tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22828022987472744282024-02-06T18:56:23.135-08:00A Fist Full Of MemoriesMemories of travels and adventures across the globe.M.G. Singhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00509972455434545568noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282802298747274428.post-11157299206738383222016-08-23T18:19:00.001-07:002016-08-24T00:17:57.081-07:00OLYMPICS<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Olympics is over. Our contingent is back. People are disappointed since we could get only 2 medals and that too by girls who were under dogs in their events. All kinds of comments have started appearing in media. Many say that India is not a sports Nation. Some say why waste money when our team can not get medals.<br />
<br />
Are we really a non sporting country ? If this was so, how so many of our sports men and women could achieve world class standard and qualify to participate in Olympics? In fact, this year's team has shown great potential and there have been wast improvement in their performance. If we were a non sporting nation, we could not have been the champion in hockey since 1940s. Also if we analyse the performance of our team, we find that many missed the medal by few critical points only. In some cases it was just touch & go scenario.<br />
<br />
Having said that about our team, what was really lacking was the official machinery responsible to look after them.And the most disgusting part have been their repeated poor performance since decades.<br />
<br />
What is the remedy? Simple ; present IOA & sports authorities need to under go major surgery. Still better disband them and let Government deal with it directly. A long term systematic planning should be worked out so that young boys and girls are picked up from schools, scientifically examined and trained for a particular sports for which found suitable. The Ex- sports persons of national & international standings to be inducted in managing the affair. It should also be ensured that those individuals who achieve certain standard, say up to State or National level in any game/sports,be provided respectable jobs<br />
<br />
The old saying that:-<br />
"Kheloge, koodoge hoge kharaab, padhoge likhkhoge hoge nawab"<br />
<br />
has to be gotten rid of from parents mind. In this respect Khel India Khel started by the Government is a good beginning. If attitude is correct, the future is bright & and also coming of medals</div>
M.G. Singhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00509972455434545568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282802298747274428.post-88076453268214738622016-08-09T10:35:00.003-07:002016-08-11T10:50:29.552-07:00SULTANA DAKU<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> <b><u>SULTANA DAKU<o:p></o:p></u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> ( By M.G.Singh) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Approximately a month back, there was a short
programme on Sultana Daku, shown on
television-Epic channel. It was almost after a period of 6-7 decades that this
name rang the bell and brought back old memories of our childhood. At the
tender age of 6-8 years, I and other siblings of our large joint family used to
enjoy stories of this mysterious man narrated by our elders. During school days,
we had a chance to see a play titled “Sultana Daku” which was staged in a
collage in which my father, a senior police officer of the district, played the
role of Sultana. The year was around 1946-47 and the drama, like any favourite
movie had left its deep impression on our young mind. The net result was that
soon a drama party was set up with the active participation of all the siblings
and other kids of our village and staging the
play of Sultana Daku became one of our favourite past time during summer
vacations. This adventure, or to say extracurricular activity continued till we passed out from our
schools and moved to other cities for higher studies as boarding students. In
collage, the sports and other activities soon over shadowed the craze for theatre
and we gradually forgot about Sultana Daku.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">WHO WAS
SULTANA DAKU</span></u></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The brief account of Sultana on the television, regenerated
the desire to know more about our childhood Robin Hood. Accordingly, I went
through various sources to know more about him but found that official accounts
on this man have been few; those that did come out were largely irrelevant and
in a few cases, were clearly sponsored or concocted. I could, however, learn
that a book was written on him by an author named Surjit Saraf with title <b>“Confession of Sultana Daku”</b>- a
historical fiction, which was published by Penguin Books India in 2009. A while
ago, a movie was also made on him but that again was mostly based on imaginative
scenarios mixed with some unconfirmed facts. The story mostly revolved around
the love of Sultana and a dancing girl Putli Bai ( also known as Phul kuwar)-
in short, an usual Bollywood MASALA. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">There were also some books & film reviews etc
which again did not provide much information
as these too were based on notes made by
a British officer, Lt colonel Samuel Pearce, who ironically had played a major
role in capturing Sultana. His special task force led by a junior fat British
officer, Freddy Young, had captured Sultana from the Nainital forest area. Col
Samuel Pearce was supposed to have recorded Sultana’s biography as narrated by
the individual the night before he was supposed to be hanged in Haldwani prison.
Interestingly while Sultana’s narration was in rustic local Hindi language, the
scribbling by Samuel was in English.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">It is also claimed that Sultana belonged to a Bhantu tribe
of Chambal area in Madhya Pradesh (MP). The tribe was declared by the British
government as extremely backward, following their traditionally criminal activities
for survival. Thus, as a policy decision, Sultana and other young lads were
brought from their villages to Nazibabad by the authorities and kept in a
prison where they were supposedly enrolled in the Salvation Army camp to undergo reform training.
However, Sultana, rebellious by nature, did not like the working conditions laced
with religious preaching by the Christian missionary and managed to escape from
the camp. The escape obviously resulted in regular chase and harassments by the
police, gradually leading to occasional encounters. This further motivated him
to organise his own gang which started
conducting small robberies for survival, resulting in terrorising and
looting of rich people in central north areas of UP. While the exact period of these
events have not been recorded anywhere, it seems that these events occurred
approximately in the early 1920s. Eventually, Sultana Daku was captured near
Nainital and hanged on 8<sup>th</sup> July 1924, when he was in his late 20s.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> SULTANA-A FREEDOM FIGHTER ?<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The accounts narrated in Saraf’s book do not, however,
tally with many details about this Robin Hood. According to Sultana, he claimed
to be a descendent of Sishodia Rajput, Maharana Pratap Singh, the king of Mewar
(Rajasthan). He had named his horse Chatak which was the name of Rana Pratap’s
mount. There is no doubt that Sultana
was highly influenced by the character of his mentor. Rana Pratap’s bravery,
patriotism and concern for his people are well known. He not only fought many
battles with Mughal king Akbar, he was also the only king who had never
surrendered till his death. It is also to be noted that Chambal area is mostly
inhabited by Sikarwar Rajputs. Sikarwar and Sishodia Rajputs both are
Suryavanshis and descendents of Lav- the son the Lord Ram Chandra of Ayodhya
who is revered as God by Hindus in India. The Sikarwars purportedly had their
kingdom at Vajaypur Sikri near Agra. After losing the battle at Khanwa fought between
the Mughal invader Babur and the confederation of Rajput army lead by Rana
Sangram Singh, Vijaypur Sikari was destroyed and renamed as Fatehpur Sikari by the
victor Babur. The Sikarwars had to vacate Vijaypur Sikari and fled from there
to number of remote areas including Dhaulpur, ravines of Chambal river, forests
of Gahban (now known as Gahmar in Ghazipur), Azamgarh, and towards Rajasthan,
Bihar etc. Thus, irrespective of his ancestry, it is very obvious that Sultana considered
the British to be invaders and he put himself in the shoes of his hero to
alleviate the suffering of his people and free them from the clutches of foreign rule.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Interestingly Sultana, whose full name was Sultan
Singh named his dog Rai Bahadur. This clearly shows his disliking for the
Baniya (Business) community, Zamindars (big land holders) land lords and a like,
whom the British authorities had showered with ludicrous titles like Sir, Rai Bahadur, Highness etc. It
is also true that many such rich Indians were the stooge of the British
Government in India and assisted the Raj for their own selfish gains. This was
the reason that most targets of Sultana were such rich people. He never attacked or robbed the Rajputs and
the poor as he identified himself as one
of them. He also purportedly never kept the loot for himself but was rumoured
to have distributed in to the poor and the needy in the community.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">WHY
SULTANA WAS MADE TO JOIN SALVATION ARMY:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The book and other reports suggests that Sultana as a
young boy along with others of similar age group were taken away from their
villages and enrolled in the Salvation Army by the British Govt. The aim, at
least as explained by the Government, was to re-train these young poor village
lads as good citizens. But was this the real aim of the British Government?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">In this context it is necessary to know the real
meaning of Salvation Army. According to the Oxford English dictionary-:-<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">“Salvation
Army is a religious and missionary organisation structured on quasi-military
lines for revival of religion and helping the poor “<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">In the context, we should also recollect the famous address of Lord Macaulay to the British
Parliament on 2nd Feb.1835 on India, which was as under:-<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">“ I have
travelled across the length and breath of India and have not seen one person
who is a bagger, who is a thief, such wealth I have seen in the country; such
high moral values; people of such calibre, that I do not think we would ever
conquer this country, unless we break the very backbone of this nation which is
her spiritual and cultural heritage, and, therefore, I propose that we replace
her old and ancient education system, her culture, for if the Indians think
that all that is foreign and English is
good and greater than their own, they will lose their self-steam, their native
culture and they will become what we want them, a truly dominated nation”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">It is obvious therefore, that the aim of the British
Raj was to follow Macaulay’s game plan to convert poor Indians to Christianity.
