MEMORIES TO CHERISH

OLD BOYS MEET:

Childhood memories are beautiful !The school-days spent during childhood is filled with fun and laughter.There is wholesome laughter and experiments with all, including nature and its surroundings!The life is carefree as one is not bothered about anything like a job, career or money. This is more so, when one is in a boarding school where one has a 24hours interaction with each other.
We had a gathering as Old Boys Association of Sainik School, Bhubaneswar in New Delhi recently. All the Ex Students Of my school, that is Sainik School, Bhubaneswar who were in and around Delhi were invited to the OBA meet in an Officers Mess in Delhi Cantt. The programme was scheduled at 7:30 pm onwards! As expected the old boys started arriving from 7:30 pm onwards! I was there by 7:45 pm. As I entered, I came across some familiar faces, whom I had met in the last year's meet . There was warmth , a sense of belonging-ness and and the pride to be an SSBian. The eyes, while meeting with the other SSBian expressed it. Oh! How we longed to be together, again ! The interactions started with drinks. Teachers Scotch for me! As the snacks did the rounds , we came across some familiar faces, some just immediate seniors, some very seniors, some like our father figures with their decorations in the armed forces ! It was a matter of pride, to be amongst the achievers, achievers in their own field. There was a sense of one-ness amongst all. The programme was lively with music and songs. It led to dance at times. The children who were accompanied by their parents were seen around playing There was a life, to the party! We all discussed about our life, career, family and kids and any future plans which we dreamt!
I was very happy to meet some of my friends and seniors whom I met after a long time! I met Rajendra Patra, who was one year senior to me. He was brilliant! A genius in his batch. Very ideal, disciplined, a role model to his juniors, who wanted to excel in academics. We shared the same hostels in school. Both in Narmada as Junior and Mahanadi as Senior Hostels. He is still the same. Very reserved, disciplined and idealistic to me. Although, I met him before in Delhi, it was after a gap of almost 15 years now that I was meeting him! There was warmth in his talks. He is now married with two kids, a son and a daughter. Now, as a father, he looked very happy. I remember spending my weekends, in his own house for almost a year in Delhi, which he bought after he was back from Dubai in 1994. He was single and so I enjoyed his company on Saturdays and Sundays, in his house discussing everything under the earth and life. He vividly remembered my days with him, in School! Once, he took out, a passport photograph of mine that he had taken from me in school as a token of memory. It was not a good passport photograph! It was the photograph that was taken by the photographer in school, who comes to take our photos to be attached in our class-X examination application form . My face was more oily and too black and odd-looking! These photographs are done in a hurry and that too taken in the Cycle stand with the wall of the notice board as the background which was just under the Tagore Assembly Hall in the School Building! My eyes moistened, seeing this photograph with RPatra. Then he said, "Look Alok, now I feel very haapy. Happy to say, that once two toppers of each class in their two previous hostels are together! Together, on this balcony of my home, sipping tea with the weather so beautiful, outside! It was raining. A shower of rain was outside as we faced the road on his balcony! I don't know what happened to me, I had some water drops suddenly flowing from my eyes! Some four-five drops! May be, they were tears ! Tears, out of joy, belonging-ness, one-ness or affection, I don't know. I am still confused to say, how it could happen! He is the RPatra that I met after a gap of 15 years! The years, have made me, as well as him a tougher man to face the life as it comes!
I met Salil, my classmate in School here. We were admitted to the School in Class VI on the same day , that was on the 5th of July 1976. He is as happy, as he was in School. Very sensitive. Very polished, in his mannerism and approach! I remember he used to hum the song " Suno !, Kaho !, Kuchch Hua Kya ?" after we headed to have tea after the afternoon-games though the parade ground. This was when,we saw films on Saturdays in the School. The songs and dialogues were normally enacted by all, during leisure-hours by all the students, who fancied Films and Cine-Stars! Almost everyone did and fantasized to be a Dharmendra romancing Hema!
I met PRPati, two years senior to me in School here too.I remember him as a handsome, healthy and a fair guy, who was once scolded by one Mr.Mallick, the Physics Lab-Asst. He was doing some practicals on the corridor on "Resonance". Our class was quite close to the Physics-labs.The scolding was hilarious! It made our class roar with laughter! Mr.S.Mallick had then just shouted to PRPati " PRPati ! Don't show your Doo..ddha (Breasts) to me. Apparently, it was due to Pati 's chest-button being open which had irritated Mr.Mallick. Opening of chest button in school days, meant a sense of superiority to us. Keeping one's shirt out , Wearing Chappals to every activity, Wearing dirty dresses, uncut hair were some of the traits of superiority, that only seniors or brave kids dared!
Then I met PKSatpathy, two years senior to me in school.He was very popular in school-days as he was the House Captain of Yamuna House. Very smart and active,in thosedays! He is smarter even today! I remember him during my days in JNU, while we were students. He was a very happy,romantic and yet a very emotional guy in JNU.I remember once, when we were having tea once, around Ganga Dhaba, in JNU and there was some discussion about family and mothers.There was this Satpathy, who said his mother was so happy once, to receive a money-order from him that brought tears to his eyes! His emotion was equally shared by each of us who knew the essence of the mother.His mother boasted about her son caring her so much amongst her neighbours that,he almost choked to complete his feelings! We shared the same emotions sometimes or other in our life. So, everyone of us there, were misty-eyed hearing him! That's him!
I met Jagdish Pati, too who was one-year Junior to me in the School. I know him as a gentle and caring one.I met him in the Indian Military Academy in Dehradoon in 1987 , after I left the school in 1983.I went to IMA to witness the Passing Out Parade and to decorate the ranks to DKAcharya my batchmate and hostelmate in School who was passing out from IMA. So, it was a matter of great honour, for me to visit IMA then in 1987 as the guest of Acharya. I reached there, two days early. It was in December.I had dinner in their IMA mess, where I met Sabuj who was so drunk that instead of welcoming me, he was very offensive verbally in English and Hindi, that is very typical of NDA/ IMA guys, very Chieselled vulgarism in English! All that I could make out from what he said repeatedly then, was that he had eaten one snake that too,raw which he caught live in a jungle and boasting it as a survival trick that should be practised by people in defence personnel at war! Survival instinct! What survival instinct ? I asked Acharya who said it's a survival instinct, trained to people who are lost in the jungle during a war and have no food to survive themselves! They tell you what you can eat, when you are struck up in a jungle during a war. And a snake, is one of the non-veg items that one can eat to survive.But, now since he is drunk that thought of snake eating had screwed his mind! I did not mind, as I knew him as an affectionate kid in school, who was also my Hostel mate in Mahanadi. The next morning before we could wake-up in the Barracks, we were surprised to hear knocks on our door. While DKAcharya,opened the door, we found Sabuj had arrived on his bicycle,to beg apology from me, saying someone in his barrack said he misbehaved with a schooltype!I was very touched by his gesture! The same day, I went to Mussoorie to see the place, which Acharya said was beautiful and very near by. As the passing parade was on the next day,I went to visit Mussoorie. After seeing all the places around Mussoorie, I went towards the IAS Academy (Lal Bahadur Academy of Administration)where I enquired about N.K.Sundar Ray who was a probationer there from Debabrat Kantha who was also a probationer from Orissa with Andhra Cadre. Sundarray was very happy to receive me as we knew each other well in JNU and in BBSR as our homes were very near to each other. He asked me to spend the night in the Academy. It was a great feeling of honour to me, as I also wanted to be one IAS someday! We went around the Academy campus , had a great dinner in their mess which was sumptuous ! He got me introduced to some of his friends. But I liked one Vinny Mahajan , the girl who was from IIM Calcutta and the 17th ranker in the IAS list then. She was supposed to drop me near IMA, the next morning for the Passing Out Parade Ceremony as they were supoosed to pass by IMA, on their route for Bharat Darshan.I was very happy to meet such a friendly girl from Delhi then! She was very bright and well mannered. However , on the next day when I reached IMA, the Entry gates were sealed for visitors due to security reasons and the arrival of the Chief Guest for the Parade. I was very worried and felt very sad.. There was no mobiles nor telephone contacts in the Barracks to inform Acharya about the mess!I kept waiting outside while the ceremony was on! Then after waiting for two hours or so, I was allowed to enter the IMA campus alongwith others, who were waiting outside. I felt very sad as I was helpless outside. There was no way , I could convince Acharya about the mishap!My purpose of going to IMA was not met. However,with a heavy heart I went near the auditorium where the newly commissioned officers were coming out, after the ceremony. I tried to look for Dillip Acharya at the entrance and beyond! A few minutes later I found Dillip Acharya coming out of the hall with his commissioned officers rank on his soldiers. Alongwith him came JCPati who was commissioned on the same day, with his brother and his parents. Seeing me,Acharya rushed towards me and hugged me. Tears rolled down from his eyes, as he thought I might have had met some accident in the landslides that was a common occurances in the Mussorie valley then. I felt relieved that atleast he was honoured by Pati's elder brother in the ceremony, who was present there.We moved around IMA in the evening and left for New Delhi by IMA bus.On the way we halted at Saharanpur where me met NKSundar ray who was on his way for Bharat Darshan. Sundar Ray was very happy to meet Sabuj Panda who looked like a mini Idi Amin then! Dillip Acharya was also very happy to meet Sundarray. We had beer and dinner in a near-by bar and then left for New Delhi.

