CONTENTS1. From the Editor’s Desk

7. Introducing the Editorial Team

8. St. Stephen’s then and now

9. The Mausam of Monsoon

10. The Royal Wedding of Bhutan

12. Stephen’s, dear Stephen’s

14. Criss Cross - A short story

15. The 51st Rajyotsava

17. Thinking out of the wheelchair

19. AADHAR - The UID Project in India

21. Brutish Srinagar cops thrash journo

23. Trekking up the Siachen glacier

25. Sheesh Mahal’s past glory restored

26. We don’t want this anymore

27. Eucalyptic Inspiration

29. Shekhar Menon- Changing passion to prof

30. On living in Rez

From the Editor’s Desk

9/9/11 was the day my third book, An Autumn Melody was launched at the India International Centre, New Delhi. Published by Rupa publications, its a book I’m very satisfied with for it was published exactly the way I’d conceptualized and written it.

But there was another very significant event that took place that evening. It was a 'two in one treat', certainly for me and hopefully for all present. Wealso launched 'Stephanian Spice' a newsletter for St. Stephens college old students worldwide. I’d like to express my thanks to the team behind it - our co-editors, Nalin Sharma, Urvi Sukul Singh and Amardeep Singh who have made the impossible happen!

A very big thank you to our Guest editor/consultant, the veteran journalist and documentary film maker, John Dayal who has been a superb guiding force. Thanks also to Ashish Joshi and his team who co-ordinated a whole host of things bringing them to a very satisfactory conclusion. Lest I forget, the design and Layout of the newsletter have been done by mydaughter Neha and she worked as hard as the rest of us. Thank you Neha!

It was a great evening, made even better by the fact that we were surrounded by family and friends from all walks of life. These are the moments that one learns to treasure- being with people who really do care and will make it a point to be there to share the good as well as the bad times.

One of the highlights of the evening was when John learnt that Mr. Bammi, (a friend of my dad’s) who was present there, was actually the oldest Stephanian in the room. And who could be better than Mr. Bammi himself to launch Stephanian Spice? So there it was, that magic moment when our newsletter was launched with beaming faces all around. And maybe I imagined it, but were there more than a couple of ‘not so dry eyes’ too?

EDITORIAL TEAM

Editor - Sunaina Serna Ahluwalia

Consultant/ Guest Editor - John Dayal

Co- Editors - Nalin Sharma Urvi Sukul Singh Amardeep Singh

Layout and Design - Neha Singh Ahluwalia

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VOLUME II, NOVEMBER 2011 A BI-MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FOR PVT. CIRCULATION ONLY

S T E P H A N I A N

Effectively, we now have a bi-monthly online newsletter to be able to share our thoughts, ideas poems and photographs with old college mates, some of whom we haven’t met or spoken to for decades! Topping that would be the fact that one gets to know and learn about people who one hasn't ever met and (sadly) not likely to, either.

Now all we need from you is a constant flow of articles and please do keep in mind that they could be on just about anything. Writing on your time in college is good, but sharing what you are doing in life at this point is even better!

While we share some of the feedback received along with the photographs of the launch of our newsletter in the next segment, we are very happy and proud with the entries received for this issue. This is truly an International newsletter in the very real sense as I live in Muscat, while our co-editors are based in India. To illustrate my point further, in this issue we have stories and poems sent in from the US, Bhutan, India as well as Oman.

Happy reading folks!

Editor

Sunaina Serna Ahluwalia

Long time Oman resident, Sunaina Serna Ahluwalia is an author, photographer and communications consultant. She also writes features and articles and is involved with key women's issues.

sunaina.aluwalia@gmail.com www.sunainasernaahluwalia.com

Former Prof. Satish Mathur (H.O.D. Mathematics) and batch of 1954-57 passed away on the 4th of October. He taught Maths from 1959-2002 and was immensely liked by his colleagues and students alike. Our condolences to his family and friends.

Here is a compilation of some of the comments taken from ‘Stephanians’ -

Nishkam Seth-“Mathur saheb taught us in our first two years (2000 -2002 )...one of the best teachers we had and he was a nice human being.....the thing that I remember most about him was that he always remembered the name of his students......I last met him in 2005 ..................may his soul rest in peace.”

Siddharth Bhandari- “Mathur Saab..R.I.P..he was a gentle soul with an ever gracious smile....he taught me for 3 years 90-93.....and always had kind and encouraging things to say!”

Ashish Joshi who went to the cremation summed it up with-“Just returned from Mathur Saheb's Cremation. Also conveyed my condolences to Kirti Azad (Stephanian) who was there for his father's cremation. I read this at Cremation ground. In fact I read it when ever I go to the Lodhi Cremationground. This is the reality of life.

"Pal Pal jalta hai shamshanHans, Hans, jalti roz chitayen ,hara bhara sansar JalaMitti kitneoy ki aashaay, ghar hotey Sunsan,Pal Pal jalta hai Shamshan,Raja and Bhikari milkar,rakh huye dono jalkar,Maun haddiyan, kehati hanskar,such hai aik saman,pal pal Jalta hai Shamshan….….. Agni ,Vaayu ,mitti ,paani aur aakash' sey banta praani,Uski kaya kaho jaani,antim yah sthan,Pal Pal jalta Shamshan..."

Prof. SB Mathur passes away

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1. Dear Sunaina, It was a wonderful surprise to get this from my brother-in-law in Delhi. We were there during the same years (1967-71) though I left a year early for the U.S. I was a History major while he was an English major. Rarely do those two meet unless you lived in the dorm. But then I was a day scholar using the U-Special until I got my Jawa. I have come across some Stephanians, from my era, in the U.S. under the strangest circumstances. Anyway, great job on the newsletter and I hope I will be able to get this in the future also. Mr. John Hala was a soft spoken gentlemen and my favorite History Professor, and it was Roberts Saab who helped get admitted in 1967. I remember them both with fondness and respect. I heard Mr. Amin received National Honors a while back. Thanks for the memories which are among the best I have, even forty years later!! Cricket, the Cafe, Scrambled, Cold Coffee and of course, Miranda House!! Suraj Zutshi, CTC, CTIEsnz55@sbcglobal.net

2. Hi Sunaina, Many thanks for mailing me the "Stephanian Spice". You must have read my mind, coz I meant to enquire in my mail last night as to how I could get a copy but I clean forgot. Shall be reading up on the memories and tales of yore. I was pleasantly surprised to see a familiar face in your editorial team...Amardeep. I would on occasion interact with him when I was VP-Creative at Arms Communications and was for 7 years the lead writer on the Fortis Healthcare account. Have known him from the days when we would go for meetings to their only hospital then at Mohali, when Amardeep was based there. And to think I never knew he was a Stephanian! What a small world! As to writing a piece for 'SS', I would be glad to share some nuggets. When is your deadline for contributions to come in for the next issue.? Am asking, since am going through a slightly busy spell workwise. If not the coming issue, I could pen a piece to catch the one after. Do let me know your timelines, in case I can make it. I shall take the liberty of forwarding the "Stephanian Spice" pdf to my bro-in-law, Suraj Zutshi (Smiley's brother), History, Class of '70 who runs a travel business and has been resident in Reno (Nevada) for over 35 years. He would, I'm sure be keen to read it.

Feedback on Stephanian Spice - Vol 1

Its been an exciting journey in the last couple of months, first putting together the first issue of ‘Stephanian Spice’, then launching it and finally receiving comments and feedback from readers. While there have been many people who’ve told us what they thought verbally, I’d like to thank all those who made the effort to write in and let us know exactly what they thought. Reproduced below, are a few of those comments and we hope that this will develop into a habit that you would like to cultivate. The fact of the matter is that while we will try our best to give you what we think needs to be put together, we will only know what you really want if you let us know what you want. More importantly, what you really feel. So keep these notes and e-mails coming in and we will try our level best to see how we can improve.

Here goes:

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Also, I intend to share news of the mag with some of my contemporaries who are overseas, whom you could possibly tap for future features. They are... Amit Shah, a former VP at Holt, Rinehart & Winston, based in Boston. Gautam Banerji, an international development consultant & lawyer, based in London. Adhip Chaudhuri, Professor at Georgetown College, Washington DC. Prasenjit Duara, Raffles Professor of Humanities at the Univ of Singapore. Look forward to hearing from you. Best, Amar Kundu

3.From Sanjay Sethi-

“SSA , you have done a wonderful job of SS. Really admire your patience, attention to detail, and dedication to bring out Stephanian Spice. Keep up the good work and take care.”

4. From Shriman Narayan-

“I greatly appreciate your prompt response, Ms. Ahluwalia.

This reads very well, and is having a profound impact in bringing back some treasured memories! The articles are certainly most interesting, and carries Stephania throughout.

I shall be delighted to contribute, and also please do let me know if you think I can be of support ! Cheers, Shriman”

And then we had this one with an entirely different perspective. I’m reproducing it in its entirety, along with my response. Thank you Sanjay, we do appreciate your candour.

5. From Sanjay Saigal-

“Sunaina, you asked for feedback, so here it is: I appreciate the effort that undoubtedly went into putting out the issue. I'm sure you had to work with what was submitted. But all in all, the end result isn't something I'd pass on to a friend, Stephanian or non.

In your shoes I would have considered heavily editing the contributions for grammar and readability. That would have entailed a lot of work. But I can't see a respectable alternative.

College is well known for producing very high quality writers. I hope that some can be tapped for the next issue.

I remain in two minds about sending something that surely isn't fun for you to read. I hope my honest critique is more helpful than hurtful.”

