Saturday, May 27, 2023
My Friend Yaqub Yusufi
Dear All
Returning to my Blog after very long.Partly lethargy,but mostly the ability to reach out to friends and family on Facebook and Whatsappsomehow made blogging less exciting.
But a few pictures sent by Isharat Yaqub's widow who migrated to Canada soon after Yaqub's "intaqal" brought back floods of happy memories of our unique bond of friendship which took birth in Allahabad in 1965 and ended suddenly and prematurely with his demise in 1995.I am posting the pics recieved from Isharat today on ' Whatsapp' to take you along on my jouney down memory lane.
Thursday, September 26, 2019
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Growing Veggies at Home in Iron Trays
Gone are the days when one enjoyed the luxury of living in spacious bungalows with sprawling lawns and gardens where a part of it, mostly in the
back yards, were reserved for sowing of vegetables. The acute pressure of space
in our cities has forced even the rich to move into apartments. Depending on
the size of the plot, modern residential flats are generally provided with
balconies and terraces. Those fond of gardening, adorn these with ferns,
evergreens and flowering plants grown either in pots, hanging baskets or window
boxes.
But the memory of home grown
veggies served fresh on the dining table
lingers. Because of our dietary
habits,the daily intake of veggies is fairly high. One
has no option but to buy one’s daily requirement either from Mother Dairy booths or the
veggie vendors “Thelas” ( a few high end
fresh grocery stores like Honey Money ,
Reliance Fresh and Natures Basket have also come up)which dot all Delhi residential colonies.
These Subziwalas buy their ware from the Azadpur or Okhla Mandis and sell after
keeping small margins for their daily
labour. They are often not able to sell all the veggies on the same day and keep
these wrapped in soiled moist cloth to keep them fresh looking, to sell the next day, or the third/ fourth.
I present here for trial by you, my successful experiment of growing
veggies on terraces and balconies in specially designed and crafted CGI
sheet trays. Basically, I tasked the
good old steel trunk makers who are now almost out of business, but you can
also approach the desert cooler makers to fabricate a tray with a depth of 6 “.Specify the length and breadth to suit
availability of space on your terrace/ balcony. Ask them to make holes at
the bottom and ridges on the base to ensure drainage and two strong handles on
either side to lift and move them. After the trays are ready, fill them with a
mixture of manure,(Vermi Compost and Cocoa Peat) with sandy soil should work
best. You can sow seeds or seedlings of seasonal veggies of your choice, water
them regularly with a watering can, ensure adequate sun light and watch them
grow till they are ready to be plucked and eaten fresh. I have very
successfully grown a very wide variety of veggies like Methi,, Paalak, Red
Chaulayi Saag, Dhaniya , Pudina, basil, celery, cherry tomatoes, brinjals,
chillies, lettuce, pokchoi and parsley. These can also be frown in wooden trays, but those may last for just 2 years , while the CGI trays should be good for ten.
I am posting a few pictures of the veggies grown by me at our home to
illustrate what I am talking about. Hope a few among you shall get motivated to
start this very satisfying form of gardening in your home to get a more healthy
and tasty supply of daily veggies for your kitchens.
Have fun and try to get the kids involved too, in this exercise.They can
be encouraged to sow seeds and water the trays. Happy gardening.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Reminiscing Minoojji
On my recent blog on
Sunny Jeejaji who passed away two months back, Juhi ( Shefali) commented that she
would love to read a blog by me on Minoojji, her late mother and
my sister, if I find the time to do one. I made up my mind then, that I shall.
Minoojji, chronologically
the second of our seven siblings family who grew up together in a cottage in Meerut
Cantt. was the
smartest, most intelligent, independent minded, and confident . Also the only
dusky one among my five sisters. She had very sharp features, as you would see
in her pictures I carry with this blog. She was Pitajee’s ( our father’s)favorite.
You would notice the oodles of love flowing between him and
Minojji in one of the pics. So given the freedom to pursue a degree in
Science, for which she had to leave Meerut and live with Tau ( my father’s
elder brother), then a Judge of the High Court of Allahabad. After her Bsc.
from the Alld Univ. when Minoojji returned to Meerut she did an
LLb. from the Aligarh Muslim University! Because Meerut College was not an appropriate
school for girls from certain families to study but AMU offered admission to “
Burka clad’ Muslim women, who could study at home and take the University Exam!
That’s how Manjula Chowdhry became a BSc. L.L.B. Much later, she also
did a correspondence course to get a B Ed. degree . Circumstances forced her to
opt for a career in teaching and not Law, though Pitajee and the other elders in the family were pretty convinced that she would have made a brilliant lawyer. Perhaps it was Pitajee’s frustration
at not being allowed to pursue a career in Law by his domineering mother when
his practice was showing signs of picking up, in Moradabad, that prompted him to encourage Minoojji to take up a career
in Law.
