 |
Tuesday,
June 4, 2002,
Chandigarh, India  
|
Why this
exodus? Power
reforms in Delhi |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Unhappy
week for cricket TWO outstanding cricketers passed away last week. One belonged to the era when the game was played for pride by gentlemen. The other was part of the new form in which the size of the prize money dominates the game. Legendary leg spinner Subhash Gupte died at the age of 72 in the West Indies. He had settled down in Trinidad after retirement from international cricket.
“Sonia
is Congress, Congress is Sonia”
Guano:
the magic ingredient
War
‘rumours’ amidst public sloth
Remembering
the battle of Galli Poli
It’s
money, honey
|
Why this exodus? SPECULATION has been rife for quite some time now whether India and Pakistan are going to slug it out after all. That war is a possibility was never denied ever since India mobilised its forces to the border in December. But there was always smug pragmatism in the air that Pakistan would sooner or later understand that India meant business this time and force its jehadis stop their cross-border mischief. But the recent advisory of the USA to its diplomatic staff and citizens to leave India has upped the ante like never before. The exodus has spread war psychosis and several other countries have issued similar advisories to their citizens in India. American and British officials insist that the advice was prompted more by the uncertainty of the situation than the fear of conflict, but the explanation is hardly convincing. Pictures of foreigners leaving India in droves have scared many others. After all, exodus at such a scale has rarely been seen since the time of the Vietnam war. Australia and the UK have advised their “non-essential” staff and dependants to leave the country. Germany and France too have issued advisories but restricted them to family members and dependants. Even if the intention is only to protect soft foreign targets from the possibility of attacks by terrorists while they are in India, as some countries have claimed, the exodus is a gross over-reaction. It should have been studiously avoided, particularly at this juncture. The damage that it has done, and can do, is tremendous. Flight of foreign investment is a distinct possibility. Sentiment in the markets is bearish to begin with. It will become even more downbeat with the latest event. All that means that India, which has been a victim of terrorism for so long, will get further penalised for daring to punish the perpetrators firmly. To that extent, the US decision has put India in a “heads Pakistan wins, tails you lose” situation. Inspired stories appearing in the foreign Press about the horror of a possible nuclear confrontation are also having a similar effect. An offensive cartoon in an Australian publication has represented India as an aggressive Ganesha fiddling irresponsibly with an atom bomb. That is not only disrespectful to a Hindu God but also to India, which has come to be portrayed as a country itching for war. Such short-sightedness can lead to the short-circuiting of the global war against terrorism. If the remnants of the terror octopus crippled in Afghanistan survive and multiply within Pakistan or the part of Kashmir under its illegal occupation, America is going to be a bigger loser than even India. |
|
Power reforms in Delhi BARRING a few centres of excellence like Mumbai and Kolkata, the power supply situation in the country remains dismal. Electricity consumers all over have got so used to irregular supply, unscheduled and frequent power cuts, over-billing, faulty meters, pilferage, corruption and inefficient administration of the almost bankrupt power boards that they have resigned themselves to the situation and few demand or protest for change. On the other hand, there are vested interests among illegal power users,
politicians and officials who try to thwart any attempts to plug the loopholes in the system. There is a near
consensus among major political parties on power reforms, which include setting up of an independent regulatory authority, dismantling of the power boards, separating the generation and distribution arms of the board through privatisation to reduce, if not eliminate, pilferage. Although the pace of power reforms in the country has by and large been irritatingly slow, the Congress government in Delhi is the latest to take the plunge and the party’s electoral future may well depend on the outcome of its efforts to improve the power supply in the national Capital. One of the chosen companies, BSES, no doubt has an excellent track record and Mumbai is its demonstrable success story, it performed poorly in Orissa and was reportedly indicted by the Kanungo committee which looked into the failure of the state’s experiment with power reforms. Along with Tata Power, the Bombay Suburban Electricity Supply Ltd has got a 51 per cent stake in the Delhi Yidyut Board, which has been split into five entities--three distribution companies, one generation and one holding company. An MoU to this effect was signed by the Delhi Government and representatives of the two companies last week. The Delhi Government’s move on the power front seems to have gone down well with ordinary consumers, who were made to pay for the inefficiency of the DVB and for the