Forty years ago this day India won the Cricket World Cup defeating West Indies. The Captain's knock of 175* by Kapil Dev is still fresh in mind. I listened to the running commentary tuned in by someone on transistor set at the CTO Shimla.
The Sunny days of Indian Cricket !!
Not a shopaholic by any stretch of imagination or definition, I have loved to spend money on books, which I happened to read also. No other item or object caught my fancy when I was in service. As for clothes and dresses, I always relied and depended on my wife to get these for me. It has been Raymond for trousers and spun fabric for shirts. Later I switched over to readymade shirts which my wife bought for me. I never bothered about brands though I knew a few of them like Zodiac, Van Heusen, Arrows and the like.
Post retirement I started ordering books and readymade shirts online and getting trousers stitched time to time as per requirement. Then came the Covid phase which resulted in forced stay at home and later restricted movements. Even though situation is much relieved and relaxed now, I still adhere to the regime of restricted movements outside with Shimla city. My only visits have been to places outside Shimla where kids live.
With all the spare time at my disposal I keep browsing through Amazon etc., and come across pictures of fancy branded shirts. The cheapest Zodiac shirt comes with a price tag of ₹ 2499/ -.Contemplating to order one, I stop midway, as what is the utility of buying these if I am to stay indoors !
Same is the case with books. My reading habit has also taken a back seat. Quite a few books are waiting to be read. So why buy more to lie unread & gather dust ! Still I ordered one last month.
A big dilemma...... indded !!
Shimla is heading for Municipal Corporation Elections scheduled to be held on 2nd of May, 2023. The elections to rhe local bodies carry a flavour of their own as the voters are to elect a Councillor/ ward member from amongst their fellow local residents . There are only local development issues at stake. This time the Government have decided to hold the MC election on party lines, which on the face of it appears a wise decision as even in the previous many elections, the political parties have jumped into fray in support of one candidate or the other, though contesting on an independent non-party symbol. Thus it is an open secret that the it was a proxy contest between the political parties , though some independent candidates also contested and won.
The new decision makes it a direct contest between party candidates. Whether the decision clicks in favour of the party ruling the State or boomerangs will be seen after the results are declared. Previously the candidates had the advantage of getting floating / cross votes but this time the things are going to turn out differently. Traditionally, the ruling party for whatever reason has had the slight edge. Nevertheless, the contest is going to be tough and interesting. The repeated candidates have their achievements to showcase, while the new candidates will come up with a new fresh roadmap. The ruling party candidates too have to canvass hard as they cannot afford to sit smug and complacent.
In the mid- '60s or thereabout, The Illustrated Weekly of India once started a series of articles by retired or serving ICS officers with the title 'The ICS and I'. I, a school going boy then and not much into reading English just glanced through some of those, not fully comprehending what was written. The ICS fascinated all,though the successor service IAS was already in existence. We had read about Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose qualifying the ICS in 1920 and quitting it to play his role in the Indian freedom struggle.
During the '60s Newspapers and magazine carried the names of ICS officers like Kewal Singh, T.N.Kaul, B.K.Kaul, C.D.Deshmukh, L.K.Jha and the like who excelled in the various fields though belonging to a generalist service.
As of today, the charm of Civil Service remains in tact. Besides the IAS & the other Group A services , the Engineering Services and the Indian Forest Service attract a lot of young talent and thousands of aspirants appear in examination to compete for a fraction of vacancies every year.
One commonly hears of deterioration setting in these services, with reasons not far to seek. The political bosses rule the roost and civil servants are literally at their beck and call. We see a lot of fawning, cringing civil servants- bureaucrats and technocrats , a very few of them having the courage to have spine and put their foot down. Ironically the same fawning, cringing lot become arrogant while dealing with public.
A hard earned electoral victory for Congress, nothing short of a miracle in the face of all out fierce campaign and propganda carried out by the ruling party , that lays claim to being the largest political Party worldwide, and admittedly also the financially the strongest party, thanks to the Corporate funding upto the neck should be construed as a lifeline keeping the dire straits the Congress is in throughout. Notwithstanding the miniscule difference in votes secured by the Congress and the BJP, which is being touted as a mitigating circumstance to draw some consolation, the Congress have a rare opportunity to serve people keeping alive the ethos, they are known for.
There are voices being heard about non - sharing of top slot by Old Himachal to the neglect of Kangra district in giving the top post inspite of giving maximum seats. Though not wholly unjustified, the Party's supporters should cooperate and allow the Government to run smoothly and efficiently.
