PURANI YAADEIN-BHARI DILLI - A DELHI OVERFILLED WITH OLD MEMORIES

Wenger's century brought back memories of visits to Connaught Place in the 1950s. My association with Delhi is even older.

The first story is one as narrated to me 'cause I was too little to remember. In 1940, my father had a job in Delhi and he, Mummy and baby me, all of two years, lived in Lachhu Singh Ka Katra in Chandni Chowk area. A large number of our small Suryadwaj Brahmin community used to reside in that locality named after our ancestor Lachhu Singh since ancient times. One morning when all were busy, I found the front door open and, possessed by a wandering spirit, strolled out of the house. Shortly, my absence was noted and there was panic at home. Relatives were asked to fan out in all directions and finally, one saw me being carried by a Sardarji. "Hey, that's our Baby", said the relative. I readily went into his arms and Sardarji was convinced I was in known hands. Sardarji said he had picked me up just as a tram was approaching. What if....we won't go there. I am here to tell the tale and many more!

The earliest visit to Delhi I personally recall was in 1948 with Pitaji and Mataji. The latter's younger sister lived in Lachhu Singh Ka Katra and we came to spend some time with her and her family. The high point of that trip was watching the historic Cricket Test Match at Feroz Shah Kotla ground which was not only the first of the series against West Indies but the first in India after independence. West Indies (WI) had a strong batting team with George Headley known as the Black Bradman, and two Ws, Everton Weekes and Clyde Walcott. (The third W, Frank Worrell, was yet to make his debut!). Headley failed but WI ran up a huge score of 631 with centuries by Walcott, Gomez, Weekes and Christiani. Though India failed to save the follow-on which was then at 150 run lead, they made a decent reply of 454 led by the Army officer, Hemu Adhikari, who scored an unbeaten century, and useful contributions from KC Ibrahim, Rusi Modi and Lala Amarnath. The four contributed in the second innings as well with Adhikari again remaining not out and India played for a draw with 220 for 6. 

Incidentally, I came to know Major Hemu Adhikari when he was an instructor in the National Defence Academy and I was a cadet 1955-58. 

From 1948 to 1955, Delhi was a frequent haunt starting with the first Republic Day Parade on 26 January 1950. There was a small enclosure for kids and I was seated in it. Fond of comics, I had brought one with me and was reading it in the gaps between the marching of contingents. The next day there was a piece in the Hindustan Times saying a kid was more interested in the exploits of Captain Marvel than in the Parade. There was no identification but I am certain the reporter meant me as the item mentioned one kid. I was certainly guilty and didn't see anyone else with a comic. 

In 1953, my School, St. Xavier's, Jaipur, brought our class to Delhi for the Indian Railway Centenary Exhibition. It was indeed fun for me for two specific reasons. Firstly, there was an Entertainment Park with many attractions including a mini train on which I took many rides. Then Coca Cola made its debut in India and I drank about 25 bottles a day at four annas (25 Paise) apiece every day during my stay.

On return to Jaipur, my class teacher, Reverend Father Pinto, asked me to write a piece about the Exhibition for the School magazine. With great enthusiasm, I penned an article extensively covering the Entertainment Park and my love for Coca Cola. I got a real dressing down from Fr. Pinto who wondered if I had even seen the main Exhibition at all. My piece was rejected!

That was the period when I discovered Connaught Place, Wenger's, Marques and co., et al.

1955 saw two important visits to Delhi. The first was in early-January to appear for the UPSC exam for entry into the NDA. Though selected in the written exam as well as Services Selection Board interview,  till mid-July I had not received any intimation, so I came to Delhi for admission to St. Stephen's for BA(Hons) in Economics. The Principal accepted my application and asked me to pay the fee immediately as the academic session had already commenced. I requested for half an hour's time and ran to a public phone booth to try and contact Masarji, Deputy Military Secretary in Army HQ, to check on the NDA status. Miraculously, I got through not once but twice and was told in the second call that my call papers had been sent to Jaipur. Goodbye St. Stephen's, Economics and perhaps Foreign Service, hello NDA and the Navy!

Pitaji, on retiring as Judge, Rajasthan High Court in 1961, was offered a job in the Central Government Finance Ministry and allotted house no.1, Teenmurti Lane, sharing the boundary wall with Prime Minister, Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru. That is where I met Akhila aka Binno, then a gangly 14-year old, for the first time, when I was on leave in Delhi. She and her family were also in Delhi from Bijnor and Mummy invited them over obviously with future in mind!

Vinnie Mama was posted in NHQ and staying with Pitaji and Mataji as well. The third Cricket test between India and England took place at Feroz Shah 13-18 December and both of us went to see it. In the first innings, India scored 466 with Jaisimha and Manjrekar recording centuries. At the end of the third day, England were 256 for 3 with Barrington on an unbeaten century and Ted Dexter, the England Captain, on 45 not out. 16 December was a break day on which it started raining. It thinned to a mild drizzle overnight and we went to the ground on 17th hoping that play would resume. As we were walking to our seats, we saw a guy with some people gathered around him. We asked him what was happening and he replied, "You know what Dexter said, 'I AM NOT GOING TO PLAY ON THIS GROUND'" apparently imitating Dexter's aristocratic demeanour and accent as if he had heard Dexter first-hand. That became a joke between Vinnie Mama and me and whenever we met, one of us would say, "You know what Dexter said...."

In June 1965, I was picked up by Admiral Chatterji, Commandant National Defence College, as his Flag Lt and moved in with my grandparents. The 1965 India-Pakistan war broke out in September and the authorities dug trenches in the large front lawn of our house. We used to sleep on the lawn and on a couple of occasions when air raid sirens sounded,  I forced my reluctant old grandparents to wake up and climb down into the trenches!

Pitaji's tenure came to an end in December while my cousin Manjula's wedding was scheduled for early-January 1966. Pitaji had to hand over his house but as a staff of NDC, I was entitled to accommodation in Raksha Bhavan on Man Singh Marg. As the NDC was on a break between the old and the new courses, I, a bachelor, got a large 3-bedroom flat allotted and shifted in with my grandparents and pet dog, Lucky. After attending Manjula's wedding, my grandparents left for Jaipur and the flat was obviously too big for me. Shift to a Mess seemed inevitable.

Then I got an idea. The rear of NDC has a big lawn surrounded by wings on either side with a number of rooms which were lying vacant. Lunch is part of the daily routine so the College has a kitchen and catering staff. A residential suite already existed for guest speakers if they wished to stay in the premises. Why not convert some more rooms into residential suites and shift in one of them?

I sought approval of the new Commandant, Air Marshal Rajaram, and he readily agreed. So Lucky and I moved into the new premises and for the rest of the year till my transfer back to the Navy, we were Lords of the magnificent mansion.

Here I must pay a heartfelt tribute to the two Commandants of NDC that I had the privilege and good fortune to serve under, Admiral Chatterji and Air Marshal Rajaram. They were outstanding leaders and exceptionally brilliant officers.

Visits to Delhi in the next five years were few and far between confined to some leave and temporary duty. Whenever I came, Vijji Malhotra, posted in NHQ, and his wife Rita insisted I stay with them in their Defence Colony house. An additional attraction was Vijji's music system comprising of an Akai tape deck and booming hi-fi speakers on which I would pound out Carlos Santana's "Evil Ways" at full volume again and again.

February 1972 and I came to Jaipur on a well-deserved break after the war. Mummy had been invited by her close friend Savitriji to the wedding of her niece, Bharti, with Yogesh Deveshwar in Delhi on 17 February. Mummy suggested we go to Delhi to attend the wedding and I readily agreed. Little did I know what Mummy had in mind. Unknown to me and Akhila, Mummy had conspired with Akhila's father to quietly come to the wedding and take it from there. Well, I saw Akhila, now no more gangly but tall, pretty and graceful, and the rest is history!

These 'yaadein' are more than 50 years old. Afterwards, I had two postings in NHQ and a civilian job after retirement which led to finally settling down in Delhi over 36 years ago, so there is so much more. I'll call that new and relive with just the old for now.

That our daughter, Shumita, is married to Bhartiji and Yogiji's son, Gaurav, is another story!

ON BOARD INSV SUDARSHINI IN NEW YORK

Old and tired of long flights, Akhila and I had no plans to go to the USA this year. Then Shumita decided to go to NYC with her boys in their summer vacation and asked us to come too. At first, we declined but they along with Ruchir kept persuading us and finally we had to surrender! And so we flew from Delhi to NYC via Rome end-May planning our return after 4th of July which is Akhila's birthday. 

We have been aware since 1974 that 4 July is USA's Independence Day. That year I was doing my Staff  College course and we had as our neighbours a Major Mehle, US Army, his wife and three petite daughters. They invited us to a party on 4 July and that is how we came to know the importance of the day to Americans. We were all delighted that on that day, we were going to have a double celebration.

What we didn't know was that this year was the 250th anniversary of American independence. We learnt that only on arrival in New York as also that the celebrations were going to be on a big scale. Going through the long list of events slated for about a month, what caught my eye was the "Sail 4th 250" schedule which included an International Naval Review and a Parade of Sail. It occurred to me that Indian Navy might be sending a ship. I got in touch with my friends in NHQ who confirmed that INSV (Indian Navy Sailing Vessel) Sudarshini was on its way to New York to take part in the celebrations and gave me contact details of Cdr Ravikanth, Commanding Officer of the vessel.

Cdr Ravikanth messaged me to say that they were going to be in New York 04-08 July berthed at Brooklyn Pier 1 and invited us to visit the ship. So on 5th afternoon, after the ship had finished her official commitment of participation in the Review and Parade of Sail, Akhila, Ruchir and I went on board for a memorable visit being the first time we were visiting a vessel of this kind and that too in foreign shores!

