this mail.

In receipt of these requirements your cash will be made available to you after 24hrs. This option is basically for winners who can easily visit us in person with the above stated pickup requirements. Scan copy of your Flight Ticket should be forwarded to us one week before your flight to UK to enable us assign delegates who would welcome you at the airport

Inability to meet up with this stipulated date either due to none availability of some claims documents above, none availability of travel documents etc. may result to loss of winnings as funds will be re-used for other upcoming draws. This option is recommended by the Google lotto management to clear doubts and unnecessary thinking as regard this Promo. This is because we have had series of complaints from individuals that people are using our company name for various forms of indecent acts. Thus, as part of verification/confirmation; our 10 lucky winners are advised to come and pickup their reward in person from our disbursement centre here in UK.

2- On-line Swift Telegraphic Bank Transfer:

Your £ 500,000.00 GBP which you have won will be transfer to your bank account via swift bank transfer. Condition: You shall be responsible for the international transfer commission what will be charged by our paying Bank since no tickets were sold for the promotion. This option is basically design for winners who are not resident of UK and winners who cannot visit our payment office in London.

Kindly fill the FORM below with the required data and send it back immediately either via email or Fax. To fill in your detail in the form, just click on the provided space “box” and fill in your data.

WINNERS PRIZE RELEASE ORDER FORM

Prefix (Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr.):

First name :

Middle name :

Last name :

Date of Birth:

Occupation :

Address :

City/State/province

Country :

Telephone number(s):

Mobile number(s):

Email Address 1&2:

Amount won / Date of notification

Ticket number / Lucky numbers

CGPN Number

Payment Options (tick on any of the payment option, the one that you find most convenient) Personal prize Pickup.

Online Bank Transfer.

I expect you to fill and return the Release Order Form above within 24hrs upon receipt of this message so that appropriate arrangement can be put in place. Congratulations to you once again!!!

Sincerely,

MR. PAUL BURTON

Verification/ Payment office

A Promise to Pay

2011-09-19T13:00:00.003+05:30

(click on the images to enlarge)

Yes these are specimens of Rs 5000/- and Rs 10000 denomination currency notes. Don't get surprised. India is not a poor country and she never was. These notes were in circulation in our country even after India's Independence and were later withdrawn in 1978 to arrest black money.

Even today Indians have the largest deposits of money in foreign Banks like Swiss Banks etc.

It is alleged that according to the Swiss Banking Association Report of 2006, Swiss Banks deposits by top five countries were :-

India : $ 1456 Billon

Russia : $ 470 Billion

UK : $390 Billion

China: $ 96 Billion

(Based on a statement by Mr. Joginder Singh, former Director CBI, in a reputed magazine)

Incidentally the figures might have changed upwards since then as the report is of 2006. And Swiss banks are only one of the tax havens. There may be much more Indian money deposited in other banks abroad by our corrupt citizens.

Alas !! If only the country's wealth was equally distributed we won't have slums, illiteracy, malnutrition, and violent groups like naxalites and our Defence forces would have been stronger than those of America or China.

Two Dominions Were Born

2011-08-13T20:38:00.008+05:30

Published below is an image of a newspaper clipping dated 15th August 1947, the day when India got independence. The headlines of the newspaper are self explanatory. The independence came at a cost because on 15th August 1947, India not only achieved independence but was also partitioned into two parts and which has proved to be the biggest historical mistake that our political leaders of that time committed. Two nation theory was considered as the basis of partition, where it was argued, that while Pakistan, as an Islamic Republic, will inhabit majority Muslims, India, as a secular state, will inhabit the rest of the non Muslim population, albeit, with Hindu majority. But actually more Muslims stayed back in India than the sum total of the Muslims of East and West Pakistan. The partition of India not only resulted into large scale bloodshed on both sides of the borders, dividing the two nations, but also created a dissatisfied and an unstable small nation on its western as well as eastern flanks as west and east Pakistan respectively, (though the eastern part of Pakistan got liberated later in 1971 and became an independent nation as Bangladesh). The dissatisfaction of Pakistan in its share after division was reflected by its claim over the state of Jammu and Kashmir, which had become integral part of India through accession by its ruler, like other numerous erstwhile princely states had done. Pakistan not only laid claims on the legitimate Indian territory but also launched an attack and captured a large chunk of Jammu and Kashmir which is now called Pakistan occupied Kashmir. That also resulted into three conventional wars between the two countries and since Pakistan met humiliating defeat in the later two wars it took a resolve to bleed India through a thousand cuts in the form of fomenting terrorism.This also gave the western countries, particularly America, an excuse, ostensibly, to prevent the two adversaries from fighting a nuclear war but actually, which served their own interests to maintain their dominance in the region.

Pakistan, instead of developing into a self sufficient responsible state, became a stooge of the western world, receiving trillions of dollars to help them fight terrorism. But actually instead of using that aid for its intended purpose, Pakistan used the same to run terrorist camps on its own land, primarily, with an aim to exporting terrorism not only into India, but also into other parts of the world.

To conclude i have nothing to say but quote a famous Urdu couplet :-

"यह वक़्त भी देखा है तारीख की घड़ियों ने

लम्हों ने खता की थी, सदियों ने सज़ा पाई"

"Yeh waqt bhee dekha hai taareekh ki ghadiyon ne

Lamhon ne khata kee thee, sadiyon ne sazaa payee"

"The annals of history bear witness to the times when, for mistakes committed in moments, centuries had to pay the price"

Click on the image to enlarge.

Osama or 'Raqtbeej'

2011-05-08T07:25:00.007+05:30

By killing Osama Bin Laden, America has eliminated the Frankenstein monster that it had once created to act against the then USSR, but who turned against America itself after the USSR withdrawal from Afganistan. So, nothing great in that except the style of doing it, ie., killing the monster in a covert operation without the knowledge of it's misguided brat Pakistan, whom the US has been nurturing in its arms and nourishing him since long and in whose backyard the monster was living in style. The Americans chose a code word 'Geronimo' for Osama.

( Geronimo--June 16, 1829 – February 17, 1909, was a prominent Native American leader of the Chiricahua Apache who fought against Mexico and the United States for their expansion into Apache tribal lands for several decades during the Apache Wars. Allegedly "Geronimo" was the name given to him during a Mexican incident, but his real name was Goyaałé from the Chiricahua language meaning "one who yawns"; often spelled Goyathlay or Goyahkla^[2]^[3] in English.
After an attack by a company of Mexican soldiers killed many members of his family in 1858, Geronimo joined revenge attacks on the Mexicans and later against the United States. He became known for bravery and daring feats and was revered by the Apaches as a warrior with spiritual powers. In 1886 Geronimo was eventually tracked down by U.S. authorities and surrendered. As a prisoner of war in old age he became a celebrity but was never allowed to return to the land of his birth. He later regretted his surrender and claimed the conditions he made had been ignored. Geronimo died in 1909 after being thrown from his horse.
--Source Wikipedia).

If India was to carry out such an operation and if i was to choose a code word for him i would have chosen 'Raqtbeej' after the name of legendary demon, who fought with the gods in the famous battle of gods and demons (The Indian legend has it that 'Raqtbeej' was blessed with a boon that if he was killed in the battlefield, his every single drop of blood will give birth to another form of his. When the gods got frustrated after finding that Raqtbeej was not meeting his end and that every time he was killed by the gods, his blood drops turned into many more 'Raqtbeej' after coming into contact with the earth. They all implored goddess Kali who had to drink all the blood oozing out from the body of 'Raqtbeej' before it dropped on the earth to form numerous other demons and thus the gods got rid of 'Raqtbeej' and ultimately won the battle with the demons)

So America and rest of the peace loving world will do better not to slip into complacency after the death of Osama. Although his 'will' mentions that he did not want his sons to join Al Qaida and become terrorists like him but there are many more mad men who will carry the blood of 'Raqtbeej' and will try to avenge his death and take the jihad ahead declared by Osama.

Any present day god, goddess, god man or god woman around who may be ready to drink the blood of the modern day 'Raqtbeej' to prevent the blood drops turning into numerous other such 'Raqtbeejas ???

New Year ?? Which One ???

2011-01-03T10:26:00.005+05:30

A friend once wished me happy new year on my birthday which falls in August. I thought that it might have been due to slip of tongue and thanked him for the wishes. But later, when I gave it a second thought, his wishes sent me on a thinking spree.

The new year need not necessarily fall on 1st January. My friend might have wished me some other new year, as there are a number of them, and more so in our country, inhabiting a number of communities. The business community, particularly in western part of India, celebrates new year on second day of Diwali. Then there is Parsi new year, Buddhist new year, Assamese new year called 'Bihu', Bangla Nav Varsh called 'Poila Baishakh', Marathi New Year called Gudi Parva, Punjabi new year (on the first day of Chaitra and not Baishakhi as is popularly believed by many) and such many more. Only the rituals to celebrate these various new years differ from community to community.

