FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BOLD
Preamble This is a brief story of the life and times of Lt Gen (Retd) C Sundara Rao, PVSM. He retired as the DEME in 1973. To the lay reader, it may seem that he was extra-ordinarily lucky. He was fortunate to be commissioned when the war was on; blessed to be in the EME when the British officers were leaving, and with that …
JAGGI OBEROI ASKS : ‘QUO VADIS?’
Quo vadis? is a Latin phrase meaning “Where are you going?” or “Whither goest thou?” The modern usage of the phrase refers to a Christian tradition regarding Saint Peter. According to the apocryphal Acts of Peter (Vercelli Acts XXXV[1]), Peter is fleeing from likely crucifixion in Rome at the hands of the government, and along the road outside the city …
JHALDIYAL FADED AWAY AS HE HAD LIVED ; WITH GRACE AND DIGNITY
Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power. Abraham Lincoln (1809 – 65) Maj Gen (Retd) KB Jhaldiyal, AVSM left our world of mortals on 19th August 2012. His army career spanning over 35 years has many distinguished appointments, but he is remembered most for the two tenures which he did in …
‘Harmony Islands’ in ‘Kalepaani’
Take a good look at the map below. The Islands you see to the left of the ‘Andaman Sea’ are the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. You do not need a scale or any other geometrical instrument to prove that these islands are closer to Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia than Bharat. In fact that the Southern tip, known as the Indira Point is less than …
JAGI OBEROI’s TRYST WITH LYRICS AND MELODY
Soldiering is generally associated with weapons and martial arts. Not many lay citizens know that deep within their rough exteriors, soldiers have very sensitive hearts. Jagdeep Oberoi joined the ‘Rashtriya Indian Military College’ at the tender age of eleven, and then graduated as a highly competent electronics engineer, trained in the UK. However, all along that gruelling period of training …
EGO by Ritu Bhanot
Ritu Bhanot is a free lance writer and translator. She knows four languages : French,English, Hindi and Pujabi. She also understands Urdu, but is not very familiar with the script, which she is trying to learn. Ritu migrated to Strausbourg, in Eastern France a few years ago, but left her heart behind, in India. She has composed a short poem for Guftagu. It is in free verse, or …
“Moochh” Sahib
Originally posted on 26 April 2006 : This folk tale pertains to the pre-First World War era. The army was then officered exclusively by British and the highest rank attainable by native Indians was Subedar. There were no cars; therefore, a well bred stallion was the ultimate status symbol for a person of substance. To distinguish him from another …
The Sikh Arti Video with Background Write-up
Originally posted on 14 July 2010 : This has come to me from Lt Gen Gaur. It gives an interesting background to the Aarti performed in the Gurdwara after the last prayer. The beauty of this ‘forward’ is that you can play the aarti, read the text and also see a video clip. This is true multi-media, the future of …
OBITUARY : Lt Gen TRIPAT SINGH
Originally posted on 16 Jan 2011 : With profound grief we report the sad demise of Lt Gen (Retd) Tripat Singh who passed away this morning (16 Jan 2011) in New Delhi. Born on 08 Oct 1929 as the second son of Mr Sujan Singh who was the Head Master of the best known High School in Peshawar Cantt, the …
AN ELECTION MANIFESTO
Originally posted on 3rd April 2011 : The elections in the Punjab, UP, Uttarakhand and a couple of minor states have just been completed. We heard a lot of speeches. Political parties have promised many things. As a wag said, a politician can vow to make a bridge even where no river exists. Across our western borders, the politicians are …
