A Freakish Wet Week in Delhi

Mother Nature never ceases to surprise ignorant mortals like me. The incessant rains that Delhi and its neighbourhood has been experiencing the past six days ( mid May) is like during the peak of the Monsoons which get here only by about mid July!Water logging in many areas of the city and the suburbs notwithstanding, the steep fall in temperatures was welcomed by all.

The double murder of 15 years old Arushi and a Nepali domestic in the home of the Talwars both successful and well known Dentists in a posh NOIDA colony on May 15 sent shock waves though out the capital. The TV channels and the print media were on the rampage again! A wave of sympathy for the 15 year old who was reported to be a brilliant 9th Grade student in DPS NOIDA swept over NCR.

The NOIDA police investigations into the sensational crime were slippery, bumbling and shoddy- jumping from one theory to another.The gory murders were carried out by slitting of their throats with a sharp, possibly surgical instrument after knocking them out with a blunt object.

The shocking climax was reached yesterday with the police announcing that the culprit was the girl's own father Dr Rajesh Talwar. But the manner in which the story was revealed at the press conference by IG Meerut Range was most unprofessional, to say the least.


Now the girl's mother and a colleague lady doctor with whom Dr Tarwar was, according to the police, having an affair have further complicated the case by going to the TV News Channels, vehemently denying Dr Talwar's involvement, and claiming that theirs was a perfectly normal happy family. I saw their interviews and thought that they were a bit contrived. The mother particularly was too composed! Let's see what twist the case takes next...

But we all feel sorry for the young and innocent Arushi. It is evident hat she was not getting enough parental attention, with both being focussed on their careers.The change in value systems where material gains have taken the place of close family bonds is worth pondering over.

I am not at all surprised at NOIDA ( UP) police's inept handling of the case.To expect sophisticated metropolitan policing from a Mofussil ( rural) police force deployed in NOIDA, devoid of basic forensic tools, training , orientation etc, is not being realistic. If the UP CM would like NOIDA to remain healthy a holy cow, she should act now to introduce a Commissioner of police system and equip it better to cope with the task of providing security to the failrly prosperous people who live there.

Let's leave the murky world of crime and take a look at nature again. The trees dotting new Delhi have all been washed bright green by the ample rains in the past few days. The grass in the lawns is also lush green and the Amaltash , Gul Mohar blossoms have fallen in abundance to provide yellow and orange carpets in the roadside parks.The Lagestroemias and Champas have, however, withstood the storms and still adorn the trees. Will try to catch this on my camera to post pictures on this blog for your viewing pleasure.Having failed in this I am carrying two pictures one of Gulmohar in full bloom ( downloaded from the net) and the other of Hybrid Petunias in a window box at my home taken last month.

Let me to take you back to my memories of Meerut, where the large Chowdhry family lived in a cottage owned by an old Anglo- Indian Spinster- Miss Newton, who also lived in an adjoining cottage in a sprawling estate on the outskirts of the Cantonement.Miss Newton was indeed a very courageous lady.She lived alone with her pet dog, a Dachshund ( also rumoured to be a spinster called "Missia"), ferociously guarding the large estate inherited by her alone since her brothers had decided either to go back to England or to Pakistan, after Independence/ Partition. She would take her rounds of the bungalows and the fruit orchards, including the long row of servants quarters attached to the property during the days and also nights with a powerful torchlight in her hand, putting the fear of God among the occupants of the servants quarters by shouting at them with a sprinkling of the choicest abuses in " Hindustani" making their children run for cover, as soon as her foot-steps or rather manly voice was heard.She smoked like a chimney and drank unending cups of tea hot or cold.
But behind her tough exterior, Miss Newton had a heart of gold. Whenever any member of our family was sick and in bed,she would come around and sit by the bed side. Her gestures of good neighbourliness were reciprocated generously by 'Pitajee', by not only visiting her during her illnesses but also arranging for food and tea to be taken to her home by one of the servants."Babba" our grand father who lived with us along with "Bhabbi"( Grand mother)would continue to annoy Miss Newton no end by his persistent but innocent queries about her age.But she was quite fond of "Bhabbi", despite the differences of race , language and religion. I would put her age around late seventies at that time

