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The Valley of Death

           Today the lust green nature of the Kashmir valley has been converted to a battlefield. The extremist of Islam has declared Jihad against the Indians and in the name of Jihad they are massacring thousands of innocent people. The main target of these people is the Sikh and Kashmir pundit community. To save their life and for the betterment of the young generation they are forced to leave all the belongings and flee to the makeshift refugee camps. But fleeing the valley doesn’t really help. They are like refugees in their own country. Sick older generation and a virtually bleak future for younger generation is a main reason of worry. Beside this there is no source of income, not a roof to support from heat, rain and cold.             There is a little known grocery shop in a market place of a town. It is a bright sunny day and Abdul the owner of the shop is busy checking the ...

Now and Then

18th august 2003: GIET, Gunupur, Rayagada, Orissa          This is the 1st day of a new session in a private engineering college in south Orissa. Young boys and girls from near and far who have sought admission in B.Tech course in different disipline gathered in the small auditorium to attend the orientation program and to listen the long, boring speeches of the chairman and teachers of the college. Many of them are accompanied by their parents. Most of them looked frightened and for the rest of the boys and girls the facial expression was a mixture of joy and sorrow. A young boy of 18 year is standing all alone in the end of the auditorium and listening to the speeches mindlessly. His parent couldn't attend the orientation program because they had to rush back home. After sometime both the audience and the speakers got bored of their respective jobs and finally the orientation program ended and a packet containing some snacks were distribute...

Thodi si bewafai

I have a good collection of old songs in my laptop and usually listen to it while working on my laptop. Out of many songs that I have, I like some particular songs and listen to it again and again. I want to share my experience about this particular song which is written by one of my favorite lyricst gulzar saab. On the first look, somebody can term the lyrics as a conversation between a man and woman. But it’s not a daily conversation that we do, it’s a different kind of conversation and I salute the music director Khayyam saab who gave music to the conversation and made it immortal. This is a duet song by kishore da and lata mangeskar, giving playback voices for rajesh khanna and shabana azmi for the film "Thodi Si Bewafai (1980)". Superb and meaningful lyricst by one of the greatest lyricist, mesmerizing voices of the two legends, and soulful music make this as one of my favorite song. The conversation as well as the lyrics goes like this... Man: Hazar rahein, jo mud ke d...

Taking Off… to an experience and a destination

Date and Place: 28 th June 2010, CA Block, Shalimarbagh, New Delhi . It was a usual day for people in Delhi , but for me it was the day when I started my journey to London , United Kingdom . I started off early to Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport as it was my maiden tour to abroad. The radio cab negotiated the traffic and took nearly 1 hour to reach the air port. I had seen domestic airports but international airport was new to me. The third terminal of IGI will be operational in couple of days and all the way I could see the posters of the terminal. I saw long queue of UAE bound passengers. Most of the people who came to bid adieu to them had moisten eyes. Persons coming with passengers can’t enter inside airport unless and until they have a pass which allows them to go only up to luggage section. The moisten eyes symbolizes tears of separation and pain of loneliness. As I pushed my luggage cart further ahead in the queue outside gate-4 of IGI, Delhi I saw more tears ...

Pink City and a White Ambassador…

In modern day Indian road which is dominated by new generation automobiles it is a rare sight to find a padmini fiat, an ambassador, a luna or a bajaj scooter. But there were days when these were the kings of Indian road. But with the passage of time and with the arrival of new improved model of cars, SUV in the market these models have taken a back stage. Recently a decision has been taken to phase out maruti-800 from the Indian market. During its hay days one has to book a bajaj scooter or maruti 800 well in advance and be in the waiting list to get the scooter.  These were the commodities which can be best described by the Onida’s tagline “Neighbor’s Envy and Owner’s Pride” (Some of you may remember the old Onida ad, with a man with horns. With the latest sensation NANO by TATA groups a lower middle class Indian who survives with hand to mouth is able to dream of a 4 wheeler for his family. But a recent failure in NANO (two NANO caught fire in the middle of the road) also ...

Keep walking… walk alone…….

                  The college campus bears a deserted look in sunday afternoons. If someone ventures out of the hostel and take the usual road to the college he/she might think that a curfew has been imposed and shoot at sight order has been in effect with snipers atop of the buildings baying for the blood of any defaulter of the rule. The silence gives an awkward feelings and it seems like a young widow along with her family members are mourning the sudden demise of her husband in a nerve breaking silence. The usually busting roads are deserted, except from the security guards who sit because of their duties. I tend to ask myself what goes on the mind of a private security man sitting in one place day and night in sun, rain and cold with virtually nothing to do. But let’s leave that topic aside. Because I don’t want to know and if ever I would be offered a job of a security personal in a private security f...

Valentines Day: A Personal Experience

Every year the month of February is much awaited for everyone. By the time of February the chilly weather of north India has some what given way to the sunny days, the Indian financial year is at its last phase and the common man eagerly await for the budget session of the parliament and the annual railway and financial budget. But February is the month for the people who are in love. They eagerly wait for the 14 th of Feb, the Valentines Day. Roman history is still in confusion about St. Valentine, his identity, his works and his death sentence. But the large part of the historian community believes that the saint was executed on 14h of February. And to honor his works on spreading peace and love world wide February 14 is celebrated as Valentines Day. Young man and woman irrespective of caste, creed, and religion and of geographical boundary express their heart felt desires to their loved ones by any means that is convenient to them. Different shops sell souvenirs, cards and gifts ...