A smart cadet took us on a round of the vessel. Sudarshini is a sail training ship built by Goa Shipyard for our Navy and commissioned on 27 January 2012. She is a three-masted barque with the mainmast 113 feet high thus earning the right to be called a 'tall ship.' With a length of 54 metres (177 feet), she is fitted with 20 sails supplemented by two engines for sailing in unfavourable wind conditions. She has a crew of 5 officers and 31 sailors and can remain at sea for over 20 days at a time. Her prime purpose is to train naval and coast guard cadets in sailing, seamanship and navigation as also retracing routes used by ancient mariners reliving maritime history and legacy. 

Sudarshini has been a great ambassador for Indian Navy right from the word go. In her very first year, she visited 13 ports in 9 ASEAN countries and embarked foreign cadets from the latter. Till 2025, she had covered 140000 nautical miles equivalent of 260000 kms. This year, she departed Cochin (I still love the old name for Kochi) on 20 January for Lokayan 26, a 10-month long transoceanic sail expedition across 18 ports and 13 countries covering 22000 nautical miles. Before arriving in the USA, she had taken part in the French tall ship marine festival of Escale a Sete 2026.

Apart from New York, the ship participated in Sail 250 events in Norfolk, Baltimore and Boston in the USA. She was among 60 tall ships from 26 countries that took part in the festivities. As I write this, I learn that the ship has started on its return journey to India by first heading to Ponta Delgado, Azores, Portugal.

In 1986, as the Defence Adviser in Singapore, it was my pleasure and privilege to host Trishna, the first Indian sail boat to circumnavigate the oceans. 40 years later, it was with a sense of pride and much delight that I stepped on board a ‘tall’ Indian Naval sail ship in foreign waters halfway across the world from India.

May fair winds always be with Sudarshini.

CENTURION WENGER'S AND OTHER CP HAUNTS

Recently, there have been a number of articles on Wenger's, perhaps the oldest confectionery in Delhi, celebrating its 100th anniversary. I have myself been frequenting it since early 1950s and it is definitely my number 1 as far as confectioneries go. Anytime I go to Connaught Place, I indulge in its Lemon Tart, and for birthdays and anniversaries, it is my go-to place for a Black Forest Cake and Cheese Straws. 

Karan Thapar in his recent Hindustan Times column "The delight Wenger's has been for Delhi for 100 years", traces the history of the confectionery and then goes on to write about his other old favourite shops in Connaught Place some of which no longer exist. And that triggered my memory of my own old haunts in days of yore.

A shop I shall never forget was "Marques and Co." which for ages had been a market leader in selling musical instruments. My association with it again goes back to the early '50s when I was studying in St. Xavier's School in Jaipur. I had become a regular listener of Radio Ceylon and its Western music but the only source of my own records was Vinnie Mama's annual visits home on leave from the Navy. Then Rajendra 'Sunny' Sahai, two years my senior and elder brother of my dear friend Yadu, went to Delhi to study in St. Stephen's and informed me that Marques in Connaught Place sold English records. From then on till I myself joined the Navy, whenever I went to Delhi which was quite often,  I would make a beeline to the shop and come out with an armload of 78 rpm records and Marques' Annual Songbook so that I could sing songs like "Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes" correctly to someone, if required!

In 2001, after we moved to our present abode in New Delhi, Shumita wanted a piano. So off we went to Marques and Co. and selected a Yamaha. Marques Sr., the founder of the shop was no more and the shop was being run by his son who could play a number of instruments and had been a part of many bands. He readily offered to teach Shumita to play the piano. For many months till Shumita acquired the necessary skill and confidence, he came to our house regularly and we would gossip about songs, singers and bands of old times. Some years back, Marques Jr. passed away too and I learnt that with no one to run it, the shop also had to pull down its shutters. Sad!

The other haunt of mine was the The Cellar, a nightclub and discotheque with throbbing and pulsating music and psychedelic lights. Many an evenings I spent there including one in 1973 with Akhila on her birthday, 4th of July. Both of us have a vivid memory of a very pregnant foreign young lady, perhaps an American, jiving and twisting as if she were Jayne Mansfield in "The Girl Can't Help It"! Pity, The Cellar too ceased to exist quite sometime ago.

But Wenger's continues its journey into a second century and may it live long. Akhila and I visited it last evening and crowds were thronging it resulting in many items having been sold out. We met the modest and self-effacing former manager, Charanjeet Singh, who still spends a lot of time in the shop. We were glad to see that the shop is keeping pace with the times. For, while preserving the quality of its trademark products like cakes, tarts and cookies, it also stocks Macarons, Burger Pizza, and special breads like the Italian Foccacia.

As for us, we stuck to the good old Lemon Tart and Cheese Straws.

ROME - SAYINGS, MOVIES AND SONGS

Rome, known as the Eternal City for its history, legend and culture, is a city impossible not to love. The legend of its birth dates back to 753 B.C. Romulus and Remus were twins fathered by Mars, god of war, through a vestal virgin, Rhea Silvia, daughter of the king of Alba Longa overthrown by his tyrant brother. The latter ordered his minions to drown the infants in River Tiber but the men took pity, put them in a basket and floated them down the river. Washed ashore, the infants were nursed by a she-wolf, fed by a woodpecker and later, brought up by shepherds. Growing into adults, the young men restored their grandfather to the throne and decided to build a new city. Following a fight, Romulus killed Remus and founded the city of Rome or Roma as Italians call it. 

The city became the centre of the Roman Empire and the capital of Catholics and continues to grow embracing vibrant modernity.

Its global recognition has inspired a number of popular sayings such as "Rome wasn't built in a day" and "All roads lead to Rome". A proverb of 4th century says, "In Rome do as the Romans do". That inspired the Spanish writer, Miguel Cervantes, to write, "When thou art at Rome, do as they do at Rome."

Well, I don't really know what Romans do but some lines of the 1954 song, "Veni Vidi Vici" say, "Down by the shore of sunny Italy....we kissed and then, we kissed and kissed again, exactly like the Romans used to do!"

A few other quotes, "A fool is one who admires other cities without visiting Rome"- Fracesco Petrarca; "We can watch the sun in Rome, sparkling on a palace dome"- Dean Martin; "Rome will exist as long as the Coliseum does; when the Coliseum falls, so will Rome; when Rome falls, so will the world"- St. Venerable Bede, English Benedictine monk. Eternal City indeed!

A large number of epic movies such as Ben Hur, Cleopatra, Gladiator and its sequel have been made about the Roman Empire. For showing monuments in their original shape and for the sake of preservation, replicas were made for structures like the Colosseum. Modern movies with stories set in Rome have freely used actual locations popular with tourists. The Colosseum itself featured prominently in “When in Rome” in which the lead characters of twins stay in a nearby house and ride all over the city on their Vespa scooter.

Then there was “Roman Holiday” which brought Rome live to us in 1953. Audrey Hepburn played the part of a princess who escapes from her security guards and goes around Rome with a journalist, Gregory Peck, again on a Vespa. With them we were taken on a sightseeing tour of the city including slurping a gelato on the Spanish Steps.

If you wish to emulate them, Vespas are available on rent near Piazza Venezia in Rome. Here, I wish to disclose that I have been a proud owner of Vespa in my younger days and driven around many cities but mostly with an unoccupied pillion.

Trevi Fountain, one of Rome's chief attractions, has featured prominently in many movies. The belief is that if you throw a coin with your right hand over your left shoulder, you will return to Rome; two coins will bring a new romance and three coins guarantee a wedding in Rome."Three Coins in the Fountain" with the theme song by Frank Sinatra was a popular movie of 1954 with its story of three friends making their wishes and throwing coins in the Fountain.

Another film where the Fountain was in the spotlight was Federico Fellini's 1960 award winning "La Dolce Vita" with its iconic scene of handsome Marcello Mastroianni and voluptuous Anita Ekberg frolicking and splashing water in the Fountain.

A recent movie with one third of it belonging to Rome was "Eat Pray Love". Julia Roberts played the part of Elizabeth Gilbert who after a divorce travelled to Italy, India and Bali to rediscover herself. In Rome, she gets hooked on Italian cuisine and the movie has lovely scenes of Castel Sant'Angelo and Piazza Navona and this time it is Julia slurping gelato in front of a church at Navona.

More of Spanish Steps in "The Talented Mr. Ripley", Piazza del Popolo, churches and St. Peter's Square in Tom Hanks starrer "Angels and Demons", but what is forever embedded in my heart is the deeply sentimental scene in "Lovers Must Learn" later renamed as "Rome Adventure" : the lead characters Troy Donahue and Suzanne Pleshette walk into a nightclub and as they sit down on their table, Emilio Pericoli launches into his unforgettable song, "Al Di La." Dazed, the two stare into each other's eyes, Suzanne asks Troy what does "Al Di La" mean, Troy searches for the right translation and whispers, "Beyond the Beyond." The scene and the song could melt the stoniest of hearts. 

There must have been something there for Suzanne and Troy to fall in love and marry in real life.

Some other popular songs are Lou Monte's "Roman Guitar", Elvis Presley's "Heart of Rome" and Madonna's "Justify My Love" in which she sings, "I want to hold your hand in Rome". Of course, the list would never be complete without Dean Martin and his "On An Evening In Roma".

Throwing a coin in Trevi Fountain on each visit has worked and I just completed my fifth trip to Rome. This time, at my age, I was hesitant to throw a coin but did so on Akhila’s insistence. Well, perhaps a return in my next life if not this one! So here is a quote to end this post-

"If we could be reborn wherever we chose, how crowded would Rome be"- Francine Prose.