While the Christian era new year is marked with 'spirited' revelry, carrying out surveys of the past and prophesies for the future, and distributing calendars and gifts, the celeberations for the other new years involve religious ceremonies and folk festivities.

Some of our official calendars show two more dates along side the Gregorian ones ie., from 'Vikrami' and 'Saka' samvats. One of these is much ahead of our times and the other one, as much behind. No wonder the former is the 'samvat' followed by the business community and the latter, our 'sarkari' one, which is showing 1932 this year and sure enough, the look inside some of our 'sarkari' offices match that age.

Coming back to the new year's wishes that my friend conveyed to me on my birthday, well ! when there are so many calendar years around, why can't you have your personal one. In fact one's year commences on the day when one is born. The day one lands on this beautiful planet, one is taken by the big 'Merry-go-Round' on a ride, which rotates around its own axis to make one pass through light and darkness every twenty four hours, so that one can work and rest accordingly (though some of us make wrong use of the journey through darkness and instead of taking rest they create trouble either for themselves or for others).

The same 'Merry-go-Round' also takes one on a longer ride of 365.25 days, year after year. Its axis is so carefully tilted and the orbit so elongated, that one does not have to suffer the monotony of the journey and is exposed to various seasons and other kind and unkind acts of Mother Nature. Well, in fact, on one's birthday one can precisely tell that how many rounds one has completed around the 'Big Bulb' - that eternal source of light and energy.

However, today at the dawn of one of the most popular new years, I take this opportunity to wish all my friends a very Happy New Year, whichever one it may be.

कर्तव्यं अन्वत्मा -- Duty Before Self

2010-11-17T19:47:00.015+05:30

Jalandhar Cantonment, 21st July of 1985: As i woke up in the morning, it was still raining. In fact it had been raining 'cats and dogs' throughout the night and as a result the water had accumulated in the neighborhood of our Army residential complex called Honeymoon Park (No, the accommodation there was not exclusively meant for newly married officers but yes, we could qualify as one such couple as we had been married for two years and did not have any issue till then). I had been allotted a two bedrooms, hall, kitchen, terrace apartment in a two storied row of houses which was called Captains' accommodation in the Army parlance.

I came to the balcony and saw that there was knee deep water all around. In the normal circumstances i would have put on my PT uniform to attend the PT parade, which is normally the first routine of the daily activities of an Infantry unit, but bearing in mind the level of water on the ground, i decided to put on my gum boots and rain coat and walked out of the house. My purpose was to visit our unit lines to see that everything was in order there. I took a round of the unit area. The jawans were busy throwing water out of their barracks with the help of mugs and buckets. That was the first time that i had seen it raining so heavily in that part of the country. Normally Punjab gets its fair share of rains during monsoons but never before i had seen the land turning into lakes and ponds due to heavy rains.

I thought of my own home at my village which was approximately twenty five kilometers away and where my parents were staying. My wife suggested that i should take leave and we should visit our village to see the condition there but i was doubtful of getting leave because things were not hunky-dory in the unit area due to heavy deluge.

While my taking round of the unit area in the morning had increased my comfort level, it also gave reassurance to the jawans of our unit to see an officer taking round of their barracks in such adverse weather condition. At the same time it also sent very positive signals to my superiors about my sincerity, as i was one of the few officers out of twenty odd in the unit, who had ventured out to take a round of the unit area while the rest had chosen to stay in the cosy confines of their homes, at least till breakfast. Later when i reached the office after breakfast, our Commanding Officer called me to his office. I prepared myself to brief him about my morning round but he already seemed to know all. He started with a word of appreciation. I wanted to en-cash that opportunity to request him for giving me a day's leave so that i could visit my parents at my village. But there was something else waiting for me.

While the Commanding Officer did appreciate my having gone around the unit area in the morning, he also, in the same breath, gave me instructions to prepare my company for flood relief operations and rush to Nakodar Tehsil (Taluka) of Jalandhar District, where a large number of villages had been inundated by flash floods which occurred because a barrage on one of the canals of the Satluj river gave way.

After listening to the Commanding Officer's instructions, there was no question of my asking for any leave to visit my own village but, before leaving his cabin, i did mention about my desire to send my wife to visit my village and he promised that in my absence he would arrange her visit there.

I immediately initiated the process of preparation of our company for the flood relief operations which, in addition to getting approximately one hundred and fifty jawans ready for the move, also involved collection of Out Board Motors (motor boats) and other essential equipment from local Engineer Regiment.

I got back home to pack my personal stuff and told my wife about my next assignment. She laughed aloud and said that perhaps that was the flip side of sincerity. She also started to prepare for the visit to our village.

By lunch time my company got ready and by evening we reached the flood affected area. For the next one week our place of stay were only our boats. It was heart wrenching to see only the tree tops instead of cluster of houses in a large part of Nakodar Tehsil. We shifted a large number of villagers and their essential belongings to safer places with the help of our boats and other special equipment. Once the water receded in the area, i fell back to the base where i had left the administrative detachment of my company and reported about successful completion of the flood relief operations to my Commanding Officer at Jalandhar through Radio Telephony. After getting due orders from him, we returned to Jalandhar.

Later i was asked to accompany the local helicopter unit to conduct an aerial survey of the area where we had conducted the relief operations on ground (or in the water, i should say). Though the flood waters had vanished but nevertheless there were signs of widespread devastation with damaged houses, crops, roads and railway lines etc.

Meanwhile, in my absence, my wife had been assisted by our battalion to visit our own house in my native village. Thankfully, except for damage to some of arterial as well some link roads, the area was more or less safe, as the flood waters had not entered villages in that area which lay north of Jalandhar.

Our company not only received due appreciation from all ranks of the Battalion for representing 10th Battalion of the Dogra Regiment in the flood relief operations, but i was also awarded Chief of Army Staff's Commendation on the occasion of Army Day, 15th January1986. On getting the news about the award, as i went to convey my thanks to the Commanding Officer, Colonel RK Sharma, for having recommended me for the same, he smiled, tapped my left breast pocket (over which medals/ribbons are displayed) with one end of his baton and said that the award which i was getting was actually for my 'कर्तव्यं अन्वत्मा ' which is the motto of the Dogra Regiment and which means "Duty Before Self".

(Click on the image for a larger view)

This post also forms part of the series on my life journey. To read all the posts in that series, please click here.

HAPPY DIPAWALI

2010-11-04T17:06:00.001+05:30

WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS DIPAWALI. MAY LAKSHAMI MAA SHOWER HER BLESSINGS ON YOU.

Sting Operation

2010-05-05T23:40:00.007+05:30

This episode occurred during my Army tenure at Jalandhar sometime between 1984 and1986. I was supervising the training of our troops in the training area of our unit. It was a vast grassy field spread over a few acres with lots of trees providing adequate shade. There were a number of squad posts where the troops got their daily training in various skills as per the operational role of their sub units.

There is a famous saying that the busiest troops are the happiest ones. Therefore, when they are not fighting, they are training, which not only keeps them busy, but also sharpens their skills in their respective fields. And one has to sweat more in peace, to bleed less in war.

After visiting a number of training squad posts, I decided to sit near one of them under the shade of a big 'sheesham' tree, around which a platform made of bricks had been built by jawans of the unit. As I was watching the actions of the Havildar Instructor who was taking a class of jawans on how to dismantle and re-assemble a particular weapon, a bright yellow colored wasp came and started hovering over one of the toes of my DMS boot. There are some insects that one will always like to keep away from and as the wasp falls in that category so, I jerked it away and as it fell on the soft muddy ground, I stumped it with my boots and forgot about it. Just then two more officers from our unit joined me and we all got busy in observing the training session.

After a while, suddenly, I felt as if some one had hit me at inner side of my thigh with a sharp knife. I jumped up with pain. The other officers were taken aback and rushed to my help. As I held my thigh at that spot, I could feel the presence of some small little object inside my pants sticking to the flesh on my inner thigh. I pressed it hard with between my fingers and thumb and there was a sound of something getting crushed. I jerked my leg hard so that the crushed object could fall out. Yes, it fell out from the bottom of my trousers and lo and behold, there it was, the same wasp that I had stumped some time back under my boots.