Minoojji was married to Jadish Nigam, the youngest in a family from Dehradun, who then worked as
a manager for a private steel rolling mill in Sham Nagar, a suburb of Calcutta, miles away from Meerut.
The marriage took place in traditional style from our Meerut Cottage home, I
think in December 1960. Minoojji and I enjoyed a very
close, warm and humorous bond. But both being strong personalities, sparks flew
when we differed ! A few days before the wedding, I ( a 15 year old then) told her
that there was no way that I would cry on her
“Vidai” and would be quite happy to be rid of her! Later, when she told
me that she ‘did notice the tears in your eyes, Anil when I was leaving home”, “ Oh those were tears of sympathy for Jeejaji
my dear”, I quipped.! She would regale Jeejaji , family and friends by relating this anecdote till very late in our lives……
While Minoojji was a
vivacious and scintillating personality, Nigam Jeejaji was a ‘bon vivant’ ( a nafeez, shaukeen,
shakhsiat) who liked to live, eat, drink and dress well. Minoojji’s smile was “ killing” and Jeejaji’s laughter, heartwarming and contagious.Both shared Jois de vivre in pleny between them. His
propensity to spend lavishly and compulsively on food and clothes used to drive
Minoojji up the wall. On the weekends, after his exercise& ‘ tel maalish”,
Jeejaji would return loaded with the best quality of mutton and fish from the
market and tell his wife, Partner , aaj parsande/ pullao/kachche keemey ke
koftey/ patley shorbe ka kaliya / sarso bata banado to zindagi ka lutf aa jaaye
!’Then he would go to his 'gusal' and emerge in a spotless exquisite white
chikan work malmal ka kalaf kiya hua
kurta with ‘chunnat’ on the sleeves, wearing either khas or gulab Ittar. And turn on the radiogram
to play records of Sehgal, or Begum Akhtar Ghazals. A glass or two of chilled
beer and he was ready to do full justice to Minoojji’s exceptional culinary skills . After a hearty
meal, he would invariably take an afternoon nap telling Minoojji to give him only a “simple” dinner with
Bengali fish curry, daal and rice with began bhaja and tomato chutney on the side!
A little more
on Minoojji’s amazing cooking skills. I don’t think any other lady in our family can match up to them. She was fast
and had a great variety to her culinary repertoire- From Bengali cuisine to
kashmiri koftas; from fish mayonnaise
with Russian salad to poori, kachauri and heeng rase ke aaloo: to
caramel custard and Trifle pudding; and a variety of mouth watering pickleswhich she generously supplied to the
entire family. I think what made Minoojji special was that had the taste for
good food and was genuinely interested in the art of cooking, a trait disappearing
fast among housewives of India today1
The young Nigam couple led a happy and contented life in the company
of just a few friends ( all from UP) in Sham Nagar :the Sahay family and Bansiji are
the names I recall. Their oldest child Shivani, lovingly called” Chicky’ at home and “ Shunno” by her father was born a few years after their marriage when they moved to
Calcutta where Jeejaji continued to work for the same Co.( NICCO). In
Cal. they lived in a small but nice three bed room flat in BallyGunj a posh
locality not far from where Jeejaji’s older brother Shri RC Nigam, an anthropologist lived with his wife and three kids. Jeejaji was
quite fond of his brother and family.
Have added few more
pictures from the Nigams family album to illustrate my blog- Minoojji in
college before her marriage; as a bride; with Jeejaji at their home in Sham
Nagar which they kept very spick and span; at one of their several “ honey moons” on the hills which Jeejaji was so fond of; at the Hawan in their Calcutta home after ' Chicky' was born; and with my parents and Anand Bhai ( my late brother)in our home in Alld.
Although Minoojji took quite well to life in Calcutta and
even picked up a smattering of Bengali, Jeejaji forever yearned to go back to UP and
particularly missed the “ tehzeeb “and the easy pace of life in Lucknow. He,
therefore, jumped at an opportunity to go to Lucknow to work on a new business
venture of an entrepreneur form UP called Suraj Prasad Srivastava, who had plans of setting up an iron and steel rolling mills in UP. This Mr
Srivastava managed to lure both Mr Sahay, a highly qualified and experienced Metallurgical
engineer and Jeejaji to join his new venture. He even managed to persuade them
to invest their life time savings in the venture. Jeejai plunged
headlong into “ Suraj Iron and Steel
Co.” despite Minoojji’s words of
CAUTION.
