THE OBSERVER -FRI - 24 JULY 2020

😎THE OBSERVER😎

Fri , 24 July 2020

Good morning everyone.The Daily Observer had to be discontinued after 47 days full of fun for the writer as well as the readers (or so one would like to think).In other words,the Observer and the  Observed both enjoyed. Over the last two months or so, the number of participants as well as posts kept increasing steadily.It became next to impossible to do full justice to each and every post and still manage to release the edition in time for readers to glance over it with their morning cuppa. The daily morning deadline became too much to handle. A break seemed to be in order and one was taken accordingly to rest and recoup. It's seen that normal activities have  kept the site humming with the usual jokes,music, puzzles and informative forwards as well as original bits of writing. There have been no clashes at all.  How dull ! A few members had  fwded a video on norms to be followed while posting in a WA group. Most of us are following the guidelines by and large. What is striking is that a mission/vision statement or AIM for this group is missing. " Luthra saab, it is ok to say march on, par ae dasso ki jaana kithe va" ? This was the way one of the posts put it. Assi hor  Kithe jaana praji, we are all in the twilight zone of our lives, as someone else was kind enough to remind us. So let us reminisce the good old days spent together under the scorching sun in the Drill square and other scenic spots, enjoying the flavour of green Blanco in our packed lunch and the taste of water from the rusty mobile water-tanks during route marches and field exercises.Added to that our experiences in and out of uniform during all these years. Anything else you feel that is worth sharing is also most welcome. But hang on together and enjoy the ride. Nothing like the SS 33/24 express to take you comfortably to the destination. Cheers !
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THE OBSERVER-(M-10)

😎THE OBSERVER-(M-10)😎

20 July 2020

Every now and then, in the middle of the routine posts on this site, there comes one which makes you sit up and notice.Time seems to come to a standstill  between past and future - in the Now. KJS Sidhu's fwd on 12 Jul  re a Commanding Officer's advice to a YO was just one such.
1) When you go to bed, hang your uniform on a hanger on the wall in front of you and take a look.
Always remember that it is the uniform and the rank it bears that commands so much respect and obedience.The person inside the uniform will have to step out of it someday.
2) At the end of a day's work, step out from behind the table and view the chair from in front of the table. It is the chair that gives the guy sitting on it the authority to pass orders.
The person wearing the uniform and the one sitting on the chair keeps changing. So the powers that flow from both are to be used for overall good and not for selfish purposes. Simple, yet profound. Easily forgotten in the heat & dust and humdrum of daily work.Falling into the trap of actually starting to believe that we are ourselves all-powerful is so easy ! Starting from OTA days, the GC in the first term  picked to be course senior, the guy wearing the red sash of the duty corporal to the guy becoming an appointment in the Senior term. The batchmates are quick to bring back anyone to mother earth,who  they feel is stepping over the line and being over-zealous in carrying out his duties. The same happens over and over again in different forms till the last days in uniform. There is an inbuilt system of traditional checks and balances that ensures things do not get too much out of hand. The same does not hold good in civvy street, so maybe that is why many of us find it very hard to adjust after hanging up the uniform. Just some random tboughts, as i prepare myself to break the news that The Daily Observer will be closing down for some time w.e.f tomorrow for rest
and recoup purposes. Extremely grateful to all the readers who have been so encouraging during this period. Jai Hind.
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THE DAILY OBSERVER-46 PART-2