EDITOR’S RESPONSE - “Well taken and will definitely use this for the next one Sanjay. As a writer ánd a PR Consultant Im used to the good, the bad and the ugly .We did work with what was submitted, and in the time frame defined. While we will try to tap the well known people, this will remain a forum for everyone. Thank you -its really nice to get constructive feedback.”

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Arvind Malhotra, Sunaina Serna Ahluwalia and Nandita Bhardwaj (Rupa Publications)

What a proud moment!

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Launch of Stephanian Spice - 9/9/11

Mr. Bammi, Sanjiv Bhargava and John Dayal

Class of ‘82 reunite

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Introducing the Editorial Team...

John Dayal is a former newspaper editor, author and an occasional Documentary film maker. He has been working for Freedom of Faith and Civil Rights and is a Member of the National Integration Council, Government of India, New Delhi. Past President,All India Catholic Union and Secretary General, All India Christian Council .

In the past 25 years, Urvi Sukul Singh has mostly been a Mum to her 2 kids, has briefly dabbled in voluntary work in the fields of activism, learning difficulties, mohalla committee work ,online Right to Information work and dissemination of information and campaigning.She has written a bit, taught spoken English and relished shooting off Letters to the Editor (regardless of result). A hardly-working lawyer, hoping she can dabble in this too before her time runs out!

Nalin Sharma (1980-1983)Presently: Consultant — Vision Books Previously: Deputy Director Knowledge Management, Centre for Media Studies (CMS), NDManager Communication, WWF-India, ND

Amardeep is presently the Resident Head, PR & Government Affairs, Fortis Healthcare India based in New Delhi. He has worked in domestic & international markets dealing with Strategic Alliances, Business Development, Liaison & PR, Exports and International Trade, Institutional Sales, Dealer Development and Corporate Communications.

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I studied History Hons. at St Stephen's during 1975-1978. My only child Surina Lall did the same between 2006-2009. I further did M.A. History from St Stephen's between 1978-1980. Surina chose to do Psychology instead, post her graduation. The similarities & differences between the two generations don't end here.

1975 was the peak of the Emergency era. 1975 was, when for the first time the fairer sex (no puns intended) entered the hallowed portals of Stephania. Ragging was banned officially. ‘All round superiority’ was a thread to be carried with pride. Academics by a mile, cricket for all my 5 years, swimming, water polo, basketball, tennis, hockey (the cricket of those days) athletics, squash & rifle shooting saw us at or near the top with the Delhi University sports teams being peppered with Stephanian's. ShakeSoc & the other societies throbbed with life & clearly widened the distance between being groomed at Stephen's & the rest. 13 out of the 50 of us in History Hons. were from Modern School. Economics Honours was not much different & so was the case with most sports teams in College.

One learnt not just to carry the social perks of being a Stephanian but one was acutely aware of adding to the body of the all round successes, so that the future generations felt as good as we did upon joining ‘The College’. Folklore, the well known names before us, the anecdotes of their personal achievements & those on behalf of The College acted as a spur. Winning, doing well and staying ahead of others came naturally. Every action, formal or informal, academic or sporting, residence or day scholar, music or ‘line maro-ing’, all had to pass the test of being 'hatke', better then the run of the mill! In fact the way one dressed, the way one played, the way one spoke, the way one wrote, the way one ate, what one ate, the music one played/listened to was to reflect one's individual character & not do all of the above to keep up with the Joneses, nor to do what was common fashion & never to worry about what the others would think of us.

It was quite simply, other people’s job to look up to us & not think or pass judgement about us.

In 1975, there were no ‘quotas’ in College & if there were, I can assure you that no one, repeat

no one who wasn't good enough, on an all round basis made it to College. If anyone did make it to College on the basis of a quota, you surely couldn't differentiate him or her from the rest. That's how good & uniform the quality of intake was. It was a given that anyone who made it to College was necessarily good at academics. However it was equally true that each one had another special skill comparable to the best of the generation, be it in sports, writing, music, theater or being a thinker.

St. Stephen’s - Then and Now

.

Shishir Lall has had a long and exciting career with over 25 years in the corporate world. From 1980 to ’90, he worked across the length and breadth of the country for Brooke Bond India Ltd. (Unilever) as the Deputy Regional Manager. Thereafter, he worked between 1990 and 1999 at Pepsico as the General Manager in charge of Sales and spearheaded the company’s endeavor to outstrip Coke, through meticulous marketplace execution to become India’s No. 1 brand of soft drinks. He was then promoted to the position of Vice-President of Sales and Marketing at Frito Lay International. By the time he left Pepsico, he had risen to the position of International Vice President-Franchise Operations-South Asia Business Unit. Between 2000 and 2004, he worked as the President of Zip Telecom and was the Managing Director of WorldSpace India until he retired in 2007.

www.shishirlall.com

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Shishir Lall

The outcome of such an explosion of talent was that the highest marks across subjects, the best jobs with the most favoured MNC's, the distinction for being the best sports college, the college with highest number of entrants in the civil service all rested on the mantle of St Stephen's College. It was the benchmark that every other college was measured against, across the country.

My professional journey started on the notice board outside Robert Saab’s office. Brooke Bond had put up a notice for Management Trainees in 1980 & I got the job-the bigger point being that students from all other educational institutions, walked across many corridors looking for employment & here instead, was a big time MNC of the day, walking the corridors of St Stephen's looking for talent!

That sums up the essence of the five para's above. We were ‘privileged’-the generations before us had delivered to the world at large, for the best to want to come to Stephen's looking for more. I hope we did the same.

2006...what's similar ? The clement & the physical structure of The College is the same, I tried & couldn't find any change in the classroom, the residence room, the Allnut lawns, Rohtas' dhabha, the imposing gates. It was a pleasure to see Nandita in college, looking not very different from what she looked in 1980, as much as it was a surprise to see Dr Baker. The mince, scrambled egg, toast, chutney, nimbu pani tasted the same. The pride in being a Stephanian is very much intact.

So what's different ? There are more girls then ever before. Without getting into the causes, the one thing that has changed, is that the gap that existed between Stephen's & the rest has evaporated. We are not the best sports college. Academically, we are now clubbed with the best in India, not as the benchmark in arts. Science has certainly given a ‘leg up’ to college & full credit to the faculty for achieving this sustained success. Be it the civil service or the new generation MNC's, our representation could be better. In the literary, creative & cultural world, the later generations have yet to shine as bright as the Tharoors, Guhas, Hussains & many others of the 70's or maybe I'm just ill informed.

There is a bright bunch of Professors, alumni, achievers from college & existing students...all need to sit together & find how to bring back the 'WOW' to being a Stephanian. One does not have to follow the framework of the college, university, the social structures & the job requirements to succeed. Instead we must inculcate skills which others don't teach today & which will be required 20 years from now...nobody but a large bunch of Stephanians will have those skills when the time comes. Teaching Chinese as a subject for example or teaching social development skills, water management, environment management, Psychology (what with stress from jobs, relationships, poor eating habits & poor time management leading to a vastly increased % of the population having disturbed minds) maybe even art amongst others.

All this can happen but only if we break away from the past, leave the company of the majority & stop preparing for jobs that average people aspire for. It is only then that we will widen the gap again & have others looking up to us….

Anyone up to the challenge to reinvent ‘Stephania’ ?

The Mausam of Monsoon Dr. Vinod Vyasulu

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Vinod Vyasulu was born in Guntur, schooled in Delhi, and after an educational interlude in the United States, returned to India and lived happily ever after. Dr Vinod Vyasulu is a Consulting Economist,based in Bangalore.In his own words, "For Stephanians, it is relevant that I was the first Secretary of the Wodehouse Society, that as an MA type I went and painted the cross white, and dedicated my PhD thesis to the Empress of Blandings. Since then it has been downhill."..

It is the mausam of monsoon.The rain is raining.Barish is barishing.Vaana is vaaning.La Lluvia esta lluveindo.And all is right in the world.

The Royal Wedding of Bhutan

Sangye Rdorje, Class of 83

The recent Royal wedding in Bhutan was truly one of the most significant moments in Bhutan’s history as commanded by His Majesty when he announced his marriage in the last session of the parliament. It was also witnessed by the nation as well as in many parts of the globe on television.

The whole nation witnessed the historic celebration of the Royal wedding of His Majesty to Queen Jetsun Pema Wangchuck. This Royal wedding was done in elaborate ceremonial Bhutanese style in the Pungthang Dewa Chhenpoi Phodrang on October 13. The capital experienced part of the celebrations at the Changlimithang ground on 15th October.

The capital Thimphu was beautifully decorated with flags and flowers. In addition, huge portraits of the royal couple were seen hanging from the buildings and homes all over. Over a hundred international journalists came to Bhutan to cover this significant event.

Although Bhutan has embraced democracy, the respect and love for the Monarchy is as strong as it has always been. In fact the Fourth Druk Gylapo (King), the father of the present King is very much loved by his people for the continuous support, love and care that he has for his people. His Majesty, the present King is taking it even further. What might sound amazing but is actually true is that His Majesty personally knows almost each and everyone in the country! For the Queen, Her Majesty Jetsun Pema Wangchuck, this is a beginning of a whole new journey. Besides taking up the sacred responsibilities of looking after the royal household, the Queen will also serve the King and the people. Historically, Queens in Bhutan have been very socially active in uplifting the poor and the less fortunate.

Guests included the royal family, Jyotiraditya Scindia and family, the grandson of Maharaja of Gwalior, Scindia Madhavrao, the president of Sri Lanka’s son Namal Rajapaksha, and the Bangladesh Prime Minister’s son. Also spotted in Thimphu, were some former foreign secretaries of the government of India.

