Category: Reminiscences

• Shri R N Haldipur. Humility Unlimited

  

  Rashmi Kant Nagar

  

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  I vaguely recall that it was month of July, 1982. V S Behla, who was Director, Engineering at that time and I were heading home after office. As we had moved just a few steps out of the main office building, a white premier car suddenly stoped in front of us and the person driving the car called out, ‘Behla Saab’.

  We stopped and Behla moved closer to the caller. I had not seen this person before and as they started to converse, I moved a few steps away near the tail end of the car. I could however hear the conversation- it was about the progress of construction of ETDC in IRMA campus.

  After about five minutes, Behla joined me and as we started walking towards home, I asked him, “Is he a new civil contractor for ETDC”? 

  With a surprised look Behla asked me, “You don’t know him”?

  “No, we have never met. Who is he”? I replied.

  “He is Mr. Haldipur, Director of IRMA. I thought you have met him so I didn’t introduce you”, said Behla.

  “He was LG of Pondicherry before taking up Directorship of IRMA”, Behla added. 

  When Mr. Haldipur called Behla, he did give me a smile. I returned the smile and moved away as I didn’t want him to get am impression that I am eves dropping. 

  A couple of months later, one afternoon I received a call. The caller asked me, “Mr. Nagar, I want to see you. Can you spare 10 minutes for me”. The caller was Mr. Haldipur. 

  Till this time, I had not formally met him and remembering that incident, I responded, “Sure, sir. I will come over to your office right away”. 

  “No, Mr. Nagar, I have sought your time so I must come to your office. I will be there in ten minutes”. And exactly after ten minutes, he was with me in my office. 

  I, at first felt a bit uncomfortable receiving a person of his stature in my office. I knew that he had given up the position of the Lieutenant Governor of Pondicherry to take over as the director of IRMA. But his gentle demeanour soon put me to ease. I just couldn’t believe that the person of his stature had no air of the high offices he held in the immediate past. 

  He wanted to know if I will agree to his proposal to make the funds allocated under Operation Flood for IRMA as corpus rather than annual reimbursement. After we had gone through the details, he asked me if I would co-sign the proposal as it would eliminate many unnecessary steps. I agreed to it provided Dr. Kurien permits me to do so. 

  As we walked towards Dr. Kurien’s office, I noticed that he was an extremely soft spoken and humble man. In fact humility defined his personality. 

  Between that day and June 1986, when I was transferred to Bangalore, I had quite a few meetings with him. I was at times upset on pace of studies that IRMA faculty was carrying out for NDDB, but he always remained calm, never losing his poise. And each time he took the initiative to call me back. I was floored. Unbelievably humble were his ways. 

  His only son, Vivek also worked briefly with me in planning. Sometimes I used to drop Vivek home but I never went inside the Director’s bungalow. Hence my relationship with him remained strictly official. 

  Mr. Haldipur completed his term with IRMA just around the same time and decided to relocate in Bangalore where he owned a modest two room apartment in a multi-storey building in Malleshwaram. His was a ground floor apartment-101. 

  After shifting to Bangalore, one day he called me after checking with my PA, if I was available for a few minutes. He needed some information about some work he had to get done in his apartment and wanted to know if someone from our engineering can help him find a reliable person to do the job. I offered to send down an engineer to his place but he very firmly and politely declined. “Nagar, this is my personal accommodation. It is not proper on my part to expect an NDDB engineer to come over during office time for my personal work”. He, however hesitatingly accepted when I told him that his residence will be visited after office hours as it would help us identify the right person to attend to the problems. 

  I was new to Bangalore and except a distant uncle of my wife knew no one outside my office circle. Haldipurs too were in more or less similar situation. They had only his nephews- Shankar Nag (producer of the famous tv series Malgudi Days) and Anant Nag (young man in red shirt in Manthan) to fall back on in any emergency. 

  Since both of us didn’t have any social circle, we got to meet each other at least once in 6-8 weeks. I always went to his place with my family and it was during these visits that a lot more humbler side of him and Mrs. Haldipur came to our view. Funnily, every time they were at my place, he would want to carry the empty dishes to the sink, which of course we never allowed him to do. 

  It was understandable during our first ice breaker visit when they didn’t allow my wife to help. Mr. Haldipur himself brought the tea and snacks for us, while Krishnaji worked in the Kitchen. When my wife got up to carry the empty cups to Kitchen, Mr. Haldipur said, ‘Anu, you are our guest. I will clean up. This is my job’. He carried the trey of empty cups and cleaned them himself. When I asked him if they had a domestic help, he replied, “only part time. Between two of us, why do we need a full time maid”. 

  And when we were leaving, he not only came all the way to see us off where my car was parked, but he opened the car door for my wife. It was an impromptu act, no show, just his natural humble way to show respect to a lady. 

  At first I dismissed it as one off incident. But it happened every time we went to see them. We always requested him to see us off from his apartment door, but he always responded with a smile saying, ‘this gives me some exercise’ and never forgot to open the car door for my wife. He never left the spot till my car went out of sight. 

  We had a wonderful time with them. Each meeting with him was a lesson in humility. He was one man I know who always remained untouched by the power of high positions he held. 

