Happy Birthday to you, Ma

She was the pivot, the motivator, the inspiration of our lives; the epitome of courage- courage of conviction; the symbol of faith-unflinching, unshakable, unbreakable faith in Almighty God and goodness of the world; the faith that tomorrow would be better for sure; the faith that the good must prevail and the bad, the nasty, the ill-intentioned would for sure fail. She was the embodiment of compassion, touchstone of human kindness and ever so ready to hold, protect and heal with care and  laad pyaar !! She was grace and humility personified. With fortitude and resilience she overcame the toughest of circumstances, the most challenging times, the testing travails. The so called sorrows of the world, the tragedies caused by the Destiny brought forth the mettle, the strength of her character and personality, her bearing of strong moral, ethical and family values, the impact of education and training of mind and heart. Nothing, absolutely nothing could ever narrow her vision and thinking. Her 'soch' was global, her interest in the human kind, her compassion encompassed the world, transcended the domain of 'kith and kin'. Today, while listening to Javed Akhtar's interpretation of Rahim's : 'Rahiman nijman ki vyatha, man hi rakho goye..' I realised how, like a truly creative poet, writer, blessed human being, she valued the privacy of her sorrows and was able to transform them into human compassion with perseverance, thoughtfulness and simple large -heartedness. Her simplicity, genuineness and generosity touched the lives of many a known, unknown persons who came into contact with her.

On this day, I salute her, my Ma, while wishing her Happy Birthday, all that want to  say is: I am proud to have been born as her daughter...and I miss her…miss her sooo much.

7th November, 2014

eBook - 'Main Sharnagat, Mere Saaheb'

Here is eBook version of my latest publication 'Main Sharnagat, Mere Saaheb'.

eBook - MAA THANDI CHHAON

eBook - Sharnagati

eBook - Shiva Maan

eBook - Safar Lafzon Ka

Truly A Noble Soul - Mr. J.C. Anand

'Papa ji passed away..' the message choked me.  

The sense of loss for the family is so very personal, immeasurable and unfathomable. It is a loss irreparable for the society and nation, too. 

He was a proud father of doting daughters -Mrs. Meenakshi Anand Chaudhary, Urvashi Gulati, Keshni Anand Arora. Nurturing, educating, training and making the dream of all three daughters to be in the IAS come true is an achievement both inimitable and unparalleled. His daughters are the finest of officers who have achieved the highest echelons in bureaucracy. Above all, they are revered  as the best of human beings and it must have been a matter of great pride for him as father.

I feel blessed to have met him when he visited Kurukshetra during Gita Jayanti festival-the most laudable initiative of Mrs. Urvashi Gulati for Dharamkshetra Kurukshetra.  It was an honour to have been complimented by him for my work in Kurukshetra Development Board. 

Madam Urvashi Gulati would often talk about him- his exhortation to just ignore negative remark, question or cribbing;  his compassion to sponsor treatment of cancer patients; his pride in self-dependence.  He personified dignity and grace-the hallmarks of a noble soul. 

The precincts of Political Science department of Panjab University he adorned for decades and enriched lives of hundreds and hundreds of students through mentoring and teaching which would bear his indelible imprints for generations to come.

A few days ago Mrs. Urvashi Gulati had inaugurated a block in Panjab University Campus - her alma mater and she was excited like a child to tell Papa Ji about it - something she could not do.

There is a prayer in Vedas: jeevem shardah shatam/pashyem shardah shatam/ shrinuyam sharda shatam/adeena syam sharda shatam/bhooyashch sharda shatat. (Yajur Veda 36:24)

With all the faculties intact, the heart stopped pumping-it is His grace. Wish he had lived to see his third daughter, too become the Chief Secretary!

A life so much filled with grace and dignity, pride and humane-ness cannot pass away, would continue to live through his daughters and grand children.

Kulraj Madam and F.C.College for Women, Hisar

The day in August, 1984 when she joined F.C. College for women, was a landmark.There was a ruffle with the landing of a charming, fresh and intense looking, graceful lecturer clad in light green in the English department !! The shhhhhhhhhhhhhh was not just amongst students but in staff room, too.

My first encounter with her was to make her note the time table and honestly, I had never seen such neat, organized, attractively scribbled personal timetable !! Naturally, I felt very shy and embarrassed as to what she might have thought of me as my papers containing college time table were as messy as could be with so many cuttings and over writing!!  

