Another Sunday - A short essay

Ysterday was Sunday. We had a breakfast party at Satti Halwai's shop. It was to celebrate the finishing of the September exams of the tenth class students. My younger son is one among them.

In Jagraon there are shops which are famous for one particular dish. Ashoki is famous for Samosas. He has made a fortune by selling them. He is considered to be among the richest persons of the town. Similarly Satti Halwaii is famous for his Poories made on Sunday mornings. He provides three types of curry dishes along with them. One is Cholle. Another is Palak Kofta and the third one is potato curry. Besides there is Chuttney as well. The curries are spiced to an extreme degree. In one plate there are three poories. One can get the curries second time without any extra payment. Also if extra Poories are taken there would be curries along with them. One plate costs Rs 40. Several families of the town do not prepare breakfast on Sundays. They carry the Poories of Satti to their house. Some do not have lunch after that. They only eat dinner along with some curry that is saved during the morning. So they only prepare chapatties at night. I had asked my students to eat as much as they wanted. Since the curries are too spicy one can hardly eat more than five Poories.

I had wanted to go there with a hungry stomach. But my stomach was quite full when I reached at the old Dana Mandi restaurant of Satti at 9 AM. I get up at 4 AM. It is difficult for me to remain hungry till 9 AM. At 6 AM, I had eaten three loaves of bread with Desi ghee and lemon tea. At 7.30 AM my wife cooked Dhoklas for the breakfast. I had a sufficient quantity of that also. As a result I was hardly having any appetite when I reached Satti's shop.  Nevertheless the smell aroused the hunger once again. I ate four Poories. Before the party started two of my students paid their tuition fees to me.

Then the students came to my house. We had tea at my place. The boys played video games along with my son who is their classmate. After that there was a Chess tournament in which I lost in the first round itself.

We had a plan to do a video recording of the students doing Bhangra but it was cancelled. Who can perform Bhangra with Poories in the stomach? The boys left our place at noon.

The lunch that I had yesterday was frugal due to the heavy breakfast of Poories. After that I slept till 4 pm.

At around 5 pm, we ate a South Indian dish called Poha. During that time I got a call from some sales girl of Meritnation. These people call once in a few months to ask if we have any problem using their website. We are their customers for the last two years. I suggested her that their website lacked interaction with the students. They need to have some forum at the social media where the students can have discussions with each other and the teacher.

In the evening we had a brain storming session regarding the tablet that we should buy through flipkart. My elder son who is pursuing MBBS at Bhatinda also gave valuable suggestions on phone. Finally we decided to place an order for the 10 inch Tablet of HP. Before ordering we did a short prayer. We usually do that way while purchasing valuable items.

When it was dark all of us  recited the name of God for ten minutes. We were four. Myself, my wife, our younger son and the daughter of my wife's younger sister. She often stays with us as she is doing BSc from the Science college Jagraon. She is in the third year now. She goes back to her village whenever there are holidays and vacations. We sat together for reciting the name of God We usually have this prayer session every Sunday. Although it is only for ten minutes, it provides an environment of tranquillity to the house.

After that I realised that banks would remain closed for a couple of days due to festivals and the September closing. To keep the purse loaded with some cash l went to the ATM along with my younger son on Activa scooter. Small towns have very poor street lights. At most places there aren't any at all. Usually we do not venture out after dark. We went only to fetch some money lest there should be shortage for the house hold expenses. Since we had stepped out of the house we also went to the Easy Day Mall to buy some kitchen provisions. We had been buying Shakti Bhog Atta for some time as there was an offer of half a Kg Basmati rice on the purchase of a 10 Kg packet. The scheme was probably over. So we bought another brand. Easyday has recently installed a wireless machine to swipe the card. It is very convenient now. Earlier the wired one was quite messy.

We came back and had our dinner. We went to sleep at around 8 pm. Thus passed another Sunday of my life.

41 years in India - A book review

Any story which is based on true experiences become interesting. On the top of it if the narration is more than a century old it develops a unique taste. It took me nearly two months to read the book '41 years in India' by Earl Frederick Sleigh Roberts. In appreciation of the book I would say that for two months there was no problem passing the free time in a useful way.

Roberts was one of the most successful military commanders of his times. His narration of India seem most candid and interesting. The flow language and the story as a whole is excellent. The details are mentioned with great accuracy. One is flooded with the knowledge of the British Raj after reading this book.

The ebook can be downloaded from the following link
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/16528

The recommended format is epub and the recommended application for reading on the android devices is 'Flyte ebooks'.

The story of my Life by Helen Keller - a book review

It is hard to imagine life of a person who is both deaf and blind. It would be something like groping in total darkness akin to being in a deep, dark well with deadly silence. If God wishes even such a person would have her soul out of that dreadful well. Not only that her soul would fly and feel the beauties of meadows and the sky and even beyond that. 'The story of my life' by Helen Keller is part of the syllabus of class tenth where my younger son is studying. I read the story to explain it to him and his friends but now I am finding it difficult to express it in words.

Helen was born in 1880. She lost her hearing and sight due to some fever when she was merely nineteen months old.

With the aid of her teachers and the books written in Braille, her soul got enlightened as much or even more than those who can hear and see. She with her limited faculties experienced and lived her life to the full. She was the first person of her kind to be a graduate. According to her acquiring education without feeling  is like being deaf to the harmonies of nature. The richness of her vocabulary, expression and thoughts is amazing and most likely to dwarf the able bodied reader in his own eyes.

What one may not see with his eyes and hear with his ears she could feel with her hands. At times smell alone guided her ways. Despite her deprivations she had read a vast number of books and imbibed their essence into her soul.

Her enriched soul is such an inspiration that we should never at any time get depressed and discontentful in our life.

The immortal kids of the literary world.

A boy having long hair puts a strange question to his mother, "Why am I so dark cloured mother?"
To tell the boy that it was due to his grazing the cows in the sunshine could have been counter productive. So the mother says, "Not at all. You are so very normal."
" But mother, why the girl who lives around the corner of the street is fair like a fairy while I am almost black?", asks the boy unappeased by her reply.
"When you were very small you had a black thread around your waist for your clothing. Nowadays you keep a black blanket  over your shoulders. Possibly these things have rendered a hue of darkness to you. Or may be it is because you were born on a pitch dark night. But there is no need to take the complexion so seriously as is not at all black but merely a shade or two darker than others."
When the boy was still not satisfied the mother says, "Now whether you believe it or not the damsel you are talking about is, no doubt, fair but she has got dark black eyes upon which she applies black Kajjra powder. And from those black eyes she has casted a black spell upon you turning you black." With this reply she leaves the matter fully settled.

