PERFECTLY IMPERFECT
My quest for ‘Perfection’ Right from the day I stepped into a school, I was told to strive for flawlessness. I was told to dress properly, and speak absolutely right language, to solve all problems to get the right answers, and above all maintain harmonious relations with every one around. I am not sure whether I have lived up to the expectations of …
Reaching out from a wheel-chair
As far as I remember, I received the first e-mail from Brig PT Gangadharan (whom I will fondly now refer to as ‘Ganga’ and also to save space) in 2005. I had never met him in service, and his mail came as a ‘forward’. At my request, he put me on his mailing list, and I have been regularly receiving …
SINO-INDIAN BORDER : THE WAY FORWARD By J THOMAS
Editor’s Note Fifty years after the 1962 war with China, a great deal is being said and written about the event. Tomorrow happens to be the 50th anniversary of the martyrdom of our course mate, 2/Lt T Achyutharayalu, of the Sikh LI, who made the supreme sacrifice at Sela. He was a classmate of Joseph Thomas in School. To mark this occasion, Thomas has written a brief …
Jaspal Bhatti ko hansaana mushkil hi nahin, namumkin tha!
Our niece, Amarjeet Kaur, whom we call Ruby, is married to Rajvinder Klair, who is a first cousin of the Late Jaspal Bhatti (1955-2012) All inputs, by way of text and photographs for this article, have been provided by the couple. * Fame preceded him. Long before the ‘baraat’ arrived at the residence of our uncle, Agyapal Singh in Sector …
OUR MOTHER, WHOM WE CALLED “Jhaiji”
Many years ago, I read a poem by Ogden Nash, of which an abridged version is given below: One kind of person when catching a train, always wants to allow an hour to cover the ten-block trip to the terminus, And the other kind looks at them as if they were verminous, And the second kind says that five minutes …
In the Shadow of Khushwant Singh
You have the option to like Khushwant Singh or dislike him, but it is difficult to ignore him. Like many Indians of my era, I read his books and the Illustrated Weekly. His wit and writing style had a deep impact on me. Later when I started writing ‘middle’ articles for newspapers, twenty odd years ago, I suspect I was greatly influenced by him. …
Arvind Mahajan burned the candle at both ends…
No one knows the late Col Arvind Mahajan better than Lt Gen SN Mehta, Commandant MCEME, Secunderabad. They were together in the Engineering College, during 1971-75, and after that they both got into the Radar stream in the Corps of EME. Given below is an obituary written by him: I have been closely associated with Arvind since college days and thereafter in our service …
Inhi Ki Kirpa Ke Saje Hum Hain…
Life, for me and my wife, turned a new leaf in June 1997. After four decades in uniform, I retired from the Army. Fortunately for me, getting a job was not difficult. Out of the three or four viable options, I chose to join Ashok Leyland, to head their newly established ‘Management Development Centre’ (MDC) in Hosur, which is a suburb of …
AN OLD LAMP WITH A BRIGHT FLAME
Look at the picture. You see an antique lamp. In fact it is made out of an inkpot. A wick has been drilled into the stopper to create this improvised contraption. And yet the flame is bright; complete with an orange tip at the …
“Many Faces of the Eve” a poem by Ritu Bhanot
Ritu Bhanot [ Seventy-odd years ago, when I was born, the birth of a son in the family was rejoiced. Daughters were considered a burden, since they could not ‘earn’ money and needed protection. Their main job was cooking and house-keeping. Consequently, educating girls was not considered necessary. As a precaution against exploitation, they covered their faces with a veil, and generally …
