Gulab Khan from Afghanistan!

Spring term '73 and I was a first termer at the National Defence Academy. As I was charging towards the mess for breakfast, a 'sarge' on post at the junction prior to the 'central mess' had me stopped to check my turn out. Cursing the guy from deep within(every minute lost meant one toast down, which was blasphemous for a cadet's bottomless tummy) but trying to look as pleasant as I could(giving dirty looks to your senior invited harsher forms of punishment, you see) I went through the ignominy and on completion(after what seemed ages), I'd literally sprinted off into the innards of the mess for the ultimate bliss - wolfing down breakfast.

As I was on to the first toast, I felt a tap on my shoulder and to my utter surprise saw that it was Cadet Gulab Khan(the 6th termer, Afghani cadet of Echo Squadron) who was trying to hand over my handkerchief, that I'd dropped on my earlier flight to the mess. After that incident, Gulab Khan was forever a friendly senior to me, always ready with a smile whenever he met me.

And in the documentary on the NDA called 'A cradle for leadership', shot extensively during those times, Gulab Khan is prominent on the 'bayonet charge' frame. His clean shaven head with a thick moustache, that he sported, showed the right amount of emotions when one's under that sort of final assault. He'd passed out of the Academy in Jun '73.

How did Gulab Khan suddenly come up on this occasion? On the TV screen behind me, the glimpses of elections in Afghanistan currently on, is being beamed and whenever I think of that country, two things come to my mind - Gulab Khan and the Hindi movie 'Dharmatma'starring Feroze Khan and Hema Malini, a hit of those times!

Coming back to Gulab Khan, I believe, he met with his untimely end, somewhere in the rough terrain of Afghanistan just after a couple of years into his commission. RIP Gulab Khan, you're a fine soul!!

Humour in uniform

The ‘Sena Bhavan’, which houses the bulk of the Army Headquarters’ offices and a few of the Naval Headquarters’ offices like mine, is in the process of renovation and it’s still a long way to completion. But gone are the dull grey visage, the hideous and the drab looks that made the massive building stand out like a sore thumb in the vicinity of the monumental, brown sandstone façade of the Rashtrapathy Bhavan and the ornate, but imposing looking North and South Blocks that surround it. The Sena Bhavan’s new colours, which is a combination of brown and brick red, rightfully highlights the Army’s colours and compliments the imposing building that houses the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s Headquarters, just across the Rajaji Marg and opposite to it.
Since the present Army Chief is retiring by the end of this month, some bright ‘sycophant’ had decided to dedicate the renovation to him and hence organized the inauguration, this evening around secure time. The frontage has been completed, in a photo finish, though rubble and broken concrete litter many areas, but effectively covered with buntings and festoons, complete with colourful flowerbeds, ornamental shrubs, small and shapely cut trees and a centre patch of china grass – all sprouted overnight (Till now, had only heard of the Army’s proverbial ability to do Godly stuff, but this was to be seen to be believed!). Sadly, the renovation work will continue to happen all through next week, outside the building and inside it and in all probability, stretch to another couple of months and I wonder as to whose great idea this was, to have a hasty inauguration? Hope the ever vigilant media does not highlight this over all their channels and make us look like a bunch of cruds!
And parking was a Herculean task this morning, with us being given clear instructions that our vehicles would not be allowed to be parked within or anywhere in the immediate vicinity of the Sena Bhavan – one had to park and walk a good distance before reaching one’s office and on reaching the entrance, had to go through the routine of frisking for cellphones ( the scan proved negative in my case, as I’d already put mine into the dashboard of my van, thanks to an advance warning from my man Friday! But what nettled me was that almost all the labourers working in the innards of the building not only had their cellphones with them but also could use them unabashedly. Who gives what sort of orders to the poor DSC jawans, I wonder and if this is our concept of security, even God will disown us in our times of need, in utter disgust!!
No wonder the guys in the civvy street call us so, we, indeed, are humour in uniform!!!
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IPL cricket and me

Today is the start of yet another session of IPL cricket or is it tomorrow? It’s colourful, no doubt, but what sustains viewers’ interest in it, is something that defies my comprehension. To my logic, when my country is involved in a game – be it any game, for that matter – I would in all probability be glued on to the television set, rooting for my country and its fortune elates me or misfortune upsets me. But for some reason, I’m unable to back a Nita Ambani team or a Shah Rukh Khan team because there’s no sense or a cause of attachment and hence, the disinterest.

