Palampur mourns the death of a gem of a woman: Adieu Stimbla

The news came as a rude shock to me on Sunday (26th March) afternoon. It took time to sink in before plunging me into an abyss of sadness that Stimbla, wife of our very dear friend Dr P K Sharma (who died less than 5 years ago), passed away this morning. For, I had carried the impression that a valiant fighter that she was, she had triumphed over her fatal ailment that had afflicted her a few years back. (Learning just 3-4 days before, on casual enquiry from her neighbour-cum-friends, the Dogras, that she had gone to Delhi for a routine check-up, had only been more reassuring than worrying.)

What a remarkable woman Stimbla was! A fine blend of beauty, grace, poise, courage, sacrifice, endurance, refined taste, a finely carved aesthetic sense and that innate, tender loveliness that sets someone as a class apart from the common ordinary throng: that’s how I would like to describe her. Life had not been kind to her. Struggle, pain and suffering were her constant companions in her life’s truncated journey. Just when things began to settle down after busy years of children’s grooming, education, placements and marriages, unfortunately, Dr P K Sharma suffered a severe heart attack. It was Stimbla’s doughty effort and promptitude that saved him. It was so wonderful to see our handsome Dr P K Sharma once again his usual vibrant, jovial, stylish self, always on his toes  and supporting a warm wide grin that never left his face. But then tragedy struck again and one gloomy September day in 2012 our dear friend was gone. Fate’s thirst had still not been slated. Soon after his death, Stimbla had to contend with other family problems that would test the endurance of any person however gritty and strong. But she confronted the matters with firmness and courage.  Imagine, while she was going through this ordeal, Providence dropped another bombshell on her: she was diagnosed with cancer, necessitating a fight on two fronts on her part now. A lesser mortal might well have wilted and crumbled under such trying circumstances; but not so, Stimbla. She faced the double whammy with extraordinary fortitude and won her battle with her ailment and simultaneously resolved her family issues too with resounding success much to her satisfaction and happiness. But the sinister, wily, deceptive ‘emperor of all maladies’ struck her again just recently and this time proved fatal. It might just be that perhaps she ignored the first warning calls. How ironical that she who never failed to be a wise counsel to us all, wasn’t wise enough for her own self! Some people who have drunk the milk of human kindness and self-sacrifice in brimful measures are made like that. Stimbla was one such person indeed.

When ordinary mortals (like me)  face hardships they lose their sense of humour and become peevish, short-tempered, irritable, desolate, depressed and bitter. But Stimbla was a woman extraordinaire. The sweetness of her nature, her warmth and cordiality never waned even a wee bit. Whenever we visited her post ailment, she was ever so sweet, warm, kind, caring and hospitable as always.

Death of this remarkable woman deeply saddens all who knew her even remotely. The beautiful house  of this charming couple in the midst of a tea garden that every Palampurwalla talked about, that every passer-by never failed to stop and cast an admiring look at - will look sad and desolate without them and so will their beautiful garden and flowers that Stimbla tended with loving care, having taken over the role more actively from that lover of beauty and nature: dear P K Sharma.

It is a sad day indeed for us and Palampur.

               Happy were the days!

         *

Quotes of the week

Aussie cricketers are no longer friends

               - Virat Kohli

I am a little lost, need to surrender myself to good work

               - Comedian Sunil Grover of the Kapil Sharma comedy show

Surya namskar is similar to Namaz
               - UP CM Adityanath

*

Random headlines

CBI files chargesheet against Virbhadra Singh

                              -Daily News & Analysis

Indian cities may face deadly heatwaves due to global warming
                          - Deccan Herald

After tense series Steve Smith offers beer to Ajinkya Rahane, Indian team
                          - NDTVSports.com

NASA stopwatch can measure billionth of second
                          - Deccan Herald

Indonesian man's body found inside a 23-foot-long python
                          - The Daily Herald

Just 20 minutes of afternoon nap can boost your creativity at work
                           - NDTV

Eye  movements may tell if someone is lying: study
                           - Deccan Herald

Common gastric medicines may up bacterial infection risk
                           - Deccan Herald

***

Will Palampur go the Shimla way?

