'Respectful Salute to Ms. Nandini K.R. the IAS topper of 2017' by K.J.S.Chatrath

Respectful Salute to Ms. Nandini K.R. the IAS topper of 2017 and to all the other bright ladies who have made it to the IAS.

'Cow as National Animal, peacocks not having sex and all that ' by K.J.S.Chatrath

Photo above is from my article 'A celestial white peacock dance in Almaty, Kazakhastan' (http://fiftyplustravels.blogspot.in/2016/12/a-spellbinding-white-peacock-dance-in.html) which was published in my blog www.fiftyplustravels.blogspot.in 

“Peacocks Don't Have Sex, Says Judge Who Recommended Cow As National Animal” &"The peacock is a lifelong brahmachari (celibate). It never has sex with the peahen. The peahen gets pregnant after swallowing the tears of the peacock," Judge Mahesh Chandra Sharma told reporters.http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/peacock-dont-have-sex-says-judge-who-recommended-cow-as-national-animal-1706363?pfrom=home-lateststories

Yes, Your Honour!

Alas! The poor peacock and poor peahen do not know what they are missing!

Another good one from The New Yorker, (October 10, 2016)

Another good one from The New Yorker, (October 10, 2016)

'Some self-publicity' by K.J.S.Chatrath

Last week I attended the Golden Jubilee Reunion of the 1967 batch of Civil Services, in the Lal Bahadur Shastri Academy of Administration, Mussoorie.

I presented the following of my books to the Director Ms. Upma Chaudhary for the library of the Academy:

i. The Last Post- Inscriptions on French graves in India;
ii. The Balasore Papers: a compendium of important documents relating to the Anglo-French dispute ever the French loge in Balasore India, 1693-1949;
iii.  Some vignettes of Balasore and its French Loge;
iv. Respectful Homage to Martyr Gabar Singh Negi, Victoria Cross;
v. Homage to Odia martyrs of World War-I, commemorated in the Mazargues Military Cemetery, Marseilles, France;
vi. Homage to 993 Indian  Soldiers who died defending France during World War-I, commemorated in the Mazargues Military Cemetery, Marseilles, France;

 I felt honoured when the Academy put up a special display of my earlier books with their library along with the new books on display, side by side with the books by other civil services batch mates:
vii. From Metcalfe House to Charleville - Memoirs (Jointly edited  by me along with Dr. V.K.Agnihotri);
viii. The French Collection;
ix. A Glance at France;
x. Managing better with checklists.  


This display was done for two successive days out side the Dining Hall in Gyanshila in the LBSNAA. 

Thank you LBSNAA.

Following is the list of my other books:
  xi. The Foreign Policy of France
xii. The Wetlands of India (Ed.)
xiii. India in the Debates of the French Parliament- 1945-1988
xiv. Vers La Lumiere- A Study of the French School System
xv. Human Rights for Education and Democracy (Ed.), Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla.
xvi. France- A Brief Bibliography
xvii. The Joy of Mental Health (Ed.) On the writings of Dr. N.N.Wig.

. . .

'Hear, hear- hair, hair! - by K.J.S.Chatrath

I admire Mr. Mr. Ravi Shankar. I must confess that I have no idea about his work as 'a humanitarian, spiritual leader and an ambassador of peace', as his website claims.

Well, I admire him for a different reason. He has managed to retain thick jet black hair at the age of 61-  his birthday was celebrated recently. 

I also admire the American President Mr. Donald Trump for a similar reason- I love the luxurious growth of silver hair on his head. Our own beloved Prime Minister looks so dignified with his silver hair and beard.

But we all cant be Mr. Mr., the American President or the India Prime Minister. 

I had, all my life, been wanting to have my head full of silver hair as I find it very impressive. But alas, my greying of hair and falling of hair started simultaneously. Now I have reached a stage when I have very little hair left on the head.

Mercifully the hair left are all grey and I love it.  

'IPL Cricket Final & willing suspension of disbelief' ......by K.J.S.Chatrath

Last night's IPL cricket final reached the level of WWF in make-believe.

Remember what S.T.Coleridge said long ago- 'Willing suspension of disbelief''!

'Looking like a cute Cinderella or just simply silly' - by K.J.S.Chatrath

Aishwarya Rai Bachhan in Cannes, France. Photo source: AFP

'Ah, this Chetan Bhagat!' - by K.J.S.Chatrath

 Chetan Bhagat- the popular writer.

late Madhubala posing for 'LIFE"

'News according to The Tribune Chandigarh- Pippa Middleton gets married' - by K.J.S.Chatrath

'News according to The Tribune Chandigarh- Pippa Middleton gets married'

And pray, tell us who is Pippa Middleton?

Well...she is British Queen's grandson's wife's sister!

Who cares in India if she gets married?

Come on The  Tribune, grow up and improve your news selection!

'Meerut Military Cemetery, Boulogne St. James, France' - by K.J.S.Chatrath

For a dear friend who is a stone art expert.This photo was taken at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery in Boulogne, near Calais in France.