😎THE DAILY OBSERVER-46😎

19 July 2020

                    PART - 2
..........continued.............
At around 2215 hrs., Vish came up with the idea (obviously after a lot of introspection) that it was Ok for Arun to share the "Mast Ram chapter " of his life. In the bargain, he ( unwittingly?) added an episode of his own.At this; Venki recalled fond memories.Oberoi thanked Arun profusely for listening to Mohinder.MS Sidhu posted an article about Gen Zoravar Singh.Arun thanked Vish for his encouragement and expressed faith in the batchmates sense of propriety in dealing with issues of a confidential nature.SBT endorsed this view while Alfred suggested caution quoting examples from experience. PK Sharma posted a dance video.Ian's view was that it was just a yarn which all should enjoy and posted "River of Babylon."Mohunder Pratap clarified that his exoressed views were his personal ones etb. Luthra probably nailed it in his pre-midnight post where he put down the uneasiness we all are probably  having to a feeling of guilt for having treated women as sex-objects in our youth. Personally speaking, i am reminded of a recent incident involving a Karan Johar interview on TV of youngsters Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul where they unwittingly /innocently(?) bragged about their sexploits . They were promptly disowned by the whole team and faced much flak as a result. What was kosher locker-room talk amongst team-mates was seen as something entirely different in the public eye and there was outrage. We do not sit in judgement over our Coursemates' exploits or write-ups  and are well aware that all are now grown up and wise ( ref Ganesh Athley's post on wisdom vs Intelligence ) . Let wisdom prevail while Lal Desh and Neel Desh occupy defences on the banks of the River of Babylon. Dhurandar Bhatavadekar has so far maintained a stoic silence where Pitamah would have pronounced a ruling in a flash. Swami Muraliananda is so far unavailable for comments. Who was the guy asking for a Mahabharata? Looking forward to more views on the subject today.
Chill and enjoy your Sunday, abhi  toh trailer hi nikla hai ! Picture bakki hai.

THE DAILY OBSERVER-46 PART-1

😎THE DAILY OBSERVER-46😎

19 July 2020     PART - 1

S Murali started Saturday at 0530 hrs with humour - a fwd in which Einstein admired Chaplin's art - his
acting in silent movies where the world understood him despite his silence. To which Chaplin replied that Einstein's glory in science was much greater because the world admired him though few followed his words.USG quoted that  "the role of the writer is not to say what all can say but to say what all are unable to say ." Arun Parasar had been waiting very patiently in the wings after having obtained sanction for his next project - "The Gokak Gladiators". He saw this as the perfect cue for his venture and dished out Episode- 1 of" Sexual Exploits And Adventures of Young Officers " in the evening. Rakesh Luthra who was about to come up with the last episode of his marriage saga was understandably dismayed. Disposing of the initial formalities, Arun got straight to the point and told the tale, thus pioneering a whole new genre of write-ups in these columns! While writing about his own unique wedding, Arun was batting somewhat like the little master in a Test Match of yore-- all classic drives and so forth after a cautious start. But this time round, he seems to have slipped into the T-20 format. Here's hoping he does not take too many cigarette breaks, the crowd waits anxiously. Oberoi's proposal " let everyone chill since we are all above sixty now" was accepted in principle by Vidur when asked. Satish greeted with flowers and Nirbhye posted colourful pictures of his wife and Danny in a park near his home. According to Umar's post quoting the Thyrocare guy, there is good news on the Covid front - something to do with results of antibody tests. Venki posted an old but nice article - Of Babus and Balls.Wise man Ganesh posted about the difference between intelligence and wisdom.
Arvind Singh posted photos of ASC YOs in which Khare and Gautam Dutta Roy were spotted along with Behl and SBT amongst others. Is it time to get Bahl also back into the fold ? Suresh Dikshit says God always has something for you. USG posted" Mother - Your Strength, "an exhortation to not give up under any circumstances as you have been
carefully nurtured by a loving mom.
 He added the original soundtrack from Talash to good effect.PK Sharma and Uttam Sarkar posted jokes while Ian posted an article from the Guardian talking of Pak developing tactical Nuclear wpns.Amarjeet retorted that the Pakis wud end up blowing themselves.Good to see him in action.Venky,Shiv and AK Roy were the first few to applaud Arun's
latest venture & SBT offered to post a tale from Bareilly along similar lines . Gurvi was thrilled and said  that this was the Mastram ka tadka that would take us out of Covid. Luthra sounded a dissenting note, feeling uncomfortable and Alfred seconded. But Saxi, Mishra and Vijay ruled out all objections.Luthra
relented after some persuasion from Shiv; who saw no harm in recounting the follies of youth. Vish quoted a German general on different types of offrs and posted classic excerpts from Westerns. Mohinder Pratap tended to agree with Luthra and advised caution while posting very personal details that might be misused outside the forum. It was Immediately seconded  by Umar while Mishra lauded Shiv's view.Pratap Ghosh agreed with Mohinder and so did Satish,in a veiled manner,suggesting an alternate topic .Ajay Deb agreed with Mohinder and went on to post some Eric Clapton music and a humourous article - "38 C". Saxi posted some interesting facts on Urdu shaayari. Prabhat Jha said "old
excerpts are too hot to handle " and endorsed Mohinder's views.At 2137 hrs Arun seemed to bow to the then
popular sentiment and agreed to divert to some other topic.Venki thought it was the right moment for a cowboy sex-joke. Mandip posted a video of the Def Min getting a taste  of the Sikhs' Jaikara.Gurvi felt Arun could continue his narrative without naming anyone as everything was " kalpanic " after all.He surprisingly desisted saying anything aboutx veg or non-veg.Venki posted on earthquake safety