And Nat King Cole sang, "Arrivederci Roma."

.

WEE-BIT MORE ON "SISTERS"- IN A LIGHTER VEIN

Mummy, the first child of my grandparents, was named Bimla. The name signifies 'purity' and 'innocence'. So when she was followed by another girl, Pitaji and Mataji aptly named her Nirmala which had a similar significance, viz. 'cleanliness' and 'virtuosity', and satisfied the prerequisite of rhyming.

The next set of girls came from Mansi and preserving the tradition set by her parents, she named her daughters Manjula and Anjula.

My wife also comes from the same small community of Brahmins called 'Suryadwajs' as I do. Our fathers studied in Agra College together and were very good friends. At our first meeting, I, as well as most of my family, knew her only as Binno, a name by which she is still called by our relatives. When our marriage was fixed, we needed her real name for the wedding card and were told it was Akhila. Another rhyme!

Summer of 1997, Mummy and Mansi decided to visit the US where stays Navin, Mansi's younger son. In an intimate conversation, his wife, an American, laughingly coined the term "La-la girls" for them.

Guess her name.

"Pamela"!

Out of context and not at all relevant to my earlier blog and, therefore, rightly omitted, for those who don't know the song "Sisters", here, for a laugh, are the closing lines:-

"Many men have tried to split us up but no one can

Lord, help the mister who comes between me and my sister

And Lord help the sister who comes between me and my man".

Sharing has its limits!

 

A TALE OF TWO SISTERS

In "White Christmas", that super evergreen 1954 movie, there was a delightful song and dance number by Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen. They sang,

"Sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters....

Caring, sharing, every little thing that we are wearing

When a certain gentleman arrived from Rome

She wore the dress and I stayed at home.

All kinds of weather, we stick together, the same in the rain or sun,

Two different faces, but in tight places, we think and we act as one....

Those who've seen us, know that not a thing could come between us...."

Today is the 103rd birth anniversary of my Mansi, Nirmala, Mummy's younger sister by just over two years. I recall the very close relationship of the two sisters who, even after marriage, got together whenever they could rather than seek company of others or visit new places. Both were married very young but Mummy became a widow at 21 with me at 4. I was then taken care of by my Nana and Nani and Mummy sent to Benares followed by Allahabad for post Matric studies. (Not familiar with these places? They don't exist any more as, let me check....they are now Varanasi and Prayag respectively!). During vacations when Mummy came home, Mansi would come over too. 

Post graduation, Mummy started teaching and Mansi's family expanded. Now she took to calling us over to her place. I remember two wonderful summer holidays, one in Delhi in 1948 in the then Diplomatic Enclave (Chanakyapuri) and the second in 1949 in Dehradun and Mussoorie, the latter famous or infamous for my skating mania which almost got me lost!

I joined the NDA and the Navy and Mansi's visits to my grandparents and Mummy continued. On many of my leaves, Mansi was there too and that added fun to my holiday. I marvelled at the closeness of the sisters and how they were always one in their thoughts and outlook and took the same stand on all family matters.

Mummy passed away in Jaipur on Christmas Day in 2010, just over a month short of 90. Mansi came over twice, once during Mummy's short illness and again for the 'tehravi'. Mansi followed Mummy just over a year later, a day short of 89. So ended the era of the two loving sisters.

Mansi was true to her name Nirmala, meaning pure, immaculate and flawless. The dictionary says it signifies a clean, honest and virtuous nature, true descriptions of Mansi.

And I will always remember her winsome, charming and mystic smile.

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS, NOT SHEEP

A cup and a saucer always go together. Is it because the tea or coffee may spill from the cup and stain your clothes or just that it is easier to hold the saucer than the cup? Some take to sipping the hot drink from the saucer, a habit considered to be uncultured and as we say in Hindi, "ganwar" meaning boorish or rustic..

The other day, a naval friend of mine, Anup Thomas, himself a writer, sent me a poem, "Drinking From My Saucer" by John Paul Moore, which gives a different dimension to the act: "I'm drinking from my saucer 'cause my cup has overflowed." It is a sweet, emotional poem thanking God for the blessings bestowed so much so that the cup of life has overflowed making one gratefully drink from the saucer. The opening lines define the beautiful thought-

"I've never made a fortune and it's probably too late now

But I don't worry about that much, I'm happy anyhow.

And as I go along life's way, I'm reaping better than I sowed

I'm drinking from my saucer 'cause my cup has overflowed."

As is my wont, I then fell to recalling some old songs with similar themes. "Count Your Blessings" was first sung by Bing Crosby, the 'old Groaner', in the all-time great Christmas movie "White Christmas", the title song of which, also sung by Crosby, is on everyone's lips in the Yuletide season. Here is what "Count Your Blessings" says,

"When I'm worried and I can't sleep

I count my blessings instead of sheep

And I fall asleep counting my blessings.

When my bankroll is getting small

I think of when I had none at all

And I fall asleep counting my blessings."

An amazing fact: Irving Berlin, the composer of the song, went to see a psychiatrist for insomnia. After listening to the steps Berlin narrated for attempts to sleep, the psychiatrist asked, "Have you tried counting your blessings?" Insomnia cured and a song was born!

"Crying in the Chapel" was a popular number expressing contentment and was sung by various top artistes of old including Elvis Presley. I loved the version by my favourite singer in my schooldays, Frankie Laine. Its opening lines go thus - 

"You saw me crying in the chapel

The tears are shed were tears of joy

I know the meaning of contentment 

Now, I'm happy with the lord."

I have experienced similar feelings in my numerous visits to the Shreenathji temple in Nathdwara and when on a trip to Rome, I stood transfixed in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City in front of Michelangelo's "Pieta" with sounds of an organ playing Schubert's "Ave Maria". 

Sometimes when things go wrong one feels like questioning God. Frankie Laine did that in "Answer Me" -

"Answer me, Lord above

Just what sin I have been guilty of?

Tell me how I came to lose my love

Please answer me, oh Lord."

Laine was gentle. Our own old singing maestro, Kundan Lal Saigal, was much more questionoing in a sad and emotive song addressing not God but "Kaatib-e-taqdeer" meaning 'writer of destiny'. The lines are classic:

"Aye kaatib-e-taqdeer mujhe itna bata de, itna bata de

Kyoon mujhse khafa hai tu kya maine kiya hai.

Auron ko khushi mujhko faqat dardo ranj-o-gham

Duniya ko hansi aur mujhe rona diya hai....

Kya thi khata ki jiski sazaa tooney mujh ko di

Kya tha gunah ke jiska badla mujhse liya hai

Kya maine kiya hai, kya maine kiya hai

Kyoon mujhse khafa hai tu, kya maine kiya hai?"

(Oh writer of destiny, just tell me this much, just this much

Why are you angry with me, what have I done

To others happiness but to me only pain, sorrow and grief

You have given laughter to the world and crying for me....

What was the guilt for which you have awarded punishment for me

What was the crime for which you have taken revenge from me

What have I done, what have I done

Why are you angry with me, what have I done?)

Some questions may remain unanswered particularly for the sufferer. The Bhagavad Gita says that we have to keep performing our duty sincerely with due devotion to God and not think about or attempt to claim the fruits of our actions. Do good and good will follow.

So wrote Richard Rodgers in “Something Good" which Maria and Captain von Trapp sing, happy and together, after falling in love with each other in "The Sound of Music". 

"Nothing comes from nothing, nothing ever could

So somewhere in my youth or childhood

I must have done something good."

THE MOVIE "MATERIALISTS" - WORDS TO TAKE YOUR HEART AWAY

Growing up into adulthood in the National Defence Academy, I was taught three activities were a must to begin the day - Sh.., Shave and Shampoo. In those times, that applied not only to people in the Defence Services but to all. Iconic sportsmen like golfer Arnold Palmer, tennis star Rod Laver and cricketer and Brylcreem face Denis Compton, all appeared freshly shaved and well-groomed. Girls' heart throb Shammi Kapoor had a clean face and hair nicely combed though cast as "Junglee" and screaming "Yahoo" in the film of the same name.

Not now, as exemplified by today's popular hero Ranveer Singh in "Dhurandhar" I and II. I don't know about the first activity but Shave and Shampoo don't seem to appeal to today's young men including our Cricket heroes who only have time for T20s but not Tests!

This fashion fits well with today's movies like the two mentioned above which are full of violence, blood and gore. Gone are the days of simple love stories like "Breakfast at Tiffany's" with Audrey Hepburn mesmerising us with "Moon River". So it was a delightful surprise when, on a whim, I viewed last year's "Materialists" on Netflix the other day. No foul language, no fights, no ugly scenes, just a plain love story with captivating dialogue.

Its story is about Lucy (Dakota Johnson) working in a matchmaking firm. Her efforts have resulted in nine marriages for her clients and she is upbeat for more. But her own love life is in a bit of a mess. She has broken off with her boyfriend John (Chris Evans) due to differences in financial aspirations and, after initial reluctance, starts dating rich Henry (Pedro Pascal). She has a client, Sophie (Zoe Winters) for whom, after some difficulty, Lucy arranges a date with Mark. 

Lucy's successful run of matchmaking receives a jolt when Sophie files a case against the company claiming Mark assaulted her after the date. Sophie refuses to meet Lucy who persists and finally catches up with her to apologise. When Lucy claims that she arranged the date because Mark "checked the boxes", Sophie is livid that her life was being shaped by checking off boxes and she walks off calling Lucy a pimp.

I found this aspect of matchmaking very interesting and similar to the Hindu custom of parents rushing to astrologists with horoscopes of the prospective couple to 'check the boxes'. I am told that the astrologers look for 36 attributes and declare whether the couple make the match or not. Later people discover the hollowness of it all when matches backfire and mismatches succeed. (A generous tip to the astrologer can also help him fix the boxes!)

