View from a Room

W.H.Davies in one of his famous poems    “ Leisure”   writes :

“ What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare…………”

And rightly so  as we miss out on so many beautiful and  magnificent  things in life .

About  three months back , when I did   take out  some time to stand and stare , I   took   shots of   a  really beautiful  spot at Dehra In Kangra  District in Himachal Pradesh  from a hotel room , where I had to stay put for  three days in connection   with a marriage in  the family. The hotel is rightly named “River View “   as the river Beas flows  gently nearby  and  there is a  long bridge  over it  connecting the road  . A water body certainly  enhances the beauty of a place  like nothing else does. Here are a few  pictures
taken with a not very sophisticated mobile phone : 

  

 

I think  the result has been worth !

Anger, anguish, shock, shame ...........

Anger, anguish , shock ,  pain, shame  and what not ! The unfortunate gruesome incident of gang rape in Delhi , in a  moving bus on the night of December 16  gave  me another reason  to be ashamed of being an Indian ! With all the culprits in custody now, and the trial already begun, one hopes that the culprits are  brought to justice as early as possible  through a speedy trial. One shudders to think or visualize what Damini or Nirbhaya  went through  at the hands of  criminals .The fact  that there were protests, and candle marches  across the length and breadth of the  nation  can hardly wipe out the insensitivity shown by  the passersby  in vehicles and  onlookers ( including women) who did not even bother to cover the naked  bodies of  two victims – the condition in which  the criminals had  thrown  them on the road   and to take them to the nearest hospital  at least  for first aid , badly and immediately required !  Much of the time was wasted in waiting for the Police,  who on arrival at least bothered to cover the bodies and took  the victims to the hospital. The 23 year old  brave heart  succumbed to  injuries and hurt  after struggling for life  for quite a few days, raising  questions about the  safety of women and the law & order situation  gone in shambles. In the aftermath there have been various  debates and discussions on TV channels. One is about   reducing the upper  age cap  from 18 years to  16 years for  adolescent   criminals euphemistically  called wrong doers. The name and identity of the seventeen- plus   perpetrator of the crime has not been disclosed  , while as per reports it was he who beat the victim most  mercilessly. On a personal note , I am not in favour of any leniency  being shown to him simply because he happens to be or rather supposed to be a  ‘minor’ and as such required to be dealt in accordance with the Juvenile Justice  system. His name and identity should be disclosed so that along with others, people come to know this   ‘dharti ka lal ‘  as well . These days kids become  mature much earlier – especially those who are exposed to the rough and tumble of life  early , forced by circumstances or otherwise. I see little hope or redemption for this guy , who if  let off   without punishment may be goaded on to  go for the  bigger kill !  While no amount of tears can   bring back Damini , India has woken up to a reality  and the situation , women in this country face. The punishment for rape has to be deterrent as even after December 16 , incidents of rape and molestation have shown no let up  and  are continuously being reported from various parts of the country. The 10 year sentence passed by  a Hoshiarpur court on a rapist after a  trial   lasting only 7-8 days    does bring some hope . One hopes for  a  similar quick justice in the Delhi gang rape   case also !

In Remembrance

For some reason , ever since  I started browsing newspapers, I am   spontaneously drawn to the obituary column , which reminds me of the  imminent mortality  of   all life on this earth. It was a rude  shock  yesterday   to learn about the sad demise of  Prof . Madan Sharma , who for many years taught Mathematics  in  the R.P.C.S.D.B. College , Shimla , a privately managed institution, which later on was  taken over by the  Government  and rechristened as  Rajkiya  Kanya Maha Vidyalaya or RKMV- meant exclusively for Girls. However it was  still the RPCSDB College , co-ed , when I studied there  in the early seventies . Prof. Madan Sharma or M.L.Sharma  as he was  known, was a Mathematics teacher, always immaculately dressed , smart and handsome. He could be seen moving from one classroom to the other  carrying  the attendance  Register  like a platter , on which were placed the  duster and  the  box containing chalk . Friends , who studied maths from him  were all enamoured of him  for  not  only his style of teaching but also for his general demeanour- the way he carried himself .A bachelor, he was an accomplished ice skater  and  it was said that  he had proxied for some film star in the skating scene  on some occasion. Well versed in English, Hindi & Punjabi , he also dabbled in poetry in all the three languages and was a regular contributor to the college magazine – Padma . He was regularly seen on the Mall  as he also lived nearby . Age did not wither him a bit and  his zest for  life  was immense- his hair and moustaches always  dyed jet-black  till recently. 

R.I.P  Prof Sharma , it would not be easy to forget you  for those who had the privilege  of being taught by you or  knowing you !