Sultana’s enrolment in to Salvation army was part of it. However, Sultana’s
high morale values and patriotism over shadowed their efforts. It is for this
reason that he can safely be called as a rebel against occupying forces, rather
than a Dacoit (Daku)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">EFFECT OF
INDEPENDENCE STRUGGLE ON SULTAN SINGH:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">If we reflect upon the history of India’s struggle for
independence, we find that the period in which Sultana was active was precisely
the period when the struggle for independence was in full swing. Gandhi had
returned to India from South Africa on 9<sup>th</sup> January,1915.Bal Gangadhar
Tilak, an ardent nationalist, who helped lay the foundation stone for India’s
independence by building his own defiance of British Rule, was already making
headlines. By the time he died on 1<sup>st</sup> August, 1920, he was already
recognised as the <b>Father of the</b> <b>Indian National Movement. </b>In UP,
activities of Chandra Shekhar Azad (born 20 July 1906; died 27 February 1931) a
hard liner, were already in full swing in and around Allahabad. The famous train robbery in 1925 at
Kakori near Lucknow and also the killing of Assistant Superintendent of police
Saunders had already brought his name into limelight alongside other heroes of
the freedom fighters. We should also not forget the massacre of Jallianwala
bagh in 1919, which had the tremendous impact on Indians. Was Sultana not aware
of these developments? In a way he too was doing the similar work against the
British Raj and therefore, not less than any other freedom fighter. If he was
declared a dacoit by the Government, we must place this in this context. After
all, the same government had also declared Azad, Batukeshwar, Bhagat Singh,
Rajguru and many others as criminals. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">It is unfortunate that, like many forgotten freedom
fighters, no efforts have been made to investigate and record the real back
ground and accounts of Sultana Daku. However, it is interesting to mention that
people particularly those belonging to the Sultana’s area of operation still speak
very high of him and regard him as a hero –a messiah for poor and terror for
the rich sympathisers of British govt. It is said that Sultana had captured an
abandoned fort in Nazibabad and had made it his headquarter. The fort was built
about 400 years ago by Nawab Nazibudaula, and was Sultana’s most favourite
hideout. Not only does this fort still exist, but more interestingly, it is
known as <b>‘Sultana Daku Ka Kila’</b>.Following are few pictures of the fort.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> Sultana ka kila (from distance) </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> Main gate of the fort</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Outer Veranda</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> Stairs going to 2nd floor with dead ends</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw32YH3T_k84_PHkm0kxJnYOOXAdeMpZGpUJvoXHUgroGHqDnvrXAnH4G5UTn3FTDrwDW87EmLrEYda4DZRHZxkI-RIieTocZD2Iw6M2hW4LWDkKTgmVhDHszCixX5Rtk6LjNXpUmUp_o/s1600/2013_11%2524largeimg130_Nov_2013_184145600gallery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw32YH3T_k84_PHkm0kxJnYOOXAdeMpZGpUJvoXHUgroGHqDnvrXAnH4G5UTn3FTDrwDW87EmLrEYda4DZRHZxkI-RIieTocZD2Iw6M2hW4LWDkKTgmVhDHszCixX5Rtk6LjNXpUmUp_o/s320/2013_11%2524largeimg130_Nov_2013_184145600gallery.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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M.G. Singhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00509972455434545568noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282802298747274428.post-1291211012438068882016-07-09T01:52:00.005-07:002016-08-10T01:07:51.698-07:00SIKARWAR RAJPUTS ...Chapter-2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Chepter-2<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><u><span style="display: none; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Top of Form<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">SIKARWAR RAJPUTS’<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"> Some time
back in Aug 2014, I had in my blog, tried to put down a brief history of the
Sikarwars. Based on some more
information given by Indian historians like Dr. Devi Singh Mandawa in his
book “Rajput Shakhaon Ka Itihaas” and others ,I am continuing my article on Sikarwars further.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"> The battle
of Kanhua ( also spelled as Khanwa- a village between Agra & Vijaypur
Sikri) which was fought between Mughal invader Babur and confederation of Rajputs lead by Rana
Sanga on 17 March 1527,was a major turning point in the history of Rajputs. While the defeat of
Rana Sanga resulted in a major setback to the confederation in general, it particularly
proved disastrous to Sikarwars of Vijaypur Sikari.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"> Babur
destroyed the fort of Vijaypur Sikari and
re- named it as Fatehpur Sikari. Dham Dev who had participated in the battle with his
three sons, viz. Prithu, Ahaman and Ram Dhalku, had to escape from there to take shelter in to the forest of Dhaulpur. However,
soon Dham Dev was able to re-organise his
remaining force, captured the nearby fort of Sarsaini and handed it over to his
youngest son Ram Dhalku. In present day scenario it could be safely said that
most of the inhabitants of Chambal area are descendent of Ram Dhalku. Dham Dev
also captured Khairagarh and its adjoining areas which he gave to his eldest
son Prithu to rule. ( Some historians
have mentioned the name of Dham Dev as Dhandu Dev and as such should not
be confused)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"> With the aim
to take back Vijaypur, Dham Dev along with his second son Ahaman, again fought
with Babur near Agra. But luck did not favour him and he lost the battle. His
son Ahaman too got killed in this battle. A number of similar efforts to
establish its own kingdom continued by the Sikarwars but did not materialise.
Thus finding no alternative they further spread in other parts of India<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"> ************</span></div>
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M.G. Singhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00509972455434545568noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282802298747274428.post-6453109250662811032016-07-04T05:30:00.000-07:002016-07-04T05:30:28.630-07:00NATIONAL EMBLEM<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><u>NATIONAL EMBLEM</u></b></div>
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The Emblem of the Indian State is an adaptation from
the Sarnath (Varanasi) Lion Capital of Ashoka the great. It was adopted
by the Government of India on 26
January, 1950.</div>
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In the original, there are four lions standing back to back,
mounted on an abacus with a frieze carrying sculpture in high relief of an
elephant, a galloping horse, a bull and a lion separated by intervening wheels
over a bell shaped lotus. Carved out of a single block of polished sandstone,
the capital is crowned by a Wheel of the law <b>( DHARMA CHAKRA).</b></div>
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In the State Emblem, only three lions are visible, the
fourth being hidden from view. The wheel appears in relief in the centre of the
abacus with a bull on the right and a horse on left and the outlines of other
wheels on extreme right and left. The bell shaped lotus has been omitted. The words “ SAtyameva Jayate” from “Mundaka
Upanishad” meaning “<b>TRUTH ALONE TRIUMPHS</b>” are inscribed below the abacus in the DEVANAGARI
script.<br />
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M.G. Singhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00509972455434545568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282802298747274428.post-77640070372770670702016-06-28T18:46:00.001-07:002016-06-28T18:50:42.464-07:00Our National Song<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
,<br />
In my previous blog I had mentioned about our National anthem.<br />
<br />
Many of us get confused between National anthem and the National song. Our national song is VANDE MATARAM written by Bankimchandra Chatterji and during freedom struggle, was a source of inspiration to us.It has an equal status with JANA GANA MANA and was first sung in 1896 session of the Indian National Congress.<br />
<br />
Following is the text of its first stanza:-<br />
<br />
Vande Mataram!<br />
Sujalam, suphalam, malayaja shitalam.<br />
Shasyashyamalam, Mataram!<br />
Shubhrajyotsna pulkitayaminim,<br />
Phullakusumita drumadala shobhinim,<br />
Suhasinim sumadhura bhashinim,<br />
Sukhadam varadam,Mataram!<br />
<br />
Shri Aurobindo rendered its English translation in prose form as under:-<br />
<br />
I bow to thee, Mother,<br />
Richly-watered, richly-fruited,<br />
cool with the winds of the south,<br />
dark with the crops of the harvests,<br />
the Mother!<br />
Her nights rejoicing in the glory of the moonlight,<br />
her lands clothed beautifully with her trees in flowering bloom,<br />
sweet of laughter, sweet of speech,<br />
the Mother,giver of boons, giver of bliss.<br />
<br />
Enjoy learning and singing it.<br />
<br />
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<br /></div>