Life in Lko. initially ws easy and comfortable but not war
long. It gradually began to dawn on the
Nigams and the Sahays that S P Srivastava was a fraudster whose plans were only
on paper. But not before their life time savings were gone!It was while they were going though a hard finacial phase in Lko. that I landed up there during our Bharat Darshan from Mt Abu And it was typical of their hospitality that they invited me and my friends to their home for a lavish meal which wec all enoyed immensely.During this visit, I couldn't get even a whiff of the hard time they were facing in Lko.
And then Minoojji
swung into action- She found a job for Jeejaji in a rolling iron mill near Meerut and
she herself got a job as a school teacher in Meerut. It was during their stay
in Meerut that Saurabh ( Rinkoo at home) their second child arrived. From
Meerut, they moved to Ghaziabad where Jeejaji started working for a marwari
owned iron and steel Co. and Minooji began teaching
at Ingraham,the local convent
school . They lived in a nice rented house in Kavi Nagar called “ White House”
owned by an old Sardarji. About the same time, we moved to Delhi from Goa. The
Nigam home in Ghaziabad was the weekend
get away for me from the drudgery
of life as a Desk AD in IB and life in
the one bed room apartment in Asia House for a family of four + a maid-servant.
Occasionally, Latajji or Anurag my other
two sisters who lived in Delhi also landed up
there to enjoy Minoojji’s company and hospitality. We used to have a
ball on our weekend get aways in G’bad with Taash sessions and Paans, fruits.And
return loaded with sweets and a full tank in my Fiat car courtesy Jeejaji , which was a luxury
indeed in those hand-to- mouth days when
we never had enough money to buy more
than 5 or 10 Litres of petrol at a time!
Then came another turning point in Minoojji’s life – when
she was expecting Shefali, their third child the Mother Superior of the convent
refused maternity leave to her. Minoojji
returned sobbing to the School Staff room. She related how the Principal had humiliiated
her to Usha Sethi, her colleague and close friend. The enraged Manjula Nigam
and Usha Sethi jointly marched into the Pricipal's office and gave in their resignations. Next they decided
to set up their own school in the Nigam rented house in Kavi Nagar! After mustering up
the requisite teaching staff, they inserted an ad in the local papers
announcing the launch of “ Silver Bells “ an English Medium Junior School by two experienced Ex teachers
of Ingraham. The day was January 15,
1976. Minoojji and Usha Sethi were sitting in the verandah of the house pretending to read the news papers with their eyes glued to the approach road for signs of approaching parents to seek
admission to “ Silver Bells”. And they did come…..In a trickle first and then
in hoards- forcing Silver bells to move to another bigger rented premises in Kavi Nagar.
Silver Bells was a big hit because both Minoojji , the Principal and Usha Sethi
the Vice – Principal were smart, hard working and could speak English
fluently!! In the prosperous city of Ghaziabad, speaking of English was a much
sought after virtue in their kids.
The success of “Silver Bells” story became the buzz word of G’bad town. They bought their own piece of prime land and constructed a building, with Monoojji and Usha Ji working
very hard to see that the standards were kept high on all fronts. Minoojji was
very focused and hard working and also knew
how to enjoy leisure. She and her friends would sit in one of the homes
in Kavi Nagar and later in Raj Nagar
where the Nigams made to play several
rounds of serious “Paploo” with high stakes.
Silver Bells
continues to flourish as a leading school of Ghaziabad ,a legacy left behind by Minoojji to her family and the city. She once invited
me to be the Chief Guest at the School
Annual function when I was an unknown entity locally and a mere Joint
Director ( IG) in the IB in Delhi. Such was Minoojji’s affection for me that
she gave precedence to me over the
local District Magistrate and SSP to preside over her school annual day
function!
When Minoojji and
Jeejaji were struggling to get back on their feet after being taken for a ride
by Mr Suraj Prasad Srivastav,I did two postings at beautiful touristy places –
Goa and Srinagar which brought lot of friends
and family to these places. But not Minoojji which she really regretted. So when I got posted
to Washington DC, she told me “ Anil I couldn’t come to you in Goa and Srinagar
but will surely be your guest in the US” And she did make it along with our
youngest sister- both leaving their families behind. I tried to take them
around as much as I could including Canada, which she enjoyed immensely. Tue to
her nature, she was not very fond of doing the museums and parks for which DC
is famous and made the excuse of pain in her knee joints to skip it.When I forced her to visit the museums, the only exhibits which held her interest were the gems and precious stones where she stood gazing afscinatingly at the " Kohinoor" for several minutes. But she
didn’t
miss an opportunity to visit every shopping Mall, far and near, where she would
forget all her aches and pains and run up and down shopping to her heart’s
content !