BRIBES IN INDIA.

BRIBES IN INDIA :

Bribes in India is almost an institution.At least 80% of people in India believe that to get anything done smoothly in India, you need to bribe the person, who deals in your work especially when it comes to matters like getting your money for your work, or asking for a loan from your organisation,or any favour that is very essential in your day-to-day life.
It's very un-ethical but but people do bribe to avoid harassment or delay in getting their work done. No one wants to waste time, making rounds to ask for his requirements which is very time-consuming and money-consuming that is through travel or transport missing family or work.  Sometimes, it is very disturbing and irritating! But people do. I at times, feel pity for the person asking for bribe, from anyone for any perticular act.I consider it as an act, equal to begging. People need other's money when they don't have enoough to survive or make a living. But to enjoy one's life, at others' cost is mean and immoral!
In my office in New Delhi where I work, an accountant is so much addicted to bribes that he does not spare even Fourth Class employees. The fourth class employees who are paid some 250 rupees allowance for their uniforms annually, pay 50 rupees to him to get the money without hassles. This money which he gets, is usually spent by this Accountant and his gang on alcohol which they consume in the office itself after office hours.  Very well organised loot, by these people. Its difficult to face them when they are together. With 20 years in the same post, they think its their birth right,  to demand bribes!I  am sure the authorities are aware but helpless! May be, they need them for their work at times and so keep a safe distance to question them !
A country like India, where the Heads are Puppets or Dummies , what else can you expect from these ordinary mortals!
But one thing is certain and for sure. These people do not last long , to see the colour of pleasure of the money , they make by immoral means. They die a very un-natural death. Their dependents are widowed, or killed or handicapped. If the amount is high that too from the public's money where the public are poor, then they die a miserable death. It's the God, that takes care of these evils by eliminating them or their happiness from the world.


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