‘Guftagu’ with no borders

An Invitation

Come, Join Us…

Guftagu’ is a community rendezvous. There are neither any boundaries nor political borders. If you are keen to share your views on any subject, just send us your story, attached with a mail. We shall put it on the relevant  bill board and simultaneously announce the new ‘upload’.  If your contribution generates interest, the readers will record their impressions and comments. And, therefore, you will be able to test your theses and hypotheses. We welcome opposing points of view.

Giving vent to one’s feelings and emotions is a well known process of lessening the burden on one’s soul. It is known as catharsis. A recent study has revealed that writers live long and meaningful lives. For the sake of record, I give below the names of some of the well known writers of my time, whose words have influenced large sections of people. Their dates of birth and death are mentioned alongside. Please note that during their period, the life expectancy was much lower than the present day.  Writing is, perhaps, one of the best known elixirs!

  • George Bernard      Shaw  1856-1950 (94)

  • Sir Winston      Churchill  1874-1965 (91)

  • Lord Bertrand      Russell  1872-1970 (98)

  • Pearl S Buck 1882-1973      (91)

  • Nirad C Chaudhari      1897-1999 (101)

  • Peter Drucker 1909-2005      (96)

  • W Somerset Maugham      1874-1965 (92)

  • Mulk Raj Anand 1905-2004      (99)

  • Raj Chatterjee      1915-2010 (96)

  • RK Narayanan 1906-2001      (96)

  • Raja Rao 1908-2006 (98)

  • Khushwant Singh born      1915 (97, not out)

A Tailpiece

   If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are

 dead and rotten, either write something worth

reading or do things worth the writing.

  1. colls says:

    My Dear
    General Sir ji,
    Permit just
    a simple SGMT
    of EASY
    know ye

    I miss getting links from thee
    Have I exited from thy memory
    In the late evening of my life
    Id love to see
    the progress you maketh
    so distinctly

    Its a pleasure for ‘learners’ like me
    to mingle with Military literati
    like Sir are ye
    I always salute the worthy.
    Namaskar Sir

    The International poets tell me
    don’t forget archaic poetry
    so do excuse me
    kindly
    Colls
    Canada vich
    17 MAR 2022

  2. colls says:

    NAMESTE

    I always say

    GUFTA GU

    for life long must stay

    and

    all should pray

    they benefit from Sir you

    day by day

    what else can I say
    a small
    Canadian poet today

    PROUD OF BEING
    CSM OF EASY SQN
    15TH COURSE

    SOME DECADES AWAY

    HOW LONG
    WOULD YOU WISH ME TO STAY
    i will follow your PATH WAY

  3. colls says:

    You are Sir …
    our MILITARY
    KHUSHWANT SINGH JI …

    Once I told you so
    And see how you fly
    above the sky
    and now we all know why
    LITTÉRATEURS alone convey
    so longer on the Earth
    in this timeless journey
    do they alone stay

    Now you are
    OUR LEADER
    Sir General,
    I an ant still
    Sgmt EASY
    simply
    general…

    Small Sgmt has the cheeks to say.
    STAY AS LONG AS YOU MAY
    You are our KHUSHWANT SINGH – personae
    I still again say
    Have a happy exposure through
    GUFTA GU ….way
    your CHOSEN inimitable
    PATHWAY

    Colls does still say
    you are OUR KHUSHY
    may I say
    all our lives way>>>>…..
    colls

  4. K.L.Khanna says:

    Dear sir; With a stray entry by a friend on my Facebook timeline, I came to know about Lt. Gen. Hanut Singh. When I wished to know further about venerable General, I got on to your piece on him in the net; and am delighted to know about this blog. With a bit of parochial sense and nostalgia I wish to write this comment as I too have lived in Yamunanagar where my parents lived and where I studied. My father was in EME and I grew up in different cantonments like Dehradoon, Jalandhar, Pune, Jammu and Delhi; but he settled in Yamunanagar. I joined the Indian Air Force in 1969. With a combination of my adolescent perception of the Army and an adult one of the Air Force, I find it very attractive to say that the individual life in uniform and the social one in the hedges provides one of a larger vision of India. Cantonment life provides one an opportunity to be large..; that is large to receive, retain and assimilate cultural and social spread of the entire country. Guftagu among the people in a cantt. is most enlightening and heartening where it easily crosses ethnocentric borders and finds an ease of a good dialogue. Thanks to this assimilative nature, perhaps that a fauji is regarded high in each rung of every community in the country. Fauj, it seems teaches its members, I think more than other professions do in a small time. There is a talk about compulsory service in uniform for every aspirant of government servant. I think, the government will do well in creating that opportunity for the young people. I know for certain, that a stint in uniform for a large section of Indian youth would do the cause of national integration, discipline and patriotism more than any number of slogans and media homilies. As we all know, good citizenship; a very urgent demand of our polity, civics and progress; emanates out of a combination of awareness and discipline, and what can generate such forces in our society than the new phase of such a wonderful opportunity for our youth in the present and those of future, than a rub in the uniform like a medal in everybody’s life in a nation!! Perhaps, this is one subject that should be taken up for discussion more than frequently in our media. Thanks for this space, sir.

  5. Sir,
    I just happened to go through the website. I think it is a fantastic attempt to share life and its vicissitudes. And not to mention, do something constructive. I shall fwd some contributions on travel, philosophy, books and life in general. If you find them suitable, they could be uploaded.
    Once again, thank you very much for sharing the site with me and enabling me to learn some more from the wisdom of more knowledgeable people.
    Warm Regards
    Neeraj

  6. colls says:

    SOME ERROR TOOK PLACE I GOT UNSUBSCRIBED REENETER PLEASE AND KHUSWANT SINGH WAS BORN IN 1914

  7. Rajesh Sharma says:

    Get this link from google while searching for Khushwant Singh write up.

