Indo- Pak Conflict & Cease fire.

 By the way -

These last four five days have been full of anxiety for me and my wife like for most of my fellow Indians.There has been some  unpleasant exchange of words on Facebook with some esteemed friends who hold a different view in some matters. The crux of the matter is - जिस तन लागे सो तन जाने - so far as the armed conflict and its fall out is concerned. It takes little time for euphoria of any kind to turn into hysteria . The godi media has presented itself in bad light, not unexpectedly though. After many years, for 4-5 days, there was compulsive watching  of TV channels. While all praise to ground reporters of  most of the channels, the anchors made a mess of the job exhibiting utter lack of professionalism  mouthing lies that did good to no one, except perhaps misconceived  purported rise of TRP.

Personally, I found NDTV somewhat better than others.

The ceasefire has come as a relief to common man. Any prolonged conflict comes with a corresponding  heavy cost in terms of human & material resources, which not only retards development but also puts the clock back.

Humble tributes to the civilians and brave soldiers who lost their lives.

Media and social media will be rife with a lot of discussion taking place in days to come.

CIVIL SERVICES DAY

 Civil Services Day musings-

The Civil Services - bureaucrats & technocrats both included- remain under the scanner most of the time with little noticeable improvement over the years. The Political bosses rule the roost having the final say about who will man this or that post. No surprise then that with the change in Government at the Centre or in the states, there are transfers ordered at a mass scale. After all, the political parties have their own trusted blue eyed boys who they want to reward with plum postings. Sometimes, the bosses choose not to disturb the incumbants as regional considerations get the better of everything.

I feel no need to repeat the  recent HPPCL  episode in which a Chief Engineer was reportedly driven to commit suicide due to the alleged high handed behaviour of those at the helm of affairs.

In the light of all this the advice to the Civil Services would be to shed some of  their arrogance, insensitivity, aloofness, mocking stance and condescending attitude  for fostering genial environment at the work place to get the best results.

Sure, it will be a rewarding experience !!

Election - 2024

 By The Way :

As never before this time the ECI has gone an extra mile to send sms messages and to make computerized messages in the voice of celebrity ikons to exhort people to vote. There were also long distance bike rallies to create awareness among the people to vote. Unfortunately the ECI falls short of achieving the target of  80% envisaged in the endeavor. Though it matters a lot who you vote for, the greater disservice is done by those who abstain altogether. At the same time it is encouraging to see the pictures posted by some friends who travelled long distances to cast their vote.

By voting, I have earned the right to support or criticize the future government as also to indulge in mindful & mindless raves on social media. The Exit poll has pleased many  but at the same time eyebrows have been raised by doubting thomases like me. The results will be out on the 4th, till then speculations will remain rife. Hope media regains credibility in the years to come !

AYODHYA visit

 A few days back, Ayodhya got added to my 'been there' list, as I thought it worth my while to take  two & a half hour  drive from Lucknow, where I am putting these days. Reaching Ayodhya, saw self styled guides  with smeared  forehead and face chasing us on scooter offering to facilitate our darshan of Hanuman Garhi, Sita Rasoi and Ram Mandir for an amount ranging between ₹200  & ₹ 400. Not taken in by the offer, we parked the vehicle, took a three wheeler and reached Hanuman Garhi. The large crowd of people lined up haphazardly  to have darshan, simply put us off and we bowed our heads in reverance from a distance. In coming days Ayodhya will be witness to yet another mega event  signalling Pran Pratishtha at the Ram Mandir.

Teachers Day

 By the way :

As is the practice and convention, every other Facebook post today is about Teachers & Teachers Day, and rightly so. This is an occasion to remember and celebrate the Teachers who have shaped us into what we are and where we stand today. There are National and  State level functions to bestow Awards on teachers who have made their mark in the field through sincerity, hardwork and dedication to make the difference. The Schools are having their own celebrations to mark the occasion.

What do we remember our teachers for !

I think  not only for excellent classroom teaching but much beyond that, setting example for truth, sincerity, honesty, dutifulness.. etc. etc.

A teacher's achievement lies in making a subject interesting and easy to understand, inculcating  moral and humane values in students. A teacher should be a good communicator, encouraging queries and satiating the urge for learning.

This is the ideal state.

On the flip side there are teachers who are peevish, short tempered, biased and lacking in moral correctitude as becomes evident by news about  some unpleasant incidents take place. There are also rowdy and indisciplined students misbehaving with teachers. These together ring alarm bells  for future.

There is need for a concerted effort by teachers and parents to  take remedial steps to set things right.

Happy Teachers Day 🌹🌹

Cricket World Cup 1983

 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 !!

TO BUY OR NOT TO BUY :

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 !!