I shan't continue with the story as you might have seen the movie or may want to. But for me, the movie stands out because of its distinctive dialogue by its Writer and Director, Celine Song. Here are a few examples.  

1. Lucy: You're the same as always.

   John: I was hoping you'd say I was different.

   Lucy: Why?

   John: Because if I'm different, I wouldn't be the guy who lost you.

2. Lucy: You're investing a lot in me, huh?

   Henry: I just want our dates to be romantic.

   Lucy: How expensive a meal is makes a date romantic?

   Henry: Doesn't it?

3. Harry: I wouldn't date you if I didn't see value.....I don't want to date you for your material   assets. Material assets are cheap, they don't last. I want to be with you for your intangible assets.   Those are good investments. They don't degrade. They only get sharper.

4. Lucy: I don't want to hate you because you're poor but right now I do and it makes me hate   myself.....And however much you hate me, I promise, I hate myself more.

   John: I don't hate you.

   Lucy: You do. And it's not because we're not in love. It's because we're broke.

5. John: You asked how I could love you. I just do; it's the easiest thing.

    Lucy: I love you too. More than you know. You're the only reason I know I'm capable of love.

    John: I love you now like I loved you before. I"ll love you till the day I die. It's a lifetime         guarantee.....I"ll be your certainty. It's my final offer. You can't negotiate because I don't have     anything else to offer you.

    Lucy: (after a pause, extends a hand) Deal.

6. Lucy: Who our partner is...it determines our whole life and how we live. Not for one, two, ten years, but forever.

With love, nothing is a lot. Without love, a lot is nothing.

 

AND THE NOBEL PRIZE FOR THE MOST OUTSTANDING PREDICTION OF ALL TIME GOES TO......

Remember the perennial favourite "Que Sera Sera" sung by Doris Day in Alfred Hitchcock's classic movie "The Man Who Knew Too Much"? She sings it to her little son as a lullaby lovingly telling him not to worry about the future because "Whatever will be, will be."

Human beings, however, are madly curious to know their future. Witness the daily, weekly, monthly and annual columns like "What the Stars Foretell"  that are published in most newspapers. Readers avidly read them without pausing to think how the forecast could apply to billions of people in different parts of the world just because they share a Zodiac sign! Prophets and seers appear daily on TV broadcasting their predictions very knowingly and condescendingly. To learn about their future in exclusive detail, people flock to astrologers, palmists, tarot readers and numerologists. The latter even suggest 'havans', 'pujas' and rituals to change the future from bad and undesired to good and wanted, never mind 'the moving finger having writ and moved on'! The craving as Omar Khayyam said is,

"Ah love! could thou and I with Fate conspire

To grasp this sorry Scheme of Things entire

Would not we shatter it to bits - and then

Re-mould it nearer to the Heart's Desire!"

On the global scene, perhaps the biggest future predictor has been the French seer, Michel de Nostredame, widely known as Nostradamus. His famous book,"Les Propheties", was published in 1555 and contains 942 quatrains which are supposed to predict future events the world over. To his supporters, his predictions are accurate. To his detractors, the predictions are vague, dateless, misinterpreted and moulded to fit events after they have occurred. 

If we believe his supporters, Nostradamus predicted the Great Fire of London in 1666, the French Revolution 1789-1799, the rise of Napoleon and Hitler, the two World Wars, the atom bomb attacks on Nagasaki and Hiroshima, the assassination of President Kennedy, and the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Centre in New York City. Coming to present times, an interpretation is that 2026 will be a turbulent year marked by a seven-month war, death of a great man and a naval conflict of seven ships. Believe it or not!

On a smaller scale but more accurate and technologically correct are the predictions made many years before their occurrence by writer Jules Verne in his science fiction novels. In "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" (1870), he wrote about an advanced electric-powered submarine, Nautilus. "From the Earth to the Moon"(1865) is about a moon landing, splashdown capsules in the Pacific and launch sites in Florida. "Paris in the Twentieth Century" (1863) describes gas-powered cars, skyscrapers, elevators, an automated transit network and electric streetlights. Verne also wrote about "picture-telegraphs" (fax machines), a network similar to the internet, green energy and solar sails. Made in the Nineteenth Century, the predictions all came true in the Twentieth and are still being improved upon in the Twenty-First Century.

Among thousands of predictions, the one that is the mother of all comes from the origin of the word '"trumpery". The first known use of this word was in the 15th Century and the word was derived from the French 'tromper' meaning 'to deceive'. The English word means 'something showy but worthless', 'trashy', 'paltry'. Synonyms of 'trumpery' include 'nonsense', garbage', 'nuts', 'blah', 'stupidity' and 'rubbish'. Samuel Johnson writing in "A Dictionary of the English Language" defined the word as "something fallaciously splendid; something of less value than it seems."

Was Samuel Johnson extraordinarily prescient more than 500 years ago or are we just fitting things in a mould already cast?

Giving him the benefit of the doubt, the Nobel Prize for the most outstanding prediction of all time goes to Samuel Johnson posthumously.

SONGS SUNG WITH VISIBLE EMOTION

 

Lyrics of a song convey a message but occasionally a singer overwhelms the listener by physically displaying emotions as if the lyrics apply personally to him/her.

Sometimes that is true. Eric Clapton wrote "Tears in Heaven"  for his four year old son who lost his life in a fall from the 53rd floor of a New York apartment. Clapton isolated himself for a while and wrote the song to express his grief and heal himself. The song is Clapton's best selling single.

At the other end of the spectrum is Donna Summer's hugely controversial "Love to Love You Baby" considered explicit because its breathy and gasping "oohs" and "aahs" sounded so real that it was banned by the BBC and several others. Ban or not, the 17-minute song was a great hit and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame lists it in the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.

Let's recall a few songs listening to which I have often wondered if the singer was actually feeling the emotion he/she was portraying. 

The earliest such song for me was Johnnie Ray's "Cry" which he recorded in 1951 when I had just started listening to English music. Listening to it and watching its video, one feels that Ray is truly suffering and fighting hard to avoid breaking out in tears.

Tom Jones has a number of songs where he seems overtaken by emotion. His sighs and groans mark "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" and his version of "Yesterday." Jones brings out raw passion in his top hit "Delilah" hearing which one can visualise the knife being plunged deep into the unfaithful lover.

Among female singers, Shirley Bassey stands out with her "Never, Never, Never". Using her wide vocal range and singing in varying tempo, Bassey really seems to be personally suffering from the dilemma brought out in the lyrics opening with "I'd like to run away from you but if you never found me, I would die" and the refrain "Impossible to live with you but I know, I could never live without you, for whatever you do, I never, never, never want to be in love with anyone but you."

A Brazilian singer, Morris Albert wrote and sang "Feelings", a sad song in which the singer is "trying to forget my feelings of love" and losing oneself in "feelings like I've never lost you and feelings like I never really had you here in my arms". Touchingly sung by Albert himself, there are numerous versions of it and the other day, I chanced upon one of the best by Nina Simone at the Montreux Festival in 1978. Her start/stop vocals displaying confusion and frustration and her appeal to the audience to get involved in the singing make for an unforgettable performance sure to touch the hardest heart.

A top hit sung with oodles of emotion is Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U". The song is about longing and desperation of an abandoned lover which O'Connor brings out excellently with pain in her voice. The video recording shows her walking alone in a park focussing on her face which clearly brings out the turmoil in her heart. The video ends with a tear rolling down on each side of her face. A tearjerker if ever there was one!

Two favourite oldies of mine need a mention. In "Kiss of Fire", Caterina Valente's hissing voice makes you visualise her meeting fire with fire in the kiss of her lover. And Frankie Laine, who was a boxer before becoming a singer, packs a powerful punch in his "Jezebel", an immoral, scheming and shameless woman. In the words of the song, "If ever a pair of eyes promised paradise, deceiving me, grieving me, leaving me blue, Jezebel it was you. If ever the devil's plan was made to torment man, it was you, Jezebel, it was you."

Phew! We need to lighten our mood so let's move to a couple of cheerful numbers. "The Happy Wanderer" is a centuries old German song first sung in English by The Stargazers in 1953 preserving its happy, carefree and wandering spirit with the refrain "Valeri, valera, valeri, valera" followed by laughter, "Hahahahahahahahaa". And in "Drinking Song", Mario Lanza uses his tenor voice with full effect to make one want to raise a stein immediately to one's lips. As he exhorts, "Drink, drink, let the toast start, may young hearts never part! Drink, drink, drink, let every true lover salute his sweetheart! Let's drink!"  

Time to say 'Ciao' and I turn to the charming voice of Demis Roussos who is brilliant in bittersweetly combining sadness with hope in "Goodbye, My Love, Goodbye".

"Goodbye my love goodbye

Goodbye and au revoir

As long as you remember me I'll never be too far

Goodbye my love goodbye

I always will be true

So hold me in your dreams till I come back to you."  

WHAT'S IN A NAME? PLENTY, DEAR WILLY!

I was born in Muttra and while my grandparents were bringing me up, Mummy was studying in Benares before she moved to Allahabad to join my two Mamas. After Rajasthan High Court was formed, we moved to Jeypore where I did my major schooling. Deciding to join the NDA, I went to Bangalore for an interview and got selected. NDA was in a town near Poona and on successful completion of training, I joined the Navy in Bombay. On to Cochin near Trivandrum and Alleppey. Before retirement, Navy would take me to Vizagapatam, Madras, Ootacamund, Calcutta, etc.