    Sadly Khushwant Singh now OUT in nervous nineties

  8. Gautam Malik says:

    I accidentally came to this site surfing for stanza MARZ BADHTA HI GAYA JYON JYON DAWA KI and got really touched by the effort and look forward to see Surjit Ji.
    I do believe in that “Purpose of Life should be a Life with a Purpose”. Everyone should leave his/her mark in this world.

    Gautam Malik

    • Surjit Singh says:

      Dear Prof Gautam Malik,
      It was nice talking to you.
      If you find time, do go through some more posts on this website. Choose the topic which you like. I think travel stories may interest you. In the reflections head you may find some posts of interest to you.
      Regards,
      Surjit

  9. Sanjay Jadhav says:

    I read book Bandicoot Run when I was in college 25 years ago. I can say it was brilliantly written book with vivid description of character. That Major Garud, the KYT Nadkar bootlegging the truckload of liquors from Chakreef rifles, the General of Pakistan Army trying to steal the records from Indian Army. It is fantastic thriller.

    • Surjit Singh says:

      Dear Sanjay Jadhav,
      That book impelled me to go all the way to the house of Col Manohar Malgonkar in Bithur, near Belgaum. He lived near a thick forest, where they were visited by wild beasts regularly.
      Malgonkar was easily one of the most readable Indian authors of the present era. I am in total agreement with your impression. His “Bend in the Ganges” is equally brilliant.
      Surjit

  10. Sanjay Jadhav says:

    I read book Bandicoot Run when I was in college 25 years ago. I can say it was brilliantly written book with vivid description of character. That Major Garud, the KYT Nadkar bootlegging the truckload of liquors from Chakreef rifles, the General of Pakistan Army trying to steal the records from Indian Army. It is fantastic thriller.

  11. Sailendra Bhaskar says:

    Sitting together and batting the breeze is something I look forward to both digitally as well as in person! Guftagu is certainly a good idea to take forward and here’s hoping that your circle of influence grows fast and wide.

    Warm regards

    Sailendra Bhaskar

    • surjit singh says:

      Dear S Bhaskar,
      Welcome aboard. On this timeless journey, we are all sailing together. There is no destination. The journey itself is our goal and objective!
      We will be delighted to received a contribution from you.
      Surjit

  12. Col PM Singh says:

    Sir,
    Today I happened to open up your web site thr, your one of the forwarded mails. Your web site is quite motivating and I certainly would follow it in future. Though I am also from EME but never got the opportunity to meet you in person.
    Brgds
    Col P M Singh

    • surjit singh says:

      Dear Col PM
      Welcome to the ‘Guftagu’
      We look forward to your participation on the informal chat we have on this forum.
      God bless
      Surjit

    • shiv Sharma says:

      Dear Surjit,
      I accidently came to see your website through Priti Shankar obituary. She was one of my class fellow at IIT Delhi where I too graduated in EE. I really didn’t talk to her much, during our stay in the institute, however admired her focus on studies, her goal and attention to her studies. It is very sad that she has gone that young. Even almighty needs good people.
      I on the other hand, took a lot of interest in playing sports. I had a chance to represent IITD in all 5 IIT annual meets. I have worked in almost all continents include Europe, Africa, North America, South America and of course in india. My wife and I are currently settled in Vancouver, Canada. We visit india every year. I am still working with an international consultancy company.
      It was so nice to read some comments in your forum with people of so many backgrounds. You are right the life will carry on. We should follow the good universal virtues. One of them is – Be Nice To Everyone. I am still practicing on it and hope I can practice it with 100% accuracy.
      With kind regards,
      Shiv Sharma

  13. jagwant says:

    Excellent Website. Informative and reflective. Look forward to more posts on this site.

  14. Aditya Parida says:

    A very interesting and motivating web-site. It is a real pleasure to see my own philosophy being reflected and followed by so many. I have developed teaching, reading and writing as my hobby from my school days except the writing gap during my active service career in Army !! Yet, I agree that we need to share our little acquired knowledge and experience for others & next generations !! We all can contribute !! Regards/Aditya

  15. sudhir diwan says:

    Great initiative!
    God willing we’ll contribute something sometime.

    Fond regards

    Renu n Sudhir

  16. Nirmal Mahajan says:

    Thank you, Sir
    Nirmal Mahajan

  17. Yashvir Tuli says:

    Surjit,
    Good, it reminds people like me, of my age group, how were the things 70-80 years ago. Please keep on sending more tit-bits of this nature.
    yash

  18. Ranjit Grewal says:

    Thanks a lot . I will certainly like to remain on your distribution list Regards Ranjit

  19. S K BHANDARI says:

    The site is excellent. The philosophy behind it is very innovative. Good luck.

  20. Prabal Sen says:

    Very nice.

    we need to ‘talk’ more albeit through the keyboard

    a man past 55 is essentially an island, how much of childhood we carry with us is really surprising

    we look forward to Guftagu, how it shapes up , we need to wait

    amongst we the Bongs we have similar stuff called ‘adda’ which is absolutely divine

    regards

    Prabal Sen

  21. Ruben Naik says:

    Website is very good, appreciated a lot by entire team of Unique Digital Services
    We are happy to go through it. It is sober , simple and informative

    Regards

    Ruben and Claudette

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