Book Review [174] : Surrounded By Idiots

A beautiful 'Book Fair' was organised in this year's Exhibition (also called Numaish) in Aligarh in Feb. I bought about a dozen books in this fair. 'Surrounded by Idiots' by Thomas Erikson came as a highly recommended book by the shopkeeper. 

This book is basically a study on the personality traits/types and how to converse with them, how to manage them and how to deal with them. As per the book there are 4 types of persons:

    1. Red (Dominant, Aggresive, Egoist)

    2. Yellow (Extrovert, Talkative, Egotist)

    3. Green (Submissive, Quiet, Worker, Introvert)

    4. Blue (Perfectionist, Analytical worker, Introvert)

I don't know whether its correct to compartmentalise people or not but in a way this books gives certain ideas about behavioural aspects of people.

The title of the book is a kind of misnomer.

Wish you all a very happy Holi. May this festival bring lot of happiness and colour in your lives. 

Book Review [173] : Moonwalking With Einstein

 As you age you start forgetting things that you used to remember clearly. It has happened with me multiple times. I used to remember/recall cricket scores of almost every match played by India in 1990s and 2000s but now I can't even recall who won MoM awards in last two Indian victories. I always wanted to know how our memory system works and how to sharpen it. I found this book 'Moonwalking With Einstein' while browsing and I read it and I found answers to few of my questions not all.

It's a good book and it talks about concepts like 'Memory Palaces', 'Mind Mapping', 'OK Plateau' etc. Written by Joshua Foer it says that The Brain is like a muscle and memory training is a form of a mental workout. Over time, like any other form of exercise, it will make the brain fitter, quicker and more nimble. Brain records everything to which it pays any degree of conscious attention, and that this recording is permanent.

The book talks about plasticity of brain. It says that the brain is a mutable organ, capable within limits of reorganising itself and readapting to new kinds of sensory input, a phenomenon known as neuroplasticity. 

Experts say that there is a limit on our brain to process information. We can only think about roughly Seven things at a time. Magical number Seven is the universal carrying capacity of our short term working memory (similar to cache of a processor). 

Sometimes we hit a plateau while learning a skill it means we are not improving any further. It happens with most of the people. The Secret to improving a skill is to retain some degree of conscious control over it while practicing. I.e. to get consistent feedback and to experience failing. 

What I think after reading this book pretty thoroughly is this that no technique will make you have Photographic Memory. What you actually need are Good sleep (7-8 hours), consciously observing/reading events/books and getting rid off consistent social media chirping and screen exposure.

A Highly Recommended Book (9/10)

Jai Dev Kapoor Ji - A Great Revolutionary

Today is 100th anniversary of Kakori Train Robbery case that occurred on 9th August 1925 at Kakori, Lucknow. This revolutionary incident was orchestrated by revolutionaries of Hindustan Republican Association mainly by Ram Prasad Bismil, Chandra Shekhar Azaad, Asfaq Ullah Khan and others. This sent a shock waves to the very foundation of mighty British Empire and inspired generations of Indians to fight for our independence. Hardoi too has a connection with these revolutionaries. Our very own Jaidev Kapoor ji was part of Hindustan Republican Association. When Bismil and other revolutionaries were arrested by Britishers and were imprisoned, Jaidev Kapoor and others planned to free them from Jail but it was foiled by the Police. 

Today myself along with DM Hardoi and my dear friend Anunaya Jha Ji launched the memoirs of Jaidev Kapoor Ji in story format (voice given by Abhay Shankar Gaud Ji) on Radio 90.4 FM. One incident is worth mentioning here.  After hanging of Bismil ji in Dec 1927 in Gorakhpur, his body was taken for cremation by Jaidev Kapoor ji and others. Jaidev Kapoor in his memoirs talks about the inspiring speech given by mother of Ram Prasad Bismil Ji. She even dedicated his only remaining son to mother India to follow the foot steps of his elder brother. I feel so lucky and proud to be a part of this small ceremony honouring the memories of our great freedom fighters. We also saw the leather shoes gifted by Bhagat Singh Ji to Jaidev Kapoor. His family has preserved these shoes for more than 90 years and they are in very good shape.

"शहीदों की चिताओं पर लगेंगे हर बरस मेले, वतन पर मरने वालों का यही बाकी निशां होगा"

A Brief Introduction of Jaidev Kapoor Ji

Jaidev Kapoor Ji (24 October 1908 — 19 September 1994) was an Indian revolutionary who worked with Bhagat Singh, Chandra Shekhar Azaad and other revolutionaries from Hindustan Republican Association.  He was born in 1908 on Diwali eve in Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh.

