SHAHEED BHAGAT SINGH by K.K. Khullar. Hem Publishers, New Delhi. Pp 154, Rs. 50. For The Tribune, Chandigarh | May 2, 1981 It is 50 years since Bhagat Singh made the supreme sacrifice for India's freedom. His memory has not faded with time. On the contrary, it has been reinforced and re-invigorated. He remains the beau ideal of all india and it would be difficult to find a corner of the country where he is unknown. Considering that he died at the young age of 24 and had a sh

For The Tribune | March 21, 1981 In the summer of 1967, my wife and I went for a visit to Lahaul. We thought those high remote valleys,...

For The Tribune | March 6, 1981 It was a wet winter evening in Cambridge. The rain dripped gently on the college lawns. The fog, as T.S. Eliot might say, curled about the ancient buildings. The yellow street lights gave everything an eerie appearance. My wife and I had gone to Wolfson College to dine with some Pakistani friends. At about 11 p.m. we walked down from the college to the main road to catch the last bus to our flat. Only an old lady was standing under the cold bu

For   The Sunday Tribune, Chandigarh | November 23, 1980 Falling administrative standards continue to cause concern among the public. Efforts have been made from time to time, particularly with the help of foreign experts, to improve matters. An American, Paul Appleby, came to India in the fifties, and submitted a report. Sir Malcolm Darling, a famous retired I.C.S. man, came in the sixties. Many others from the Ford Foundation, the United Nations and other world agencies ha

HERMIT KINGDOM – LADAKH by Major H.P.S. Ahluwalia. Vikas, New Delhi, Pp. 186. Rs 295. For The Tribune, Chandigarh | November 22, 1980 In...

For   The Sunday Tribune, Chandigarh | November 9, 1980 In the course of my official duties I once had occasion to meet a deputation of unregistered medical practitioners of Punjab. These are men who carry on the trade in the countryside. They argued for the honour of being declared “Registered Medical Practitioners.” The medical men present gave them dark looks and whispered in my ear: “Quacks”. Some certainly looked to me more like butchers than men on a mission of mercy.

For The Tribune | November 7, 1980 QUEEN VICTORIA'S MAHARAJA – DULEEP SINGH, 1838-93, by Michael Alexander and Sushila Anand. Vikas, New...

For   The Sunday Tribune, Chandigarh | October 26, 1980 Many years ago I was posted as Deputy Commissioner of Lahaul-Spiti. I fell in love with these inner Himalayan valleys and their fascinating people. Over the years, whenever opportunity occurred, I have tried to visit the area and spend some time in the remote Shangri-la. Last month I made yet another visit to Lahaul. Mr Partap Singh Kairon had in 1960 set up Lahaul-Spiti as a separate district. He developed a passionate

For The Tribune | September 9, 1980 The Edinburgh Festival held in September every year is famous the world over. Tourists come from all...

For The Tribune, Chandigarh | September 1, 1980 With my morning newspaper these days full of gory details of murder, stabbing and arson, I find some cheer in the remembrance of an incident long past. Some years back I went on a tour from Delhi to the Andamans. I had heard much of their green forests, snow white beaches and clear emerald green waters. I was keen to see this paradise in the ocean. There are more than 300 Islands, big and small, inhabited and empty, lush green a

For   The Tribune | July 18, 1980 The Orient Express was made famous by Agatha Christie. In the days of the raj the most romantic train on the subcontinent was the Frontier Mail which ran from Bombay to Punjab and the Khyber Pass. Men like John Masters have described the fascinating journey by this train, full of bearded Sikh soldiers and hawk nosed Pathans, from the sultry Bombay coast to the dry uplands of Punjab and the Frontier Province. The Punjab Mail was another such t

For The Hindustan Times Magazine | July 13, 1980 The qualities claimed for the former Indian Civil Service – the rule of law, a sense...

For   The Sunday Tribune, Chandigarh | July 6, 1980 We were sitting in a group with the conversation drifting from one thing to the other. The bank manager casually mentioned his doctor son, now settled in the U.S.A. "My other two sons have followed him", he said with a tinge of sadness. "Once gone they never come back." The famous Sportsman-turned-Administrator smiled, and said as if in confirmation: “I got a phone call from my son in Vancouver last week. He wanted my permi

For The Sunday Tribune | June 8, 1980 WE were sipping iced nimboo-pani with some friends. The conversation was about life at Chandigarh. “What is there to do in this dull city?" exploded the husband in virile Punjabi, "All you get here are serving or retired bureaucrats, and a duller lot would be hard to find. This city is like Bournemouth, a watering place for the superannuated. There is no cultural life, no political controversy, not even a worthwhile jalsa or riot. All i

For   The Sunday Tribune, Chandigarh | May 25, 1980 l first went to England in 1967.Coming from a soldiering family I was besieged with requests to call on old comrades. Over the years I had heard much from my father and uncles about the Englishmen they served with from the days almost of World War I. There was a Colonel Brownfoot who had recruited one uncle into a cavalry regiment, served in Africa with my grandfather, a ripe cavalry Risaldar in World War I. Brown

For   The Tribune | April 18, 1980 Possibly the most exclusive Indian club is a worldwide group of Punjabis. Since Punjabis are spread over the far corners of the globe, the membership perforce has to be an international one. Of course, it is another matter that when the members, like good Americans, decide to exchange visiting cards, they discover that they all hail from within 20 miles of Nawanshahr Doaba. The membership of this club is hard to come by, but the committee do

For   The Tribune | April 15, 1980 The Punjabi film industry will today receive formal recognition when the State Governor Mr Jaisukhlal Hathi, gives away the first ever State awards. The selections were made by a jury headed by Dr M.S. Randhawa. According to the jury, although State awards could only be given to Punjabi language films, the massive contribution of Punjabis to the national film industry also deserved recognition. It was decided, therefore, that at each annual

For The Tribune | April 10, 1980 Punjab is a dusty plain a thousand miles from the sea. The only water it knows of are the five sluggish meandering rivers that sustain its people. Even these are valued only for their irrigation potential. The Punjabi does not sport with them as do the Europeans with their waterways. Few Punjabis, in fact, care for swimming, fishing and other water sports. One would hardly expect to see Punjabis as sailors. The other day I fell in with two y