Given the bonhomie between the happy Chowdhry family and the " lonely' old Anglo- Indian land-lady, it was no surprise that she willed her entire property to Pitajee. As a matter of fact, she became so fond of my father that she alo offered him to buy the cottage that we lived in (for which we paid a rent of Rs 45/= ), for Rs 20,000/=, which was well below the actual value of the property . But with a large family of seven school and college going children and his old parents to support on a single income and the dwindling harvests from our ancestral farms in Faridpur, and being an" honest and proud civil servant of high pedigree",Pitajee was not in a position to accept her generous offer. But he asked his younger brother( my Chacha about whom you will read a lot in my later blogs)to take it, and he did.

But all this came to an end in the early sixties when the Chowdhrys decided to move bag and baggage to Allahabad, after living at 22 A 1 Ordnance Row Meerut Cantt for over a decade. This happened when my father became the Head of the Govt Dept he had served for many years.Chacha promptly sold off the house soon after we moved out and Miss Newton was pressurised by the local Church to change her will bequeathing her property to a Non- Christian. They wanted her to donate it to the Church, which she refused to( she was never a very devout Christan anyway,) but in deference to the wishes of her community, she changed her will so that her estate be inherited by a very nice Christian young man who also lived in the neighbourhood. But he too was too good a man to manage Miss Newton's Estates affairs large parts of which were encroached upon( after we moved out) by a local Jat leader.He gave up his rights over the property even without a fight!

Have discovered a couple of black & white small pictures of Miss Newton among the old family photos, which we have preserved.But I don't know how to carry them on my blog. Any suggestions / ideas? Next week I will tell you about N. Lal ICS, another unforgettable character out of my childhood and growing up years memories!!

We decided to buy a car for Shailey my wife. Closely looked at and test drove a few small cars. Shailey was clear that she wanted a small car. Her last was Zen.When we took stock of our funds we found that we were short by about 1 Lakh rupees. Our children very sweetly chipped in without consulting us and took us by surprise when two BDs were delivered in Shailey's name in a couple of days. The choice narrowed down to Maruti "Swift" and Hyunday's "i 10". When I turned to Dilip my friend from college who is an expert, he said, "your choice is between Asha Parekh and Deepika Padukone". An "i 10" in 'Blushing Red' colour was thus our natural choice!!It looks nice and drives well.

I end this blog, as the weather again turns cool with sharp showers accompanying a thunder-storm preceded by dark clouds taking Delhiites by suprise in the morning today.

Wishing you all a very happy and enjoyable week ahead

Love

The Week Begins on A Sad Note

Series of bomb blasts in the Pink City have taken a toll of 70 innocent lives and another 150 are seriously injured. Eight blasts within 15 minutes in busy localities of old Jaipur City late May 13 evening.The TV news channels are carrying live statements of politicians; scenes of the blasts; and interviews of the affected people and their families. The usual political blame games have begun between the BJP ruled state and the Congress led Central governments.What is particularly annoying for people like me who know what intelligence and policing is all about is this talk of Central Intelligence Agency ( Congress) failure; state police( BJP) not doing its job etc etc.TV channels have turned into investigating agencies, providing various clues to the identity of the culprits and naming outfits responsible.

As a former cop and Sleuth, the following issues come to my mind-

(i) What is the motive of the groups who have caused these blasts and similar blasts elsewhere in the country in the past? What are they trying to achieve?

(ii) Can something be done to prevent them?

Before I attempt to answer these questions, let us look at the facts ( available from media channels)- There is no doubt that it was a carefully planned action in which more than one person was involved. Several teams must have been used by a Master Mind - those who imported and collected the explosives, detonators etc;the experts who assembled the IED; those who surreptitiously planted them at the vantage points- all very crowded places (probably at night) by dodging police and night watchmen vigils, so close to Police Stations; and finally, those who set the clocks ticking. The modus operandi of the 9 blasts strongly suggests that timer devices were used to trigger the blasts, to coincide with the maximum crowds gathered near the temples on a Tuesday evening Jaipur city is the pride of Indians for its traditional secular, peaceful and prosperous social milieu.It is the capital of Rajasthan, home to the Marwari community which like the Jewish, are master businessmen, and a fovourite with foreign tourists.