Fate struck cruel blows to her life in quick succession. First she lost her husband very suddenly and prematurely in 1997. She overcame the loss using her vast reservoir of grit But just 5 years later in 2002, her young son –in –law, Sharad was also snatched away. Sharad was a very affectionate and considerate person and is dearly missed by all. Within a few months after Sharad’s demise, Minoojji was herself diagnosed to be critically ill. Although she fought bravely till the end came and never lost her spirits, my regret to this day is that I was not able to meet her. I made a dash on Emergency Home Leave from DC when told that she may not live long. Drove straight to the hospital from the airport. But she passed away literally minutes before I reached her bed side on December 6, 2002.How could she have gone back on the promise she made to me on phone ( very bravely as usual), “ Anil please come; Am waiting to see you. And don’t worry will not leave before that”? .
We in the family have several lessons to learn from the
legacy left behind by Minoojji. Her grit, her zest for life and her great sense
of humour, even in the most trying times. She was indeed a pillar for me! May
all her kids and grand kids be blessed and happy from her immense sacrifices
made for those she loved.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Sunny Jeejaji - A Tribute
Sunny Jeejaji,husband for fifty two years of my fourth sister Latajji passed away in the ICU of Vedanta Hospital, Gurgaon on April 4 2012.Jeejaji had turned 80 two months back.He grappled admirably with a dreaded liver infection for the past 10 years or more- with Homeopathy,which he loved,and a strict dietary regime.One could see and feel his strength ebbing away,day after day in the past two/three years.All his kids, particularly his elder son Anshu and his wife Nidhi with whom Latajjji and Jeejaji lived in Gurgaon,did not spare any effort- material or emotional- to sustain the quality of his life,right till the last day.He was indeed a fortunate father to have received so much care and affection from all his children.
A gentleman to the core,mild mannered,intelligent,and a very affectionate member of our family,who we all turned to -for advice and medical help in times of need/illness. Although his practice as a Homeopath- post retirement from Govt. never really took off,I doubt if there is another,to match the depth of his knowledge of "Materia Medica". He was extremely thorough, and somewhat cautious,while prescribing his medicines.Both traits fitted well into his personality.
Latajji,who was younger to Jeejaji by eight years,was easily the prettiest among my five good looking sisters. Looking back(sans cosmetics and facials),she was actually quite a Beauty. A happy- go- lucky, 19 year old doing her BA( Final) in a Women's College in Meerut,where we all lived in a Cottage in the Cantonment.
"Justice" Banarsi Das Kankan who belonged to the UP Judicial Service had embarked on a long journey in search of a " Hoor Ki Pari"(a girl with heavenly good looks)for Kailash Chandra affectionately called " Sunny", his only son!He came to our home via Justice Radha Krishan Chowdhry( my Tau),a highly revered and senior member of our family to "see" Minooji(who unfortunately was away in Alld.),the next in line of Ch. Pratap Bahadur's (my father)to be married daughters.In the absence of her two older sisters (Mohinijji senior to Latajji by one year was also not at home),Latajji was asked to serve tea to the honoured guests.The Kankan father and son,not surprisingly, were both swept off their feet.I missed this "big action" at home, since I too was holidaying somewhere with my cousins.
Despite pleadings by both Tau and Pitajee (my father) that Lata had two other unmarried sisters senior to her,and was too young to get married," Justice" Banarsi Das was adamant...The "Chowdhry Khandaan War Council" comprising Babba,(grandfather),Tau, Chacha and Pitajee(father) met and decided that it would be imprudent for Pitajee (a middle level honest Civil Servant),to decline Kankan Sahib's kind offer to accept Latajji as his son's bride,without any "demands"!The protests of youngsters in the family, like me (I was 15 years old then I think)and young Latajji's tears,were brushed aside!
My first meetings with Sunny Jeejaji were on the weekends when he along with Seth Sahib and Sinha Sahib,his service batchmates and buddies,all rode into Meerut from Pataudi House, New Delhi on their shining "Vespas" to get to know his fiance better.After parking his Vespa at our home,he took Latajji out for Ice-creams at Kwality's on a Cycle- Rikshaw !Another sister had,of course, to chaperone the young and innocent Latajji. How could a Chowdhry girl be allowed to be taken out by a'Delhi Boy'.His pedigree and the formal engagement,which had in the meanwhile taken place,notwithstanding!