Our pretty town Palampur is urbanising at a frenetic pace; so are the other Himachal towns. The soothing, pleasing, life-giving green of deodars, pines, tea gardens, farmers’ fields and grasslands is giving way to the distasteful jungles of concrete. Construction works of all kinds are going on unabated. Even the khuds have not been spared through manipulation and political clout. Our own Aima-Sughar-Bundla area where the tea gardens once lent it special charm now presents a ghastly sight at some places with haphazard construction dominating the scene. Worse, the link roads - already narrow - have been encroached upon by the mean, unscrupulous, selfish, narrow-minded, unthinking people building mansions for themselves but creating road congestion for the generations to suffer. The public perception is that the regulatory and law-enforcing departments are either toothless tigers or have perhaps been compromised by such builders; or both. Otherwise how could anybody dare expand his boundaries to constrict a public road? And when some public-spirited people humbly request these violators to desist, they get rude and challenge you: "तुमने जो करना है वो कर लो। मैं नहीं हटने वाला।"  Because they have political connections and have mastered the art of string-pulling, bribery and corruption.

The way Palampur is expanding (see pics below) in an unregulated, unchecked manner, time is not far when civic amenities will be more severely hit. Palampur will turn into another Shimla with traffic snarls and jams becoming the order of the day even in the panchayat areas.  When acute water/power shortages - and that too for days on end - will become a regular feature. When sewage and garbage disposal will become a recurring problem. When vehicular congestion will increase manifold. When noise pollution will assault your ears 24 X 7. When the air will become toxic. When road accidents will be daily news. When landslides, flash floods and suchlike disasters will happen more frequently and more devastatingly. When Mother Nature, assaulted and violated with such reckless abandon will bear it no more, and will retaliate with fury. And the destruction and catastrophes that will then visit us will be large scale; wholesale.

Isn’t it time therefore for a moratorium on further construction at least in those sensitive areas which are already choked with concrete? Isn’t it time for the planners and policy makers to make objective assessment of the carrying capacity of all our towns in terms of the availability of natural resources and environment impact assessment to limit and regulate constructions accordingly? Isn’t it time to stem the rot?  And save our beautiful hills and lands from the monster of 'development' being guided by skewed and borrowed ideas of big cities and plains? Cannot we take a leaf out of the Bhutan book where natural assets are valued and held sacred?

Imagine, it is only now, when things have gone almost beyond repair and when Shimla has been allowed to become almost unlivable, that a master plan for its future course of development (based on its carrying capacity) is being envisaged. And that too not by the policy makers, not by the people at the helm. But at the behest of the NGT; by its insistent, repeated and firm diktat; by not allowing the expert committee to get away with obfuscation, subterfuge, dillydallying and official jugglery.

 Therefore, Palampur (as also all other hill towns) needs a unique, refreshing new model of development - an eco-friendly, sustainable, aesthetically sound, non-polluting, clean and ‘green’ one.  Let Himachal remain an oasis of clear gurgling streams, clean air, green hills, tea gardens, pines and deodars – where nature smiles, soothes, nourishes and welcomes you, as well as the visitor. Palampur is nothing if not green. Himachal is nothing if not green.

But in this mad cacophony of urbanisation who listens? Who cares?

                                                                                               

                                                    *

CM's choice:what a letdown

I sincerely believed that the BJP will draw  right lessons from the recent election results. The people broke caste, communal and religious shackles and refused to be hoodwinked by the regional kingpins who thrive on these very triggers to gain power. They gave the BJP a head-turning mandate- all in the name of development. But how depressing that showing its true, basic colours, it has gone for a hard-core, ‘Hindutva’ flag-bearer Yogi Adityanath as the UP’s CM. It had excellent options such as Manoj Sinha – an educated, seasoned and a capable person - for this chair. But obviously considerations other than development and good governance held sway. I am sure this very first move must have left many among those who voted for it, aghast and disillusioned. If the BJP ignores the public sentiment and the raison d'etre why it was voted to power, and digresses from the real agenda, it would be committing a harakiri...much to the delight of Mayawatis, the Yadavs and the Kejriwaals. And that would be a sad day for India.