THE DAILY OBSERVER-45

😎THE DAILY OBSERVER-45😎

18 July 2020

Event of today : Sanjay Soi live discussion on fb at 1900 hrs.

Vish clocked in early with an airline joke and was halfway through the TDO when it was deleted for minor corrections. What a marvel, press a button here and something gets deleted in phones all over the world
in a jiffy! Pitamah has shed his shrubbery and now looks like Dhurandar Bhatavadekar as per Vijay Chowgule while Sanjay Mishra is of the opinion that he should do
away with his moustache and put on gold-rimmed specs. What a transformation ! Prompted Mandy to post a ghazal and Satish to post an entire movie.Venki posted a song sung by both Rafi & Kishore. Ian made up for his late start in the day by posting CSD regulations,photos and songs.Umar posted a dance video and Nirbhye a joke."You get peace of mind by quietening and relaxing the restless mind" was USJi's good morning message. Then surely the last thing to do is to open up this site - it has just the opposite effect ! After softening the target with this misleading opening stayement he unleashes " Wrap your head -Post pandemic scenario"  later in the day :-
" Laissez-faire is meant for freedom in trade so that human potential is utilised without any restriction but if the selective restrictions are created for monopolistic strangulations which encourages  predatory pricing, then certainly that defeats the very purpose of having a fair competitive ground for all the players. " How's that for making the strongest heads spin and go looking for a strong drink ? Do i hear Satbir chuckling in glee? Suresh Dikshit's cheerful morning greetings was followed by a a zippy dhol video post by MS Sidhu. Sawant broke the news that the system of Police Stn Bail has been abolished, Prabhat and Satish commented skeptically.
Brar posted news of the day and Sirohi his morning greetings. Uttam Sarkar posted an old fwd on Gen Hooda which almost triggered a full-scale sand-model ex but for the timely intervention of Vidur, who deftly steered the conversation to safer channels. But not before it was noticed by Mohinder Pratap.
Nice to see there are watchful eyes
overseeing the goings-on.Ian was quite amused and could not stop himself from making a remark. Gurvi was quick to warn him not to leave the group or else......! Lal and Neel Desh returned to peace.In-between Alfred managed to post a nice band recital by Nagaland Police
ladies. What a band ! Shiv posted his share of puzzles, videos and cartoons . Mishraji was happy that the "active Covid cases in Delhi are showing a negative trend." Vidur questioned and Chowgule further confused the issue with his answer:-
"We have 'False Positives' and 'True Negatives'.Then we have 'Negative Active'.We can also have 'Positive Inactive' which those positive cases who get konked off finally become 'inactive'. Hope this satisfies the query." Satish's "fearless American" video is hilarious.Ian's video-song Gumsum looks like an apt theme-song for this grp of ours,must-see. Ajay Deb added his thoughts on controversies in the evening. SBT marked out his own territory in no uncertain terms - Ocean of Sanatan Dharma on one side and Sea of Constitutional authorities on the other. Step in and he will bite.Vidur gave SBT a bowlful to chew on in return. Come sunset, USG was back after Golf with a peg in hand and " Blissful moments of night with a Senorita".An evening of ghazals, light music and dance followed incl a Jaspal Bhatti video by Arvind Singh. Ajay Deb exchanged pleasantries with USG and everyone cheered, all political and other debates laid to rest. Rakesh Gulati and USG have shared blogsites for  those interested.
Happy weekend ahead ! Cheers !