Above is the theme of a popular bhajan from the Bollywood movie 'Satyam Shivam Sundaram'.
Now let us talk about Hamid, a child character created by Prem Chand.
Hamid is an orphan. He visits the Id fare with just three paise given by his grandmother. This boy is far too mature for his tender age just as most other orphans tend to become. He sees no fun in joyrides. He cannot afford them is a different matter though. Neither is he taken in by toys made up of sugar crystals. A toy soldier, a barrister with black coat and a Bishti (the water deliverer) also fail to impress him. He considers such stuff a sheer wastage of hard earned money although a corner of his heart desperately wants to own them. By any means he cannot strike a deal as they are much beyond his budget. Finally through hard negotiation he purchases a pair of tongs. The boys try to downgrade his prized item while on their way back home. But our hero has a smart salesman within him. He throws his tong on the ground and challenges others to put their toys to such a test. The tide changes and all the little ones get attracted to the pair of tongs. "It is a multipurpose thing friends. If attacked by a baddie it can act as a weapon. No doubt one can play also with it by making the two ends strike with each other. In this way a music can be created." The other children start fancing his merchandise. They requested him to exchange their toys with his tongs for a little while. Hamid agrees to their proposal and gets the pleasure of touching and feeling all other toys turn by turn. Before reaching home most of the fancy toys get either broken or distorted. But Hamids mighty pair of tongs is in full glory. Hamid's grandmother was brimmed with affection when she learns that her grandson has bought a tool which could make her easy to make fire without burning fingers.

Tom is yet another child character. He is the creation of the story writer Mark Twain.

Tom's spirits are dampened when on a fine holiday morning he is asked to whitewash the entire boundary of the hutment. He puts a brave face and starts brushing the wall ignoring his friends who were out for playing. He declines the request of others to try their hand on such an unusual activity. Tom relents only after making a hard bargain and gives them a chance turn by turn. While tom sits under the shade of a tree with the bargained things like apple oranges, broken toys etc, his friends whitewash the fence two times over and stop only when the whole of the whitewashing material is finished. It is all over in such a short time and Tom still has the whole day before him for fun and enjoyment. Thus he discovers a very important aspect of human nature where a thing can be made extremely coveted if it is made difficult to attain. Had he requested his friends to help him in his task, he could have only got their smirks and jeers. With a tactful approach he wins their labour as well as their eatables and toys.

Sharp turns in terms of diet

Protiens start doing more harm than good when a person approaches fifty years of age. This trouble is comparatively more with men as compared to women. People with lean bodies may also be less prone to uric acid related issues caused by a protein rich diet.

The vegetables that a young boy hates the most are Gheea, Sitaphal, Ramtori, Tinda etc. Normally children become annoyed when they learn that their mothers have cooked Kaddu for them. But strangely enough these are the best for people nearing fifty. A teenager prefers Rajma. Moongi Chana dal, Masoor dal, Kalachana masala or Kabuli Chana masala. It is all because protiens are body builders and he needs them immensely.

Some people in rural Punjab tend to put their bodies on drugs like opium or poppy husk to deal with the health related issues. That causes a huge weight loss and the problems seem to get subsided . But that method takes away all the glow from their faces along with the respect in society. Moreover a person enslaves himself to his daily requirement of the dosage of the drug. Withdrawl is out of question in most cases.

When most of the things tend to become harmful for health one has to choose between the less harmful ones over the more harmful ones. According to me eating Chapati with a bit of Desi ghee and Achar (pickle) is better than eating with Dal in case there is no vegitable dish in the house. A slight amount of Gurr or sugar after the meal gives a feeling of fulfillmeant when the diet is frugal. Although both Ghee and sugar are not very good for an aging person but usually overtake of protein is the least desirable thing. There is no denying the fact that diet requirement varies according to a person"s body composition but in general the reqirement of protein declines considerably when a person nears fifty. What a sharp turn in terms of diet a person has to take at this age !

The changing pace of the love stories

The hero is all alone in his Dak Banglow. He is very young, just a little above the age of boyhood. It is the monsoon season at a very remote village. He hardly has any work. He is all alone. It keeps raining heavily most of the time because the place is in  Bengal. There is an orphan girl to help him in his odd jobs. She helps him in cooking, preparing his bath, making Chapatis and even preparing his smoking pipe. Once when he had fever she pressed his forehead and tended  him very delicately in a way that is typical of a loving and caring girl. He tells the stories of his family to her and she tells about her parents although she is an orphan now. But despite the long rainy season and such conducive environment, they had no physical relationship. The boy seeks transfer to his hometown. Upon rejection of his application he resigns. He parts away leaving the girl emotionally pregnant. She weeps and sobs upon separating from her hero whereas the hero consoles himself for the emotional pain inflicted uoon the heroine by musing that partings and meetings keep taking place even in the nature. The river meets the sea, day meets the night etc. Similarly the river departs from the mountains, distributaries part away from the river, so on and so forth. Thus it is natural for humans also to keep meeting and parting.

The above is the theme of the story 'The postmaster' witten by Rabinder Nath Tagore about a century ago. We note that the hero had an amazingly sound character.

Now let us move half a century forward. There was a movie called Aradhna sometime in the early seventies. The hero gets just one monsoon night to spend with the heroine per chance of fate. He is aware that he can err. He sings, "Bhool koi hamse naa ho jaye (may I not make a mistake)." But he definitely makes a mistake and impregnates the heroine physically in the real sense of the word.

Moving a few decades still further to the present times, we observe a sea  change in the affairs. A boy and a girl do not need any solitude of any type during rainy season along with the thunder of the clouds and lightening in the sky flashing in the back ground etc. One good mobile phone with internet connectivity is sufficient for ninety percent of the intercourse to take place. That too without any hassle of impregnation of any sort.

Holiday - a movie review

'Holiday' is not a boring movie. It is not very interesting either. The most amazing thing is Akshay Kumar's spring like body despite his age. Unlike us these heroes seem to be immune to old age. Sonakshi Sinha is a buxom beauty. Normally we have strong heroes and slender heroines. She is quite an exception. How long she would be able to retain her heavy duty charm in the industry is yet to be seen.

Music of the film is forgotten as soon as it is over. The photography lacks depth. Over bright colours often make a movie look very artificial.

Mobile phone conferencing and the blue tooth technology is a part of the plot. Other movies should also follow the suit as it has become an inseparable part of our lives. The phone carried by the hero, however, is not the latest one. The viewers expect the hero to have atleast some good quality Android phone rather than a basic camera phone that even the children have discarded.

The collective image of the muslims seem to have reached a critical level in the bollywood. The film directors do not even think twice before depicting a muslim as the head of a terrorist gang. To escape criticism they give some positive shade to one or two muslim characters.

Watching these types of movies may encourage the children to join the Indian Army. The young minds ought to know that there is a sea of difference between the real life and the reel life.

This movie can be watched with the family but only if there isn't any other option of spending free time.

Preventive fence against immature relationships

How would one feel when his son studying in the tenth grade wants a sad song? There is a bollywood song 'Ye duniya, ye mehfil mere kaam ki nahin' (This world and this gathering is of no use to me )? It is from the movie Heer Ranjha. Today morning my son came to me and asked for getting it downloaded for him. In a few minutes he got it in his mobile phone via bluetooth.

The dwindling sex ratio across the country has made it really tough for the boys to court girls. Moreover the girls nowadays want boys who have a stylish hair cut and a gym toned body. Boys with Pagris are most likely to be left aside. In my opinion it is a boon in disguise. Tenth grade is not the time when one should be selecting a life partner. It is better to be left out for some time and remain focussed on the career.

Once I asked a group of girls of grade ten regarding what type of husband they would prefer in their lives. Some said, "with French cut beard" and some said, "clean shaven". I asked them if they would like to marry a Sardar with a Pagri. "No sir. Who would wash the Pagri for them?"