power stolen because of official connivance or negligence. The DVB, according to reports, loses a huge amount -- upward of Rs 1,200 crore -- annually on account of power pilferage. Although the two power companies have agreed to bring down the aggregate transmission and commercial losses by about 17 per cent, this is below the minimum prescribed level of 19.25 to 20.75 per cent. Their obvious helplessness to reduce the transmission losses indicates how serious the problem is and how powerful the thieves, both in the commercial and domestic sectors, are. Their nexus with officials and politicians needs to be broken by bringing in relevant legislation with tougher penalties. There is a general apprehension among citizens that the power tariff may go up after the entry of the private companies in the field. The new arrangement will have to be kept under watch and given some time to show results. Pre-judging their performance on the basis of motivated speculation is not in order. |
|
Unhappy week for cricket TWO outstanding cricketers passed away last week. One belonged to the era when the game was played for pride by gentlemen. The other was part of the new form in which the size of the prize money dominates the game. Legendary leg spinner Subhash Gupte died at the age of 72 in the West Indies. He had settled down in Trinidad after retirement from international cricket. Former South African captain Hansie Cronje died in a plane crash near Johannesburg. He was 32. Gupte was a fine cricketer and a perfect gentleman. Cronje too was a fine cricketer and a gentleman, both on and off the field. Gupte’s exploits will pass into history with time. He, like most of the former greats, played the game when there was no television to record the event for posterity. Of course, those who saw Gupte in action believe that he was among the best leg spinners the game has produced. A major handicap of playing cricket as a gentleman was that no one was prepared to spoil his pair of trousers or starched white shirt. Otherwise, his tally of wickets in the limited number of Tests he played would have been as phenomenal as that of Muralitharan. Gupte’s cleverly disguised googly is part of cricket’s folklore. It was said if the famous West Indian Ws — Weekes, Worrel and Walcott — could not read him, why blame less gifted players for being bamboozled by Gupte’s googly. He was indeed a wizard with the old ball. His nine-wicket haul was the best by an Indian bowler before Anil Kumble equalled Jim Laker’s record of 10 wickets in an innings. History will have both kind and harsh words to say about Cronje. At 25 he became the youngest player to captain South Africa. In contemporary cricket sledging and using obscene gestures is now justified as an essential element of the game. However, Cronje refused to buy this line. He went against the popular trend of not appealing if a catch was not taken cleanly or using aggressive gestures. He, like our own G. Vishwanath, once called back a player after he was given out because the catch was not clean. Steve Waugh seldom smiled when leading the team. Cronje, like Arjuna Ranatunga of Sri Lanka, could hardly conceal his smile even when the team was in a tight spot. His career came to an abrupt end because of his role in cricket’s biggest scam. After spending a sleepless night when his name figured in the match-fixing controversy, exposed by the Delhi Police during the South African tour of India, he decided to come clean. In the process he became the only cricketer who showed the courage to own up and take the punishment. In sharp contrast the Australian, English and West Indian boards defended the players whose name figured in the match-fixing controversy. To put the issue in perspective, it may not be wrong to say that Cronje was the only one to own up and India and Pakistan the only boards to award exemplary punishment to players believed to be involved in match-fixing. It is an irony that the “villain” was perhaps cleaner than those who still swear by their innocence. The best tribute to him would be to remember him as a talented all-rounder and a good captain and not for a crime that no other player is willing to admit having committed. |
“Sonia is Congress, Congress is Sonia” IT’S the season of slogans. From attention grabbing to downright outrageous. From rib-tickling funny to crass stupid. At one end we have Pakistan President Musharraf’s war cry of “Our heart is in Kashmir”. At the other Prime Minister Vajpayee’s clarion call for a “decisive war”. Lost in this war of words are the Congress catchwords: Sonia is our Durga, our Amma and our saviour. Indeed from “Indira is India and India is Indira” to “Sonia is Congress and Congress is Sonia”. Things never change in India’s Grand old Dame of politics. Do they? Of fawning courtiers who ensure that the country sneezes if the Lady catches a cold! How else should one react to the AICC jamboree, nee orgy, of sycophancy held at New Delhi’s Talkatora Stadium on May 24. What with leader after leader showering praises on her. The critics of yesterday had turned into flattering admirers of today. Veteran Congressman Vasant Sathe set the tone. Three years ago he had lost his job as editor of the party mouthpiece Sandesh for calling Sonia a political novice. Today he hailed her as the Congress’ “Amma”, thus