DIL TO BACHHA HAI JI

 Oh the joy of finding small treasures on our morning walks, these could be a peacock feather, a raw mango which had been the victim of heavy winds severing it from the tree or even beautiful jasmine flowers with the pleasant aroma in the air or sighting of a bird hatching its eggs. You must be wondering, which resort provides these on a platter, where you can plan your next outing, well the answer is, this heavenly abode is Mhow, where we the blessed ones get to spend some precious time. For us, this opportunity is all the more special, as soon it will be time to bid adieu and move to the hustle and bustle of Indore. Although Mhow is just about 30 kms from Indore where we intend to move shortly but these two towns are as different as chalk and cheese, one is a budding metro with aspiring gentry, the youth raring to go, the other is a retired person’s (like me) haven, where time stands still. The morning evening walks, watching sunrise and sunset from your own dwelling, the multiple hues and colours of dusk, the chirping of birds in the garden, the squirrels and butterflies keeping us company and with no honking horns or blaring music, pollution free breeze, this place is pure bliss. How I wish we could continue to stay here, but life’s compulsions force us to move on, at least for now.

These walks are very fruitful as I invariably end up picking up some fruits which have fallen down by the roadside. These days it is mango season and naturally I find plenty of them, which in normal course would just rot away, as surprise of surprises, firstly there aren’t very many people enjoying the salubrious environs out for these walks and secondly even those who are out don’t bother to bend down for such lowly activities. I for one, have no such qualms, in fact I rather enjoy it, as it reminds me of my childhood, when my younger sibling Sujay and self would pick these raw mangoes on our way back after morning Tennis in the local club in Dhar. The lip smacking raw mango chutney was a delicacy which my mother would serve us during the lunch, if we hadn’t already partaken them straight. These pickings were not restricted to mangoes, but even Amlas (Indian Gooseberry), jamun, guavas or tamarind all was fair game. The activity was taken to a different level in our residential school, where it was not just pickings, it was well planned and executed raids, where gardens of master’s houses were targeted and some of us armed with pillow cases to store the loot used to go on this early morning adventure. Invariably we would end up picking these fruits rather raw, but that didn’t matter, the thrill of quietly sneaking in, climbing the trees,  collecting the fruits and then making a quiet undetected get away required military precision. This was sort of baptism for our later years when we would indulge in the same activities as a profession, no not the stealing but the raids and ambushes as  military tactics.

Some of you may know a certain author by the name of KP Saxena, a renowned Hindi humorist, famous as the dialogue writer of film “Lagaan”. He was a regular contributor to children’s Hindi magazine,”Parag”, which we subscribed and really enjoyed reading. One of the stories in that related to a seventy-two year old grand pa who would spoil his grand kids and have fun behaving just about their age, aptly titled,”Bahattar Sal ka Bachha”. I am not there yet, but sure enough we all are heading in that direction at breakneck speed. Almost six decades gone in the blink of an eye literally, but the child within is still live and kicking which still indulges in these occasional mischiefs because “Dil to bachha hai ji..”

Incidentally this morning the treasure trove was almost a kg and a half worth of mangoes, which shall be savoured immediately after I finish this piece, so long..

HOW MANY RAFALES DOWN

 

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How many Rafales down? The question is now playing like a stuck record and reminds one of the song, “Who let the dogs out?” OP SINDOOR as we all know is a  military operation where India and Pak have not just exchanged a few shells but have actually gone ballistic literally. The Operation is currently paused, as declared by the Govt of India. There have been claims that India has lost some aircrafts in this four day skirmish. Although the question when posed to Air Marshal Bharti on 10th May during the debriefing itself, was  responded to tongue in cheek that in any such military offensive action there are bound to be losses, the pilots however are safe. The CDS Gen Chauhan too responded to a similar query recently in Singapore, mentioning that it is not important as to how many went down, what was remarkable was to drive the lessons home and execute operations immediately after that. It is obvious that some aircrafts were forced out of action, else the rebuttal would have been a categorical denial of the claims by the adversary. In the same breath, it is worth pondering over that the Pak claim of six aircrafts going down that too at least four of them in Punjab and Rajasthan could not be substantiated by a single incontrovertible evidence, as there were no debris traced anywhere. In this age of social media, that is quite unusual, where as there were plenty of videos  which emerged from across the border their air bases and terrorist organisational headquarters were visibly damaged. 

