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Some thoughts on development
read more →: Some thoughts on developmentThe Tribune | April 13, 1988 It is an old truth now that the Punjab is the country’s leading producer of surplus foodgrains. Ever since the start of the Green Revolution in 1967, the Punjab has continued to contribute a major part of the procurement by the Food Corporation of India. Over the period 1985-87,…
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Comments for MARKFED
read more →: Comments for MARKFEDThe Tribune | June 23, 1986 I extend my good wishes to MARKFED on the occasion of its Annual General Meeting. Cooperatives in Punjab have played an Important role in development of agriculture and MARKFED has always been in the lead. By assuring timely availability of fertilizers and inputs it has made it possible for…
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Need for diversification of agriculture in Punjab
read more →: Need for diversification of agriculture in PunjabThe 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…
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Europe on 2 bottles of “achaar”
read more →: Europe on 2 bottles of “achaar”The Tribune | February 25, 1986 In lighter vein by M.S. Gill If you are up at Cambridge you want to go somewhere for the vacation. The place is closed for six months in the year to allow people to study. Terms are meant for more serious pastimes! A friend says we have holidays between…
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Another Nostalgic Masterpiece
read more →: Another Nostalgic MasterpieceThe 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,…
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Shahjahan’s Fascinating City
read more →: Shahjahan’s Fascinating CityThe 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…
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The great martyr
read more →: The great martyrThe 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…
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The Hermit of Ta-Yul Gompa
read more →: The Hermit of Ta-Yul GompaThe Tribune | March 21, 1981 In the summer of 1967, my wife and I went for a visit to Lahaul. We thought those high remote valleys, with their perfect sunny weather and carpets of alpine grass, studded with wild roses of every hue and colour, were the ideal place for a short rest. We…
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A matter of sixpence
read more →: A matter of sixpenceThe Tribune | March 6, 1981 It was a wet winter evening in Cambridge. The rain dripped gently on the college lawns. The fog, as T.S. Eliot might say, curled about the ancient buildings. The yellow street lights gave everything an eerie appearance. My wife and I had gone to Wolfson College to dine with…
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Shuffle, reshuffle and a shake-up
read more →: Shuffle, reshuffle and a shake-upThe Sunday Tribune, Chandigarh | November 23, 1980 Falling administrative standards continue to cause concern among the public. Efforts have been made from time to time, particularly with the help of foreign experts, to improve matters. An American, Paul Appleby, came to India in the fifties, and submitted a report. Sir Malcolm Darling, a famous…
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A Fascinating Land
read more →: A Fascinating LandThe 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…
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The Doctors From Pathankot
read more →: The Doctors From PathankotThe Sunday Tribune, Chandigarh | November 9, 1980 In the course of my official duties I once had occasion to meet a deputation of unregistered medical practitioners of Punjab. These are men who carry on the trade in the countryside. They argued for the honour of being declared “Registered Medical Practitioners.” The medical men present…
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The Prince Who is Best Forgotten
read more →: The Prince Who is Best ForgottenThe Tribune | November 7, 1980 QUEEN VICTORIA’S MAHARAJA – DULEEP SINGH, 1838-93, by Michael Alexander and Sushila Anand. Vikas, New Delhi, Pp. 326. Rs. 150. MAHARAJA DULEEP SINGH first impinged on my consciousness in our village gurdwara. Occasionally Giani Sohan Singh Seetal came there, with his famous “dhadi” jatha to sing stirring ballads about…
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Kanwaljit Singh of Lahaul
read more →: Kanwaljit Singh of LahaulThe Sunday Tribune, Chandigarh | October 26, 1980 Many years ago I was posted as Deputy Commissioner of Lahaul-Spiti. I fell in love with these inner Himalayan valleys and their fascinating people. Over the years, whenever opportunity occurred, I have tried to visit the area and spend some time in the remote Shangri-la. Last month…
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Managing the district
read more →: 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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A Wet Day in Edinburgh
read more →: A Wet Day in EdinburghThe Tribune | September 9, 1980 The Edinburgh Festival held in September every year is famous the world over. Tourists come from all over Europe, and the town is given over to art exhibitions, film shows, musical evenings, and sports contests. The highlight is the military tattoo which is staged outside the portals of the…
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In a haven of peace
read more →: In a haven of peaceThe Tribune, Chandigarh | September 1, 1980 With my morning newspaper these days full of gory details of murder, stabbing and arson, I find some cheer in the remembrance of an incident long past. Some years back I went on a tour from Delhi to the Andamans. I had heard much of their green forests,…
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The Real Punjab Mail
read more →: The Real Punjab MailThe Tribune | July 18, 1980 The Orient Express was made famous by Agatha Christie. In the days of the raj the most romantic train on the subcontinent was the Frontier Mail which ran from Bombay to Punjab and the Khyber Pass. Men like John Masters have described the fascinating journey by this train, full…
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The supermen who failed – Last of the Burra Sahibs
read more →: 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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Empty Houses And Lonely Couples
read more →: Empty Houses And Lonely CouplesThe Sunday Tribune, Chandigarh | July 6, 1980 We were sitting in a group with the conversation drifting from one thing to the other. The bank manager casually mentioned his doctor son, now settled in the U.S.A. “My other two sons have followed him”, he said with a tinge of sadness. “Once gone they never…
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Grey Beards, Green Hedges
read more →: Grey Beards, Green HedgesThe Sunday Tribune | June 8, 1980 We were sipping iced nimboo-pani with some friends. The conversation was about life at Chandigarh. “What is there to do in this dull city?” exploded the husband in virile Punjabi, “All you get here are serving or retired bureaucrats, and a duller lot would be hard to find.…
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A rare get-together
read more →: A rare get-togetherThe Tribune | April 18, 1980 Possibly the most exclusive Indian club is a worldwide group of Punjabis. Since Punjabis are spread over the far corners of the globe, the membership perforce has to be an international one. Of course, it is another matter that when the members, like good Americans, decide to exchange visiting…
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Punjabi films: hope on the horizon
read more →: Punjabi films: hope on the horizonThe Tribune | April 15, 1980 The Punjabi film industry will today receive formal recognition when the State Governor Mr Jaisukhlal Hathi, gives away the first ever State awards. The selections were made by a jury headed by Dr M.S. Randhawa. According to the jury, although State awards could only be given to Punjabi language…
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Captains of the sea
read more →: Captains of the seaThe Tribune | April 10, 1980 Punjab is a dusty plain a thousand miles from the sea. The only water it knows of are the five sluggish meandering rivers that sustain its people. Even these are valued only for their irrigation potential. The Punjabi does not sport with them as do the Europeans with their…
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Remembering Bhagat Singh
read more →: Remembering Bhagat SinghThe Tribune, Chandigarh | March 22, 1980 On a mild September day in 1971 I motored to a small fishing village on the east coast of England. I was in search of Shiv Singh Johal, a friend of Udham Singh, who was said to have in his possession Udham Singh’s last letters from jail. I…