setting a precedent for others to follow. With an indulgent Sonia lapping up every word . Clearly, it was Sonia’s show all the way. Four years down the line, a born-again Sonia has gone in for an image makeover. The hesitation of the past has vanished, replaced by a new ABC —- aggression, bounce and confidence. Of a woman who knew what she wanted and how to get it. She has been undergoing this metamorphosis since she stepped into the arc lights in 1997. But it was only after the Congress’s convincing victory in the recent State Assembly polls, which took the party’s tally to 14 States under her belt, that she has actually come to believe in the power of the Nehru-Gandhi mystic and magic. The furore over the Gujarat carnage has only helped sharpen her new-found political skills and latent instincts. A precursor to Madam Prime Minister. Did it herald a new end game of the Congress? “Yes” and “No”. Promises were aplenty. So also the pledges. Aimed at steering a new direction, sense of consolidation and organisational renewal. There was a
khichri of Nehruvian socialism and Manmohanic liberalisation. There was a lot of secularism without any clue about how to translate it into votes. A huge typical Congress
tamasha with a great deal of bonhomie and good cheer. But the question remains: How far will the Talkatora averment translate into concrete action. True, the Congress President has much to be pleased about. Her handpicked Chief Ministers have made great strides in unshackling and restructuring the moribund state organisations along with downsizing their respective governments. Madhya Pradesh’s Digvijay Singh, Karnataka’s S.M. Krishna, Rajasthan’s Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh’s Ajit Jogi and Punjab Amarinder Singh, among others, are being lauded as trend setters even by senior NDA ministers and several other Opposition leaders. Her selection of Rajya Sabha MPs proves that she is a leader who knows her mind. She has given weightage to intelligence, knowledge, communications skills, leadership qualities, honesty and integrity. By bringing in youthful people like Maharashtra’s Prithiviraj Chouhan, Punjab’s Ashwini Kumar and Rajasthan’s Prabha Thakur, known for their articulated professionalism and grassroots experience reflect Sonia’s resolve to mould the Congress consistent with a young new India. Additionally, Sonia is slowly but surely building up her own team, loyal to her and her alone. She gives everybody a patient hearing but makes up her own mind. The biggest feather in her cap is her acceptability and acknowledgement as the Leader of the Opposition. Not only in name but also in action. Only last week, the CPM supremo Jyoti Basu pegged hope on the Congress and offered his party’s support if the Congress forms a government. Said he: “Sonia has picked up in politics. I think she understands politics better now.” Be that as it may, although the Congress painted itself ‘as the government in-waiting’, it also realises that it may not be arithmetically potent enough to be ‘ the natural party of governance’ and destabilise the Vajpayee government. Primarily because of three reasons. One, the party has hardly any presence in four important States — UP, Bihar, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu — which account for 202 Lok Sabha seats. Without at least half of these in the Congress kitty, the party would find it tough to muster a simple majority of 272 MPs in the Lok Sabha. Two, doubts about Sonia’s ability to convince the Opposition to back her as Prime Minister. Samajwadi Party’s Mulayam Singh’s allergy to Sonia is well known. Three, the Congressmen are yet not sure that the people will accept her as an “Indian” leader To her credit Sonia is well aware of these factors. Times out of number she has realistically conceded that the party was not in a good shape. She knows only too well that the Muslims, Dalits and the OBCs remain aloof from the party. The wooing of Hindu votes has failed to fetch dividends. Its secular line continues to signify appeasement, expediency and personal ambition. Sadly, the party has miserably failed to brand and market its appeal. And, what should one say of a decrepit Congress, which quietly buries the issues in the debris of the “Sonia aphrodisiac”? All believing that she is the trump card that could take them to the seat of power in poll battles. Bereft of leaders, who comprehend reality, the Congress is today saddled with small-time
netas who at best can come up with tokenism and “me-tooism”. The most unpleasant aspect of all this is the withering of internal democracy. It has made the party hopelessly dependent on initiative from the Congress President and tragically immobile in its absence. Indeed, the party has become a prisoner of the highly personalised, even feudal, functioning and outlook. In such a Congress system the entire pyramid fastens leech-like on the “annadaata”, living off her goodwill. Only those who serve loyalty have flourished in the “nomination culture” of the party. Being political parasites, they cannot survive on their own. What is more, Congressmen keep scoring debating points against each other and turning every issue into a dissident versus loyalist question. Of sycophants who are as loyal as Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita. This