Aircrafts are  highly complex platforms and these could be plagued by technical snags even mid flight, which though highly undesirable and improbable but can’t be ruled out. But the exact numbers and the reasons thereof must already be addressed by the IAF. As of now why this clamour to know the exact numbers is really not understood. In the fog of war, casualties are inevitable  both of men and material but are never made public while the Operation is on.

Adversaries would be keen to know as it effects them directly, if the aircraft did go down due to technical reasons alone, it implies that their weapon systems failed to deliver. But if the Rafale or any other platform did go down due to PL-15 then they are reassured abut the efficacy of their systems. Warfare is no longer just simply kinetic in nature, but a lot of other factors are at play as well. One important dimension of warfare these days is Information Warfare, where Perception Management happens to be a major pillar. Things cannot be hidden for long and ultimately the truth will emerge, so by withholding the information  we have provided an opportunity to the adversary to indulge in the false propaganda. Perceptions once formed tend to crystallise and even facts to the contrary are deemed as suspect and a cover up.  The nations who are arms exporters too have their own vested interests. This was the first occasion when Chinese systems  were tested in the battlefield and global powers were awaiting the verdict of this deadly duel.On the very next day Dassault, the French makers of Rafale  shares took a hit and the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation got a boost, but that was short lived as facts started to emerge and the share market did the necessary course corrections.

The opposition has every right to hold the government of the day accountable but there is a time and place for it. Government too needs to rein in its spokespersons and refrain from drawing political mileage, which in any case will benefit them. Even if the claims by the adversary turn out to be true, the opposition should have sought the answers to their query in confidence rather than through the media. Pursuing this course is pure politicking, aim being to neutralise any gains which the ruling dispensation has gained due to the success of the operation. We need to be on our guard, as situation is still tense. Matters of national security should not be trivialised, so hold your horses folks, you will get your answer at the appropriate time.  

The Wannabe Cowboy

 "Hey what is with your beard?" was my bitter better half's reaction, my nonagenarian Dad admonished,"Just because you have retired doesn't mean you can move around in such a slovenly manner, go shave." I have yet to  recover from these barbs, here I was trying to ace my Clint Eastwood look, a childhood icon. I mean honestly who in our generation doesn't recall "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" and its unforgettable signature tune. As it is, the cowboy movies were always such a rage with us, the Gunfight at OK Corral variety and Country music like that of Kenny Rogers and Don Williams. What attracted me were the  "stetson hats" and these hats didn't just fit in with the clean shaven chins, a rugged unshaven look was a prerequisite to carry this persona. Alas, in uniform, it remained a dream unfulfilled, where each morning the razor dutifully struck the night stubble with vengeance removing any and every trace, down to the roots of that tiny little sprout which dared to make an appearance. Some credit must go to the perseverance of these follicles too, for years they have been literally nipped in the bud, but they don't give up or give in, just keep at it. I wonder if it is hope which keeps them alive or they have simply resigned themselves to their fate like the poor chick which knows its eggs are destined to reach the breakfast table in the form of omelettes only.

So here I was, a veteran of 38 years in uniform with an additional four years   in  training academies, where too, we had to perforce subject our chins to this unmitigated torture daily, without a break. As a kind hearted soul that I am, I took pity on my chin and also on these strands which stand out like the much abused "parali" (left over stubble after harvesting in a field), waiting to be executed yet again. But this world does not believe in such harmless acts, where we are essentially providing some much needed relief to our own face, letting it be as it was ordained to be, by the Almighty himself. I am sure "beard" itself would have demanded a special status as none objected to the hair on the upper lip, which could be twirled  proudly as moustaches. Just imagine, merely a pair of lips away, such discrimination, high time the Supreme Court took suo  moto notice and issued directives and prevent this   unceremonious butchering. No wonder, the beard has got its vengeance, with the young generation of kids going with the bearded look, taking a cue from their Cricket stars like Kohli, Rahul, Rohit et al, for a change, the youth have forsaken the clean shaven Shahrukh, Amir, Saif, Akshay, Sunny look totally. 