While studying in D.A.V. Inter College in Kanpur, he joined Hindustan Republican Association - A revolutionary organisation working towards achieving Independence from Britishers. He also studied in the Banaras Hindu University. Bhagat Singh and stayed in the Limbdi hostel with him for several days. Kapoor was a participant in the now famous meeting of revolutionaries operating all over India which was held in the ruins of Feroz Shah Kotla on 8-9 September 1928. 

Kapoor played an important role in the assembly bombing as a protest against the Trade Dispute Bill and the Public Safety Bill. Kapoor, Shiv Verma and Shivaram Rajguru had planned to assassinate the then Viceroy of India, Lord Irwin, when he would attend a dinner and banquet party hosted by the I. C. S. officers. Rajguru was the spotter, Kapoor was supposed to hurl a bomb at Irwin's car and Verma was the backup: if Kapoor had missed, Verma would throw another bomb. That night, the Viceroy sent his car to drop three women somewhere. Rajguru noticed this and he didn't give any signal but was later praised by all the revolutionaries for avoiding the indiscriminate assassinations.

After the environment in Delhi heated up after the assembly bombings, he and others set up a  bomb factory in Saharanpur. In Police raid on the factory and all were arrested. They were then sent to Lahore and tried under the infamous Lahore Conspiracy Case. He was sent to the Kala Pani. He expressed the desire to meet Singh and other associates for last time. Singh handed over his brand new shoes to Kapoor saying that the police would take them anyway, at least, Kapoor could use them. He preserved them as a souvenir. Kapoor was released after 16 years (just a couple of years before India attained independence).

Jaidev Kapoor died naturally on 19th Sept 1994. He is survived by his son Sanjay Kapoor ji who lives in Hardoi.

Old Habits Die Hard

                Summers in England has always been memorable for India be it NatWest Final victory in 2002 or a heartbreaking defeat in 2019 World Cup Semi Final or the latest scar that we all got on 14th July at Lords. Cricket is my first love and it is the only sport I follow lock, stock and barrel. I will leave ODI and T20 from this article and will come to the most serious facet of Cricket i.e. the Test Match Cricket. 

            I grew watching Indian Cricket in 90s and our performance in that era was pathetically pathetic. I don't remember any match we had won overseas including Sri Lanka. Things only changed when Ganguly took over the captaincy from Sachin after disastrous 0-3 loss to Australia (1999-00 series) and 0-2 home series loss to South Africa (2000). That period was the darkest period of Indian Cricket altogether. Before going to Ganguly period I will come back to the most heartbreaking defeat in 1997. 

            The young Indian Team (Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Abey Kuruvilla, Doda Ganesh, Venkatesh Prasad - out of 11 players these have not played even 10 Test matches till 1997) under the leadership of Sachin faced the world class bowling attack of Ambrose, Walsh and Bishop when it toured West Indies in 1997. In third Test Match of 5 match series, India had to chase 120 runs in the final inning of the match and we lost the match by 38 runs and got all out at 81. This was not a heartbreak, it was an absolute surrender. I could not sleep that night. Many times Sachin has said it on record that it was the most depressing day of his career. This young Indian team could have become immortal but .... 

Another day came just two years later when India had to chase 271 runs in final inning in First Test match against Pakistan in Chennai in 1999. This Indian team was way more experienced and by this time Laxman, Ganguly, Dravid, Prasad etc have all well established themselves.Pakistan had the best bowling attack in the world - Akram, Waqar and Saqlain. Despite of Sachin's valiant inning of 136 runs (I consider this inning as his best Inning ever) we lost the match. It was a true heartbreak. Even to this day we rue our chances in this match. May be Moin Khan cheated in this match. May be it was all fault of our top order.

The Lord's test match is another such heart breaking test match and I can never forget it. We should have won this match. May be Jadeja should have shown some more intent, may be Bumrah should have avoided that shot, may be Nair should have been more watchful! There are so many may be. This match was ours to win. We always celebrate our fight and we are right in doing so. But when our fight will get convert into memorable Test victories.

When we will forget our old habits! When will our swordsman give us memorable victories! I salute his inning in World Cup 2019 Semi Final. I consider this inning as the best inning played by any Indian player in a losing case.

Book Review [172] : The Power Of Now

A book that's more than 5 million copies has been sold since its first publication deserves to be read. 'The Power of Now' by Eckhart Tolle is one such book. Through various random links and twitter accounts of prominent intellectuals this book got my attention.

 

To an eastern mind this book is an average read and "nothing" to offer except to observe the moment that is now without thinking about the past and worrying about the future. Though it looks simple but it's a very powerful concept. Most of the times we live in our past and get ourselves busy in past glory, animosities and lost chances and remaining time gets occupied in future planning. We (most of us) disrespect our present. This book underscores our present.