apart, the management savvy Congress CEO intends to bring about a drastic change in the work culture and mindset of the Congressmen. Transparency and accountability are high on her agenda as is indiscipline. Realising that behind a united exterior lies a disparate party pulling in different directions, Sonia asserts that she would not tolerate any acts of indiscipline. Perhaps, to inject new vitality in the party she has inducted young and new faces in the Congress Working Committee. Nonetheless the party circles are skeptical. Leaders have come and gone but none has succeeded in ridding the party of indiscipline, which, in point of fact, is nothing but giving vent to one’s feeling, the bedrock of democracy. But as the experience of Sharad Pawar and Sangma shows the Congress is run more on dictatorial lines. Right from the District Committees to the CWC “Madam” decides everything. In this atmosphere, indiscipline is bound to thrive. Perhaps, Sonia has come to believe her sycophants who have no qualms of conscience to refer to her as Indira incarnate. May be she is being manipulated by her “coterie”. Perhaps, in her naivete she has also come to believe in the infallibility of her leadership. Traits, which one could forgive. What, however, is unforgivable is that these characteristics have the potency not only of destroying her but along with her the crumbling Congress edifice. Alas, none is willing to candidly tell Sonia some home truths. Lest they are shunted to the doghouse or expelled. That may be her salvation. But what is the Congress salvation? Sonia and her Congress have to think beyond gimmicks, politicking and media hype. Congressmen must stop scoring debating points. Or turning every issue into one of loyalty and
gaddari. She should evolve a collective style of functioning as in the days of yore and win back the trust and confidence of the people in terms of the party’s ability to find solutions to the major problems confronting the country. Much of the lost ground could now be retrieved if it can forge unity on the basis of principles, policies and programmes — not merely by its dynastic and undemocratic commitment to the Nehru family. In sum, till date Sonia has made the right political moves. Today the Congress has everything going for it. The BJP is on the decline. Vajpayee’s charisma and oratory skills no longer seem to weave a magic spell. The regional parties lack a national perspective. In this milieu all eyes are on Sonia. Will she be an Indira incarnate, the Durga in the years to
come? |
Guano: the magic ingredient IT’s the season of “guano” or bird droppings. A popular toothpaste starts the day with the bland colourless toothpaste presumably of its competitor. As the model sticks his bleary-eyed face out onto the balcony, there’s a “splat”, as a generous quantity of bird dropping lands somewhere. The message is that the competitor’s toothpaste is indistinguishable from bird dropping; not so its own, dressed up in technicolour stripes of blue and red. A popular softdrink manufacturer spoofs its competitor’s campaign with a derisive mock-up of its kite-flying and paper boat racing multi-starrer commercial and looks skywards for rain but all they get is a “splat” of bird dropping “all taste no gyan” goes the byeline. Cut to another cola war, where the protagonists in the advertisement add various ingredients to make the “grown-up drink” but find something missing in the taste until “splat” and the drink is proclaimed perfect with the addition of “toofani anda”. Every season has its special leitmotif. The summer of 2002 will be remembered as the season of bird splat. Surely, a fitting symbol for falling standards in advertising and a Sensex that’s falling through the floor amidst dark threatening war clouds. Before starring in Indian TV commercials, bird droppings have long been known to be an excellent fertiliser. In the Quichua language of the Inca civilisation, guano means “the droppings of sea birds”. On the rainless islands and coast of South American Peru, guano deposits collected rapidly. The Inca discovered their value as a rich nitrogenous fertiliser. Chosen caretakers were allowed access to this treasured soil fertiliser. Anyone disturbing the rookeries faced punishment by death. Guano became a very important part of the development of agriculture in the USA. In fact, in 1956 the US Congress passed “an act to authorise protection to be given to citizens of the United States who may discover guano, under which any citizen of the United States was authorised to take possession of and occupy any unclaimed island, rock or key containing guano. The discoverers of such islands were entitled to exclusive rights to the deposits thereon, but the guano could only be removed for the use of the citizens of the United States.” Desperate measures, to ensure supplies of a valuable soil enricher for US farmers. Today “guano” refers to both seabird and bat manure. Bat guano originates in the southwest deserts of the USA and Mexico. It is high in trace elements and nitrogen. Since it is so fast acting, it makes a great potting soil mixer. Today, those practicing Hydroponic agriculture are finding that guano and water are a natural alternative to chemical solutions. Evidently, there’s more to bird droppings than being the magic ingredient in cola wars. Perhaps we could offer Pakistan a lifelong supply of guano for a lasting package of peace. |