M.G. Singhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00509972455434545568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282802298747274428.post-59728808444752434832016-06-25T01:18:00.001-07:002016-08-24T00:15:04.194-07:00Full anthem with sound<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzjH54Eun3m-BVJqDzMlRY6vRAnxJAi0wDUls8F3wjt5QT1yty04MOrjvUYo8IevLe-iDQGAm3E91Ow_fc44A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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M.G. Singhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00509972455434545568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282802298747274428.post-85813493538360610992016-05-14T05:33:00.002-07:002016-06-28T09:35:52.243-07:00National Anthem<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
1st to 5 th stanza of the national Anthem. Please also listen the full anthem given in the end with sound on.<br />
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M.G. Singhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00509972455434545568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282802298747274428.post-56660227954448813682016-04-06T01:34:00.002-07:002016-04-13T03:11:12.255-07:00National symbol, flag & anthem<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>FLYING OF NATIONAL FLAG AT EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS </u></b></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Recent announcement by the
Education Minister to daily<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>hoist the national
flag at all the educational institutions in India is a welcome step. The
requirement took birth when some anti India activities came to notice at
Jawahar Lal University (JNU) where, besides raising various anti national
slogans by some students group, our tri-colour was<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>also torn and insulted.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Apart from the above
mentioned incident, I have noticed that, many of us do not care & give
proper respect to our national flag and other symbols. Just a few days ago, the
national flag at the office of District Magistrate of district Dehradun
(Uttarakhand), was hoisted upside down by the police guards. They had put the green
colour of the flag on top and the saffron portion <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>down. It was only corrected when the mistake
was pointed out by some people. Such occurrence are not rear. One keeps seeing
& reading about such incidents quite frequently.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I have ,therefore taken
the opportunity to give some basic details about our National symbols, National
flag, National anthem, national song etc .for those who probably<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>never had an<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>opportunity to know about these things.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">NATIONAL FLAG</span></u></b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Indian National flag is
horizontal tricolor of deep saffron (Kesari) at the top, white in the middle
and dark green at the bottom in equal proportion. Ratio of the width of the
flag to its length is two to three. In the centre of the white band is a navy
blue wheel which represents the Chakra. Its design is that of the wheel which
appears on the abacus of the Sarnath Lion Capital of King Ashoka (grand son of
Samrat Chandragupta Maurya). Its diameter approximates to the width of the
white band and it has 24 spokes.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Design of the flag was adopted
by the Constituent Assembly of India on 22 July,1947.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The three colours of the
flag indicate:-</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Deep Saffron<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>:Valour & courage</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">White<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>: Purity & peace</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Deep Green<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>: Prosperity.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">NATIONAL ANTHEM</span></u></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Composed by Ravindra Nath
Tagore, the song was adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 24 January 1950. It
was first sung on 27 December 1911 at the Calcutta session of the Indian
National Congress. The complete song consists of 5 stanzas. How ever, the first
stanza consists full version of the National Anthem. Playing time of this full
version is approximately 52 seconds. A short version consisting of first and
last lines of the stanza is also played on certain occasions. Playing time for
which is approximately 20 seconds.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike></div>
M.G. Singhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00509972455434545568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282802298747274428.post-77994800890322344222014-08-23T10:53:00.002-07:002016-07-05T05:10:27.930-07:00THE SIKARWAR RAJPUTS OF INDIA<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Hi folks,</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I have been thinking since long to pen down a brief account of my clan- the Sikarwar Rajputs of India.So here is a brief history which may be of some interest to some of you.</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> <u>SIKARWAR RAJPUTS</u></span></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></u></b>
<b><u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">INTRODUCTION<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The SIKARWARS are a royal warrior
clan from Northern India. Their early history is very unknown due to lack of
importance in keeping history. The clan name SIKARWAR is derived from SIKAR
district of Rajasthan which they ruled for generations. It is included by
British historian TOD, amongst the 36 royal races which claim to be descent
from LAVA the son of King Ram of Ayodhya. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Sikarwars are
known to be a very brave and fierce fighters and were well known to fight unto death but never to surrender. This was
one reason for their very low population. In a battle, they formed the “HARAVAL
TUKADI” which used to be the first line of offence to face the enemy. According
to British historian A.H. Bingley, Sikarwars are among the few races which are
considered to be the best fighting soldiers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></u></b>
<b><u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">EARLY HISTORY<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> SIKARWARS
established Vijaypur Sikari in 823 AD when Rana Bhatribhat was the ruler of
Mewar in Rajasthan. Rao of Sikar was one of the invitees to Chitor during the
coronation of Rana Sangram Singh (later popularly known as Rana Sanga) as
mentioned in history books. Sikarwars also built the Agra fort, then known as
Ajargarhi fort. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> The rular of
Sikri during later part of 1400 AD was one
JAIRAJ DEV. He had three sons named Kamdev (the eldest), Dham dev
and Vikram Pratap Dev, the youngest<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></u></b>
<b><u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">KAMDEV</span></u></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">:-
Kamdev proceeded along with his
army towards Madhya Pradesh in South and subjugated the Muslim aborigines
called Cheras. He established himself in the area of MORENA, GWALIOR and JHANSI
etc. Thus ancestors of SIKARWARS toward Morena etc had migrated much before the
arrival Mughals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></u></b>
<b><u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">DHAM DEV</span></u></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> :- He was crowned as the ruler of
Sikri in 1504 AD. Rana Sangram Singh (Rana Sanga) who was still the prince of Mewar ( his
coronation was in 1505 AD), attended the coronation on behalf of his father
Rana Rai Mal. Both Dham Dev and Sangram Singh were known to be very close
friends. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></u></b>
<b><u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">VIKRAM DEV</span></u></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">:- While DHAM DEV was crowned as Ruler
of Sikri, it was Vikram who managed most of the affairs of the state.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">
-2- <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> A
detailed description of a queen from Sikri was given by Bhaduriya Rajputs. RAJA
SHALYA DEV (1194-1208 AD) referred to as SELLA DEV by British historians, was
an illustrious ruler of his age. Taking advantage of the disorder prevailing in
the country during Ghouri Shah’s invasion, Raja Shalya Dev had attacked and
plundered Meerut and Farrukhabad. When QUTUBUDDIN AIBAK attacked BHADAURA GARH
in 1208, a fierce battle accompanied and great slaughter took place in which
SHALYA DEV was slain. It is said that his pregnant wife who was daughter of Rao
of SIKRI escaped and with the help of two loyal servants reached Sikri. </span><b><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">BATTLE OF KHANWA
also spelled as Kanwah/ Kanhua)<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> During the
battle of Khanwa ( village between Agra-Vijaypur Sikri) which commenced on 17
March,1527 AD, between the confederation of Rajputs lead by Rana Sanga and
Mughal invader BABUR, DAM DEV not only joined the confederation but provided