When I studied in the eleventh class in 1982-83 batch there were merely five girls in our class of approximately thirty students. Imagine the competetion when the harmones are perpetually violent like a Tsunami wave. Apart from that, a bearded Sardar like me had the least chance of being sought by any pretty girl. During those times l also loved singing the same song, "Ye duniya ye mehfil_____"

Now I would say that my beard and my Pugree acted as a good preventive fence when one is most likely to fall wrongly into an immature relationship.

The vanishing grey hair

Some say that the grey hair speak obout the maturity of a person. Such people often quote an Indian saying, "Maine ye baal dhoop main safed nahi kiye hain" (My hair haven't become grey due to the sunshine). They mean to say that they have the experience of life. Some people say that the grey hair are a calling from God. The God says that the timespan of life is running out. Once I heard my cousin say that these are letters from God. If we dye them we are distorting the God's command. Once during a casual discussion amongst the teachers in a technical college I was asked why some people get grey beard faster than the others. In a lighter vein I replied, " The grey hair of our beards are indicators of the expended charge of our sexual battery. Moreover if we remain true to one woman our electrical connections are robost. If a person keeps changing the connections every now and then, there occurs  an arc in our body's electric system and the beard becomes grey faster". Further jokingly I added that moustache becomes grey faster if a person tells more  lies than others and the hair of the head grey faster due to tensions and worries."

When I was employed in Delhi, I used to tie my beard using a hair fixer. Sometimes I feel that the lower part of my beard became grey faster than the upper part due to this imprisonment of the hair. However,  If I compare the greying of my beard with the people of my age it shows that my currents are draining at a very normal rate.

In the seventies when I was a school going boy, the society appeared to be less pretentious. Many people wore grey hair. The late prime minister Mrs Indira Gandhi used to have a tuft of grey hair adorning the forehead. It made her look unique and beautiful. In contrast nowadays people love to remain young with cent per cent black hair throughout their lives. Once a Sardarji from armed forces told me that it is essential as it is a kind of camouflage to survive in the society where there is a cut throat competition in every field.

In the picture below we can see the new army chief of our country in perfectly black hair and moustache. Maybe a grey hair and a grey moustache are less intimidating and less impressive for the image of an army personnel.

It is difficult to be Indian in India

In India it is absolutely absurd if a person is dressed like an Indian. A doctor is not a doctor if he is dressed in a dhoti-kurta. He must wear a white coat. A lawyer isn't worth his salt if he is not dressed in black. A few years ago a Sardarji retired from a senior post in Punjab. It became a news as he wore only Kurta Chadra and similar Punjabi clothes throughout his career. When I was employed with Modi Xerox as an Engineer in the early nineties it was treated blasphemous to come to office without a neck tie even during the summer season.

It was the year 1980 in Delhi when a new chemistry teacher joined our school. He was dressed in spotless white Kurta and Churidar pyjama along with the white coloured canvass shoes. Even his handkerchief was a symbol of white purity. He was indeed a spectacle to behold. With very nicely groomed hair and trimmed beard he had a very saintly look. His language was dignified and manners very gentle. All his cleanliness and purity put together could not earn him any respect. Rather he was a laughing stock of the school. Children never remained silent in his class. Once I joined a technical college at Ajitwal in Punjab. I went to the interview in white Kurta Pyjama. Surprisingly I was selected. I started taking classes in the same dress. It was a very tough thing to remain as a simple dressed person in a college without being humiliated. Within a fortnight I changed my dress code into a western one. As a tuition teacher, I always maintain a western hue in my clothes with a T- shirt, Capri. Short pants etc. A Sardar with flowing beard and Indian dress cannot be easily accepted as an English teacher just as a person in Kurta Chaadra cannot be accepted as a heart surgeon.

The picture below is a parody on formality. It is a screenshot from the website of 'The Tribune'. In the picture you can see a foreign delegate wearing a neck tie along with the winter suit in the punishing heat of July. On the top of it he is smiling and waving his hands. He can be excused for his ignorance about our country but an Indian walking along side is aping him in a warm dress and is thoroughly suffocated by a neck tie. 

Gandhiji who attended the round table conference in a dhoti was indeed a hero. I salute him.

Slap difference

Once in our class Mrs Bagga came and took a lecture of Geography. She was an exceptionally beautiful Sardarni. In the middle of the lecture she walked straight and delivered two tight slaps to a back bencher. Whether he made some suggestive gesture or casted an evil eye is still not known but the so called bad boy became like a wet cat after receiving the lesson on the cheek by her. Mrs Bagga, however was not a teacher whom the children feared.

The same boy got a similar lesson from Mr Bansal. This teacher walked up to the boy coolly, caught hold of his ear lobe, swung it forward and backward in a to and fro motion and loose handedly delivered two resounding slaps on his left cheek. The terror ran through the whole class. This was the only time I saw Mr Bansal beating a student. But he and his name were a synonym of terror in our school.

If one goes by the name, Mr Bansal does not instill fear. There has hardly been any dreadful army officer or a notorious person of such name in the history. In sharp contrast Mr Bansal could send a chill down one's spine. He was frail but very active . He walked like a robot and lectured as though everything was recorded in some chip in his brain. He had a pair of razor sharp and intelligent eyes. His English was fluent and flawless. The only word that he pronounced awkwardly was 'Substance'. He would over stretch 'a' and mix it with with a touch of 'n' sound through the nostrils. He appeared so perfect that I believed that the correct pronunciation must infact be 'substaaannce' instead of 'substance'. He taught us Physics and Photography. He had a thorough understanding of his subject. Most of the things taught by him are still fresh in my mind. In short despite being medium statured and thin, his personality inspired awe. He seldom smiled. Rather his smile was a news to the students. He was handsome inspite of a slightly dark complexion and one or two artificial teeth. His composure and nerves were as robust as steel. He did not possess even an ounce of extra fat on his body and was active like some battery operated machine. His bicycle was as nicely maintained as his perfectly creased clothes. He hardly felt any cold during the winter season. When it was extremely cold he just wore a half sleeved sweater. His shirt was never tugged inside his trousers. It was said that he provided private coaching at his home which immensely benefitted his students preparing for competitive examinations.

Although Mr Bansal was one of my favourite teachers, he was a bit short of perfection on personal account. Not for the purpose of slandering but only to give a true potrait of his personality I would add that he smoked in his photography lab while hiding his face by the doors of an almirah. Once I went to his lab at a wrong moment. It appeared as if he was sorting out something in the almirah. There was a change in his tone and after a quick and hidden puff he came to me near the door of the laboratory saying "Yes" very impressively. But the odour could not be hidden.

Now, why his slaps were so different from the slaps of the other teachers? May be because of his no nonsense attitude and the accumulated impression of several years upon the minds of the children.

A tribute to the teachers from Australia

It was the second week of September of the year 1981. The Summer heat was becoming tolerable by then. Rather the mornings had already started becoming pleasant and balmy. During this time a team of teachers visited our school from Australia. They taught the TM meditation technique to the whole school. It was initiated into the world by Mahrishi Mahesh Yogi.

These white gentlemen possessed a calm composure. There was an apprecialble serenity on their faces. It took them about a week to impart the meditation technique to the students and the teachers. The day before we were to be given the Mantra, we were asked to bring an apple and a handkerchief to the school.