To revert to the two questions raised above. The motive was apparently to cause terror in the minds of the people of Jaipur and the rest of the country by striking at soft targets to achieve maximum loss of lives and to send out the message that India is not a safe destination.

Let's face facts-total prevention of such attacks by by policing is not possible,though intelligence driven operations that are able to penetrate the terrorist groups and better TECHINT inputs can produce some results. Such operations call for very professional planning and execution by highly skilled and motivated Intelligence operatives . It does not matter whether they are from Central or state agencies.In fact, the state intelligence set ups mostly known as Special Branches have a better chance of succeeding because of superior local knowledge and support of the Thana police. But where are the professional intelligence operatives? The situation on the ground is not conducive to effective counter terrorism intelligence. The best in the police forces want to remain in the executive police wings and the SBs energies are wasted, resources are inadequate and they are not given the requisite leagal and political freedom. Clearly, total lack of depth and foresight in the political and bureaucratic leaderships in the states.

Finally, unless every resident and shop keeper in crowded localities in our big cities ( towns appear safer at the moment)becomes an unpaid Intelligence Agent to report the slightest sign of suspicious or out of the ordinary activity to the local police OR intelligence officer, the terrorists shall continue to strike with impunity and get away. To think that either the police or Intelligence agencies will be able to stop such actions is to live in a fool's paradise.

Not very long ago,the 'Jehadis' tried to target market places in Tel Aviv capital of Israel which tops the list of most hated states by Islamic terrorists.But they soon gave up after being caught quickly by 'Shin Bet'.In Israel, which possibly faces the highest terrorist threat quotient in the world, every second taxi driver, shopkeeper and vendor acts as the eyes and ears of the security agencies. The Israeli police largely remains invisible, and yet it is the most effective! Why? In this context, a complete overhall of the intelligence machinery in India to meet the meance of terrorist violence ( not likely to go away) is called for.

The above tragedy ( man made) which struck India was preceded by another caused by nature in Sichuan province of China by a devastating earth-quake reading 7.8 on the Richter scale. Several thusand have lost their lives and thousands more remain untraced. Estimates of loss to property are not yet available.. But the Chinese know how to cope with natural calamities and I am sure shall overcome this tragedy.

It is the year of the Rat, according to the Chinese calender. I think I read somewhere that such years are marked by mass sufferings. Am I right?

The day after terrorists struck in Jaipur, Delhi and UP were hit by very strong dust storm with wind velocity exceeding 100 KMPH. A large number of trees got uprooted all over Delhi causing damage to cars and also to built up areas. Have you ever wondered why so many trees get uprooted in Delhi by thunder and dust storms? The civic authorities, who make cemented pavements around well established trees with the laudable motive of keeping the city green, of course, are to blame.
By cementing the areas around trees, they weaken the roots which are deprived of their natural intake of food and water, and not able to provide the anchorage to the huge trees with their full load trunks , branches and leaves against the strong winds.Again, lack of professional planning by the City Masters, comprising mostly generalist politicians and bureaucrats.


Nature and the human species are the two most fascinating objects of my quest with life.The first surprises me every day, and the second occasionally, when I have the time to ponder.Nature first- How have the hybrid petunias ( a winter annual) in my home garden survived the Delhi scorching summer heat and continue to bloom. I am carrying two photos of my petunias taken yesterday. How the very hot spells keep getting interrupted by dust and thunder storms which arrive quite unexpectedly in Delhi, is another natural phenomena I am not able to fully comprehend but marvel at, though weather men keep ascribing them to "local disturbances".The one last night also took Delhiites by surprise and "washed out" the Delhi Vs Mohali IPL game at the Feroz Shah Kotla, but brought the much needed relief from the sweltering heat to the city.

