Aloka-V

    WHAT IS THE GAME ! The Second World War, officially terminated in 1944. The major participants were the members of the Allied Group against the Axis Group. Once the dust settled, and when, probably the ‘economy & growth’ took the center stage, a churning took place at the world geo-political arena and the new teams of the NATO and Warsaw Pact were pitted against each other. Of course, at a later stage we also had the Non-Aligned (N-A) Movement team, led by India, Egypt and erstwhile Czechoslovakia gaining importance. During 1991, The USSR got dissolved resulting in the Warsaw Pact losing its sting. Czechoslovakia too broke in 1993, as such the outside team of N-A Movement too lost its bargaining power. At that point of time, Russia, couldn’t take the mantel of erstwhile USSR, because of its weak economy, as such it slipped from its position, giving an opportunity to China to occupy the center stage in the Asian region. On the other hand, USA, with its un-challeng...

Taking a flight for travelling is considered to be the most comfortable and convenient mode of transportation. Is it so? Then why have we coined the word 'Jetlag'!!  Ok, fine, I guess you will be able to defend the term Jetlag as compared to the fatigue felt after a long train or a road journey. Fair enough. However, my this travelogue (virtual), is to discuss the grey aspects which are associated with an air travel - especially if you reside in a metropolitan city of this most populated country. Lets situate a journey. I reside at Delhi and am required to go to Bangluru. What does it entail? Lets do some backwards calculation. Firstly, plan on reaching the entrance to the terminal building 2 - 3 hours before the Boarding Time. Second, board the cab (car) from my place of residence, atleast an hour before the terminal entrance time. Thirdly, I need an hour to get ready and pack my bags, before the cab reaches my gate. One can keep adding to the time required - if I need to grab...

Before 1905, (when the British divided The province of Bengal), Bengal was the most prosperous, well administered  and politically a very active region of British India. Then why was it divided! Probably for all the above and more similar reasons. If you deliberate over the reasons, it will shock you. It was a super cunningly, smart move. Any way - not discussing it here. Though Bihar as a region, came into being after 1905, but the province was formally recognised on 22 Mar 1912. Both the Bengals still remained the most affluent regions but Bihar was not far behind. It was a land with good agriculture produces, administered under 'zamindari' system with politically pro-active people. Mahatma Gandhi too took his first major political step in Bihar, with Champaran Satyagraha - strongly supported by local leaders and professionals (including my Grandfather, Shri Janakdhari Prasad).  Right from day one, Bihar has contributed suitably to the nation building - prominent academician...

LADAKH CALLING – A MEMOIR The year was 1984. I had just about two years of service, and was still just a ‘learner’ in my profession. One day, on a cold September morning, while supervising an ‘outdoor’ training for my juniors, my boss landed there. Naturally, the first feeling was of a stress – how to explain and brief the proceedings of the day. To my relief, he seemed preoccupied with some other matter. He went around the training area, and gave the much-cherished comment – Good. Then he took a seat and offered one to me. His opening words were – have you read your horoscope this week? Frankly speaking, at my age (then), such matters were the last to figure. I, even now, rarely glance over such write-ups. Obviously, my answer was a bewildered ‘No’. No further queries were thrown and no explanation give. I was ordered to go and meet ‘his boss’ in the evening. All I could mutter was Yes Sir. After that he left. That evening, a confused youngster reached the super boss’s place with a no...

DRIVING: ODISHA – INDIA’S BEST KEPT SECRET Destiny was kind to us, by giving us (a much dreamed of) comprehensive tour of Northern Odisha – driving around at our chosen pace. This region of India had been flashing as ‘unvisited’ on our must visit list for quite some time. We had a very ‘boxed’ kind of imagination about this magnificent region – thankfully it was shattered within a day. Having spent quite some time in The NCR – I too had developed a false image of this eastern Indian state. Bhubaneswar is a fairly well spread-out city – clean and well catered for.  The roads are wide and well maintained with a smooth flow of traffic. This impromptu tour of ours began a few days before Christmas of 2025. The air fare between Delhi and Ranchi (why Ranchi! Well, continue reading) had sky-rocketed to a level, which seemed a bit ‘too much’ for us – so we opted for an overnight journey on The Ranchi Rajdhani Express. Must admit, the train staff pleasantly surprised us with their good serv...

  Delhi (read National Capital Region), is a very densely populated land locked, geographical area. Its ever-increasing huge population is constantly looking for opportunities to make a decent living. White collared opportunities are limited but the city provides ample incentives for small and medium industries, catering to the needs of Delhiites and its neighboring regions. A large chunk of this mammoth population is the working class – living in lesser developed pockets, struggling and too busy with the daily chores. You can see them rushing from one corner of the city to the other, on the perpetually and ever getting choked/ clogged roads, struggling to meet their deadlines. The weather at Delhi is also unique. It’s a dry and dusty land for eight months, and rainy or foggy for the remaining months. This region has a peculiar tendency of attracting winds from each and every direction which, kind of, rush-in, just to come at a standstill over Delhi - something to do with the g...