  Our last meeting with him was in May 1995. We went to Bangalore after attending my spiritual mission’s meet in Chennai. They were alone but had the same high spirit. Couple of years later they moved to Anand Ashram, Kasaragod, Kerala. They saw no reason to continue in Bangalore and were contemplating moving there after the loss of their only child-Vivek. When Mr. Haldipur passed away, I received a very emotional reply to my message of condolence from Mrs Haldipur. She addresses me as, ‘Respected Nagar bhai saheb’. 

  Their humble ways continue to teach and inspire me even today.

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  September 23, 2023

  Dairy Development, Development, Leadership, Reminiscences, Values

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• Random reminisces of a forgetful old man-2; Vancouver, July 2023

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  We were in Vancouver from July 7th to 16th, 2023. The occasion was a sort of reunion of three families: the Anejas, Behlas, and mine.

  The three of us first met at Anand in the late sixties where we worked for many years with the then nascent National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) of India. Virindra Singh Behla joined in November 1967, I joined in May 1968, and Dr. RP Aneja in July 1968. At one time, Behla was the Director (Engineering), I was the Director (Human Resource Development), and Dr. Aneja was the Managing Director.

  Dr. Aneja was earlier the Secretary of the NDDB before it became a body corporate under an act of Parliament in 1987. Dr. Aneja’s predecessors were Dr. SC Ray, Mr. AK RayChaudhry, and Mr. GM Jhala. I have had the privilege of having worked for NDDB during the period when the above four and Dr ( Miss ) Amrita Patel were at the helm of affairs of NDDB as Secretary / Managing Director under the Chairmanship of Dr V Kurien.

  Behla was the first to leave NDDB in 1988 as he took over as MD, Hindpack (A joint venture of NDDB and Tetra Pak in India) followed by Dr Aneja in 1990. I left NDDB in 2000.

  Dr Aneja was married some months before he joined NDDB in 1968, while Behla and I were bachelors. I had met my would-be wife Kiran a year earlier and our marriage was already fixed by our parents in 1960. Behla knew Rita his would-be wife but their marriage was not fixed. Behla and Rita completed 50 and Kiran and I completed 52 years of married life in 2023. For our children and us, it was also an occasion to celebrate our golden jubilee marriage anniversaries having completed 50 or more years of married life.

  Our children grew up on the NDDB campus. They are now spread over three continents with homes in Canberra, Dubai, Toronto and Vancouver besides our India home base(s) in Gurgaon, Bengaluru, Chandigarh and my village in Gorakhpur.

  Thanks to the reunion some of the children and grandchildren met after 8-10 years. It was a great occasion for all of us. On the last day there was an impromptu Garba.

  In the picture gallery below, I share some pictures of our families gathering for a ten-day reunion.

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  How times change; it now feels like a ‘once upon a time’ when we lived in the NDDB Anand Campus. We are old now. I used to be proud of my memory, but it is no longer the case. However, both Dr. Aneja and Behla are very good at recalling old incidents. It is such a pleasure to be with them.

  I was in Vancouver, Canada. I remembered my first that visit to Canada was in 1980 when I accompanied Shri GM Jhala. In 1983, I accompanied Dr. V Kurien. In 1987, NDDB sponsored my dear colleague (Late) Dr. SP Mittal and me for a three-month-long Training Programme in Canada and the USA. We attended workshops and seminars on Human Resource Development, staying in various cities and traveling from the east to the west coast multiple times. However, we spent a larger part of our time in Victoria, BC.

  It was a lengthy trip, and we greatly missed Indian food. Dr. Mittal and I both enjoyed cooking. Rob and Carol Nelson, who were our hosts in Victoria, graciously allowed us to use their kitchen. However, getting groceries was a challenging task. Nevertheless, we tried our hands at cooking and our efforts were highly appreciated.

  During the 1987 trip, I recall visiting Indian restaurants in Toronto, Victoria, and even Vancouver. However, I found them to be quite expensive. As a result, we opted for Chinese food instead. Not only was it served in generous portions, but it was also more affordable compared to the Indian restaurants.

  That was in the past. Now, more than thirty years later, I spend 5-6 months or even more each year in Canada. Thankfully, there are numerous stores that sell groceries from India, and they have everything we could possibly think of. It’s wonderful to have access to such a wide variety of Indian products.

  While I was in Vancouver, I fondly remembered Rob and Carol Nelson, who were the NDDB’s first International HR consultants, among others. Sadly, both Rob and Carol have passed away. If they were still with us, I would have taken a ferry to Victoria Island to meet them. Cancer took away two kind souls from us. Rob embarked on his final journey approximately seven years ago, while Carol left us six years later in 2022. They will always be remembered and missed.

  I remembered Dr. A.H. Somjee, who is a Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Simon Fraser University. Unfortunately, I did not have his phone number or email address. However, I was able to find a lot of information about the books and papers he has written through a Google search. In 1987, Dr. Mittal and I had the opportunity to visit Dr. Somjee’s home, accompanied by Rob. The Somjees graciously hosted us, and we had engaging conversations while sitting on the balcony of their house in North Vancouver. The location, situated at a higher elevation on the hills, provided us with a mesmerizing view of the Vancouver port that evening.