Before I close I must tell you about a small but wonderful gesture of a young NRI couple living abroad taking over the responsibility of educating Lakhu's( our domestic for over twenty years) two daughters( 1 and 3 years old )who live with his wife, parents, brother's family and eldest child (a son) in Village 'Piuan Tal' in 'Mau Nath Bhanjan' District in a remote, backward and poor corner of UP. They eke out their living from the fish they catch and by tilling a tiny piece land that they own, supplemented by Lakhu's monthly income, in no small measure. They have made an FD in Lakhu's name, the interest out of which will pay for the education of the two girls and the principal amount to be made use of when they are ready for marriage.Those who are aware of ground realities of the plight of daughters born into poor vallage families in India would realise the significance of this. God shall certainly bless them both and their own little daughter for this.

A little more about Lakhu (real name Lekh Raj), s/o Kalpu Mallah. He belongs to the Kewat( boat men)caste and is a total illiterate. Ran away from school and home after being thrashed by the village school teacher to Mumbai where he worked at juice stalls and Dhabas but kept going back to his parents and village. He was brought to us by a Thakur Inspector of police( who had worked under me) from his village when he was 16 years of age. He was clad in a " Lungi" and Tea- shirt." Sahib I know this boy's family and he shall be honest and faithful. But please do periodically thrash him, or else he is likely to go astray in the city of Delhi" was his sane advice!! Bsically, I had requested the Thakur Inspector for a domestic help to look after our two children who were then 10 and 7 years of age.

Since then he has been with us though thick and thin like a member of the family.Lakhu is a born sports man ( left arm pace bowlerwiith a natural swing, and tennis player), a fantastic cook, specialising in hot fish & mutton curries,a gardener, plus an electrician cum carpenter, all without being able to read or write ABC in Hindi or Enlish.Lakhu took to life in the US where he lived with us for 4 years, like fish to water.He was a hit with our mainly white( Jewish)neighbourhood in the upmarket Potomac suburb of Washington DC for his helpful and cheerful disposition. " Hi Raj How'er you doin?",they greeted him while walking past our house, while he was tending our garden with the various gardening gizmos he became very adept with. " Fine and you?" Lakhu would wave back at them!!No one at home was better aware of the displays and pricing of various merchandise in the stores like " Home Depots, Safe ways,Giants, Sears, Walmarts and K Marts".He was also very confident about the maze of express ways and city roads. Did he follow his horse sense, I often wondered?

More next week.Lots of good wishes and love till then

Cop Turned Spook turns Maali and Looks Back

Being encouraged to write interesting bits of my experience as a police man and an Intelligence Operative by my Jeejai( sister's husband),I am tempted to look back and share a few pleasant memories, personal triumphs and disappointments.This week's blog carries just the seeds, or is the curtain raiser for short stories to follow.

I grew up in a Cantonment town ( Meerut) and studied for the most part in a school largely meant for children of Army Officers ( St Mary's Academy), perhaps the only 'Coed' school run by the Patrician Irish Brothers( Catholic))Society in India. My penchant for the uniform was,therefore,antural. The final choice of my career( police) was also guided by this. My first choice was the Merchant Navy after training at the " SS Dufferin" anchored somewhere in the Indian Ocean. The form along with the brochure for 'Dufferin' arrived at our home by post, as soon as I reached the qualifying age ( 15 1/2) and school level(10th). This eagerness to get set on my career path so early in life was driven by the twin desire of getting rid of studies( which never interested me much), and the spirit of adventure on the high seas, across nations. I would gaze for hours at the pictures in the Prospectus which accompanied the application form, imagining myself in a Sailor's shining white uniform, on board a ship as it sailed out magestically from the port.But alas it was not to be...

Maa knew about my fixation for a career in the Merchant Navy and I asked her to broach the subject when 'Pitajee' returned from his usual " Dauras" ( he was out on tour for 15 days in a month).She later told me that my father was not in favour of my seeking a career as a sailor. I pleaded with him, but to no avail". "It miight seem very glamorous and adventures at your impressionable age, but I know that a sailor's life is tough. Months away from home and the routine of deck scrubbing and peeling onions is not for you, my son", he said with the finality to which each in the family had learnt to bow.I considered the option of running away from home! But soon gave it up, since being a minor, I needed my father's consent for trying to get on board " SS Dufferin". I cried and sulked ( saying no to dinner when it was served and staying awake till late)for a few days. But my fever for the " Dufferin was soon replaced by ther more rampant fever in my school- the "National Defence Academy (NDA)" . Half my class had applied for it, and so would I( giving the Indian Navy as my first choice of service).The NDA forms also arrived after remitting a princely sum of Rs 20/= which my Mom, ever so generous towards me, gave me. The same melodrama followed. " No" said ' Pitajee'. "Please", I said, and I cried and sulked again, but not as much as I did for the " Dufferin".That is how I developed this strong sense of destiny, which I carry to this day.