The Army DMS (directly molded sole) boots have deep grooves in the rubber sole which help to maintain grip while running or walking on difficult terrains, even in adverse weather conditions. It so happened that when I stumped the wasp it got stuck in one of the grooves which saved its life. It came out from under the sole and silently crept up in side my trousers and climbed as high as it could. It might have been heading for the 'ultimate target', where it would have hurt me the most but luckily due to the tightness of the pants at the thigh level it could not advance further and decided to strike with full force at that spot. Though the insect ultimately sacrificed its life, but not before carrying out a silent sting operation on me. That day in the unit training area, I learnt a great lesson that "if you leave your enemy injured, keep an eye on him, it may strike deeper than the previous target". So better kill your enemy than merely leaving him injured.

This post also forms part of the series of posts on my life's journey. To read all the psots in that series please click here.

Continued...........

Wild Goose (Gas) Chase

2010-03-20T17:22:00.012+05:30

Ladakh was by far the most eventful tenure of my Army career and i have written extensively about that in this blog under the lebel "Ladakh Memories.

From Ladakh i was transfered to Jalandhar in 1984. Since after getting commission i was moving only around the peripheral areas of the country hence, i was anxiously looking forward to this peace tenure, which was also closer home. It is another matter that after reporting to an infantry unit at Jalandhar cantonment, i hardly got a chance to stay at home, as Punjab was reeling under insurgency and our unit was actively involved in counter insurgency operations.

Coming back to the eventful tenure of Ladakh, even my transfer from Ladakh to Jalandhar did not go event less and one incident which marked my move was the transfer of an LPG connection from Leh to Jalandhar which i had (luckily) obtained during my tenure in Ladakh.

Let me share it here.

When i joined the Indian Army as a Second Lieutenant in 1978 in Nagaland, some officers of my unit had suggested that I should immediately book a scooter and an LPG connection. I was told that these would stand me in good stead later, when I would raise a family.

Those were the days when one would have to wait for minimum five years for getting one's LPG and telephone connections and same went for purchase of a scooter (particulrly, Bajaj). These things are now available off the shelf.

While I was not interested in booking a scooter (as i always fancied riding a motor cycle), I also did not bother to book the gas connection. After our unit moved from Nagaland to Trivandrum, I wasted no time in buying my Yezdi motor cycle through the Canteen Stores Department, but yet, paid no heed to booking the gas connection. After all, bachelor life had its own priorities and preferences.

Exactly five years later, as luck would have it, the gas connection came to me instead of my running around for it (though actually installing that in our kitchen at Jalandhar did give me due jitters, hence this post).

It so happened that while i was serving in Ladakh and as i was about to complete my tenure there, a new gas agency had opened up at Leh. They were giving instant gas connections. Since they did not find enough clientele in city areas, they approached Army authorities to seek customers. For the officers and Other Ranks of the Indian Army it was a God sent gift, because in other towns and cities in rest of the country the waiting period for gas connection was minimum five years, as i have already mentioned above. Without much formalities they handed out the connections with two cylinders, full of LPG and a double burner gas stove each. I bought mine.

Few months later I got my transfer orders and was directed to report to a unit at Jalandhar Cantt. When I applied for the transfer of my gas connection, I was told that I had not completed the stipulated period required before the connection could be transferred. Well, they had their own rules and I did not see any problem in taking the transfer at a later date. But since the cylinders had to be deposited back empty, along with the gas regulator, i did not know as to what to do with the LPG in those cylinders. There was no point giving them to my unit mates, who had also purchased their own connections and since they all dined in the Officers' Mess, they had no use for the gas.

I had a civilian acquaintance in the town. One Mr. Chhabra (the sikh gentleman with sky blue turban appearing in some of the pictures in my previous post) was the Lead Bank Manager of SBI. He stayed at Leh with his family. In my opinion he was the most appropriate person who could help me in getting my gas connection transferred at a later date, after my departure from Ladakh. When I requested him for the same, he happily agreed and accepted the two cylinders and the regulator along with the papers and promised that he would secure the transfer voucher and would send that to me. Of course, I carried the gas stove with me. I was relieved from the Unit and traveled bag and baggage by road upto Jammu and by rail from there to Jalandhar.

I was travelling by Jammu Tawi Express running between Jammu and Delhi. The train had one hour halt at Jalandhar city, after which it would pass through Jalandhar Cantt on its way to Delhi. My destination was Jalandhar Cantt. Running time between Jalandhar City and Jalandhar Cantt is just fifteen minutes. I saw no point waiting in the train for one hour, just a stone's throw from my destination. So I got down at Jalandhar city and took a taxi to Jalandhar Cantt. I reached home, freshened up and was about to start eating when Jeet enquired about the Gas connection ( i had already broken the good news of my having obtained the same at Leh and she perhaps was anxiously looking forward to cooking on LPG which was natural for any house wife). I jumped up, left the food on the table, checked my luggage and realized that I had left the gas stove in the train itself. I looked at the watch. The train would still be at Jalandhar city only. I immediately took out my mobike, (the same Yezdi which I had bought at Trivandrum). Instead of driving to Jalandhar city i decided to go to Jalandhar Cantt railway station and wait for the train. I had barely reached the platform when the train chugged in and slowly came to a stop with its brakes making the usual screeching sound. It had just a few minutes halt there. I did not waste much time in locating the first class coach. I rushed in and went to the coupe in which i had traveled. The passengers who had traveled with me were surprised to see me again. When i told them the reason they looked amused. I looked under the berth which i had occupied. The gas stove packet, wrapped in the hassen cloth, was lying there intact. I pulled it out, once again bade good bye to the passengers and rushed back home. Jeet proudly remarked, "hard earned money never goes waste".

This far about the gas stove.

How I retrieved my gas connection is another story which required much more labour on my part.

A few months passed by and there was no news from the our friend from Leh, with whom I had left my gas connection. All this while our kitchen was running on various cooking appliances other than LPG stove. We were eagerly waiting for the transfer voucher from Mr. Chhabra. I wrote a few letters at his address but did not receive any reply. One day I learnt from one of the officers posted at Leh that Mr. Chhabra had been transferred to Srinagar. I did not know his address and wrote letters to various branches of SBI at Srinagar at random. At Jalandhar I met an officer who was serving at High Altitude Warfare School near Srinagar and whose family was staying at separated family accommodation at Jalandhar Cantt. I gave him the task of finding the address of Mr. Chhabra. He located Mr. Chhabra and sent me the address. I wrote a letter on the given address but did not receive any reply.

Enough was enough.

I took leave and left for Srinagar. Traveling by different modes of transport, I reached Srinagar and straight away went to Mr. Chhabra's house. His wife and daughters were at home. They told me that Mr. Chhabra had left for Amritsar the night before, as his mother had taken seriously ill. I collected his address of Amritsar and reached back Jalandhar. Next day I left for Amritsar. I went to the given address and was told that Mr. Chhabra had just left for the hospital where his mother was admitted. I reached the hospital and received the same reply. That day I visited at least five to six locations in Amritsar and was told at every place that Mr. Chhabra had just left a few minutes ago. It was looking like a wild goose chase.

Dejected and disappointed, I came back to Jalandhar. Taking leave again from a very heavily committed unit and traveling all the way to Srinagar again was out of question. I once again contacted the officer serving at HAWS, as mentioned earlier, and narrated my story to him. He promised that he would help me in getting back my gas connection.

Sure enough, within a few days I received the transfer vouchers of my gas connection. I immediately deposited the same with the local gas agency and our kitchen started running on LPG.

Edited to add :- I did not meet Mr. Chhabra again in life and could not find the actual reason for his not contacting me or sending me the transfer vouchers with a considerable delay, but i am thankful to him because he, after all had helped me out in getting my gas connection transferred from Leh to Jalandhar after my departure from Leh. And frankly speaking, other than getting a few jitters, i did not harbour any hard feelings against the gentleman.

This post also forms part of the series of posts on my life's journey. To raed all the posts in that series please click here.

Continued................

Marriages are made in Heaven and Honeymoons...??

2010-02-28T16:27:00.025+05:30

Marriages are made in Heaven and honeymoons ...??

Well, honeymoons are made in mountains and what better mountains one would find than those in Ladakh.

I had attained marriageable age when i got posted to a unit in Ladakh in 1982. Ladakh is one of the hardest field areas of the Indian Army. It would have been wise for a bachelor to wait till completion of the non-family-station-tenure (which ranges between two and half to three years) and get married after getting posting to a peace station. But then the marriages, as they say, are made in Heaven. Schedule for my marriage was also fixed 'Up There' and the marriage was solemnized on 20th May 1983 ie,. during the midst of my Ladakh tenure. Our Commanding officer was considerate enough to allow me to get my wife immediately after marriage to Ladakh. A few families are allowed for a limited period of time in some of the areas of the field stations. Hence, after our marriage, Jeet accompanied me to Ladakh.