  

  I continued my search on the internet and came across an article from Simon Fraser University. It saddened me to learn that Dr. Somjee’s wife, Geeta Somjee, passed away in 2013. Considering that Dr. Somjee was born in 1925, I thought he must be 98 years old. It is worth noting that Dr. Somjee has generously donated 3 million dollars to Simon Fraser University. One can access the story I am referring to by clicking on this link.

  “ To support further knowledge and understanding of his homeland, Som has generously left a gift to SFU in his will to help create the Dr A.H. Somjee and Dr Geeta Somjee Professorship in Indian Political Development. Part of his $3 million commitment to the university, this exceptional contribution honours his legacy as a beloved political science professor, well-published author, prolific researcher and philanthropic leader”

  I had no idea about Dr. Somjee’s health condition or whether I would be able to meet him, but for old times’ sake, I thought I should try. I wrote an email to the Department of Political Science at Simon Fraser University, where Dr. Somjee has taught since 1965.

  After a week, upon my return to Toronto, I received an email from Dr. Somjee. I was excited to open it. After reading it, I experienced mixed feelings. I was glad that I had connected with him, but also saddened by the realization that I would not have the opportunity to meet him in person. Nonetheless, I was pleased that I would be able to communicate with him through email. The reply I received from Dr. Somjee is as follows

  “Your email enquiry about me was transferred to me on the internet.I am a very old man, about 98, and hence I am required to meet as few people as possible.
  So I cannot meet you in person. What you can do is to email me. My email is..”

  Reply received from Dr Somjee

  One day, a thought came over me, and I started recollecting the names of colleagues in NDDB who joined the organization before it moved to the fourth floor of the Amul Administrative building in 1969. I remembered Dr Aneja, Behla, PG Gore, BN Bhat, Arvind Patel, Mathew, George Kurien (GK), Fatteji, Martin, Sarju Ram, Talati, Manubhai Shah, Jashbhai Patel…I am sure I am missing many names. As I mentioned earlier my memory is no longer as it used to be.

  I remembered my salary of Rs 421.20 per month. Entries in my 1968 diary of money that I lend and borrowed from friends. The amounts were so small Rs 5 or 10 or maximum 15. About 10 Canada cents at current exchange rate but may be a dollar in 1968/1969.

  The other day I found this interesting passage in a book I am reading;

  “One day, you and everyone you love will die. And beyond a small group of people for an extremely brief period of time, little of what you say or do will ever matter. This is the Uncomfortable Truth of life. And everything you think or do is elaborate Avoidance of it. We are inconsequential cosmic dust, bumping and milling about on a tiny blue speck. We imagine our own importance. We invent our purpose – we are nothing. Enjoy your fucking coffee.”

  EVERYTHING IS F@CKED by Mark Manson

  The above lines, I thought, describe the impermanence of human life beautifully. But be it a curse or boon as long as we live thoughts, feelings and memories don’t leave us. I think that even the ideal meditative thoughtless state of Samadhi is for a limited time.

  Let me end by a couplet by Firaq Gorakhpuri;

  ये माना ज़िंदगी है चार दिन की, बहुत होते हैं यारों चार दिन भी !

  These lines literally translate into English as;

  Agree that life is just “four” days, even “four” days can be a lot, my friends!

  I wonder what are qualities the “four days” in which the poet has imagined encapsulating entire human life.

  Are those days the days that we keep remembering and then keep forgetting; days that remind us of our struggles and achievements; successes and failures; days that are filled with love that we get and empathetic conversations that we have had; days when humanity in us touches the humanity of those with whom we come into contact with …?

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  August 11, 2023

  AMUL, Anand, Cooperative, Dairy Development

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• क ख ग घ

  

  क से कबूतर, क से कमल, क से किताब

  बात उस जमाने की है जब मुझे केवल बोलना आता था । पढ़ना लिखना नहीं। ज़ाहिर है उम्र तब बहुत कम थी । अब यह सब बताने की क्या ज़रूरत ? जीवन के संध्याकाल में जब अक्सर यादें भी याद आ कर भूलने लगती हों तब यादों को याद कर उन्हें बताने की प्रक्रिया मे वह और उभर कर आती है।मैं उन्हें लिपिबद्ध भी कर पाता हूँ ।औरों के लिये नहीं तो अपने लिये ही सही ! जो है सो है!

  शायद पाँच या छ साल का था। स्कूल नहीं था गाँव में। तहसील से कुछ सरकारी अधिकारी आये, स्कूल खोलना था। बाबू देव नारायण सिंह ( बुढवा बाबा, मेरे प्रपितामह) ने उन्हें सलाह दी कि स्कूल सड़क से लगी हमारे खलिहान के पास की ज़मीन जहां अखाड़ा हुआ करता था और अब भी है, उसके दक्षिण पश्चिम कोने पर स्थित मिठाउआ आम के नीचे से शुरू हो । बस शुरू हो गया इस्कूल और शुरू हो गई मेरी पढ़ाई ।

