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Managing the district
Read more here: Managing the districtFor 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…
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The supermen who failed – Last of the Burra Sahibs
Read more here: The supermen who failed – Last of the Burra SahibsThe 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…
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The lure of mountains
Read more here: The lure of mountainsFor 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…
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A rambling compendium
Read more here: A rambling compendiumFor 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…
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Oh, for the “kikar” tree!
Read more here: Oh, for the “kikar” tree!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…
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The history of Everest
Read more here: The history of EverestThe 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…
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For peace and quiet
Read more here: For peace and quietThe 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…
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In Death as in Life
Read more here: In Death as in LifeThe 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…
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Guns and Battle Flags: Remembering Anglo-Sikh Wars
Read more here: Guns and Battle Flags: Remembering Anglo-Sikh WarsThe 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…
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Rain Makers
Read more here: Rain MakersShankar’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,…
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Co ops lead in wheat procurement
Read more here: Co ops lead in wheat procurementFor 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…
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Ten Years of NCDC
Read more here: Ten Years of NCDCThe 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…