There shall be more of the past in my future blogs, but for now the present...

Delhi's heat wave has been interrupted by the " Aandhis" which blow every evening.The IPL cricket fever is still on. They are yet to find a solution to the traffic mess created by the " BRT" corridor. The Delhi Chief Secretary has partially blamed the lack of traffic sense of Delhi road users for it.He is right, of course,and everyone knows it. But this is not a politically correct language for a "Babu" to use when the city is an election mode! Such is the hypocracy of Delhiites. Are we a pampered lot?

The glory of the summer flowering trees of Delhi tends to get buried under the haze of the overpowerng heat and dust. But I have captured them on my Nikon Coolpix in the few pictures of " Amaltash"( yellow ) and " Lagestreomia Flos Reginae ( mauve)and Champa Plumeria Alba/ Frangipani ( white ) in bloom: all growing in and around Moti Bagh which I am carrying with this blog, for your pleasure.

One has been enjoying the summer Sherbets like 'Khas', 'Rooh Afsah', 'Panna' and 'Phalsa' as also 'Mathha'or 'Chhach' ( buttermilk) and 'Thandai'( all old beat- the- heat presciptions), and eagerly awaiting the arrival of the better varieties of Mangoes from various parts of UP and "Lichees" from Muzaffarpur in Bihar and Dehradun in Up .Although the 'Sindooris' with reddish tinged skins have arrived, Banarsi 'Langras' or 'Maldas' from Deegha, as they are called in Bihar,'Dussehris from Lucknow ( Malihabad), ' Chausas'( the last to arrive) and 'Ratauls' from western UP, my fovourites, are yet to be seen. 'Hapus' or 'Alfansos' from Maharashtra score over all other varieties in terms of their longer shelf life and, therefore, their exportability, I personally feel that they are over- rated. My south Indian friends forever tell me that the varieties grown in Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh can match and even surpass the flavours of the north Indian mangoes named above. One has, of course, tasted the 'Baiganpallis' and 'Imam Pasands' from Andhra and also the "Neelams" from Salem in Tamilnadu. Perhaps they are not grown in such abundance as to find their way up to the fruit markets in Delhi. A pity!

The summer vacations in almost all schools and colleges in Delhi have begun. Therefore, the usual spurt in recreational activities.The IPL occupies the top slot, followed by the numerous Malls( Dewlhi must be having the highest density of Malls in a Metropolitan city) restaurants, pubs and movie halls. Just hanging out with friends in posh markets like CP, GK, Khan seems to the favourite past time of youngsters in Delhi, like elsewehere in the world.I wish there were more public swimming pools in Delhi for young Delhiites to get both healthy exercise and cool leisure which can't be beaten by any other.

The rush to the hill resorts like Shimla, Mussouri, Manali and Nainital must be on. These were cool locations and ideal summer get- aways for Civil and Defence Service Officers and rich business families from the Capital in the era gone bye.But they are hardly the places one would like to visit now, if one is looking for peace and proximity with nature.I know that a number of lesser known hill resorts like, Ranikhet, Bindsar, Landsdowne,Chakrata, Valley of Flowers, Gualdham, Auli, all in Uttarakhand now offer good facilties for tourists. But my country men and women like to follow the beaten path, till it is battered out of shape!And what is a holiday without good eating, drinking and shopping. The ladies of Delhi would particularly hate to be deprived of their favourite TV serials, even while on a hill vacation.So Shimla and Mussourie Mall roads are like big Melas in the summer vacations, and to keep them neat and clean becomes a challenge for the local civic authorities.One can still enjoy them in in spring and fall though.

Well folks, I think I have said enough for this week.


