Puneet's Page

Mr Qureshi is at it again. Beating the same old "Kashmir' drum. This time he did it in his address at the UN General Assembly, much to India's chagrin.  Typical ploy to divert attention of Pakistanis when there is trouble within the Country. Little realizing that this 'game' played by the politicians and the Army in that Country, cannot go on forever. For instance the Americans are already calling General Kayani, a liar.But that is another story. As regards 'plebiscite' in Kashmir is concerned - Mr. Qureshi should be categorically informed, that plebiscite is not the sole privilege of the Muslims of the State. The right to franchise in the plebiscite lies as much with Hindus and Sikhs, and the Buddhists in the State of J&K, as much with the Muslims. That's fair, isn't it? (That said I am personally not even convinced that it is a Hindu - Muslim issue. Peaceful co-existence between these two communities has been legendary, and generations old). ...

Less than two weeks to go. Teams from some Countries are already here. Is Indian ready - for what is easily one of the biggest events she has ever hosted in her history? An show that every Country would pride itself in putting up. A show that every guest attending would remember for a long, long time... Less than two weeks to go. Construction in stadia and the games village is still incomplete. And whatever is supposedly complete - some towers in the games village which houses the living apartments for the participating teams - have been clearly and unambiguously been certified as 'un livable'. Because animals are roaming around inside apartments and 'shitting' on top of the beds. Electrical systems are faulty and therefore there is danger to life. Yesterday, a foot bridge meant to be used by the team members and officials collapsed, injuring 23 people. A foreign journalist manages to purchase explosives - enough to organise 200 different explosions, stuff all of...

In an earlier note, I wrote about moral courage and the ability to stand upright for what one believes is right. I am reminded of one Army officer - a General known for his moral courage. That officer was Lt. General Hanut Singh - PVSM MVC. Many many know of Lt. Genl. Hanut Singh, as the elder cousin of Jaswant Singh -the famed leader of the BJP. Genl Hanut Singh is described by many - as a 'complete soldier'. He epitomized courage - moral as well as physical, fair mindedness a very high standard of morality, discipline and professionalism. Born into a proud clan of 'Rathor' Rajputs from 'Jasol' in Rajasthan, Hanut Singh joined the Joint Services Wing (JSW in Dehra Dun in 1949, and was commissioned into the '17 Horse' popularly known as the 'Poona Horse' in 1952. Poona Horse - a coveted cavalry regiment, had the unique distinction of having won 4 Victoria Crosses and two Param Vir Chakras -one in the 1965 war a...

The Joint Commissioner of Delhi Police (Traffic)-Mr. Satyendra Garg , has threatened, that if a driver driving on a Delhi road does not give way to an emergency vehicle-like and ambulance, fire engine etc. wanting to overtake, all such vehicles will be hauled up, and the drivers will have to pay a fine of Rs 100. Their vehicles could also be impounded. Finally, someone has decided to think about this problem ! I have in course of my daily commuting, been witness to this almost heart breaking spectacle on the roads of Delhi, when an ambulance with its siren shrieking, is desperately wanting to cut through the traffic and rush the patient to the hospital. I have wondered as to what must be going on in the minds of the occupants of the ambulance -specially the patients' attendants and near and dear ones, in this chaotic situation, where they must be totally helpless and frustrated. But then I also wonder at Mr. Satyendra Garg...

This is my second post on this subject, which is the involvement of the Armed forces in civilian matters. Lately, there has been a lot of debate about he dilution of the 'Armed Forces Special Powers Act' of the AFSPA as its popularly (or infamously, now) known. The people of Jammu & Kashmir, as well as the State Government are strongly lobbying for dilution, repealing or at least diluting this Act. Others - champions of human rights, NGOs and so on, have also found opportunity to 'drift with the flow'. The Army, on the other hand feels, that rather than diluting the Act, it should be made even more stringent, thus enabling the Army to be more effective in dealing with the task that it has been entrusted with - that of fighting insurgency. There is however, one dimension to this issue that sadly gets ignored always. In recent times, it is the Army that gets pulled in, at the drop of the hat, in almost any kind of civil emergency situation. The kind if situations that...

Today, is Asha Bhonsle's 73rd birthday. I wish her a long life. Her elder sister Lata Mangeshkar is- well -even older. I wish her a long life too. The contribution of the two sisters, to Indian cinema, and to music in India, cannot be praised enough. For over 60 years, both Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhonsle sang virtually every song as playback singers, that was recorded for a Hindi movie. They sang for regional language movies too - Punjabi, Gujarati, Bengali and Marathi, and sometimes even in South Indian languages. They won numerous awards, and generally enthralled audiences wherever they sang. Lata Mangeshkar's and Asha Bhonsle's contribution to Indian music has been immense. However, its high time both sisters called it a day. And I say this, not out of spite or jealousy or any other bad intention. Over a period of six decades, their voices and singing capability has undergone a change, and not for the better. And this can easily be gauged, by simply comparing songs sun...

So Sachin is an honorary Group Captain in the Indian Air Force now. In a much publicised ceremony - attended by none other than the Marshal of the Air - Arjan Singh, and a large number of Air Force Officers, other Government dignitaries and the media, Sachin was conferred this honor, by the Chief of Air Staff - Air Chief Marshal Naik. Many thoughts related to this event crossed my mind then, and I continue to think about it even now. I admire Sachin Tendulkar -for his achievements as a cricketer, and for his huge contribution to Indian cricket. I saw photos of the function in which Sachin was honored. I saw him, wearing an IAF uniform. At the same time I couldn't help notice his long hair, side burns, and an unshaven face. For a moment that image reminded me of the 'rogue' policemen that one comes across is so many of Bollywood movies. Those cops, who are dishonest, corrupt, and those that generally bring a bad name to the service. Now I don't have anything personal ...

The year was 1989. I was a rather ‘junior’ Sales Manager – recently ‘covenanted’ which meant having joined the ranks of the management cadre after successful completion of the training program. One day, news came around that two truck loads of biscuit, manufactured in our sister Branch – Calcutta, and being transferred to our Branch – Delhi, were held up at a Sales Tax check post on the Bihar UP border, at Balia. The officials suspected something was wrong with the documentation accompanying the stock on the trucks, and this practically amounted to violation of sales tax rules. The official threatened to formally seize the stock, and this would mean a complete loss because biscuits being food products, were perishable. My Boss – a seasoned sales professional of twenty years, and normally a very confident and dynamic decision maker, faced a predicament this time – a rare occasion. And my counterpart - the Sales Manager for UP, who should have, in the normal course of things taken the re...