So here I was in an act of rebellion, trying to stand shoulder to shoulder or should I say beard to beard in an act of solidarity with our 'Gen Zee'. Yes there were more grey than black in the salt and pepper growth of mine but, finally I had broken the shackles of razors, blades, shaving gels and after shave lotions. I was loving my look, donned the stetson a dozen times, stood in front of the mirror admiring what the mirror on the wall reflected. It took almost ten days or may be twelve, to get into this avatar  of mine, but there was one major problem, the damn thing was always itching, I applied oils, creams but they only provided temporary relief. Now looks are deadly but then this came at this unwanted cost where one was always trying to provide some relief from the discomfort. Looking for a way out of this self inflicted torture, I decided to give in and revert to the same old myself but naturally I did it as a favour to my better half, that I had heeded to her call much against my wishes and had sacrificed my Cowboy dreams. Sorry  Cowboy.. time for you to stay in vivid imaginations only as of now......except that I have put this photo on the book cover, where it shall stay forever.

 

OPERATION SINDOOR : TECHNICAL KNOCK OUT OR STALEMATE

“Chickens have come home to roost”, it is payback time for Pakistan, having indulged in terrorism as a statecraft and mastered the art of doublespeak, this time around they have bitten more than they can chew. The serene and gentle plains of Pahalgam  were bloodied in the mindless communal massacre, thus provoking the Indians to retaliate in the similar form as on previous occasions in Uri and Pulwama. But the tragedy of such a script is that it is written by both the sides and India has outgrown the self imposed cautious restraint. Today with the tag of world’s fastest growing economy which stands as the fourth largest in terms of GDP, Indian Govt has the wherewithal to tackle Pakistan in all the domains, be it military, economic or diplomatic which has been demonstrated in the last three days.

India has set itself a very clear mandate that the terrorist infrastructure must be targeted relentlessly and since there are no terrorist camps here, Pak has decided to up the ante by targeting civilians and military targets.

This has provided India the opportunity to target certain military targets as well. The fact that India thwarted all Pak attempts of retaliation by drones and missiles effectively with its S400 AD system, aptly named Sudarshan Chakra, should serve as a lesson to Pak military not to unnecessarily indulge in adventurism and push their nation towards disintegration.

The chronology of events which commenced with the speech by Pak Chief of Army Staff Gen Asim Munir to overseas Pakistanis was a clear indication of his nefarious designs. It is also widely known that he is a highly unpopular leader both in the Pak Army as also with the civilians. In order to shore up his reputation and to divert the attention of the masses, he has followed the same old path which his predecessors have been following. The bogey of India and Hindus has been known to work in their country which was born out of hatred for Hindus only. 

Pak army has always been dominated by the Punjabi Mussalman with the other ethnicities playing the second and third fiddle. At the time of partition, and for the first two odd decades their army still retained the ethos of the old British Indian Army and were free from religious dogmas. ZIa ul Haque, the Pak dictator who hanged Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in 1978 after overthrowing his democratically elected Govt was the first one to seek the support of the mullah lobby. As luck would have, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan also occurred at the same time and the Americans got the opportunity they were waiting for. Pak provided them the bases, training camps for the mujahideen, the Americans chipped in with cash and military hardware as also trained this ragtag force into fierce fighters. While all this was going on, Pak Army slowly and gradually started to get more and more Islamic in their approach and conduct. So much so that the militant mujahideen became a strategic asset of the army itself and were integrated into their tactical doctrines. It worked well initially as these terrorists were then diverted towards arch enemy India to execute their philosophy of ‘bleeding by thousand cuts’. Unfortunately they did not take into account the resilience and grit of our nation and the inherent strength of the institutions here.

OPERATION SINDOOR is thus not in isolation, it is an ongoing process where Pak frustration at the normalisation of conditions in Kashmir Valley, the economic stability and growth of this strife torn part had to be challenged. The message in Pahalgam was crystal clear, take the bait and walk into their well laid out ambush. Pak is supposed to have mastered the art of ‘cultivated irrationality’, and this was another example where with the nuclear overhang, any major conventional operation by India could invite a nuclear response by Pak. Perception management is a very crucial part of international diplomacy and statecraft, where Pak has been a past master and a tit for tat response can always be addressed by their own narratives. Modi Govt has called his  nuclear bluff on last two occasions also and this time gone ahead and carried out precision strikes with ample proof for the world to see and take note. 