The apples that we brought were placed on a table in a corner and covered by a handkerchief. One by one we went to the teacher and received the Mantra in the form of a  whisper. It was very much like the way a secret is told where the speaker places his hand like a wall alongside his mouth and the ears of the listener.

After receiving the Mantra we meditated and later on ate the apples. The soothing weather and the tanquility obtained by meditation was a wonderful combination. The inward journey was a novelty for me. I started practising this meditation regularly. After about an year those teachers sent a message to the school and sought a kind of feedback. "How many of you still meditate?" asked the Principal during the morning assembly. Two hands were raised. The other student was Praveen Kulshreshta who meditated occasionally. But I meditated exactly as it was prescribed twice a day and carried on doing so for about two years and eight months. Finally I discontinued when I developed a taste for Gurbani Kirtan which provided me with a wholesome spiritual diet.

I would honestly acknowledge that the TM meditation technique was an important milestone in my spiritual journey. I am sincerely thankful to the Australian teachers for that. They might not have earned any dollars by their efforts. But they certainly earned a lot of goodwill which is a currency of great value in the spiritual world. May God shower his blessings upon those Australian teachers for their selfless and kind service!

Truth in the gaseous form

After independence several natural landforms like  rocky hills or river banks etc near the cities got encroached upon by politicians and their allies in the guise of some Ashram etc. Same was the case in Delhi also. But a Barsati nalla (a ravine) near our school had not yet been gobbled up. In the eighties the land acquisition act was not abused as we see nowadays where a chunk of land is first acquired forcibly and then after some value addition (by providing electricity, sewerage etc) is sold to the favourite business houses. Politicians in those days pried only upon the wastelands.

The Barsati nalla was comparitively safe because any temple or Ashram made near it could easily cave in. I wondered how the Principal's residence remained safe despite being at the brink.

One day l and my friends ventured onto the other side of this ravine by crossing it. The flats on the other side had used the rear portion near to the Nalla for growing radish etc. For the purpose of thrill we uprooted and ate a few of them. Next day also the same routine followed during the lunch break. But soon the cat was out of the bag. We stopped this extra curricular activity as the fellow classmates of tenth standard got a whiff of our adventure. How they came to know is not clearly known but they claimed that they found it out as the fart of one of our comrades had become excessively stinky and gave an indication of the Mooli (radish) eaten during the lunch break.

Moral- Truth can never remain hidden. More so when it involves the radish.

Modesty and the force of gravity.

According to Gandhiji the traditional dress of a country is best suited for a person. He was right because the male reproductive apparatus suffers in tight pants particularly in the hot season in India.
After independence the government owned schools in Punjab had Kurta Pyjama for the boys and Salwar suit for the girls as a standard uniform. Later on they thought that Kurta Pyjama did not go well with the concept of modern education. So they replaced the Pyjama with the western styled trousers and Kurta with a tight fitting shirt. The girls' uniform, however, remained unchanged. With the arrival of Public schools umbrella cut skirts were introduced for the girls of primary classes.

In Kendriya Vidialaya, from where I studied, even the girls of the senior secondary classes had to wear a skirt. Whereas he boys were not allowed short pants from class ninth onwards as they exposed their hairy legs. In other words more a school is modern more is the liberty to the girls and greater is the discomfort to the boys. Thankfully there was no neck tie for us unlike the boys of ultra modern schools like DPS etc.
Now, in a skirt the modesty of a girl is at the mercy of the gravitational force. In the playground and particularly on the windy days of February the girls had to use their hands in order to keep their skirts in position. Or else the powerful winds could upset the harmonal balance of the boys around. On one such day I was walking on the path adjacent to the main building and in front of the Principal's residence. Two girls of class twelve were ahead of me. Suddenly a gush of wind made their umbrella cuts fly above their waist. Assuming no one nearby they did not use their hands to support the force of gravity and intentionally allowed the wind power to be victorious. Just for reassurance they turned around with smiling faces. They blushed when they saw me seeing them enjoy their liberty.

Desi formula of the drill master

Usually the Drill master is the equivalent of a police inspector in a school. He is a very important member of the school faculty. In fact the physical training drill during morning assemblies play an important role in refining the students, taming them and making them obedient to their teachers. But strictness beyond a limit becomes counter productive. It is well known that if nuts are overightened, they tend to become free.
Probably it was the month of July. The summer heat of Delhi in this month is oppressive to say the least. On one such hot and sultry Saturday morning the physical training session went on for a little too long. After the prayers all other members of the teaching staff went into the main building while the PT master was hell bent on delivering his duties worth all his annual salary in a single day.
The physical torture seemed endless. The children got thoroughly drenched in their white uniforms. Their patience was exhausting at a very fast rate. After a set of arm raising and clapping exercises there came the turn of bending forward while sitting cross legged. The children had to place their palms on their head and bend forward almost touching their forhead to the ground. As a voice of protest they started making a "hummmm....." kind of sound while bending. The collective sound became fairly loud and funny. Each time when the turn of bending came the sound became louder than the previous occasion. Those were the moments of both fun and dread. While all enjoyed the voice of dissent none wanted to be punished.
The master got pushed into a very awkward situation. If he ignored the revolt his reputation as a disciplinary icon of the school could get a beating. While on the other hand there was no way of finding out the leaders of the mutiny.
Ultimately he resorted to the Desi formula. He gave a sound thrashing to a few boys in the front row without asking for any explaination. "The humm...... " stopped instantly and the revolt got suppressed successfully.

Sky lab and the games period

We were in eigth in 1979 when an American Satellite called Skylab fell on Earth. Students were wildly excited as to where it would fall. Luckily nothing untoward happened. Nevertheless the event was remembered for a long time.
One day our physical training master wanted to interact with the children who had come to the playground in their favourite games period. He called all the boys and girls under a small tree near the water taps close to the primary wing where the morning assembly was held and started lecturing them. Now who wants a lecture on games? The children were desperate to play and have fun for sometime. We thought that it would last for about five minutes. But the teacher kept on speaking about something in which no one was interested. He could not understand the body language of the boys and girls who simply wanted to run, shout and have fun to relieve their stress. All our excitement of the games period died when the lecture grew into a lengthy one. When ten minutes of the period were left he said, "Okay, now you can play".
One pretty girl who was an year senior to us spoke in a girlish tone by swaying her body girlishly whilst clasping her hands near her belly, "Abb kya hoga Sir?" She wanted to say that what could be played when almost the whole period was over. The teacher did not seem to understand what she meant. He imitated her several times by swaying his fat torso while clasping his hand just as the girl had done. We all laughed unlimitedly at his imitaltion which he repeated several times along with mimicking the girlish tone and saying, "Abb kya hoga Sir". Then he turned to the girl and said in his natural voice,"Skylab ggirrae ga abb"(the heavens are going to fall now). Thus a few more minutes got wasted All the children had a hearty laugh. Finally the period was over and we all were showing our sagging faces to the world. We went back to our class rooms without playing. Was the teacher so ignorant that he could not understand our loss? Well, only some high technology Skylab can know that.

