JRD TATA

When JRD Tata was just 25 years old, an interesting news item in the London Times newspaper caught his attention. A unique air race had just been announced, by His Highness The Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims, to popularize aviation and flying in India. The announcement read :

"The Aga Khan has offered through the Royal Aero Club, a prize of UK Pounds 500, for the first flight from England to India, or vice-versa, by a person of Indian nationality. It must be a solo flight, completed within six weeks, from the date of starting. The prize will remain open for one year from 1st January 1930."

HISTORY RAM JANAM BHOOMI

While  many may  feel  jubilince  over RAM temple as   political  act to  seek  hindu vote bank...See the history of Hindu struggle for the Ram Janbhoomi temple below: it is nothing less than Freedom struggle...( histotical facts as presented in SC  with no Twists)  

"Alexander Cunningham, in the Lucknow Gazetteer speaks about the carnage that Mir Banki, a governor under Babur, unleashed on Ayodhya. Over 1.74 lakh Hindus who had gathered to protect the Shriram temple site were ruthlessly slaughtered; their bodies piled high and wide. Mir Banki's canons fired into the temple and reduced it to rubble.

MIND BLOWING BIOGRAPHY

👉MIND BLOWING NEHRU BIOGRAPHY👇

For those who believe Indrani's case is complicated...!😊😎😛😝

SOCIETY CHARGES

Society maintenance charges per month

Dear Col
I do not know which state you belong to as the rules vary from state to state. Having lived in a cooperative housing society (CHS) myself and involved in the initial setting up of the society I had gone through the various rules and regulations. Maharashtra has by far the best system of running residential societies – they even        CONTD >>>

ARTICLE 370 & 35A

 Came across a well analysed article on Article 370 & 35 A. May be of interest to many of us.  I thank my FB friend, Ashoka Kumar Thakur for forwarding.  

Articles of seclusion

 Both Modi and Shah faced their biggest challenge yet of translating the BJP's promise on Articles 370 and 35 A into reality and negotiating anxieties and sensitivities along the way.

AGING HONOURABLY AND GRACEFULLY

A good friend sent me this excellent list for aging . . . and I have to agree it's good advice to follow. The gentleman who sent this particularly hi-lighted #20. 

1. It's time to use the money you saved up. Use it and enjoy it. Don't just keep it for those who may have no notion of the sacrifices you made to get it. Remember there is nothing more dangerous than a son or     CONTD >>>>

DISABILITY - CBDT ORDER

The latest of these orders creating much heartburn and perception among the veterans and future retirees of being let down is an order of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). The order has turned around a provision that goes back almost a hundred years (also reiterated through a ruling in 1970), which granted exemption from Income Tax to all those who exited service (prematurely invalidated or at the end of the contracted period) with a duly   -- CONTD >>

DESTROYING YOUR FINANCIAL LIFE

What are some of the mistakes of Indians that are destroying their financial lives?

1. Buying insurance policies for investment purposes:

Have you invested your money in insurance plan to get a return in future? Big mistake! Out of 100 people I have spoken, 95 have made this mistake. Very few people   -- CONTD >>>

OLQ. Mil LEADERSHIP

MILITARY LEADERSHIP – OFFICER LIKE QUALITIES (OLQ) 

For a Military Officer – which is more important : Physical Fitness or Mental Robustness…?

Is "Mental Robustness" more important that "Physical Fitness"...? 

PHYSICAL FITNESS versus MENTAL ROBUSTNESS

Musings of a Veteran  -  By  VIKRAM KARVE

"ARTHRITIS" IN THE HEAD IS WORSE THAN ARTHRITIS IN THE KNEE

In his autobiography  A SOLDIER'S STORY  General Omar Nelson Bradley (the renowned American General who commanded the 12th Army, the largest army in World War II, during the invasion of Europe) recounts an incident.   CONTD >>>>

VIGIL VIGIL - JOE'S STORY

Eternal Vigil - POW : By Unni Kartha

Joe's Story - This is a Prisoner Of War (POW) story 

Joe passed away last year in Pune of brain haemorrhage. 