Sangay Dorji born in 1961 at Punakha (interestingly, the venue of Royal Wedding) Bhutan. He passed out from St.Josephs School, Darjeeling and completed his ‘Plus two’ from Army Public School, Dhaula Kaun, Delhi 78-80, where he was ‘Sportsman of the year.’He was in College (St.Stephens) from 1980-83 where he represented college in soccer and was volleyball captain.Sangay took part in the College Presidential Elections and as he sportingly says “in fact I was the first ’chinky ever to take part in the college elections!” He is presently running a travel and ticketing agency called Bhutan Smart Travels.E m a i l : S a n g a y. d o r j i @ g m a i l . c o m /

Rahul Gandhi attended the Celebrations in Changlimethang.

Tens of thousands of well wishers lined the streets to greet Bhutan's king and his new bride as they returned to the capital the next day after their wedding at Punakha.

Significantly, Prime Minister Jigme Y.Thinley is from St. Stephens college. Other Stephanians in the Government are the Trade Minister Khandu Wangchuk, Chief Election Commissioner, Foreign Secretary, Ambassadors, some MPs along with any more in the private sector as well.Presently studying in college is the Queens brother, Thinley Norbu.

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As promised, SS2 looked around to see some of the most exciting events in recent times and spotted our very own Sangye Rdorje at the Royal wedding of Bhutan. So here it is for you- in Sangye’s own words…

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Breathtaking moments

Jaskiran Chopra did her schooling fromConvent of Jesus and Mary, Dehra Dun.This was followed by B.A. (Honours)in English from St. Stephen’s Collegeand Post Graduation in Journalism fromthe Indian Institute of MassCommunication (IIMC), New Delhi, alongwith an M.A. in English Literature fromH.N.B.Garhwal University.She has worked with the United Newsof India (UNI) in New Delhi and DehraDun as a correspondent writingextensively on various subjects: environment,tourism, forestry, literatureand the entire Uttarakhand movement.In 2000, she set up the UNI StateBureau in Dehra Dun and was incharge of it till January 2004. FromJanuary 2004 she joined the Times ofIndia as a Special Correspondent andworked with the newspaper for fiveyears. From March 2009, Jaskiran iswith The Pioneer group as a SpecialCorrespondent for features, interviews,book reviews and travel stories. Shehas written extensively for SundayPioneer, Namaskar and Exotica.

It is extremely difficult for me to put in words what my college meant to me. My memories of St.Stephen’s are so close to my heart that even after so many years they are fresh and vivid, untouched by the ‘Big Bad World’ I stepped into after leaving the safe haven that college was to me.

In fact, I have never gone back to college ever after that deliberately so as to keep my memories un-spoilt and absolutely pure. Any subsequent visit may have tampered with the scenes which I hold so dear in my mind’s eye.

Having gone to Stephen’s from a girls’ convent school from the Doon valley to join the English Honours course, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that my class was not too different from my class in school. There were around twenty girls, most of them from various girls convents of Delhi and six boys, one of whom was from The Doon School itself.

My thoughts go back today to the day when I went nervously into Rev. W.S.Rajpal’s office for being interviewed.When I told him that I had studied Elective English in Class 12 , he asked me who my favourite author was. I promptly replied, ”Thomas Hardy”. Pat came the question, “And where did Hardy take his title Far From the Madding Crowd from” ?

I thanked my stars that I knew the answer. “Gray’s elegy”, I said and was happy to see the smile of satisfaction on the principal’s face.

College to me was like a symbol of perfection. The professors were extremely wonderful and I can never forget what they taught me. They opened up a magical world of literature which I had never imagined while I had studied the subject in school. Dr.Rao, Dr.Harish Trivedi, Valson Thampu, Philip Welsh and Paul Smith were the names which were to become etched in my memory forever. Even today, when I read a Jane Austen novel for old time’s sake, I can hear Dr.Trivedi’s soft, cultured voice giving his comments on a particular theme or scene of the novel.

Stephen’s, dear Stephen’s

Jaskiran Chopra

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How fortunate I was to have studied my favourite subject in a college which is beyond compare ! Some people may feel that I am prejudiced but then that is how I feel and believe in. Whenever I have looked back on my days at Stephen’s, what has emerged in my imagination is an idyllic place,a temple of learning and a symbol of grace and sobriety.

Things I remember college for include the winter tutorials out in the sun, the morning assembly during the first year (which always made me remember my school, Convent of Jesus and Mary),the girls gossiping in the Ladies’ Common Room, the play practice, the long hours I spent in the beautiful library making notes while my friends never tired of calling me a book-worm, the white pigeons flying over the chapel, the long discussions at the cosy cafeteria, the amazing teachers always ready to explain the subject to you and of course, the atmosphere of warmth and affection that surrounded me as I walked through the imposing corridors of my dear alma mater!

Sunaina Serna, Seema Paul, Shabnam Nayyar, Rekha Aggarwal,Ratna Raman, Bishakha De Sarkar,Devalina Kohli, Punita Talwar, Charu Verma,Pallavi Pandit ,Urvi Sukul,Sandeep Kumar , Sunil Joseph,David Devadas and Vivek Gill were among my friends in college. Though I have lost touch with some of them, they form an important part of my college memories and remain there, etched in my mind....forever young and forever fresh.

The values which our teachers inculcated in us have remained strongly ingrained in our personalities. The importance of hard work, originality, clear-headedness and intellectual activity was always stressed upon, in a subtle manner and before one realized, these became part of one’s life, very naturally.

I can easily say that the three years I spent at St.Stephen’s were the most beautiful years of my life- my ‘golden years’. Perhaps I did not realize this at that time, but in retrospect, I believe that those were indeed magical times-full of possibilities, promises and dreams. Perhaps I have not been able to fulfill the dreams I saw then but those years have become my most beautiful memory which has sustained me and given me strength down the decades, even in the most difficult times. Stephen’s is an ethos which has been handed down from one generation of students to the next. It is a rich value system which lays the foundations of a student’s life afresh. One re-learns or un-learns things one has learnt at school.

PUN INTENDED

Ÿ I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.

Ÿ I'm reading a book about anti-gravity. It's impossible to put down.

Ÿ Did you hear about the guy whose whole left side was cut off? He's all right now.

Ÿ I couldn't quite remember how to throw a boomerang, but eventually it came back to me.

Ÿ I was going to look for my missing watch, but I could never find the time.

Ÿ Some people's noses and feet are built backwards: their feet smell and their noses run.

Ÿ Did you hear about the guy who got hit in the head with a can of soda? He was lucky it was a soft drink.

Ÿ Two peanuts were walking in a tough neighborhood and one of them was a-salted.

Ÿ It was an emotional wedding. Even the cake was in tiers.

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Criss-Cross - A short story Sanjay Kumar Singh

Sanjay did his graduation in Economics from College

and was in residence (Rudra North) from 1985-88.He

has done his schooling from St. Michael's High School,

Patna & Bishop Cotton Boys School, Bangalore. Sanjay

started out as a civil servant but resigned in 1993.

Thereafter he joined the LLB course at Campus Law

Centre, Delhi. After becoming a lawyer, he practiced for

a couple of years at Patna High Court.

At present, he lives in Noida practicing largely as a legal

consultant and adviser. They don’t have any kids but

Sanjay and his wife Leena are in the process of

adopting one or more in the near future! Their

household however, is full of a variety of pets of which

Phantom, his pet Labrador, is the apple of his eye!

(Phantom is also the guy with him his profile picture).

For Sanjay, reading has always been a great hobby and

of late, he has felt like trying his hand at writing. This

short story is one such result….

He stood in the open doorway, watching. Outside it was a brilliant moonlit night, a breeze had sprung up and he felt its coolness on his face.

He closed the door and stepped out. On an impulse, he found himself looking up. The sky was clear and soft puffy clouds could be seen playing hide and seek.

He walked out to the path in front of the house which climbed up on the hill. He didn't have an idea as to the exact time but guessed that it was past midnight. The night was quiet. The path wound up the hill shaded intermittently by trees. He strolled up this path.

There, when he turned the corner, he saw the figure - sitting, on what looked like some high boulder or fence next to the path.

He was a little intrigued by the presence of the figure at this late hour. He increased his pace a little; interested now. As he came closer, he saw that it was a child wearing some kind of a large cloak or coat which made it look larger than it should.

As he approached, the child lifted his face. It was an extraordinarily pale face which seemed to be filled by his deep dark eyes. The child sat quietly and in many ways, it felt eerie. Yet it didn't really affect him….

"Hey kid, what are you doing here?" he called out to the child.

The child didn't answer but kept looking at him.

"Not the time for you to be alone pal", he said, looking at the child closely.

For a second, the child's face seemed to blossom and distend; but when he looked again - there the kid sat looking at him silently.

"Uh, OK, no joking now. Just tell me where your house is and I'll take you back. Not safe here," he gestured coming up close.

A smell of something like dry fallen leaves came from

the child.

Their eyes locked. He felt a deep abyss somewhere and jerked his eyes away.

The child lifted his hand and pointed. He turned back to look at where the child was pointing. On the sea, beneath the hill, some distance away, a light blinked.

He turned aside, so that he would keep the child within his view and also watch the distant gleam. Slowly he could make out what looked like a small motor boat heading towards the shore. The moonlight glinted off its shining hull as he watched. 14

Suddenly he lost interest in the child and found himself walking down to the shore. The boat was already there, anchored close to the shore when he reached it. But there was no one around.

As he stood watching the boat; he became conscious of a movement on the sands behind him. He turned to see the same kid with a scruffy looking dog beside him. He picked up a broken twig lying at his feet and threw it for the dog. In a few moments, the dog was bounding up to him with the twig in his mouth. He looked at the dog and smiled.