Over thinking is a major issue. We always think and think and because of this the mental noise always clouds our true inner being. This book also tells how to get rid of this 'absurdity'.

This book is a slim book, about 191 pages. First half is really good and introduces/emphasizes concepts that are really good while second half is pretty boring and looks superfluous.

I will still recommend this book as it has Some Thing to offer depending on how much exposure one has towards spirituality/meditation.

Recommended (8/10)

Book Review [171] : The Power Of Your Subconscious Mind

'The Power Of Your Subconscious Mind' by Dr. Joseph Murphy is the first book i read this year. It has a very high rating and more than a million copies have been been sold since its inception. It was first published in 1963 and since then it has been translated in more than 30 languages.

I found this book very effective. It talks about how to bring positivity in life and how to achieve calmness/greatness. Some may call it pseudo science but it is what it is. Similar concepts we learn when we meditate or do guided meditation or indulge in Yog Nidra. Break the connections between conscious mind and the outer world and let your subconscious mind take control.

Its an old wisdom that says 'Think good and good follows. Think evil and evil follows. You are what you think all day'. It was correct then, it is correct now. 

Nothing can disturb you but your own thoughts. The suggestions, statements or threats of others have no power. What the other person says or does can not really annoy or irritate you except when you permit him to disturb you. You should not let some one else to disturb your peace of mind.

 

Do the thing you are afraid to do, and the death of fear is certain.

Spread light not darkness. 

Spread positivity not negativity.

Spread goodness not evil.

Stay positive, stay good and always make your mind free from all doubts and negative energy. Always start the day on a good note and end the day with a good note. You are the captain of your soul, master of your fate. World is yours dear friend.

Highly Recommended (10/10).

The Border Gavaskar Trophy - It hurts

India - Australia Cricket matches have always fascinated me and i never miss following these matches since early 1990s. Our team in 1990s was known as Tiger at home and lamb overseas. I dont remember winning any memorable series overseas then. The best outcome was always a draw as it happened in England when Sourav and Dravid declared their arrival in 1996. We came very close to win third Test match at Johannesburg when South Africa struggled for a draw chasing 356 to win, they were at 228/8 at the end of last day. Another opportunity soon came in Bridgetown Test match against West Indies in 1997 when chasing 120 to win we were bowled out at 81. This loss still hurts. 

Things changed once Ganguly, Dravid and Laxman established themselves as world class batsmen and we started winning matches abroad but before that we had a terrible series loss in 1999-00 BGT in Australia. We lost all the matches in 3 Test match series and all matches were one sided except the first match at Adelaide. Captain Sachin was the lone warrior with occasional contributions from Sourav and Laxman. Kumble scored more runs than Rahul Dravid. Sachin's team was a poor batting team and this was the first tour of Sourav, Dravid and Laxman. The Umpiring was pathetic and Sachin was wrongly given out at crucial time.

 

 

 

2000 was a crucial year for Indian Cricket. The match fixing scandal, ouster of some senior players and captaincy of dynamic Sourav changed Indian Cricket forever. We reached World Champions Trophy Final in 2000 first major final since Hero Cup Final in 1993. We have a formidable batting line up and an above average bowling unit.

 

The Final Frontier as Steve Waugh called 2001 series was the series that revolutionized our Test Cricket and it gave a new dimension to India - Australia rivalry. Steve Waugh won 16th successive test matches and he was on the verge of winning 17th one at Eden Gardens but a Miracle happened. First Ganguly (48) and Laxman stitched a very significant 4th wicket partnership of 117 runs. It was followed by miraculous 5th wicket partnership of 376 runs between Dravid (180) and Laxman (281) and then another miracle happened on last day.

 

The Sehwag-Sachin-Dravid-Ganguly-Laxman combo saw us winning and drawing many test matches during the first decade of this century. This rivalry that started in 2001 series reached its pinnacle in 2003-04 series and India became the first team in many years to draw the series at Australia and retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (started with lone test in 1996 in Delhi). The 2003-04 BGT series was the most important series between two teams full of super stars and coming almost 8 months after 2003 World Cup India-Australia final. Sourav in the very first match of the series played a Captain's knock of 144 (196) at Gabba, Brisbane. India was at one point of time 62/3 (with Sachin,Sehwag and Dravid out) and Sourav took us to 409 in response to Australia's 323. This inning galvanized our team and we drew the series 1-1. I still think we should have won Sydney Test. Our all batsmen (Sachin, Dravid, Sehwag, Laxman and Ganguly) performed really well. Kumble and Agarkar were bowling stars. Dravid won us famous Adelaide Test scoring a brilliant double century in first inning followed by a half century in second inning. Sehwag score brilliant 195 at Melbourne and Sachin 241 at Sydney. Laxman contributed in almost every match.