  शिक्षा पहली से पाँचवीं तक वहीं बेसिक प्राइमरी पाठशाला चतुर बंदुआरी में हुई। केवल एक साल जब मैं तीसरी में था बाबूजी अपने पास ले गये देवरिया । बाबूजी तब देवरिया में ज़िला कृषि अधिकारी के पद पर तैनात थे। तब वहाँ मारवाडी स्कूल गरुडपार मे मेरी पढ़ाई हुई । देवरिया में ही मुझे सिर पर ब से बंदर ने काटा था । भ से भूकंप का अनुभव भी वहीं पहली बार हुआ

  क ख ग घ … वर्णमाला मैंने अपने गाँव में मिठउआ आम के पेड़ के नीचे ज़मीन पर बैठ कर सीखी। लकड़ी की काली पट्टी पर जिसे दिये की कालिख लगा माई, अम्मा, मझिलकी मम्मू की शीशे की चूड़ी से रगड़ कर चमकाया जाता था। नरकंडे की क़लम से खडिया को पानी में घोल कर बनी स्याही से लिखा जाता था। नरकंडा और खडिया गाँव में उपलब्ध थे।एक घर बढ़ई भी गाँव में थे ।अब भी हैं।

  जब मेरी पहली मुलाक़ात क से हुई तब जाकर पता चला कि क से कबूतर और क से कमल और भी बहुत से शब्द है । वैसे जब मैने लिखना पढ़ना सीखा तब तक मैंने कबूतर या कमल नहीं देखा । किताब थी या नहीं ठीक से शायद नहीं। थी तो कैसी थी वह भी याद नहीं । शायद उसी किताब में कबूतर और कमल का फ़ोटो देखा हो। प से पंडुख या पंडुखी तो बहुत थी गाँव पर । पर कबूतर से ठीक से पहचान शहर आ कर ही हुई। बरसात के बाद उनवल से बांसगांव वाली कच्ची सड़क के दोनों ओर के कुछ गढ्ढों में पानी भरा रहता था। कमलिनी के फूल पहली बार मैंने शायद उसी में देखे होंगे।

  मौलवी सुभान अल्लाह और बाबू सुरसती सिंह पढ़ाते थे । बाद में हंसराज मास्टर साहब आने लगे । मौलवी साहब की चेक की क़मीज़ सफ़ेद धोती, काली पनही, पहनते थे । छाता हमेशा साथ रहता था। जब किसी को दंड देना होता वह छतरी बड़े काम में आती थी। कुंडी गले में लगा कर खींच कर उलटी तरफ़ से दो चार बार पिछाडा पीट दिया जाता था । पर मुझे कभी मार नहीं पड़ी। आख़िर हमारे पेड़ के नीचे स्कूल शुरू हुआ था ।

  बहुत कुछ याद नहीं है पर मिठउआ पेड़ के आम की सुगंध और मिठास भरा ललाई लिये गूदा अभी भी नहीं भूला है ।

  कुछ किताबें थी घर पर। रामचरित मानस, कल्याण के बहुत से अंक, श्रीमद् भगवद्गीता, गोरखपुर की क्षत्रिय जातियों का इतिहास आदि आदि। गीता पर पढ़ना विष्णु राव पराड़कर द्वारा शुरू किये गये दैनिक “आज” से ही शुरू हुआ होगा। दिल्ली के टेंट वाले स्कूल में जब मै छठवीं में पढ़ रहा था, मेरे बाबूजी ने नेशनल बुक ट्रस्ट द्वारा प्रकाशित पुस्तक “ ज्ञान सरोवर” जिसका मूल्य एक रुपया था जन्मदिन पर भेंट की थी। दिल्ली की बात है । और यह तब की बात है जब हमारे यहाँ जन्मदिन शहरों में ही मनाया जाता था, मेरे गाँव जैसे गाँवों में तो क़तई नहीं।

  क से काका भी होता है ।पर काका नाम ज्ञान सिंह था । काका के बारे में ज्ञ शीर्षक के अंतर्गत लिखा जायेगा।

  क ख ग घ अंगिआं, पंडित जी के टूटि, गइलिआ टंगिया

  बचपन में सीखी “नर्सरी राइम” तब जब नर्सरी और राइम का मतलब भी पता न था

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  ख से ख़रबूज़ा, ख से ख़रगोश , ख से ख़लील

  ख़रबूज़ा तो नहीं पर “फूट” जिसकी रिश्तेदारी ककड़ी परिवार में रही होगी देखा था । पांडे लोगों के घर के पीछे ऊत्तर की ओर वाले खेत में मकई बोई जाती थी । मचान भी होती थी चिरई उड़ाने के लिये । बड़ा अच्छा लगता था मचान पर बैठ चारों ओर देखने पर । ऐसा लगता था जैसे मै सारी दुनिया देख रहा हूँ।

  ख़रबूज़ा बहुत बाद में जब भइया (मेरे पितामह ) भटौली बाज़ार से आया तो देखा और फूट की याद आ गई।

  फूट नाम शायद इसलिये पड़ा होगा कि बड़ा हो कर फूट जाता था।

  ख से खस्सी भी होता है। खस्सी का मांस जिसे कलिया या गोश्त या बाद में मीट भी कहने लगे भटौली बाज़ार से लाया जाता था।

