कहीं हम भूल न जाएँ !

“सर फरोशी की तमन्ना अब हमारे दिल में है,

देखना है जोर कितना बाजुए कातिल में है "

शहीद भगत सिंह , राजगुरु और सुखदेव को उन के बलिदान दिवस पर शत शत नमन !

Scandal Point-II

Just finished reading the novel “Scandal Point” by Ms. Manju Jaidka the other day.. It is a story steeped in history, romance, palace intrigues and the tragedy of the members of Patiala regency of the times , forced by circumstances or rather the turn of events to live separately . The Chhoti Maharani Betty alias Harnam kaur made to pass for Florence for political reasons, Prince RRR living as Kartar for safety reasons. . The secular credentials of the Patiala Royalty are brought forth nicely , when the Prince is named Sri Richard Ram Rahim Singh , symbolizing a mixture and coexistence of four major religious faiths. Being a Shimlaite, I could easily relate to the places like Viceregal Lodge, Gaiety Theatre , the Christ Church and the Ridge as also the Chail Palace . I could draw many parallels –though unintended by the writer- like the steed named as Sultan that reminds of Baba Bharti’s horse of the same name. in the Hindi story Haar ki Jeet , the elopement saga related in engrossing twenty odd pages reminds of the story of the Rajput king , Prithviraj Chauhan and Samyukta as also Rani Roopmati- Baaz Bahadur saga. Even the name RRR reminds of Shaheed Udham Singh’s adopted name, Ram Muhammad Singh Azad. The protagonist, prince RRR emerges as a tragic figure, the entire course of whose life is decided by others. All the characters like Rajen, Rajmata, Jasbir, Harbir, Betty , Attar Singh, Raja Jagatjit Singh are realistically drawn which apparently is the result of extensive research undertaken by the author. The Prologue and the Coda are immensely readable and thought provoking . There is no scandal involved in the elopement, however the Prince is made to carry the burden .

The flawless language, style are certainly the hall mark of the novel.

Hats off to the writer !

High on Studies,Low on score

This year is the bicentenary year of Charles Dickens, the famous English novelist of the Victorian age , known for his masterpieces like “A Tale of Two Cities” , “ Pickwick Papers , ‘A Christmas Carol “& “Great Expectations”. He is considered a chronicler of contemporary England- London in particular- and portrayed immortal characters like Pip,, Miss Havisham , Estella , Uncle Scrooge etc, etc .His novel “Great Expectations” was prescribed in our M.A. syllabus , in the seventies, under Victorian literature. Both Dickens and Hardy caught my fancy and are to this day my favourite authors. Hardy’s novel “Tess of the d’Urbervilles “, also prescribed in the syllabus, interested me so much that , it was only Hardy and Dickens that I concentrated on. I hoped to score well in the paper, ironically, Victorian literature was the only paper in which I fell short of fifty , which fact rankles me today even after 36-37 years . After finishing my studies, I went on to read more works by these two authors and became their. ardent admirer. Later I also learnt that the story of Hindi movie “ Dulhan Ek Raat Ki “ was based on “Tess”. The Victorian ‘justice’ meted out to Tess sets one thinking about the ironies, life is made up of.

Singing voices from across the border – II

It is rightly said, music knows no boundaries or barriers. The other day, I chanced upon one more voice from across the border via You tube . It is Alvin Thomas Jacob paying tribute to the legendary Ghazal king Jagjit Singh. . I listened to three songs / ghazals originally sung by the maestro :

. Hothon se chhoo lo tum….

. Tum ko dekha to yeh khayal aya ….

. Chitthi na koi sandesh……

-rendered by this upcoming singer and the striking similarity with Jagjit’s voice and style simply left me enthralled.

It would suffice to google the name of the singer to reach the link !

Where is my Valentine !

“Mohabbat ke liye kuchh khas dil makhsoos hote hain

Ye woh nagma hai jo har saaz par gaya nahin jata”

I would like to take some liberty with the above couplet and modify it thus :

"Mohabbat ke liye ye khas din makhsoos hota hai

Ye woh nagma hai jo hardin kabhi gaya nahin jata".

Come 14^th February a.k.a Valentine Day, and every thing including the air smells of love. I do not know whether the lovers gain any thing out of the market gimmicks, that have an open play, but the shopkeepers and traders do have a field day. Not that I am against any thing of the sort - rather I envy the young lovers who wait for this day all the year for their love to find expression or take wings . I look , in vain for my Valentine, who seems to be lost somewhere and has taken the form of a matronly figure- mother of my kids – whom even suggestion of some endearment from me gives creeps.

Snow- a mixed blessing

I was amused when the 20-25 cm snow at Shimla. was referred to as heavy in the media- print as well as visual and tourists and the local people complaining of slippery roads , which comes as a necessary fall out whenever there is a snowfall.. Having spent most of my life in Shimla and the tribal area of Himachal Pradesh, I have seen really heavy snowfall – anywhere between 3 to 7 feet when life virtually came to a standstill . In my childhood I have seen labourers being engaged by the people to clear snow off the roofs of houses lest these gave way under the weight , causing loss to life and property. No doubt a thick layer of snow added to height of the house.

I am reminded of the lines of a heart rending ghazal rendered beautifully by Jagjit- Chitra duo :

Koi samjhega kya raaz-e-gulshan…..

…….. azmat-e- ashiana bada di

Barf ko dost samjhoon ki dushman…..

Indeed snow is a mixed blessing !

Death of a War Hero !

Having a good memory is not always a good thing. Here’s a news of sudden and sad demise of Brig. Rattan Nath Sharma, MVC , a veteran of 1971 war with Pakistan almost after forty years , when he earned laurels for himself and the state of Himachal Pradesh, to which he belonged. My memory takes me back to 1971, when as a college going teenager, I felt proud when Photographs of three Army officers from Himachal appeared in the news papers, having been awarded the Mahavir Chakra , the second highest Gallantry Award .The officers were, Lt.Col. Rattan Nath Sharma,( later Brigadier), Lt.Col. K.L.Rattan , who rose to be a Major General , and Major Vijai Singh Mankotia, later a well known name in Himachal politics.About more than seventeen years back, when I was posted at Palampur, I happened to pass by Brig. Sharma's beautiful house , while looking for a suitable residential accommodation. Just about ten days back, media was full of articles about the 1971 war and the country gratefully remembered and paid tributes to all those who contributed to the victory ; and now one of the war heroes is gone
R.I.P. Brig. Sharma !