It has not been a particularly good fortnight for people of my vintage, brought up to regard the moon- that “silver deity of secret night”, as the poetess Lady Mary Montagu put it- as an object of mystery and romance cloaked in an impenetrable celestial halo. It has been the staple of Hindi films of […]
MY MOON IS MADE OF GREEN CHEESE, NOT TITANIUM Read More »
Now that the rains have mercifully abated in Himachal, the various Whatsapp groups have offered their anodyne prayers for the state, donations have been made to the CM’s Relief Fund to assuage consciences, and bureaucrats have made the right noises to cover up their silence when the environment was being raped over the years, it
A CITIZEN’S WISH LIST FOR A BATTERED HIMACHAL AND SHIMLA Read More »
These are challenging times for government pensioners, of which horde I am one. One suspects that the government resents the fact that we now live much longer, notwithstanding the tender care dished out by the CGHS. Pensions, or at least parts of them, are denied to us on the grounds that we have not submitted
START-UPS AND SCREW-UPS Read More »
The run up to the 2024 elections has begun. Motivated pre-poll surveys are popping up everywhere and confuse us on a daily basis, the Opposition has formed the I.N.D.I.A alliance whose future looks as precarious as that of the country it is named after, the BJP’s own 38 party alliance (not including the ED, CBI
THE EVIL THAT MEN (AND GOVERNMENTS) DO LIVES AFTER THEM… Read More »
Some readers may find this blog a bit on the morbid side, but hold your final verdict till you come to the end of it: you may finally feel that it is in fact uplifting, poignant and even heart-warming. Though it deals with death, or, to be more precise, dying. Last week an online friend
People who have had the debatable good fortune to have met me, and have survived the encounter, will tell you that I have an open mind on most subjects. Somewhat like the RSSwhen it comes to discussing the concept of secularism. For instance, I am willing to see the other/ bhakt point of view in
OF TESTIMONIALS, TESTICLES AND TESTING TIMES Read More »
The Sainj is the second of the four enchanting mountain streams in the GHNP (counting from the east), draining its central parts. Most people do not go beyond its confluence with the Tirthan at Larji village, about 35 kilometres below Kullu, and miss out on a fascinating experience- the journey to its source, the Rakti-Sar
THE CHAR DHAM OF THE GREAT HIMALAYAN NATIONAL PARK (II)- THE RIVER SAINJ Read More »
If there is one jewel in the crown of Himachal, it has to be the the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) in Kullu, spread over 750 sq.kms. of forested valleys, gushing mountain streams and snow covered mountains: it is also a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is a superlative repository of Himalayan flora and fauna,
THE CHARDHAM OF THE GREAT HIMALAYAN NATIONAL PARK – I THE TIRTHAN Read More »
Mr. Modi is the original fisherman when it comes to hawking red, now saffron, herrings. Which is why the CBI inquiry into the Balasore train accident smells so fishy. Could the government not have waited for at least the findings of the investigation by the Commissioner Railway Safety before ordering the inquiry? Suppose this report
OF INQUIRIES, RESIGNATIONS AND DEFECTORS–IT’S THE SAME OLD STORY Read More »
