Thursday, July 31, 2014

'Bravery medals earned but not distributed' by K.J.S.Chatrath


I was Sub-Collector (SDO) at Panposh (Rourkela) in Sundargarh District of Orissa for a year in 1971-72.


I remember that just a few days before leaving on transfer, I chanced to see a bundle of old (army?) medals in one of the office almirahs. Those appeared to be medals awarded by the British Indian Government, meant for distribution amongst the the ex-armymen/ their successors of that Sub-Division. The name of each awardee was engraved on each medal. So far as I remember, the names indicated local tribal names. Since this was almost 44 years back, the details are hazy in my mind but the I do remember the basic facts.


We got a list of these medals prepared awardee wise and I sent a letter to the Collector & DM Sundargarh informing him of the medals and suggested that these be taken charge of and got distributed after suitable verification/following of procedure.


I left that assignment within a few days and do not know what happened to the medals thereafter.


Then about 15 years back I happened to remember this and wrote to the then Collector & DM (a Lady Officer) of Sundargarh district enquiring what had happened to the medals. I did not get any reply.


Now that I am working on the lists and graves of the Indian soldiers who died in France during the First World War, these medals have once again come to my mind.


Maybe some younger officer of Orissa Cadre could throw some light on it.





Mr. Natwar Singh

I have a strange feeling that Mr. Natwar Singh is going to join the BJP.....

Bravo Phogat sisters


Bravo Phogat sisters from Bhiwani, Haryana - Babita, Geeta and now Vinesh ...you have done Haryana and India proud.

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

The India Gate- All India War Memorial

India Gate New Delhi, India. Photo source: Wikipedia


Did you know that The India Gate, New Delhi was originally called the All India War Memorial?

Pappa, Pappu & Acharya Dina Nath Batra

Pappu: Pappa, Pappa do you know who is the most talked about person in the country today?

Pappa: No I dont know....Perhaps Mohinder Singh Dhoni....

Pappu: No...Acharya Dina Nath Batra!

Pappa: Quiet.....Go and finish your school home work.

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

' Women- Not the Second but the Superior Sex' by K.J.S.Chatrath

Yes, you can do it!
American Wartime poster by J. Howard Miller, 1943. Photo source: Wikipedia.

YES, YOU CAN DO IT!
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'Fall of standards of Times of India' by K.J.S.Chatrath

"Has Kala Kachha Gang Returned?' shrieks the headline of todays's Times of Chandigarh?

Oh, what a fall in standards, Times of India (With apologies to the Bard of Avon)!

...

Monday, July 28, 2014

Sartorial elegance of my late father Sardar Gurbux Singh Chatrath

My father had been conferred the tittle of 'Sardar Sahib' by the British. He dressed well and had a sartorial elegance of his own. This is his photo (in a 'turra' turban) with Lala Amarnath and others when the MCC cricket team visited Amritsar to play a match- circa 1950s.

He wanted his sons too to dress up appropriately. Here is a photo of mine (right) and my younger brother Sarvjit (left) taken about 60 years back.

Did you notice the neat double breasted suits?

Alas, dressing up well is not one of the things of my father that I follow. My preferred dress is comfortable, and as my friends will say -even sloppy at times. But I am happy the way I dress up.

Sorry Dad!

Gujarat panel suggests ban on jeans for primary teachers for improving the quality of education

A committee set up in Gujarat to suggest measures for improving the quality of education at the primary level has suggested a ban on jeans for primary teachers.

Please click at the following link to read the full article:
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140728/nation.htm#21

Kuch na kaho, bus kuch bhi na kaho... ...

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Sunday, July 27, 2014

"Kala Kachha gang strikes again" by K.J.S.Chatrath

A bold headline, in the Chandigarh supplements of both The Times of India and The Tribune dated 27th July, 2014: "Kala Kachha gang strikes again"

Kuch na kaho, bus kuch bhi na kaho... ...