All of us including Latajji got reconciled to this quirk of her fate rather quickly.The wedding which took place on February 19,1960 at our home- 22/A-1 Ordnance Row, Meerut Cantt.was indeed a happy occasion.All of us including Anand Bhai(my older brother) and I helped in the reparations for the " Big Event".Amit and Bunty(Amitabh and Ajitabh),alongwith "Teji Aunty" and "Bachhan Uncle" had also chipped in,I recall! Much later,Jeejaji also treated Amit for a burn injury and the near fatal injury he suufered during the shooting of "Coolie" with Homeopathic medicines. Amit graciously acknowledged this,when they met recently, after many years at a family reunion in Mumbai.I have added a photo of Amit and Jeejaji taken at this family do.
Latajji looked really nice with fresh flowers jewellery to compliment her bridal attire.The few scanned copies of Latajji's B&W wedding photos,added to my Blog brilliantly bring out the expressions on a traditional Hindu bride's face. These classics were taken by Mr S. Roy of "Pe-Arts",the leading photo artist of Meerut at that time.There is also a picture of Latajji and Jeejaji with their happy brood who happened in quick succession,soon after their marriage.
Some days after the wedding, Latajji was brought back from her Sasural in Lucknow, or was it Bareilly, by one of our Mamas,I think. On her return to Meerut,we listened with shock to stories of how the young and petite Latajji was made to wear a long "Ghoonghat",while observing the strict "Purdah" rules in the conservative Kankan"Pili Kothi",and "Bhoor Mohalla" the Kankan ancestral homes in Chowk, Lucknow and Bareilly city. But both Babuji and Mataji doted on their son,and later also showered lots of love on their Bahu Rani.Sunny Jeejaji also cared a lot for both his parents and took good care of them till they lived their long,full and contented lives.
There are several anectodes about Babuji's eccentricities as a judge,but more of that later in another Blog perhaps.Here I shall only recall that he was quite a jovial person,who spoke in either chaste Urdu or Shakesperean English and loudly recited Tennyson and Milton poetry,as he lay in his bed before going to sleep. And Mataji used to recite "Urdu Shairi", some of which was composed by her!
But days spent by Latajji only with Sunny Jeejai in their small one bed-room Hutment in Pataudi House on Canning Lane, New Delhi were much happier. After packing the "Dibba" for Jeejaji who set off for North Block on his Vespa, Latajji, occasionally wentout shopping with the wives of neighbours in "Queens Way" (now called Jan Path),a mere walking distance. When Jeejaji returned from work,pretty fagged out after grappling with piles of files in office,late in the evening,"will you please give me something to eat Lata",he would say.Latajji served him "Hot Tea, Mathis or Pakodas,and Dinner,in quick succession.Then the "Lucknow Boy's" craving for ice cream and Paan took the better of the "Delhi Babu's" insatiable hunger for files.The"newly-weds" then went for their 'after dinner walks' to Jan Path/India Gate (depending on Jeejaji's energy level on a particular day).Their week-end visits to"Bengali Market" for 'Chaat' and movies in CP were the other high points in the lives of the young Kankan couple,I recall.
When Latjji came home to Meerut for the first time,from Delhi,she brought gifts for all of us.I proudly showed off my black and white checked T Shirt to all my friends in school for many, many days!
Delhi,being only a short distance away from Meerut,Anand Bhai and I began visiting Latajji and Sunny Jeejaji on weekends and holidays.Jeejaji always went out of his way to make our stay enjoyable and Latajji's finger-licking food and snacks were an added attraction.Jeejaji and I got along famously because we studied in similar schools- he in St. Francis, Lko. and I in St. Mary's Academy,Meerut..We both sudied at the elite AN Jha Hostel of the Univ of Alld.We also used the same slangs while conversing.Jeejaji's vocabulary of was very impressive and he introduced me to the joys of "Modern English Usage' by Fowler.
After finishing school in Meerut,I landed up in a Delhi Univ.College Hostel for my Bachelors degree.The hostel Mess food did terrible things to my delicate tummy and worse things to my discerning pallet.The craving for home cooking was so intense that I made a bee line for Pat House on weekends with a couple of similarly starved hostel friends.We would land up,often unannounced, around lunch time at 75/1 Pataudi House by taking a DTC Bus from Maurice Nagar.Latajji being overjoyed to see her sibling used to make hot Chapati after Chapati for us till the Atta was over!The then tiny Sangeeta,(now Shalini)and Shishu,(now Ashish) served us on the table,one hot Chapati after another with mouth -watering "Haldi Wala Patley Shorbe ka" Mutton curry and Daal with Baigan or Aloo ka Bharta!Pat House was filled with laughter of tiny- tots and aroma of home food, a far better option for us than the expensive and rather stuffy restaurants in CP:)
About Sunny Jeejaji's academic brilliance I came to know much later (from Latajji).He was too modest to tell.He had stood First Class First,throughout his school,college and university,except once,when he fell ill before his Final Exam, perhaps in Class 9. He was a topper in MSc.(Physics) from the University of Alld. and lived in the famous A N Jha( Muir)hostel. He also did his LLB.Alld. Univ and Muir Hostel were the toast of higher education in UP then.