The story of our Jamun tree

A Jamun tree was planted in our compound in the beginning of the year 2001. It was bought from the nursery. Initially we planted the sapling in the rear part of the house. But later on we transplanted it to the front. It never showed any transplantation shock at all. Several years went by. 

There is a kind of custom in Punjab according to which if a tree does not bear any fruit, the owner must threaten it by applying an axe mildly upon its trunk during Diwali. Along with that he says, "If you do not yield any fruit the next year, you would be axed". If I am not mistaken it was the day of Diwali in 2007 when both my boys talked to the tree thus-
Elder one said while applying a saw to the trunk, "You need to be cut as you do not give us any fruit". Then the younger one stopped him and said,"O brother let us give the tree a chance. Probably it would start giving us fruit from the next year". The tree seemingly took it seriously and started bearing fruit from the following season. 

Many of our friends enjoy the Jamuns along with us and that too in plenty. They take them to their houses also. Birds keep feeding from the top of the tree. They peck at a Jamun and have a small portion of it while the rest of the fruit falls down. Aso when the wind blows a lot of fruit showers down. Therefore a very large quantity of Jamuns get wasted. We have never put any net under the tree for the lack of expertise. Nevertheless it has been keeping us happy year after year. 

The first picture is of the adorable tree. In the second picture my wife is plucking the Jamuns. In the last picture we are having a utensil full of Jamuns in a matter of few minutes.

Product review - Efficient Pocha

The latest purchase that we have made is a Pocha (mopping tool). This can be used very efficiently even without bending our body. First time I saw it in CMC hospital Ludhiana about two years ago. I suggested it to my wife but she refused to listen. Last week a woman from our neighbourhood came to our house and talked about it. Now, that advice worked well. Soon this Pocha and a similar efficient device for removing the cobwebs got purchased by the better half. Today is the third day that I have contributed in the mopping activity. It makes it really very simple. A few days ago we had two full time maids. One for the day time and another for evening and the night time as my mother was on her death bed and needed intensive care. After my mother passed away, I am almost free as all the coaching work had already been wound up earlier for dealing with the medical emergency. Under normal circumstances we believe in doing all the household work ourself. With no maids and no coaching work (at present) mopping is a joy. More so with this modern tool.

Application review- Photostory

Photostory is a very nice Android application for making a slide show. We can join various photos and dub them with music. In this way a lovely video (slide show or in other words a picture story) is ready. Presently two sample videos can be downloaded from the links given below. The first one focuses on my elder son whilst the second one the younger one. It should be borne in mind that for good work patience is a prerequisite. https://db.tt/iKmBqSP0 
Another sample https://db.tt/tQ4ahfjX

Book review -Third class in Indian railways - by MK Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi is known to all. But that can not stop us from praising the beauty of his language and the clarity and conviction with which he puts forward his views. In this mini ebook he gives his opinion on various matters including the pathetic condition of ordinary class compartments of the Indian Railways. Although I agreed only partially with some of the views, yet it was a pleasure reading them. This ebooklet is freely available on the internet.

Book review - Reminiscences of the Great Mutiny 1857-59 - by William Forbes-Mitchell

In this ebook the author who is an English soldier gives an eye witness account of the 1857 mutiny that took place in Inda. In such stories the hero of one nation often gets painted as a villain by the opponents. The Satti Chowra Ghat massacre of Kanpur shows the character of the Indian soldiers along with that of Nana Sahib in a very poor light. Anyhow the contents of the book are very interesting and enhance our knowledge regarding the way the pitched battles were fought in the earlier times. This ebook can be downloaded free of cost from the internet.

Book review-Following the equator (Mark Twain)

This book is a travelogue by Mark Twain written about 125 years ago. It is freely available on internet and can be read by an Android phone with the help of Flyte books or similar applications. First I read the Indian part of the travel. It started from Bombay and then went on to Varanasi, Calcutta and so on. There is an elaborate description of the 1957 mutiny and the thugs of yore. The book tells how the Indian Railways worked during those times. Indian way of life and the nature of the people has been narrated in a humorous way. Finding these chapters interesting, I read the book from the beginning. It was an enriching experience.

Sudden growth

My mother passed away on 4-7-94. After this my thinking has undergone a mutation. It seems that I have grown  by several decades in a matter of a few days. The world appears transitory place similar to a night stay at some lodge.

How childish I was

On third of July my Mother was alive though seriously sick. How childish I was with mother still around  can be known from the following message sent to a whatsapp group of schoolmates.
' Friends I joined the school in 8th. Ours was a new section especially created for us. The students of the sections were shuffled in the 9 th class. You know why? Perhaps the Principal's son wanted his flame to be in his class. I was indeed a v bright guy till 10th. One day the Maths teacher of 8th class came to our nineth class. She was casually enquiring about the marks that we had got in a Maths test paper which was given to us in the previous period. Closing her eyes she said "And Kamaljit you must have got full marks?". "Yes madam", I said.
Vikas Malhotra,Vijay Karamchetti, Vinayak etc were in my class. In 10th my self and Vijay Karamchetti were the only ones who got distinction in English. And yes my first flame joined 10th in the middle of the session. She went somewhere else after 10th. I missed her badly. In 11th I was in science stream. I had a lot of problem in adjusting with the teenage hormones and jeering and joking pertaining to me being a Sardar. Sensitive that I was, it hurt. Do not want to hold grudges and do not want to name the guys who in particular jeered and mocked. But then another flame was there in eleventh and silent ashquee, much of which could be one sided, took place. In twelveth there were two flames as one more had joined. But these flames, teenage hormones and so many other things made me only barely pass in 12th. Quite like a rolling stone I did elect engg. Diploma and served in a few Multinational companies like BPL, Modi Xerox, Bharti telecom, Salora etc. Then in 1999 we shifted to Jagraon. I started providing private coaching to the students and my wife got employed as a govt. teacher. Moreover we made a fortune by buying land in my village by selling urban property of Noida. Luckily we are among the rich guys here. My elder son is pursuing MBBS and younger one is in tenth.
Now forgive me for relating some funny but true and not very decent incidents of the school life-
1- In nineth boys and girls played a game gallery together for a few days. So while dodging and running a chick made me out by lightly touching me by her fingers but on the pvt organ. "Out Out Kamaljit out." Now I was thinking that other boys would jeer at me saying something like"12 to nahi bajj gaye. Out kara diya". Sensing the risk I instantly said " Achha batao kahan lagga?". The chick said "Acha not out not out', and the game started again.
2- We were being taught reproductive system in eleventh class. The teacher taught and taught and taught. Finally the topic of sperms came. She explained and explained and explained. Finally when the lecture was over she said by lifting her nose, "And children, it has got a peculiar smell". Heavens heavens heavens that information was not there in the book also.'
My mother passed away on 4th July and my thinking has undergone a sea change.

Samsung tab P1000 booting issue

I was one of the first persons in my town to by a galaxy tab P1000. I was a great admirer of the Samsung products. But a recent incidence has left a very bad taste in me. My tablet developed some problem of booting and the Samsung care centre wants to return it without repairing. Where should I go now? Address of the Samsung care centre is Phuwara Cowk Ludhiana Punjab India. The set was given to them on 20-12-13.