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Saturday, July 26, 2014

Ms. Kirron Kher, Hon'ble M.P. seeks red beacon

‘Kirron Kher seeks red beacon: Supreme Court has banned the use of red beacon, hooter on cars of MPs…’. For reading the full story please click at the following link: http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140726/cth1.htm

Kuch na kaho, bus kuch na kaho… …


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Thursday, July 24, 2014

Lo kar lo baat! / Lai kar low gul! (Now what!)

'Queen(of Britain)Elizabeth's racehorse Estimate, the 2013 Ascot Gold Cup winner, tested positive for the banned substance morphine, Buckingham palace said on Tuesday...' (Source: The Tribune, July 24, 2014.)

Saturday, July 19, 2014

'Poor monsoon- a cospiracy theory' by K.J.S.Chatrath

I suspect that the brouhaha over impending poor monsoon may have been fanned by the black-marketeers, hoarders and anti-social elements for raising the prices and fleecing the public.

My gut feeling is that the monsoon would not only be normal but a little better than normal.

'If you like swimming...' by K.J.S.Chatrath

If you like swimming, then here is some must read information for you: '1 in 5: Ratio of American adults who admit to peeing in pools: No data is available for those who do so and deny it.' (Source: Time Newsmagazine, June 18, 2012, page 7.)

No, I do not like swimming!

Friday, July 18, 2014

'Sartorial views & a medical precaution' by K.J.S.Chatrath

Just saw photos of our Hon'ble P.M. Shri Modi in a smart brown buttoned up suit in Brazil. But somehow I feel that a brown pair of shoes would have gone better with that suit rather than the black pair that the P.M. was wearing....

And one does hope that the Hon'ble P.M. and his entourage was appropriately vaccinated for Yellow Fever before leaving for Brazil.




Thursday, July 17, 2014

Khas Aam- ख़ास आम (Special Mangoes) by K.J.S.Chatrath

Though the Moghul Emperor Babur did not like many things of India, he conceded that mangoes were something special. This is what he wrote about mangoes in his ‘Baburnama’: Mango (anba in Persian) is one of the fruits peculiar to Hindustan. The Hindustanis pronounce the ‘b’ in its name as though it as though no vowel followed it (i.e. anb in Sanskrit). This being awkward to utter, some people call the fruit as Khwaja Amir Khusrau Kukuldash, the poet, does, ‘Our fairling , the beautifier of bustan (orchard), the fairest fruit of Hindustan…’.

And he went on to write ‘…Mangoes, when good, are very good. But of the many that are eaten, few are first rate. They are usually plucked unripe and plucked in the house. Unripe, they make excellent condiments, are good also preserved in syrup. Taking it altogether, mango is the best fruit of Hindustan…’

It is fashionable to do a lot of Ooh and Aah about alphonso mangoes. I for one am not fond of alphonso mangoes. In fact I do not like the peculiar almost stink like smell that it gives. I would prefer Langra and Chausa to Alphonso any day.

But my favourite are the desi mangoes or choosnay walay mangoes. The beauty of these mangoes is that each fruit tastes different from the other. Unfortunately the production of these mangoes seems to be on the decline. There are a large number of desi mango varieties- some with interesting names like zard ameen, surkha, chand gola, tuhru, mujjad ameen, ramkela, seb jannat, desi bambaiya, zardalu, tukami heera, deshi mitthu, sharifa, maldaha, haathijhul, aamil lamba, ajayab, surkha maliyara and sahed ki kuppi, just to name a few.

I was happy to see, the variety called the sahed ki kuppi (goblet of honey) or just kuppi in the market yesterday and promptly bought some.

Take a look:


Mangoes in Peru in February

Mangoes in Cambodia in December


Two personal anecdotes about mangoes before I finish. When I was a young kid, there used to be no refrigerators. Mangoes were usually chilled in a bucket filled with water and ice. My father would organise a special yearly treat for us. He would send a few kilos of mangoes to the local ice factory with a request to let the mangoes be studded into an ice slab . This slab would be brought home on a rickshaw and as it would gradually melt, mangoes would come out. It needed a little thawing as the mangoes too would be frozen, but it used to be an occassion, we 5 brothers and sisters used to look forward toduring summers.