Suddenly, he felt apprehensive and quickly looked up. The kid was no longer there. Instead there stood a large indiscriminate figure; quiet but menacing.

He sighed. He turned as if to walk away but suddenly came around facing the large figure. There was a snarl on his face and his mouth opened wolf like. With a cry of unholy joy he sprang at the figure and brought it down to the ground. But the figure shook itself free and with a leap ran up the hill. He sat looking at the running figure till it disappeared in the shadows of the hill.

The boat was still there. But there was no dog. Neither could he see the child. He lay down on the sand; tasting the salty wind on his lips.

He found the night growing darker and looked up to see clouds much more than there were earlier. Somewhere in the hill behind, he heard a sound - a long wailing sound.

In a jiffy, he was up, racing to the hill path where he had met the child. It was much darker now but he could still see that there appeared to be a figure; in fact two figures – sitting at the same place where the child had sat earlier.

He slowed down and as he did so the dog bounded up in front of him and merged with the figures.

He went up to them. A kind of mist was building up; or so it seemed to him.

He went nearer, walking slowly and quietly. He reached out and touched the misty outline and it was like the feel of dust upon his fingers. He sat down before them, head bowed; while the misty outline slowly faded away in the darkness.

There was the boat down at the shore waiting for him and there lay the open door of his house where he could go back and rest. Or he could go back to the cemetery and lie down with them- his son, their pet dog and the driver who had crashed into their car.

He would take his time in deciding for he had time. The night was not over yet and there was plenty left to criss-cross.

The 51st Rajyotsava: (Or) The Idea of Karnataka

Vinod Vyasulu

India turned 60 on August, 15th, 2007. Karnataka turns 51 on November 1st, 2007. Such anniversaries invite introspection. In those nine odd years before Karnataka was born—as Mysore state—the Idea of India became entrenched in our subconscious. This is of a multi-lingual, multi-cultural, multi-religious, multi- everything state glorying in its ‘unity in diversity’. Much has been written about this, from Sunil Khilnani to Ramachandra Guha. Karnataka is clearly part of this Idea. Unlike Jammu and Kashmir there is no dispute about it! We do not have to keep repeating that Karnataka is an integral part of India! But little has been written about the Idea of Karnataka. I wonder why.

What is the Idea of Karnataka? Is the state really a 'tanujate' of 'Bharata Mate' as the poet Kuvempu describes her?

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At SS2, we are extremely privileged to be able to have a sneak preview of a paper that Dr Vinod Vyasulu is working on.

Titled ‘The 51st Rajyotsava or ‘The idea of Karnataka’ this paper takes a close and insightful look at the background and the challenges that lie ahead. Dr. Vyasulu was open to the idea of sharing excerpts from his Paper with SS2, with just one condition – he’d Iike to challenge readers to say what they think is the idea of Punjab, Orissa…

Any takers?

Or is that simply the licence a poet is entitled to? What is unique about Karnataka, what is it that distinguishes it from other states? What is its unique contribution to the Idea—and Substance—of India? On what was the success of the Samyukta Karnataka Movement based? What brought together distinct regions, with different histories, into one integrated 'state'? Was it language alone? Was there not a popular demand in Kolar, which is largely Telugu speaking, to stay as part of Mysore rather than go to Andhra Pradesh? What are factors intrinsic to Karnataka that help explain the 'state' of the state today? These are complex questions to which there is probably no easy answer. A little loud thinking may set the stage for debate. Rajyotsava is an apt occasion for this.

What I find fascinating about my adopted state—I was born in Andhra Pradesh and grew up in Delhi—is that it mirrors India in essential ways. I consider myself an Indian and a Karnatakan. I came here because of a job in the mid 1970s. I stayed on because of marriage to a Kannadiga. My children grew up speaking Kannada. I am part of a wide network as alia of Karnataka! It is an essential part of my identity. I am no less ‘Indian’ because of this. If anything, it gives my ‘Indian-ness’ roots.

I exercise some of my rights of Indian citizenship by voting in Karnataka. But I am also a Stephanian, a student of economics, and an iterant lecturer. Without being an American, I am a Gator from the University of Florida. I am a cricket fan, a speaker of Telugu and Spanish and a would-be writer of science fiction. Here one can be all these without being a Kannadiga, which is a linguistic identity; one I do not own. I am Karnatakan but not Kannadiga. I am sure there are many like me here in Karnataka—especially in the recent years of Bengaluru's incredible growth. And, there must be Kannadigas who are not Karnatakan! That is what Diversity is all about!

If the key characteristic of India is diversity, then so is it with Karnataka. The key element of the Idea of India is present in the state. In a country where a state’s identity is based in language, Karnataka is linguistically diverse. The state has a Kannada speaking ‘majority’, in the same way as India has a Hindi speaking ‘majority’—a large number that is nevertheless less than 50% of the population. Those who speak other languages together number more than 50%. And the Kannada of Mysore differs from that of Dharwad, which in turns differs from that of Dakshin Kannada! Diversity within Unity! Kannada here is a janabhashe or a deshabhashe, one that resides on top of one’s matrubhashe. The mother tongue of many in the north is Marathi. In the West we have Tulu.

The mother tongue of many in the north is Marathi. In the West we have Tulu and Konkani. In the south, Tamil is widely spoken. In the East Telugu is spoken by considerable numbers of people. Urdu has a large number of speakers across the state. All are born Karnatakans. Karnataka is unique among the Indian states in this regard. Just consider the contrast with our neighbour, Tamil Nadu, so quintessentially and unidimensionally Tamil in matters of language and culture. I tend to think of this as one of the defining characteristics of this state. I may of course be wrong. It has been known to happen!

What is remarkable here is that many of these language groups are bi or multi- lingual; we are Marathi and Kannada; Telugu and Kannada and so on. It has nothing to do with literacy; it is an attitude to life. It is not just Kannada, but it is Kannada+. The shopkeeper, the autorickshaw driver, the vegetable seller, keen to do business, will [try to] speak to the visitor in her own language! The ordinary people here reach out to the world outside. English theatre thrives in Bangalore—remember Bangalore Little Theatre?—with many actors and writers flitting back and forth between Kannada and English. [Many of the well known Kannada writers were Professors of English!] The proof of this lies in the richness of Kannada literature. Many who spoke other languages at home have enriched Kannada literature; think of Bendre or Masti. This is fundamental cosmopolitanism: something to cherish and nurture. I do not think this is true of any other Indian [or other] state! Is it any wonder that R.K. Narayan wrote so eloquently in English about Malgudi? This cosmopolitanism is a unique feature of Karnataka and I for one celebrate the difference for it opens up a wider world to us.

.Look at the diversity in food - from the kardantu of Gokak, the jolada roti and shenga pudi of the northern areas, the Dharwad peda, the sanna of Mangalore, the rave idli of Bangalore and the Mysore Pak, to the traditional handi-meenu curry in Kodagu, there is both diversity and variety. The dry rain shadow areas of the north have a great food tradition, which can still be experienced in the local khanavallis. Eating is an art in Old Mysore; I hazard the guess that only the French can be as picky as the Mysoreans in matters of lunch!...............

Karnataka has disputes with its neighbours in the sharing of water. It has quarrels with Maharashtra, with Andhra

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and with Tamil Nadu. The processes in India that lead to such disputes work in magnified fashion in Karnataka. Short term, narrow political—by which I mean electoral—opportunities outweigh longer term wisdom. We forget the important in the face of the urgent. And intolerance is rising, as the reaction to Girish Karnad’s comment that the Cauvery Tribunal decision be respected showed. The politicians’ reaction to this award has been singularly lacking in statesmanlike quality. Thus, there is a need for caution for us citizens here. Where statesmanship will come from I do not know. It may be outside influence, but that we will have to see………..

Karnataka can grow in one of two ways. Bangalore and the few others can move ahead, and this will, for a while, move the averages upwards—at the cost of increasing the distance between those who are participants in this growth and those who are not. Or it can take the harder path of dealing with the backward parts of the state, investing in them for all round development for at least a decade, and then reap the fruits of growth as the lowest values rise and thus push up the state average. If the state chooses the latter path, it will again show the way ahead for India. We will have to see what happens.

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Thinking out of the wheelchair Pankaj Butalia

There are many stories of people who were involved in accidents and suffered horrifying injuries which left them permanently disabled. Then there are those which inspire all of us! Here is one such story written by Pankaj Butalia on Arun Sondhi in The Indian Express, Delhi, 20 October 2007. We would love to hear your feedback on this one….

We hear of the Sabeer Bhatias, the Lakshmi Mittals and the Deepak Chopras but not many talk about the Arun Sondhis. In 1983, a speeding bus ran into a stationary motorcycle at a traffic light in Delhi. On the motorcycle was Arun Sondhi, then a 21-year-old student at Delhi’s St Stephen’s College. The bus dragged him along and made a mess of both his legs, spine and back.

Arun was rushed to a hospital where friends looked after him as he struggled to stay alive. His parents were on a tea estate in Assam where his father was manager, his sister was on a train to Delhi and his brother in Bombay was about to join the Merchant Navy. Arun came out of hospital alive — but as a paraplegic. From that moment the whole family’s life was put on hold and the slow process of ensuring the young man did not suffer too much damage became its full-time occupation. This middle class family was reduced to near penury and a small garage in Defence Colony became their new home.