THE DAILY OBSERVER-44

😎THE DAILY OBSERVER-44😎

(AWARDED INTELLIGENCE* STAR BY THE RT.HON. IAN KERR ESQ.)
*equiv to Magsaysay/Pulitzer
Published in Chennai with branches
in Phagwara,Br. Columbia & Kaneda

17 Jul 2020

PK Sharma shared the most imp info
yesterday regarding  bras in Punjab - it seems the sizes range from 'Chotte' to 'Hai O Rabba' to 'O Teri Behn Di'. In Manjeet Sidhu's view,the entire universe can read Gurbani and accordingly he posted Sangrant blessings to all early in the a.m. in the said language. Naithani posted an interesting puzzle on squares & Uttam Sarkar posted a video on Jio Glass which was repeated by Umar in the p.m.Sawant posted a music video with old Hindi favourites sung by what looked like a Chinese lady singer. Yesterday's TDO missed mentioning two excellent u-tube video compilations of the Course posted by USG. Mandip posted photos of Bhagira in Kabini forest. Alfred posted about Jitender Singh Shunty,a good samaritan who got Covid after rendering exemplary  community service.Luthra added a new dimension by posting some business news.Venki posted  the old classic " Those were the days".S Murali over-ruled the TDO disclaimer while Ian threatened to increase his number of posts.Sirohi said Good morning with a message and Suresh Dikshit with a photo of green English countryside. Shiv and Co. killed softly with a senti song using those words. Sawant posted a Manekshaw video & Ian posted three oldies incl Where's ur mamma gone.USG posted his article about China flexing its muscles in the South China Sea. Now came the bombshell from RS Rathore who had been quietly receiving WA greetings since midnight saying that it was a bogey. On being told to check up his documents he privately mailed and said he was ready for a change of date provided a new one was alloted to him ! Did he mean a new wife?JP Singh posted a fwd on Covid precautions.Saxi posted a clip of the English version of Guide.Brar is still checking his fingertip to see if he had used much more pressure  and energy than necessary to fwd a video-joke. Semwal fwd a post about middle rung officers. Mandy posted a beautiful nature video. Luthra and Pratap Ghosh contributed to the midnight proceedings. Umar posted about Jagdeep and Satish a belly-dance video. SBT added some eye-candy and Arvind Singh some videos.Vidur and the two Uttams exchanged some friendly banter and photos/ videos/ songs in the afternoon. In the evening, Vidur posted a lettter
purported to be written by a wrong notion YO but withdrew the same seeing the reaction. Satbir then did what Alfred would call " pulling the lion's ears " while Saxy would use cruder terms to describe the same. For sure, the lion roared for some time ! Saving the rest for the next edition, maybe  another one soon. Have a lovely happy Friday everyone.

THE DAILY OBSERVER-43

😎THE DAILY OBSERVER-43😎

16 July 2020
03:31

        AB JAANE KI JID NA KARO
Warm welcome to Rakesh Gulati, Arvind Singh and Madan Mohan who joined us yesterday even as MS Sidhu made a fast exit due to finger-trouble and rejoined soon after. Things are moving so fast now that it is becoming difficult to keep count, in the absence of a proper fall-in and head-count. Hats off to Alfred who somehow manages to keep track and has even posted an updated list pdf in the afternoon. Please check your own details for any corrections reqd and confirm if all ok. i see one Naresh Sharma in addition to an NK Sharma in the WA grp members list. Not too sure if they are the same. Umesh Oberoi urf Micky posted a good one on building the immune system,Umar about when a pandemic is over.Shiv posted his morning greetings and how to get rid of negative thoughts by determining the evidence. Vijay Chowgule began his innings with a sharp retort to S Murali's "logic" post.Luthra repeated a story about the black telephone but it is worth reading again and again.Suresh Dikshit updated on the Grumpy front with photos. Sirohi welcomed the gharwapasis with the appeal - ab jaane ki jid na karo. Sanjay Mishra corrected an error in Micky's post about the Air Marshal . u can't fool around about a Rimcolian teacher with Mishraji around, even if the teacher's name happens to be Mr.Catchpole, yes, Catch bloody Pole it is ! Vidur poked Ian into action after which there was no stopping him. Starting off with a BAM ( boot anti-mine), he went on with videos, witty remarks photos and jokes till past midnight. As for USG, in addition to a slew of songs and comments, he posted an article on Covid and later another on "Juttans".A separate dedicated edition is reqd to cover all that. Bhuppi posted about his daughter's new venture.Sawant posted a lively dance video and H Murali an excellent classical vocal video. S Murali posted an update on the Reliance AGM in great detail.On Sanjay Mishra's request, Rakesh Gulati reposted his newspaper article on Roadside Romeos.Nirbhye posted the photo of a really good looking Khalsa who is yet to be identified.SBT gave details of the Course website and blogsite for perusal and action by all.There was some chit-chat on the financial market , Shiv gave his astrological predictions and Luthra presented Episode-4 of his marriage saga. Ian posted a number of photos late in the night. Satish posted a video on China and so ended the night. Wishing everyone a happy   Guruvar.