The second story is from Orissa. I was posted in a district called Phulbani for my Survey & Settlement training during summers. I was surprised to find both sides of the main road lined up with mango and jack fruit trees - fully laden with fruit. Further enquiry revealed that those trees were got put by an English Collector who was posted there for two decades. He used 'begar' or forced labour and made people to plant and water the trees initially. Once the trees grew up and started fruiting, then there was no problem of hunger in that tribal district. One had just to go to the main road and pluck the fruits. Mangoes are also cut dried and used during non-mango seasons. Interestingly that Collector is locally remembered as 'Sukla Sahib' as he was was very lean and skinny and looked almost dried up to the local inhabitants... ...








Thursday, July 10, 2014

Statue hi statue...by K.J.S. Chatrath

Rs. 200 crores in the latest Government of India budget for Sardar Patel's statue...

Rs. 100 crores to be spent by Maharashtra Government for building Shivaji's statue in Mumbai...

The British Chancellor of Exchequer, not to be left behind, announced during his recent visit to India, the decision of the British Government to set up a grand statue of Mahatama Gandhi in London...

Our 'neglected' departed leaders and icons never had it so good.....

'A narrow escape' by K.J.S.Chatrath

I had a favourite chair, a folding one but very comfortable. I used to watch TV sitting in that chair.


Three nights back I had a dream with a premonition of an accident.


Two days back, while watching the replay of football match, I suddenly got up from the chair and inspected to see if its nuts and bolts were in place. Yes, I did not tell you that it was an old chair, old but much younger than my 71 years.


Last evening while watching the replay of Brazil vs. Germany match, after the fifth German goal, I could not take it any longer and got up from the chair. At the same time, the chair also could not take it any more and suddenly broke into two.


I did not fall onto the ground and break my old backbone, as I was in the motion of getting up from the chair.


Have I told you about one of my unfulfilled but fulfillable desires of life? To watch Tv sitting in a 'Lazyboy' recliner chair. Maybe now the time has come... ...


No, I still do not believe in God!





American & European football coaches!

American & European football coaches!

(Thanks Anurag Chatrath)







Monday, July 7, 2014

'Ms. Richa Chaddha in TATASKY Ad' by K.J.S.Chatrath


I have just seen the TATASKY ad about a pretty young working woman preparing to leave on a 15 days holiday to Nainital and TATASKY not charging her for that fortnight. The young lady, Richa Chaddha has put up an excellent performance in those 60 seconds.The ease and synchronization of her dialogues with her body, facial and eye movements is just amazing.

I believe she also acted in Gangs of Wasseypur, a film which I have not seen yet, but intend to do so now.

My compliments Ms Chaddha.




Friday, July 4, 2014

My God, it’s full of planets! (From The Economist)


"The latest batch of results from Kepler is both illuminating and baffling
A group led by Erik Petigura of the University of California, Berkeley, having crunched the numbers, told the meeting that around a fifth of sun-like stars in the Milky Way are likely to host planets roughly the size and temperature of Earth. By the researchers’ definition, sun-like stars are a fifth of the total, so that means only about one star in 25 would have such a planet. But the galaxy is a big place, so if they are right there are billions of Earthlike planets in it. The closest is expected to be less than 12 light-years from Earth…. …"(Emphasis supplied)


Imagine just 12 light years away...Wow!


For full article please click at the following link: http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21589384-latest-batch-results-kepler-both-illuminating-and-baffling-my-god

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

'The rising food prices, the UPA, the BJP and the learned Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia' by K.J.S.Chatrath


What did the UPA governemnt say last year on the rising food prices- 'We have advised the state governments to take strict action against the hoarders, black marketeers and profiteers'


And what has the BJP government said now: 'We have advised the state governments to take strict action against the hoarders, black marketeers and profiteers'


But the most memorable statement has been by the learned Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia...'Rising prices indicate a mismatch between the supply side and the demand side'


The poor and the underfed would really thank you for this revelation, Dr. Ahluwalia.


Hansana Manaa Hai ji...