The 2007-08 BGT was also very exciting series though clouded by poor Umpiring or cheating by Australia. India should have won the Sydney Test and sealed the series but the Umpiring stole it from us and we lost the series by 2-1. Kumble was our Captain and he performed really well with batting and bowling. This was another great performance by Team India. Entire batting and bowling unit performed really well. This series was as good as 2003-04 if we ignore the first Test match Melbourne.

The 2011-12 BGT was another hyped series though we lost it miserably. We lost all the matches just like 2011-12. Our batting did not click neither our Captain MS Dhoni showed any spark. There was no inspiration any where. The Old Guard of Indian team failed miserably. I still don't understand how this super strong batting line succumbed like this.

 

 

 

The 2014-15 BGT was the last series under MS Dhoni. We played it hard and saw great performance from Indian side though we lost it 2-0. The two matches we lost were also very close. Virat Kohli emerged as a great Test batsman.

 

 

2018-19 (under Virat Kohli) and 2020-21 (under Ajikinya Rahane) BGT are our greatest Test achievements. We won both the series. Our entire batting/bowling unit were simply superb. We got heroes in Rahane, Shardul, Pujara, Pant, Ashwin, Vihari, Jadeja, Sundar, Bumrah, Shami etc. The way Rahane led India to amazing 2-1 victory in absence of Virat Kohli cant be described in words. Rahane had rookies like Shubhman Gill, Mayank Agarwal, Shardul Thakur, Washington Sundar etc and he made history. It was like an Indian B Team (devoid of star batsmen) winning against ever ferocious Australia in their own backyard.

 

This year i was under the impression that we would repeat the stuff of 2018-19 and 2020-21. Our team looked very strong on paper and we started really well with Bumrah firing on all cylinders and winning us Perth Test. The rejoining of terribly out of form Rohit Sharma had a negative impact on team lining up and we simply could not recover from Adelaide loss. Bumrah heroics and inspiring partnership between Washington Sundar and find of the series Nitish Reddy gave us solid chance to win the match. The last hour docile captaincy by Rohit Sharma on 4th day gave Australian last pair to solidify their position. Still 340 runs from 90 overs was a gettable target. The lack of intent shown by out of form Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli and utterly irresponsible Rishabh Pant cost us this match. The heroics of Bumrah, Nitish, Sundar, Jaiswal and occasional brilliance of Siraj were spoiled by terrible Kohli, Sharma and Pant.

 

After following so many India - Australia series (1999-00, 2003-04, 2011-12, 2014-15, 2018-19, 2020-21 and 2024-25) i can say one thing with absolute confidence that these series are not just another series. They test the real leadership quality of captain. It does not matter how great you are as batsman or a bowler but if you don't have nerve and steel then you will sink your team in the great bay. Whenever our team succeeded in Australia it was mainly because of three factors - Batting line up, bowling line up and a good captain. If any one of the three is missing you cant win in Australia. It was Sourav who inspired India in 2003-04, Kumble in 2007-08, Kohli in 2018-19 and Rahane in 2020-21. This series our batting looked OK because of depth, our bowling looked great because of Goat Bumrah but we have a very under pressure and terribly out of form captain and because of that entire Team is paying the price. We need an inform player as our captain.

 

I really like the line from the movie 'Dark Knight' and i changed this line a bit:

 

'Either you retire a Hero or play long enough to see yourself turning into a Villain'. Its a high time for Kohli and Rohit to resign from International Cricket and perhaps Jadeja should also think about it.

Its a terrible way to say good bye to 2024. This year saw us winning T20 World Cup and Rohit played an amazing role in it. Both played amazing Cricket in 2023 World Cup. Its a good time to say good bye. Thank you Rohit and Virat for your amazing contributions to Indian Cricket and thanks for the amazing moments you both gave us in last 15 years or so.

Book Review [170] : Fooled By Randomness

I bought 'Fooled By Randomness' almost 8 years back from a shop in Bengaluru and it stayed in my bookshelf for those many years. This month i got a chance to read this book and i found it intriguing, confusing and radically important book in our chaotic world.

 

I found at times this book pretty boring and sometimes i felt that instead of giving 250 odd pages to it, the ideas could have been covered in less than 100 pages. The focal point of this book is about the role played by sheer random dice of fortune in our daily lives that we sometimes credit our skills and hard work. Nassim gives a large number of examples including the seminal example of infinite number of monkeys on infinite keyboards; there is a probability that some monkey will reproduce Iliad, Odyssey or even 'Fooled by randomness'. 