THE OBSERVER-M(9)

😎THE OBSERVER-M(9)😎

15 July 2020
11:41

                  CHIWDA  EDITION
Just received a call from Manjit Singh Sidhu who rejoined the group today after a long absence. So far,i somehow managed to resist the temptation of writing about this remarkable character from Naushera-8,a platoon full of stalwarts. Tall and lanky, a student union leader from Punjab University Chandigarh, the staff at OTA  espescially the Drill and PT ustads had a lot of hopes in this cadet.But very soon they found that although  he was good in swimming, his left hand moved out automatically with his left leg while marching and during PT, he had two long left legs which went totally out of control when he tried a front roll. A reverse roll was out of the question. Used to having a Platoon-full of freshers helping him in his activities during his Univ days, packing his Pack-08 and correctly folding a map-sheet were Herculian tasks for him. To top it all, he had S Murali, H Murali and Kuldeep Brar as room-mates. Even if he forced himself somehow to wake up early in the morning, there was S Murali telling him - " Sleep man, sleep.Lot of time is left." More often than not, he would be late and try to sneak in just as the report was being given.For all his size and experience as a Student's Union leader,he was an extremely gentle  and amicable soul at heart and simple to the core.Never saw him lose his temper or raise his voice.
i still remember the way he came to CME Pune  during my YO's and with great feeling, over drinks, he disclosed how his unit had unfairly detailed him for PT Course and he was being asked to perform extraordinary feats during the course. The next time we met, i was posted in Chandigarh and Manjeet came on leave. This time he complained about how he had innocently filled up the form for Part-B exam, and not being prepared for it adequately, he had left his unit on leave. Only to discover that there was some kind of absolutely unfair system in place, that made it mandatory for him to appear in the exam at Chandigarh. i sympathised with him. The very next day, he landed up at my unit during office hours and excitedly told me that the Law Exam was an open-book one . What could be simpler than that? The only hurdle was that he did not have the required books and neither did i. I left Sidhu in the Coy office and went to check out in the unit library. When i got back without the books or any solution of where to find them, i found Sidhu in high spirits. He had got the books from my Coy Cdr ! That is quintessential Sidhu for you. When he really required something, even a total stranger felt that he had taken birth on tbis planet just to help Sidhu out. Now all that remained was to teach Sidhu in a day or two how to use the books . And i still had to find law books for myself. Last i remember is the sight of Sidhu poring ovet the books and wringing his hair trying to solve model question papers. Cannot exactly remember what happened after that.Any tale of my OTS days would be incomplete without mention of Manjeet Singh Sidhu. Today, when he has  rejoined the group and after just speaking with him, i'm feeling emboldened to write about him in this closed forum of stalwarts. i am quite sure he will  forgive me for taking this liberty and for any innacuracies in my account.