We had planned our travel by road from Jammu onwards with a view to enjoying the flora and fauna on the way, but when we reached Srinagar, we were told that the Srinagar--Leh road had not yet opened. The said road closes for vehicular traffic due to heavy snow fall somewhere in September and reopens in May. As I was traveling to Leh in first week of June i did not anticipate that the road would still be closed. I had reported at Srinagar transit camp and was put up in a beautiful hut, appropriately named “Aish Mukam” (a place of joy).

We spent our waiting period in Srinagar, going around various gardens and other places of tourist interest, checking every day about the status of Leh--Srinagar road, but the same was not showing any signs of opening for next few days. The single officers having reported in the transit camp, on their way to Ladakh, were in a position to avail the airlift by the IAF transport aircrafts but since I was accompanied by my wife, I could not do so, because families are not permitted to travel in service aircrafts. After a few more days’ wait, the formation headquarters at Srinagar decided to send the Ladakh bound officers, accompanied by their families, by Indian Airlines flight to Leh. So, instead of undergoing two days’ journey by Army bus with a night halt at Kargil, we reached Leh in less than an hour, though, as i have mentioned above, i was in favour of traveling by road, so as to enjoy the scenic beauty along Srinagar--Leh Road.

Well, not writing any more words here, i would rather let our Ladakh photographs do the speaking, which i was able to dig out from different places and have uploaded here. For the ease of identification, i have circled myself and Jeet, wherever we are in a large group. The images can be enlarged by clicking over them.

On top of the world !! with Jeet at Khardung La, the highest motorable road of the world at 18380 ft above mean sea level.

Pangong lake. The brackish water lake stretches across 160 kilometers and has an average width of eight kilometers. It attracts Siberian migratory birds, including the near extinct Black Neck Cranes. Two thirds of the lake falls under Chinese occupied area of Aksai Chin. One can enjoy boating in the lake in summers and can drive a heavy truck over it in winters.Picnic with Unit officers and their families.
Now com'n!!we couldn't have done such a quick job to produce so many children. They belonged to the battalion officers and mostly hanged around the bride.
At Fukche, the highest Operational Airfield of the world which was put into operation during 1962 Chinese aggression.
"कोई सिख, कोई जाट, मराठा
कोई गुरखा, कोई मद्रासी
सरहद पर मरने वाला
हर वीर था भारत वासी
जो खून गिरा परबत पर
वोह खून था हिन्दुस्तानी
जो शहीद हुए हैं उनकी
ज़रा याद करो कुर्बानी"
Memorial at Chushul, in the memory of 1962 war casualties.

Humor and high spirits are what keeps Army going in the adverse conditions too.

The ladies had organised Husbands' Nite and gave us just half an hour to wear some fancy dress and come to the Officers' Mess. We grabbed whatever came our way in our rooms and this was the result. I have circled my mug.

continued.................

Who is a Terrorist ??

2010-02-11T16:05:00.013+05:30

Who is a terrorist?

I picked up this definition from wordnet

" terrorist (a radical who employs terror as a political weapon; usually organizes with other terrorists in small cells; often uses religion as a cover for terrorist activities).

But what i understand from the term "terrorist" is:-

"the one who spreads terror or terrorises the common public or the administrative machinery by resorting to violent means, acting himself or through the organised groups, consisting of his followers to achieve any motive -- linguistic, religious, political or just ideological."

Some of our politicians have terrorized people of our nation any number of times, resulting into loss of life and property. Every time the whole lot of police and some times paramilitary forces and even the Army has to be deployed to save common man from this type of terror. The citizens are not as much scared of bomb blasts or gun attacks, as of the goons of these terror mongering political parties.

These political, religious or ideological terrorists are more dangerous because they are not only constantly present in the midst of us, but they also have the support of the perverts in the society and some times even of the governmental machinery. They don't have to cross any borders, or smuggle any weapons. They just activate their sleeper cells at regular intervals and keep creating havoc amongst the public from time to time at the slightest pretext, some time just to gain one up man ship against their political rivals or against the break away group of their own party. But the one who gets terrorised is the common man. The property that gets damaged belongs to the public. They not only disturb the peace and harmony of the society and spoil the nation's image in the eyes of the world but also give a chance to the nation's external enemies to encash the disturbed law and order situation and further disrupt the country's stability and progress.

Shouldn't the leaders of these political terrorist groups be put behind bars ???

Doobtey Ko Baraf Ka Sahara

2010-02-10T23:02:00.001+05:30

I got this pic in my mail. Though it was meant to convey the outcome of global warming. But i gave the two objects their appropriate names in view of the recent developments on the political front.

Naughty Greetings

2010-01-26T23:59:00.053+05:30

In the Army we, the bachelor officers, used to coin naughty phrases while sending out greetings to other officers on various occasions. There are many such one liners, but the ones that merit mention here, are those, that we sent out to the officers on their weddings or wedding anniversaries. For example :-

"HIT THE IRON, WHEN HOT" (on wedding)

"WELL DONE and KEEP IT UP" (on wedding anniversaries, particularly to the older officers)

On my own marriage in 1983, i received a joint greeting message from the officers of my unit. I knew that this time i was at the receiving end of the naughty message. Let me share it here.

This was a full fledged Operational Order for Attack on the enemy forces. I reproduce the extracts below, though, I have hidden or modified some text, which contained battlefield terminology or some hard core adult material.

OPERATIONAL ORDER FOR ATTACK

Enemy Force: - Consists of a beautiful, young girl, escorted by a number of hostile females in the age group of sixteen to sixty years. However, the enemy forces are likely to include some male members too.

Own Force:- Consists of veterans of various age groups, led by a budding young officer of the Indian Army, who is capable of achieving any assigned task. Friends will accompany only for moral support. The objective remains to be captured single handed.

Flanking Forces:- One male, younger in age to the leader of the mission, from his own family, will march on the left flank and one heavy weight and an experienced male member from the leader’s friends’ circle will march on the right flank, however the final assault will be undertaken by the leader of the mission himself.

Attachments and Detachments:- All the bridal attires and ornaments will be detached from both the forces at the right movement.

Topography of the Objective:- The coordinates of the General Area are 36-24-36. The area has various curves and slopes which have to be delicately negotiated during the operation. Use of supporting arms is restricted. The objective will have to be captured with the help of personal weapon only.

Weather:- Expected to be hot and humid, owing to the heat and perspiration generated during the encounter of opposing forces.

Likely Pattern of Operation:- To be decided by the leader of the mission in accordance with development of final situation.MISSION
To capture the objective 'Jeet' as early as possible, but other small objectives en route, to be neutralized with due care and delicacy.EXECUTION
Attack will be in two phases

(a) Phase one: - To cut off the enemy from all sides and deny reinforcements.

(b) Phase two:- To force the enemy for an unconditional surrender.

Force Multiplier:- Perfumes, and soft music.

Air Support :- Since the operation is taking place in the month of May, Air Conditioning of the battle field will be ensured by the supporting arms.

Coordinating Instructions:- The battlefield will be decked up with flowers etc., to achieve desired ambiance for the operation.

Target Illumination :- No direct light to fall on the target. Only diffused lamps will be used during the whole operation till the capture of the objective.

Logistic Support :- Hot milk and dry fruits will be dropped in advance at the area of operation. No supplies will be made during the operation.

Success Signal :- Full lights off in the battle field after the capture of final objective, however, no other success signal will be fired as hundred percent success is expected.

Gallantry Awards :- Citation for award of a male or a female child will be immediately forwarded to the Highest Headquarters, once the mission is accomplished.

Wish you a happy wedded life.

-- Officers of the 'Mighty Third'

continued...............

An Ode to an Ex- Governor

2010-01-23T11:50:00.012+05:30

I got it in my mail, and about the author i am not aware,
This kind of a wit should not be deleted without being shared.

So let me share it with you all (with due credit to its unknown author) :-

Your Sexcellency Mr. Ex- Gov
Your name has become a joke because of your act of 'love'.

Sordid details of your nocturnal capers
Have appeared in all the national newspapers.

I see no reason why you, they so berate,
When you were just conducting the 'affairs' of state.

Alas the Gov's post, with its proppery and pomp
Strictly forbids even a clandestine romp.

And you so carelessly went on a spree,
Not with one or two, but an unforgivable three!

Night watchman in cricket , 'tis all part of the game,
At your age your deed is hardly a matter of shame.

(Other guvs, so dull, their posts they doth mock,
Most cannot hear, some can barely walk.)

In fairness, all should give you a big hand,
But your bosses took an uncompromising stand.

'Tis unfair when your performance so grand,
Should merit an applause and not a reprimand.