Recognising that there weren’t too many

Pankaj Butalia was a national level table tennis player who then taught Economics at Delhi University before he took to making films. He has made eight documentaries and one fiction film. Most of his documentaries have been screened extensively throughout the world and one of them, "Moksha", won four major international awards in 1993-94. His first feature film, "Karvaan" won a special award at Amiens in 1999 has been screened in film festivals in Venice, Toronto, Rotterdam, Belgium, Hong Kong, Turkey, New Delhi and Calcutta among other places. His last film was Manipur song.

Photo courtesy : V. Sudershan

possibilities of rehabilitation in India, it was decided to send Arun abroad. After much discussion Sweden was chosen as it offered state-of-the-art rehabilitation. Given the weakness of the Indian currency and the exorbitant cost of living in Sweden, every penny hurt and no one was more aware of this than Arun, who, while grappling with his disabled body, was also aware of how his accident had damaged the lives of those around him. He took to rehabilitation like a duck to water, and surprised even the most optimistic of doctors by completing in six months what normally took two years. Very soon he became a rehabilitation instructor at the same institute and, within a few years, felt so confident he started his own software company which prospered well into the late nineties.

As part of his rehabilitation, he took to gym training and was very soon an excellent weightlifter. He represented Sweden in the Bench Press event at the paraplegic Olympics in Atlanta and surprised everyone by winning the gold medal, setting a record not just for the disabled but also for the ‘normal’ Olympics. The environment in Sweden helped and soon the accident in 1983 was a distant memory. Arun was a charged man. For him ‘active rehabilitation’ became a mantra and he was determined to bring his experience in Sweden to help spread its benefits in India.

He started making frequent trips to India and working with institutions to improve the quality of wheelchairs so that paraplegics could be more pro-active with their wheelchairs. He worked on training the bodies of those injured — irrespective of their family backgrounds. His goal is to make the disabled re-discover their inner strength so as to learn to be completely independent again.

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Arun Sondhi demonstrates how the India Wheelchair user can climb stairs.

Pic courtesy - The Hindu, Metro Plus Thiruvananthapuram

Remembering a cricketing legend

MAK Pataudi visits

college

Photo courtesy - Sanjay Sethi

AADHAAR – The Unique Identification (UID) project in India

Jaideep Nirula

Jaideep Nirula, B.Sc.(1984-87) did his M.S. (Comp. Sc.) from Minnesota, USA and worked with UNISYS. He was the Vice-President of the students association at the university at Minnesota and also a member of the honours society of PHI KAPPA PHI. At UNISYS. He was extensively involved in the computerization of Disneyworld, FL. He is an IT consultant and a pioneer in bringing in the GIS revolution in India. The “map-centric” applications which one sees today in fields ranging from election analysis, ERP, radio-taxis, vehicle tracking, etc all run using the GIS technology. Jaideep is Instrumental in introducing the Digitisation concepts to various government departments, including various papers on taking the Indian Army into the world of Digitisation

On 29th September 2010, Ranjna Sadashiv Sonwane, a tribal woman from Tembhali village in Nandurbar, Maharashtra, became the first recipient of the Aadhaar number. Ranjna received the Aadhaar letter from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on the day he launched the initiative nationally. This marks the point where the Aadhaar initiative transforms from a technology concept to an on the ground reality.

The importance of this project is in the context of the country’s increasingly mobile population and in fulfilling the government’s commitment to inclusive growth. A vision to use technology to improve the lives of the ‘aam admi’. In the words of Som Mittal, President, Nasscom “Aadhaar will give the poor an identity and a vehicle to the government to build very targeted and focused programmes”.

The Unique Identification Authority of India(UIDAI), is the agency of the Government of India responsible for implementing the envisioned AADHAAR a unique identification project in India. It was established in February 2009, and will own and operate the Unique Identification Number database. The authority will aim at providing a unique number to all Indians, but not smart cards. The authority would provide a database of residents containing very simple data in biometrics.

The UIDAI has long emphasized that the focus of the Aadhaar number is on giving the poor and marginalised in India their first clear, easily verifiable, mobile identity. The Aadhaar number acknowledges today’s reality: that opportunities and jobs, especially for India’s poor, are changeable and often located outside the hometown and village. The Aadhaar number gives the Indian people their first mobile identification, which they can use anywhere in the country, with any agency, to prove their identity.

WHAT IS AADHAAR OR UID ?

1. Aadhaar (the UID number) is not mandatory. People can opt not to be a part of the exercise. The UID will link a person's Passport Number, Driving License, PAN card, Bank Accounts, Address, Voter ID, etc. and all this information will be checked through a database. So, for example, if someone has different addresses on PAN and driving license, that person is liable to get caught. Those who will opt out of this program will have much inconvenience in doing business, operating bank accounts and other offices which will require a

2. It is not only for the Indian citizens only and is for residents of India, irrespective of their citizenship.

• The UID number will only provide identity: The UID number will only guarantee identity, not rights, benefits or entitlements.• The UID will prove identity, not citizenship: All residents in the country can be issued a unique ID. The UID is proof of identity and does not confer citizenship.

3. Even people without proper identification documents can apply for Aadhaar. Authorised individuals, who already have an Aadhaar, can introduce residents who don't possess any documents to establish their identity to enable them to receive their Aadhaar.

4. Aadhar will not replace other identification documents such as ration card or passport.

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At Stepanian Spice, we believe that alumni should share their knowledge in order to increase awareness. That is exactly what our IT expert Jaideep Nirula has set out to do and through this column he will keep us all updated and in the loop as far as technological advances are concerned. Many thanks Jaideep, we really do appreciate this!

5. The UIDAI will collect only biometric and demographic information about an individual and will not ask for info on caste, religion or language. UID will store basic information like Name/ Date & Place of Birth / Gender / Father’s Name / Mother’s Name /Address / Expiry Date / Photograph and Finger Prints.

6. Date of Birth is optional (for people who don't remember/know their date of birth) and approximate age will suffice.

7. Transgenders have been included in the options under gender and they need not classify themselves as male or female.

8. Residents of India have an option to link their UID number to their bank accounts.

9. To get an UID number, Individuals will have to go to the nearest Aadhaar enrollment camp. They will have to carry along certain documents, as per the requirements. They will be photographed and have their fingerprints and iris scanned. The Aadhaar numbers will be issued within 20-30 days.

10. The draft National Identification Authority of India bill has provisions against impersonation, providing false information and for protection of personal information collected by the UIDAI. Violations can attract penalties in the form of fines and imprisonment.

FUTURE USES

UID Project plans to introduce micro-payment platform in order to facilitate banking in rural India. The platform will enable Business Correspondents, BC (who could be a local kirana shop owner and will act as ‘micro ATM’) to conduct instant transactions.

The micro platform will enable function through low cost devices (micro ATMs) that will be connected to banks across the country. This would enable a person to instantly deposit or withdraw funds regardless of the bank associated with a particular BC.

This device will be based on a mobile phone connection and would be made available at every BC. Customers would just have to get their identity authenticated and withdraw or put money into their bank accounts. This money will not come from the ATM, but from the cash drawer of the BC. Essentially, BC’s will act as bank for the customers and all they need to do is verify the authenticity of customer using customers’ UID.

RISKS INVOLVED

There are risks involved in this project too. Any misuse of collected UID data could expose ordinary citizens to irreparable loss and injury, apart from bringing disrepute to such a monumental exercise. It needs to be considered that a UID scheme of the nature and magnitude envisaged in India has not been successfully implemented anywhere in the world.

BENEFITS

Progress always involves risks. Aadhaar will enable the core subsidy management system to ensure that government schemes like MGNREGA, healthcare, PDS and subsidies like food, LPG, fertilisers reach the intended beneficiaries. Scarce funds would be better utilised and coverage will be expanded leading to a homogeneous growth. The system will ensure no duplication and provide a robust, fast and real-time authentication. Even as technology and legal provisions will make the whole system robust, the government needs to ensure that the provisions of the law are followed in letter and spirit. Its time that we move forward, build our conviction and trust because the advantage of Aadhaar far outweighs risks that can be removed through proper safeguards and policies.

A unique identity for 1.2 billion residents is the largest identity project being executed and watched globally. The success of this initiative will create a big change for governments to help uplift its citizens’ lives not only in India, but also in developing countries that face similar challenges.

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All of us were horrified to learn that David Devadas, ( Class of 82) a well known journalist based in Srinagar was badly beaten up by the J and K cops on the 5th of September. While we are all happy that David is much better now, this incident does provide a lot of food for thought. More importantly, what can a journalist do if he is suddenly set upon and beaten by the 'supposed' upholders of the law? We welcome your views on this, so please do let us know what you think...

Brutish Srinagar cops thrash journo unnecessarily (Article Courtesy-rediff.com)

David Devadas, journalist, and author of In Search of a Future, the Story of Kashmir, was beaten by the police in Srinagar on last Monday. Devadas says that he is worried about his life after the incident.

In a letter written to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Devadas said that on September 5, when he was crossing the Rambagh bridge in his car in the evening in heavy traffic, he heard a loud bang at the back of his car. His car was hit by another car.

It was a security vehicle which was part of a convoy. One of the vehicles had a car flying the national flag. Devadas claims, "Those who were in this convoy had apparently got the impression that my car was obstructing their way, and became angry with me for this reason."

What followed after was "a terribly upsetting experience" for Devadas. He explains, "How negatively many ordinary citizens of Kashmir experience the State."

Particularly during the disturbed period over the past two decades, the armed forces have too often been the face of the State most visible to the people. Increasingly, over the past few years, it is the Jammu and Kashmir police rather than central forces that have been the leading interface between the State and the people, says Devadas.

After few minutes a traffic policeman stopped his vehicle. They wanted him to leave his vehicle and hand it over to them. He was asked to wait on the road. Devadas requested that he had an appointment with former MP Jaya Jaitley, but the police didn't listen to his plea.