                                                        

                                               *

Quotes of the week

I will personally keep tabs on absentee MPs

                                  -PM Narinder Modi

I will not apologise. Why should I ?
                                  - Shiv Sena MP R Gaikwad who beat up Air India staff

                                  

I don't like wasting money on expensive outfits

                                  - Alia Bhatt

Start respecting human beings

                                  - Comedian Sunil Grover to Kapil Sharma

                    *

Random headlines

Norway happiest country, India ranks 122 in the World Happiness Report (Pakistan, Nepal fare better; China 79, Pak 80, Nepal 99, Bengla Desh 110)

                                      - Livemint

British Physicist Stephan Hawking, 75,  plans to travel to space

                                      - Business Standard

EC backs lifetime ban on convicted lawmakers

                                       - Deccan Herald

Pregnant cow falls 40 feet and then swims to safety

                                                       - Deccan Herald

Up to 1 in 5 high blood pressure diagnoses may be wrong: study

                                       - Deccan Herald

Eating cheese may make you slimmer:study

                                       - Deccan Herald

After record temperatures last year, 2017 already marked by climate extremes: UN

                                       - HT

Drinkers, you should never mix alcohol with energy drinks:new research

                                      - Zee News

Deadly spider's venom may prevent stroke damage: study

                                      - Deccan Herald

63 million in India do not have access to clean water

                                      - Deccan Herald
Earth Hour: switch off lights on March 25 from 8.30 PM to 9.30 PM please. Will you?

                   ***

                

   

Palampur braves chill to celebrate Holi

Palampur celebrated Holi with gusto, as usual. Though the prevailing chill was forbidding, yet, for a change, it dawned bright and sunny on Sunday. And as the cold morning matured into a warm, welcoming forenoon, the Palampurwallas began stirring out of their homes with gulal packets in hands. And soon all the neighbourhoods were full of joy and joviality, mutual warmth and good-will with faces and clothes smeared with the varied colours of Holi: red, green and yellow. The younger lot, not content with the dry powdery stuff, revelled by throwing buckets of coloured or even plain water at each other. It seemed the weather gods had made a special concession for us to celebrate Holi for a brief period only. For, by the afternoon, the clouds had resurfaced and the cold had returned. At the Capt Batra ground the state level evening cultural show had been underway. Cold-stung, I stayed indoors though the music and voices from the ground that could be heard over long distances seemed inviting.  But hats off to the intrepid lot who had thronged the grounds to enjoy the events live. What makes Palampur Holi (and likewise that of other Kangra towns too) so fetching and special is the beautiful jhankis aloft on tractors that meander through the main bazaar and the roads of Ghugar, Bundla, the Mission complex etc. These jhankis mostly depicting scenes of devis and devtas from our rich Hindu mythology are indeed a treat to watch. And the residents come out in throngs and wait eagerly for these jhankis to pass by to pay their obeisance to. May this lovely tradition endure and flourish! At Sujanpur, the abode of Katoch rajas of Trigart (Kangra) once, the Holi is celebrated at the national level, as we all know. I wish I had gone to hear the soulful music and songs of the Wadali Brothers, the famous Sufi singers from Amritsar who regaled the Sujanpur crowd during one of these evenings.

                                     *

Election lessons

The BJP’s landslide win in UP in the just-concluded assembly elections is nothing less than stunning. The oldest party, Congress, stands decimated. The SP and the BSP, the two regional political power houses too have been left badly shaken and shattered. Although in the shifting sands of politics nothing can be said with absolute certainty, yet if these elections are any guide, it is obvious that:

Politically, the country has grown wiser, savvy and discerning with each election. People seem to be sick and tired of the old, rusty edifice, the Congress, where its jammed windows do not permit any free passage for fresh air of new thought, debate and energy. The Gandhis’ charisma used as a magic wand  to sway the masses and win elections is over.

The regional parties and their satraps, the Yadavs, the Bhenjis/Buas and the Kejriwaals are fast losing their relevance. They can’t any longer ride piggy back on the voter on the basis of caste, Dalit, religion, region or community. With increasing awareness, the voter knows that the ultimate mantra for emancipation and empowerment lies in good governance and development.