complete administrative, logistics & operational support to Sanga. In fact the complete Rajput army of 1.80 lakh stayed in side and around the
Sikri fort for more than a month. Each
house hold of Sikri rose to the occasion to assist in the stay of the force
including in cooking food to compensate shortage of cooks etc. Enough ration was
also collected and stocked inside the fort, even before the battle started as
Rana had planned to capture Agra. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Earlier
Sanga had liberated North India from Afghan ruler, Ibrahim Lodi and was
confident of defeating Babur. Unfortunately this could not materialize as Mughals
captured Agra with speed. The Rajputs
caused many a Mughal casualties during the night battle. This was after the Rajputs
had lost during the day. The main reason for this sudden defeat was due to
betrayal of one of the close aid, SILHADI (Siladitya), a TOMAR Rajput chieftain
of North East Malwa, who held a large
contingent of 30,000 men, joined Babur’s camp at the critical moment of the
battle. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Rana Sanga
was badly wounded and had to be evacuated from the battle field. Thus the
command of the Rajput’s withdrawing forces devolved on the shoulder of Dham Dev,
which he conducted with fair amount of
discipline and control. The wounded Rana Sanga
and also the SIKARWAR’S Deity-
MATA KAMAKHYA, were loaded on camels and under
protection of a group of Rathor Rajput warriors, transported to the
safety in the Aravali mountains. Mean while, walls of the Sikri fort were blown
out with guns by Babur’s army and finally captured. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">
-3-<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> The defeat
in battle of Khanwa was a major set-back in the history of
Rajputs.While this resulted in the advent of Mughal rule in the region, the
Rajputs had to disperse far and wide to safe their religion and families from
the Babur’s atrocities. Sikarwars in particular, suffered more as the battle of
Khanwa was fought in their ruled area and Babur considered Vijaypur Sikri as
the main cantonment (Chawani) of the Rajputs confederation army. After the
victory, the town of Vijay pur Sikri was also re-named as Fatehpur Sikri by
Babur.</span><span style="font-family: "harlow solid italic"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "harlow solid italic"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "harlow solid italic"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“Fatehpur Pukarat Mughals Naam More Nagari ko,</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "harlow solid italic"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Vijaypur
Nagari Aaz Fatehpur Bhayo Ree”</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "harlow solid italic"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">That’s how Vidyadhar, Bard had narrated the re-naming.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> BABUR
himself, while describing the battle of Khanwa in his Baburnama, had mentioned DHAM DEV RAO at least twice in
his book along with that of RANA SANGA, MEDINI RAO, RAO CHANDER SEN, SILHADI
(SHILADITYA), MAHMOOD KHAN LODI, HASAN KHAN MEWATI etc.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">MIGRATION FROM
SIKRI:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Once this
major battle was lost by Rajputs, they had no option but to disperse and
migrate to safer locations. Their major settlements of Sikarwars had been in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya
Pradesh, Rajasthan and few in Maharashtra & Gujarat. A detail list of their
districts/villages is attached separately.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">GENERAL INFORMATION</span></u></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">(Gotra, Kuldev, Kuldevi, Flag)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Gotra-Sankritayan (Those living in Sikarwari region of Agra
& Morena district follow Bhardwaj Gotra)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Prawar- Three, viz. Sankrit, Angiras & Aurav<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Ved - Yajur Ved, Up Ved- Dhanur<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Ved Paad- Dakshin,
Shikha- Dakshin, Chand-Anurisp, Branch-Madhyami, Sutra- Katyaan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Bird-Owl, Kul Devta- Shiv,
Kul Devi (Eisht) –Mata Kamakhya.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> -4- <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Flag – Golden red with Bal Surya embossed on it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Narrating the
genealogy of Sikarwars, the bards say that “Brijraj Dev was the son of Naurang
Dev, grand son of Anurag Dev and great grand son of Prayag Dev.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></u></b>
<b><u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></u></b>
<b><u><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">ADDITIONAL INPUTS</span></u></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It is well known fact that after independence of India, the government
and most of the Indian historians never took much interest to find facts about
the Rajput history. It was projected as
dark period of the Indian history. For them the golden period in India started only
with the arrival of Mughals. Obviously this was done intentionally as a result
of close proximity of Nehru/Gandhi family with Muslims in some way or other,
details of which are already in public domain.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The myth that Mughal emperor Akbar established Fatehpur sikri
as his capital and nothing existed before that, has been negated by the very
fact that it was Babur who renamed vijaypur Sikri to Fatehpur Sikri. Very few people know that in the year
1999-2000 AD an excavation by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) was
conducted at the CHABELI TILA of Sikri which yielded a rich crop of Jain
statues- hundreds of them, including the foundation stone of a temple with
date. The statues were a thousand years old of Bhagwan ADI NATH, RISHABH NATH,
MAHAVIR and Jain Yakshainis - says Swaroop Chandra Jain, the senior leader of
the Jain community. The excavation, after two years of work, was suddenly
stopped by the government.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">DV Sharma, former Superintending archaeologist of the ASI in
Agra who supervised the excavations told IANS- ‘’we found scores of damaged
statues piled up and with dates and also a manuscript. These are now lying in
the guest house of Fatehpur Sikri. They should have gone ahead to engage
experts to carry out research on these subjects”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Sharma further added –Quote “My book of Fatehpur Sikri
excavations is there in the ASI library with complete details of the findings
which un- mistakenly point to a flourishing trade and pilgrimage centre of both
the Jains and the Sikarwars. Akbar built a few structures and modified others
that were already there. Who demolished the temples and the statues is a
subject which further research alone can establish” unquote. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Talking to IANS, Bhanu Pratap Singh, the author of “JAIN
DHARM KA PRAMUKH KENDRA THA FATEHPUR SIKRI” said that “Sikri existed much
before Akbar. The excavation has clearly established this fact.” Basing his
arguments on the excavations by the ASI Bhanu Pratap Singh further reiterated
that the antique pieces, statues and structures, all point to a lost culture
and religious site, more than 1,000 year ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"> </span> of India:<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
M.G. Singhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00509972455434545568noreply@blogger.com97tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282802298747274428.post-60106280664126336502014-08-09T05:17:00.001-07:002014-08-09T05:17:17.325-07:00Nepal visit by NAMO<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjspjUHtSmyVKTvbfRiD-XDvaq-yn6cISkdX3ibuLLZEvzYt8ZCD7S30S38QPdl78Vg19MUNSzI9AXk-bKlRC-K6QWl3Lnvg_Sf0wBeQdZadFb4V9b2S2TtXZHClno0hhHk3lUqbn7Z1y0/s1600/001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjspjUHtSmyVKTvbfRiD-XDvaq-yn6cISkdX3ibuLLZEvzYt8ZCD7S30S38QPdl78Vg19MUNSzI9AXk-bKlRC-K6QWl3Lnvg_Sf0wBeQdZadFb4V9b2S2TtXZHClno0hhHk3lUqbn7Z1y0/s1600/001.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<div>
Please see my blog on Nepal dated 7 Aug.2014. Here are few pictures taken during our visit to Kathmandu & Pokhara.</div>
<div>
The above photo is of SHIV LING in Darbar Squire, Kathmandu.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKVhw-3KK0zkRtnhbmMLkuhQDkzys3VMtysHwAPbml7plX9Vxgj9PjGqxDpfsiQ_St-jGhZw1dtrW1vOYB5Ia6g2u4Lz7uwWRsbYfPKIwJlng2gqWxt3ZAalzX9Ep8fOAcyg-K92BwgBQ/s1600/004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKVhw-3KK0zkRtnhbmMLkuhQDkzys3VMtysHwAPbml7plX9Vxgj9PjGqxDpfsiQ_St-jGhZw1dtrW1vOYB5Ia6g2u4Lz7uwWRsbYfPKIwJlng2gqWxt3ZAalzX9Ep8fOAcyg-K92BwgBQ/s1600/004.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<div>
An other Temple in Darbar Squire.. Its made of all wood.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAnCZYBcfZPtxH9CfMX0KdYBdOG-SsDCtTwhVlFVj0jwfG3ihAj8Igz8SCfz2A0yCcqT-5zUJe7GQVTZPg_3Blr7w-jGQ7sDIVw-kK1tc1O5fpuBdYl9RHmNhszq61iXyHM_KVTEh29wc/s1600/059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAnCZYBcfZPtxH9CfMX0KdYBdOG-SsDCtTwhVlFVj0jwfG3ihAj8Igz8SCfz2A0yCcqT-5zUJe7GQVTZPg_3Blr7w-jGQ7sDIVw-kK1tc1O5fpuBdYl9RHmNhszq61iXyHM_KVTEh29wc/s1600/059.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A portion of Swayambhu Nath TempleAdd caption</td></tr>