THE DAILY OBSERVER-42

THE DAILY OBSERVER-42

15 July 2020
03:04

         BAKI DIYAN GALAN CHADDO
             DIL SAAF HONA CHAHIDA
A hearty welcome to Ian Kerr,Manjit
Singh Sidhu,Amarjit Singh,Vijay Chowgule and S Venkateshwaran. It's yesterday once more -" JAISE THE" - ho gaya GC ! Time to put your ties in your mouths,down on all fours and do fifty of the best.Like Alfred said - the floodgates seemed to have opened. Between USG and Ashok Chauhan, all the good Bollywood numbers were covered last night after the homecoming was announced, thanks to the collective wishes of all and speedy action by some.To put the newcomers up to date, Arun Parasar has already narrated his marriage saga in serial form while Rakesh Luthra posted Episode-3 of his own tale last night. After a series of confidence building measures and diplomatic efforts, Lal Desh, Neel Desh and all other imaginable Deshes have withdrawn to respective defensive positions and relations are peaceful.There have been no skirmishes of late and a spirit of bonhomie prevails. Tue was another peaceful day with flowers from Satish, some music from USG and a blonde joke from Oberoi. Suresh Dikshit's morning message came in at around 1100 hrs.USG followed with his first article of the day - "Finish the unfinished task "- a call for the nation to reclaim lost territory.Rajbir posted an article about India being dropped from the Iran Railway deal. SBT posted a photo of himself with Nalpat, Gen Hasnain and Governor Arif. He also altered the group's profile to include the group website and blogsite- all should visit these and check out for themselves at leisure.
Sanjay Mishra posted an article about the criminal-political nexus.
Uttam Sarkar and Bharat Bhushan posted a video each.Vish lauded Luthra's Episode-3 and some other posts. Vidur came in late yesterday and made some observations. Alfred posted about the visible comet in our skies. Sawant posted a video about the latest landscam in Mumbai.Satish posted about the latest mine-shoes and discussed the subject with Sanjay Mihra, who surprisingly seems to have dealt with these too! Alan Clark posted a couple of videos while Sukhi posted photos of his farm. Sunder posted a video and Alfrefd the high Court judgement on the Facebook account issue. USG posted his second article of the day, this time in Hindi about his dream.
In addition to his jokes,Saxi exchanged notes throughout the day with his college buddy, USG. Ashok Chauhan, USG, Arun and Pratap Ghosh filled the night with music.Nirbhye added a video of a Bhutanese mother and child. Vidur made an early morning appearance with welcome messages to the gharwapasis and thanks to the music-providers of the night.Sirohi was missing. Jai Ho!
Happy Wednesday.

Dastaan-e-Rajesh Luthra: Jab Hum Mile...Episode 3

                                      Filmy Fauji Wedding: Episode 3  

                                     

Through the train journey we spent most of the time studying the SL maps and discussed all the possible options for ensuing operations. One thing was very clear – we were not sure who were we going to fight against. We hadn’t identified the enemy yet. IPKF operation was yet not conceived.

Before moving out the CO’s dvr had approached me with a request for leave as he was also scheduled for his marriage on the 12th. I had the morale courage to scold him and deny his request straightaway. It was unthinkable to talk about leave at a time when the unit was moving for a war. I told him to look up to me and take my example. The poor boy had no option but to follow my foot steps.

Away from this unpredictability, my father-in-law reached Agra early on 7th morning – into another realm of unpredictability, welcomed by conspicuous silence. It didn’t look like a wedding house and he could feel an eerie silence had fallen on with his arrival. The members at home took some time to break this news to him. He felt shattered and had no idea what to do. My whereabouts were not known. There were murmurs on the authenticity and correctness of my message. Was I actually going or gone for exercise or was I backing off from the marriage itself?

My father-in-law did what could be done. He stayed with the situation. The many relatives who had arrived were requested to get back to their respective places, so as to avoid unwanted speculation about my disappearance. He asked to get a train booking done for 10th of June for their return. Telegrams started being sent out.

One was sent to my co-brother in Tejpur who had just come back after making Rajni’s sister board the train for Agra. On receiving this news about postponement of the wedding function he decided to not have his wife troubled with this long summer journey to Agra. A message was delivered to MCO at Rangia to arrange for her deboarding there. My sister-in-law had just about settled in for the long travel ahead by the time the train pulled in at Rangia station. The MCO guys had placed themselves at the right coach to not waste time and knocked at her coupe. It was overwhelming for a lady travelling alone being confronted with a situation to find uniformed men looking for her in the middle of a journey and asking her to pack-up and deboard the train. Amidst anxiety and confusion, there was not much time to deliberate through the short halt she got off the train with little knowledge that the wedding had been postponed. The MCO guys helped her in boarding the next train going back to Tejpur.

to be continued...