I had gone there to visit and pay my homage to  318 Indian and Nepalese soldiers and non-combatants who died around that area defending France during the World War-I. They lie buried/commemorated in  the Meerut Military Cemetery in Boulogne St. James waiting for over a hundred years for their fellow Indians to come and visit them.

Sadly, the people of that French town, where this cemetery is located do not remember the sacrifices made by these brave Indians.

My book on Indian & Nepalese brave hearts of  Meerut Military Cemetery, Boulogne St. James, France.  is coming out shortly.

Jai Hind!

'Carelessness and insensitivity' - by K.J.S.Chatrath

 

Some of us have not been happy at the choice of Gandhiji's spectacles and sometime sketch of his photo as symbols of the highly desirable Swach Bharat Abhiyan.

Last week while travelling to Kedarnath and Badrinath I got another jolt. There were a good number of plastic partitions erected on road side with provision for use as urinals and toilets.

So what is bad about that, you might ask?

Take a closer look. Now got it? How very insensitive and how utterly careless!

Will some one please  tell the Uttrakhand Tourism Organisation to change the offending sketches before  Tough Trump comes to know of it? 

A garbage can in Paris with an insignia of the local ward of municipality. 

'Justin Bieber and all that madness' - by K.J.S.Chatrath

His name is Justin Bieber. He is a singer. He has a soft ladylike face. He seems to have got half his body disfigured by tattoos, which one is told, have deep meanings.

He was in India for 24 hours and all the cream of society seems to have attended the show in Mumbai where he sang and 'performed'.

I have listened to his songs and found those to be just average.

I wonder what is all this hoopla -about!

Are we  short of  'heroes'? No, not really. My heroes are, for example, the brave soldiers who die protecting the unity aand integrity of India.....

‘Writing my obituary’ – by K.J.S. Chatrath

Soul being taken to heaven, hell or whatever! (Photo by:  KJS Chatrath )

 Not noticing any new post by me on the Facebook for 10 long days, half a dozen of my friends got together in concern.

‘Well, our friend Chat used to be very active on the Facebook- about 10 posts a day and now there has been no new post for ten full days, so one must conclude that the inevitable has happened’  said the oldest of my friends initiating the conference.

‘Oh merde’, exclaimed my friend who had learnt French at the local Aliance Francaise half a century ago.

‘He was quite a rummy, that chappie Chat’, said one of my friends who is an avid fan of P.G. Wodehouse.

‘Another vintage model gone’ sighed my friend involved with the activities of INTACH.

‘Since he was an atheist, he couldn’t have been admitted in ‘hell’, though I personally feel he was fully qualified for it, and of course he was under qualified for an entry to heaven’ said another  one of my ‘friends’ and added, ‘Wonder where do such fellows go after death.’

‘Good heavens’, was all that my holy religious type friend could say.

‘What the hell’ was what another disappointed friend added. 

‘The chappie hadn’t lost it yet but the poor thing had started losing things lately- you know, passport, suitcase and that sort of rummy. Yes but one thing the old scoundrel didn’t lose till the end was his sense of humour’, interjected the Wodehouse admirer friend.

‘Tut, tut, said the politically correct type, reminding all of the old limerick ‘Of the gone and the dead, nothing but the good shall be said’!

And then there was a dead silence. The friend chairing the conference call said, ‘Friends, a new entry on FB by Chat has been just noticed’ he divulged.

‘What! Does it mean that he has managed to get an FB connection up there?’ queried a friend.

‘Hell  no! It means that he is travelling and having a chilled beer some where in this world and here we are trying desperately to find some good things to say about that  old rogue’  said the friend chairing the meeting  and concluded  by announcing that the meeting was over but thoughtfully added, ‘Let’s have a drink to it!’

'Martyr Ummer Fayaz Parray, 22- Jai Hind!'....by K.J.S.Chatrath

Respectful salute to martyr Ummer Fayaz Parray, 22.  

Jor sey bolo....JAI HIND

जोर से बोलो - जय हिन्द

'Bahubali- my cautious first comments' - by K.J.S.Chatrath

'Bahubali - The Conclusion' has really created quite a hype. A good deal of money seems to have been spent to create a hoopla around the film.

I normally do not go to Multi-Screen halls for watching films, though one of these is just walking distance from my flat. The main reason is that I find Rs.150/ - for a ticket too steep. I wait for the movies to come on the TV channels.

I had not seen 'Bahubal- the Beginning' when it came a few years back.

So when the 'Bahubali the Conclusion' opened, I switched on the TV and found  'Bahubali-  the Beginning'  being shown by a channel.

And was I disappointed! I could not see it for more than 5 minutes. It was just too gaudy, crass trash.

And having got a sense of 'Bahubali', I am not interested in knowing why Katappa killed Bahubali.

No, thank you Mr. Rajmouli.

These are my  cautious first remarks as I will again try to see the 'Beginning' and would see the 'Conclusion' when it comes on TV and then make my final comments.