If you wish to see these places on the map, please do so. Or no, don't. They don't exist! Instead, look for Mathura, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Jaipur, Bengaluru, Pune, Mumbai, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Alappuzha, Vishakhapatnam, Chennai, Udagamandalam and Kolkata.

One of the first English records Vinnie Mama brought home back in the '50s after joining the Navy was "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" by The Four Lads. Its lyrics say it all-

"Istanbul was Constantinople

Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople.....

Every gal in Constantinople lives in Istanbul, not Constantinople

So if you've a date in Constantinople, she'll be waiting in Istanbul.....

Why did Constantinople get the works,

That's nobody's business but the Turks."

I loved the songs and its humorous lyrics used to delight me as I wondered along the lines, "Why did Constantinople get the works?" 

And now it's happened in India and is no laughing matter!

It started with changing spellings. That was quite appropriate as the haw-haw British spelt names based on their Oxford accent. So it was nice when 'Muttra' was changed to 'Mathura', 'Jeypore' became simply 'Jaipur',  'Cawnpore' was spelt as 'Kanpur' and 'Jubbalpore' as 'Jabalpur'. 

Then followed change of names to align with traditional ethnic pronunciation. So 'Orissa' was changed to 'Odisha', 'Pondicherry' to 'Puducherry' and 'Benares' to 'Varanasi'. 

The same logic was applied in changing 'Bangalore' and 'Mysore' to 'Bengaluru' and 'Mysuru', 'Alleppey' and 'Calicut' to 'Alappuzha' and 'Kozikhode', 'Trivandrum' to 'Thiruvananthapuram', 'Ootacamund' to 'Udagamandalam' and 'Vizagapatam' to 'Vishakhapatnam' though people still refer to the last two as 'Ooty' and 'Vizag'. And 'Bombay' was changed to 'Mumbai', 'Poona' to 'Pune', Cochin' to 'Kochi', 'Calcutta' to 'Kolkata' and 'Baroda' to 'Vadodara'.

The net was widened further with the stated object of shedding colonial and Moghul legacy and assert our own linguistic and cultural identity by giving the name an historical, religious or political significance. So the names changed to completely new ones; Allahabad became Prayagraj, Faizabad is now Ayodhya, Ahmednagar is Ahilyanagar, Aurangabad to Chhatrapati Sambhal Nagar, Osmanabad to Dharashiv and Madras to Chennai.

Some changes are not that simple to explain. Why was it necessary to change Uttaranchal to Uttarakhand or Gurgaon to Gurugram? Poona which had already been changed to Pune is now being reconsidered for a change to Jijapur. And there is a long list of proposals for other changes particularly from Uttar Pradesh, eg, Aligarh to Harigarh.

Surprisingly, Lucknow remains unchanged so far despite being a clear candidate for correction as the present name is quite obviously a British mispronunciation of the city believed to be named after Laxman, Lord Ram's brother.

Lately, there is a clamour to rename Delhi as Indraprastha. If that happens, names of all the Indian cities I have spent my life in would have changed and make me wonder if I have lived in a fictional Cuckooland which does not exist!

Oh yes, a city I have lived in that hasn't changed its name is Singapore. Singaporeans are quite comfortable with their country and city state's name no matter if it has a Sanskrit origin and named by the British. They are equally at ease with the statue of Sir Stamford Raffles, founder of contemporary Singapore, prominently located at the historic landing site on the north bank of Singapore River. And right in the centre of the city's business district is the famous Raffles Place. 

Singapore ranks at best as the 176th largest country or 20th smallest in the world. It does not appear to be worried in the least about its past history and legacy causing a colonial or slavery mindset. Ask any Singaporean Indian or Chinese of his origins and he will proudly tell you that he is only a Singaporean. Among Singapore's popular patriotic songs sung during National Day celebrations are  "Count on me, Singapore", "Stand Up for Singapore" and "We Are Singapore", all sung in English.

India is the largest country in the world by population, fourth by economy and seventh by area. After nearly eighty years of independence, should we really harbour any sense of insecurity about colonial or slavery mindset?

 

 

TWO DEAR FRIENDS - MEL KENDALL AND VIJJI MALHOTRA - DEPART

"....one thing is certain that Life flies

One thing is certsin, and the Rest is Lies

The Flower that once has blown forever dies." The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam

January was a harsh month; two dear friends went to their heavenly abode. Some memories.

1955-58. Melvyn Charles Kendall, affectionately known as Mel or Mel Charles, and I are naval cadets in NDA. He is in 'I' (Item) Squadron and I am in 'F' (Fox) for first term and then in 'K' (King) for the rest. For the first two years, we hardly meet being in different squadrons and academic classes but in fifth and sixth terms, our interaction increases with the introduction of subjects for naval cadets.

July 1958. We board the Cadet Training Ship, Tir. I am among the very seasick and Mel less so. To tease the seasick, he coins a phrase he repeatedly shouts whenever a guy scrambles to throw up over the guardrails, "Hol-tol-tol,  hol-tol-tol." Between sickness and anger, the guy forgets he is on the windward side and ends up puking all over himself!

We move on to Mysore as Midshipmen. We are being shown around the various compartments of the ship by a senior sailor. Mel is in the rear with one of the two Nigerians training with us. In the Engine Room, the Nigerian in his not very clear accent asks Mel, "Vath room is this?" Mel replies, "This is not bathroom." Nigerian, "No no, vath room is this." Mel, "I told you this is not bathroom." Nigerian, "I know this is not vathroom. Vaath room is this?" Mel, "And I keep telling you this is not baathroom." They almost come to blows but we had strong men like BB Singh and James Gill who kept them at bay. But Mel did not enlighten the Nigerian with what room it was!

The ship's concert is on and Midshipmen have to perform. Mel Kendall, Roy Chow, Ashok Sinha, Magoo Nehra and I form a group I christen as "The Five Off-Keys" and sing the hit song of those days, "Tom Dooley" made popular by "The Kingston Trio".

On 01 January 1960, we are commissioned as officers and promoted to the rank of Sub Lieutenant. We serve on different ships and then are appointed as Divisional Officers in the NDA. We stay in the Officers' Mess and get together on most evenings for a drink and singsong session with other bachelors.

To different ships again and then we undergo specialisation, Mel in 'Torpedo and Anti-Submarine' and I in 'Communications'. In 1970, we are both posted in Cochin. Most of our coursemates have got married while three of us, Mel, Ashok and I are still surviving as bachelors, stay in nearby cabins and run into each other all the time. One afternoon I walk into Mel's cabin and find him in an unusually foul mood. When queried, he says his neighbour had borrowed his nailcutter and broken it into two. "Man, he cut his toenails with my nailcutter. Can you believe it, cutting toenails with a nailcutter?" I hummed and hawed and made a hurried exit. I have always been cutting my toenails with a nailcutter, apparently a sin in Mel's books!

Another rule from Mel - never eat seafood in months which don't have the letter 'r' in them. I am a vegetarian but pass the advice on to whoever I can.

Soon Mel meets Cherub whose family lives in a town near Cochin- Alwaye? A marriage is fixed and Mel deserts bachelorhood.

While I move East to Vishakhapatnam, Mel leaves the Navy, moves to Bangalore and we lose touch.  I too get married and in 1978, am on the Directing Staff in Wellington, Coonoor. One evening, the doorbell rings and I am pleasantly surprised to see a grinning Mel. Cherub has a property in Ooty which they frequently visit and on finding out that I am in Wellington, Mel decides to make an unannounced visit. From then on, we see each meet a number of times till I get transferred, leave the Navy and find a job in New Delhi.

In 1992, I am at office when I receive a call and the man on the line says he is from the Central Bureau of Investigation looking into bribing charges against our Company. I am a bit confused while he goes on saying things which I have no knowledge of. Finally, he bursts into laughter and reveals he is Mel. We meet and talk about old times till he goes back to Bangalore.

We speak to each other off and on and in 2017, Akhila and I go to Bangalore and ring up Mel. He says he is in Ooty with Cherub who has had a stroke. We are disappointed but wish them the best. Sometime later, on return to Delhi, we are told of Cherub's passing away.

On 8 January this year, we get a message from Kaustav, late Roy Chow's son, that Mel had a fall and has passed away. He also forwards a touching poem written by Mel's sons, Chris and Jeffrey, as a tribute to Mel with each verse beginning with the letters MELVYN CHARL KENDAL.

Zoom back to January 1956. I have been shifted to 'K' and the 15th Course joins, two naval cadets of which, Vijay Malhotra and Lalit Talwar, are in my Division. We cross paths off and on.

September 1967. Vijji (that's how he is generally called by most though a few address him as 'Mallu') Malhotra and I are in Cochin together for our Long 'C' (Communications) course. Rita, his wife, is in Delhi expecting their first child, so Vijji is staying in a cabin across the road from mine. We get on famously with each other, spend a lot of time together at studies as well as at leisure and I get to know him well. Some incidents that define him-

One afternoon, I walk into his cabin and find him fiddling with a whisky bottle. It is too early for a drink and he is not very fond of alcohol so I ask him what he is up to. He says he suspects his bearer of drinking his whisky and replacing it with water to maintain the level. So he is sticking a hair in the bottle top and if that disappears, he would know that the bearer is guilty.

The next day he tells me that the bearer fell in the trap and admitted his guilt. From then on, I have always called him 'Bond'. In any case, he always introduces himself as "Malhotra, Vijay Malhotra", in true James Bond style. 

We are sitting in classroom with GBS Kohli in front of us. Vijji is smoking and seeing GBS's hair sticking out of his turban at the back of the neck, can't resist the temptation to torch the hair with the lighted end of his cigarette. I am aghast and wave my hand to tell Vijji to stop it but he disregards. Soon the hair singe, GBS feels the heat and brings his hand to the neck. Vijji frantically beats the hair with his notes and tells GBS that all is well as he has swiped away an insect from the neck.