That he did not make it to the IAS is another story- too touchy for me to hsve broached with him.But I was told that by dint of his academic brilliance he did make it to the 'Interview" stage,where he did not score well because of his cautious approach His colleagues who did make,said that it was a loss to the service.I have also heard first hand from officers he worked with that he was easily the best CSS Officer they had come across.
Although serious by temperament,Jeejaji had a great sense of humour. His michievous and innocent smile was heart warming indeed.In the early seventies like other friends,I took a young Mizo girl friend studying in LSR College to Pat House for a treat at lunch time.It was a winter afternoon and we were seated in the small front lawn on a Charpoy.Lunch was ready and we were waiting for Jeejaji to come home.A Standard Herald car had by then replaced his Vespa scooter.Looking to have some fun,I asked my young Mizo friend to greet Jeejaji with a kiss... and she did! On being thus greeted by a Jeans and Tea Shirt clad young lass,Jeejaji's facial expression and reaction was memorable. " Arey, arey arey..." he said greatly amused, embarrassed and blushing!I am carrying a picture taken that afternoon.
But he was a serious embarrassment for those accompanying him to watch Hindi Movies because he used to get so carried away by the melodrama that he began loudly commenting on the sequence of events....."Ab woh isey marega...ab yeh mar jayegi...ab woh Salaa villain aa jayega...ab woh ghar chhod ke chala jayaga..." etc, etc.Latajji's admonitions- "Please... Chup Rahiye.Saath wale log sab hamaari taraf dekh rahe hain.. ." were totally ignored by Jeejaji.
When Latajji wouldn't stop putting on weight after Sangeeta was born- he began calling her"Fatso".He would often tell me over the phone,- "Your fat and lazy sister is lying on the bed watching Telly and refuses to go out for a walk with me!"
His concern for ensuring marital bliss for all boys and girls of marriageable age in the family and close friends was genuine. He was forever match- making,much to Latajji's annoyance.
I enjoyed a close and warm bond with Sunny Jeejaji till his last days. All of us, including he himself were aware that his days were numbered but the manner in which he fought with Hepatitis C infection contacted by him during a blood transfusion many years ago by was truly admirable.The several leading Gastro-Enteroligists and Haemotoligists of Delhi and Bangalore who treated him,were also amazed. Towards the end,however, he felt rather frustrated and disgusted with his repeated bouts of illness. Being a very active and sociable person,he was truly fed up of the restrictions on his diet, frequent stomach upsets,extreme weakness,lack of sleep,and the heavy toll his illness took on his quality of life. But he kept up the fight almost till the and tried to lead as normal a life as he could- he would as a routine sit on his Desk Top Computer to surf the net for material for his research papers on Homeopathy, access his email,walk a bit, and also drove around to the market, bank etc. to attend to his personal chores.
In November first half every Govt Pensioner is required to present himself before the manager of the Bank as proof that he is alive. In 2010, although he was quite weak, we had met at the North Block Branch of SBI where we both maintained our pension accounts and signed the register together. Last November ( 2011)I called to remind him of this obligation. But he said he was not up to it.So I spoke to the Bank Manager about his inabilty to come personally.The manager was kind enough to give me the Form and asked me to get it signed by Jeejaji,which he said he would accept.But Jeejaji chose to go to the Gurgaon Branch of the SBI peronally and did the needful. Such was his equanimity! I made sure it reached the right quarters on time.
Some days later when he was feeling very low,I reminded him that on February 17, 2012 when he turns 80,his pension,shall automatically be enhanced by 20 %. He knew this and added that so would Lata's family pension after he was gone. "Let's see..." he added sceptically. But he did cross the 80 year mark and with a bang!
Jeejaji and I would speak on phone frequently,though we could not meet as much because of the distance between NOIDA and Gurgaon.In the last few months, however, I knew that things were not right with him.... his cell phone began to be answered by Latajji and he would occasionally refuse to come on line by saying he was not feeling upto it.
Some days later when he was feeling very low,I reminded him that on February 17, 2012 when he turns 80,his pension,shall automatically be enhanced by 20 %. He knew this and added that so would Lata's family pension after he was gone. "Let's see..." he added sceptically. But he did cross the 80 year mark and with a bang!
Jeejaji and I would speak on phone frequently,though we could not meet as much because of the distance between NOIDA and Gurgaon.In the last few months, however, I knew that things were not right with him.... his cell phone began to be answered by Latajji and he would occasionally refuse to come on line by saying he was not feeling upto it.