  भटौली बाज़ार से ख़रीद कर लाया कलिया या खस्सी का गोश्त ही शायद मुझे पहले पहले खिलाया गया होगा । वैसे गाँव में ख से ख़लील मियाँ के यहाँ भी कभी कभी बाबू लोग खस्सी कटवाते थे । मनौती माने गये बकरे की बलि की प्रथा आज भी है । यह घर के बाहर दुआरे पर एक किनारे में किया जाता था।

  ख से ख़रगोश जब १९६८ मे आणंद में नौकरी शुरू की । १९७० मे जब एनडीडीबी कैंपस बना हमने से कुछ लोग रहेवासी बने तब एक आइएएस अफसर डेपुटेशन पर आये ।सहकर्तव्यपालक बने, मित्रता हुई जो अब भी बरकरार है। हम दोनों की तब शादी नहीं हुई थी। वह तब तीन बेडरूम वाले बंगले में रहते थे । मै बाइस कमरों वाले हास्टल का नया नया वार्डन बनाया गया एक सोने का कमरा, बैठकी और स्नानागार एवं शौचस्थान मेरे हिस्से आये। मेरे मित्र के पास दुनाली बंदूक़ थी । काली रंग की फ़ियेट कार और आलिवर नाम का छोटा सा कुत्ता भी था।

  एनडीडीबी कैंपस से के पास ही आणंद वेटेरिनेरी कालेज कैंपस है । तब वेटरिनरी कालेज कैंपस का बहुत सा हिस्सा ख़ाली झाडीझंखाड से जिनमे बहुत से ख़रगोश रहते थे । शाम ढले सियारों की हुआं हुआं शुरू हो जाती थी । एक दिन हमारे मित्र को शिकार करने का मन किया । रात को गाड़ी ले कर वेटरिनरी कैंपस में बंदूक़ और अपने छुटकू से कुक्कुर आलिवर सहित निकल पड़े वेटरिनरी कालेज कैंपस में। हेड लाइट आन थी । कई ख़रगोश गाड़ी की आवाज़ सुन झाड़ियों से बाहर निकल आये । बंदूक़ चली। कुछ धराशायी हुए। उठा कर एनडीडीबी हास्टल लाये गये और वहाँ साफ़ सफ़ाई काट कटाई बाद मसाला वसाला डाल ख़रगोश के गोश्त का कलिया बना । ज़्यादा तो याद नहीं पर खाने वालों को कुछ ख़ास मज़ा नहीं आया ।

  क ख ग घ अंगिआं, पंडित जी के टूटि, गइलिआ टंगिया

  बचपन में सीखी “नर्सरी राइम” तब जब नर्सरी और राइम का मतलब भी पता न था

  ग से गाँव, ग से गाय, ग से गाभिन

  मेरे गाँव का नाम चतुर बंदुआरी है। पर गाँव में रहने वालों में जैसा हर जगह होता है कुछ लोग अवश्य चतुर रहे होंगे और चतुराई के लिये प्रसिद्ध भी।फिर चतुर बंदुआरी नाम कैसे पड़ा ? बताया गया इसका कारण है कि तहसील मे एक और गाँव का नाम बंदुआरी है ।मेरे वाली बंदुआरी के किसी चतुर का उठना बैठना हाकिम हुक्काम से रहा होगा और उसी ने “चतुर” बंदुआरी के आगे डलवा दिया होगा। और हमारा गाँव चतुर बंदुआरी कहा जाने लगा। दूसरी बंदुआरी बंदुआरी खुर्द के नाम से जानी जाती है।

  बंदुआरी यानि वन की दुआरी । यानि वन का द्वार । वन बहुत पहले रहा होगा। हमारे बचपन में तो नहीं । वन तो नहीं पर बाग ज़रूर थे जिन्हें हम बारी कहते थे।

  छोटकी बारी, बडकी बारी हमारी थी । मैना की बारी और सकुंता की बारी हमारे पट्टीदारी के परमहंस बाबा की थी ।पुन्नर बाबा के परिवार की बारी रेहारे के आगे थी खाल में जहां बाढ़ का पानी आता था। अब बारी भी न रही । कुछ पेड़ ज़रूर है । कुछ नये पेड़ और बाग लगाने का प्रयास भी हुआ है । चतुर बंदुआरी वृक्षमंदिर भी उन्नीस सौ नब्बे के दशक में शुरू किया गया ।

  मेरे बचपन में घर पर तीन जोड़ी बैल हल चलाने गाड़ी ढोने के लिये थे । गाय की जगह भैंस का दूध ज़्यादा पसंद किया जाता था । दो भैंसों की याद आती है करिअई और भुइरी। करिअई बहुत दूध देने वाली थी। बाद में पता चला मुर्हा नस्ल की थी। गाभिन थी। प्रसव के दौरान बच्चा मर गया था। जिस रात वह प्रसव पीड़ा में थी उस दिन शाम से ही मुन्ना बाबू (मुझसे पाँच साल बडे चाचा) गमगीन थे । रात में जब करिअई भैंस के बच्चे के बारे में दुखद समाचार मिला मुन्ना बाबू भोंकरिया कर बहुत देर रोये। मै भी उनकी देखा देखी रोने लगा। बचपन में मैं मुन्ना बाबू की पूँछ कहा जाता था। हरदम उनके साथ घूमने खेलने के लिये तत्पर ।