I discover that Vijji has an amazing memory, almost photographic. He can repeat word for word a passage he scans for a few minutes. Of course, he is highly intelligent.

He is a great storyteller too. Like the time as Flag Lt to Admiral 'Chippy' Samson, he and Keki Pestonji tried to drive the staff car up the steps of Bombay's Ambassador Hotel.

Midway through the Course, Rita gives birth to Nikhil and they come to Cochin. Vijji moves to a house where I am always welcome. Rita accepts me like a family member.

On successful completion of our Course, we are off to Bombay, Vijji to join Khukri and I, Trishul. Vijji has a Standard Vanguard so he decides to fly Rita and Nikhil while he and I drive his car to Bombay.

After our seatime, Vijji is transferred to NHQ Delhi and I to Signal School Cochin. Whenever I go to Delhi on duty or leave, I stay with Vijji and Rita in their Defence Colony home. Vijji has acquired an Akai music system and my favourite way of spending time at his house is to turn the Akai on and listen to Santana's "Evil Ways" booming from the big hi-fi speakers.

While in Delhi, Rita and Vijji win the All-India Wills' "Made for Each Other" contest.

My marriage is fixed for 11 March 1972 and I invite Vijji to come with the baraat to Bijnor. He readily agrees. As usual he has stories to tell about the baraat. For example, the bus makes a stopover halfway to Bijnor and most males rush out to ease themselves against the nearest wall. Vinnie Mama shakes his head disparagingly at them and utters, "Verry badd!" This phrase becomes our favourite exchange whenever we meet subsequently.

At Bijnor, Akhila is getting dressed up for the wedding when Vijji enters the room, introduces himself and asks her, "Why are you marrying Ravi?"

In December 1973, on completion of Staff College Course, he takes over as Eastern Fleet Communications Officer from me while I proceed to Wellington to do the Course.

For many years, we don't meet as he is on the west side while I am mainly in the east. In 1983, I come to Bombay as Fleet Operations Officer followed by command of Trishul. Vijji commands Udaygiri and we stay in adjacent blocks, so Rita and Akhila also meet a lot. More than that, Mandira and Shumita get to know each other and develop a fond relationship. 

Different paths again for many years till we both retire and settle down in Delhi. Vijji and Rita call us for lunch at their house in Golf Links and Vijji presents me with his book, "Time Tide and Tradition", a brilliant compilation of naval customs and traditions. Vijji's inscription reads, 

"Ravi and Akhila

A lifetime of friendship and good cheer

With affection and regard

 Vijji"

Rita says she hasn't seen a movie in a long time. A James Bond movie "Die Another Day" has just been released, so appropriately for my Bond, we take them out to see it.

I start writing a blog and one of the most encouraging readers is Vijji. He provides a lot of inputs for naval pieces, eg, details of Cauvery landing a hedgehog on Admiral Superintendent Dockyard's office and the ASD's signal to the Fleet Commander, "I will repair your ships free of charge but please tell your ships to stop firing at me." Or Mysore firing at an Air India plane in the 1965 war mistaking it for a Pak plane; that got a nice scolding for the Fleet Admiral from NHQ! Incidentally, Mysore herself was a victim with Betwa firing at her mistaking her for Pak ship Babar!

In 2015, Rita falls sick and passes on. Vijji is shaken and so are we.

Vijji too starts keeping unwell and is under treatment with frequent visits to the hospital. Our once long telephone conversations become shorter and shorter. In the latter half of 2025, he is finally discharged from the hospital and advised to manage his illness at home. Mandira and her husband Sumeet arrange constant medical care and diligently look after him with love and devotion. They also create a WhatsApp group and keep his friends informed regularly of his condition.

Mid-November, Akhila and I are leaving for Jaipur and ask Mandira if we can come and see Vijji. She says yes and we visit him one evening. Though confined to bed, he is in good spirits and we exchange old stories including "Verry badd"! Reluctantly we leave hoping to meet him on our return.

That was not to be. The 'moving finger' had writ and moved on.  He passed away on 21 January while we were still in Jaipur.

Two flowers had blown and withered. 

P.S. 21 January recorded another loss with Mrs. Vasundhara Gupta, wife of a good senior friend and golf partner, Cmde PK Gupta (PKG), breathing her last that evening. 3 weeks later, PKG himself followed her. 

All RIP.

SOME REMEMBRANCES OF MY ONE TERM IN FOX SQUADRON

Some of you might find this interesting. It's self-explanatory.

Hello Foxies,

I am Commodore Ravi Sharma, Academy number 2134, ex-Fox Squadron. Cdr Arun Jyoti rang me up the other day asking me to come for the get together at DSOI but I had to decline as I am in Jaipur at present. So he asked me to send a message which would be read out at the party. Here are some remembrances.

I had heard of Fox Squadron even before coming to the NDA as my uncle, Commodore Vinnie Sharma, was a Divisional Officer in Fox in early 1950s when NDA was still JSW in Clementown, Dehradun. It was indeed a pleasant surprise when I was directed to join Fox on reporting to the NDA as a cadet on 22 July 1955.

The pleasant part was short-lived as soon as the seniors saw me. Ragging was rampant and one of the toughest raggers was SK Roy Chowdhury whose main aim was to ensure the new cadets knew how many front rolls and back rolls made a corridor. Roy Chowdhury as everyone must know went on to become the Chief of the Army Staff.

A more likeable senior was Sudarshan Chand who was content to hear us sing songs for him. I was able to satisfy him with some from Pankaj Mullick and Frankie Laine. Chand rose to the rank of Vice Admiral and retired as the Vice Chief of the Naval Staff. There were many others who had illustrious careers like Nanda Cariappa, Field Marshal Cariappa's son. His plane was shot down in the 1965 war but he survived and was captured. There is the well-known real life story of the Pak President Field Marshal Ayub Khan ringing up the then General Cariappa and offering to release his son. The General told him to treat Nanda in the same way as other POWs. Eventually back, Nanda earned his promotions right to the rank of Air Marshal. He and I were ADCs to our respective bosses in Delhi in 1966 and played a lot of golf together. He now lives in Coorg where I last met him on a visit in 2017.

A coursemate of mine is Premvir Das, another Foxie, who reached the rank of Vice Admiral.

Ramendra Bhargava from Jaipur was an Air Force cadet whose parents were well known to my grandparents and whose younger brother, Krishnendra, was my schoolmate and a good friend. Ramendra provided me substantial shelter from ragging and later became ADC to the President of India. He left the IAF early and opened Jaipur Inn in the city's Bani Park. Alas, he is no more but his son, Pushpendra, is successfully running the Inn.

My stay in Fox was only for one term as at the beginning of my second term, a new squadron, King, was formed and I was transferred to it. So it was goodbye to the Foxies including the Squadron Commander, Major Bonny, and my Divisional Officer, Lieutenant 'Shortie' Kanwar of the Navy.

Have a nice party.

A TASTE OF MODERN EATERIES IN JAIPUR

At the Jaipur Literature Festival this year. Akhila and I chanced upon a session "Table For Four: Delhi's Dining Legacy" in which Vir Sanghvi was discussing the book of the same title with Sunil Kant Munjal, one of its three authors. Four well-known industrialists and Doon School friends, Munjal, Nitan Kapoor, Ajay Shriram and Deepak Nirula, used to get together and meet for lunch in the upcoming restaurants of Delhi. Nirula passed away in 2022 and the other three decided to record their dining experiences producing an interesting record of Delhi's evolving culinary history.

Winding up the session, Sunil Munjal singled Florence as the best city for food connoisseurs and mentioned Delhi and Bombay (that's how I have always known it) as cities in India where the food revolution continues to gain momentum day by day. I wish he had kept an eye on Jaipur more closely as on my visits to Jaipur every 2-3 months, I discover new places every time. I am not a food expert but as I love the city of Jaipur, I try and keep track of eateries worth visiting. So let me just list a few to show how food venues in the city are keeping pace with the ever increasing number of tourists thanks in no small measure to the internationally famous annual Jaipur Literature Festival.

We start with one of the older modern ones, "Tapri Central". Basically a tea house with a large variety of tea to choose from, what makes it special is the spectacular rooftop view it provides overlooking the Central Park and surrounding areas. Order some 'chaat' with masala tea, watch the glorious sunset and the lights coming up in the city.

Across the road in Central Park, a vegetarian restaurant named "Peepal" has recently opened up. The food and decor are a great blend of tradition and modernity. The restaurant is gaining popularity for its Sunday brunch.

On the West end of Central Park is the famous Rambagh Hotel voted a couple of years back by Trip Advisor as the best hotel in the world. Its "Steam" bar and restaurant, unique for being housed in a couple of train bogies connected to a steam locomotive, is easily one of the best eateries in Jaipur known for its 'global comfort cuisine'. There is outdoor seating by the swimming pool as well and you can wallow in the ambience while feasting on Italian, Mediterranean or Thai cuisine.

Next to the Hotel, there is the Rajasthan Polo Club, old by itself but its dining room has recently been given a bright yellow and blue striped look and named Polo Palladio as it shares its Dutch architect, Marie-Anne Oudejans, with the very popular Bar Palladio owned by the Italian Barbara Miolini in nearby Narain Niwas Palace. Polo Palladio serves typical clubhouse food like club sandwiches and burgers as also Persian pulaos and kebabs. The best part is that you don't have to be a member of the Club but can pay a small fees and use the restaurant. And if the Polo season is on, you can watch the game in progress while tending to your tummy!