Unfortunately, the high command took a strong line,
When you should have got away with just a small fine.

Yes old man, despite the taunts and the jeers,
I applaud you expansively and say "three cheers"

Rohit Shekhar now says that he is your son,
I know, I know, 'tis easier said than done.

Say it proudly, old man, or would you rather
Deny that you are his biological father?

Videos! - crass weapons, capturing the morbid sleaze,
Just 'cause you went back on a promised mining lease,

And the women, thus cheated, did a harsh sting,

And got you filmed in an un-governor-like fling.

Cameras are deadly weapons - an undisputed fact,
They aim, they shoot each and every act.

Defamation charges, rightly, you declined to press,
I understand, why further stir that mess?

Cheers your 'high'- ness, to you I raise a toast:
They will soon fit you in some other suitable post.

Where Were U on New Year's Eve?

2010-01-01T14:53:00.024+05:30

Thank you BlogAdda for choosing this post for your 'Tangy Tuesday Picks'

And thank you IHM for recommending this post for the same.
Where did you spend the 'New Year's Eve' -- the much awaited and much celebrated event, which people enjoy in different ways, at different places, most of the times indulging in fun and frolic, dance and dinners. And why not because the first day of the new year is the culmination of the festival season which starts with Ganesh festival, Navratras, Dussehra and Diwali and Eid in India (depending on which part of India you are) and with Christmas in the rest of the world. It is a day to celebrate and people all over the world do it in different ways.

I have also enjoyed the new years' eves in many different ways and at many different places during various stages of my life. I have fond memories of many of them but i can never forget the night between 31st December 1983 and 1st January 1984.

Ours was the last vehicle to cross the traffic check post (TCP) on the road leading to Changla pass -- the second highest motorable pass of the world after Khardungla. The Indian Army personnel donning the red beret, belonging to the Corps of Military Police (CMP), deployed at the check post, waved our vehicle to move ahead and thereafter dropped the pole barrier not to allow any more vehicles to undertake the upward journey towards the pass.
I had come back after spending a short leave at home with my family which included my parents, my newly wedded wife and my sweet little sister (who now is an ardent follower of my blog and whose comments are frequently found on my blog posts).

Having reported at my Unit Headquarters at Leh, i was further moving to my sub unit deployed on the Indo China border near Chushool. Since no dedicated vehicle was available for going to my company location, i had to take a lift in a vehicle which was moving from our unit to that location, carrying some supplies.

It was a Shaktiman -- a transport vehicle used for transporting troops or supplies from one place to the other-- popularly known as ' Three Ton' in the Army parlance. You can spot this vehicle, with a squarish looking bonnet having sharp edges with "SHAKTIMAN" written on the radiator mesh, plying on the Indian roads in cantonments etc. It is also used some times even in the form of a make shift school bus with chairs or benches fitted in the body of the vehicle, carrying wards of Army personnel. The vehicle has a small driver's cabin with a large body covered with tarpaulin which can accommodate a load weighing up to three tons, as the name suggests. Though the seat in the driver's cabin can accommodate three persons but in any Indian Army vehicle, only one person is permitted to sit beside the driver. The personnel of the CMP are meant to keep an eye on that aspect. They regulate the movement of Army vehicles at various places in the field as well, as at peace stations. In our vehicle, in addition to the driver, there were two more jawans from our unit who were sitting behind in the body of the vehicle.

The TCP was located at precisely the place from where the vehicles had to negotiate a steep zigzag climb to reach Changla pass. The climb takes a few hours, depending on the category and load of the vehicle -- lighter ones taking less time. After reaching the highest point ie., the pass on the formidable mountain range, the road starts its descent which goes down in to the valley on the other side. Both sides the TCPs are located at the similar locations ie., the start and end of the steep ascent and descent respectively.

As our vehicle was winding its way up, we could, at times, have the glimpse of the vehicles on the mountain slope, moving up in a convoy which had left the TCP before us.

Suddenly, our vehicle made a funny coughing noise and came to a halt. The driver got down, opened the bonnet, fingered some parts under the bonnet cover as per the drill taught to him and came back and started the vehicle. We resumed our arduous ascent once again.

After going a few kilometers further, the vehicle again acted in the same manner. The driver once again repeated the action and the vehicle again started its upward journey. The gap between our vehicle and those moving ahead of us, was gradually increasing, owing to our vehicle stopping frequently due to the engine problem. On the way we also met the convoy coming from the opposite direction.

The sky was overcast with thick clouds and in Ladakh one could never predict when snow fall would start, particularly during the winters.

Our vehicle drove smoothly for a few more kilometers up the slope and then again it broke down. This time the driver could not hide the embarrassment on his face. As he got down and went to the front of the vehicle to open the bonnet cover, i got down to straighten my limbs. As i stretched my body and looked up towards the top of the mountain range, i could not see any vehicles on the hill slope. We had wasted quite some time in fixing the engine problem while the other vehicles had continued their ascent and had gone out of sight. Moreover, the mountain tops were now all hidden under thick clouds and perhaps, it was snowing on the pass. The driver fixed the problem and once again we resumed our uphill drive. We encountered the snow fall on the way which kept increasing in intensity as we approached the pass.

By the time we reached the pass, it had grown dark and the snow fall was continuing. The pass had already received a few feet of snow as it must have been snowing there for quite some time. The driver halted the vehicle to give rest to the engine as well, as to check the recurring problem before we could resume our downward journey. The snow flakes were getting thicker in size every minute. There was an idol of Lord Shiva, installed in a small makeshift temple hut on the hill side of the pass. It was a custom that anyone crossing the pass would get down and pay respect to the Lord. I also climbed the steps leading to the temple and took a bow before the Lord's idol. Just then the winds started blowing hard and as i was coming down the steps, i was pushed back by the winds, flying snow flakes into my eyes. A full fledged snow storm was building up. As i reached and got into the vehicle, the driver dropped the bonnet cover and got behind the steering wheel. He started the vehicle but it did not start. He made many attempts but the engine refused to crank. He opened the door to get down to look up the problem again but the sheer velocity of the wind did not allow him to do so. I told him to stay back inside.

The snow storm was getting fiercer every minute. The visibility had gone down to zero. The very high velocity winds were making whistling sounds while brushing along the parts of our vehicle.

The driver looked at me with a helpless look on his face. I smiled back at him. The vehicle was not starting. We were stuck on top of Changla pass at the height of 17500 feet above m.s.l. There were two alternatives before us. First one was to leave the vehicle and walk down to the TCP, which would take another few hours, bearing in mind the adverse weather condition. Walking in zero visibility at night during a snow storm on steep hill slope could lead to our loosing the way and fall into some snow cavity. The snow covered hill slopes at times can be very deceptive, showing false surface and one could accidentally step into a deep cavity covered with snow, thinking it to be a level surface.

The second alternative was to spend the night in the vehicle and walk down to the TCP the next day. The risk here was spending almost twelve hours at a place where the oxygen contents in the air were very low, owing to low atmospheric pressure at that height. Also the high velocity winds were tearing into any object that stood there on the pass.

I chose the second one. Howsoever fierce the snow storm was, we were well ensconced inside our vehicle.

I asked the driver to see if the jawans sitting behind in the body of the vehicle were comfortably covered or otherwise call them into the driver's cabin. The driver opened the small window slit, provided at the back of the driver's cabin and shouted in local lingo. Both the driver and the other jawans were Ladakhis as our battalion had local troops. One of the nunnus (the Ladakhi boys are called so), shouted back that they were comfortable. The jawans always carried their sleeping bags issued to them. The back opening of the vehicle was also having tarpaulin cover, which they must have tied in place.

I was wearing the full set of my winter clothing, which included many layers of cardigans like string vest (a vest woven with thick cotton strings to prevent sweating inner wears clinging to the body, which can later cause pneumonia, once the sweat cools down), woolen vest, angola shirt, woolen jersey, coat parka with a hood and a balklava ie., the woolen monkey cap. I also wore snow boots with woolen socks and woolen pants with woolen under pants. Despite all this i could feel that while the upper portion of my body was feeling warm, the legs , particularly the knees were going numb with cold. The driver, who was also wearing the same set of clothing, also felt that our knees needed to be covered. He took out his sleeping bag from the box under the seat and we spread the same on our legs to keep them warm.