Group photograph of class eleventh

Received a group photograph of our class when we were in eleventh grade science stream .This photograph was sent by a classfellow called Subodh Bhalla .I could not own it at that time as we were not given any extra money by the parents .I shared the picture with my family .All were thrilled to see it. A flood of memories crossed my mind .Subodh Bhalla's picture is on the right side of Mrs Dua our class teacher who taught us biology .The girls students Neeta Seroi , vijaylaxmi ,Indu Gupta,etc are looking so ---------(do not know what to say) .Praveen Kulshreshta ,Vijay Karamchetti etc are looking so innocent

Classfellows of childhood

We meet so many people in our life .But the ones that are class fellows of childhood hold a very special place .I have been able to locate Vinay Soni and Praveen Kulshreshtha among my classmates through facebook.

A new challenge

I would probably be doing farming from the next paddy season .Since I have been in the teaching line and never did farming earlier ,it would definitely be a challenge for me.

Would probably be doing farming

Since my father passed away in Oct this year I would probably be doing farming from the next year in my ancestral village which is about 25 kms from Jagraon the town were we live.

An electronic mail to a friend

A letter to a friend
The following mail was sent to a person who had become friend on the Sikhnet website
SSA.Sorry that due to a newly set up Sports club I could not reply your message in time.The family tree of yours that you described is interesting indeed.My story is somewhat like this.My great great grand father(grand father's grand father) was a Subedar in the British army that defeated the erstwhile Kingdom of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.My great grand father was thoroughly spoilt as he was the only son of his father.His money squandering landed my grand father S Bhagat Singh Gill into a state of poverty.He became a driver in Calcutta.During partition he was somewhere in Bangladesh.His master a Hindu Bengali asked him to take his car to India safely.My grandfather did Ardas and drove towards Calcutta.On the way a mob tried to stop them.My grandfather did not stop the car.In the process it is said that a few people could have been mowed down.Later my Tayaji and Chachaji started a transport business in Calcutta along with farming in the village in Punjab.My father joined Indian Navy.In due course my Uncles winded up their bussiness and devoted full time to farming in the village.We belong to village Ramunwala in dist.Moga.However we are living in Jagraon away from the uncles.It is about 25 kms from our fields.
I was born in Mumbai in 1966 . In around 1978 we came to Delhi. After pursuing my intercollege in science stream I did Diploma in Elect Eng.I served in several multinational companies for 12 years.We shifted to Jagraon when my wife got employed as a teacher in the government school.I train the studemts for IELTS in a private institute apart from providing coaching to the school students at my home in the evening.Recently I conceived an idea of a forty plus sports club.It is running fine for the last 17 or 18 days.We go to the Government senior school Jagraon at about 6.10.We play and do exercise.It leaves me so tired that I am unable to participate much on the Sikhnet site .We have two houses in Jagraon.One is extra big while the other is extra extra small.Due to difference in opinion I live in extra extra small house where as my parents live in extra big house.I would like to say that you are most welcome in my humble house(It has sufficient space for the guests never the less).You are most welcome.You may bring your wife and children as well .Due to ideological differences I am a sort of a poor son of a rich father.My father has about 25 acres of fertile land besides other property. My elder brother is well qualified and well settlled in the USA.My sister is Phd chemistry and well settled in Surat.One weakness that I have is of a lot of allergy towards travelling.I seldom go to my in laws house that is 60 kms away from Jagraon.I have not gone to my village which is 25 kms away for about eight years.Therefore forgive me for not being able to promise a visit at your place in Himachal pardesh.Your views at Sikhnet are very enlightening .May God bless you and your family ! Say my greetings to your wife and children.
Regards

Are you nostalgic about your village?

If you live away from Punjab and if you miss the Gurudwara of your Pind (village) or its streets ,here is a solution.I would make a paid visit to your village ,take the required photographs of the village (Gurudwara,special festivity,sports events,village streets etc), make short videos( high definition) and deliver to you via, a detailed blogpost, email or a you tube video.The charges would be very nominal.A visit on Sundays would be at a further discount of 50%.Kindly post a comment for further enquiries.

Sewapreet playing after the tuition class.

Sent from Samsung tablet

Helpless girl having Visa problems in the US

A girl who is having visa problems in US posted at Sikhnet.My reply was as follows---
For water, in the US they say 'wwaaddder',
for matter, they say 'mmaadder', just as an overfed person tries to speak while birping.But ironically they are unable to do anything for a helpless girl like you.Guru Amardasji has been blessed by Waheguruji and has been called Nithavaean ke thaan(place for the placeless)May Waheguruji resolve your problem, give you place to live and also give some common sense to the most powerful country of the world(US).

His emotions(A short poem)

Down and down sinks like a stone
Sinks the heart Like a stone
The heart drowns and the spirit sags
As the age passes the spirit sags
The age passes never to return
Passes the time never to return
The time is passing and the tears rolling
Invisible are the tears that are rolling
Invisible they ought to be as he is a man
Unlike a woman ought not expose a man
Ought not expose a man,his emotions.

Gurudwara store

The place where I am sitting at present is a Gurudwara store.For doing the Sewa of the store I have fixed this evening time.It is the Month of Magh as per the Nanak Shahi calender.Traditionally Punjabis(including Sikhs)do charity during this month.There are many Langars and Akhand Paths in the town during this month.People take Cooking and serving utensils from the Gurudwara.I have rung up the family who is about to return the utensils back.I called them about twenty minutes earlier.Hope they turn up soon as I have to go and meet someone at Kothe Khajooran.

Story of health 25-1-11 8PM

25-1-11 7-45pm
Daddy and Mummy had gone to Ludhiana yesterday as well as today.Satvinder and Sewapreet are in the other house preparing dinner for them
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25-1-11 8-00pm
The tests profermed on Daddy were ACG and Eco test.They found problem in the holder.Anagraphy or pumping was done to rectify some bockade.Now things are reported to be OK.
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'Waheguru' word is spoken in this inspiring Bollywood song

'Waheguru'comes just once in this bollywood song.Nevertheless it is very very inspiring.Those who can understand Hindi can download it from
http://indianwap.mobi/downloads/Hindi/load/Alphabetically_Movie_Songs/Alphabet_S/Shor_(1972)/Jeevan_Chalne_Ka_Naam_-_(IndianWap.Mobi).mp3
It is from film shor(1972).
Jeevan Chalne Ka Naam Chalte Raho Subaho Shaam 2
(Life means keep moving on.Tread your path from morning to evening)
Ke Rasta Kat Jaayega Mitra Ke Baadal Chhat Jaayega Mitra Ke Dukh Se Rukna Na Mitra Ke Ek Pal Rukna Na Mitra
(O friend stop not due to hurdles.Clouds of trouble would vanish away soon)
Jeevan Chalne Ka Naam Chalte Raho Subaho Shaam 2) 2
(Life means keep moving on.Tread your path from morning to evening)
Jo Jeevan Se Haar Maanta Uski Ho Gayi Chhuti Naak Chadhakar Kahe Zindagi Teri Meri Ho Gayi Kutti) 2
(One who accepts defeat in life is gone.Life rejects him)
Ke Rootha Yaar Mana Mitra Ke Yaar Ko Yaar Bana Mitra Na Khud Se Raho Khafa Mitra Khud Hi Se Khuda Bana Mitra
(Befriend life O friend The self confidence would lead you to God)
Jeevan Chalne Ka Naam Chalte Raho Subaho Shaam 2
(Life means keep moving on.Tread your path from morning to evening)
Ujali Ujali Bhor Sunaati Tuutle Tuutle Bol 2 Andhakaar Mein Suraj Baitha Apani Gathadi Khol Ke Usse Aankh Lada Mitra Samay Se Haath Mila Mitra Ke Ho Jaa Kiran Kiran Mitra Ke Chalta Rahe Chalan Mitra
(Face life in the morning,afternoon and night and experience it to the fullest and shake hand with the present times)
Jeevan Chalne Ka Naam Chalte Raho Subaho Shaam 2
(Life means keep moving on.Tread your path from morning to evening)

