REMEMBERING SAM BAHADUR

HAPPY VIJAYADASHMI

Vijayadashmi-Dussehra (2015)        - 22 October 2015 -  The Festival Of The Celebration Of The Victory Of Good Over Evil

Dussehra is being celebrated on 22nd October 2015.

About Dussehra Festival

Dussehra is an Indian Hindu festival .Easily one of  the major Indian festivals ,it is celebrated all over India with great devotion,pomp & show.

The name is derived from the Sanskrit word 'Dashahara', 'Dasha' meaning ten and 'Hara' meaning conquering,  the ten headed demon King, Ravana. 

Ravana was very learned, a great scholar & was  well versed in the Vedas and Upanishads.He was a  'Bhakta' of Lord Shiva.

Dussehra is also called :-

·         Vijayadashmi - in North Indian states

·         Durga Puja - In Eastern India with the highest fervor being seen in the state of Bengal

·         Kullu Dussehra - in the state of Himachal Pradesh in North India, celebrated in Kullu valley

·         Mysore Dasara - in the state of Karnataka in South India, celebrated in the city of Mysore

·         Dashain - in Nepal

           FOLKS.MAY MA DURGE BLESS YOU ALL !

FOLKS.HAPPY JANAMASHTAMI TO YOU ALL

Krishna Janmashtami 2015     

Krishna Janmashtami, the annual celebration of the birth of Lord Krishna, who is the eighth avatar of Vishnu, will be celebrated today on Saturday, 5 September 2015.

Born to king Vasudeva and Devaki of Mathura, Lord Krishna's birth anniversary is observed on the eighth day of Shravan month (August–September) as per the Indian calendar.

The festival is also known as Srikrishna Jayanthi, Gokulashtami, Saatam Aatham and Ashtami Rohini.

Rasa lila and Dahi Handi are the major attractions of the festival. Rasa lila orRasa dance describes the story of Krishna, in which he dances with Radha and her companions. It is mainly performed in Mathura and Vrindavan. Meanwhile, Dahi Handi or uriadi, the festival in which young men form human towers to break the high-hanging pot of butter, celebrates the Lord's mischievous side.

May Lord Krishna steal all your tensions and worries, and bless you this Janmashtami. May he give you all the love, joy, peace and happiness. Happy Janmashtmi. 

Today is a special day as someone special was born;

To fight against inhumanity

To save the trust in God

Happy Krishna Janamashtami wishes.

Happy Janmashtami.

Pray to God for your prosperous life

Yashoda ke KRISHNA ke,
Radha ke SHYAM ke,
Gwalon ke KANHA ke,
Gopion ke MAKHAN CHOR ke,
Janamdin ki hardik shubh kamnayen

May Lord Krishna bring happiness in ur life and hatred away from ur life.
Enjoy Janmashtami with heart full of love. Happy Janmashtami greetings.

REMINISCENCES OF A SOLDIER: 96 NOT OUT

LEST I FORGET ; I WISH TO REVEAL MY DAYS OF FAMAGUSTA-CYPRUS

(And the Veteran revealed a story that he

 had kept close to his chest  for 74 Years ! )

It was March 1942.

Past last light, on one fine evening,we were ordered to embark upon four Frigates of the Royal Navy at Alexandria ; round about   midnight ,we left for Cyprus.The island of Crete had been captured by the Axis Powers & the British did not want Cyprus to go the same way.

We were part of 10 Infantry Brigade of 5 Indian Infantry Division (Fire Ball) - that had already carved  a niche for itself. If I recall correctly, the Brigade consisted of Third Battalion /18 Royal Garhwal Rifles, Fourth Battalion / 10 BALUCH & a Black Watch Battalion.

We disembarked in the Northern Cyprus as per schedule & my Unit was given the task to prepare defences at Famagusta.

(FAMAGUSTA CITY IN 1940)

A word about Famagusta & its people.The place was simply beyond compare; miles & miles of yellow sand beaches glittering day & night & its virgin blue beaches.It was a small town having very kind & warm people.The inhabitants had vacated top floors of their respective homes to accommodate us,  they had shifted to the ground floors.They were mostly Jews who did not like the British but had special liking for Indians,so much so,that they wanted to get their daughters married to Indian Soldiers.I recall that a Sikh colleague of mine had married a local girl & had taken her to Punjab after having taken due permission.

(FAMAGUSTA HARBOUR-1941)

(GREAT PEOPLE OF FAMAGUSTA)

Their nature & demeanour was a class in itself. They were  well to do farmers who grew a lot of fruits.How fondly I recall enjoying grapes, oranges , peaches,pears etc.They used to employ huge horses to till their fertile land where they grew varieties of crops & vegetables round the year.