After some time, as i started feeling drowsy with sleep, i told the driver that we both could not sleep at the same time and would sleep in shifts, one person at a time. The purpose was to keep an eye that our vehicle, though, having sufficient height, should not get covered under snow blanket. I told the driver that we would open our side doors at regular intervals to jerk away the snow, which was accumulating outside, so that we could open the doors in the morning with ease. The driver told me that he had a kerosene stove in the vehicle which we could light for keeping the driver's cabin warm. The drivers always keep such things handy just to prepare tea etc., on long stretches of drive as well, as to warm their food on the way. I did not allow him to light the stove because, though, it would warm up the cabin but it would also burn up and deplete whatever little oxygen was available in the closed cabin.

The front windshield had become an opaque glass sheet, as the snow and frost had formed a thick film on it from outside. However, the side glass panes remained transparent as we were moving the doors off and on to keep the door opening intact.

After midnight the snow storm subsided. I opened the door on my side. It opened with a great difficulty as the snow had covered the space outside up to half the height of the vehicle. I had to literally push it with my feet, while sitting on the seat. I made an attempt to come out of the vehicle by removing the snow outside, again pushing it away with my feet. It made some opening for me to crawl out. A little more effort made the opening wider. I came out and had a look around. It was all absolutely calm. There was nothing else visible except snow all around. The temple hut of Lord Shiva had gone under the snow blanket. I dug my feet in the soft snow and went a little away from the vehicle and released my self, leaving a pale yellow hole in the snow, which was now shining bright under the starlit sky. Driver had also opened the door on his side. I went to the back of the vehicle. The jawans inside were snoring away to glory.

Both driver and myself came back into the cabin and closed the doors. We decided to catch some sleep now as the sky had become crystal clear, showing even the tiniest of the stars and there was no possibility of any more snowfall.

We woke up with the day break. I told the driver to stay back with one of the jawans and asked other one to accompany me. I took out my rucksack which, in addition to carrying my essential stuff, also had a packet of 'pinnies' (the balls made with the flour of 'moong' pulse, sugar, jaggery, dry fruits and many other nutritious ingredients, which my mother always prepared and gave me whenever i came back from leave. Two of such 'pinnies', if taken in the morning could see one through up to lunch time). I shared some of them with the jawans, before starting our ghost walk (in six feet of snow, one has to literally walk like a ghost lifting the leg high up before again digging it in the soft snow ). Though, the TCP was visible in the valley but it took us almost four hours to reach that spot. The snow cutters were on the job for clearing the road for traffic, which were expected to reach the pass by lunch time.

The TCP- in- charge told us that they had known of our getting stuck on top of the pass, as the two TCPs on the two sides remain in contact with each other to keep a tab on the number of vehicles sent and received by each of them. They told us that they tried to send a rescue party to help us come down from the pass but that could not go any further than a few meters due to the snow storm.

We were driven to the brigade headquarters where the Regimental Medical Officer (RMO) Dr. Maj Sharma carried out our routine check, like blood pressure etc. He smiled and said "Balli, though, i had written you off but you seem to have emerged as fit as the local Ladakhis"

We exchanged new year wishes, as it was 1st January and i left for my company location to celebrate new year with the jawans who were anxiously waiting for my arrival.

In the Indian Army, when an officer connects with the troops at such special occasions by attending the festivals, their religious functions etc., they are ready to die for you.

And wish you all a very Happy New Year 2010.

continued.....................

Welcome Back to Water

2009-12-16T12:21:00.027+05:30

Life started in water.

If we put a little water in a container, undisturbed for a few days, we will find some organism breeding in it.

That is life.

Our life also started like that. We bred and lived in water first and then graduated to become amphibians and finally came out and started living on Earth's surface. Initially we lived as animals, walking on all fours, playing in the lap of Nature and gradually became erect and called ourselves human beings. Of course, the process took millions of years.

The Nature had put every thing in place for us to live comfortably. There was water, there was air, there was vegetation to sustain the oxygen that we inhaled and cleanse the carbon di oxide that we exhaled. The Earth had fertile soil to produce various foods for us. We had days for us to work and nights for taking rest. We also had different seasons.

The summers dried up some of the water from the oceans to form enough clouds, which would then float away in the sky to far off places and come down in the form of rain. This filled up our rivers, reservoirs and irrigated our crops. Then there were winters which ensured that there was enough snow on the mountains and ice on the glaciers to sustain the flow of water in the rivers all throughout the year. There were beautiful flora and fauna on the Earth which was called a 'paradise'.

We, the human beings were different from other animals as we were endowed with a very powerful organ called brain. With the help of our brain we made many discoveries and inventions to make ourselves more comfortable. We discovered fire to cook our food and to keep ourselves warm during nights and winters. We invented wheel for easy and quick movement and to transport our load from one place to the other. We invented wings to fly in the sky as well as space. We discovered radio waves for easy communication between far off places. We produced electricity to augment or replace fire and then we discovered nuclear energy to augment or replace electricity.

But, alas !!

We were not satisfied with all that. We wanted more comforts and modified the Nature for that purpose ruthlessly. We, dug up the earth, blasted the mountains, cut down the forests, opened up factories and manufactured plethora of goods for our comfort. We constructed concrete jungles and lived and worked in them. We emptied out the fossil fuel from the crest of the earth and burnt it recklessly and spewed the smoke and other poisonous gases up in the air. We also extracted plastic from that oil and threw it around carelessly after use which got mixed with the soil, choking and turning it infertile.

We artificially cooled our homes, offices, cars, shops and other places and threw out the hot and poisonous air into the atmosphere.

Instead of using our legs for movement even for short distances, we used the wheels running on the fossil fuel. This not only resulted in jamming our own limbs but also in clogging the roads and polluting the air that was required for us to breath.

Instead of working and enjoying during day and taking rest during nights, we extended our work and play into the night, driven by the greed to earn more money and the urge to enjoy more. For this we burnt electricity which we had produced either by burning coal, oil or by using the force of the flow of the river waters. This not only resulted into nights warming up against the design of the Nature but also disrupted our body clocks by our remaining awake during nights, thus ruining our health.

We invented religions, and divided the society on caste, class and cultural lines. We did not stop at that and killed each other in the name of God. We also produced weapons of mass destruction.

We called it 'development', but actually it was 'destruction'. The more developed a part of civilisation was, the more destruction it had caused to the Nature and to the humankind. We had not only polluted our soil, air and water but also the space.

Slowly the contents of oxygen in the air started reducing and that of carbon -di-oxide (CO2) and other harmful gases started to increase.

We slowly found it more and more difficult to breath and suffered many ailments.

Over a period of time, the CO2 gave way to carbon monoxide. That resulted in spread of more diseases. Many unknown and incurable diseases started to spread.

Also as the atmosphere was gradually warming up, the snow and ice on the mountains and glaciers started melting, the ocean levels rose and the beautiful surface of the 'Paradise' got submerged in the water.

The Earth became a revolving ball of water.

That is it.

We are back where we belonged in the first place -- the water-- breathing with our gills instead of lungs.

We have become water animals again.

Now, while swimming around in the water world, we bump into those monstrous structures made of metal and concrete and tell our youngsters that once our ancestors lived in those and that they walked on their legs, had lungs and breathed air.

We swim over the objects which were called cars, buses, and other vehicles, found lined up for miles and miles together. We tell our young ones that these were called traffic jams. There are human skeletons inside those iron coffins which have turned black, perhaps, owing to the smoke pollution due to which they had died.

We also find human skeletons holding necks of each other as they died fighting one another in caste and civil wars or perhaps fighting for food, drinking water and other amenities as well as from epidemics and endemics.

Thus we find the signs of life which had existed on the surface of the Earth, many millenniums ago and also the signs of its ultimate destruction.

But thank God !! All that is a thing of past.

Here in the water world there is no pollution, no fights for food, no wars over religion, caste or class.

There is no race for development, hence no destruction taking place here .

Welcome back to the water world.

We Can Bring the Change

2009-11-26T12:56:00.004+05:30

Today we observe the first anniversary of that fateful day which has gone down in our history as "26/11", the name given to that three day trauma suffered by Bombay city in particular and by the country as a whole, which is also called Mumbai carnage. It's name as 26/11 (date/month) became more popular because it sounded like the US 's 9/11 (month/date). (We are in the habit of copying names from the west, for example, our film industries in various cities end with "wood" e.g., Bollywood, Tollywood, Mollywood etc. after Hollywood and we also try to call our scams as 'gates' after 'Watergate" of Nixon era).

Though, previously we also had 7/11 (the serial bomb blasts in the local trains of Bombay on 11th July 2006 which took away 200 lives of innocent travellers of Bombay suburban trains) as well as series of bomb blasts in different cities during 2008 itself, but somehow the world was not much convinced, may be because in the 26/11 attacks the targets were the elite crowd, including the foreigners, the Five Star hotels and the elite restaurant with the only exception of the attack on Bombay VT station where the causalities were common passengers.