Success or victory - that too such a stunning one - can be heady. With it comes responsibility: immense responsibility. Responsibility to deliver.  Responsibility to perform. For, greater the success, correspondingly higher are the peoples’ expectations too. Now the million dollar question is: Will the BJP prove itself equal to the challenge? Or will it get too drunk with the opium of power and success? The country expects the BJP to now get down seriously to providing a model, efficient, clean, inclusive government in UP and the other states where it has gained power. It needs to build bridges between communities, take each and all along, provide a healing, soothing touch to those marginalized on parochial considerations of religion and caste and take the states on the path of harmony and wholesome progress. Let Hindutva be given a burial. The fractures and hurts caused by rabid jingoists, fanatics and bigots need to be healed and such elements not allowed to run the show at all. Let the country now move forward on the road of progress and prosperity.

As for the Congress, it is time now to rid it of dynastic stranglehold.  It is in desperate need of bold reforms and intra-party democracy. The senile oldies who are clinging to power and perpetuating their own dynastic fiefdoms must be shown the door. Let fresh new talent now take over, let the old order change. Will it happen? Let’s keep our fingers crossed. Punjab has come as a face saver for the Congress. But this win was a forgone conclusion because of SAD-BJP misrule. Anyway, can Congress shed its hypocrisy, its double standards about secularism and corruption and make a fresh new beginning in Punjab? Will the high command give Captain Amrinder Singh enough leeway and space to provide corruption-free, transparent, vibrant government and bring back prosperity and pride to this land of the bold and brave? It can either be a turning point for the party or the final death knell. Again let’s watch and keep our fingers crossed?

                                                     *

Quotes of the week

"You are my masterpiece."

                - Mahesh Bhatt on Alia's birthday

"Music is God's gift...must be utlilzed."

                - Nahid Afrin, a 16-year-old singer from Assam who is fighting fatwa

"2016 was worst year yet for Syria's children."

               - UNICEF

                       *

News headlines-random pickings

Beggar, 60, helps woman deliver a baby girl at busy junction (Bengaluru)

                   - ToI

Woman burned after headphones explode while she slept in flight

                   - AOL

Bengaluru has worst 'infra' among Indian cities

                   - (DH)

UK cruise ship damages pristine Indonesian coral reef

                    - (DH)

Delhi's air quality improves, cleaner than Mumbai's in past two weeks

                     - Zee News

Fossils unearthed from India from 1.6 billion years ago may be oldest known plants

                             - Livemint

Watching TV for 3 hours daily may up diabetes risk in kids

                    - The Indian Express

Mediterranean diet may improve sperm quality:study

                    - DH

                                               ***

         

Adieu Kolkata, Palampur calling(2)

Next morning, we went to the Marble Palace first. The marble statues of historical and mythical figures, huge paintings, chandeliers, floor-to-ceiling mirrors and other innumerable objects of art are indeed a superlative feast both for the eyes as well as the mind. You are transported into a different world altogether, a magical world of art and beauty, bliss and wonder: an eloquent testimony to the creative genius of the men and women of yore. You come out of the place mesmerised.

Jorasanko Thakur Bari – our next destination just nearby - is a fitting place to step into after visiting the Marble Palace. For, it is this hallowed place where breathed the great Indian soul: one and only- Rabindranath Tagore. With the gentle hum of Rabindra sangeet playing in the background you go around  different rooms grasping and absorbing aspects of great  journey of life and monumental creations of all kinds of this noble, enlightened soul that dwells in every Bengali’s, nay, Indian’s heart. The room where he breathed his last displays Tagore's heart-tugging last words on a wall reading which brought tears to my eyes.

The iconic Victoria Memorial, yet another must-see monument of Kolkata, where we went next stood high and resplendent in its white glory. We joined the stream of eager, enthusiastic visitors and went round its big and great halls and corridors with fine marble statues, paintings and a rich array of invaluable antique collections on display. The flower bedecked lawns added to the beauty of the memorial. And many love-smitten Romeos dotted the place with their fiancées in cosy intimacy to take vows and make proclamations of love: and rightly so, for it was a Valentine’s Day!