A place that caught my eye just a few days ago is "Nouba" Restaurant on Sarojini Marg, 'C' Scheme. It boasts of a Rooftop Lounge which looks over the Eastern half of Jaipur which you might have missed from Tapri Central. Here you can gorge on North Indian and Mughlai dishes or their wood-fired pizzas. 

If you are very particular about organic food, there is a small Cafe called "Anokhi" on Prithviraj Road which will serve you homemade bread, fresh juices, seasonal food and salads topped by organic filter coffee. 

The best part - all these places are within 2 kms. from my house!

Venturing further, for Rajasthani/Indian food created with a modern touch, there is The Johri Restaurant located in a haveli on MSB Ka Rasta, a lane leading from the main Johri Bazar. The lane is a bit narrow but it is a worthwhile experience to see how nicely a haveli has been converted into a beautiful hotel. The food is unique with dishes like 'Chakundar and Kali Gajar Carpaccio', 'Crispy Avocado Chaat', 'Truffle Cheese Kulcha', 'Corn Palak and Zero Sized Matar' and 'Gadbad Ice Cream'. 

For Italian and Mediterranean food, we have discovered "Serai Brews Cafe" in a boutique hotel on Durga Marg, Bani Park, with outdoor seating in a small, cosy garden. We loved its ' Pesto Exotic Veggie' Bruschetta,  'Agilio-E-Olio' Pasta, and the 'Mezze Platter'. 

Just a couple of years ago, Raffles opened a hotel on the outskirts of Jaipur with "The Writers Bar" serving Singapore Sling sure to take you back in time with visions of Somerset Maugham working on his novels in the original Raffles Hotel.

The great travel writer Paul Theroux famously wrote that no matter how many places you visit, there is so much more to see. Same applies to Jaipur's restaurants; there are scores of them that I have only heard or not even heard of. So let's wind up here.

But not without taking cognisance of the coffee revolution. Jaipur was traditionally a tea place. An exclusive coffee place was not even known. Then came 'Curious Life Coffee' and that started a trend. Today there are so many they are running out of names; there is 'Nothing Before Coffee', 'Crazy Coffee', 'Coffee Sutra", 'Half Light Coffee Roasters, 'Aunty's Coffee', 'Uncle Coffee'....wow!! And at the LitFest we ran into 'Love Over Coffee' and fell in love with it!

There is a place in Jaipur, "DZURT", which is known for its sweets and desserts. It boasts of items like 'Belgium Chocolate Salted Caramel' 'Nutella Cheesecake', the very popular 'Tiramisu' etc. But for desserts for me, nostalgia wins and it is old "Niro's" all the way with its sundaes 'Honeymoon Special' and 'Knickerbocker Glory' which I first had over 75 years ago in my school days and which they happily served for me with special care!

Bon appetit!

 

`

DINO BECOMES DEAN BUT SINGS LIKE DINO

 

It is Boxing Day today. Yesterday was Christmas and trust it was full of merrymaking for you. Regardless of our religious beliefs, all of us enjoy the day with visions of Santa Claus in his red outfit 'ho-ho-hoing' and riding his sleigh guided by Rudolph the red-nose reindeer in the vast expanse of white snow. We shall go on to say a fond goodbye to the present year with memories galore and eagerly welcome the new one. 

From time to time, God has his ways to remind us not to take things for granted and that we are not the masters of destiny. Fifteen years ago, Mummy left this world on the morning of the 25th.

And I chanced on the fact that Dean Martin too departed on this day in 1995. So let us recall the relaxed, easygoing, "King of Cool", one of the greatest showmen of the 20th century who kept us entertained for many many years with his acting and songs which I often listen to even now.

Born to an Italian father and an Italian-American mother, he was named Dino Paul Crocetti. When he took to show business, he named himself 'Dino Martini' before finally becoming 'Dean Martin'. 

Dean Martin first came into limelight when he and the great comedian, Jerry Lewis, combined to produce movies which were riots of fun. In 1956, they parted and Martin took to singing and acting on his own. He became good friends with Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. and along with others like Peter Lawford, formed a group called "Rat Pack" and performed in shows in Las Vegas. On TV too, 'The Dean Martin Show' was immensely popular. Sinatra brought Martin and Lewis together once again on stage in 1976 and their last act was on Martin's 72nd birthday in 1989.

I first saw him in my School days in early 1950s in the comedy movies of Martin and Lewis. Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis made a number of movies which were riots of fun. They had a natural chemistry for each other and could just ad-lib their roles without sticking to a script. The usual theme was Martin trying to keep his cool tolerating Lewis' slapstick antics and annoying behaviour till the former could bear no more and would chase Lewis out. Some memories of hilarious scenes flash in my mind from time to time bringing a smile to my face.  For instance, Jerry Lewis making a real mess eating spaghetti in "My Friend Irma Goes West". Or Lewis making a big deal of eating two pieces of beans with imaginary sauce and champagne singing "When You Pretend" in "Artists and Models".

In 1953, Dean Martin, in their movie, “The Caddy”, sang "That's Amore" which became an instant hit and had a lot of Italy in it starting with the title which according to the song is what they say in Napoli when boy meets girl. That's also amore 'when the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie' and the lyrics go on to 'Vita bella', 'gay tarantella', 'pasta e fasule', 'signore' and 'scusami'!

Blessed with a deep voice and smooth singing style, Martin became a top singer and he followed up with many big hits with the unique feature of Italian flavour in the lyrics. Hugely popular was "Volare", originally an Italian song "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu", words which Martin repeated often in the lyrics of his English version. There were a host of other hits like "On an Evening in Roma", "Arrividerci Roma", "Mambo Italiano", "Come Back to Sorrento" and "Innamorata." Needless to say, with my inexplicable love for all things Italian, all these songs are my favourites and I adore Dean Martin for them.

Martin had other big hits too without the Italian touch. Apart from his signature song "Everybody Loves Somebody", my personal favoutites are "Sway" and "Memories Are Made of This". The lyrics of the latter are a recipe for cooking memories and I quote-

"Take one fresh and tender kiss

Add one stolen night of bliss....

Don't forget a small moonbeam

Fold it lightly with a dream

Your lips and mine, two sips of wine....

Then add the wedding bells

One house where lovers dwell

Three little kids for the flavour

Stir carefully through the days

See how the flavour stays

These are the dreams you will savour....

With His blessings from above

Serve it generously with love

One man, one wife, one love through life

Memories are made of this."

Keep having Merry Christmases. Mummy and Dean Martin would want that.

 

THE LITTLE BOY AND THE OLD MAN

Every now and then we come across a song or a poem and think, "Oh, this could be written for me!" And why not, lyricists and poets are people like us going about their daily chores but are blessed with a keen sense of observation and a marvellous gift of creating a song or a poem from what they observe.

We might come across daffodils, take pleasure in the sight and move on but it takes the genius of William Wordsworth to make a delightful poem about them. I just have to quote a few lines-

"I wandered lonely as a cloud....

When all at once I saw a crowd, a host of golden daffodils....

For oft when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye, which is the bliss of solitude,

And then my heart with pleasure fills, 

And dances with the daffodils."

Often on a walk, we come across the sign "Keep off the grass", grunt in disappointment and quietly take a detour. But not Rupert Brooke, who sitting in a cafe in Berlin in 1912, sees a sign "Betreten des Rasens verboten", gets homesick and thinks of the house in a village near Cambridge where he had lived. So he puts down his thoughts in a poem, "The Old Vicarage, Grantchester", recalling the meads near the house "Where das Betreten's not verboten."

Sometime back, I wrote a post saying I felt that the song, "I'm an Ordinary Man" from "My Fair Lady" was written by lyricists Lerner-Loewe for me. Now a friend sent me a poem, "The Little Boy and the Old Man" by Shel Silverstein; is the poet’s old man actually me? The quirks are the same! Here goes-

'Said the little boy ''Sometimes I drop my spoon".

Said the old man, ''I do that too.''

The little boy whispered, "I wet my pants."

"I do that too", laughed the little old man.

Said the little boy, I often cry."

The old man nodded, "So do I,"

But worst of all, said the boy,

"It seems grown-ups don't pay attention to me."

And felt the warmth of a wrinkled old hand,

"I know what you mean" said the little old man.'

Life comes a full-circle!

REMEMBERING MADAN SAXENA - NAVY'S RAVI SHANKAR

As a kid, and even in advanced age, I was very fond of the fun puzzle "Connect the dots". One began at the start point and went from dot to dot ending with a complete picture.

Memory is like that - something triggers it and then you move from one memory to another till you end up with a whole picture of someone or something that was a part of your life. 

So it was when Shumita said she and her family planned to go to Cochin (for me it will always be that!).

Oh, that's where Sameer is!

Just the other day, on learning that Vice Admiral Sameer Saxena had taken over as Flag Officer Commanding Southern Naval Command, I had sent him a congratulatory message and got back a sweet reply. Sameer is the son of my senior colleague Late Commodore Madan Saxena who though seven courses my senior, was a close friend, in fact, more of an elder brother.

In fact, we had an older association with the Saxena family; Madan's father was well known to Pitaji, my Nana, since both started their judicial careers in the state of U.P. (United Provinces in the old days) and ended up as High Court Judges, Pitaji in Rajasthan and Justice Saxena in Allahabad.

And before I met Madan, his elder brother, HML Saxena, also a naval officer and known by all as 'Bhaisahib' thanks to Madan, was our Training Officer on the Cadet training ship Tir which we embarked fresh after passing out from the National Defence Academy.

I got to know Madan in June 1965 when I came to Delhi as Flag Lt to Admiral Chatterji, Commandant National Defence College. Madan then was 'Flags' to Admiral Soman, Chief of the Naval Staff. We met  very often both being aides to the two most senior officers of the Navy.