Although I could not be with him at the series of anniversaries he celebrated in February,beginning with his Birthday on the 17th when I am told he cut the Cake with all his kids and one "Saali" ( my youngest sister); went out for " Chat" which he loved with the family on their 52nd Wedding Anniv. on the 19th; and shared a Chinses meal ordered in at home with Latajji on her Birthday on February 22nd.It should be a matter of immense satisfaction for the entire family, Sangeeta and Vikas, daughter and son in law,Shishu and Madhulika his younger son and his wif who live in Bangalore(but frequently visited him almost every month) that they all spent very happy days together in February and March before Sunny Jeejaji breathed his last after spending only one night in the ICU of the Vedanta hospital in the early hours of April 4,2012.He hated going to a hospital and always insisted on being discharged quickly whenever he had to be admittd to manage his haemoglobin level which kept falling dangerously low from time to time.He had,I believe, made his kids promise that he would not be subjected to life support systems,ever. The considerate person that he was, he avoided leaving this world on April 3, which happens to be Anshu's birthday but waited till the next morning to make his final exit!
You shall be missed dearly by all of us Sunny Jeejaji.But the sterling legacy of love,caring and highest integrity in personal and public life that you have left behind for the entire family shall be cherished for a long long time....The void left by you shall naturally be felt most by latajj for whom I offer prayers to bear the loss with rectitude.
You shall be missed dearly by all of us Sunny Jeejaji.But the sterling legacy of love,caring and highest integrity in personal and public life that you have left behind for the entire family shall be cherished for a long long time....The void left by you shall naturally be felt most by latajj for whom I offer prayers to bear the loss with rectitude.
aring
Thursday, March 15, 2012
An Open Letter to Young Akhilesh Yadav
Dear Akhilesh,
Heartiest congratulations on a well-managed campaign and a well-deserved victory. After being sworn in as the youngest CM of the most populous and politically important state of the world's largest democracy today, the spot light is clearly on you.
Administering the gargantuan Uttar Pradesh(which happens to be my home state too) shall indeed be a formidable task.Every ball you play as you open your innings, shall be watched closely by not only a packed stadium,on TV screens across the country and abroad,as also by the umpires, including a hawkish media.The team you are up against shall try every trick,not always sticking to the rules of the game, to bowl you out, you can be sure.But you have the people's mandate" Janaadesh", and age on your side.Another factor in your favour is the total mess and corruption that you are inheriting.
I have had the priviledge of working closely,but briefly,with your father while he was the Union Defence Minister and I the head of SIB UP. I hold Mulayam Singh Ji in high esteem because he has risen from the roots of politics,and his ground level fighting skills.He used to proudly relate to me at our one on one meetings over breakfast in his house in Lko. his experiences of leading several agitations against the Government,as a student leader in the Sixties.
Your first and real test Mr Young CM UP will be in the area of maintenance of law and order, and controlling organized crime.You are aware, I am sure, of the stigma of " Goonda Raj"which has,unfortunately got attached to previous SP regimes in the state.
Here is my unsolicited advice on this front, backed by nearly 40 years experience in the Indian Police Service in some of the country's hottest spots like J&K and the North East.
Without seeking the help from your bureacratic advisors (who are sure to oppose it tooth and nail because of their own vested interests),go ahead and take a decision which has been hanging fire since long,but is long overdue,viz., introducing the Police Commissioner systems in Lucknow, Kanpur and NOIDA by also including districts contigous to Delhi like Baghpat,Ghaziabad, and Hapur in its jurisdiction.Select Officers of appropriate seniority and with proven track records, as also integrity, as CPs of these three Metropolitan areas.The spade work for this exercise has already been done more than once. The files must be gathering dust in the Home Dept.in Luckmow Sachivalay.
In adddition to the present DGP(Atul)who is an extremely competent and honest officer,you would do well to call upon a few veteran and highly respected IPS officers who have impecable records in policing in their careers, from the UP Cadre,like S/Shri Prakash Singh, former DGP UP and DG BSF, Trinath Mishra,former DG CRPF and Ajay Raj Sharma former CP Delhi and DG BSF ( all living in NOIDA now),to assist you in this, and also in your other endeavours to maintain peace and harmony in the state,which in my humble view, shall be your acid test, and key to my state's future.
The superiority of the Police Commissioner system, over the archaic dual control syetem of the DM and SP,a legacy of the Brtish Colonial days,has been ackowledged by all expert Committees,including the National Police Commission, headed by Shri Dharam Vira, ICS. Its inbuilt prompt and proper resonse to crime and law and order in Cities,is time tested.
After the success of the system in these three important metropolitan cities,it can be extended in a phased manner to the other KAVAL towns viz., Agra, Allahabad and Varanasi.