My story below is what I recollect of it from what he told me about it in 1973-74. Afterwards he never talked about it despite my repeated urging him to write an autobiography because his life's story from beginning to his end was one of     Contd  >>>>

PENSION IS RIGHT

FOR INFORMATION OF ALL PENSIONERS - *Supreme Court decision*

Forwarded as received:

It is surprising that a land mark judgement delivered by the Supreme Court of India on 01 07 2015, Civil Appeal no. 1123 of 2015 has gone unnoticed and except for a brief letter from Shri S R Sen Gupta to IBA, no other union has taken any steps. The salient features of the judgement:

1. The bench has authoritatively ruled that Pension is    Contd >>>>

HEALTHY HINTS

*HEALTH HINTS:*

Two things to check as often as you can:

(1) Your blood pressure

(2) Your blood sugar.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Six things to reduce to the

DELIMITATION IN J & K

DELIMITATION  IN  J&K

Has BJP set the cat among pigeons by appointing Mr Amit Shah as the Home Minister? Happenings in last few days definitely suggest that possibly it has. The most worried lot are separatists and political leaders in Kashmir. They have had their way for too long, in fact for over six decades, but now it appears that they may lose that privilege. They have exploited valley ---  Contd >>>>

LAST BUS - LEFT LONG AGO

**THE LAST BUS*

( 19 JUNE  2019 )

I was amongst the last few in merit in my course and amongst a couple who could (  rightly so.😜 )  not make it to the selection grade rk of Lt Col (  I think we were the last ones to go through the selection bd for promotion to the rk of  Lt Col ).

I was posted in MCTE, FOS  then and I vividly remember I was sitting in the College library, preparing a presentation on US  invasion of Iraq when the bd results were declassified . Though, my result was a   - READ MORE >>>>

PARSI BATTALION OF WW-1

 The little known Parsi Battalion in World War I 

 Parsis, many hailing from Bombay, served as soldiers in Europe during World War I. A stone cenotaph at Hughes Road at Kharegat Parsi Colony commemorates the 46 known Parsi soldiers killed in action in that war in Europe. During WW I, the Parsi Battalion was accorded distinct honor and privileges over any of the other regiments hailing from --- Continued >>>>

WOMEN ARMY

OUR WONDERFUL MILITARY.

This is a dated article of 2016 vintage but very relevant on the issue of induction of women in Combat Arms.  The General Officer, who was the Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff of the US Armed Forces, resigned over the issue of induction of women into combat arms. Gen Dunford blamed the President Obama and the Secretary of Defence for this change.

_   *Do read with an open mind mind. The General did make a mention of some key issues.*_ This should be read by all def and civ auth offrs making such plans for the Indian Armed Forces.

A VERY well written article on induction of women in combat arms.

My first and final thoughts about Women in Combat was/is, and there are lots more in-between, lets put Women in a NFL football game along side the  --- -Continued >>>>

SWORD THAT DEFENDS - IS BLUNT

*SITHARAMAN BLUNTS THE SWORD THAT DEFENDS THE NATION!*_By Lt Gen PG Kamath (Retd)_

Every living being is born with the innate instinct of self-preservation. Even a human embryo during the abortion clings to the mother's womb and resist being removed. In times of danger, the adrenalin secretes and the human body becomes large, the heart pumps blood faster and one can hear its thud in the chest, the rapid breathing takes in as much oxygen as possible. If one has to flee all the strength and energy gets fortified in the legs to take us away from the   (CONTD) >>>>>

PUPPETS OF BUREAUCRACY

ARE ELECTED LEADERS ARE PUPPETS OF OUR BUREAUCRACY 

June 1, 2019, 9:39 PM IST Sanjeev Sabhlokin Seeing the Invisible | India, politics | TOI it