  बहुत दिनों बाद जब मैं शहर में पढ़ने के लिये भेजा गया तब रविवार को गाँव आने पर गाय बंधी थी। हरियाणवी थी ।बहुत मान से रखा जाता था।

  हमारे समय मे गीताप्रेस नामक सांड हुआ करता था। गायों को गाभिन करने का ज़िम्मा उसी पर था।

  क ख ग घ अंगिआं, पंडित जी के टूटि, गइलिआ टंगिया

  बचपन में सीखी “नर्सरी राइम” तब जब नर्सरी और राइम का मतलब भी पता न था

  घ से घर, घ से घूमना

  चतुर बंदुआरी का हमारा घर दो खंड का था मतलब दो आँगन वाला था अब भी है। लगभग पौन एकड़ से थोड़ी कम ज़मीन पर बना यह घर पर पूरब की ओर एक पीपल का विशालकाय वृक्ष था । साथ मे लगा एक तेली परिवार का घर था । बाबा लोगों ने उन्हें अपनी ज़मीन माली लोगों के घर के पास दे कर बदले में उनकी ज़मीन ले ली थी । इस तरह पिपरे तर के बाबू लोगों के घर का क्षेत्रफल और बढ़ गया ।घर के बाहर पीपल का एक विशाल पेड़ था। हमारा परिवार पिपरेतर के बाबू लोगों के नाम से जाना जाता था।

  अब वह घर बस यादों का घर बन कर रह गया हैं । कुँआ था । अब भी है। पर तब कुयें का पानी गगरी या गगरा से निकाल कर पिया जाता। बाद में नल यानी चाँपा कल जब बड़े आँगन में लगा तब शायद मेरी उम्र बीस एक साल रही होगी यानी पचास साल पहले । अब भी चलता है। चाँपा कल की पाइप कुयें के पानी के तल के नीचे तक जाती थी। उसी से पानी खींचा जाता था। अब पता नहीं, शायद बाद में पाइप ज़मीन में गाड़ा गया हो । दरवाज़े पर के कुयें पर गागर भर पानी सिर पर डाल कर नहाने में बड़ा मज़ा आता था। पानी निकालने के लिये बिदेसी अथवा अन्य लोग तैनात रहते थे। साबुन का इस्तेमाल भी वही पर पहली बार किया गया होगा।

  दुआरे पर दोनो बाबा लोगों, काका और समय समय से हमारे घर आये पहुना लोगों के लिये खाट बिछी रहती थी।

  जाड़े और बरसात में तो सब बरामदे में ही सोते थे पर गर्मी के दिनों में सबकी खटिया बिछ जाती थी बाहर उत्तर वाले दुआरे पर ख़ाली जगह पर -जो बचपन में बहुत बड़ा और अब छोटी सी जगह लगता है- खरहा से बोहार कर पानी छिड़का जाता था ताकि धूरि बइठ जाये और हवा चलने पर कुछ आराम मिले । बाँस का बना बैना भी मिल जाता था। एक लाइन में चार पाँच खटिया लग जाती थी। ज़्यादातर खटियाओं और तख़्तों की दो पंक्तियाँ लगती थी।

  जाड़े मे दुआरे पर कउडा लगता था; “थर थर काँप रहे हैं आगी बार कर ताप रहे हैं”, को चरितार्थ करते हुये । फिर क़िस्से , कहानी, गपशप और तमाम तरह की चर्चा भी होती थी। रज़ई पाड़ें, जबसे मैंने होश सँभाला, हमारे घर पर रात गुज़ारने आ जाते थे। र से रजई या यूँ कहें राजेश्वर पांडे के बारे में लिखा जायेगा।

  घ से घुघुआं भी होता है। जैसा नीचे के चित्र में दिखाया गया है बच्चे को दोनों पैरों पर ऊपर नीचे झुलाते हुये कहा जाता था

  घुघुआं माना उपजल धाना

  बाबू ( या बच्चे का नाम) लेकर, दोनों कान पकड़ कर कहना होता था

  छेदा द इहे दूनों काना !

  

  उत्तर का ओसारा छोटा था। एक तरफ़ भइया ( मेरे पितामह) की खटिया दूसरी तरफ़ छोटा बरामदा और बाबा ( मेरे पितामह के छोटे भाई) की कोठरी , बीच में घर के अंदर जाने के लिये बड़े दरवाज़े से हो कर अंदर जाने का रास्ता । फिर दरवाज़ा बड़ा सा काले रंग के दो कपाट एक दालान से होते हुये छोटे ओसारे और बड़े आँगन मे जाने का रास्ता।

  पूरब का ओसारा उत्तर के ओसारे की तुलना में काफ़ी लंबा था।

  

  क ख ग घ अंगिआं, पंडित जी के टूटि, गइलिआ टंगिया

  बचपन में सीखी “नर्सरी राइम” तब जब नर्सरी और राइम का मतलब भी पता न था

  

  इस ब्लाग को फ़ेसबुक पर मैंने कुछ दिन पहले पोस्ट किया था । कुछ प्रतिक्रिआयें मिली ।