Devadas found that he was illegally detained. He called the Inspector-General of Police, Kashmir Range, SM Sahai. He could not find him. He kept the message with Sahai's assistant who picked up the phone. The policemen kept insisting that Devadas should hand over his vehicle and also go with them to the police station. That was a scary proposal in a city like Srinagar.

In few minutes, more policemen came and started hitting him with hands and metal lathis and abused him. In spite of such serious assault, policemen have filed an FIR against Davadas, saying that he made a `jaan-leva hamla' (lethal attack) against them when their convoy had passed his car.

Devadas says, "At no point of time during this incident did I resort to using force against police persons, even in self-defence. They further made a baseless allegation that I had a pistol. I do not own any pistol, and I made it clear to them that I was not carrying any pistol. On mentioning that I was a journalist, they threatened that they would teach me a lesson in the police station. Further, they continued to use profanities and issued threats.”

Devadas believes that "outrageous allegation" that he possessed a pistol was police's excuse to use physical violence against him.

Devadas, who lives in Kashmir since long, knew that it's not wise to accompany policemen to police station. He insisted that he should be checked right there with help of witnesses.

"I requested him to search me on the spot in front of passers-by who were witnesses before taking me anywhere. I told him the men in the security detail had accused me of having a pistol and that I therefore wished for the veracity of this allegation to be established in front of independent witnesses from the public." says Devadas. 21

However, he was not given any choice. Nobody agreed to search him. He was forced to sit in police vehicle. "Even after having volunteered to board the vehicle, the police personnel, instead of respecting my action, seized me by my hair and pulled, pushed, kicked and forced me into the back of the jeep. My shirt was torn across my torso at this point. In the jeep, I was further beaten, abused and kicked, while my head was held down at the floor of the jeep by my hair. I was unsure of my fate, and what would follow inside the police station."

When Devadas was bleeding in the police station, various policemen kept asking him where his pistol is.

Only when the deputy superintendent of police came the assault stopped.

He was taken into his room. Here Devadas claims that the station house officer completely twisted the facts, and fabricated a false story stating that Devadas was beaten on the street by people.

Devadas has written to CM Abdullah, "Sir, I am deeply distressed at my discovery thus of the ease and impunity with which guardians of the law utter bald-faced falsehood. I am also concerned, sir, that I was not provided with a copy of my medico-legal examination at the Bone and Joints Hospital at Barzulla. I was taken to this hospital directly from the police station that night."

Devadas alleges that when he was beaten by police mercilessly policemen taunted that, "Get your home ministry to withdraw the disturbed areas order" that gives him such power.

Devadas has written to CM that, "He also told me angrily that what had happened to me was nothing compared to what Kashmiri journalists have experienced. Further, he told me that this sort of thing happens all over India ; he knows this, he added, since he has been an 'international police officer."

Devadas has requested that, 'There is an urgent need to address and check the untrammeled abuse of powers by the police personnel, and other arms of the State, in Jammu and Kashmir. In relation to this incident, a strict action may be taken against these erring police personnel, who unleashed violence on a civilian without any provocation or any legal reason."

Since last 25 years, Davadas has been writing about conflict in Kashmir when he was working for India Today, Economic Times, Business Standard and Gulf News

To do research for his book he left his regular job and moved to Kashmir. Currently, Davadas is associated with Jamia Millia Islamia and the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library.

For Devadas life will never be same again. He writes to Abdullah that, "After this experience, I am apprehensive about my safety. Through that evening, it became clear to me that rules, procedures and court guidelines are treated with contempt by the police force. I would be grateful, sir, if you would kindly advise me on how best to proceed and whether you consider it safe for me to remain in Kashmir."

On advise of fellow journalists, Devadas didn't file any FIR, although the police has filed FIR accusing him of 'lethal attack' on them.

David Devadas shows the injuries he sustained after policemen thrashed him

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Stephenians, Old and New Trekking up the Siachin Glacier

Ritu Soni Marwah

Sia, “rose”. Chin, “place of”. Siachin “the place of roses”. Reallllly peoppple!! “The place of roses???? It is a glacier!!! Miles and miles of ice. 130 km of it actually. Black rocky dust, moraine, treacherously covers the ice in parts. Maybe after days and days of walking on the glacier, where not a blade of grass is in sight, someone spotting a bush of the pink Sia got so excited they named it Siachin. The only red you see on the glacier is the blood of the soldiers guarding the glacier sitting atop the highest battleground in the world.

Siachin glacier lies sandwiched between the Karakoram Range and the Saltoro mountain range on the northernmost tip of India. Pakistan peeps over the Saltoro Range, desperately trying to gain control of the mountains to access what they believe is ‘their’ glacier. Alerted to this claim by Col. Kumar who spotted the Pakistani led trekking team on the glacier, the Indian soldiers have spilled their blood to guard the peaks against cartographic aggression.

A show of force that was expected to last the summer of 1984 when the Indian army captured the passes to the glacier, continues now for over 20 years with no end in sight. Soldiers are rotated every 3 to 4 months from peaks where the air pressure threatens to fill their lungs and brains with water and their blood thickens, producing more red blood cells to grasp at thin oxygen.

I hiked up this triangle of ice this September as a member of a 22 member civilian trekking team led by the Indian army. On arrival at Leh guess who I found as a member of my team? Manjul, a present member of the St. Stephens women’s basketball team!!! I was transported back to my days in college where, rapidly trained one summer at the national stadium by Mohini, I was inducted as a member of the basketball team so I could hang out with my friends.

Manjul is also reading history at Stephens under the tutelage of my erstwhile classmate Sangeeta Luthra Sharma or SLS.

Seven days in Leh to get the lungs used to what they will get over the next month; a ten hour journey to the Siachin base camp on the highest motorable road on earth passing through the 18,380 ft. high Khardungla Pass; ten days at the base camp hiking along the melting waters of the glacier that run down in their new avatar as the Nubra river, learning the craft of walking up ice walls with crampons or jaws of steel clamped on the base of our scarpa hiking boots and we were ready to climb the glacier.

Armed with ice picks, skipping over rocks, walking over ladder bridges rigged over crevasses we made our way to camp 1. After what they called 12 km we reached a place of samosas and besan barfis. No kidding. The army does not march on an empty stomach! The cook at the camp claimed to have worked at a five star hotel. Such was the pull of the glacier that here he was at 13,000 ft sleeping, cooking and living on ice to provide hot rotis and delicious daal

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After graduating in History Hons. in 1982 Ritu went on to finish her Masters and MPhil in International Relations and MBA from IIFT. She joined the Tata Administrative Services in 1986. Since 1995 she has been in California where she has headed the marketing function for a number of cutting edge startups like xMedia, and Xpressions and taken marketing and partnership management responsibilities in large companies like Cisco. She presently lives in the Silicon Valley with her two sons and husband.

and vegetables to the soldiers en-route to their grueling stations atop ice walls of 18 to 24 000 ft.

Camp 2, they told us was 14 km away. Of course it was if you were a crow flying overhead. Climbing up and down hills of ice, roped up and fighting with companions not fast enough to run across icy mountains to be the first to arrive, we made it to camp 2. My back was killing me. No, I wasn’t carrying a backpack, yes the porter was doing that, but I was carrying my own weight!!! And that is quite a bit too, thank you very much. Manjul rubbed my back with “Move” as I swallowed painkillers slipped to me by the army doctor accompanying us. The next day was 16 km to camp 3 and “Ma’am if you have done the walk to camp 3, the 18 km to camp 4 is very easy. Just wear your gaiters as we will be walking through snow.” After endless wading through snow we reached our goal, Kumar Post. The post is named in honor of the Colonel who also led India’s first trekking expeditions to Siachin reaching Indira Col the northernmost tip of India, at the head of the glacier. Kumar Post at 16,000 ft was 60 km up the glacier. As we turned around I spotted a helicopter whirring towards me. The helicopters were the lifeline of the soldiers bringing them kerosene, medical supplies, food and letters when the weather hadn't "packed up".

We made it to Kumar Post and had a picture to prove it. Manjul climbed like a mountain goat and I like the slow and steady mule. But here we were walking, singing, dancing and photographing together just I had done 30 years ago with Mohini and Vibha. The years had just fallen away and I was back in college.

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Centenary Celebrations

25Pics courtesy - Aditya Arya archives

Once known as a typical Mughal haveli , the Sheesh Mahal in Chandni Chowk was built in the 18th century. It was the home of Emperor Bahadurshah Zafar's favourite wazir — Ashraf Beg.It later became a site for the St Stephen's School in 1841 and forty years later, in 1881, the first college in India — St Stephen's College was founded here with five students and three teachers.

125 years have passed since this college was first inaugurated and to celebrate the occasion, the MCD heritage society, INTACH Delhi chapter and St Stephen's College Alumni Association have joined hands to restore this historical building.

On Sunday, MCD commissioner Rakesh Mehta unveiled the civic agency's restoration plans of Sheesh Mahal in the presence of CM Sheila Dikshit, St Stephen's principal Dr Anil Wilson, alumni association general secretary Arvind Malhotra and several former Stephanians. "A person who forgets his past also forfeits his future. The building blocks of any institution are the institutional memories. This occasion is a part to attempt to nurture and flourish St Stephen's memories," said Wilson.

Added CM Sheila Dikshit: " Sheesh Mahal is like a seed from where this prominent college grew and spread its values.”

Amidst all the excitement, said Vijai Kapur, former lieutenant-governor of Delhi: "I am very happy with the plans to restore Sheesh Mahal but I would I think it would be wonderful if the Kashmiri Gate building near St James's Church which was also a site for St Stephen's college from 1891 to 1941 could be restored."