I'm simplifying things quite a bit when I say that our elected politicians are puppets of the bureaucracy, but as I will show presently, this is a fair comment given our institutional arrangements. Our bureaucracy – taken as a whole – is not only more powerful than any elected chief minister, it is more powerful than the Prime Minister.   (C0NTINUED) >>>>  

RECESSION - CASE STUDY SAMOSA SELLER

Subject: Recession? Where's it😄😁

 THIS MANAGEMENT JARGON.. -  A MUST READ

Banwarilal was a samosa seller in an Indian town. He used to sell 500 samosas everyday on a cart in his locality. People liked his samosas for last 30 years, because he cared for hygiene in preparation and selling, would use good quality oil and other ingredients, provide free chutneys with samosas. He would throw all unsold samosas to poor people, cow, dogs etc and did not sell unsold stale samosas to people next day.   (CONTD) >>>>

POK GILGIT BALTISTAN

*POK_गिलगित_बाल्टिस्तान* 

वास्तव में अगर जम्मू कश्मीर के बारे में बातचीत करने की जरूरत है तो वह है POK और अक्साई चीन के बारे मेंl इसके ऊपर देश में चर्चा होनी चाहिए गिलगित जो अभी POK नमें है विश्व में एकमात्र ऐसा स्थान है जो कि 5 देशों से जुड़ा हुआ है अफगानिस्तान, तजाकिस्तान(जो कभी Russia का हिस्सा था), पाकिस्तान, भारत और तिब्बत -चाइना l

"वास्तव में जम्मू कश्मीर की Importance जम्मू के कारण नहीं, कश्मीर   (MORE - CONTD) >>>>

COMMON SENSE

An Obituary printed in the London Times.....Absolutely Dead Brilliant!!

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:  (CONTD) >>>

SALUTE THE YOUNG SOLDIERS

Dear Narinder , I thought I'd rather write this for you to think over and contemplate:-

***** The average age of the Army Man is 23 years.  

He is a short haired, tight-muscled kid who, under normal circumstances is considered by society as half man, half boy.

Not yet dry behind the ears, not old enough to buy a beer in the capital of his country, but old enough to die for his country.

CORONA - HOW TO PROTECT YOUR SELF

How to Protect Yourself and Others from Coronavirus? Posted: 28 Mar 2020 09:49 AM PDT

Older adults and people who have severe underlying medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes seem to be at higher risk for developing more serious complications from COVID-19 illness.

Know How it Spreads
There is currently no vaccine to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

DIVORCE - MUTUAL CONSENT

What is Divorce by Mutual Consent in India- Step by Step Procedure

Under Section 13-B of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, the parties can seek divorce by mutual consent by filing a petition before the court. Mutual consent means that both the parties agree for peaceful separation.

EMAIL SCHEDULING

*HOW TO SCHEDULE EMAILS*

How To Schedule an Email To Go Out At a Set Time

Sometimes, when you have the time to write an email it may not be the best time to send it. Maybe you want to wait for an event to occur or for news to break before your email goes out. Regardless of the reason, the ability to schedule sending your email at a set time is a valuable tool. In this article  (CONTINUED) >>>>>

MODI - ARMED FORCES AND J&K - LT GEN PG KAMATH

MODI, ARMED FORCES AND J&K       by Lt Gen PG Kamath

         It was Nehru who was very suspicious of the armed forces fearing a revolt.  One can excuse him that he did not comprehend the powerplay in international politics, till a year and a half before his death.  By the time, it was too late!  He was humiliated by the Chinese; died repentant with broken dreams and shattered ego. Tales have been told and innumerable articles have been written about his strategic naivety and his unmatched    (continued) >>>>

HAV KIRPA RAM HERO OF WALONG

REMEMBERING A HERO: HAVALDAR KIRPA RAM, VrC, 4 SIKH IN THE BATTLE OF WALONG

"It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived."