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Most of the temples and houses in Nepal have extensive wooden carvigs. This is a door made of wood with very intricate designs. Below is upper portion of main gate of a temple<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWIJ6dxQKJoJgi1dqiwzb-F29KdxibmZRezkG9uhtv6xPY8xyY6mYcdCQg3e0Z6rQI0VxMN2sdP-0oVL9r0j8NmdpALaO1DHwLFx_FrPvNFSdoVQlGnl8oq8XfNilOhIPNnwN3p4YiYFw/s1600/010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWIJ6dxQKJoJgi1dqiwzb-F29KdxibmZRezkG9uhtv6xPY8xyY6mYcdCQg3e0Z6rQI0VxMN2sdP-0oVL9r0j8NmdpALaO1DHwLFx_FrPvNFSdoVQlGnl8oq8XfNilOhIPNnwN3p4YiYFw/s1600/010.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdZfHshNz90zKc4jVGQfcX086tulILVFPBDD7SzBE5lIZROxxLbhsDk15Yw2Atg3Mr1aIWdgd01XAQRvq7jec4s2mFeF8tZVpYMmWvh3Qkqh51S7wT_wMaxt9T0C4USDwGrC5kfA8BSNY/s1600/107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdZfHshNz90zKc4jVGQfcX086tulILVFPBDD7SzBE5lIZROxxLbhsDk15Yw2Atg3Mr1aIWdgd01XAQRvq7jec4s2mFeF8tZVpYMmWvh3Qkqh51S7wT_wMaxt9T0C4USDwGrC5kfA8BSNY/s1600/107.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AThe sun rise in Pokhara is worth seeing. The peaks ( Annapurna-III & Machchipychi turns golden with sun rays falling on them.dd caption</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdlJ3AwL1qgnYzen8ut7_lEGqUxfK4M9eWdNPg7zMncMxXuY-ouXi8iChmDbb0Genq4IrWW_PHXU9rxdlu3OJrnoHdK5ihMrPt7kCyBjJu9xVEJnuQeIf0x3Ik4EiAPEBEESvnLLabXa8/s1600/030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdlJ3AwL1qgnYzen8ut7_lEGqUxfK4M9eWdNPg7zMncMxXuY-ouXi8iChmDbb0Genq4IrWW_PHXU9rxdlu3OJrnoHdK5ihMrPt7kCyBjJu9xVEJnuQeIf0x3Ik4EiAPEBEESvnLLabXa8/s1600/030.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Momos ( both veg/not veg) is a popular food item here. Cheap, testey & readily available every where.</td></tr>
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M.G. Singhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00509972455434545568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282802298747274428.post-56272336492492775732014-08-08T11:19:00.001-07:002014-08-08T11:19:12.557-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: large;">BABAR'S SEPULCHERE IN KABUL- VISIT BY INDIRA GANDHI</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have not been a History student but after my retirement from Government service, my inquisitiveness to know more about our history forced me look for all available material on the subject .I got this opportunity when my second daughter,Dr. Rashmi Singh, after passing her graduation in history & Masters in International Relations, left for London to join LSC for her PhD in 2002. After departure of my all the three kids abroad for study/job I started taking stock of all the books littered in the house. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since all the three children were voracious readers, there were good number of books in the house needing proper storage and accountability. This provided me an opportunity to go through a large number of History books left by Rashmi.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While reading History books ,I was surprised to learn that almost all the Indian historians had called the RAJPUT period as DARK period. While enough meitrial was available on RAJPUTS, their kingdoms, valor and so on, hardly much space was provided by any historian.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There could be many reasons for it which need to be explored. The recent book of Mr. Natawar Singh, a former deplomat and a Minister in congress ruled government, does give some food for thought in this direction.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">OUT LOOK dated 11 Aug.2014, an Indian periodical, published an article titled " A Friend And A Gentleman" on Natwar Singh, by Mani Shankar Aiyar ( another diplomat & a Minister in Congress Govt.). Aiyar narreted an incident, the gist of which is as under:-</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">" In the immediate wake of Mrs Indira Gandhi becoming Prime Minister, her one early trip abroad was to Kabul, On her visit she insisted to visit .</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Babar's Tomb which Natawar Singh arranged. Babar was not an Afghan hero. Hence ,the tomb, located on a hill top, was grossly neglected. Both Indira & Natwar had to toil up the climb on foot.to reach the grave.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> She ( Mrs Gandhi) seemed overwhelmed by the occasion and stood silently before the humble sepulchre for several minutes. Then she heaved a sigh and murmured " Natwar,I've had my moment with history"..</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While there is nothing unusual for the Indian Prime Minister to visit Babar's tomb, one wonders if she had similar sentiments for the brave Rana Sangram Singh (Popularly known as Rana Sanga) of Mewar who bravely fought Babar. And if she ever took time to visit the SAMADHI of Rana Sanga at Chittorgarh?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The answer to many questions as to why our historians refer to Rajput history as Dark period, lies in such neglects by our own leaders.</span></div>
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M.G. Singhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00509972455434545568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282802298747274428.post-84212138372064576302014-08-08T06:11:00.001-07:002014-08-08T06:23:33.961-07:00Nepal visit by NAMO INDO-NEPAL RELATIONS: VISIT OF NAMO
Indian Prime minister Shri Narendra Modi ( I prefer to call him NAMO as its more catchy & gives a sense of personal touch) visited Kathmandu on 3-4 August 2014. It has been a historical event in context of Indo-Nepal relations. Media & experts in both countries gave an extensive coverage to this visit giving all the positive side of it.
What, however, was missed by most, was why it took an Indian PM so long to visit this strategically important neighbor? The last visit was 17 years back by IK Gujral who himself had a sort stint as PM.
Nepal always had a fascination for me since 60s.While in Army and later in Special Frontier Force, when I was handling a special operation in Arunachal Pradesh, travel from Delhi to the rail head- Tinsukhia or Dibrugarh in Assam was in it self a mission, These two stations were the take off point for Siang, Lohit and Tirap districts of Arunachal Pradesh.
In those days there was only one train ie. Assam Mail running between Delhi to Tinsukhia/Dibrugarh involving almost 3 days. The Broad gauge was only up to Barauni Jn & beyond it was meter gauge. The train between Barauni to Tinsukhia used to run under the command of the Army with the Senior most officer travelling acted as the Train –in-charge.
The stations between Barauni till final destination had special attraction of foreign goods smuggled from Nepal. The wanders on stations, carrying imported items like Chinese fountain pens, cut pieces of trouser and shirt cloth etc. would sell their goods to travelers and even take advance orders for any particular item for next trips.
During the visit of our daughter and son-in-law in December,2013, we suddenly decided to go on vacation to some new place and Kathmandu propped up as the best option.
Our stay in Kathmandu was more than rewarding. We enjoyed every bit of our stay and found people very friendly, hospitable and helpful. We also happened to come across few retired soldiers of Gorkha Rifles Regiments of Indian Army who were too respectful and eager to help. We also spent few days at Pokhara- another fascinating town of Nepal.
Why UPA Government at Delhi did not give required importance to Indo-Nepal on its part. can only be called a misplaced diplomatic priority, which NAMO has tried to bring back on line. Nepal is not only a buffer state between India and Tibet (now China) but have many things in common. Since majority population in both countries are Hindus, our historical,religious and cultural sentiments are entwined very deep. Besides,a large number of Nepali nationals are working in India with sizable number in Defense forces. Nepal has huge natural assets as most of the rivers flowing in Nepal from China finally feed our rivers as well. I have already given an account of it in my previous blog on “our most revered river- GANGA.”.
On the whole, a master stroke by NAMO. I only hope all the decisions taken during his visit to Nepal are implemented on ground as well and soon.
By the way some tips for those who plan to visit Kathmandu in near future-
a. Fly from Delhi to Kathmandu on a clear day and try to get window seat on the
left side of the air craft. This will give you lovely view of the Himalaya and its many snow clad peaks. On return flight, sit on right side.
b. Try stay in Thamel which is central place of Kathmandu town with all the activities through out day & night
c. Must try Nepali local beer. Popular brands are “ GORKHA” & “EVEREST”
d. If interested in genuine Khukhari, purchase it from the authorized Nepal Khukhari shop in Thamel run by a retired Colonel of Nepal Army.
e. If travelling in winter & wish to purchase jackets, coat parkas, wind cheaters etc, better get in Kathmandu. There are shops dealing genuine mountaineering equipments including American North Face brands
Lastly, do get a travel guide book on Nepal & browse on inter-net various sites like trip advisor etc for more details.