FCC had always been known for its smart looking staff. But her simplicity added  a new dimension to it- an awe inspiring presence and an inimitable style and dress sense. 

As a teacher she has influenced lives of hundreds of students whom she directly taught but thousands of students fondly think of her, admire her for a number of ways she has touched their lives through literary activities, functional English and above all as Mentor who would guide them, counsel, too whenever looked up to by whosoever. Many of them may not be able to express how but she has made a difference in an inexplicable way. 

She has made an indelible mark on lives of not just students but also the members of faculty -young and old-who have found in her a benefactor, a guide and a friend. I do not think any one member of any faculty would have as numerous 'likes' as she has enjoyed throughout her teaching career of three decades.

The thorough, unblemished, dedicated, selflessly nurtured three decade long association with any institution is indeed laudable, appreciable and much to be indebted for. As a teacher, an academician and a human being, she is gem of 'the purest ray serene'. I wish and pray the College authorities would not part with her for they may not realize now but for sure the institution is going to lose a lot of its charm and beautiful aura by her absence. The void would never be filled; the vacuum would be there -always. 

Walking down the memory lane, the distance of time and space have waned and faded and I can feel once again as I did in an August of thirty years ago when her steps ushered her in the precinct of FC College for Women, Hisar-the place she leaves today to make a new beginning. For sure 'the best is yet to be'. I, for one, find it hard to imagine the FCC without  K.

I am already missing her there wherein I ceased to be long ago.

A Tribute To Candy Crush

‎I had always been wary of video games. Could never ‎really understand how my sisters would appreciate Solitaire so much that they would be seen every now and then engrossed in it. Could never go beyond three four games in Wordosaur. But three months ago I was 'taught' to play candy crush and was warned, too that it's very addictive game. Only half believed it as I was over confident that it could not be my cup of tea!! And lo! I started playing.

The candies attracted with their colors and shapes; the stripped candies were awaited as were donuts whose worth I realized quite late!! Soon I could see candies when I would lie down to sleep. It had happened when I had first learnt to type manually on the Remington make  type writer after matriculation exams (Those were the days when, I think, every child after tenth was supposed to learn typing!!). The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog would flash before the inward eye in those vacant moments at night with image of  fingers tapping the 'q' on the extreme left top and an 'o'‎ on top row second from right. Similarly, candies and jellies' clearance started affecting me. I confess having traveled to Future Time often in order to 'cheat' the computer-time-believer-innocent-game ‎as to buy myself 'full' sets of five games to enable me clear the levels!! I didn't know this side of me hitherto.

 I generally keep my mini i Pad  with me. So during travel or a few moments of leisure after lunch I would witness myself busy with candy crush saga!! I abhorred the bombs yet persisted on with games that would ultimately annihilate them. Initially I played with music on but it's monotony was not welcome. Besides, the sound‎ after a failure in clearing the level along with picture of a hefty, bearded Aladdin's genie telling you: 'you failed !' is intimidating indeed!! 

It had a positive impact, too. During my regular dhyan  before sleep, I could feel all the negativity crumbling down by the good candies‎ and the dancing fish following the 'sugar crush' would mean visualization of all things positive. If only this were all! But I confess how a loss or win in a game became a ‎tashan before the exams that I was appearing in recently. It was too much and I would reprimand myself for indulging in candy crush at wee hours to be through in exams the next day!!       

All said and done, the game is addictive indeed. I felt very bad when Maneesha who suggested and taught me how to play candy crush backed out of the game feeling it was consuming too much of time and that she  hated the bombs and didn't want to be terrorized while playing a game for fun only. True. But even this hasn't stopped me. Blame it on the stress that I have often found myself surrounded with. Hence, the need for a stress buster like candy crush is well justified, I tell myself. So much so that I have not refrained from seeking the help of candy crush cheats to clear a level I find myself struck at! I have not really wished in this case to prioritize, keep- time -apart principle and let myself go.    

One thing I really could not do-Ask friends to give life or unlock a level. So, I confess I have 'paid' my apps world to help me do the needful. 

Yes, I have been shy of projecting on face book my 'achievements' lest I am dubbed a candy crush freak!!