War ‘rumours’ amidst public sloth WHAT strikes one most about the present confrontation with Pakistan has been the rather lukewarm public response to the government’s war cries. Few have taken George Fernandes’ biggest-ever war mobilisation after 1971 as a serious move. Estimates vary about the daily cost of maintaining the massive troop movement and the war-like situation. It is anywhere between Rs 20 crore and a hundred crores depending on the basis of calculation. The widely held public perception, even that in the ruling establishment, has been that it is all too much of barking with no bite. This deceptive ambiguity about the very purpose of such a mobilisation has been the main reason for the public disinterest. For those who have witnessed the public frenzy during the 1962 border clashes with China and the subsequent wars with Pakistan, the present detached mood is really revealing. Spontaneous crowds used to collect at the ‘LIC grounds” to reassure the government of their support. Donation flowed without coercion or precipitated patriotism. Youths helped manage the blackouts and digging trenches — all without vote-based Kargil sort of song and drama. As compared to this, the same sections have simply treated the Kargil war as another TV entertainment — the adventurous climbings of the lofty hills, firing from the bunkers and the explosion of missiles. This time Fernandes has not been able to provide any such excitement. Repetitive footages on tanks and moving trains with troops have become so “boring” for the new generation that the moment the war talk begins, viewers return to their routine chores. The growing consumarist mindset and the absence of the culture of participative politics and popular involvement are among the reasons for such inertia. But that is not all. Talk to the Capital’s
sarkari babus, executives or the market crowd. It is plain mistrust of the Vajpayee government. Everyone except a section in the establishment really believes that India can ever carry out its threat — even the BJP
mahilas who had a few months back applied tilak on the forehead of the battle-bound jawans. The old Pokhran-II heroes are being seen as tame camp-followers of the only super power. It is this popular rustic wisdom that rules out a war with Pakistan in spite of all daily fretting and fuming by the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister. Even the war “rumours” sponsored by the pro-war camp in the establishment are based on this post-Pokhran reality. A senior minister at a private briefing claimed that the USA itself wanted India to pressurise Musharraf by threatening an all-out war. A cornered General will be more amenable to moving against the terrorists. Unlike the war group of Fernandes, Jaswant Singh’s priority is for diplomatic efforts. He keeps on emphasising the limits imposed by international realities on both India and Pakistan. Neither side could ignore such global pressures. That is his line. Each camp has its own scribes through whom this subtle internal cold war is being fought. Each side leaks out its own war “rumours” even if they are not in tune with the official position. Fernandes and Vajpayee have been issuing threats and warnings to Pakistan and through them to the international community for over two months. Vajpayee has been chanting words like “end of patience”, “India will not any more sit idle,” “last warning”, etc so frequently that few any more take them seriously. Yet Fernandes has to keep the fire burning. Hence there have to be more leaks to keep the war build-up. Recently the Army was forced to ask the ministry to stop giving out strategically dangerous details which could be misused by the enemy. Even this has not prevented the ministry from letting out sensitive bits in full propagandist style. For, Fernandes must go down in the history as a Defence Minister who had led the forces to subjugate the enemy for ever. It is this attitude that has caused worry for saner elements within the establishment. If you don’t have anything for the day, let the country know that the government has dusted out the old Union War Book. The manual details the duties and functions of various arms of the government during the war. In spite of all this, no one in the government will tell you what is the actual purpose of all this costly mobilisation. Is it for an all-out military attack on Pakistan to destroy its capabilities or to conquer it? Or is the move confined to what the pro-war camp privately describe as a limited war? Limited war? Can any war be kept limited as per the plans on a drawing board? Is the troop mobilisation a defensive step as part of a plan for hot chase of the terrorists or to destroy their training camps across the border? For every such query, the reply is evasive. The Fernandes camp would like the scribes believe that there was an initial consensus on hot chase and destruction of the training camps. The troop mobilisation has been a precautionary move to meet any possible retaliation elsewhere. However, subsequently those “without guts” in the government had developed cold feet. It may not be immediately possible to verify such claims. The protagonists of the cross-border action