We went to the Kalighat temple next. The small-shopwallas force-selling prashad and flowers and vying with each other at once began pestering us, as also other visitors. The pandas too were pesky and irritatingly solicitous. Braving all this, when we finally made it to the sanctum, we were told that it was now 2 PM and the sanctum was closed for the darshan. We hurried out disappointed: overall, it wasn’t a very elevating experience.

But a visit to the Indian museum(IMK) next provided the soothing touch and restored our festive mood. Short of time, we had a quick round of its various halls/galleries and tried to absorb as much as we could of India’s and world's wonderful heritage and collections on display there. Now feeling a bit tired and hungry, we made it  to the guest house.

Time had now come to pack up, say our goodbyes and return home. That we did at an unearthly hour next morning passing through the quiet streets of Kolkata. Overtaken by emotion, I paid a silent obeisance to this great, sacred and fecund land of poets, thinkers, social reformers, revolutionaries; and men and women of art, literature, music, science and what have you! Soon afterwards – and airborne - I was thinking of my dear and lovely Palampur, my charming, lovable friends (especially those who care to read my blog!), and the grand Dhauladhar that would be clad in gleaming white mantle of snow at this time of the year.

An arch at the entrance to Thakur Bari street

Entrance to Thakur Bari

The ancestral home of Tagore

Victoria Memorial

Another view of VM

                     ***

From temple-rich Puri to 'soulful' Kolkata(1)

“Calcutta is not for everyone. You want your city clean and green, stick to Delhi. You want your city rich and impersonal, go to Bombay. You want them hi-tech and full of draught beer, Bangalore’s your place. But if you want a city with a soul, come to Calcutta.”

                                                                                                        -Vir Sanghvi

                                                                                                       From slow-paced Puri to the big and happening metropolis Kolkata with all its din and bustle seemed like a big contrast. But the bath-room sized Oyo room we were ushered into by the  bearded, arm-pit scratching,  glib-tongued, multi-tasking guest-house workman came as a rude shock. However, wife’s and my own grumbles and protests yielded quick results: we were promptly shifted to a more spacious and better-looking room on the upper floor to our great relief.

We set out for our places-to-visit tour next morning in a cab helpfully arranged by the guest-house manager/owner; and met with disappointment soon afterwards. On reaching the Marble Palace we were told at the gates that being Monday the palace was closed; and so were all the museums and such like places in Kolkata. Our good cabwalla therefore wisely drove us to the Dakshineswar Kali Mandir. The sprawling compound, open spaces and efficient, hassle-free management of visiting pilgrims and their belongings made it a pleasant experience. And the Goddess’s idol?  Believe me: it is breathtakingly beautiful. A mere glimpse of this ornately bejewelled idol representing Bhavatarini (‘the liberator’) aspect of Kali casts a spell that will last a lifetime. After the darshan and paying our obeisance we went round the 12 shiv-lingam shrines (Lord Shiva is Kali’s companion, as the mythology informs us) just across the courtyard and enjoyed the spectacle of gently-flowing Hooghly. It was now lunch time and we headed off to the New Market. The Amenia restaurant on one of its busy streets looked inviting and we opted for a chicken biryani lunch there with delicious phirni served in earthen bowls (what a pleasing substitute for those obnoxious plastics ubiquitous everywhere!) as the dessert.

In the late afternoon, the fabulous and unmissable Park Street I had heard and read so much about, beckoned us. We spent time strolling about, savouring all its flavours. A visit to the huge bookshop ‘The Oxford Bookstore’ – well and truly a bookworm’s paradise - with a rich variety of books was invigorating; and no less was Single Espresso coffee (“with 100% arrabica beans”) for me and flavour-rich Darjeeling tea for my wife, at the ‘Flurys’- a fine restaurant with welcoming ambience and abuzz with Kolkata’s Bhadralok- young and old, men and (beautiful) women. Later, we munched the ‘rolls’ with delight - Kolkata’s one of many specialities - selling like hot cakes on a side street;  and called it a day.

(Being very aware of my friends’/readers’ valuable time and to avoid an ‘overdose’, I have split my Kolkata account in two parts. Will post the second and concluding half next Saturday…Insha’Allah!)

At the Dakshineswar temple

At the entrance to Amenia

A view of the Park Street

Book browsing at the 'Oxford'

Enjoying coffee and tea

Munching 'rolls'