Pakistan was bound to retaliate but their response was found wanting and effectively neutralised by Indian Armed Forces. The current situation is still developing, however international diplomacy has already swung into action. It appears that the Americans push to get India and Pak to cease hostilities has borne fruit, as both the nations had not declared themselves formally at war. This window needs to be exploited as lessons have been driven home. A war will be devastating for Pak but even Indian economy too will suffer in the bargain. Some sanity seems to have been driven into Pak, which is evident by the ceasefire declared. While analysts can continue to debate as to how this was brought about, could be IMF loan, could be a strict push by the Americans or may be even the losses suffered and its inability to carry on much longer, but it’s more than welcome. Let us hope for the best! 

EK CHUTKI SINDOOR KI KEEMAT

OPERATION SINDOOR, what an apt name for an unprecedented operation, its symbolism was not lost on anyone when two lady officers, of the Indian Armed Forces, one a Muslim and the other a Hindu,  accompanied the External Affairs Secretary for the press briefing, after the execution of the precision strikes by India on Pak terror camps and headquarters in Pak Occupied Kashmir as also in Pak Punjab. We all have heard and watched the electronic media describing the actual operation and its endless analysis, where most of the experts have elaborated on this act as one of retribution or 'badla'. More on this aspect of 'revenge' later. But first we need to focus on the significance of this 'vermillion', which is such an integral part of our culture. It is not a mere coloured powder, it is a sign of the rich tradition of unwavering commitment to the betrothed, not just for one, but multiple lives.

Married women adorn themselves with Sindoor is common knowledge, the practice dates back to Ramayana  days, when Mata Sita put it to please Bhagwan Ram, watching this Hanuman ji, covered his whole body with vermillion goes the folklore. Idols of Hanuman ji even today is thus covered with vermillion and its application on the forehead is considered very auspicious. Although the feminists have been up in arms against this practice as an archaic tradition, signifying a lower status of women in society, but on the contrary, vermillion is  a source of  love, energy, devotion, integrity and strength. So much so that Bengali women celebrate Vijayadashami with 'Sindur Khela', while bidding farewell to Ma Durga after  the Durga Pooja festivities.  The terrorists and their backers did not realise the strength of this "chutki of sindoor"; obviously they haven't read about Savitri, who took on Yamraj himself for the sake of her sindoor and forced him to give in and grant Satyavan, her husband the boon of life.

Now getting back to avenging the dastardly communal terrorist act of killing 26 men duly identifying their religious denomination, the fact that they reportedly told the ladies to inform the PM about this act, was throwing an open challenge to our nation. India had to payback as the 26/11 Mumbai attack days are well behind us, as demonstrated by surgical strikes post Uri attacks and Balakot air strikes post Pulwama. With the  traditional vermillion tilak on their forehead, and the blessing of “Vijayi bhav” (May victory be yours!), the Armed Forces under the able guidance of the Prime Minister have taken it upon themselves to teach the errant Pakis a lesson for life. Don't mess with sindoor, it will wipe you and your country from the face of this earth. Our Western neighbour is notorious for not honouring any of their commitments which they have made, and they are known to lie through their teeth right since their inception. No wonder they don’t understand that for us Indians our word carries a lot of meaning. We believe in ‘Universal Brotherhood’, but also carry a big stick, when someone refuses to honour his side of the commitment. The nefarious designs of sowing seeds of discord amongst the communities by targeting only Hindus is not going to work, as since times immemorial, the inherent secular culture of our nation  is our biggest strength, it is a bond as strong as that of Sindoor. So watch out...

PAHALGAM

PAHALGAM 

Pahalgam, “mini Switzerland” in the pristine Kashmir Valley has always been a favourite with the tourists, also an ideal locale for film shootings. With the onset of Summers, tourists were thronging the Kashmir Valley in thousands, enjoying the fruits of normalisation of situation, post abrogation of Article 370. As a consequence, complacency tends to set in, we had to pay a vey heavy  price of this security lapse. 28 precious lives snuffed out brutally, the perpetrators making it a point to confirm the religious identity of the victim before shooting him.

As a first step, diplomatic actions have been initiated, suspension of Indus Water Treaty being the principal one amongst them. It is a contentious issue with many analysts asking the pertinent question that in the absence of any water storage infrastructure, is it merely tokenism or is there some tangible gain expected to accrue from this action. We have to trust our leaders that they must have also debated this before announcing these actions. What next? 