Sheesh Mahal's past glory restored

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Article courtesy, Times Of India, Delhi April 24, 2005. All photographs featured have been sent in by Mr Ravi Singh, CEO and SG, WWF-India.

Ravi Singh (History, class of ‘74) is the Secretary General & CEO, WWF India since 2003. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Singh was the General Manager and Head, multi-national corporates, Deutsche Bank, Mumbai. Mr. Singh has over thirty years of working experience and domain knowledge of the banking sector and organisational behaviour. Besides his professional achievements in the corporate sector, Mr. Singh has had an abiding interest in the conservation of nature. As the Head of WWF-India, the country's largest conservation organisation, Mr. Singh participates in national those covering biodiversity and aspects of reducing human footprint. For more info on Ravi Singh and his work,, visit http://www.saveourtigers.com/ 26

Islam, Christianity and all the religions

Tribes, sects and man made divisions

Let there be order at Gaza Strip

No mishap, no crash, no sinking ship

Lets talk, lets listen and lets not fleece

Kashmir and Iraq should be lasting peace

Big price our soldiers paid for this amity

But the danger still hovers for any calamity

Why can’t we live to help the hopeless?

Together we work to elevate the helpless

They may not live to see their wins

Or we will be left to regret our sins

We still have time to correct our ways

Else shall keep searching for harmony in a haze

Lets have love- no hell, no heaven

We don’t ever want another nine eleven…

We don’t want this anymore

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Tribhuwan Anand was a Physics student in the college during 1974 78.He joined L&T in 1978 as a management Trainee and worked in the global sales and Exports for 6 years before venturing into buying agency and representation. In 1986 completed Degree in business Globalisation from RMIT (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology) Australia. With over 27 years of Multi-discipline experience in International Trade Tribhuwan has walked a long journey as an investor, entrepreneur advisor-Visionary-Strategist Executive-Enthusiastic Thinker and a Business Developer. His niche areas broadly include Global sourcing in Commodities Technologies and Trade, JV Collaboration, Buy Back Agreements FTZ-EPZ. Freight, Customs, Shipping and Brokerage. His commentaries and opinions on WTO -ASEAN-SAARC-NAFTA-CARICOM foreign extraterritorial Measures have been valued in many platforms. Tribhuwan has arranged International Commercial Borrowings & Fund Management for corporate houses. His inputs on Customs Duty Drawback-Anti-dumping and subsidy investigations, tariff classification, valuation, import/export controls, ATA CARNET - temporary importation Voluntarily Declaration-Confiscation Commodity Tax have been appreciated thru his comments in the international newspapers. On Energy front Tribhuwan has arranged Energy Grid PPA-IPP for many clients. Tribhuwan is based in Toronto and is CEO of IIPM (Indian Investment and Property Management Inc.) and has traveled most part of the globe in the last 30 years. 27

Tribhuwan Anand

Eucalyptic Inspiration

Dr. Sandhya Mehta

Back when the Soviet Union was a country, computers seemed to belong firmly to NASA and telephones were as distantly available as music cassettes today, I landed on a blistering June afternoon for my St. Stephen’s admission interview. Literally, I actually landed from Toronto just that morning after four years in a Canadian high school, with absolutely no idea where my life was taking me, much less which college I wanted to really attend. Without the baggage of prestige or expectations, I had absolutely no clue about the hierarchies of colleges in Delhi. All I knew was that my IFS father had assumed that if I wasn’t going to oblige and become an engineer, I better make amends and take what was simply the no-choice option of St.Stepthen’s-IAS route. “Do even B.A (Pass), if necessary,” I remember him saying over the most static infested phone call placed through some mutually decided paan shop near where I was temporarily staying.

I remember writing in my diary when I was 10 years old that I wanted to teach English – but did that really qualify as a lifelong ambition? I had recently edited a school magazine – did that mean something? Would the IAS (whatever that was, living in Canada, it was easy not to know!) really be my destiny?

The reality bug did its business – I had no room to stay, St. Stephen’s did not have a girl’s hostel, what on earth was the point of even weighing the options? History honours in Miranda (hostel assured, subject, well…can be worked at), English honours at St.Stephen’s…well…I had a nagging sense of my life being decided based on accommodation! Anyhow, a more knowledgeable, and luckily, pretty assertive father had his way and Stephen’s it was. I can’t say I felt particularly honoured – the interview was a fog of jet lag interspersed with a quote from Macbeth which I thought was pretty moving for a 16 year old (“Life is a tale, full of sound of fury, signifying nothing”…believe me, I felt pretty close to sympathizing with the hero that moment!). Accommodation consisted of what turned out to be a quasi legal tenancy at a medical college hostel with my sister…all in the name of St. Stephen’s!

And so I found myself in the college auditorium on the first day. Compulsory attendance for first year students…really? Continuing school, are we? Chaperoned by one of the department’s instructors, we marched into the college hall where actually, attendance was taken! And then, Mr. Rajpal, the principal took over.

He gave the predictable welcome speech and moved on to talk about the eucalyptus trees which we could see sitting where we were. “Be like the eucalyptus,” he said, “unwavering, straight, always aiming for the sky”.Not what you would say was a speech of a lifetime, but, in a strange way, the symbol of the tress which we could see outside brought us all together. Here were a motley group of first year students, all with their own dreams and hopes, with a variety of individual tales and histories, all brought together under the canopy of the eucalyptus

surrounding the college campus – pretty impressive, I remember thinking.

The Stephen’s experience, ever since that first day, for the next 5 years was somehow defined by that moment in which a connection was made, defined by the unwavering uphill movement of nature. Somehow, Stephen’s has always stood for that capacity to set the standard, of a kind of common bond which brought a variety of people together to be able to dream of what could be. From the teachers who taught us that first year to the way in which tutorials made discussions on literature possible in a way unheard of in other institutions, the Stephen’s experience was always one of striving, and, very often, achieving. In subsequent years, we set the first women’s hockey team, went to acompete across various different colleges, never really won many matches, but we loved the way in which we could wear our uniforms proudly, hoping that the sport we had helped to establish could become a tradition, like so many others.

Stephen’s was never an iconic institution for me in the years when I actually attended it. In a way, the full force of being a Stephanian descended on me only when I actually left it and got to share my experience with the world outside. For me, the college was all about the wonderful classtime we had with a variety of teachers, listening to whom was just such a joy. It must have been in exactly one of those moments, on a chilly December morning, braving the fog and four degree Delhi temperature in a DTC bus to come to listen to a lecture on existentialism that my mind seemed to have been made…that is exactly what I wanted to do….hold forth with such ease, confidence and passion to a group of starry eyed 17 year olds.... 28

Sandhya Mehta is living her dream now. An Assistant Professor in the Sultanate of Oman, she is sharing some the wonderful tidbits of her college experience with a variety of 17 year old students. Having worked at Delhi University, Sandhya relocated to Oman a decade ago and finds that being outside the country, yet so close to it gives her a different perspective on ways of seeing the world. Over the years, coming across Stephanians in different parts of the world, she finds it re-assuring to know that she still belongs to a category which has never really disappeared…

Shekhar Menon- Converting passion into a profession

Shekhar Menon (English, 1978 batch) has over the last 20+ years, taught over 5000 children how to play the game of tennis. He has produced many national and international level players. Among them are two Davis Cuppers — Vivek Shokeen,Yuki Bhambri (World Junior No. 1, 2009) and two Federation Cup players — SanaaBhambri, Ankita Bhambri.

He is qualified to teach in over 140 countries by the PTR(Professional Tennis Registry) and the ITF(International Tennis Federation). He is also a Representative and Brand Ambassador for Yonex Corporation of Japan.

He heads the highly successful Mongoose Tennis Academy which has five branches spread all over Delhi.

Shekhar Menon gave up a lucrative career in the corporate world to pursue his passion and loves his work. He is now busy in spreading the game further all over North India. He maintains a close personal bond with all his old students.

Here’s what Shekhar had to say about his new career -

“Over the years I have been lucky that my passion became my job — I love spending time with kids and teaching them not only tennis but about life itself — guiding them even in career options. Out of my 2000 odd facebook friends more than 300 are my ex-students who are now happily married with kids and they are spread out all over the world. That way the ‘cycle’ of life goes on smoothly. Basically if you do good to others it comes back to you. Many parents have called me a ‘life coach’ but that’s for you all to decide.

I have used my vast network of ex-Stephanian friends to get many of my students jobs etc. It’s just what I like to do. What goes around comes around. The logic is simple — the values instilled in me by my teachers at school and specially college have made me what I am today. I would specially like to thank Dr.Y. K. Sharma

(HOD — English), Rev. Valson Thampu and all the faculty at St.Stephen’s for making me what I am today. Lastly it’s great fun to have an office outdoors on the tennis court and when I meet my old friends from college (most are now CEO’S of different companies) they all claim I am the lucky one!

Not only is my job my passion but it keeps me fit with my daily tennis, gives me great company in innocent kids, makes me travel all over the world and at the end of the day keeps me happy!”

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Isnt it great to know that some people can actually turn their hobby into their profession? One such person is Shekhar Menon, who tells us all about it....

Shekhar with his young brigade

Does being in Residence make one a more complete Stephanian?

Amitabha Pande

Changing subjects - What say you to a conclusion that a Stephanian who has not been in residence is an incomplete Stephanian who should accept his handicap, and only after he has demonstrated over a probationary period how deeply he has imbibed Stephanian traditions that he should be treated as being fully commissioned ?

Sanjay Kumar Singh- LOL!! But why have you left the ‘She’ out?