They had a unique system.They did not prepare food at home.There were cooperative Bakeries & Cooked Food Stores from where they collected their daily cooked food, other items &  necessities.This system gave them enough time to devote to farming & attend to their rich cultural traditions.After a solid breakfast at about 8 AM , they had their Dinner at about 11 PM ,& thereafter, the entire household sang & danced. The lunch was frugal.

The entire Famagusta sang & danced after Dinner.They were social drinkers & they enjoyed it.They made excellent wine at home with Coniac as their speciality.While the menfolk devoted themselves to farming, the young girls helped us in digging trenches & preparing defences. They were a hardy lot.

The ladies of the houses attended to their household chores & looked after their children.They were extremely religious,God fearing &  courteous.Initially we had a lot of problem in interacting with them, but after a few weeks - both sides learnt quite a few words/sentences & we were totally at ease with each other. I have not seen such dignified people. They were a class in themselves-brave yet gentle,chivalrous & extremely hospitable.

I was barely 22 years old then.

I along with two other colleagues were staying with one Jew Family.The illustrious couple were homely,warm & affectionate.They had two children .A son & a daughter.The elder was Philips. Sahitu was his sister who was about 21 years old.

(FAMAGUSTA-OLD CITY 1941)

During my stay at Famagusta, Sahitu had taken a liking for me-a fact that I came to know very,very late. While she did not express her feelings openly but I recall that once she heard that we were leaving Famagusta, she did not eat food for full three days.In those days, our contractual period of stay overseas was for four years.I told her that once I complete my overseas tenure,I shall return to her. I cannot say whether her father knew that his daughter had developed a liking for me ! Somehow I feel  that her mother knew about it but they never told me anything.

They were impeccable in every way & I remember them even today so very fondly & with great reverence.

Our Brigade embarked ships destined for Alexandria . I still remember the teary farewell to me by the family especially from Sahitu -who continued to waive till our trucks disappeared from sight.

We landed at Alexandria & drove over nights to take part in the Battle of El Alamein .Field Marshall Montgomery was our Eighth Army Commander.One day his small plane landed next to our defences. He walked up to me & asked for a mug of Tea !

When asked whether he would like to go to Famagusta, I saw a spark of gratitude in his eyes.He said,Quote,"I wish I could do that.I do not know whether any member of that illustrious family would still be surviving !".

When asked whether he would have gone back to Sahetu after his overseas tenure was over & followed on the footsteps of his Sikh comrade, he merely smiled - but confessed ,"I did not keep my word".

After saying this , he remained quiet.

( Folks,I recall a famous line of my friend late Kamaleshwar's poem in Hindi , Quote," KHAMOSHI KI GAHRAI BANI LAGAO KA PAIMANA",Unquote.

(THE YELLOW SAND)

(GIVE ME A MUG OF TEA-SAID MY ARMY COMMANDER)

KEDARNATH KAPATS ARE OPEN TODAY

"RAUDRAM ,RUDRAM,BRAHMANDAM, PRALAYATI,

PRALEYNATH KEDARNATHAM"

(ONLY LORD KEDARNATH IN THE FORM OF RUDRA IS CAPABLE OF DESTROYING THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE BY OPENING HIS THIRD EYE'

JAI SHIV-JAI JAGNATH

SHIV SHAMBHO  MAHAKAAL!!

LORD BADRI VISHAL LAL-OUR PRESIDING DEITY

"BAHUNI SANTI TIRTHANI , DIVYA BHUMI RASASU CHA,

BADRI SADRISHYA TEERTHAM - NA BHUTO- NA BHAWISHYASTI.... JAI BADRI VISHAL "

AT 0515 HOURS IST ON 26 APRIL 2015, THE HOLY KAPATS OF LORD BADRI VISHAL LAL SHALL OPEN.

 

BIBI No 1, & NOW, HOPEFULLY, GENERAL NO 1 !!

TO BE OR NOT TO BE ! GENERAL NO 1 !!