M.G. Singhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00509972455434545568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282802298747274428.post-26038365935290753272014-05-15T08:51:00.001-07:002014-08-07T05:58:30.665-07:00Showing Red apple to people by Congress<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Election for the 16th LS is over & results will be announced tomorrow ie 16th May 2014.<br />
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What so ever may be the out come of this election. But it is clear that congress led government had been so far successful in fooling poor people of India. Two points which clearly emerge in this respect are crystal clear -<br />
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(a) Announcing projects for welfare of poor people but not really following them in real sense has been the trick number one. Take the case of Rural employment scheme, Right to education, Right to food program etc. While lots on propaganda continue to be generated about these schemes, the reality on ground are disemal.<br />
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(b) Its policy of divide & rule has been the master stroke which it has followed since independence. While it has neglected the majority community, it has tried to appease the minority Thus intentionally creating a rift between communities. Prime minister Manmohan Singh's remark that " minority has first right on the natural resources of India" has been most damaging. similarly its policy of taxing income of temples while exempting others has also been disappointing. Poor people do wonder why Muslims are given subsidy for Huj why no such benefit given to poor Hindus? There are many more anomalies which devide the society.<br />
BJP's manifesto to have a common Civil Code is a corrective major in respect. <br />
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Hopefully if modi becomes PM and BJP get enough majority, India will change for better & country will get more cohesive & united.</div>
M.G. Singhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00509972455434545568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282802298747274428.post-24320573945665389782014-05-13T07:19:00.000-07:002014-05-13T07:19:28.741-07:00Election for 16th Parliament in India<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
General Election in India for the 16th Lok Sabha has finally come to an end on 12 May 2014. The result will come out on 16th when the fate of candidates & there parties will be known to the Nation.<br />
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This time election was with a difference. Desire of the voters was obviously to get rid of the Congress lead UPA Government. The emergence of Mr Narendra Modi- the 3 time Chief Minister of Gujrat State was the <strong>1st master stroke</strong> of the BJP President Raj Nath Singh. This was in spite of strong resistance of the old guards in the party like Advani, MM Joshi, Sushma Awaraj and others.<br />
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The<strong> 2nd master stroke</strong> of Raj Nath Singh was to get Modi contest from Varanasi. Being from East Uttar Pradesh him self, he is fully conscious of the backwardness of this region. In fact, the region also called as Poorvanchal, has been neglected by the Central govt since India's independence in 1947. The reason for this utter neglect by Congress (which mostly ruled India since 1947), has been the militant nature of people of this area. During independence movement, it was this region which followed Subhash Chandra Bose style of liberation struggle. Remember 1857, the Ist war of independence ( sadly many intellectuals call it mutiny) and the soldier who ignited the rebalion? He was Mangal Pandey from District Balia. Poorvanchal has also been the area of operation of Thakur Kuwar Singh of District Aara,who, with a small army had fought British forces following the guerrilla tactics. till his death.<br />
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People of Poorvanchal, who till date, have been deprived of development, now see a ray of hope in Modi.<br />
Let us hope BJP comes with thumping majority to anable his new Government to carry out desired development of Porvanchal & fulfill the ambitions of poor people of this area.<br />
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M.G. Singhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00509972455434545568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282802298747274428.post-65470179899881473302014-01-09T00:51:00.000-08:002014-01-09T00:53:21.248-08:00j&k -the true story<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
J&K- THE TRUE STORY:<br />
For the benefit of our young friends, here is a brief account of the J&K problem between India & Pakistan. It would be seen from the facts that Pakistan, have been, by presenting distorted historical account, formenting insurgency and terrorism and forcefully occupying area called POK (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir),tried to change the demography of the valley. While in POK, it has brought in people from Punjab & permanently settled them, it has been trying to get rid of the Hindu population. With the result a large number of Kashmiri Pundits have been forced to vacate the valley & live like refugees in other parts of India.<br />
Since the present demography has become in its favour in the valley, it keeps on harping on having plaebisite.<br />
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From the brief description, it is also emply clear why no referendom on any issue can take place in the Valley<br />
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M.G. Singhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00509972455434545568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282802298747274428.post-9122001505940242832013-06-12T09:18:00.000-07:002013-06-13T10:14:15.425-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><strong><u>NEGLECT OF OUR REVERED RIVERS<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></u></strong></span></div>
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(A thought ignited on the eve of World Water Day, we talk & celebrate every year, But is that enough?)</u></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Recently, while cleaning my book shelves, I came across an old
cassette containing songs of the Bollywood film “JIS DESH MAIN GANGA BEHATI HAI”.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As it was a film I had seen during my
college days, I sat down to listen to the cassette. The old memories immediately
returned, and with them came a flashback of the golden days of hostel life. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The time was 1955 to 1961 and the place was Allahabad. My
college was located on the banks of Yamuna river. The confluence of the three
great rivers, Ganga, Yamuna and the mythological hidden Sarswati, known as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">sangam</i>, was <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>just half a nautical mile from our location.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The college had a dozen of its own cutter
boats which were a big hit with all the hostellers, particularly those with an
interest in rowing and swimming. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Spending
few hours of the day at or in the river was the usual routine of most of the
students living in the hostels then. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Could we drink the river water directly without any hesitation?
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was a question that never even occurred
to anyone in those days. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both the rivers
were not only revered as sacred but their water was unquestionably clean, hygienic
and perfectly fit for human consumption.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But that was then! In 2012, I happened to pay a short visit to
Allahabad, after a period of over 50 years. The beautiful memories of the past
were so strong that on reaching Allahabad, I could not resist an urge to go and
visit my college and its beautiful river front with the hope of seeing the
boats lined up along the banks, carrying the college insignia and furling
colorful flags. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But where were the river
and the boats? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sadly they were all gone. The river which had almost touched
the parapet of the college premises had now drifted two or three hundred meters
away. It was no more the magnificent, over a mile wide, river that I had left
in the 1950s, but rather looked like an ordinary stream. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The college boats, I was told, were sold off too
as few students were interested in water sports due to the polluted waters. The
worst thing one noticed was the heaps of garbage littered all over the river
banks.</span></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I had left Allahabad in early 1961, and after completion of
the initial training, was commissioned<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>in the Indian Army in mid June 1963. As luck would have it, my first
posting was in an elite Mountain Artillery regiment which at that time was
stationed at one of the cantonments in Uttar Pradesh. The regiment had just returned
after taking part in the Indo-China war of 1962 and was in the process of
recouping & re-organizing. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This period
of calm did not last long and its batteries were ordered to urgently move to
forward areas on the Indo-Tibet border. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
battery, in which I was posted, was assigned to move to a forward location in
the Garhwal region. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(An artillery
regiment consists of four batteries, each equipped with four mountain guns). Since
this was for the first time that the army was being inducted in the area, every
operational and logistic detail had to be worked out from scratch. We prepared
ourselves accordingly, and a special train was requisitioned to bring the battery
comprising of over 200 men, 100 or so horses and mules, guns, and other arms
and equipment to the railhead at the foothill of the Himalayas. That railhead was
Rishikesh, at the time a small religious town full of big and small temples
that were lined up along the mighty river Ganga. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thus my association with Ganga was again
revived.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We moved from
Rishikesh to our destination on foot, following the track which ran along the
river and reached our post in twelve days, covering a distance of about 150
kilometers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The movement of the battery was
difficult and strenuous, as at many places the track had either been washed
away due to landslides or was too narrow to negotiate with the horses and mules
carrying full loads. During the journey we also had to take into account many
other factors such suitable camping sites en route, transport of food &
fodder for the men and animals, security considerations, communication and so
on. Yet at no stage was the requirement of water ever considered. The reason
was simple. The fast flowing rivers, streams and waterfalls along the route provided
ample guarantee of clean and potable water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Unfortunately, can anyone afford to neglect the requirement for water to
day if undertaking a similar military move? The answer simply is no!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Incidentally, that trip was also when I learned that the
river Ganga is only<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>named as such from Dev
Prayag about 40 kilometers upstream from Rishikesh where the rivers Bhagirathi
and Alaknanda meet. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My long stay in the
region also gave me the opportunity to explore almost the entire Indo-Tibet
border and its numerous passes leading into Tibet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most interesting aspect of these explorations
was the realization of the love and respect the local people have for the river
Ganga. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is one reason why so many
tributaries are named after the Ganga, including Dhauli ganga, Dharma ganga, Gauri
ganga, Hanuman ganga, Rishiganga, Akash ganga, Patal ganga, Garud ganga, Birahi
ganga and Ramganga.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The two incidents narrated above were to elucidate the
condition of our most revered rivers, the way they were fifty years ago, and
their terrible condition today. No doubt that India has made tremendous progress
in various fields in the past four or five decades. But it has also maintained
a blind eye towards the preservation of the most vital element that is required
for the very survival of all living being on this earth: water!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">All along the Ganga and its tributaries, where earlier
stainless steel, brass or copper containers to carry holy water were sold to pilgrims,
one only finds rows and rows of plastic water bottles of various brands. After
all, most of the river water is now not safe to drink.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to some experts, over 19,659 tons
of garbage and other harmful chemical wastes are dumped every year in the Ganga
alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Uttar Pradesh alone accounts for
55.4% for this dumping, while West Bengal shares 18.8%, thus achieving the first
& second positions in this contest for self-destruction.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Worse still, our blind religious faith also contributes
significantly to polluting the Ganga. For instance, in Varanasi alone, over
32,000 bodies are cremated at the Ganga’s two cremation ghats every year and
use 16,000 tons of wood. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we take into
consideration the number of such cremations in other cities and towns along the
river, the amount of wood used and pollution of air and water is astounding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why can’t the government and the society work
towards banning such damage to the environment and instead ask people to perform
such rituals at electric crematoria instead?</span></div>
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The scenario looks even bleaker when we view this issue in
terms of international relations and its complications, particularly viz-a viz
our neighboring countries. For instance, it is a well know fact that most of
the rivers in northern India originate from the Tibetan plateau.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can there be any guarantee that China will
not divert the course of some or all of these rivers to quench the thirst of
its own parched northern areas? This should be of particularly serious concern
as China has already built a number of dams on rivers flowing into India, including
the Brahmputra, the Sutlej and the main Indus streams. Can we imagine the consequences
if some of the Ganga’s tributaries that originate in Tibet and pass through Nepal
to eventually join the main river are diverted by China to meet its own need? </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We know that the holy river Ganga desperately needs fresh
water from its tributaries, and rivers from Nepal alone account for 46 per cent
of its flow. Their contribution grows to 71 per cent during the lean season.
