What makes Diwali so special? For once, it brings back lots of memories of yore! Crackers, sweets, bonhomie and celebration lasting over days! Secondly, notwithstanding the degree of gloominess, the most sagging of spirits get uplifted during Diwali. Even in the worst of recessionary periods like the current financial year, somehow Diwali brings hope and happiness. All the disruptions of the recent past seem to have been gotten over such is the the impact of Diwali. To put it in poetry:

When the darkness paves way for light,

And depravation and destitution are overwhelmed by hope;

There are no short cuts and there are no quick fixes,

Festival of Lights is no ordinary occasion but really an effective dope!!!

Happy and prosperous Diwali to all those who matter to me!!!

One of the rituals that we have followed since my memory goes back to is doing Diwali Pujan. My mother used to (she still does in Delhi, where she stays) do havan followed by saying a prayer that generally covered the welfare of all the nears and dears. We have continued with the ritual though I will openly confess that recitation of mantras from Vedas is quite difficult as some of the words are tongue twisters and pronouncing these words correctly is quite a challenge. After that, I try to have a heart to heart chat with God, seeking welfare of our closed ones!

As I prepare to engage in these rituals again on Diwali like always, a thought came to my mind to do stock taking of the events concerning me personally as also in general at large between the last and this Diwali and these can be summed up as under:

(1) My daughter sprang a surprise by adding one more member to her family within two years of her first child;

(2) There was a change of guard at the company I work for and the work has now become several times more challenging;

(3) My nephew was blessed with a daughter and this meant that there was addition of two new members – a boy born to my daughter and a girl born to my nephew;

(4) Modi came back to power after a thumping victory and immediately took some harsh decisions like abrogation of articles 370 and 35, surcharge on personal income tax, expectation of massive dividend from RBI. Towards the end of the year, however, some of the developments indicated that he may not be eternally invincible;

(5) The whole of the year saw our relationship with Pakistan hitting a new nadir. Pakistan’s intent to use nuke makes this part of the world extremely volatile;

(6) India disappointed by not winning the World Cup cricket, but the team continued its dominance in all forms of cricket. Apart from cricket, Dutee Chand, Hima Das, Mary Kom, PV Sindhu also became new national icons.

(7) Bollywood continued its good run, though it seemed that era of Khans was nearing its end. Amitabh dominated small screen with ads and KBC.

(8) The country stared at the prospects of worst ever draught with drying reservoirs, but the God blessed with bountiful rains;

(8) My brother-in-law was detected with a terminal stage cancer and though he lives on, his reasonably long life will be a miracle.

Diwali 2019 has come. Like always, I shall again pray for my family, nears and dears, friends, city, organisation, country, environment, rains and world peace. But these are only proposals that will disposed as per God’s willingness!

I intend writing series of blogs on this biggest festival like the last year. First of such blogs is Diwali 2.0. You may wonder why this title?

There used to be Diwali of my childhood. Preparations used to start almost one month in advance with the commencement of 10 days of Dussehra holidays. Shops would start selling crackers and every evening, children would play with crackers. Of course, in my Dussehra blog, I already covered the Ramlila part.

Post Dussehra, wait for Diwali would become almost unbearable. Visit to Chandni Chowk in old Delhi to buy special delicacies like Karachi Halwa ( Meghraj, Chainaram Halwais) and other desi ghee sweets from famous Ghantewala and Kunwarji was most exciting! Then there was a mandatory visit with friends to Sadar Bazar for buying crackers, where rates used to 80 to 100% lower than the neighbourhood shops! Some more adventurous of the lot would also make flower pots ( anars) at home.

On Diwali there would be abundance of sweets, delicacies not only in-house, but also exchanged with neighbours and relatives. Firing of crackers would continue till wee hours of the morning. This was not all! Crackers not burnt on Diwali night were burnt over the next two nights and sweets would continue for many days after Diwali!

In comparison, Diwali of today is different. Sweets are taboo and crackers are no-no. Rather people prefer going out for a quick hop over to Dubai or Thailand! Greeting is exchanged on WhatsApp and lighting of ghee and oil diyas has been substituted with convenient electric candles and diyas !

Oh pollution and diabetes and stress ! Why have you changed our favourite festival Diwali into Diwali 2.0?

