Manohar Singh Gill: An Officer of the People
The Tribune | March 16, 1986 Economic change is a continuous and universal process, and its speed and intensity depend on the obtainable situation from country to country and region to region. In order to provide gainful direction to the development of economic activities, the Government of India and the State Government immediately after Independence…
The Tribune, Chandigarh | June 17, 1981 RETURN TO PUNJAB, 1961–1975, by Prakash Tandon. Vikas, Delhi. PP 227. Rs. 50. Prakash Tandon is a remarkable and lucky Punjabi. Born near the Bullokee headworks, within hearing of the music of “Ravi dian chhallan”, he spent his childhood in Punjab. His father worked as an irrigation engineer,…
The Tribune, Chandigarh | May 16, 1981 Delhi Between Two Empires, 1803-1931 by Narayani Gupta. Oxford University Press, New Delhi. Pp 260. Rs. 90. This is an absorbing book, of excellent and meticulous scholarship, something one does not come across often in our publications. I had seen the young Cambridge historians, men like Baker and…
The Tribune, Chandigarh | May 2, 1981 SHAHEED BHAGAT SINGH by K.K. Khullar. Hem Publishers, New Delhi. Pp 154, Rs. 50. It is 50 years since Bhagat Singh made the supreme sacrifice for India’s freedom. His memory has not faded with time. On the contrary, it has been reinforced and re-invigorated. He remains the beau…
The Tribune, Chandigarh | November 22, 1980 HERMIT KINGDOM – LADAKH by Major H.P.S. Ahluwalia.Vikas, New Delhi, Pp. 186. Rs 295. In her book on Kulu, Pamila Chetwode has referred to its ancient name Kulanthapura, the end of the habitable world. The ancients had a valid reason for giving this name to the rich, well-watered…
For The Tribune, Chandigarh | September 27, 1980 DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION IN INDIA by S. S. Khera. National Publishing, New Delhi. Pp. 359. Rs 100. This source book, compiled with great care and thoroughness, should be made compulsory reading in all public administration Institutions. The author has described at length the evolution of district administration, as…
The Hindustan Times Magazine | July 13, 1980 The qualities claimed for the former Indian Civil Service – the rule of law, a sense of justice and fair play, sympathy for the underdog, love for the countryside and pursuit of scholarship – were more British than Indian. No wonder, after Independence, the Brown Burra Sahibs…
For The Tribune, Chandigarh | December 8, 1979 INDIAN MOUNTAINEER SPRING NUMBER, 1979. Indian Mountaineering Foundation. Pp 135. Rs 6. The Himalayas are nature’s greatest gift to the subcontinent. Indians in the past, apart from a limited amount of pilgrimage travel, largely ignored them. It was the Europeans, particularly the British, who went out to…
For The Tribune, Chandigarh | June 9, 1979 PORTRAIT OF A POLITICAL MURDER by H. S. Bhatia. Deep & Deep Publications, New Delhi; Pp 178. Rs 35. The sleek Boeing 707 came to a halt. The yellow Presidential flag, embossed with a scimitar fluttered, outside the pilot’s window. Soon the door opened and a tall…
Published on March 9, 1979 My grandfather loved “datuns”. Along with sugarcane chewing, they were the best recipe for strong sparkling teeth. There was a pleasant ritual attached to their chewing. Grandfather would get up at dawn; clear his throat a bit, and then saunter off into the green fields. Somewhere along the way he…
The Tribune, Chandigarh | April 16, 1978 FACES OF EVEREST by Major H. P. S. Ahluwalia. Vikas Publishing House, New Delhi. Pp. 238, Rs. 225. Since it was pinpointed on a map in the middle of the 19th century, Everest, the highest point on this little earth of ours, has continued to fascinate man. The…
The Tribune | February 26, 1978 A Delhi newspaper earlier this month carried two innocent looking news items behind which lies a much bigger story. According to the Special Representative of this newspaper, “the Shah of Iran said today that he hoped Indian visitors to Iran would feel as at home there as he and…
The Tribune | January 29, 1978 Delhi is full of marvellous names: Maharani Bagh, Sunehri Bagh, Punjabi Bagh, Gulmohar Park, Green Park. The list is a long one. The colonies and the names are free India’s contribution to the national capital. The colonies are an expression of the ever-expanding and relentless march of suburbia outwards…
The Sunday Tribune [Magazine Section] | December 19, 1976 The Anglo-Sikh wars were the last campaigns fought by the British in India. These battles were also the hardest, of their long career of conquest in the sub-continent, and the Sikhs, perhaps one of the most difficult foes, they had encountered anywhere in the world. On…
Shankar’s Weekly | September 2, 1973 The dramatic break-through, achieved recently by our rainologists (rain makers) has created a number of problems for our government. It just goes to show that scientific progress is not an unmixed blessing. Let me explain first the achievement. It is best done in the words of the famous rainologist,…
For Hindustan Times Weekly | July 22, 1973 During the last 70 years the co-operative movement has progressed and proliferated in various directions, but credit still remains one of the primary objectives. Today, there are approximately 3.23 lakh co-operative societies with about 5.80 crore members in the country. They cover over 48 per cent of…
The Tribune | March 13, 1973 Even though Cooperation was introduced in the years of the 20th century, the movement did not make any significant impact on the economy till after independence. Till 1947, the cooperative movement concerned itself primarily with credit activities. With the introduction of planned development in 1951-52, the attention of Government…
The Tribune, Chandigarh | October 28, 1970 It is a matter of pride for the Cooperatives of the Punjab State that today the Chief Minister, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal, is inaugurating the Fertilizer factory set up by the Markfed in collaboration with Deccan Sales Limited. The Markfed has played a key role in bringing about…
The Tribune, Chandigarh | August 20, 1970 The ‘Green Revolution’ has been ushered in during the past three years. It has been made possible through the new agricultural Research Stations and the important role played by Cooperative Societies in Punjab for the supply of fertilizers, pesticides and other inputs to farmers. It is basically a…
Published around March 30, 1969 These days everyone wants to have a good time. They all “want to enjoy”. How does one do that in an overgrown village like Chandigarh? There is the club of course. You can sit out on the lawn surrounded by lush green foliage, and drink barley water! Or you can…