 

Another concept though very common is about 'Hindsight bias'. A mistake is not something to be determined after the fact, but in the light of the information until that point. Another linked concept is 'Survivorship bias' - We do not take account for losers in our sample size. The survivors path decide everything for make gurus though they might have been lucking in surviving.

 

In nutshell its a good book and should be read as it triggers good ideas in our brain. Sometimes or may be always its better to be a fooled by randomness. Sometimes it breaks the stalemate. In the end it is always a better practice to be a stoic and do not let randomness compromise your dignity.

 

Highly Recommended. 

Book Review [169] : Rework

'Rework' is a beautifully written work by Jason Fried and David Hansson. It's such a lovely read that you can finish it within couple of days if not in a day.

There are pretty good few lessons from this book.

Workaholics are not Heroes - It sounds pretty logical today, but I was kind of one 10 years back and I consider to be that even today. In my first job way back in 2005 I used to consider those people who leave office by 0630 PM as losers and mediocre and whose who burned midnight oil as actual geeks. This is pure poison and basically it kills good office culture. It should be avoided and this book underscores this point really well.

We should take responsibility of bad news and failures. We should not let the rumour mongers decide our response to failure.

Don't be a fake. No body likes plastic flower. Be natural and be spontaneous.

We need to know how far we can push some one. This is the thing I read few decades back from some Australian Cricket player when he talked about Steve Waugh leadership. He wrote that if Steve asks us to hit our head to the wall, we will do it without thinking twice. This is one of the most fundamental traits of a good leadership.

Perfect time never comes so don't defer your decisions waiting for that moment. Every decision made is a progress.

The single most important thing that is killing our productivity is interruption - Calls, Social Media etc. The one who can get long slot of free time can immensely improve one's productivity. 

Almost every point in this book is common sense and we all know about it but we hardly follow it. This book is about reworking on those points.

Highly Recommended (10/10)

Book Review [168] : The Almanack Of Naval Ravikant

I joined Hardoi on 14th July late evening and it took me close to three months to get things rolling and to create a kind of morning schedule. It rained quite a lot in Hardoi this monsoon and it stopped only in Sept.

I started with 'The Almanack Of Naval Ravikant' by Eric Jorgensen last week. Naval Ravikant has become a cult figure in modern techno pop culture and has been immensely popular and successful in different segments.

This book has been a refreshing read after a long time. Pithy book of ancient, medieval and modern wisdom packaged in a novel way. There is nothing new in this book but still it's a must read book for all of us specially for those who are in their mid thirties or forties. I am kind of an avid reader though I suffered kind of a lag in last half a decade mainly because of my demanding work engagements. This is my kind of a book. 

For the readers of this ancient blog I am putting here points that I like most:

• Reading/learning are the ultimate meta skill. One should never stop it.
• Distraction is a big killer and it makes your mind heavy and confused.
• Meditation every day is a must.
• Anger means loss of control over a situation and its suicidal.
• Work out every day is a must.
• One day should be kept free every week from mundane work.
• Inspiration is perishable. It should be acted upon immediately.
• Intentions do not matter, actions do.
• Become the best in the world at whatever you do. Keep refining yourself.
• World as hard as you can.
• Give more time on decision making.
• If you can't decide, then the answer is No.
• Criticise generally but praise specifically.
• Don't waste your time living some one else's life.

A highly recommended book (10/10).

Land Between Two Rivers, Bandits and Soldiers

To trace footsteps of one's ancestors is always fascinating. Whenever i find time, i do that.

 

On 22nd September i was really fortunate to get an opportunity to visit my first homeland in Uttar Pradesh (as per the available records of my family from primary sources). This is my only third visit to this great place. I am still more inclined to call Naurejpur (District Jalaun) - the village of my grandmother as my village.

 

Shri Kesari Singh Ji migrated from our ancestral village Binega (District Karauli, Rajasthan) to Pura Baghraj village on the bank of Chambal in Bah region of Agra district. He was married to a lady from Bhadoria Rajput family. His son Shri Jawahar Singh Ji was my great grandfather. My grandfather Shri Kammod Singh Ji was born in 1938-39 in this village.I had never met my great grandfather but my grandfather is responsible for whatever i am today. He left me just before my UPSC CSE 2014 mains exam in Nov 2014. In 2019 i visited Binega (Karauli, Rajasthan) during Mundan ceremony of Rajyavardhan at Kaila Devi Temple.