Ke Chali Shaam Ke Rang Mahal Mein Tapati Hui Dopahari Mili Gagan Se Saanjh Ki Laali 2 Lekar Roop Sunahari Ke Raat Bikhar Jaayegi Mitra Ke Baat Nikhar Jaayegi Mitra Ke Suraj Chhadh Jaayega Mitra Kaafila Badh Jaayega Mitra
(O friend the caravan of life moves from morning to noon and then from evening to night so swiftly)
Jeevan Chalne Ka Naam Chalte Raho Subaho Shaam 2
(Life means keep moving on.Tread your path from morning to evening)

(Himmat Apana Deen Dharam Hai Himmat Hai Imaan Himmat Allah Himmat Waahguru Himmat Hai Bhagwaan) 2
Honest zeal is our Allah,Waheguru and Bhagwan)
Ke Ispe Marta Jaa Mitra Ke Sajda Karta Jaa Mitra Ke Sheesh Jhukata Chal Mitra Ke Jag Par Chhata Jaa Mitra
That you should not give up is your religion and bow towards it
Jeevan Chalne Ka Naam Chalte Raho Subaho Shaam 2
(Life means keep moving on.Tread your path from morning to evening)
Ke Rasta Kat Jaayega Mitra Ke Baadal Chhat Jaayega Mitra Ke Dukh Se Rukna Na Mitra Ke Ek Pal Rukna Na Mitra Jeevan Chalne Ka Naam Chalte Raho Subaho Shaam 4
(O friend stop not due to hurdles.Clouds of trouble would vanish away soon)

Story of health 22-1-11 7:30PM

22-1-11 6::15 PM
At about 4:15 Sewapreet got a call from his grand mother that his grand father wasn't feeling well.Simran has taken him to the neurologist of Jagraon.They have not come yet.Satvinder and Sewapreet have gone to the other house to know other details.
--------------------------------------------------------
22-1-11 7-30PM
A few minutes ago Satvinder kaur,Simran and Sewapreet came from the other house.Simran said that daddy is complaining about weakness.The doctor gave him the following medicines
1-Omerpradol
Domperidol
2-Clonazepam
3-Vitamins and minerals
Daddy's school had sent him back to take rest at home.Mummy is advising him to take a mimimum leave of one week.
Satvinder has cooked the dinner at the other house and helped mummy in washing the cothes.

Story of health 21-1-11 4:53AM

21-1-11 4:53AM
Yesterday at about 7:15 AM Sewapreet got a call from his grandfathaer to come along with his mother to prepare the dinner.Both of them went and did the required work.On their returned I enquired about the test reports.I was told that all reports are showing things perfectly normal.

Story of health 20-1-11 3:25 PM

While sitting at the coaching centre on Saturday I got a call from my Mummy that father had fallen unconcious at school.She told me to take him to Ludhiana on car in the evening.I called Satvinder at her school and told her to take a half day leave.It was a windy dark winter day.I rode on my motorcycle to Dholan village at 12 Noon to pick her up.We reached at the house at around 1PM.Daddy was sleeping and we came to our dwelling across the street.I told my mother on phone that I would arrange for a taxi as I am not very confident at driving in Ludhiana.However I was later informed that father had decided to visit a doctor in Jagraon with Simran and that he would go to Ludhiana on Monday.
Simran took his grandfather to a neurologist in Jagraon.She checked him,gave some medicines and recommended some tests related to heart.
On Monday they came back from Ludhiana after getting some tests performed on them and again went on tuesday.
Both Mummy and Daddy are in the Appolo hospital Ludhiana getting various scans performed on them.Mummy is getting herself checked for some uric acid problem.Presently it appears the batteries of their mobile phones are drained.They are in Ludhiana since yesterday.They are expected to come back today evening.

Queue (pangat)in day to day life

I wish to relate something more about a pangat(queue).I was standing in a queue at Chanakya cinema in Delhi during my college days.An upto date oversmart,stylishly dressed gursikh young man came and went straight to the first place at the ticket window.The less smart guys in the queue raised an objection.He silenced them by his smart dialogue ''Ticket nahi leh raha hoon''(I am not buying the ticket).And the next second he walked away buying two tickets with a style rarely seen.Before the fools standing in the queue could grasp,he was in the theatre.
A few years ago outside a government office in Jagraon I asked a Gursikh in his seventies if he had got his job done by standing in a queue.He said in style 'je line vich kharge tan sardari kahdi hoi'(of what use is being a sardar if one has to just stand in a queue)
Moral of the story is that despite being Gursikhs we may fail in the practical exam of Pangat(queue) lesson that we ought to learn at our Gurudwara langar hall.
A frog in a well knows not much about the outside world.However I perceive that the sangat in the outer world (Holland,Uk,Canada,Us etc) adhere to having langar in a pangat(queue).Farther from church nearer to God seems to be an adage in the making.

The vanishing queue(Pangat)

Just for paying the electricity bill ,I had taken a leave.I reached the electricity office at 7 AM in the morning.More than 2 hours before the office hours.Outside the window under the shady trees I was in the queue sitting on a brick.Other people from all villages all castes,all occupations were in the same queue just as in the Gurudwara ,discussing every thing under the sun.When the line moved forward I shifed my royal chair(brick)a little forward.At noon I reached home had lunch and took rest.A big task had been done.What an enriching experience it was though!That was 10 years ago.Paying the bill became a 2 hour business after a few years from then.The sharing of the thoughts reduced.Today I clicked a few buttons from my house and the job was done.The queue that I hated as well as loved has vanished. We were sitting in a Gurudwara Langar in Mumbai when I was a child.A gentleman shared his views on religion in totality before the Langar could be served.To this day I remember what he said.When I was iin NOIDA and was newly married a beautiful girl had made it a point to sit beside me whilst partaking langar every Saturday evening.Wife on one side and the girl on the other became a bit of a weekly routine.Not that I ever talked to that girl or my wife objected to it or there were any lusty feelings,but the pangat(queue)experience was special.On most of the occasions sitting with Sangat of various types in a pangat(queue) is a lesson in itself.Now in Jagraon at most Akhand paats there is a buffet system(Picking the plate,self serving and eating while standing).The queue (pangat)=classroom is vanishing.Not sure whether it is for good or for bad.

Sewapreet reluctant to get up early in the morning

Children find it difficult to get up early in the morning in the winter season.

