33

Dear Readers,

                     Today is a day when we should feel ashamed of ourselves. 

             . 

32

Dear Readers,

                    The God of Cricket Shri Sachin R. Tendulkar decides to hang up his boots in the ODI format of the game. It is needless to recount his staggering figures and records. Our generation began associating itself with the game of cricket at a time when this hero had just stepped into the arena and was impressing everyone around the globe with his unprecedented style and skills. So, we guys have literally grown up watching the meastro spread his wings.  

                     The sudden realisation that we would not get to see the 10 number blue jersey on green fields from now on is a thought which would take a lot of time to sink in. For the crores of Indians who venerate him, this would certainly evoke a strong emotional reaction. Even during the brief spells when Sachin would absent himself from ODI matches due to injuries, rest-requirements or other reasons, the masses would grow very uneasy. I remember watching a match in Jodhpur when I was in school, where hundreds of people left the stadium after Sachin got out.  Didn't many of our family members, who knew not a thing about cricket, use to leave the living room after his dismissal? This is Sachin's charm....For many, there is no cricket if there is no Sachin!

                       

                      

                     

                      

                      

31

Dear Readers,

                     Another incident of crime against women and as if I care more! The rancorous emotional outrage  would die and die it will in a matter of some time. However, this incident is a little different from others. It reminds me of a beautiful night of my life. 

                          It was a chilly night in the month of December 2006. I was a young MA scholar of JNU and used to frolic around Delhi in the warm company of my new found love. That night we were returning from a theater show at NSD (National School of Drama) and by Joe! the play sent us into raptures. It was a Shakespearean parody performed by a wild Thespian group from the UK. 

                            On my way, I was reciting few lines and enacting scenes from the play( in those days I used to think highly of myself as an actor as I had just passed out from College) to make my lady giggle, smile and laugh. She laughed with her mouth clasped with her hands. By the time we reached Khan Market, she was shrieking out of thrill and begging me to stop. I didn't listen and in a careless youthful exuberance offered her an  Ice-cream. She held my arm and said, "You are fun!". 

                     We had missed the 615(Bus Route No.) and boarded a 621 instead. We got down at Munirka around 9: 45 pm because we knew we could fetch our 615 again. We did so and within minutes reached the cozy confines of our campus. 

                          It is bone-chilling to think that my evening must have been somewhat similar to the one spent by the couple which fell into the hands of those butchers, the only difference being that we got on to a greenish yellow bus and not a white one........

30

Dear Readers, 

                    Here comes winters in Rajasthan and here comes the session of the Rajasthan History Congress. Winters are the season when it is gorgeous to drive from any city to another town in this huge state. One can see colorful mustard fields along the roadside. The other day, on my way from Jodhpur to Bikaner, I saw similar views and could not help but roll down the side window panes in order to breathe the air carrying the smell of mustard seeds. 

                         This time the venue of the session is Rajasthan Uni, Jaipur, an institution which is so adorable to me and a city that I love. I am anticipating intellectually stimulating discussions over a cup of hot coffee amidst the promises and surprises of gulabi thand of the pink city. Equally refreshing would be the drive from Bikaner to Jaipur. I find it fascinating to observe changing topography from a sandy desert to a greener landscape Sikar onwards. 

                            Last year, the session was held at Government Collge, Ajmer. A city steeped in the changes of time and an institution that is reminiscent of a flourishing colonial system. Balmy rays of the Sun shooting at our faces from over the gigantic Aravalli peaks in the courtyard of GCA was such a warm and delightful experience that one could not but thank for the true 'heart of Rajputana' experience. With these fresh memories, I set out for Jaipur tomorrow and hope to experience some new, hidden and surreptitious marvels ....... 

29

Dear Readers,

                      Like many of you, I come across the "Glocal" word quite often these days. However, untill recently, I hardly had any idea of what it actually meant. Recently, two developments gave me a clearer picture of the meaning that this creatively coined word connotes. 

                       Jodhpur is on its way to becoming a developed city with fresh Himalyan water gushing into it through IGNP pipelines and due to an enhanced strategic leverage that it now enjoys after the discovery of huge oil reserves in Barmer. In spite of knowing all this, the real experience of the "Glocal" effect arose when I chanced upon two excellent venues. 

                      Firstly, I happened to visit National Law University, Jodhpur( I went there to pick up my mom who is a visiting Professor). While I was instructed to wait for her in the lobby, I casually strolled around and stopped next to the notice-board. I gaped at the board with my mouth wide open to learn that NLU was hosting an international conference on "Environmental Governance in The Context of Sustainable Development in India: The Case of Desert Ecosystem" sponsored by TERI, New Delhi( The Energy and Resource Institution) and KAS, New Delhi( the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, a well-reputed global political foundation). The sessions were enthralling and highly captivating.

                        Secondly, I visited the JBF ( Jal Bhagirathi Foundation, a dynamic NGO working towards water management in the desert landscape). I was highly impressed to understand its functioning and all the immense work that it has carried out in partnership with UNDP, EU, Cooperazione Italiana etc ensuring safe drinking water to the inhabitants of remote villages of the Thar. There and then, I offered to serve this noble cause in the hope that I will get to travel, meet people and work for their amelioration in Marwar, our homeland......