 On the face of it, Kirpa Ram would have seemed like an ordinary man. In actuality, he was anything but that. He was an Equipment and Boot Repairer (EBR) in 4 Sikh and could handcraft shoes that would cost a fortune today. More importantly, he was the unit hockey team goalkeeper and had represented the Indian Army. Kirpa Ram was also the one who had tamed and looked after the unit mascot, Rani, a female panther. She   (CONTINUED ) >>>>>

FAUJI BRATS

Great nostalgic recollection of army days. Our kids enjoyed five star culture and esteem with three star salaries of their father. 

.

YOU KNOW YOU ARE A PURE BREED DEFENCE SERVICES KID IF :

1. You were born in a Military Hospital.

2. Half your toddler years were spent being looked after by Bhaiyas ( no explanation here).

3. You went to school either on Bhaiya's   (CONTINUED) >>>>>

ISLAMISATION - IS IT GOING GLOBALLY

According to a Harvard University study, the Islamisation of a country cannot be stopped once the Muslim population reaches 16 percent of the total population. This is what Islam expert, Nikoletta Incze, said on 22 June'19 on Hungarian public television.

DESTRUCTION OF NATION

*SELF DESTRUCTION OF A GREAT NATION*

 India is the only country where there are 400+ Lt Gen rank wearing police officers  (Army has 83 Lt Gens, though being 1.3 million).  Out of 400 plus DG and ADG post officers, 40 plus are drawing salary equivalent of Army Comander  from 25 years of service till they retire( even DG NDRF having strength less then 5 infantry battalions draw Army commanders salary).

HAPPINESS - 4 HARMONES

*Donot Miss This Article...*  *4 Hormones* which determine a *human's happiness.*  Worth reading 

As I sat in the park *after* my *morning walk,*

My wife came and slumped next to me. *She had completed* her 30-minute jog. *We chatted* for a while. She said *she is not happy* in life. I looked up at her sheer disbelief since she seemed to have the best of everything in life.

*"Why do you think so?"*   (CONTINUED)  >>>>

PPO NUMBER - IDENTIFICATION OF 16 DIGITS

 IDENTIFICATION OF EACH DIGIT OF THE 16 DIGITS IN NEW  PPO./ E-PPO  🌹🌹🌹👨🏼‍🎨🦚

ATTETION VETERAN BROTHERS 

After 7th CPC,  PCDA has started issuing PPO  no  with 16 digits- with and without Notional fixation.  First 12 digits will be the  PPO number and the other 4 digits as Suffix  indicating the Type of pension.  Previously, we had Prefix  to the PPO number Like  S/C/ 123/1998   and D/BC/ 123/1998.  The S/C   and  D/BC  was the    (CONTINUED) >>>>

NDA - AS OF NOW

Amidst all this noise and din of what is happening, came across this post of the venerable Fox of 37*38 course who has just returned from the his course golden jubilee at NDA where they attended the POP of the 137th Course. 

" Sir, I came back home from the GJC a happy man with the conviction (from what I saw and heard) that though NDA has grown by approx 175% in terms of infrastructure, nothing much has  (CONTD) >>>>>

SAD STORY - 1947

During semester end at IIT, I picked fight with a senior. He was a Malang (didn't care about world). I said – "money is everything". He replied – "Didn't you have it in Gujranwala? Why did you run away from there? And what's the guaranty that you won't run away from Amritsar 40 years later?" I was furious. I had no idea what he was saying.Next week, I had a train to Amritsar  (CONTD) >>>

DELHI 1920 - GROWING UP IN CP

GROWING UP IN CONNAUGHT PLACE -  By LALIT NIRULA

Dilliwallahs was a term used for people whose families had been living in Old Delhi – or Purani Dilli – for generations. My family migrated to Delhi in the 1920s and settled in a brand new, still-under-construction, 20,000 inhabitant-strong, New Delhi. And that, I guess, would technically make us Nai Dilliwalas! My folks were one of the few Punjabi families who lived in Delhi in the '20s and I, the Nai Dilliwala or CP wallah, was (CONTD) >>>>>

SECURE YOUR MONEY

Some good practices to keep your money safe 🤑🤑🤑

_*Bank Accounts*_

*1) Make two bank accounts.*

Primary account and Secondary account. Keep all your money in Primary and never use it for online transactions.Never use Primary Debit card anywhere.