Does the involvement or the interest shown by a sizable section of the society – and I respect their choice of spending their time – show that actually, we’ve nothing better to do to keep ourselves busy? Is it the game or is it the antics on the field like the scantily clad cheerleaders breaking into a jiggle, whenever runs are scored or a wicket is taken or is it the sight of the glamorous film stars at the stands, the chief attraction? I’m yet to get a direct answer for this query of mine, from any of the IPL enthusiasts amongst my friends. However, I must hasten to add that, in the name of this format of the game, there’s a lot of interaction and socializing among the people, at least in Delhi, where visits to others’ homes are strictly reserved for weekends and holidays.

I saw two guys from my office staff making a beeline to the nearby canteen today, to buy an assortment of wafers and snacks along with a variety of soft drinks, as part of the logistics back up to cater for their guests’ taste buds, who were expected to join them at their homes to watch the IPL matches jointly.
Long live cricket! And may the IPL seasons flourish, year after year!! And may more and more people interact with each other and watch the game together in these, otherwise, trying times when people have begun to be suspicious of the other, in a terror stricken atmosphere!!! As for me, I shall give it a miss, in toto, but watch a few snippets on the news channels and continue to follow my usual programmes.

Celebrating parenthood, albeit silently!

On my evening walks, there’s one sight that shall always remain etched in my mind much after I leave Delhi, perhaps to my very end. There’s a seventeen year old boy suffering from Down’s syndrome, who is taken out for his walks under the ever watchful eyes of his father or mother or both. They’re the Baniwals – Col Baniwal is posted in one of the units nearby and they have another son who’s attempting his board exams of class XII right now. The boy in question - I do not know his name and I haven’t had the courage to interact with him or his parents lest I be considered as a guy sympathizing about their plight – is extremely good looking and had his faculties been all right, would have kept the girls in the neighbourhood around him, on their toes, for sure! There’s another army couple who take their daughter out for walks in a similar fashion– another sweet kid with the same problem but compounded with disability of her limbs. Of late, I don’t see her and I presume it’s because of the prevalent cold weather. Since I’m a regular on the circuit, both the kids recognize me and I always wave at them for which I usually get responses, at times, though, prodded by their chaperones. Why has God made them like that, I often wonder and what’s the intensity of the agony their parents are going through? Would the parents, in their heart of hearts, ever wish the speedy ends of their deformed children at a weak moment or even curse their luck?
But one thing about which I’m very sure is that all of them are living heroic and extraordinary lives compared to the normal or even drab life, that I lead. Whenever I see them, I must admit that I celebrate parenthood silently. And I really wish them strength to continue going about their lives as though everything is normal, from the bottom of my heart.

It never pays to be decent..........never!