Maharashtra and Haryana election results are out and I must admit that it’s a less bright Diwali for BJP, the party that started celebrating victory probably a bit too early. However, there’s not much for the main opposition party Congress to celebrate either, with Haryana reposing just about marginal interest in the grand old party and Maharashtra preferring junior partner NCP. What do we make out of these results?

As I have always maintained, I have great faith in prudence and wisdom of Indian voters and this they have demonstrated repeatedly and it’s high time our politicians stop underestimating them! They have voted differently in different forms of elections in the past and this is clearly discernible this time too! Pakistan, Kashmir, Balakot, Kartarpur may be important national issues, but when it comes to state elections, local issues take precedence.

Having said the above, while I have not a great opinion of the Khattar Government- be its handling of burning issues or administrative efficiency in general and on top of it, his propensity to open his mouth unceremoniously- I am surprised at electorate’s disenchantment with Fadnavis government. He worked solidly for 5 years, provided a clean and efficient administration, hardly suffered from foot in mouth disease and treated the senior leaders from other parties respectfully. How could voters be holding any resentment or grudge against him is hard to fathom?

My only worry is that if I am missing a point in all the above it’s fine, but I pray to God that it’s not an indication of reversion to the past politics of religion, caste and ethnicity- Hindu, Muslim, Brahmin, Jat, Maratha, Marathi, Bihari etc. 70 years into freedom, we seemed to have overcome this malaise of myopic politics- let it not raise its ugly head again. Let’s resolve this Diwali to have only one consideration while voting – meritocracy instead of this and that!

I am no political commentator. I don’t have any political affiliations either. I don’t think any political party or politician is indispensable. A few come and leave deep imprint on the nation’s destiny. A few come and go barely remembered thereafter.

However, today’s elections in Maharashtra are important, because for the first time there has been a Chief Minister, who not only kept controversies at bay, managed a very difficult alliance partner and effectively neutralised big time stalwarts but actually did so much work for all to see. For years, I have been witnessing the decline of this great city, Mumbai, but for the first time, there’s been so much effort to improve its dying infrastructure. Metro network, operationalisation of Monorail, coastal road project, infusion of new life into BEST and solid governance to implement all these heavy projects are something unseen hitherto. And this is not limited to Mumbai. Other major cities such as Pune, Nagpur, Nasik etc are witnessing similar upgradation of infrastructure. Law & order has largely remained good and there has been hardly any scandal. Above all, CM and his family have generally lived a very simple lowkey life without any airs or tall claims.

While the voters are the best judge and I repose full faith and trust in prudence and judgment of Indian electorate, I can only wish all the best to Devendra Fadnavis for I have seldom come across such a simpleton, workaholic, family man, clean and efficient politician like him. Elections will come and go springing shocks and surprises, but people like Devendra rise above all this to make significant contribution to the society forever remaining etched in the memories of the people.

I distinctly remember a TV interview on Doordarshan in early 80s, when a Russian envoy was asked, ” How the Russia views the current situation in West Asia?” . The envoy immediately corrected the interviewer that it’s not Russia but Soviet Union. USSR or Soviet Union existed between 1922 and 1991, when we heard words like Glasnost and Perestroika and the centralised communist structure weakened leading to creation of 15 independent states out of the erstwhile Soviet Union and the largest state reverted to its original name Russia. This is no political commentary on Russia, but a travelogue arising out of my maiden visit to that enigmatic country.

Why enigmatic? Because notwithstanding the title of 1963 James Bond movie titled, From Russia with Love starring Sean Connery, we in India have always loved Russia for it has proven to be our all weather friend. We have known it as another superpower providing balance of power in this world. Till we acquired British Jaguars and now French Rafale, Russian MIGs have been our mainstay, apart from several other areas of cooperation between two friendly nations.

Again the blog is acquiring political overtones though the intent is not to make a mention about Soviet misadventure in Afghanistan but to explain the enigma. I had studied entry level Russian way back and when once we were invited by our Russian teacher to her place for dinner, all she served was boiled potato! I was told that food was not abundant and people used to queue up for meat and bread, which were rationed. Fast forward to 2019, potato is still a delicacy, but you have restaurants in every nook and corner of the city I visited, St. Petersburg, serving all kinds of cuisines, including Indian. There are superstores flooded with food items of all ilks. Russia of today is like any other advanced European country – great infrastructure, abundance of everything and safety.