India may soon get a General No. 1 to boost tri-service integration 

It was in the third week of May 1999.
I recall distinctly the verbal dual between CAS & VCOAS & later between COAS & CAS regarding employment of Air Force against Pakistan Army intruders in Kargil Sector.Even employment of Helicopter Gunships within own area was hotly contested.The PM watching all this got up & asked both the Army & Air Force to reach a consensus.The end result was- that it was almost after 21 days that the Air Force was employed.
The Subramaniam Committee in its exhaustive report had also explicitly talked of the dire necessity of having a CDS. Even Committees that were appointed thereafter had pointed to this shortcoming besides a host of other drawbacks.
Amazingly the three Chiefs do not form an integral part of the CCPA on Security Matters.They are called only if the Babus feel like it.The previous RM was like Budhha who lived in his own world & virtually did nothing for the Armed Forces.
Now with a dynamic RM at the helm of affairs ,hopefully, Parrikar proves himself worthy of the onerous responsibilities , vision & commitment that lie ahead of him.Surprisingly, he too has not been able to get more money for the Armed Forces in the Budget for 15-16.It is not even 2% of the GDP.With China announcing 10 % increase in its defence budget( Already 12 % of its GDP),Pakistan( About 10 % of its GDP), there is no hope in hell to make any progress in India's defence modernization programmes. With difficult neighbours all around us- coupled with peculiar combine of internal & external threats that afflict us,it is indeed difficult time ahead.With China carrying out military exercises esp of PLAAF in Tibet,Indian border infrastructure all along the Chinese Border is in a dismal state.
The so called Integrated Service Headquarters is a sham.The COSC is another cosmetic arrangement amongst the three Chiefs who keep on passing the Baton to each other after a few months.The maximum power the COSC wields-is to write a DO to the RM.It is for the RM to read it or not-it is his total discretion.Hopefully, things would change now.
I have seen how the Defence Secretary in Pentagon talks of his Army,his Navy,his Air Force, his Marines & so on ,unlike 'we' & 'they'- so rightfully pointed out by Parrikar.
There should be NO dilution to the post of CDS.
The Babus have been responsible for this state of affairs-all these years.They have been ruling the roost & have been successful in making a wedge between the three Services ,since they have acquired tremendous power.This needs to be rectified.Moreover, there is an absolute necessity of integration at every level within the Ministry of Defence. Brigs or equivalent must be posted as Jt Secretaries , Major Generals or equivalent as Addl Secretaries & Lt Generals or equivalent as Special Secretaries.Besides , other Officers of the three Services must be posted to work along with their civil counterparts in restructured MOD. This shall accrue into an environment of bonhomie & camaraderie amongst all with increased productivity.
Well, there are Inter Service rivalries all over the world but these are healthy & constructive !
Here is wishing our new RM -GOD BLESS,GOD SPEED & GOOD LUCK !