                                             

 

The entire village came to the main Chauraha to receive me on 22nd Sept afternoon. There were DJs, bikes, flowers and garlands. I was so overwhelmed that i cant express in words. It was really a touchy moment for me. My brothers, uncles and entire village were so happy with tears welling in their eyes. It was a life time kind of a moment. After paying my regards to all of them and attending Shrimadbhagwat Katha ceremony organized by Lt Col (retd) Shri Gajendra Singh Ji i took the tour of the village and its surroundings.

 

 

I visited the place where Sunil Dutt and Wahida Rehman starred film 'Mujhe Jeeno Do (1963)' was shot. The shooting of this film was done in this region (Bah and Muraina) and it shows the lives of Bandits (also called Dacoit/Daku) of that era. I have heard so many stories of bandits since my childhood - Man Singh, Madho Singh, Lakhan, Roopa, Malkhan Singh, Pan Singh Tomar etc. Nirbhay Gurjar was the last bandit of this area and was neutralized in a Police encounter in 2005. Bollywood did dis service to this region by showing bandits with horses. There are no horses in Chambal ravines. Bollywood created image of Texas cowboys in Chambal. The only film that was close to reality was 'Pan Singh Tomar (2012)'. Chambal is couple of km from my village. It is full of crocodiles and my family relatives and my village people are closely associated with Operation Crocodile.

 

 

 

 

 

This entire region surrounding Chambal covering parts of Madhya Pradesh (Bhind and Muraina districts) and parts of Agra district is locally called Bhadawar land (i.e. land of Bhadoria Rajputs). Two great rivers Yamuna and Chambal flow through this region. This land is also known for giving great soldiers and officers to Indian Army as well as to Police. So many sons of this soil have sacrificed their everything in the service of Bharat Mata. The last great Officer being former Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadoria (2019-2021). Now the bandits are history and Indian Army/Police is present and future appears to be brighter.

 

 

Subedar (retd) Dal Singh made a huge contribution in changing the landscape of this region from the land of bandits to the land of soldiers. Shri Dal Singh served in Army and he fought in World War 2. He donated his entire land and helped in establishing a Junior High School with a big playground in Pura Baghraj. He died in 1954 but he left behind a great legacy. This ground gave hundreds of Soldiers/Officers. I inaugurated a Volley ball tournament in his memory during my visit.

Bateshwar Dham is a great religious place close to my village (about 15 km). It is a collection of 101 temples dedicated to Bhagwan Shiv. Yamuna Ji flows touching the steps of these temples. These were built about a 1000 years back and have played a great role in shaping the religious and cultural outlook of the people. I was so blessed to get a chance to pray in these ancient temples.

 

Its been my honour to be associated with this great land full of chivalry, rich cultural heritage and two mighty rivers.

Bijnor Diaries

On 13th July afternoon i got the news that i have been transferred to Hardoi district as SP Hardoi. Transfer is a routine process in the life of a Police Officer. I enjoyed each and every second of my stay in Bijnor. Its a fabulous district full of greenery and large-hearted generous people. I joined Biinor Police as SP on 14th of March 2023 and i completed 16 months of tenure to be precise.

Shrimadbhagwadgita - Finally I read It

'Shrimadbhagwadgita' is the most seminal knowledge ever revealed to humankind. Many great people from the likes of Shankaracharya to Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Radhakrishnan and many others had written commentaries on this great text. 

I was a kid when Maharabharata serial used to come on Doordarshan and I still remember the massive crowd that used to gather in to watch this great serial. Then for the first time I heard about Gita. Since then I wanted to read it, memorise it and to follow it.

I bought my first and only Gita in 2001 when I was in first year of college life. This was Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan translation/commentary on it. I started reading it but could not pass through the first few shlokas. I made many such attempts but could could not pass through first chapter itself.

During my 19 months stay as head of Baghpat Police (2021-2023) I was gifted multiple copies of Gita by Dharmic people of Baghpat. For the first time I attended functions to celebrate Gita Jayanti Diwas in Baghpat but my attempt to read Gita was not successful.

2024 Lok Sabha election was held in first phase in Bijnor on 19th April 2024 and immediately after that I started reading it as first thing in the morning. I must say Robin S Sharma's seminal book '5 AM Club' has a great role in it. This book inspired me to wake up before 5 AM. Since April 2024 I have been waking up between 0430 AM - 0450 AM without single break and I feel so good about it. So because of this book I got time in morning to read Gita.

In last three months I have read Bhagwad Gita two times. Shrimadbhagwadgita Yatharoop by Bhaktivedant Swami Prabhupad is a profound and easy translation of Gita. Such is its brilliance that I can't start my day without thinking/reading about it.

There are 18 chapters in Bhagwad Gita and about 700 Shlokas. Every Shloka is a highly profound text of wisdom ever revealed. I like few of those Shlokas very much.