St. Petersburg, earlier known as Leningrad, has history written all over. The city has seen it all – from flourish of Christianity ( some of the cathedrals are to be seen to be believed) to Bolshevik revolution that led to rise of communism when several churches and cathedrals were either destroyed or converted into museums to resurgence of Republican state following glasnost and perestroika, when the city got back its prideful place. The city got its original name (actually it was Petrograd before it was changed to Leningrad) St Petersburg back in 1991.

We saw discipline on road, cleanliness of the highest order, general safety ( except minor crimes like pick pocketing in crowded places), great eating options, superb local transport and rare sight seeing options ( there seemed to be surge if tourists before the onset of winters) that made my visit to Sf Petersburg memorable. Though still autumn, the weather seemed unbearably cold, but all the places, including transport options are heated.

I came back from Russia with Love, though I am not sure about James Bond’s experience!

Sidharth Kannan is energetic, vivacious, charismatic, witty, knowledgeable and above all an emcee, host or presenter, whatever you may choose to call him, par excellence. At an official event that I recently attended at Russia, Siddharth was requested to host this important and big programme and after his dramatic entry sharp at the scheduled time, he kept the audiences mesmerised, regaled, entertained and fully involved for next 3 hours. Neither audience, nor he got tired as suddenly the auditorium seemed to have been filled with and unending supply of energy.

Incidentally, this was not the first time that I attended an event hosted by Siddharth. A few years ago also, I got an opportunity and if anything, he seems to be getting younger, bolder and tastier like an ageing wine!

What makes him different from other hosts, who may be equally enigmatic, witty, energetic and knowledgeable, if not more? We have witnessed award ceremonies hosted by the stars such as Shahrukh, Ranveer, Ranbir, Saif etc! I think what raises Siddharth’s stature as an emcee and host one notch above others is his uncanny ability to be tremendously funny, comic and boisterous and yet never trespassing the thin line of becoming satirical or hitting the members of audience or performing artists below the belt causing any embarrassment. If anything, he only makes ordinary folks that include me, feel involved, entertained, confident to do things that they might not have ever done before and yet never crossing the line that would cause hurt, embarrassment or discomfort. In fact, beyond a point, members of audience want him to come to them for a prank or two. Such is Siddharth’s charm.

At this last event at Russia, he made someone with two left feet like me dance, appreciated my ordinary and short speech like a path breaking address and made me feel so important and revered in spite of I being just one amongst several hundred attending the event. And I am sure, each of those hundreds would express a similar feeling, if asked.

He is a celebrity, having interviewed or hosted most of the celebrities, worked with kings of comical timing such as Cyrus Broacha, hosted large number of iconic shows on radio and TV, highly recognised and decorated and yet absolutely down to earth. This speaks highly of his bringing up by his erudite parents in Delhi. His bother Hrishikesh Kannan, popularly known as Hrishi K is extremely popular RJ. It can be safely concluded that talent runs deep in the family.

This is neither a tribute nor a eulogy, because Siddharth has to entertain, regale and host millions and given his energy, I have no doubt that he’s destined for much bigger honours than what he has already achieved. It’s celebration of Siddharth’s great quality of spreading unbridled happiness wherever he goes, a quality many of us need to imbibe, emulate and demonstrate.

Currently I am on a short trip to St. Petersburg, Russia, in connection with an official engagement. While my travel blog will follow, this is regarding a totally new experience about the military life.

We have been brought to a place some 100 Kms away from the city, where buses have left us at the end of a motorable road to be taken to a further remote location by military trucks, powerful all terrain monsters. A short drive through muddy, virtually no road brings us to a military camp. Here we are exposed to real arms, guns, grenades, tanks and other small arms. The weather is chilly ( temperature being close to freezing point), damp and very harsh. In such extreme conditions, we are given an opportunity to relive real experience. First, after a demo, we are given a chance to fire that monster of a weapon, the much dreaded AK-47. This is an excitable but eerie experience. Next is a ride in the tank through the unfriendliest of the terrains. Thereafter, we are offered to try our hands at knives, thrown at the targets that’s much different from darts we get throw at certain bars. In the eerie cold, a cup of hot ” Black Army Tea” comes like godsend relief.