assert that the USA too was at one time willing to let India do such Israeli-type operation. It, it is claimed, calculated that a brief tension on the border will further force Musharraf to fall in line. The USA, they claim, shifted the position after what is called a clever blackmail by Musharraf. The latter informed the US side that the General would have to shift his 10th Corps from the mountainous tribal areas to the India border. This is something the USA could not concede. Its own troops have been engaged in punitive operation against the fundamentalist strongholds in the region. It is known as a Taliban sanctuary. The withdrawal of the 10th Corps meant a severe setback to the anti-Taliban operations. As for the hot chase and destruction of the terrorist camps, the other side denies there was any approval for it at any time. They point out that Pakistan is not a tired post-Soviet Palestine, and the reaction to such operations is going to be widespread and severe. The USA is guided by its own calculations for the region. While there is a confluence of interests between India and the USA on the issue of terrorism, the latter firmly believes that Musharraf still remains the best bet for them. Weakening him at this stage would pave way for the emergence of a fundamentalist establishment. We will have to wait until the US-UK resolves this dilemma. While the uncertainties drag on, the war cost is rising and the US pressure mounting, two of the Vajpayee government’s policy follies have finally dawn on it. First is the premature conclusion that the US war on Islamic terrorism will automatically put an end to our problems with Pak-sponsored terrorism. We now realise that we have to fight our own battles. Second, the Pokhran adventurism and the nuclear bravado have now sadly boomeranged on us. Not only has Pakistan outsmarted the BJP government on nuclearisation, the old folly has taken away our own decisive advantage on traditional defence. We have now become a victim of our adversary’s nuclear blackmail. |
Remembering the battle of Galli Poli WHEN the first World War broke out in 1914, there were six battalions of the Sikh Regiment forming part of the British Army. They were named as 14th Ferozepur Sikhs, 15th Ludhiana Sikhs, 35th Sikhs, 36th Sikhs, 45th Sikhs and 47th Sikhs. Since the Sikh soldiers were known for their bravery and steadfastness, the British employed all their battalions, except the 35th Sikhs, for fighting at such far-away places like Egypt, Palestine, Masopotamia, Galli Poli and France. In all the battles in which they fought, they had to suffer heavy casualities. However, there was no wavering among them and they always stood like rock as to rank sky high among the fighting men. While recounting their brave deeds, the immediate attention of all who have a sense of history goes to the first battalion of the Sikh Regiment called the 14th Ferozepur Sikhs, which was moved after a short stay in the Suez Canal area to Galli Poli. The battle of Galli Poli was fought to capture Constantinpole so as to reach the Turkish land, who had entered the war scene on the side of Germany. The 2nd Royal Fusiliers were finding it difficult to fight the Turks and as such the Coy of Sikhs was sent for their help. although the allies did not succeed, the bravery shown by the Sikhs during this operation became a glorious chapter in the history of warfare. The task given to the Sikhs was highly arduous. They were to capture two Turkish Trench lines named as J-11 and J-13. The brave soldiers of 14th Sikhs were equally divided for the task on these two lines. The fierce battle took place on 3rd and 4th June, 1915, wherein the brave soldiers of 14 Sikhs lost 371 officers and men killed or wounded. Gen Sir Ian Hamilton was the concerned General at that time. When Lord Kitchner, Secretary of State for War, received an appeal on January 2, 1915, from the Russians that with a view to diverting the Turks, a diversionary front be opened, the War Council decided of a joint attack under Gen Hamilton. When Hamilton landed on April 25 at the Southern Tip of the Galli Poli Peninsula, he found that their strength as compared to that of the Turks was highly inferior. He also realised that the terrain greatly favoured the Turks, who were well dug-in. With a view to meeting the situation effectively, he had made the 14th Sikhs of the Indian Brigade a part of his expeditionary force. Sir Hamilton wrote to the Commander-in-Chief in India. “In spite of the tremendous losses there was not a sign of wavering all day. Not an inch of ground was given up and not a single straggler came back. The ends of the enemy’s trenches were found to be blocked with the bodies of Sikhs and of the enemy who died fighting at close quarters, and the glacis slope was thickly dotted with the bodies of these fine soldiers all lying on their faces as they fell in their steady advance on the enemy. The history of Sikhs affords many instances of their value as soldiers, but it may be safely asserted that nothing finer than the grim valour and steady discipline displayed by them on the 4th June has ever been done by soldiers of the Khalsa.” The brave Sikhs, who earned a very high degree of appreciation included Sardar Udai Singh, who had saved the life of 2nd Lt R.A. Savory. The handsome Jat Sikh of