Use the Secondary account - (CONTD) >>>

STORY - THE BUDDY

OF THIS AND THAT - THE BUDDY  -      November 22, 2019

Introduction  

The Indian Army Medical Corps is two hundred and fifty-four years old and has had women within its folds both as doctors and nurses since the time women have been allowed to become doctors and nurses. However, these women were mostly posted to peace areas till as recent as the late eighties and mid-nineties. My story (CONTD)>>

CHANGING FAUJI PALATE

THE CHANGING FAUJI PALATE....

1. Times have changed and so have our tastes.The smoked meats & Salmon have given way to Dal Makhani and Butter chicken, Dinner rolls/Garlic Bread to Naan/Roomali Roti.  Eggs, bacon and coffee breakfast are equally at home with Allu-Puri or Allu Paratha & Chai !! The drinking palate has also changed....... Black Knight/Solan No1/Peter Scot have made way for Glenfiddich and other single malts.  What is more is that Yera & Borosil glasses have made way for Crystal whiskey glasses... (CONTINUED)

LIVE - MY SOUL HAS A HAT

MY SOUL HAS A HAT  
Beautiful poem by Mario de Andrade (San Paolo 1893-1945) Poet, novelist, essayist and musicologist.One of the founders of Brazilian modernism.

I counted my years 

& realized that I have

Less time to live by, 

Than I have lived so far.

DIET - DOCTOR'S ADVICE TO DIABETICS

*Rujuta Diwekar* is the highest paid *dietician* in India. She is the one who took care of *junior Ambani* and caused him to lose 108 kgs. 

*Her advice to diabetics*:

  1. *Eat fruits grown locally*..... Banana, Grapes, Chikoo, Mangoes. 

All fruits have FRUCTOSE, so it doesn't matter that you are eating a mango over an Apple. Mango comes from Konkan and Apple from Kashmir. So Mango is more local to you. 

TAMIL NADU - LESSER KNOWN FACTS

LESSER known facts about Tamilnadu. by Dr Srinivasa

1. Tamil Nadu is the second largest economy in India after Maharashtra.

2. Tamil Nadu is the only state which has Indian flag in its seal.

3. Tamil language spoken by Tamil Nadu people is one of the oldest classical languages in the world.

4. 60% of the Total epigraphical inscriptions of India found by ASI (ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA) are from Tamil Nadu.

5. Tamil Nadu has the following UNESCO World heritage sites (continued)

THE MYTH OF HINDU TERROR - by GEN KAMATH

BELIEVE IT OR NOT: THE BALL IS IN OUR COURT

(STABBING THE BACK OF OUR MOTHERLAND WITH IMPUNITY)

By  Lt Gen PG Kamath (Veteran)

I finished reading a book entitled 'The Myth of Hindu Terror' by RVS Mani.  I am sure that the author is a household name for anyone who loves our country, but in case someone has missed him out; he was a middle rung bureaucrat in the MHA during the crucial period of UPA rule between 2006 to 2010.

TRUTH ABOUT HIGH DEFENCE PENSION

The Truth about Rising Defence Pensions

Date : 19 Feb , 2020

There is considerable commotion in media over the rising defence pension outlay which has touched Rs 1.33 lakh crore.  There are headlines like "General Rawat Favours Pension Cut, Colonial Bungalows to go Away" as if the two are connected and auction of colonial bungalows will supplement pension bill, defence budget or money for managing cantonments – which will never happen

PROSTATE

The Prostate Gland and its effect on us , (men only). 

Read it and apply, esp the part on diet.