The experience evokes a feeling of patriotism in all of us. ” Bharat Mata ki Jai”, “Ganpati Bappa Moriya” and “Har Har Mahadev” chants make the atmosphere very sombre. We are all having just one feeling- in a made up scenario, when we are facing no real enemy. are getting full assistance and safety and are made comfortable to the extent possible, we’re getting this eerie feeling! How about our soldiers? They face a very vicious and treacherous enemy, terrorists, most difficult of terrains (Siachen is the highest battle ground in the world), are at the front for months together away from their families and yet have their morale always high ready to die for the nation at the drop of a hat!

Let’s not underplay their sacrifice by labelling it as their duty. Let’s give our fondest salutation to these men because of whom we feel protected and safe!

Jai Hind.

There was never something like Sholay before it took the nation by storm on its release in 1975. Till date, people remember it’s storyline, characters and more importantly dialogues. “Kitne aadmi thay”, “ arre oh sambha”, “tera kya hoga Kalia”, “Sardar aapka namak khaya hai” and I can recall and mention at least 20 more.

One of the unique things about Sholay is that it’s characters overshadowed its stars. It’s the only film where people remember Thakur Baldev Singh, Veeru, Jai, Basanti, Radha, Gabbar, Sambha, Kalia etc rather than the actors playing them viz. Sanjeev Kumar, Dharmendra, Amitabh, Hema, Jaya, Amjad, Mac Mohan, Viju Khote in that order. In fact, while if you mention stars names Sholay may not be the first name to come to mind. Amitabh will bring to mind Zanjeer and Deewar, Dharmendra will resonate with Pratiggya or Satyakam, Hema with Seeta aur Geeta, Jaya with Guddi aur Koshish. However, when you mention the names of lesser stars or also rans, the name Sholay immediately comes to mind. In fact, Amjad, a hugely talented actor, who went on to giving some memorable performances before his premature death, made Gabbar immortal and strangely remained a one film wonder. As a matter of fact, several others like Mac Mohan, Viju Khote, Asrani, Jagdeep, Jalal Agha etc as also their character names viz. Sambha, Kalia, Soorma Bhopali etc remain synonymous with Sholay till today.

I bow to the combined talents and efforts of Salim Javed, Ramesh Sippy, R D Burman, Dwarka Divecha, Waman Guru for creating this once in lifetime masterpiece that made each character and especially minor characters or also rans actors superstars.
This blog is dedicated to Viju Khote, who died could of days ago. RIP Viju Khote.

I just learnt from somewhere that today is the International Day of Older persons. On December 14, 1990 the United Nations General Assembly voted to establish October 1 as the International Day of Older Persons.The holiday was observed for the first time on October 1, 1991.

The holiday is celebrated by raising awareness about issues affecting the elderly, such as senescence and elder abuse. It is also a day to appreciate the contributions that older people make to society.

This holiday is similar to National Grandparents Day in the United States and Canada as well as Double Ninth Festival in China and Respect for the Aged Day in Japan. The observance is a focus of ageing organizations and the United Nations Programme on Ageing.

India is home to 104 million senior citizens. With the crumbling of the institution of joint families, many of the aforesaid 104 million have neither social nor financial security. Further, thanks to low awareness about medical insurance and high cost of treatment in private hospitals, many senior citizens have no choice but to live in misery caused by Alzheimer’s, arthritis, cataract, dental malaise, injuries etc. With children abroad in connection with their jobs, the senior citizens are physically debilitated and emotionally turmoiled.

Old age pension for all, free medical convenience for all senior citizens, old age homes, friendly infrastructure and an overall security to our senior citizenry should be our resolve on this International Day of Older Persons. They are respected, experienced and valuable assets rather than being a burden on the society.

Our jobs and careers are important,

Where is the time for mother & father?

If there’s no time for our own parents,

How can other older persons be a subject of bother?

We celebrate love on Valentine’s Day,

But are seized of this beautiful feeling throughout;

But older persons are a different lot,

To be celebrated on 1st October and then to be thrown out!

Let’s adopt them,

For they did so when we needed them,

On this International Older Persons day,

Let’s resolve to repay gratitude to them!!!

Happy international day of Older Persons!!!