‘AN INDIAN ROPE TRICK IN HIGH ALTITUDES’ BY BRIG KN HARIKUMAR
Foreword I joined the unit in December 1981. We were located at ‘Mile-Five’ on the Gangtok-Nathula Road (GNR) and the unit was situated at an altitude of about 7000 feet. My predecessor, Lt Col (later Maj Gen) AP Palta had created a very well knit and efficient team, and he gave me some very useful guidelines. There were no skeletons …
HAJI MOHAMMED MASKIN’S PRICELESS GIFT TO THE GOLDEN TEMPLE
Introductory Note Millions of people visit the Golden Temple in Amritsar every year; some as devotees and the others as curious visitors. However, very few of them know about the existence of a treasure trove (called the ‘Toshakhana’ in the local parlance) Housed on the first floor, this strong room contains precious items given as gifts to the Temple over …
AG KHAN : AN UNKNOWN POET
Prologue My one regret is that I cannot read the Persian script in which Urdu is traditionally written. I had learnt the alphabet, but before I could get a grip on ‘right-to-left’ language, the Punjab was partitioned, and Urdu became a language of our arch enemy. We were told not to use Urdu words in Hindi which was to become our official …
A VISIT TO ‘SIMPLY NATURAL’ DAIRY AND CREAMERY BY JOSEPH THOMAS
Editor’s Note Milk is an essential part of human diet. It has been so, since times immemorial. Our ancestors around the globe, learnt to domesticate milk yielding animals and they became part of their families. As far as I know, every house had a few cows and buffaloes, and therefore, ‘dairy farming’ was not an exclusive business. Until as late as just …
MY FRIEND – “BATS” By MAHAVIR JAGDEV
Editor’s Note Mahavir was born on 18 Sep 1955, and was amongst the youngest students, when he joined IIT Kharagpur in 1971. As he entered the portals of this great institute of technology, the cult of the awesome campus entered into his psyche, and became an integral part of his personality. He is also a prolific writer, and has sent a couple of pieces to us. It gives …
SOME ‘COOL’ SUGGESTIONS TO BEAT THE HEAT
An escape from the scorching Sun… The rich and resourceful people maintain two establishments: one in the mountains and the other in the plains. Come summer and they pack their bags and go off to their resorts. For those who are left behind, we offer a few less expensive ‘solutions’. This post contains a few suggestions, which have been …
AVIATION MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN DAY BY Wg Cdr J THOMAS
Editor’s Note When an aircraft takes off smoothly, performs all the manoeuvres properly and then makes a perfect three-pin landing, the pilot gets a pat on his back, and proudly enters it in his log book. No one cares to remember or even acknowledge the ‘behind the scenes’ effort of the maintenance technicians. Not many of us in India know that in …
GENDER BIAS IN THE GOLDEN TEMPLE
Music is the language of Gods I can’t sing for nuts, but if a singer makes even one slender mistake, my body quivers and the soul protests. It seems that the Goddess of music came all the way up to my ear but failed to travel the final three-inch distance to the larynx which contains my sound box. When I …
FAQ ON SOLAR POWER GENERATION ANSWERED By Col (Dr) TS SURENDRA
Introduction to Col (Dr) TS Surendra THIRUVAZANDUR SRINIVASA SURENDRA, or TS Surendra joined the NDA in July 1962. His given name was a bit tough for his buddies, so he permitted them to call him ‘Tejinder’. Academics were his forte. The Army spotted his strength when he won the Gold Medal on the Degree course. He was deputed to go …
WAS Lt Gen A.A.K. NIAZI A TIGER OR A JACKAL???
Vicissitudes in the life of Lt Gen AAK Niazi It is not uncommon for fortunes to fluctuate in life. But in the case of Lt Gen Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi, the amplitude of the swing was phenomenally large. He joined the army as a Y-cadet; earned an emergency commission at the somewhat late age of 27 and yet, rose to an exalted rank. At the …
