The Birthday Gift
It’s that time of the year again, when I take a step closer to the final resting place- no, not the bar in Gymkhana…
<table> <tbody> <tr> <td>The author retired from the IAS in December 2010. A keen environmentalist and trekker he has published a book on high altitude trekking in the Himachal Himalayas: THE TRAILS LESS TRAVELLED. His second book- SPECTRE OF CHOOR DHAR is a collection of short stories based in Himachal and was published in July 2019. His third book was released in August 2020: POLYTICKS, DEMOCKRAZY AND MUMBO JUMBO is a compilation of satirical and humorous articles on the state of our nation. His fourth book was published on 6th July 2021. Titled INDIA: THE WASTED YEARS , the book is a chronicle of missed opportunities in the last nine years. Shukla's fifth book - THE DEPUTY COMMISSIONER'S DOG AND OTHER COLLEAGUES- was released on 12th September 2023. It portrays the lighter side of life in the IAS and in Himachal. He writes for various publications and websites on the environment, governance and social issues. He divides his time between Delhi and his cottage in a small village above Shimla. He blogs at http://avayshukla.blogspot.in/</td> </tr> </tbody> </table>
It’s that time of the year again, when I take a step closer to the final resting place- no, not the bar in Gymkhana…
Mr. Modi’s government appears to be mesmerised by big ticket projects and ventures, and will not let any concerns about the environment stand in its way. All warnings are dismissed as the rantings of “urban naxals” or interference by foreign entities
Whatever one may think of Mrs. Maneka Gandhi’s politics one cannot but admire and commend her commitment to the welfare of animals, both wild…
When a beautiful member of the fair sex calls you Uncle you just know that there’s no point in going on living; it’s the kiss of death and you now belong with the dinosaurs.
The real heroes of Make In India are not guys on the Forbes 500 list but those unknown, ignored, under-the-radar entrepreneurs and innovators who are coming up with ideas that can, perhaps, save this planet from its ordained Apocalypse.
The “middle path” may be okay for the likes of the Buddha or Confucius but it is not what an independent judiciary needs to follow in a country slowly being dragged to the brink by an aggressive majoritarianism and a pampered minoritarianism.
I detect a similarity between the current #MeToo movement (it’s more a twitch, actually, than a movement ) and the Et Tu moment of Julius Caesar: shock, surprise and anger that the worm could turn, or bite the hand that, well, fingered it. But whereas Caesar accepted that the game was up (“Then die, Caesar!”) our present day mandarins are more in the denial than the dying mode.
Having got over the initial teething (tweeting?) problems, I am now discovering new worlds, though, like Christopher Columbus, they may not be the right ones
Bureaucratic misdemeanours can be corrected by the judiciary, similar malpractices by the latter are much more difficult to remedy.
There are times when there is more honour and glory in defeat than in victory. And so it is with the Aadhar judgement of…