Those tenures over, our appointments took us to different spheres till we found ourselves together on Vikrant in November 1971. Madan was the Navigating Officer of the ship and I was Fleet Communications Officer on the staff of Flag Officer Commanding the newborn Eastern Fleet, embarked on Vikrant. As chance would have it, Bhaisahib was there too as Commander, second-in-command of the carrier.

Within a month of my embarking Vikrant, the Indo-Pak War started and, with our jobs requiring us to be together on the Bridge a lot, I developed a close bond with Madan. It was then that I learnt of his fondness of and proficiency at playing the Sitar. A particular incident is vivid in my mind; one early morning, one of our escort ships reported a submarine contact and we were at action stations for a long time. The threat was over at about 6 a.m. and Madan asked me to come along to his cabin. There he pulled out his sitar and played for an hour to calm and soothe ourselves before adjourning to make up for the disturbed sleep. 

Soon after the War, I decided to get married to Akhila in Bijnor, near Delhi. I requested Madan, then in NHQ, to join the baraat and he readily agreed and came along.

Some years later, Madan was appointed as the Naval Attache, Iran. A Boy Scouts and Girl Guides Jamboree was scheduled in Teheran and Mummy was deputed to lead the Rajasthan Contingent. We were a bit worried as this was Mummy's first trip abroad and further, she was a staunch vegetarian. I got in touch with Madan who kindly offered to look after her. Mummy stayed with Madan and Hema and was full of praise for them on return. 

The early 1980s found both of us in NHQ Delhi staying in the same Sardar Patel Marg block, Madan on 3rd floor and I on 5th. Hema and Akhila got on very well too and we often got together in the evenings for musical sessions and a drink. But I missed a super session they once had which Akhila recounted to me. I was away in Italy on work when Vinnie Mama and family came to Delhi for a short visit and stayed at our flat. Akhila invited Hema and Madan for dinner after which Akhila asked Madan to get his sitar. Vinnie Mama launched into Pankaj Mullick songs with Madan accompanying on the sitar. Akhila volunteered to play the tabla and sang too going well into sunrise. Akhila said her hands were sore for days after that!

Madan shocked all of us when he announced that he was seeking premature retirement. A number of senior officers told him that he was certain to be promoted to flag rank but he remained firm and put in his papers. I guess frequent transfers and relatively meagre pay of those days made him take the hard decision. So off he went in 1983 and joined the Merchant Navy with Hema settling in Noida.

I too moved to Delhi, Noida and back to Delhi after my own retirement and we met Madan and Hema often over the years. And then the final surprise: one morning mid-2008, Madan had a cardiac arrest and passed away suddenly at the age of 74.

We shall always remember Madan plucking away his sitar strings and now his absence tugs our heartstrings. 

"IN THE MOOD"

 

Today, let's get "In the Mood."

Before you get fancy ideas and start making wild guesses, let me clarify: I am only recalling a classic song which is just one year younger than me, a popular jazz swing instrumental by Glenn Miller and his Orchestra which has been inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame as also the US Library of Congress National Recording Registry among recordings considered "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." Add to that its inclusion in the US National Public Radio in its list of "The 100 most important American musical works of the 20th century" and you know we are talking of something special.

I am not a big jazz fan but this swinging number grabbed my attention from my first hearing of it and keeps buzzing in my head from time to time. Trombones, saxophones, trumpets and clarinets accompanied by drums combine to blow out a catchy rhythm which has one dancing or at the very least, gleefully tapping one's feet.

A few words about the great Glenn Miller. He was a bandleader, composer and played the trombone. He led an Orchestra which was the best-selling recording band from 1939-42. In this short period of 4 years, he scored 16 number one records and 69 top ten hits, more than Elvis Presley (40) and The Beatles (35). In 1942, he volunteered to join the US Navy but was rejected. Despite his Orchestra's outstanding success and rich earnings, Miller was bent on joining the military and finally his efforts succeeded when he was accepted by the US Army in September 1942. Shortly after, he formed the Captain (later Major) Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra which was the forerunner of big military bands. Deservedly, Glenn Miler is considered the father of modern US military bands. 

Glenn Miller's Orchestra entertained troops during World War II for more than two years before Miller went missing in action in the English Channel on a flight from England to France on 15 December 1944 and was eventually declared dead. That marked the end of a superb musician who had accomplished so much in a short span of just 40 years of life. His recordings continue to entertain us and keep us "In the Mood."

Lyricists and singers brought out vocal versions of the song but none could match the brilliance and popularity of Glenn Miller’s instrumental. He was wise to let his band play the music and leave it to listeners to get in the mood they desired.

To conclude, however, let's choose a number that is more definite on ‘mood’: "I'm in the Mood for Love". First sung by Frances Langford in a movie in 1935, it has many versions by dozens of fine musicians like Louis Armstrong, Vera Lynn and Fats Domino. Its plain message - "I'm in the mood for love, simply because you're near me, funny but when you're near me, I'm in the mood for love."

 

"YOU ALWAYS HURT THE ONE YOU LOVE"

What song shall we talk about today? 

I have something haunting me for the last couple of days, why, I don't know. I guess some songs touch you deeply right from the time you first hear them and stay with you throughout your life. The song I am talking about has its title from an old saying, ''You Always Hurt The One You Love", and has its origin way back in 1944 when The Mills Brothers sang it. It is one of the oldest songs I know from the days I first started listening to English songs in my early teens but I remember it as if I had heard it just yesterday.

Is the saying true? It would seem so. Most of us probably have on occasion said something which deeply hurt someone we are very fond of making us regret our words and wanting to take them back. 

So why did we say them in the first place?

That is one for the psychologists! But for an ordinary person like me to briefly ponder, I would say that intimacy or familiarity is the main cause: you feel that while you would weigh your words very carefully when talking to people you are not very close to or not care much for, you can open up and say anything to someone you love and that person would listen to you and not mind. But the loved one may construe the words as offensive, prying or unnecessary criticism and feel hurt. Consequence: something far from what you originally desired!

So now let me do your own thinking and leave you with lyrics so thoughtfully written by Allan Roberts and movingly sung by The Mills Brothers:

"You always hurt the one you love

The one you shouldn't hurt at all

You always take the sweetest rose

And crush it till the petals fall

You always break the kindest heart 

With a hasty word you can't recall

So if i broke your heart last night

It's because I love you most of all."

DEAR SWEETS OF JAIPUR

 

It's that time of the year when India's tooth is at its sweetest. All over the country, people are eating and gifting sweets. But this year, Jaipur, which has always been known for its sweets, has zoomed into limelight and exclusivity by producing perhaps the most expensive sweet ever made, at least in India. It has been created by Anjali Jain, founder of Tyohaar Sweet House in Vaishali Nagar, Jaipur, and is named 'Swarn Prasadam'. Its price, Rs. 1,11,000 (about USD 1200) per Kg. or Rs. 3000 per piece. Oh dear!

What makes it so expensive? Its basic ingredient is 'chilgoza' or pine nut, one of the most costly nuts in the world, blended with saffron and edible gold dust, crafted like a jewel and packed in a jewellery box. 

For less money, you can indulge in 'Swarn (gold) Bhasma Bharat' at Rs. 1950 or 'Chandi (silver) Bhasma Bharat' at Rs. 1150 per piece. There is also the 'Pataka Thaal' full of sweets made from cashewnuts and shaped like firecrackers resembling bombs, anaars, chakris and diyas.

Jaipur sweets have always been dear to me in the loveable sense of the word but it was inevitable that growth, progress and desire to be unique and creative would make the sweets dear in the other meaning of the word. The first sweet I remember enjoying soon after moving to Jaipur in 1950 was the Jalebi which Pitaji, my Nana, would send for every Sunday for breakfast, fresh from -where else!- Jalebi Chowk near the famous Hawa Mahal. Mataji, my Nani, for 'bhog' offering to gods at home, would get Kalakand and Misri Mawa from a 'halwai' in Gopalji Ka Raasta straight from the 'kadhai'. Another sweet we were very fond of was the milk cake from Chawla Sweets which had a distinct caramel like taste not available in milk cakes from other sources.

Later on, I discovered Delhi Mishthan Bhandar opposite the old Prem Prakash (now Golcha) cinema hall near the southern end of Chaura Raasta. My favourite was a sweet the name of which I forget which was like a juicy ’balushahi’ topped with dollops of cream. Next to that shop, Sarvesh Mamaji, son of Mataji’s brother, opened a restaurant, Paradise, and treated all relatives including me and friends for free. Needless to say he soon went into red and had to close Paradise!

The love affair with Jaipur sweets continues with some changes necessitated by passage of time. We miss the milk cake from Chawla's as the shop closed at the onset of Covid and never opened again. Gopalji Ka Rasta has lost its shine in competition with big shops like Laxmi Mishthan Bhandar. Jalebi Chowk is now more famous for ladies clothing than jalebis.

But there are other old timers that have survived and blossomed despite modern glitz. Bhagat Sweet House near Chhoti Chaupar continues to be known for its unique brown laddoos made out of 'besan' and milk. A small narrow lane off Johari Bazaar, Gheewalon Ka Rasta, boasts of two tiny shops which prepare sweets in the morning and are sold out by the afternoon. One produces first rate Misri Mawa and Gulab Sakri with distinctive rose flavour. The second makes the traditional Ghewar, the typical Jaipur sweet that resembles a honeycomb and you can have it dipped in syrup with the amount of sugar as required by you.

We look forward to each visit to Jaipur to replenish our stock of sweets. Hopefully, Swarn Prasadam will not be too dear a sweet for us.

Happy Diwali. Indulge!