By taking this bold step you will send out a strong message that you mean business.It would also have an immediate all round and salutary impact on the citizens who will be benefitted by the quick response to their problems from the police,in their times of need.
Heartiest congratulations on a well-managed campaign and a well-deserved victory. After being sworn in as the youngest CM of the most populous and politically important state of the world's largest democracy today, the spot light is clearly on you.
Administering the gargantuan Uttar Pradesh(which happens to be my home state too) shall indeed be a formidable task.Every ball you play as you open your innings, shall be watched closely by not only a packed stadium,on TV screens across the country and abroad,as also by the umpires, including a hawkish media.The team you are up against shall try every trick,not always sticking to the rules of the game, to bowl you out, you can be sure.But you have the people's mandate" Janaadesh", and age on your side.Another factor in your favour is the total mess and corruption that you are inheriting.
I have had the priviledge of working closely,but briefly,with your father while he was the Union Defence Minister and I the head of SIB UP. I hold Mulayam Singh Ji in high esteem because he has risen from the roots of politics,and his ground level fighting skills.He used to proudly relate to me at our one on one meetings over breakfast in his house in Lko. his experiences of leading several agitations against the Government,as a student leader in the Sixties.
Your first and real test Mr Young CM UP will be in the area of maintenance of law and order, and controlling organized crime.You are aware, I am sure, of the stigma of " Goonda Raj"which has,unfortunately got attached to previous SP regimes in the state.
Here is my unsolicited advice on this front, backed by nearly 40 years experience in the Indian Police Service in some of the country's hottest spots like J&K and the North East.
Without seeking the help from your bureacratic advisors (who are sure to oppose it tooth and nail because of their own vested interests),go ahead and take a decision which has been hanging fire since long,but is long overdue,viz., introducing the Police Commissioner systems in Lucknow, Kanpur and NOIDA by also including districts contigous to Delhi like Baghpat,Ghaziabad, and Hapur in its jurisdiction.Select Officers of appropriate seniority and with proven track records, as also integrity, as CPs of these three Metropolitan areas.The spade work for this exercise has already been done more than once. The files must be gathering dust in the Home Dept.in Luckmow Sachivalay.
In adddition to the present DGP(Atul)who is an extremely competent and honest officer,you would do well to call upon a few veteran and highly respected IPS officers who have impecable records in policing in their careers, from the UP Cadre,like S/Shri Prakash Singh, former DGP UP and DG BSF, Trinath Mishra,former DG CRPF and Ajay Raj Sharma former CP Delhi and DG BSF ( all living in NOIDA now),to assist you in this, and also in your other endeavours to maintain peace and harmony in the state,which in my humble view, shall be your acid test, and key to my state's future.
The superiority of the Police Commissioner system, over the archaic dual control syetem of the DM and SP,a legacy of the Brtish Colonial days,has been ackowledged by all expert Committees,including the National Police Commission, headed by Shri Dharam Vira, ICS. Its inbuilt prompt and proper resonse to crime and law and order in Cities,is time tested.
After the success of the system in these three important metropolitan cities,it can be extended in a phased manner to the other KAVAL towns viz., Agra, Allahabad and Varanasi.
By taking this bold step you will send out a strong message that you mean business.It would also have an immediate all round and salutary impact on the citizens who will be benefitted by the quick response to their problems from the police,in their times of need.
Now I turn to the field of development- The impressive performance of SP at the hustings has given rise to widespread misgivings in the minds of most NOIDA residents that all development activities in this prime residential and commercial hub of NCR Delhi shall come to a halt and lawlessness shall return to this area.These fears have to be quickly allayed by you by not only not blocking the on going development projects, but also ensuring that there is immediate relief in ceratain critical areas like Coverage of the open drains and speeding up supply of the Ganga Canal water supply; Widening of the bridge over a small culvert which is the chocking point for thousands of daily commuters working in the several IT Cos including MNCs, which have located their hubs in NOIDA, in preference to Gurgaon, for lack of comparable infrastural support systems; Speeding up the construction of the Intracity network of roads; Inaugurating the Taj Expressway, which should win even international accolades for you by;Improving traffic regulation and flow on the Expressway which has been dubbed a "killer highway" because of the large fatal casualties;and Finally making NOIDA a more safe and secure place to live in. Pl do not neglect NOIDA, which holds the key to the state's prosperity.
You have ignited the hopes of thousands of UP Niwasis like me! Do not let us down.Good luck and God bless you Akhilesh.
-Anil Chowdhry IPS ( Retd)
Former Secretary (Internal Security), MHA, GOI.
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- Desimaali
- Have lived life to the hilt. Had a very satisfying career