There are about 700 Shlokas in Gita and every Shloka gives us directions/advise/wisdom to solve our dilemma and to do our duty. To do duty against all kinds of challenges without fear or favour, without greed or grief is the ultimate lesson from Shrimadbhagwadgita.

To those who have still not read Shrimadbhagwadgita I request them to please read it. I was late by 23 years you should not be late by even a day.

कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन । मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भुर्मा ते संगोऽस्त्वकर्मणि ॥

Tears, Tears and Tears

Last year on 19th Nov 2023 we were shattered, decimated, destroyed, emotionally damaged, sullen and sunken. The highly charged and extremely successful World cup dream was yet again vaporized by our arch nemesis Australia. At one time we thought we were cruising but one missed shot by Rohit Sharma and lower order collapse (Surya Kumar Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja) lost us the great opportunity. This was a terrible loss and it brought back the ghastly memories of 2003 World Cup Final loss where our superb campaign led by captain Sourav Ganguly suffered the same fate against Australia. We thought its over for Rohit and company.

 

The situation was further aggravated by Mumbai Indians captaincy controversy and much publicized 'dissensions' within the ranks.

 

 

I did not give any importance to 2024 T20 World Cup but the way Rohit Sharma played one of the greatest T20 Innings against our arch rival Australia brought my faith back in the dream. I have not seen a better T20 inning than that one. Rohit Sharma single handedly destroyed Australia and it has a soothing effect on the visceral wounds of 2003 and 2023 World Cup Final losses. This match revolutionized old fans specially of my (1980s born) generation. Captain Rohit was back and so was our campaign.

 

Captain continued his intent and fearless cricket against England in Semi Final on a very tough wicket. The way he, Surya Kumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja played we knew that this time is ours. Bumrah has always been exceptionally perfect and Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh bowled exceptionally well too.

 

 

Now we were in Final. It was the Final match between all time chokers and chokers of last 10 years (we have recently achieved this ignominious title after losing 2014 T20 Word Cup Final, 2019 World Cup Semi, 2021 and 2023 World Test Championship Finals and 2023 World Cup Final). I knew in my heart that South Africa is the greatest Choker but mind was somewhere else.

 

My District Magistrate organized a big screen to see the final, i resisted as i organized the same on 19th Nov 2023 and we lost that match so i was kind of superstitious but nevertheless it was done. We started well but again missed shot of Rohit, unlucky edge by Rishabh Panth and rash shot of Surya Kumar Yadav brought us back the memories of last Final. It was the same deja vu sinking feeling yet again but a brilliant controlled inning by big match player Virat Kohli and superb counter attack by Axar Patel brought us some hope. The consolidation work was clinically finished by the team and we were back in the match.

 

 

Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh started  brilliantly but Kohli like inning of Quinton de Kock brought South Africa back in the game. 54 runs were needed from last 6 overs and South Africa had 6 wickets in hand. The match was slightly tilted towards South Africa at this point. Klaasen scored 24 runs in 15th over bowled by Axar Patel and it included two Sixes and two Fours. The match was sealed and no team can think of losing this match from this equation - 30 runs, 30 balls and 6 wickets in hand. But World call them chokers not without any reason. The Choker title has multiple generations contributions from the days of 1999 World Cup. South Africa has been numero uno holder of this title and how dare a novice India challenge this, no chance.

 

Last 5 overs were the most brilliant overs ever bowled by perhaps any team in a World Cup Final. Pandya brought us back in the match after taking Klaasen wicket.

Now 22 runs from 18 balls and 5 wickets in hand it was South Africa match even at this point of time. 18th over was bowled by Jasprit Bumrah and it was a superb exhibition of all time great bowling. He gave just two runs and took out Jansen by a mysterious ball. No one saw how it went pass through the defense pf Jansen. We were back in the game.

 

 

 

 

20 runs from 12 balls and 4 wickets in hand. Equation was tense and it was advantage India at this point. Arshdeep yet again bowled a brilliant over and gave just 4 runs. South Africa needed 16 runs from last over and it was Pandya's turn to play Hero. First ball was a full toss an it looked like a Six but Surya Kumar Yadav did what even a Superman cant dare to think. It was the greatest catch ever taken and this catch sealed the match for us. 

 

We won the match, we won the Cup and we kind of ease out the pain of 2003 and 2023 Final losses. We celebrated with the Police force, we celebrated with the people, we celebrated in the home, we celebrated on the streets, we burned crackers, we shouted, we cried and we did what we always wanted to do. The Cup has returned home after 17 years, another Cup should return soon. Thank you Captain Rohit Sharma and thank you entire Team. Thanks for the fearless cricket played by you throughout this world Cup. Thank you Rahul Dravid, finally you have the World Cup.