  श्री नागर लिखिस:-बहुत अच्छे लिखे हो भाई। एक गुज़ारिश है, वर्णमाला पूरी करना। पुरानी यादों के सहारे हिन्दी भाषा की वर्णमाला याद रखने का मज़ा कुछ और ही है।

  श्री कुमार उत्तर दिहिस:- Rashmi Kant Nagar कार्य प्रगति पर है । अ से अः और क से ज्ञ तक सभी अक्षरों पर पर लिखा जाना है ।

  श्री मजूमदार लिखिस:-Being a babu saheb from Gorakhpur and mother tongue is hindi but never read hindi as main subject either in school or in college. Same case with me . A bengali babu born in Patna , leaving in Gujarat last 40/45 years learned bengali after retirement by way of reading bengali story books and started writing articles .There could be few mistakes in Barnabas but appreciate writings first and lastly and politely mention
  mistakes of your BARNAMALAS.

  श्री कुमार उत्तर दिहिस:-S B Sen Mazumdar अच्छा होता पटना के बाबू बंगाली में लिंखे होते । मैं गूगल चच्चा की मदद से भाव समझ जाता ।बबुआ अंगरेजी की जो रंगरेज़ी आप ने यहाँ की है पढ़ कर मज़ा आ गया।वैसे मैंने दसवीं तक तो हिंदी पढ़ी ही थी शायद बारहवीं तक भी, पर ठीक से याद नहीं और मार्कशीट पास में नहीं है।हिंदी, गणित और सामान्य ज्ञान के पर्चों में अच्छे नंबर पा (अंग्रेज़ी में बहुत ख़राब नंबर थे) मैं यूपी सिविल सर्विस की वन विभाग की सेवा में १९६५ में चुना गया था ।साक्षात्कार में भी पास हुआ फ़ाइनल लिस्ट में नाम था तीस में से सत्ताइसवां । अख़बार में नाम भी छप गया था।पर पाँच सीट कम की गई और हम रह गये । भाग्य में एनडीडीबी की फ़र्ज़ बजाना और आप जैसे उत्तम कोटि के सहकर्मियों का साथ निभाना जो लिखा था।

  बाबू अनिरुद्ध सिंह लिखिसः- जैसा आप को विदित हो कि मेरा धर भी गोरखपुर में ही है। कयी दफा बाँसगांव से उनवल होता हुआ, गोरखपुर, गया हूँ। चतुर बनदुआरी तो नहीं देखा परन्तु जो आपनें शब्दों के माध्यम से पीपल तर के बाबू के घर, मिठुआ आम तर के स्कूल तथा गाँव-जवार का चित्रण किया है, तो ऐसा लगता है कि सब देखा हुआ है।
  कार्पोरेट ने शायद एक साहित्य के आदमी को साहित्य से और अपने गाँव से दूर रखा!
  नहीं बाँध सकी, किसी शहर की जूही की कली,उस पागल परिंदे का पर।
  उसके गाँव की, बनेली कली, उसे जब बुलायेगी, वह चला जायेगा।
  अन्ततः आप की लम्बी उम्र की कामना के साथ, आप को सादर प्रणाम 🙏

  श्री कुमार उत्तर दिगिसः- Anirudh Singh बहुत बहुत धन्यवाद । पता नहीं मुझे ऐसा भान था कि आप देवरिया के किसी गाँव से हैं । पर मैं ग़लत हूँ। आप के गाँव का नाम बताइयेगा । मेरा गाँव बांसगांव से उनवल जाते समय भटवली बाज़ार के बाद आता है । बहुत सुंदर अभिव्यक्ति है आपकी इन पंक्तियों में:- “नहीं बाँध सकी, किसी शहर की जूही की कली,उस पागल परिंदे का पर।
  उसके गाँव की, बनेली कली, उसे जब बुलायेगी, वह चला जायेगा।”मैंने गाँव छोड़ा पर गाँव ने मुझे न छोड़ा । अब गाँव भी वह न रहा जो मेरे समय में था। तब गाँव वास्तव में और अब केवल मन में रहता है । मेरे बड़े बुजुर्ग और बहुत से समकालीन अब न रहे। रह गईं उनकी यादें । खट्टी मीठी यादों की चासनी और यथार्थ की त्रासदी सब अपने अंत: में संजोये बैठा मैं कुछ समय उन पुरानी यादों में बिता लेता हूँ । शांति मिलती है।आपकी शुभेच्छाओं के लिये धन्यवाद । आप और आप के समस्त प्रिय जनों के लिये मेरी हार्दिक शुभकामनाएँ 🙏 आप बहुत अच्छा लिखते है । वृक्षमंदिर.काम के लिये कुछ लिखें !

  श्री अवधेश त्रिपाठी लिखिसः- पढ़कर बहुत आनन्द आया। अपना बचपन याद आ गया। भोजपुरी शब्दों की बहुत सुन्दर प्रस्तुति है । बधाई!