Urvi Sukul Singh- point Sanjay Kumar Singh!!

Amitabha Pande- I draw attention to some of the very distinguished members of the Alumni executive who were not in residence and whom many have difficulty remembering who they were in College and what they did to distinguish themselves when they were there.

Sanjay Kumar Singh- I am still in the pre women's entry era. Sorry, a complete oversight.

Rathin Roy- Mr Pande, with women in College, and no residence possibilities for them during my time, your conclusion would exclude too many contributors to College life to hold.

Wajahat Habibullah- I was always in residence, but I don't know if I was ever a "complete Stephanian" whatever that might mean.

Amitabha Pande -‎Wajahat Habibullah- YOU are that what I mean by a complete Stephanian. Let us say Rez provided the finishing strokes.

Vinod Vyasulu- ‎@Amit, Those of us who were in residence are the more fortunate ones in Stephania. I agree with Wajahat. I too wonder what a complete Stephanian is. Are you proposing some kind of affirmative action for the others? Some of those others may argue that we fortunate ones must 'de-class' first.

Amitabha Pande- Okay let me say that the Stephanian experience is incomplete without Rez. I am proposing something like a Golf handicap.

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My years in College were 1964 to1969. BA (Honours) Eng Lit and M.A Eng Lit. I joined College as a Merit Scholar (one of three in DU alongwith Ajay Dua later my batch mate in the IAS and Nina Singhl-later Nina Sibal w/o of Kapil) and soon decided that examinations had to be treated with contempt and therefore had the remarkable distinction of getting a Third Division in BA. I went on to get a ' Compartment ' in two papers in MA followed by another the next year, until I thought that they might require me to come back for a punctuation test! I think my academic record for an entrance merit scholarship holder is possibly unparalleled and were it not for this I would not have joined the IAS, as I had fancied myself as a Professor/ writer/ litterateur until my BA and MA results came in. IAS was left as the only option, as neither theatre, nor media nor advertising offered reliable enough career opportunities at that time. Even in the IAS exam I got 7 marks out of 150 in the English Essay paper in my first attempt. I got into the IAS in the top twenty in the second attempt having reconciled myself to the vicissitudes of the examination system by then. I was in residence for my BA (1964/67) in Rudra South, O-14 and a Dayschi for my MA. During MA days I used to take the famous U Special from Sujan Singh Park ( I lived with my parents in Lodi Estate) which had the best looking girls using it. I spent most of my MA days in the University Coffee House, holding the distinction of having continuously been there from opening hours to closing time.

On ‘Stephanians’ we sometimes have the privilege of being a part of and sharing some very interesting as well as enlightening discussions. Many of these are initiated by Amitabha Pande and we’ve decided to use one such discussion thread as a story in forthcoming issues of Stephanian Spice.

Here’s the first one- “Does being in Residence make one a more complete Stephanian?”

This is exactly how the discussion was initiated by Amitabha. We have also gone on to faithfully reproduce what followed. Do lets have your views too.

Jaideep Nirula- ‎Amitabha Pande sir, I somewhat agree as I was not in the res and I do realise what I had missed on. When I went on for studies to US, I made it a point to stay in the residence there on campus (unlike majority of the Indians who preferred to stay in an Indian group off-campus) and thats when I realised what I had missed on at Stephens. Its sure a pleasure and time which one cherishes and remembers all their lives. Those years were the best years of my life. But the only difference there was the residence was CO-ED........LOL

Ashish Joshi- Well..well...well....the real experience of College is in the Rez.....those ‘dayschis’ who got to stay in Rez. to attend late night clandestine daaru parties or post Shakes. Soc rehearsals or during exam times or during college elections, cud be said to have got the real and complete experience. And also those girls who made it to the rooms in the Rez (obviously when there were no girls rez) also got the real and complete experience, infact some of them wanted to shift to the Rez, as the feeling in Rez was so elevating. I won't take names here...

Kanwaljit Singh- During my time, the tradition of "Lifting" was fairly popular. I wonder how far back it can be traced? It involved tricking a faccha. The typical ploy was that the "Lifter" would say that he can lift 3 people on top of each other with one hand holding the belt of the person on top. Immediately two "lift assistants" would volunteer to be the people lying below the "liftee". Lift assist 1 would hold the liftee's arms tightly, lift assist 2 would hold the legs tightly and the liftee on the top would be completely helpless. Then the lifter would.....initiate liftee in to the rez followed by a swearing ceremony that the liftee would never reveal the trick to any other facchaa.

John Dayal- Day scholars do miss something, that is for sure. But chaps in residence miss mama and papa and mature a bit too fast.

Urvi Sukul Singh- Hmmmm,Sir....John Dayal

John Dayal- ‎Urvi Sukul Singh maturing too fast, a bit like carbide ripened bananas.

Vishal Sharma ‎Kanwaljit Singh- As far as I remember it all had started as a practical joke/prank in 1991-92 & then it took the form of the 'ritual'/'initiation'

Amitabha Pande- The only 'lift' we cared about was “ki yeh ladki thoda lift de rahi hai, ya koi lift nahi de rahi, yaar.”

Nilofar Suhrawardy- Apparently Sir Amitabha Pande is referring to only the male gender. There weren't any hostels for girls when I was there. But if he is talking about males and females, all the gentlemen who studied when ladies weren't allowed admission would naturally be referred to as incomplete Stephanians!

John Dayal- ‎Nilofar Suhrawardy- Brilliant, young lady.

Nilofar Suhrawardy- Thanks Sir John Dayal. It is a tongue in cheek comment!

Vinod Vyasulu- By this interpretation, Amit, Wajahat and I are incomplete Stephanians. Nice to know...

Hari Om Dahiya- I dont understand this debate about a complete/incomplete Stephanian at all...its like if you married, you are complete otherwise not. Half agree/half disagree.One can understand both day skis and rezes have their own charm. Rezes have an upper hand of exploring more of College.-late nights,.Andrews court, Dhaba. Dayskis enjoy the warmth of family. For Rezes, friends are their family

Urvi Sukul Singh- ‎Hari Om Dahiya -Ages ago, there used to be a parenting programme on TV.And I would watch avidly-one such point made was that peer friendships for many—hostelers (this is my interpretation) and dont mind the other comparison from TV--street children, make up for the warmth that family gives.

Alok Sinha- Montek Singh Ahluwalia, the head-priest of liberalised economics, an excellent debater, and only the second Indian to head the Oxford Union was a (proud ?) day-scholar in College. On the other hand, Mahinder Singh Pandher, the convicted serial child-rapist-cum-killer was in RESIDENCE !!! Who should College be more proud of ????? What an idea, SirJee !!!!

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Ashish Joshi- ‎Alok Sinha....While Monty has raped the entire nation because of his policies and it is for every one to see, Pandher is yet to be convicted and is probably out on bail, his crimes if any notwithstanding.

Urvi Sukul Singh- ‎Ashish Joshi 3 cheers for the Montek comment. Alok Sinha What a strange way to look at the RES vs Dayski issue! I am stumped!

John Dayal- ‎Urvi Sukul Singh Alok Sinha Ashish Joshi hurrah for the different perspectives.

Alok Sinha- And I have now to add that I was proud to be in residence....it was like my home, coz I had no local guardian....but not all guys in res were great, while there were far too many dayskis who were far superior to me ! But I remember my days in residence with immense fondness, I am still in touch withmy block gyp, and block tutor.....,

Amitabha Pande- Precisely , Mr Alok Sinha if you read my post carefully, I had spoken of day scholars having a handicap in not being able to imbibe the fullness of the Stephanian experience. You chose to misread me to score a debating point. But I am intrigued by the names you chose for comparison, across generations. What an idea sirji.

Vinod Vyasulu- Alok, Thanks for pointing out the obvious. Whether in rez or not, the two Stephanians you mention exemplify one fact: what ever the field, Stephanians excel...

Amitabha Pande- This was posted on my wall by S Shankar Menon, 1956- 61, Stephen's, later IAS, retired as Chief Secretary Maharashtra, brother of my contemporary- SN Narayan ( Palti) Menon, IAS 1969 and retired as Commerce Secretary, GOI. The brothers are among the two finest Stephanians I have had the pleasure of knowing.

'I must be the most complete Stephanian ever, by Amitabh's definition...I spent all holidays in residence except summer ones.1956-61 were glorious but rather lonely years in the larger perspective...Mani Shankar was also in Allnutt south which the ladies have now commanded. Our present principal didn’t ...rightly possibly.. allow me to visit c8 my old room for three years...Mani does get itchy feet once in a while... his cure is to put them into his mouth...surely he knows that we IAS guys help ministers to make their letters look literate?'

Amitabha Pande- This was his response when I asked him to post his comment in the thread here rather than on my wall.

'My capacity to do so is very limited...I belong to the generation who distilled words to ladies of various sizes. They got drafts corrected three times before transmission...my present efforts are all in lower case ...the outer limits of my capabilities...but am trying to learn! So please transfer my earlier thoughts on mybehalf’

Siddharth Bhandari- good point Amitabha Sir!! 'Shady Day Schi's' :) will never understand. Rez imbibes a spirit ...which one cant describe but which we all carry through our later lives!Sunil Issar- What about someone who didn't finish from College?

Bittoo Gill- I was both a day scholar and in res: therefore can speak for both sides. It means nothing - we are all one and were in the same boat. Cheers !

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Stephanians’ get-together in Dubai.

Held at The Levantine restaurant, Atlantis the Palms on 14/10/11

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Rendezvous, the Stephanian get-together at Toro, Khan Market.

New Delhi - 14/10/11

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