The dilemma which Indian Govt is faced with right now is, what will be the befitting response to the terror attack in Pahalgam, as Balakot type air strikes or surgical strike post Uri are practically ruled out. The reason is obvious, surprise is the major factor at play in such actions and our neighbour is expecting us and is ready with his arsenal in place. Modi ji has sprung surprises and the Armed Forces played their role to perfection inflicting serious damage to the terrorist camps, keeping the threshold below a full scale war. Armchair analysts sitting in air-conditioned studios wage their own brand of warfare on a daily basis, but wars are fought with a purpose, keeping an end state in mind and India would do well not to  get sucked into a Russia-Ukraine kind of abyss. But that does not mean punitive action should not be taken, and I am sure that kinetic action will follow and will not be on predictable lines.

We as citizens also have a role to play, instead of venting our impotent rage on social media platforms, can we form groups comprising not just hundreds, not just thousands but in lakhs cutting across religious lines, march into the Valley with Muslim brothers leading the charge. Simply swamp the terrorists, their sympathisers, overwhelm them, spread out into the valley every nook and corner, take your vehicles, hire transport, be self sufficient. Strength is in our numbers, and don’t you forget, if we are 100 of us and four of these terrorists confront us, we can charge on them, they can kill may be five or injure another couple but ultimately they will be scared and will run away, chase them. Prove it to the world that we can’t be scared by these cowards. 

I know this sounds radical, but the message goes home to their backers that we can’t afford to fool around any longer. This attack is not just on tourists, it is against the idea of India and we Indians  will leave no stone unturned to protect not just this idea but also our people and our boundaries.

UNSOLVED MYSTERIES

UNSOLVED MYSTERIES

 "Bermuda Triangle",  also known as 'Devil's Triangle' the name itself is shrouded in mystery. Most of us recall this piece of geography in the North Atlantic Ocean bounded by Bermuda, Florida and Puerto Rico which had gained notoriety for reported disappearance of ships, aircrafts and people without any trace. While all kinds of theories have been propounded some as outlandish as this being the gateway to another dimension or that Aliens were somehow responsible for these acts. The reader must be at a loss as to why this 'kolaveri di' on such an obscure place which is so far removed from the current mess which the world finds itself in. There are no mysteries here, we all know where our money has vanished in the Tariff War, but there are some articles in our household which have displayed similar traits of disappearance without any trace. 

Before you go ahead, a statutory warning is mandatory as we are going into uncharted territories here at our own risk. So here goes, the first in the list  is the ubiquitous 'safety pin', which has been the saviour of many a damsel in distress. Many wardrobe malfunctions have been prevented from occurrence due the strength which these pins have displayed. Since it is such a handy accessory to have, its absence is almost catastrophic and can potentially lead to some tantrums on a lower end of the scale to a mini earthquake of sorts with the dressing tables and wardrobes bearing the  brunt. Safety pins are bought by the dozens or may be even scores but somehow magically they evaporate into thin air in due course. A distant cousin of safety pin is the ‘hair pin’, which also

displays similar traits, as they save the beauties many a blushes by tucking in the lustrous locks  at appropriate places. These too are procured in bulk and are observed to be lying idly by the bedside, on the dresser, in the rest rooms, on the basins, in the purses and the vanity boxes but suddenly one fine day they all do the Houdini act landing the lasses in a lurch.

While these two articles are part of the personal dressing of  the dames but there is yet another

thing which concern the ladies more but we all are equally effected. The clothespin clip, an item which keeps the clothes on the clothesline and prevents them from flying away or falling from grace into the dirt and grime on the floor. In fact in the metros, it is the balconies where all the clothes are hung to dry and without these pins some items can land scandalously in the balconies of lower floor occupant’s premises. This falling down  will result in a fall out of unimaginable proportions. 

Unsolved mysteries like the Bermuda Triangle or the case of missing safety pins, hair pins or the clothesline clips I bet is beyond the legendary Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot. 

You must be wondering what has got into me that I have started delving into the household stuff, well suffice to say that I am a retired person with plenty of time at hand, running errands, one of these is self  inflicted, trying to collect the elusive clothesline clips. I know I have barely touched the tip of the iceberg here, readers will add to this list and will look forward to the additions in the comments.