9/11 changed the way the world looked at terrorism before the twin towers of World Trade Center in New York came down crashing after the attack by the terrorists.

Did 26/11 produce same kind of response and result ? Well it did but only briefly when large scale public outrage was exhibited not only against the terrorists and their handlers, sitting across the borders, but also against the political and administrative machinery of our own country who needed to be woken up from a deep slumber.

After one year of that event if we take stock of the situation, can we say that things have changed for better or are we just using good words to sound reassuring and are actually still struggling at square one ?

Frankly speaking, though, till today we have been lucky enough not to have experienced re occurrence of a terrorist attack of such a magnitude but it seems to be just co-incidence rather than our concerted efforts in averting the same.

Much has been said in the print and electronic media about apathy of our 'powers that be', regarding gearing up the security and administrative apparatus against such attacks in future, but let us ask ourselves that as common citizens, have we really contributed towards improving our security systems.

Security is a word which is very commonly used in our day today life. In today's environment where the threat to life and property is increasing day by day, this word 'security' has gained all the more importance. It has not remained limited to the security forces but has become part and parcel of our daily lives.

Security is not new to the man as it has been existing right since the inception of the human race. In fact the security is inbuilt in the Nature itself. Every object of Nature has its own security or defence system. A rose has its thorns. An insect has its sting. The plants have their sticky or smelly sap with which the enemy is either trapped or repelled, respectively. The animals have their claws, their teeth and their sharp horns etc, etc. As far as the human being is concerned the security has been part and parcel of his life right since Stone Age when he used to chisel arms and weapons out of stone to hunt as well, as to fight the danger lurking around him. He never forgot to keep a big bolder in front of the entrance of the cave where he lived, to ward off any wild animals that may come and eat away his family. As the world around us made economic and social progress, the threat to the life and property also developed and the need of security also increased in the same proportions.

Let us ask ourselves a few questions :

Do we remain aware of our surroundings ?

The first and foremost necessity to maintain secure environments around us is to remain aware of our surroundings. Be it our home, our office, our work place, a train or a bus or be it a market place, the awareness about our surroundings will help us to a great extent to give warning about any untoward incident which may take place. If we have kept an eye over the normal, we will definitely come to know if there is some thing abnormal around us. For example if you find any unattended object near your home or office, near your seat in a train or bus or even near a shop in the market, you must immediately bring it to the notice of others so that appropriate authorities can be informed about the presence of such object and preventive action can be taken before the damage is done. Same thing should be done if a stranger is observed loitering around in an area where he or she is not supposed to be. It has been the experience in the past that many a times the breach of security had been noticed by the members of the public in advance but since the same was not immediately reported to the appropriate authorities, no preventive action could be taken and the perpetrators of the crime succeeded in causing the damage and achieving their aim.

Do we Co-operate with the Security Staff ?

In our country the Security set up has been made so much subservient to the VIP culture that the security staff has become more used to saluting the persons entering a premises rather than checking and frisking them. The more luxurious the car or brighter the neck tie of the person entering an institution, the crisper the salute by the guard. I am sure Kasab and his friends, while entering the five star hotels, with their bags slung over their shoulders, must have been ushered in like VIPs and must have been saluted by the tall turbaned and moustached durwan at the gate of the five star hotels. And it is not durwan's fault. He has been conditioned into doing so because if he does not do that, the threat to get him transferred or suspended by the high and mighty hangs over his head like a Damocles' sword.

Therefore, it becomes imparative on our part to cooperate with the security staff in carrying out the security checks, regardless of our status as VIP (Very Important), LIP (Less Important) or UIP (Unimportant) personalities. The security guard is duty bound to do the same and is doing so in the interest of security and not out of his pleasure. And it should also be ensured that if the security staff is found lax then no hesitation should be shown in kicking him hard by ticking him off or reporting his laxity to the appropriate authority.

We are all responsible citizens of our country and it is our duty to make our society a safe place. As charity begins at home, let us start by making our own home and our work place safe by adhering to safety and security norms so laid down. This will go a long way in making our country and the whole world a safe place, which we owe to our children. And that will be the true homage to the victims of the carnage.

Dedicated to Men

2009-11-20T14:53:00.013+05:30

8th March is celebrated as International Women's Day. I had written a post on 4th March, 2006 which was dedicated to that special day. I had never heard of International Men's Day till I looked at my blogroll today and found IHM's post. International Men's Day had come and gone on the 19th November like any other day and i did not feel any different on this day. Did any one else do? No one made me feel special. So i on my part decided to dedicate a post to us blokes.
Cheer up men. Here it is :-
The big film hoarding stared down at me on a busy traffic island. I rubbed my eyes and looked again. No, there were no mistakes. It was there in bold letters . Last film by Amitabh Bhaduri, Dharmendra Malini and Rajesh Kapadia together. A multi starer. As I stopped to read the full details of the movie, a passer by, impressed by my bewildered gaze, suggested that I should not miss the film as it was the last one by the trio. On my asking, he explained that the three super stars had decided to quit movies as it was so desired by their wives and they would act as true house husbands thenceforth. However they could now and then be dropped at the handsomeness parlor or attend an occasional kitty party.
Before I could pinch myself in the arm to ensure that I was not dreaming , I heard some noise. A group of three four young men were beating a woman with their shoes. A spark of chivalry ran through me and as I prepared myself to leap to the rescue of the lady, I heard some one shouting, "hand her over to anti-adam-teasing-squad". People were discussing that she was a great maniser and often indulged in adam-teasing as a pass time. She was employed as a fore-woman in a nearby factory and her better half was working as a mid- husband in a nursing home.
By now I had forgotten the purpose of coming out on that bright Sunday morning. I bumped into a newspaper vendor and promptly handed him some coins in exchange of a newspaper. The headlines again glared at me, "Shri So and So elected as Rashtrapatni of our country. I quickly scanned through other news items. "Police had launched a woman hunt in search of a criminal who had shot down a station mistress of certain railway station". The business page carried items on 'woman management' for optimum use of 'woman hours'. A car company was continuously making efforts in improving the mare power of their new car and the sports page described how the new coach of our national team was trying hard to imbibe in the players the sportswoman spirit etc., etc.
And then I heard some one complaining that he could not find a gentleman doctor in that part of the market. Before I could ask him that whether the doctors that he found were behaving in un-gentlemanly fashion, I suddenly remembered the purpose of my coming out doors.
I had to visit my friend in a hospital. I rushed to the near by bus stop and boarded a bus. The bus was not much crowded but there were no vacant seats available. As I advanced forward through the aisle of the bus, a woman got up and offered seat to me. Before I could question her offer I saw an instruction written on the side wall of the bus. It said, "Please offer seat to men and children". I quietly occupied the vacated seat. After getting down at my destination I went straight to the hospital that I was to visit.
While looking for the ward where my friend was admitted I passed along a corridor where a patient was being wheeled out of the labour room and a nurse was holding a newborn baby. Every thing else was all right except, that, the person sitting in the wheel chair, wearing the patient's gown, was a young man with a pale face. The nurse was smiling and told me that he was the father of the newborn.
It was enough for me. I rushed towards the nearest person and asked him to pinch my arm. He obliged and I suddenly woke up with a start, panting and sweating.
Thank god, it was a dream.

Thackreys are Harming Marathi Manoos

2009-11-12T18:11:00.020+05:30

Thank you BlogAdda for choosing this post in your 'Tangy Tuesday Picks'

The Thackreys (first Bal and now Raj) have been arguing that speaking of Marathi language in Bombay will result in improving the plight of Marathi Manoos. I just fail to understand that how the forcing of a local language on all and sundry living in the metropolitan city will result in development of the local community.

Here i will like to give the example of Punjab state which has a large number of migrants from Bihar doing all sorts of sundary jobs, right from tilling the farm land along with local farmers, to driving autos, cycle rickshaws and working in the factroies or at shops etc. The Punjabi community has never felt threatened by their presence and is rather happy getting the helping hand from them. As far as the Punjabi language is concerned, every Bihari who has lived in Punjab for more than a year can be heard speaking broken Punjabi. And that is out of sheer liking for the language and not out of any pressure. The 'bhayya' Punjabi has become a dialect in itself. If you approach an auto or a cycle rickshaw puller outside Jalandhar bus stand or railway station you will be greeted with a question asked by him in broken bihari-punjabi "tuseen Keethey Jaana".

A community, which is hard working and has rich heritage and culture, does not need to be afraid of outside influence but rather dyes the outsiders in its own hue.

