AFTER SIGHTING 1000 FULLMOONS
Prelude Attaining the age of eighty acquired some significance for pensioners when the government instituted additional allowance to the elderly persons who were classified as ‘super senior citizens’ about fifteen years ago. I was wondering why the figure 80 was chosen for the award of this bounty. In an idle reverie, I was surfing the Internet when I discovered …
A NAVAL AVIATOR’S TRIBUTE TO ASTE
Admiral Arun Prakash grew up in the Kashmir Valley, where his father rose to be a District Commissioner of Leh. His two elder brothers served in the army. The eldest was a Gunner and retired as a Maj Gen. The middle brother served in Int Corps and retired as a Brig. The Admiral had a long and distinguished career both …
YOU HAVE LEFT US LONELY AND FORLORN, SURINDER!
Foreword There are billions of people on the earth. In the Chandigarh tricity itself, we have more than 11.69 lacs of citizens. The demise of just one person has caused many of us to feel forsaken. Reminds me of a couplet written by Nida Fazli and sung by Jagjit Singh and Lata Mangeshkar, which says, हर तरफ़, हर जग़ह, बेशुमार …
FAROOKA (Distt Sargodha) in June 1947; and Now
Preamble Ninety-five years ago, on 2nd September 1926, our saintly grandfather, Bhai Hira Singh Ji passed away at an early age of 46. Ever since then, we observe this date as a remembrance day. Until the partition of Punjab, our family used to organize a ‘prayer meet’ in our ancestral house in Farooka, District Sargodha. But after we migrated …
Dhyan Chand: The ‘Kohinoor’ of Indian Sportsmen
Foreword, by Lt Gen Kapil Aggarwal (Veteran) Ramener une médaille de hockey (Bring Back a Medal in Hockey) Anointed as the “Wizard of Hockey” by Fuehrer, Adolf Hitler in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Dhyan Chand will forever inspire generations of hockey players and lovers. When India routed the host team and favourites, Germany, by a margin of 8-1 in the …
28th OCTOBER 1914 – WHEN THE INDIA CORPS ALMOST CHANGED THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD!
Foreword Ninety-six years ago, on 18 July 1925, Adolf Hitler published his infamous book, entitled “Mein Kamph” which led to the creation of a formidable German military force. It proved to be the corner-stone of the edifice of a new nation which took on the combined might of allied forces. This 700 page tome contains an account of Private Hitler’s …
A ‘Field Punishment’ Under the Watchful Eye of the Kanchenjunga
Foreword by the editor Brig Krishnan Nair Harikumar is a well-known name in the Corps of EME. I had the good fortune of serving with him in Sikkim during 1981-82, when he was a Major. Had he recorded his age appropriately, he would have surely retired as a general officer. This is a story of how he began his …
A SILENT THUNDER IN ‘HUNTER’ SQUADRON, NDA
A SILENT THUNDER IN ‘HUNTER’ SQUADRON, NDA By 2997 A Bit of History At the end of World War II, Field Marshal Claude Auchinleck, then Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army, led a committee around the world and submitted a report to the Government of India in December 1946. The committee recommended the establishment of a Joint Services Military Academy, …
IN THE SHADOW OF SPITUK GOMPA
IN THE SHADOW OF SPITUK GOMPA By Kapil Aggarwal Introduction This is a brief personal-life story narrated by Kapil Aggarwal. It makes interesting reading, because all of us can identify ourselves with the incident. The author is haunted by its memory even today, when twenty-five years have elapsed since then. He has invited the readers’ comments. So, if you have …
The Portrait of a ‘Kirti Gursikh’
Prologue Our father, whom we called Pitaji, passed away in Command Hospital, Chandimandir on 07 May 2004 at the age of 93. Soon after that, we received a request from Mr Saran Singh, IAS who was the editor of “The Sikh Review” to write about the life and times of our father. I must add that Mr Saran Singh had …