It has been my experience in life thus far, that, it never pays to be decent. The others always consider you to be weak or timid and therefore, can be taken liberties with. I remember, quite a long time ago, a sailor telling me when I’d just joined the navy and was raring to go, that the sailors categorized their officers into two – the first who were mean, rode roughshod over anyone and everyone who came their way, was foulmouthed who were called the ‘b*******’ and the second who were genuinely nice, empathized with others, were reasonable being nice to one and all, never lost their cool who were termed as the ‘c****’( actually, he’d used their ‘Hindi’ equivalents, which however cannot be used in the circumstances, for obvious reasons!). Paradoxically, it was the former who almost, always got everything they wanted – the fear psychosis in their subordinates, notwithstanding! And the latter, despite their good intentions, missed deadlines, or stopped short of absolute achievement much to the derision of their superiors and got ‘lost out’ in the mad race that life is all about!!
When such bitter experiences befall one in the workplace, where one’s working with strangers or even acquaintances, one shrugs it off as something inevitable and blames the time and space, for being out of sync with one’s luck and moves on. But when similar bitter experiences are courtesy people, whom one considers close and as one’s own, then disillusionment sets in and a seething anger sets in.
Why does it happen? Is it because the others take one for granted, think that one's gullible or dim-witted like a cretin with an incredibly short memory or even a bumbling fool who'd lap up anything that's doled out as an afterthought or an excuse, I wonder? Just beats me and I don't think I shall ever fathom that.
What does one do in the circumstances? Become a b****** and join the crowd - easier said than done as it’s difficult to go against one’s grain. So, then the only other alternative is to continue to be what one is, take the pain in one’s stride and convert it as another experience of life and move on the road of life that’s less travelled!

International Woman's Year - The Indian woman doesn't need a bill to ensure her rights!

Today’s being celebrated as the ‘International Woman’s Day’. The government has tabled the bill for 331/3% reservation of parliament’s seats for women in the Rajya Sabha, today. The resultant commotion and brouhaha, enacted by the bill’s opponents within the haloed interiors showed our democracy at its nadir, yet again. There are too many elderly MPs who should have retired long ago and I was under the impression that they’d overwhelmingly pass the bill, so that they could bring in their wives, daughters and daughters-in-law and continue to wield real power from the sidelines, especially against the backdrop of the surge in youth power! Anyways, that’s not my point of contention at this juncture as I would like to concentrate on the core issue.
Do we really require to celebrate ‘woman power’ on a single day? If yes, do we have the liberty to abuse them for the remaining 364 days? And what are we achieving by tom- tomming the strength of the woman, by wasting reams of newsprint and cluttering the visual media with wasteful discussions for this one singular day? This is because, in this country, the woman has always exhibited that she’s stronger than the man and has proved time and again that she’s central to the growth and enlightenment of the country -female infanticides and bride burning notwithstanding! Be it the woman since the time of the Vedas and the Upanishads or during the medieval periods or even during the British rule or to this day, the Indian woman has always shown a remarkable amount of resilience and have contributed their mite to this country’s evolution.
The politicians might eventually succeed in bringing about a bill, to save their face but the Indian woman does not really require a bill to ensure their rights at par with her male counterpart! And that is the core issue!!

The 55th Filmfare Awards

After a relaxed day and finishing up all the planned jobs, it was time for my evening workout followed by settling down, in front of the television, to watch the Filmfare Awards ceremony. Over the years, the ceremony has become sleeker, with every passing year, with more of substance and elegant packaging. No wonder the star studded evening is one of the most popular events of tinsel town even though there is a plethora of awards functions. My endeavour is not to review the function but to touch upon a few snippets that tugged at my heart.
I think the most poignant moment was when a wheelchair bound Shashi Kapoor was presented with the ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award. One of my favourite actors, who was always effervescent in the roles he essayed, he was suave and elegant in the way he carried himself, both off and on the screen. I was reminded of the saying and I quote, “Time erodes gratitude, just as it does beauty” on seeing him in his present condition. My favourite Shashi Kapoor movie is the evergreen, ‘Sharmilee’ in which he'd acted opposite Rakhee, who was in a double role.
The section that paid a tribute to all the film personalities who'd bid adieu to this world during the year 2009 was not only touching but appropriate.
Another poignant moment was when lyricist and music director, Khayyam, received the second 'lifetime achievement' award of the evening, from Asha Bhonsle. He nostalgically remembered his initial days of struggle and spoke movingly of how the late BR Chopra took him under his wings, as his assistant, and gave him his first remuneration of Rs. 125/-.
I was also elated that the movie, that I was backing all the way, ‘Three Idiots’ bagged quite a haul of awards including the ‘best film’s’.
Our Filmfare Awards can definitely match the Oscars, in glitz and substance while retaining the ‘desi’ flavour all through. Cheers!