The Maratha land, has given the country its warriors like Shivaji, its freedom fighters like Tatya Tope, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Gopal Krishan Gokhale, its artists like Lata Mangeshkar, its sports persons like Sachin Tendulkar in addition to Dada Saheb Phalke who founded the Bombay film industry to which artists form all corners of the country have contributed. Maharashtra has also contributed to the Indian Army in the form of a crack regiment like Maratha Light Infantry.

The development of Marathi manoos is not at the mercy of the goons of Thackreys who go around thrashing outsiders to force them to speak Marathi language.

Mere speaking of a language will not lift up its people. I feel that the Thackreys are doing to the Marathi manoos what Taliban is doing to the Muslim world ie, more harm than good

Killing in the Name of God or Religion

2009-11-07T15:20:00.010+05:30

Today's newspapers carried a disgusting news. A Major in the American Army killed twelve of his colleagues in a shooting spree. No, the news about killing or shooting was not disgusting. It is happening daily on a routine basis in some or other corner of the world. But the disgusting part was that before shooting innocent unsuspecting fellow men, the killer shouted "Allah Hu Akbar" which means "God is Great".

If we look into statistics, we will find that most of the present day killings are taking place in the name of God or religion. Though, no religion preaches enmity or hate against any fellow human being or even against any living being.

Why do killers invoke God before killing HIS creatures? Is it to obtain strength for doing such a ghastly act or do they ask for HIS forgiveness in advance. One can only remember God before killing someone if one is doing the act in cold blood. If the killing is the result of a heated exchange of blows or gun fire or any other weapon, there is no time for one to remember God.

Here we may argue that even the war cries in the battle fields are also after the names of God. That is true. For example, Indian Army infantry regiments are based on different regions, communities, religions or races as India has many of them. Their war cries are all based on the names of different gods or goddesses. A Dogra soldier will shout "Durga Mata Kee Jai" (hail goddess Durga) while running over an enemy post during final assault or while pushing his bayonet into the intestines of the enemy during close quarter battle. Similarly, the jawans from Sikh regiment will shout a war cry of "Jo Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal" (One who utters it, remains blessed as the truth is immortal). And there are battle cries like "Har Har Maha Dev", "Jai Bajrang Bali" etc., etc. But such war cries are justified in a battle field where the enemy is equally heavily armed and if the soldiers don't kill the attacking enemy then they get killed themselves. Hence, there, the helping hand from God is very much necessary. However, having served in the Indian Army, i personally felt that the Indian soldiers, regardless of their religion or race, should shout "Bharat Mata Kee Jai" as their war cry. But then it is the name of God which provides them the killer instinct.

Gone are the days when the wars were fought for women (Sita and Helen of Troy), for wealth (invasions over India by Gaznavi and Gouri) or for kingdoms (no need for examples). The next major war will be fought in the name of religion or say, God (please mark my words). Personally i don't wish for that but one can't deny the fact that many of such fights are already going on, though on a small scale, in many parts of the world.

Does being religious mean being intolerant of others?

Should we stop being religious if it is creating hate in our minds against our fellow human beings?

The question is open to all.

Contain the Dragon's Spit Fire

2009-10-20T17:02:00.034+05:30

This is the expanded version of my comment on Shobhaa De's post "Will the Real China Please Stand Up"

Frankly speaking, nothing succeeds like success. China has not only succeeded in selling their cheap goods to the whole world but also the idea that they are the next superpower. They demonstrated it during the last Olympics and again on their 60th National Day.

We cannot forget the Chinese invasion over India in 1962, which was the punishment meted out to us for having given refuge to the Dalai Lama and his Tibetan followers, who had come to India to seek asylum after China had invaded Tibet in 1959. Chinese aggression of 1962 resulted in India loosing a large chunk of its territory of Aksai Chin in Ladakh to China which is still under their occupation. China's claim on Aksai Chin and some other Indian territories is beyond any logic.

Take a closer look at the geographical features of the Indian sub continent, you will find that the map of India has been crafted by the Nature itself. The Indian peninsula is formed by a wall in the north consisting of a range of hills and mountains including the great Himalayas which rise from Karachi in the west, make an irregular arch over its northern borders and end near Burma in the east. The great River systems like the Indus, the five rivers of the Punjab, the Ganges and the Braham Putra in the north and Narmada, Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishana, Kaveri, and Tapti in the central and southern parts, irrigate this land, making it the most fertile and cultivable land in the world. The shores of the triangular peninsula are washed by three water bodies -- Bay of Bengal in the east, Arabian Sea in the west and the Indian Ocean in the south. There is no question of any other country claiming even an inch of territory inside this natural Indian domain. However, over a period of centuries various invaders and settlers have caused the demographic, political and administrative configuration of this land to change from time to time.

While the reason for China's 1962 aggression still persists ie, the Dalai Lama and the Tibetans are still our guests, we are also following China close behind in making rapid economic progress, which must be further bugging them. That is the very reason that they keep making diplomatic noises at regular intervals, the volume of which has increased in the recent past. They also keep making occasional incursions into our territory to with an intention to make their presence felt, if not more. While they are supporting and funding the projects in the Pakistani Occupied Kashmir, they publicly object to the visit of our own Prime Minister to our own State of Arunachal Pradesh which is an integral part of India with a popular elected government in place. The voter turn out in the recent Assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh was record 72%.
It is high time that we, on our part as Indians, end our in fights, pay heed to the red corridor of the naxalites which may prove as a convenient passage to the dragon to come and spit fire at us again in times to come.
We should stop indulging in critical appreciations and get down to 'Brass Tacks' NOW to contain the Spit Fire of the Dragon in its incipient stage itself.

Happy Diwali

2009-10-16T12:00:00.003+05:30

I wish happy "Diwali", a festival of light, to all my blogger friends.

From a Young Educated Pakistani Girl

2009-09-29T15:01:00.010+05:30

I had received a response from Annie , a young educated Pakistani girl, to my post --"Who Created Pakistan"

There were three things about her response which impressed me.

1. Firstly her spirit of patriotism.

2. Secondly her attempt to put things in correct perspective without wasting any time.

3. And lastly doing it in a polished language without meaning any offence to me or for that matter, to anyone else.

All that is remarkable for a twenty five years old. Since her response came on that post after the post had been read and commented upon by most of my blogger friends, i don't want it to remain unread in the archives. Therefore, i am publishing the comment here as a fresh post below in green ink (i have always highlighted the text in green colour in my posts on whatever i want the readers extra attention). So here it goes :-

Annie said...
Hi.
This is the first time I am reading your blog and it has been an interesting read so far.

I belong to a Mahajir family, living in Pakistan since after partition. Moving here we had to face a lot of issues. To this date we have family who are in India and I also have a very close Indian friend.

As a Pakistani through and through, or at least that's how I take it and I feel, here is my two cents on the topic.

Jinnah, aka Baba-e-Qaum (which translates to Father of the Nation) I do not believe was power-hungry. However even if he was, I am still proud of him and for every single thing he did for us. He was a secularist, and most of his opinions regarding policy matters and governance were based on secular notions. The country, unfortunately or fortunately, did not shape up like that. Pakistan, now or in the foreseeable future, will never be secular cause it's based on Islam, and its masses will never ever be okay with the idea. I would like to point out that even though I am not a practicing Muslim, this is what the majority over here feels.

Furthermore, the people who created Pakistan are dead now. It is people like me and million others who had nothing to do with the partition. We took birth in this country and have grown to think of it as our land, our identity, our first love.

"The Pakistanis are already rejoicing over the revelation made by Jaswant Singh in his book that it was not Mohammad Ali Jinnah but Sardar Patel who was instrumental in the creation of Pakistan. What a change of loyalties towards some one deemed as father for last sixty two years by a nation." (quot
ed from my text)
Where did you get this impression from?.. I don't believe in being personal during debates, but seriously... this is ludicrous, if nothing else!What I find to be the most unsettling is the image of Pakistan which is being propagated in the media. It's like no matter who looks this way, all they see are the power-hungry, religious-fanatics who are nothing more than a handful of people. They are by no way, a 100% representation of the People of Pakistan. If Drugs and terrorists is all you see and perceive then you really need to look again.

I agree with the fact that the matter of "who created Pakistan" is no more relevant for your Government. It is the people which inhabit the country now. Also what your government needs to do, and I will include my country's government to the list, is safe guard our people from the hate, bigotry, racism and political turmoil which has been led to breed for too long. ISI will be used against India and RAW will be used against Pakistan for as long as we keep such insecurities against each other alive.

I would love to visit India. From the movies and the books I have read, it sounds like a great country. but do I wish that Pakistan was never to be?.. Do I wish I was an Indian. The answer is a simple, "No".

I hope I made some sense there :)

Yes i feel she seems to have made lot of sense here. What do you feel ??