My best wishes and love to all

Summer Peaks Out over Delhi

The summer heat generally peaks out around mid june in Delhi. But temps have already started touching 43, as we enter may. The typical cooling of rapidly rising mercury levels by thunder/ dust storms, a hallmark of the summer in Delhi is nowhere in sight. The almost "heat wave" conditions are making front page news items in HT and TOI, the two leading Delhi Dailies the most of past week.


As I resume writing in the evening, there were signs of a dust/ thunder storm ( mentioned above)building up late afternoon. But the fleeting hope of respite from the heat wave disappeared after a few drops of rain in parts of Delhi. The dreaded "loo"(strong hot and dry winds- Hindi ),is back since evening.The worst phase of the summer heat in north India is when the dreaded " Loo" does not subside even in the evenings and continues to blow through the nights. I think we are already in that phase.

The IPL has certainly taken a toll of Delhi life.There was hardly any traffic on the busy roads of 'Lutyens' Delhi, as we drove up and down for a social commitment this evening. 'Sit in' restaurant business, as also attendance in movie halls has taken a beating by about 20%. But 'carry away' and 'home delivery orders' have picked up. We seem going the "Uncle Sam" way, as the "Super Leagues" scenario is evolving around the passion game of millions in South Asia- Cricket. The "Super Bowl" final TV viewership, rated highest for an annual sports event in America, is sure to be overtaken by the IPL, I can see. Would that be a boost for Show Biz and Sports Events Biz. Not an altogether bad development for India. What say you?

A feature which never fails to fascinate me, as I drive around roads in different parts of India,in the south or north through towns, cities and villages is the amazing energy levels of road users. In the US ( where I have lived for a few years), the six or eight lane roads are mostly used by those commuting between home and work and by shoppers in their cars, in India the variety of road users is simply mind boggling! From hand and bullock driven carts to the latest models of European, Japanese, Korean and American autos , all are seen carrying goods and passengers of every description at neck break speeds, as per the capability of the modes, to reach their commercial, social, religious, or spiritual day to day destinations.The energy levels of the drivers is totally unaffected by the heat,the dust and the squalor visible all along the road sides- more in the north than the south.These fantastic energy levels, believe me, are only to be seen in Asia, possibly driven by sheer poplation numbers pressures.Do you agree?

I would like to make this an interactive and participative Blog. Any suggestions on how to do it?

There is less of gardening in this weekly blog of mine, than normal. Well the answer simply is that we are in the midst of the bleakest gardening seasom in Delhi. The "Desi Maalis" do not have much to look forward to in these days of water shotages and extreme heat, except to watch the summer flowering trees along the road sides and parks. The 'Gulmohar' blooms are losing their glory, the "Amaltash" or the "Cassia Fistula" ( a rather unpleasant botanical name), are yet to assume full potential of their blazing glory.The Lagestromia Thorelis large mauve blooms have started appering on the medium sized trees planted not that long ago ll over Lutyens Delhi. Can be seen in plenty in Nehru Park and Akbar Road round abouts.The white Champa flowers on trees with long slender leaves can also be seen in plenty.The Petuias in my home garden and other public parks are amazingly withstanding the sweltering heatand the scorching heat. Such are the marvels of nature if one has the eye and the time to admire them.

STEVIA is a plant to watch out for in future. It is a low growing shrub, less than the height of a tea bush which can grow well between 15 to 35 degrees temps range in sandy and loamy soils in several parts of India to produce a wholly plant derivative sweetener( the sugar is extracted from the leaves of the plant I am told), with 0 cholestrol, fat and calories content and ten times sweeter than beetroot or sugar cane sugar which is supposed to be fully safe for Diabetics. A Canada based scientist of Chinese origin did research to remove the slight bitter taste left by the STEVIA sweetener during the refining process moved back to Mainland China and has set up factories already in the production mode there.He is now being invited to set up a factory in India.Can you imagine the various sweets shops like Ghante Wala , Haldi Rams, Bengali and Agarwal Mithai shops all having separate stalls selling every description of Mithais with STEVIA. It does not as yet have certifications from the US Federal Agriculture Authority. All I can say is that the US must awake out of its slumber not to be overtaken by the giant shadow of the Dragon which has started moving.And the Tiger too is crawling!

This is all for this week folks from your ex- Cop and ex- Spook Desi Maali.
Have a great week ahead.