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OH THOSE BATS

Bats! Not again…Bats are aghast at the notoriety which has been heaped on them. After all they are simply flying mammals and stick to old dilapidated monuments, derelicts, banyan trees, caves and stay out of harms length from the most dangerous animal, the “homo sapien”. But alas, all it took was a “Contagion”, the 2011

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ODE TO NDA MASTERS

Armed forces are obsessed with Sanskritised names and mottos, “Seva Paramo Dharmah” meaning “Service is the supreme duty” is the NDA motto “Sham No Varunah”, a hymn from the Rigveda meaning that “May the lord of oceans be auspicious onto us”, for the Indian Navy and “Nabhah Sparsham Deeptam” (Touch the sky with glory) for

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QUARANTINED

“Quarantined”, that was how the sentence was delivered without much ado. I did not know if this was better than the M&D (Medicine & Duty) or at least some other medical category. After all “returning without a worthwhile medical category to the squadron premises was dangerous for your personal well being”, was the statutory warning

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TABLE NO THIRTEEN

  “Lucky for some one and three thirteen”, or “Baker’s Dozen” is how the tambola announcers call out this number. The regulars at Officers Institutes are familiar with it, even though they may actually be at the bar busy elbow bending, while the ladies are all ears. Thirteen is considered as an unlucky number and

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Star Gazing

It must have been ages since I spotted the Great Bear constellation and the Pole star, I am sure most of us in the metros may not even be able to recall as to when was the last time we star gazed! It took me down the memory lane, every summer evening from the roof

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Moustaches

“Moonchen hon to Nathhulal ji jaisi!” Amitabh fans would recall this dialogue from “Sharabi” film, where Amitabh praises Mukri’s moustaches in these words, although he himself was sans any growth on the upper lip, clean shaven. Isn’t it surprising that moustaches which are synonymous with masculinity have been out of favour with the images of

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MENTORING

“Cadet Ranpreet Singh has been assigned as your cadet guardian”, I was informed and introduced to a smart immaculately turned out Sikh boy slightly taller than I was. Guardianship is an onerous responsibility at any age imagine that for a 12 year old. Amazingly, he immediately took charge of things at hand; he was polite and super

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Vikram

Vikram had become a part of the lexicon after Chandrayan- ll, named after the father of Indian space programme,  appropriately christened, though odds were heavily stacked against it succeeding in the first go. Some of us old timers would recall “Betal Pachhisi”, the tale of King Vikramaditya and Betal the spirit. Most of us were

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