This is an issue that our foreign policy must address urgently and forcefully,
particularly when our past experiences on treaties with China have not been
encouraging. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Moreover, Asia is a comparatively dry continent, with less
than one-tenth of the fresh waters of South America, less than one fourth of
North America, one third of Europe and even a little less than Africa. Despite
this, Asia is also the world’s largest and most populous continent, with India
and China holding the bulk of the human populations. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In many ways, both countries are already drawing on
tomorrow’s water to meet today’s needs and at this rate, that day is not far
when India at least will be forced to import water from abroad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This has major consequences for our dreams of
becoming a strong, developed nation, as we cannot move forward while we lack
the most vital of resources. Not surprisingly, and as many experts predict,
there is a good chance that </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">the next war will be fought
over the issue of water!</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In conclusion, one must emphasize that India’s prime concern
today should be to conserve its water resources instead of planning manned missions
to the moon. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 8;"> </span>By
MG Singh</span></div>
</div>
M.G. Singhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00509972455434545568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282802298747274428.post-49907095992529477252012-09-15T10:54:00.001-07:002012-09-15T10:54:17.624-07:00Tempering with Freedom of Expression<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> <span lang="EN-GB"> Tempering with Freedom of Expression</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt;">I am sure by now,
people all over India and also abroad, must have come to know about a young man named Aseem Trivedi who has
recently been arrested by the Mumbai police on the charge of SEDITION.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Aseem is a
young man of 24 and an activist of “India Against Corruption” a voluntary organisation which is fighting peacefully under the able leadership of Anna Hazare to
get Ombudsman bill introduced in the country. The bill , is pending with the
Government since last over 40 years and no political party in the country seems
to be interested in bring it. The result is obvious – a rampant corruption at
every level in the country.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Coming back to
Aseem, as a cartoonist, he had drawn a
cartoon in which he had shown Indian Parliament building as a toilet and the
three lions head as those of jackals. This was primarily the frustration of the
cartoonist against the corrupt Ministers, Members of Parliament and other politicians who had been systematically
looting the country’s wealth since its independence 65 years ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt;">There is no doubt
that the cartoon drawn was in bad taste but it can not construed sedition. Because the intension of
the cartoonist was not to insult the Parliament or the national emblem, but his disgust towards those
occupying the Parliament & degrading it by their acts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt;"> There have been and even today, instances where national flags &emblem
have been carelessly handled by many of the Govt. functionaries. On many
occasions national flags have been hoisted up side down- with green colour on
top instead of the saffron. But those
senior functionaries were never punished. Because there was no intention as such to disrespect
the flag .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt;">A case of
disrespect to the national flag was recently reported by a leading news paper. The
case is of 9<sup>th</sup> September 2012 at a place known as Kashipur in
Uttarakhand on the eve of Pt. Govind
Ballabh Pant Jayanti . The Chief Minister of the Uttarakhand was the chief
guest. The function was over but no one bothered to take the flag down. It
remained hoisted till late evening.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt;">In another
incident, a torn national flag was noticed furling at the Collectorate building at Rudrapur (Uttarakhand) on 14 Sept. 12 by a journalist.
The flag was torn and discoloured as it was there, day & night since long. Again, no Govt. functionary ever bothered to
see that as per norms laid down, the flag was supposed to be hoisted in the
morning & removed respectfully before the last light every day. Should the people responsible for these lapses, be
charged with SEDITION ?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Some time back, on
one of the TV channel, we saw some
Ministers and MPs being interviewed .They were asked if they knew the country’s National Anthem ? It was surprising to see many of the
so called leaders, not able to recite the National Anthem. Should not such
leaders be taken to task & asked to learn the Anthem? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Why Aseem is being
put behind the bar, when the Indian national flag has been burnt openly<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt;">in Sri Nagar &
other parts of the country by the separatists
time and again. The reason is obvious.
Aseem is actively involved with the India Against corruption Movement
which the present Government is not able to tolerate .<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
M.G. Singhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00509972455434545568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282802298747274428.post-7374655403478211722012-01-22T10:29:00.000-08:002012-01-22T10:29:04.195-08:00Delhi-100years<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">HindustanTimes</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Dated 22 January 2012</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBIoT3BlvoSHIvVe5Uou7lqBgpZBPE0mZnfIgUKpzrAQNV9kzuPg3a3sAd5HvYItu9MxotgsuYNHuslVAWx_rSQ-oFwVY74-xScUNPTbOdM9Npt-KZYWVCZ4mhdxph2xwdCBZc2XntNbM/s1600/Delhi100yrs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBIoT3BlvoSHIvVe5Uou7lqBgpZBPE0mZnfIgUKpzrAQNV9kzuPg3a3sAd5HvYItu9MxotgsuYNHuslVAWx_rSQ-oFwVY74-xScUNPTbOdM9Npt-KZYWVCZ4mhdxph2xwdCBZc2XntNbM/s320/Delhi100yrs.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
The above advertisement which appeared in the HT today, is about a special program on Delhi completing 100 years as Capital, to be shown on LOK SABHA Television on 26th of January on the eve of India's Republic Day. Interestingly the ad carries a picture of a person on its right top corner.This can not be of Manmohan Singh, our present Prime Minister. Or King George-Vth who had visited India 100 years ago and announced shifting of the capital from Calcutta (Now Kolkota) to New Delhi. Obviously this depicts picture of some Mughal King .<br />
Was there no Delhi before Mughals invaded India ? Or this is just another cheap, subtle election gimmick of the Congress led Govt. to vow the Muslim community during the coming state elections ?<br />
Any guess? </div>M.G. Singhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00509972455434545568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282802298747274428.post-27716491846996992852012-01-21T07:27:00.000-08:002012-01-21T07:27:51.659-08:00election promises...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Election in Indian states:<br />
<br />
Five states in India are heading for an election and one finds almost all the political parties promising nothing less than a moon to the public. Some are promising laptop to students,.Cycle to school going girls. Some claiming to bring fountain of development all over the concerned state etc. etc.<br />
The icing on the cake is the Congress, the oldest political party in the country. Their one leader, who is holding the post of Law Minister, has gone on to announce 9% reservation for the Muslims in the country in jobs etc.<br />
One expect a law minister to know the country's constitution better. From where he will get that 9% quota?<br />
So please stop showing red apple.<br />
The fact of the matter is that the congress has lost all its credibility when it manipulated to ensure that no law against corruption in the country was introduced. The Jan Lokpal (Ombudsman) Bill was intentionally shelved to ensure that people who have amassed black money & looted country's wealth, should not be caught and punished.<br />
Talking about the quota for Muslims, can the Congress explain what they did for their betterment in the last 60 years? Besides, what have the leaders of the community done so far to ensure Muslim boys and girls get better education and job like others instead of forcing them to attend Madrasas? So please stop this gimmick and 7 don't fool the community any more. Gandhi ji was right when he had suggested disbandment of Congress party immediately after independence of India. </div>M.G. Singhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00509972455434545568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282802298747274428.post-60025240584094278802011-12-06T07:31:00.000-08:002011-12-06T07:31:56.832-08:00FDI (Direct Foreign Investment) - another invitation to East India Company?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><b><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 14.0pt;">FDI -good or bad for India ?<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">The Indian Parliament is presently facing a unique crisis. The reason is introduction of FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) in retail sector which Govt. is adamant to enforce while opposition & other political parties are opposing tooth & nail. Both sides have their points of view to justify their arguments. Government says this will allow multi-national companies like Wall-Mart etc. to operate in India which will bring in foreign investment & in turn result in development of infra-structure. Besides this will help Indian farmers since these companies would directly purchase produce from them at better price thus cutting down the middle man etc.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">I am not an economist. I can barely plan my personal economics efficiently. But I do believe the basic fact of life where bigger fish eat away the smaller fish, rich dominate the poor, stronger bully the weaker and so on. This also reminds me of an incident which confirm my view.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">The place was Namibia (earlier known as South West Africa), and the year was 1991. The country was newly librated from South Africa and was keen to stand on its feet in every respect. I was posted in the Indian Embassy, Windhoek at the specific request of SWAPO for some project. This is what I witnessed about big fish eating smaller fish.