 

 

 

 

The good thing about time is, it changes. On 19th Nov 2023 there were the tears of shattered dream, on 29th June there are tears of victory. We cried in 2003 World Cup Final, we cried in 2019 World Cup Semi Final, we cried in 2023 World Cup Final. This time too we cried but these cries were same that we experienced in 2007 and 2011. We forgot that for a very long time. It's a huge redemption. It's a huge huge win. To win World Cup from such a situation was not possible even in wildest of imaginations and millions may have switched off their TVs after 15th but our Team had resilience and steel and we showed them when it mattered the most.

Congratulations Team India and congratulations fans.

 

Thank you Virat and Rohit for the memories. Thank you for everything.

 

 

Crime Diary : Black Shirt, Buttons and a gruesome Murder

On 29th May 2024 at about 2015 hrs i was strolling in my lawn when i got the news that a property leader has been shot point blank near St Mary Chauraha and was declared dead in District Hospital. It was a sensational murder in a crowded place. I immediately rushed to the Hospital that is about 100 m from my residence. The family members of the deceased were shattered and were inconsolable. I could not see them in their eyes. It was my failure as i am the District Police Chief. 

It was my responsibility to find the perpetrators and to ensure justice in this case and we have to do it quickly.

Bijnor Police Version:

https://x.com/bijnorpolice/status/1795848206628376895

 

Media:

 

We immediately rushed to the scene of crime. Teams were quickly deployed. Near crime scene we found a black shirt in bushes and few buttons torn from the shirt. In order to confuse us the killers deliberately threw off  their shirt so that we can not track them through CCTV cameras. We kept faith and zeroed in. In three days time we were able to find the shop from where that particular shirt was bought. This shirt, CCTV footage, Mobile CDR Analysis and Motive behind this gruesome murder solved the case for us. This shirt played the most important role in solving this case. Locard Principle always works.

So far we have been able to arrest 9 accused and we prevented two more Supari killings as these shooters were given money to kill two more.

 

 

Bijnor Police Version:

https://x.com/bijnorpolice/status/1797515078499184679

 

This case was very complicated one and gave us sleepless night. It was because of sheer competence, tenacity and never say no attitude of Bijnor Police we were able to solve the case. Among all cases closure is absolutely important in blind murder cases.

Before we had any lead I went to pray at Siddh Bali Maharaj (Kotdwar) and Mordhaj Shivalaya (Najibabad). Bhagwanji blessed us all on very same day and the case was solved within next few hours.

https:https://x.com/bijnorpolice/status/1795848206628376895//x.com/bijnorpolice/status/1795848206628376895

Dance of Democracy : LS 2024 Elections

It's been a long marathon and like all marathons it was a highly satisfying one.

To conduct any election is a highly challenging and a highly skilled job and to conduct the biggest election on this planet in a fair, transparent and peaceful manner requires a lot of sacrifice and commitment. 

Bijnor is a huge district covering 8 Assembly constituencies with a population of about 40 lakhs and about 100 km East-West expanse and 80 km North-South expanse. The demography is highly complex and people from all sections are well represented in this district. To conduct fair, peaceful and transparent elections was a major challenge in Bijnor and I am so proud when I say that Bijnor Police conducted itself in an exemplary manner and met the expectations of Honourable Election Commission. Not even a single complain came. Everyone including candidates, political parties and common people appreciated the excellent job done by Bijnor Police.

We started preparing for LS elections in November 2023 itself. The entire team from beat constable to SHO, from CO to Add SP and all support staff worked like a well oiled machine. This was my fourth election as a District Police Chief. Panchayat Elections of 2021 was my first election as SP Hapur, Vidhan Sabha 2022 election was my second election as SP Baghpat, Local Urban bodies 2023 election was my third election as SP Bijnor and Lok Sabha election 2024 was my fourth. This election was the best so far. 

My seniors guided me and solved my problems whenever I approached them. Without their guidance and supervision nothing was possible.

Special thanks to Inspector Harishchandra Joshi (Incharge Election cell) despite of him retiring next month he did a herculean job and tolerated by frequent frustrations. Add SP Ram Arj (SP Rural Bijnor) was nodal officer of elections and he did an excellent job. To prepare duty charts, arranging accommodations, transport, briefing etc require lot of patience and minute detailing. He did excel in everything. Thanks to all the Police personnel who came from different organisations and from different districts of UP.

Finally I dedicate this successful completion of LS election to each and every member of Bijnor Police, to each every member of Bijnor Home Guards and to the public of Bijnor without their cooperation nothing would have been possible.

Thank you all 👏👏