PANCHAYAT ELECTIONS 2026

 Elections to the Panchayati Raj Institutions in  Himachal Pradesh are slated in three stages on 26th, 28th & 30th of May.The quinquennial exercise is delayed by four months. The rural people down to the village level  become very enhusiastic about these elections as they  have the right to vote for and elect their representatives to address local issues at Ward and Panchayat level in the shape of Ward members, Pradhans and Uppradhan . Up the  ladder under the three tier systems are the Panchayat Samiti or the BDC at the Block level  and the Zila Parishad at the District level. The members of the BDC and the Zila Parishad are fewer in number and represent a larger area. 

As is generally observed that in terms of seriousness and sensitivity, the PRI Elections take precedence over Assembly and Loksabha Elections , in which the Party of affiliation rather than the candidate himself/ herself  become more important. The Panchayati Raj Elections are not held on Party symbols, rather symbols are allotted  in the alphabetical order of the name of the candidate. No candidate has the choice of a symbol. 

To an observer, it is amusing to see the maximum  zeal and fervour of voters during the PRI elections  though the stakes are not the that high. Ironically the Loksabha Elections  where the stakes are the highest ,engage the voters the least in terms of   zeal and enthusiasm as the M.P. they vote for has a larger Constituency to cater to , often consisting of 3,4 districts . 

Even though PRI Elections are not contested on Party symbols, the presence of political Parties on the sly is all too evident and some statements from the Party persons make this more confirmed, when they mention the name of candidates supported by them. In this scenario, the all appeals to the voters to vote  for a competent, capable, knowledgeable candidate are given a go by. The ruling party in the State has an obvious advantage, as it  is believed and rightly  so that the ruling party supported candidate would  be better able to push matters and get work done.

In essence and if taken in the right earnest,  the PRI elections train the people to participate in the democratic process of decision making.

The social Media has become a useful and effective tool for the candidates to reach out to the voter, apart from personal appeals made by visiting the homes.Candidates are seen making optimum use of this option. Even video visuals of candidates filing nominations amid fanfare have been a treat to watch.

The aftermath of the Election is always a spectacle to watch when the rival Political parties lay their claim to successful candidates.

The 'semi final' in the run up to  Assembly Elections scheduled next year  are worth watching and pondering on.

Good luck to the contesting candidates !

TO SNEEZE OR NOT TO SNEEZE

तंग-दस्ती अगर न हो 'सालिक'

तंदुरुस्ती हज़ार नेमत है...

-  said the poet 'Salik', and how aptly so.

With seven decades plus  behind me, I realise, how important and necessary it is to stay healthy. For this  I am leading an abstemious life, eating just to live and not vice versa. I do not subscribe to the view that   'age is just a number '. Contrarily, age and ageing are hard facts  and there is no defying the natural process of growth and decay. 

In my case all is well till date  except that I have developed some allergy to winds that cause nothing more serious than sneezes.

I remember my late grand father calling sneezes and belching signs of health but am hard put to make my wife understand this. 

A bout of  periodic continuous sneezes from me and  verbal admonishes start from her as a reaction. This is a sign how caring she is. Periodically I take anti allergy tablet especially if I am to move out to visit public places for various purposes. A tablet keeps the sneezes away for 3- 4  days. This saves me some embarrassment also.

Sneezes remain my Waterloo, much though I attempt to wish them away.

For sure, to sneeze or not to sneeze is not in my hands.

My Canine Friend - Oscar

 Oscar, a pet mongrel with known pedigree  in the neighbourhood crosses the rainbow bridge !! Was into 11th year only but succumbed to illness.

Shall be missed by all those he endeared and showered unconditional love on ! 

His presence ensured no trespass by any unwanted person, much to our relief.

Picture shot long ago retrieved by me  after some effort !!

Aga Khan Palace, Pune

 

Lata Mangeshkar

 Today is the fourth death anniversary of Lata Mangeshkar, the Melody Queen.

With little to add to what has already been written about the legendary singer, I feel tempted to share a real life incident reminisced about in a YouTube  post by Dr. Omer Adil, a  well qualified orthopedic surgeon from across the border who also happens to be a knowledgeable Media personality.He is an ardent Noor Jehan fan and  often carries discusssion  inter alia about her on Media.

In 1989, Dr Omer Adil appeared for the FRCS exam in London. Having passed thorugh the practical test and Viva which both went well, there was a gap of three hours time for the final result to be declared. He took a Tube to Oxford Circus Tube station and started roaming about the Oxford Street. Coming to Selfridge's, a high- end store in London, he chanced upon Lata Mangeshkar, accompanied by some other lady. He greeted her and in a way sought her blessings for his FRCS result. Lata Mangeshkar responded graciously.

Eventually he qualified and is an FRCS.

This is an acknowledgement of what a great personality Lata Mangeshkar was.

Our humble tributes 🙏

Saroj Thakur

 It is sad and shocking to be informed of the untimely passing away of Ma'am Saroj Thakur   this morning. An academician by profession, she had been a faculty at the NIT Hamirpur for decades. She had had a stint as a Fellow at the Indian Institute of Advance Study, Shimla also.

On a personal note, I became acquainted with her  in and around 2009 through her Blog  'Straight From the Heart ' posted on Wordpress. A comment by me on her post brought us closer, the common strand being the Lady Irwin School where she studied and where I also studied from Class 1 to 4 as boys were allowed till that level only. It transpired that she was two years my junior.

Eventually we  came together on the memories of friends from Shimla  group where she reposted some older blogs and some new and fresh ones from time to time. It has always been a treat to go through her wonderful posts, deftly documenting the life in Shimla during '60s & 70s. The details given by her of her family have been fascinating throughout. 

I consider her my Guru as following her footsteps, I also started my humble attempts at writing blogs.

I regret having never met her personally !

 Her birthday falls on 25th August.

Adieu, Saroj Ma'am !

Rest in Peace 🙏

Brigadier Usman, MVC

 Today is the birth anniversary of Brigadier Mohammad  Usman , MVC of the Indian Army  who laid down his life during the  Indo- Pakistan war of 1947. Born this day in 1912  in  Azamgarh ,  United Provinces of British India, he was a Sandhurst trained  Officer of the British Indian Army , commissioned in1934. After serving for a year with the Cameronians, he was assigned to the 5th Battalion of 10 Baloch regiment . During this period he saw action in the NWFP. Despite allurment of being  made the Chief of Pakistan Army by the other side, Brig. Usman  chose to stay in India, and serve the Indian Army.After the partition, he was assigned to the Dogra regiment of the Indian Army. When Pakistan sent tribal irregulars to capture Kashmir, Brig. Usman was sent to command the Parachute battalion. As odds were against the Indian Army, Pakistan was able  to capture some area. However, after three months Brig . Usman was able to recapture the area but at the cost of his life . He was martyred in action on 3 july 1948, 12 days short of turning 36. He was the  highest ranking officer to get killed in action .He was  awarded Mahavir Chakra, the second highest gallantry Award posthumously. 

Our humble tributes to the bravest of the brave soldier 🙏