Hopefully, the new Government will make all efforts to meet the aspirations of all Himachal people, shedding the misconception of Old & New or Upper, Lower or Middle Himachal.
On a personal note, I am happy that the Candidate I voted for has been able to make it by no mean margin.
The cat is out of the bag and anxious moments are over. Though I hold no brief for any Party,the Congress having come out victorious to form the Government have reason enough to be happy though not any reason to feel elated. This has been an inequal fight, the BJP being more resourceful be it money power,an army of dedicated workers, backing of Corporate owned Media etc. etc. The Congress has had not one adversary but many.
I am amused with the idea of star campaigners comprising the Prime Minister,the Union Home Minister, other Cabinet Ministers and CMs of BJP ruled states descending upon the tiny Hill state with the all too familiar narrative of purported achievements,with the backing of a supportive media, more often than not sounding ludirous especially in the context of a State assembly election. Quite naturally, this did not go down entirely well with the educated and well informed electorate of the State.
The narrative of double engine so brazenly touted by the ruling dispensation was in fact a mockery of the federal system prevailing in the Country and was rightly rejected by the people. Moreover the aspirations and expectations differ from state to state. The mention of a Bhavya Mandir or Jai Shriram ki dahaad may appeal more to UP than Himachal which otherwise has a host of magnificent Temples as also a very large number of Temples of local deities. A clear vision or perspective for Himachal was found missing in speeches and rallies.
As for the winners and losers, while most of the results are on expected lines, the shock has come with the defeat of Kaul SinghThakur, Asha Kumari, Rakesh Singha & Gangu Ram Musafir. Among winners,Mr. Jagat Singh Negi from Kinnaur makes a hat trick !!
It maybe naive to think that OPS was the only core issue. Besides,issue of rising prices and growing unemployment was not addressed.Apple growers have had their own grievances.
The new government have an onerous task of fulfilling promises.
Hope they do not fail the electorate !!
आए दिन हिमाचल के विभिन्न विधानसभा क्षेत्रों में हिमाचल के अपने नेताओं के अलावा केंद्रीय सरकार के मंत्रीगण और बीजेपी शासित राज्यों के मुख्यमंत्री भी चुनाव सभाएं कर रहे हैँ और अपने अपने तरीके से मतदाताओं को लुभाने का प्रयास कर रहे हैँ. हिमाचल के लिए भविष्य में क्या रोडमैप है इसका खुलासा करने की बजाये अधिकतर केंद्र सरकार का महिमा मंडन और मोदीजी का यशोगान ही सुनने में आ रहा है. रक्षा मंत्री राजनाथ सिंह ने ज़रूर वर्तमान मुख्यमंत्री जय राम ठाकुर की तारीफ़ की है. योगी जी, आशा के अनुरूप केवल भव्य मंदिर तक ही सीमित रह गए हैँ जिसका हिमाचल राज्य अथवा यहाँ की जनता से सीधा कोई सम्बन्ध नहीं है.वैसे चुनाव के लिए यह मुद्दा है ही नहीं.
शिमला ग्रामीण विधान सभा क्षेत्र में बीजेपी ने एक नये चेहरे के रूप में रवि मेहता को उतारा है, जो काफ़ी आशावान हो कर चुनावी सभाएं कर रहे हैँ.एक चुनावी सभा स्मृति ईरानी भी उनके पक्ष में कर चुकी हैँ.
पहले कई वर्ष सुन्नी क्षेत्र कुमारसेन विधानसभा के अंतर्गत रहा पर राजनीतिक दृष्टि से इस इलाके की पूछ पूर्व मुख्यमंत्री स्व. श्री वीरभद्र के यहाँ से चुने जाने के बाद शुरू हुई. कांग्रेस से विधायक विक्रमादित्य सिँह अब दूसरी बार मैदान में हैँ और जनसभाएं कर रहे है .
यह देखना दिलचस्प है कि बीजेपी शिमला ग्रामीण में तो धरतीपुत्र का नारा दे रही है पर यही नारा कसुम्पटी पहुँचते पहुँचते हवा हो जाता है कारण, इस विधान सभा क्षेत्र में बीजेपी के प्रत्याशी सुरेश भारद्वाज को छोड़ कर उन के विरुद्ध खड़े दोनों प्रत्याशी ही धरतीपुत्र हैँ .
मुक़ाबला रोचक और कड़ा रहने वाला है, no cake walk for anyone. यहाँ का वोटिंग पैटर्न अलग किस्म का है. लोग चाहें तो स्वतंत्र प्रत्याशी को जिता दें, पर ऐसा होगा नहीं .