BIG SALUTE TO RUSSIAN LADY PILOTS

The Night Witches The story of the Women's Air Service Pilots (WASP) in the United States is relatively well known. Much less well known however is the story of the Night Witches, an incredible group of Soviet women who flew bombing missions during World War II. The year was 1941 and Hitler had invaded the Soviet Union. By November the German army was just 19 miles from Moscow. Leningrad was under siege and 3 million Russians had been taken prisoner. The Soviet air force was grounded. In the summer of 1941 Marina Raskova, a record-breaking aviatrix, was called upon to organize a regiment of women pilots to fly night combat missions of harassment bombing. From mechanics to navigators, pilots and officers, the 588th regiment was composed entirely of women. The 588th was so successful and deadly that the Germans came to fear them, calling them Nachthexen--night witches. The women, most of them barely 20 years old, started training in Engels, a small town north of Stalingrad. The women of the 588th flew their first bombing mission on June 8, 1942. It consisted of three planes; their target was the headquarters of a German division. The raid was successful but one plane was lost. The 588th flew thousands of combat bombing missions. They fought non-stop for months, sometimes flying 15 to 18 missions on the same night. They flew obsolete Polikarpov Po-2 wooden biplanes that were otherwise used as trainers. They could only carry two bombs that weighed less than a ton altogether. Most of the women who survived the war had, by the end, flown almost a thousand missions each. Nadya Popova recalls those missions and comments that it was a miracle the Witches didn't suffer more losses. Their planes were the slowest ones in the air force and often came back riddled with bullets, but they kept flying. In August of 1942 Nadya and her navigator crashed in the Caucasus. They were found alive a few days later. Years after the war, Nadya commented that she used to sometimes look up into the dark night sky, remembering when she was a young girl crouched at the controls of her bomber, and she would say to herself, "Nadya, how did you do it?" There was a great deal of resistance to the idea of women combat pilots from their male counterparts. The women had to fight both enemy aircraft as well as the resentment of their male colleagues. In spite of the never-ending fatigue , the loss of friends, and sexual harassment from their suspicious male counterparts, the women kept on flying. Eventually the Soviets formed three regiments of women combat pilots -- the 586th, the 587th and the 588th. The 586th also trained at Engels, first in the two-seat Yak-7 trainers and later on in the Yak-1 fighters. The women proved themselves to be as good as the men. The most outstanding pilots were Raisa Belyaeva and Valeria Khomyakova. The later was allowed to fly solo in the Yak-1 after just 52 minutes of dual instruction. She earned the grade of "excellent" during one trial flight but on a subsequent flight crash-landed on the frozen Volga River when she switched to an empty fuel tank. All of the women had their hands full, learning so much information in such a short amount of time. The female mechanics also had their hands full with the demanding task of keeping the planes flying. The winter of 1942 was brutally cold, with temperatures plunging as low as -54F and countless snow storms. One night in March of that year the women were called upon to save the aircraft from being blown over by gale-force winds. Several women would literally lie on the wings and horizontal stabilizers of each plane, using the weight of their bodies to keep the planes from blowing away. When the wind subsided, the women looked like snowmen, but the planes were intact. Their respite was brief however. By noon the storm had resumed, and again the women rushed to the airfield to save the planes. The storm finally blew itself out around midnight, and the exhausted women, soaked to the skin and half frozen, could finally rest. Tactics used by the Night Witches The Night Witches practiced what is known as harassment bombing. Their targets were encampments, supply depots, rear base areas, etc. Their constant raids made rest for the troops difficult and left them feeling very insecure. The top speed of the Po-2 biplane was 94 mph ((82 knots). This is slower than even most World War I fighters and left them very vulnerable to enemy night fighters. But the Night Witches learned their craft well. The Po-2 was very slow, but it was also extremely maneuverable. When a German Me-109 tried to intercept it, the Night Witches would throw their Po-2 biplanes into a tight turn at an airspeed that was below the stalling speed of the Me-109. This forced the German pilot to make a wider circle and come back for another try, only to be met by the same tactic, time after time. Many of the Witches flew so low to the ground that they were hidden by hedgerows! Completely frustrated, the German pilots would finally simply give up and leave the Po-2 biplanes alone. German pilots were promised an Iron Cross for shooting down a Po-2! The stall speed of an Me-109 E,F and G models was about 120 mph ((104 knots). This made the top speed of the Po-2 biplanes slower than the stalling speed of the German fighters. The Focke-Wulf, also used in the Eastern front, had a high stalling speed as well, so it suffered the same fate. The Witches developed the technique of flying close to their intended targets, then cutting their engines. Silently they would glide to their targets and release their bombs. Then they would restart their engines and fly away. The first warning the Germans had of an impending raid was the sound of the wind whistling against the wing bracing wires of the Po-2s, and by then it was too late. The Po-2 would often pass undetected by the radar of the German fighters due to the unreflective nature of the canvas surfaces and also because they flew so low to the ground. Planes equipped with infrared heat seekers fared no better at detecting them due to the small heat emission from their puny little 110-hp engines. Searchlights, however presented a big problem. The Germans at Stalingrad developed what the Russians called a "flak circus". They would arrange flak guns and searchlights (hidden during the day) in concentric circles around probable targets. Planes flying in pairs in a straight-line flight path across the perimeter were often ripped to shreds by the flak guns. So the Night Witches of the 588th developed their own technique to deal with the problem. They flew in groups of three. Two would go in and deliberately attract the attention of the Germans. When all the searchlights were pointed at them, the two pilots would suddenly separate, flying in opposite directions and maneuvering wildly to shake off the searchlight operators who were trying to follow them. In the meantime the third pilot would fly in through the dark path cleared by her two teammates and hit the target virtually unopposed. She would then get out, rejoin the other two, and they would switch places until all three had delivered their payloads. As Nadya Popova noted, it took nerves of steel to be a decoy and willingly attract enemy fire, but it worked very well. Marina Raskova - record-breaking Soviet aviatrix In 1938 Marina Raskova and two other women set a world record for non-stop direct flight by women when they flew an ANT-37, a Soviet-built twin-engine aircraft named Rodina (homeland), 6,000 kilometers (3,240 nautical miles) from Moscow to Komsomolsk-on-Amur on the southeastern tip of Siberia. The aircraft started icing up over Siberia, and the women struggled to gain altitude. They threw everything they could move out of the airplane, but still they continued to lose altitude. Realizing they were out of options and a crash was inevitable unless they could further lighten the plane, Marina, who was the navigator on the flight, decided upon a daring course of action. Noting their position on a map she bailed out into the frigid darkness of Siberia. The two remaining women eventually landed safely at their destination, and a hunter rescued Marina. Marina and the other two women were the first women to be awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union medal for their record-breaking flight. It was Marina's accomplishments and visibility that helped her persuade Stalin to form the three regiments of women combat pilots.