Manikwal village (near Gill railway station) was over 6 ft tall and had a fair beard and light green eyes. He was a wrestler from his very childhood and when in 1907 he went to Ferozepur to take part in a wrestling match, he was selected by the British to join the 14th Sikhs. He was with the unit when Hamilton’s forces landed at the Galli Poli Peninsula. It is interesting to note that when after the war, he was offered a gallantry award, he pleaded that he should be allowed to go back to his village so that he could pursue his vocation which was dear to his heart. Another prominent Sikh soldier associated with this battle was L/Nk Bhola Singh. When Lt. Gen. Sir Reginald Savory came to India in 1968 to attend the presentation of colours ceremony at Meerut, L/Nk Bhola Singh was also present on that occasion. Recapitulating the past, the General spoke about the close relationship between officers and his men as was achieved during that period. In his own words: “Only this morning (8th February 1968) Lance Naik Bhola Singh of the 14th Sikhs, who had been wounded in Galli Poli in 1915, took the trouble to come all the way from his home to call upon me, and after 52 years we saw each other again. I was deeply touched, not only at having the pleasure of seeing him again, but also at the thought of all the trouble he had taken to come and see me. When he was wounded, he and I were both young men. Now he is a ‘chitti dari wala’ and I am old and bald, but although we have both grown much older, yet our affection for each other and our mutual pride in our old Regiment stays as young as ever. Long may this continue.
Wahe Guruji Ka Khalsa, Wahe Guruji Ki Fateh.” The discussion on the battle of Galli Poli will not be complete if no mention is made of the appreciation earned by the Sikhs from the Fusiliers. It was in 1921 when the Fusiliers had been put on the firm footing and they along with the Sikhs were on duty in the Khyber Pass area in the North-West frontier of India. The Fusiliers presented the Sikhs with a Silver Grenade inscribed “in the memory of Galli Poli 1915 and the Khyber Pass 1921”, which continues to be a prized possession with them. |
|
|
It’s money, honey A new research has revealed that in densely populated places, material comforts seemed more important to women than emotional or intellectual aspects of a relationship. On the other hand, in smaller cities, women place more emphasis on emotional aspects or personal interests of potential mates and less on materialism. Kevin J McGraw, a biologist at Cornell University, wondered, as he read thousands of lonely-hearts personal ads in newspapers from 23 American cities, what do women really want. After a two months research he found that women in high cost-of-living cities and birds in crowded habitats want the same things. “This study emphasises the flexibility of mating strategies, depending on the environments individuals find themselves in. The rich guys don’t always win. And the nice guys don’t always finish last — although they might have to move to be found by the right mate”, said McGraw. The study, published in Ethology, a European journal of behavioural studies, also found that the physical attractiveness does not vary with geographic location or city size. Women across the country, who in their personal ads stated preferences for attractive men, were the same ones who also boasted of physical appeal.
ANI |
The tongue talks at the head’s cost. The face expresses feelings at the heart’s cost. You should not worry at any cost. Remain soul-conscious at all costs. Gossip, they say, takes an inch of truth and stretches into a yard of story. Maya, they say, takes a corner of one’s mind and then enters its topmost storey. There is no wine like the ego; There is no pollution like the mental pollution; There is no refuge from peacelessness but bliss; There is no bliss without refuge of God. There will be no peace until there is purity; No purity until there is soul-consciousness; No soul-consciousness until there is Godly knowledge; No Godly knowledge until God takes an advent. There is no corruption like the soul’s corruption; There is no bribery like the greed; There is no other royal beggary like asking for things from God; There is no smuggling like having foreign matter into the soul. In the West, it was said that two things drive a man out of his house (1) smoke and (2) scolding wife. But in the East one more and that is sannyasa. Remember, the best physician and psychiatrist for all incurable diseases are Dr soul-consciousness, Dr Raja Yoga and Dr Onlooker. Formation of propensities can be compared to the digging of a pit. The more one digs, the deeper the pit becomes. We are all souls, different entities with different sanskaras to play our individual roles on the stage of this world drama. — From the proceedings of Divinise the Man International Conference (A Brahma Kumaris’ publication) *** The form is perceived and the eye is its perceiver. The eye is perceived and the mind is its perceiver. The mind with its modifications is perceived and the witness (the Self) is verily the perceiver. But the witnessing Self is not perceived by any other. — Drig-drishya-viveka, opening verse |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 122 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