Useful for all MEN over-40:

A useful article / talk on Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH) or in simple terms, Enlarged Prostate. Diet is the most important part of this talk which is something within our control; and it works. 

FULL TEXT OF PROSTATE HEALTH AWARENESS LECTURE -  MEN MUST READ

POK RECOVERY - ARMY CAPABILITY

Top of FormAMIT SHAH'S POLITICAL AIM TO RECOVER POK IS NOT BACKED BY INDIA'S MILITARY CAPACITY

By comparing the illegal occupation of PoK with that of Aksai Chin, India for the first time has diplomatically put China on defensive.

LT GEN H S PANAGUpdated: 19 September, 2019 11:50 am IST

File photo of PM Narendra Modi with Home Minister Amit Shah | Suraj Singh Bisht | ThePrint

After Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, now S. Jaishankar has also made a strong statement on PoK.

CAG - POOR EXECUTION OF ECHS SCHEME

CAG SLAMS DEFENCE MINISTRY OVER POOR EXECUTION OF HEALTH SCHEME FOR EX-SERVICEMEN

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/cag-slams-defence-ministry-over-poor-execution-of-health-scheme-for-ex-servicemen/articleshow/50286292.cms

The schemes aims to provide health care to around 47 lakh beneficiaries on a cashless basis in line with Central Government health Scheme.

By PTI | Updated: Jul 11, 2018, 05.36 PM IST

The schemes aims to provide health care to around 47 lakh beneficiaries on a cashless basis in line with Central Government health Scheme.

NEW DELHI: Top government auditor has slammed the  Defence Ministry over alleged "irregularities" and "deficiency" in the implementation of the Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme which caused the exchequer a loss of over Rs 100 crore.

SKY GETS DARK

*The Sky Gets Dark, Slowly-A must read for all Senior citizens*

Mao Dun literary prize winner Zhou Daxin's latest novel soon to be published, *The Sky Gets Dark, Slowly* , is a sensitive exploration of old age and the complex, hidden emotional worlds of the elderly in a  rapidly ageing population.

In it he writes, "…Many elderly speak as though they know everything, but of old age they are in fact as ignorant as children. Many elderly are in fact, completely unprepared for what they are to face when it comes to getting old and the road that lays ahead of them.

DOON SCHOOL BOYS

THE UNTOLD STORY OF HOW THE DOON SCHOOL GOON SQUAD RAN BHARATAVARSHA TO THE GROUND

A commentary on how the political elite from Doon School at Dehradun held back India's all-round progress and development and treated the country as their fiefdom

Prime Minister Rajiv Ratna Gandhi was forty-one when his stately form set foot once again on the opulent lawns of his alma mater to celebrate its fiftieth anniversary. He was decked up in an elegant old boys' navy blue blazer and tie with the school badge affixed on the breast pocket. A minor fuss had ensued regarding the sartorial decision: 

ACCESSION OF J & K 1947

26TH OCTOBER 1947: MAHARAJA HARI SINGH AGREES TO THE ACCESSION OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR TO INDIA

"Now, therefore, I Shriman Inder Mahander Rajrajeswar Maharajadhiraj Shri Hari Singhji, Jammu and Kashmir Naresh Tatha Tibbetadi Deshadhipathi, Ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, in the exercise of my sovereignty in and over my said State do hereby execute this my Instrument of Accession [. . .]"By signing on this legal document, known as the Instrument of Accession, on October 26, 1947, Hari Singh, the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir, agreed that the State would become a part of India.

PVC STORY - MAJ SOM NATH SHARMA

THE INDO-PAK WAR OF 1 9 4 7 -4 8

"THE BRAVE PARAM VEER CHAKRA STORIES"  

 E BOOK by   RACHNA BISHT RAWAT

  

 Soon after Independence and the painful partition of British India, India and Pakistan fought their first war over the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. In June 1947, when Partition was announced, the 600 princely states that existed then were given the choice to accede to either India or Pakistan, or remain independent.