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">Prior to achieving independence, the cotton produced in Namibian farmers, was purchased by SA (South Africa) mills. But now Namibia wanted to have its own ginning mill. An Indian industrialist promptly reached Windhoek. Negotiations were held with the local Govt and it was decided that all the cotton produced it Namibia will in future, be sold to this Ginning mill only and no more to SA.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">The mill got commissioned soon and the trouble also started along with it. The bigger fish could not tolerate smaller fish getting in to its territory. So the SA mills which earlier used to purchase raw cotton at the rate of Rand 10/- per bail, raised their purchase price to Rand 15/- and subsequently to Rand 20/-. Obviously the farmers were too happy to get such a jump in price which they had never thought of and thus continued selling their cotton to SA only. The local Ginning mill set up by the Indian could not effort to purchase raw cotton at such a high price & compete with the giant SA mills. After 3 years of unsuccessful competition, the mill closed down & poor Indian industrialist quit & returned to India.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt;">After 3-4 years, finding no more competition, the SA mills returned to their original rate of purchase of the raw cotton, leaving no choice with the farmers but to sell their product at what so ever rate SA mills fixed.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Any lesson learnt ? Yes. The multi national companies if allowed to come in India in retail sector, will be here to earn profit and not for welfare of India and its farmers. We should manage our own affairs ourselves. Only thing needed is a clean Govt, strong desire to do & less foreign oriented economists at the helm of the affairs. <o:p></o:p></span></div></div>M.G. Singhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00509972455434545568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282802298747274428.post-3900955598255455472011-10-06T10:07:00.001-07:002014-08-07T05:58:30.669-07:00Taxila<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div>M.G. Singhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00509972455434545568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282802298747274428.post-14907497656857728522011-10-05T04:34:00.000-07:002011-10-05T04:34:00.655-07:00Taxila Contd....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcX6jDUgsUeKOTZE2v5LUNagZNLa8b4Sjf4VtQnejQD1nr52YUVBgVlN1_FFF1JGzCXT_XJ6wfndsg9E-bbGHWt9ILdj8skkh3uUyMtmSOZygReBTaM2K5hwDxWkC4eORDAJO5HRItPX0/s1600/Dharmarajika+1%262.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215px" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcX6jDUgsUeKOTZE2v5LUNagZNLa8b4Sjf4VtQnejQD1nr52YUVBgVlN1_FFF1JGzCXT_XJ6wfndsg9E-bbGHWt9ILdj8skkh3uUyMtmSOZygReBTaM2K5hwDxWkC4eORDAJO5HRItPX0/s400/Dharmarajika+1%25262.jpg" width="400px" /></a></div>This is another picture of Taxila showing remains of the old construction & the general area.</div>M.G. Singhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00509972455434545568noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282802298747274428.post-43911893718366919232011-10-04T19:25:00.000-07:002011-10-04T19:25:40.922-07:00Taxila Continued.....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">The remains of a stone wall at the Taxila University site. The stones have been laid in such a way that it ensures soundness and durability of the wall as well as its appearance. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt90DcaUWalxbPwArSeIBu31u04sGWM2LBlEjWIJr1P1ji6zAe72aYODw6PHRKr0uzO90uj2Fr44Q3c1-7GlvN6mRajmE9kkbxa_6XeiEGaVHH-7wgwF-Eq_O1ueJGb_4L2fcrKhVOYEc/s1600/Taxila,Dharmrajika+003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216px" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt90DcaUWalxbPwArSeIBu31u04sGWM2LBlEjWIJr1P1ji6zAe72aYODw6PHRKr0uzO90uj2Fr44Q3c1-7GlvN6mRajmE9kkbxa_6XeiEGaVHH-7wgwF-Eq_O1ueJGb_4L2fcrKhVOYEc/s320/Taxila%252CDharmrajika+003.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
Photograph below is of a small Musium at Taxila<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6MnVwywGDwsRyWpM85aJ8GiRb9yVy-_HrNRgnzrnK1L1y7A4m7GOnMPvhRCBj1fPyUTWlaaNNzHO5evnz1g3rvsGYu_P3M7fLKB_w9bEX3yoF5AUsJufNisd8REpxMKUdqVBiWQkMnX0/s1600/Taxila,Dharmrajika+004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6MnVwywGDwsRyWpM85aJ8GiRb9yVy-_HrNRgnzrnK1L1y7A4m7GOnMPvhRCBj1fPyUTWlaaNNzHO5evnz1g3rvsGYu_P3M7fLKB_w9bEX3yoF5AUsJufNisd8REpxMKUdqVBiWQkMnX0/s320/Taxila%252CDharmrajika+004.jpg" width="254px" /></a></div></div>M.G. Singhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00509972455434545568noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282802298747274428.post-57155177403587571972011-10-04T19:14:00.000-07:002011-10-04T19:14:02.330-07:00TAXILA DURING MAURYAN EMPIRE IN BC<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #0070c0; font-size: 14pt;">Taxila</span></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt;">Some time back I had mentioned about Taxila in one of my blogs briefly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a small town<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>located in Pakistan and <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>falls between<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rawalpindi & Peshawar on Grand trunk Road. Although not of much significance in the present day, Taxila was one of the most important places in the ancient time <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>during the <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mauryan <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>empire from 324 BC to 187 BC . It is said that in<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>those days, Nalanda in the east and Taxila in the West were the two<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>world famous universities in India.</span></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWJFYf2m3Su5SZcQVh6_jdWMvMGwwxLbAIib6j3pipOsVvlJoa2YJZDVIpKvfqLQksPqV02a44R0yWTiafsCo767Qtu4cCnI4UfWyTfmPy-XPvqGAlJ55P7eTVOmV-D6F3d30LP8ZZLyY/s1600/Taxila,Dharmrajika+002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221px" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWJFYf2m3Su5SZcQVh6_jdWMvMGwwxLbAIib6j3pipOsVvlJoa2YJZDVIpKvfqLQksPqV02a44R0yWTiafsCo767Qtu4cCnI4UfWyTfmPy-XPvqGAlJ55P7eTVOmV-D6F3d30LP8ZZLyY/s320/Taxila%252CDharmrajika+002.jpg" width="320px" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSGFk0lIzb0PaicWCOB5MVM0tP0TnuuIJX-9Q6vCDgancBqv5QONd_Q4zqpI0Q8Xj5lbFzvrXNLhxsD0AT3wXwpGqIZm9z_2-Vd5zFuY02kXDdxOMYzNx5PfsvbtD7K9KHw45POBwtzRM/s1600/Taxila,Dharmrajika.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320px" kca="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSGFk0lIzb0PaicWCOB5MVM0tP0TnuuIJX-9Q6vCDgancBqv5QONd_Q4zqpI0Q8Xj5lbFzvrXNLhxsD0AT3wXwpGqIZm9z_2-Vd5zFuY02kXDdxOMYzNx5PfsvbtD7K9KHw45POBwtzRM/s320/Taxila%252CDharmrajika.jpg" width="254px" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt;">The<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>remains of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>some of the monuments at Taxila reflects even today, the excellence of quality of work in<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>stone cutting <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>which was available during that period. According to various<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>leading historians, a wide range of metals was also well known and special characteristics as regards the mining and manufacture of these metals <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>have been recorded. The knowledge extended both to utilitarian metals such as iron, copper and lead and to precious<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>metals such as gold and silver. The remains of copper bolt antimony rods and nail-parers from Hastinapur and other copper and bronze objects including coins have been found from the Mauryan strata at Bhir Mound in Taxila and other places.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size: 14pt;">While I was posted at Islamabad, I had the opportunity to visit<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Taxila on number of occasions. It was , however, disheartening<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to notice that <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>not much care was given by the local Government to preserve these<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>old monuments. Even the local official guide hardly possessed any knowledge about the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mauryan (Hindu) kings viz. Chandragupa, Maurya, his son Bindusara or <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>his grand son Ashoka the Great <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and others. </span></div><br />
</div>M.G. Singhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00509972455434545568noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2282802298747274428.post-90857554054902559092011-09-07T10:26:00.000-07:002011-09-18T08:38:47.090-07:00Becoming MUFFT<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">This is one more hilarious episode of the army days which I must share with you..(But to really understand the comic situation, some knowledge of Hindi or Urdu language is necessary.)<br />
The year was 1966 and our Mountain Battery was deployed at a forward location. There was also an Infantry Battalion ( I think it was 7th Komaon Bn) deployed close by.We often used to visit each others units and officers mess for some "gup-shup".<br />
On 15th August 1966, on the eve of the Independence Day of India, we carried out the flag hoisting at our Battery location and as decided earlier proceeded to the Infantry Battalion for further celebration & lunch .<br />
While approaching the battalion, we noticed that after the flag hoisting the Commanding Officer of the Battalion was addressing the troops. We heard him telling the men that "on this day our country got independence and we all became free". Since his speech was in Hindi, and he could not find appropriate word for "free"in Hindi, he announced loudly that "<b>Aaj ke din hamara desh azaad ho gaya aur hum sab mufft ho gaye"</b><br />
We all laughed including the troops, because "mufft" in Hindi/Urdu means free of cost.<br />
Considering today's scenario, I think he was not much off the mark The army today is MUFFT as besides its main task of protecting the borders, it is called to perform all kinds of other duties too. Be it constructing bridge at Common Wealth Games, saving kids from bore holes or taking care of internal security including law & order problems. </div>M.G. Singhhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00509972455434545568noreply@blogger.com0