Fatalist in me

When a person rides a bicycle,he gets exercise.Exercise is good for heart.Nowadays I am making the rounds of The bank of India (a public sector undertaking).The people out there want me to have a healthy heart.Why else did they not activate the mobile banking feature on my account in 3 months?I had opened an account in their bank on 7th Oct 2010 for the sole purpose of getting Mchek(mobile banking)activated.They want a person like me to learn values like patience, shun laziness and do some cycling.The desination is nowhere in sight.Still miles to go before the job is done.Meanwhile I would be cycling to their office regularly and improving the health of my heart.
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I applied for the renewal of the passport on 11th June.Since the begining of september the message displayed on their site is ''It is to regret that due to unavoidable circumstances the despatch of Passport has been delayed and will now be despatched in a week's time''Now the passport office wants that I should not take any Panga(buy/any andesired trouble)out in some foreign country when Iam already going to be 45 year old in a few months.If I go out of the country I would have to eat the junk food.The junk food is bad for the heart.Passport is nowhere in sight. Miles to go before the job is done and meanwhile I need not bother about any foreign trip and risk my heart.
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A telecommunication giant in our area activates some scheme on our mobile phones on its own and starts deducting money @ Rs1 per day.By the time we come to know and deactivate the plan a considerable amount is already cut.It would be ungrateful on my part if I call it a corporate crime.These friendly people want that my heart should get immune to monetry losses and hence prolong my life.

Concept of sharing at family level

Sharing is an important concept in Sikhism.But how does that work at the joint family level.
Method 1----I came across a Gursikh family where there were 3 brothers and all are married and have children.They said when the business is common all the basic expenditure of food,clothing,education can be done from the common fund.Each family can be given Rs 1500(that was 4 years ago)extra money to be spent in what ever way he wishes.He may take his out wife for dinner,movie or whatever.In that family the the wife of the eldest brother and the wife of the middle brother cooked lunch and dinner on alternate days.That means they got rest from the kitchen every second day.The wife of the youngest brother cooked breakfast on daily basis.
Method 2--Having got inspired from the above method I have invented another method.In this method a family ought to have a box where each earning member would put equal amount on weekly,fortnightly,monthly (or when the need arises)basis.All the common house hold expenditure could be done from this box. It ought to be replenished when required.If any member having hard time is finding it difficult he can drop a slip mentioning the amount he owes to the box.A few days later he can replace the slip with the money.The rest of the money that an individual earns ought to be saved or spent according to his or her sweet will.This method can be better applied in families where people do jobs instead of business.
There might be other methods of sharing in joint families as well which the readers can suggest.
Satnam Waheguru

Made the store incharge of the local Gurudwara

The Gurudwara mentioned here is Gurudwara Kalgidhar opposite Mandi road.A member of the committee was telling me ''People around this area are quite well off.They have less time.Ours is not a big Gurudwara but the trend of getting the langar prepared by the proffessional cooks has already picked up in the bigger Gurudwaras.See we have all the equipment to prepare the food.But then the Bibian(Women Sangat)do not get any time to listen to the Gurbani.They say they havn't got relief from the kitchen work on even a Gurpurab.Ideally the langar should be made by the Sangat.But--------''It needs to be mentioned that the proffessional cooks usually makes a point not to be visible even while smoking somewhere outside.They try to be as respectful as they can(according to their standards).However the feeling of a being a member of a large family and lovingly taking part in the preparation of the langar is a very speacial experience.This being the local Gurudwara, a part of the blame could boomrang towards me aswell.The above mentioned committe member and another senior member cajoled me to take charge of the Gurudwara store.In the evening they handed over the charge to me and thereby in a way including me as well in the committee.A part of the talk of above mentioned member was something like this ''Our Gurudwara thalees(steel plates integrated with space for placing various dishes used at langar)are taken by the people for their family functions.They often get replaced by substandard plates.Many of the Daegga,praants( huuuge cooking vessels)are already missing.Nobody comes forward to take the duty.People around are well off.They say---time heeee hai nee ji(there is not an time at all).It is just like having forgotten God.''The point here is that we cannot shun the sangat if the things are not going about the best way.We can always strive to improve.In the evening I along with my wife,younger son and a student took the charge of the store.The desi ghee (refined butter ,sugar etc are also in lock and key now.My wife and the younger son have taken the duty of visiting the Gurudwara daily and providing the daily quota of the material for Kraha Parshad to the Bhaee ji.Let us hope to bring about positive changes by the grace of Guruji.

An advice to the children

Today one of my students told that in the reality show 'Kaun Banega crorppati'a person had won one crore(ten million) rupees.He was given an option either to play for 5 crores or be reduced to two lakh something.He opted for playing further and lost.During dinner time my younger son was also telling the same story.I gave my student and my sons the following advice----------''No body ever wins in a gamble.If atall he wins he keeps playing untill he loses back everything.Look even if had won the money he would have been a loser.Not only he but also his future generations also could have got addicted to this vice.They would not have stopped before losing everything.The Pandvas in the famous legend of Mahabharat lost even their common wife while gambling.The elder brother must have got the urge that by putting at stake their wife he might win back the brothers that he had already lost.Therefore be cautious !!!''

Just click at the heart and vote

The other day I asked a friend or two to watch and rate the movies at http://www.sikhnet.com/filmfestival/ They said they did not know how to do that.
I wish to tell my friends that they only need to click the heart icon given under the frame if they liked a movie.
The movies submitted by me and my family members are as follows
1-'ooper sach achar'submitted by me
2-'should I blame my mother'submitted by my wife
3-'The internal battle of Dr. Lego Singh'submitted by my elder son
4-'The little gambler'submitted by my younger son

Sikhnet film festival

As you all know I along with my wife and children had taken part in the Sikhnet youth festival,the movies have been released.There is an error in the name of the director of the movie 'ooper Sach Achar, has been written wrongly.I have requested them to rectify the error.
You are requested to see the movies.Kindly click on 'I like this video'in case you like it.Kindly do not forget to leave a comment also.The prizes can be influenced by the popularity of the video.
http://www.sikhnet.com/filmfestival/2010/oopar-sach-achar/
http://www.sikhnet.com/filmfestival/2010/the-internal-battle-of-dr-lego-singh/
http://www.sikhnet.com/filmfestival/2010/should-i-blame-my-mother/
http://www.sikhnet.com/filmfestival/2010/the-little-gambler/

Plot of the movie planned on 26th September

Dear participants,
The movie that we are planning to make would be titled 'Karmi aapo aapni'.The story would be based on murder and suspense.Some comedy would automatically creep in while we make the movie.I have planned that the story would begin 500 years ago.A Sadhu would beg for some food from a farmer who would be eating lunch at the noon time in his farms.The farmer would refuse saying a lie that he has to give share to his brother.The Sadhu would curse him that 21 of his next generations would commit a grave sin in their life and would themself die as a fruit of their 'Karam'.The farmer realises his mistake and begs pardon.Taking pity on him the saint suggests a way out.He tells that his and his descendents death would not occur if they would not open a box which would be gifted to them on their thirtieth birthday.
All of his 21 descendents commit murder and all are gifted such a box and none is able to escape the frui of 'karma'as all open open that box and die.The twentyfirst descendent commits a murder and tries his level best not to open that box but is taken over by curiosity and opens the box.What is there in the box would remain a mystery till the end.
Kindly suggest me any changes.My email address is kamal310i@gmail.com
Thanks