  श्री जतीन्द्र कुमार सूद लिखिसः- Sir, Aap kamal ka likhate hain. Poora pada. Par abhi baaki hai. 🙏🙏

  श्रीमती नीला गुप्ता लिखिसः- Very interesting memories and creates clear visuals of those lovely days. Mujhe mere bachpan ki yaaden taza hui

  
  होइहें सोई जो राम रचि राखा।
  को करि तरक बढावहिं साखा।

  Search

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  • Understanding Information: The Challenge in the Age of the Internet and Technology
  • जानकारी की सही समझ: इंटरनेट और तकनीकी जमाने की चुनौती
  • The unfinished Blog: Finally Completing the Story of Meeting Rajeev Deshmukh
  • A story in search of an end; “A Bull Made of Steel”
  • Shri R N Haldipur. Humility Unlimited

  

  June 28, 2023

  व्यंग, Reminiscences

  ---

• Random Reminiscences of a forgetful old man-1; late 1960’s-early 1970’s

  

  

  Luxury Living in Amul Dairy Campus

  My first “home” in Anand in May – July 1968 was a room in the bungalow of Prof Michael Halse in the Amul Campus opposite Dr Kuriens’s House (Amul 1).

  I had a fully furnished air-conditioned room with an attached bath full of shelves filled with books.

  Yes, I am talking of 1968 May! Some 54 years ago!

  Pure luxury that this “Bhaiya” from a Gorakhpur village had not been exposed to till then ! But it did not last long.

  Come to think of it, I could afford an air conditioner in my Anand home behind the NDDB campus only in 1998/1999, some thirty years of work life.

  In the workplace at NDDB too I had a room to myself in the office only after I became Director (OVOW) in 1984, which was air-conditioned.

  Mike was on leave in the UK in June of that year. Mike had a Goan cook, Paul. A jovial happy-go-lucky individual, Paul had a mixed Goan Gujarati accent. Dinesh was the other helper a Pandit ( Mishra or Shukla) who belonged to UP, probably Pratapgarh. He was very economical with speaking in Bhojpuri or Awadhi with me and preferred to speak in Khari Boli (Hindi). Both Paul and Dinesh were fluent in Gujarati.

  However, they both became friendly to me once they knew that I would not be on Mikes’s staff but I was already an employee of NDDB.

  Meeting Virindra Behla

  Many good things happened in my life in the late sixties. One of the highlights besides my “ interview” with Dr Kurien, meeting Professor VK Gupta, Dr Michael Halse, and landing up with a regular job with NDDB was meeting Virindra Behla.

  I was then staying at the bungalow of Prof Michael Halse in the Amul Campus.

  One evening Dr Kurien walked up the house of Mike as he saw me sitting on the porch. He wanted to enquire about the return of Mike to Anand, who was then on holiday in England. It was a day before I joined NDDB on 1 May 1968 in late April 1968, may be on 30 or 31 April.

  A young Sardar Ji accompanied Dr Kurien.

  The person accompanying Dr Kurien was Behla.

  

  It was Dr Kurien who introduced Behla and me to each other. We both are old now, and our friendship too has passed middle age have already completed 54 years.

  Reality Check: Moving to a Shared Room

  After staying with Mike for a few months probably in July 1968 I moved to a room which I shared with Harish Virmani. Virmani and I shared the room but the washroom / WC was shared with the owners of the house “Krishna Villa.”

  What a reality check!

  From AC room in Amul Dairy Campus to a small room with not even a washroom and no furniture. Monthly rent if I remember correctly was Rs 60/- per month and my share was Rs 30/- My take home salary then was Rs 435/- per month. I became an income tax payer from day one after getting a regular job. I think tax deducted at source in 1968-1969 financial year was Rs 250/- ( for ten months) or around Rs 25/- per month. House rent worked out to about 7% and income tax another 6%. A thali in Amul canteen cost Rs 1.35/- Amul Milk doled out of cans in early mornings was Rs 1.05 per litre. Modern Dairy had begun operations and a small loaf cost Rs 0.25/- So modern bread with Bedekar Lonche ( mango or lemon) with tea became standard breakfast.

  There was a local restaurant opposite Amul Dairy which sold Ganthia, Bhajia and other savouries and tea. At times one would go to that shop too or walk into the dairy to get some thing from the workers canteen. Usual place for lunch was Amul Dairy workers canteen. For dinner one had a choice Amul Dairy workers canteen or Punjab Rajputana Restaurant near the Anand Railway station. There were other restaurants too in that area but I frequented Punjab Rajputana as it served non vegetarian dishes. I used to eat non vegetarian food those days.

  I decided to buy a cot. Which remained with me till I moved to the NDDB campus in 1970.

  Virmani being a trainee executive and recruited to work for the Mehsana Milk Producers Union for their cattle feed plant had to move out once the training was over and join the Mehsana Union.

  NDDB Campus via Mani Bhuvan in 1970

  I then moved to a two-bedroom house in Arya Nagar; which NH Vyas, PV Mathew ( First recruits to Amul and NDDB from IIMA) and I shared. NH Vyas and I shared one room while Mathew took the other room. Kitchen was non-functional. We neither invested in setting it up not had the interest in cooking except tea.

  Virindra Behla , Baboo Nair and I lived in Anand in Mani Bhuvan on Amul Dairy Road during 1968-1970. Behla spent more time at sites than in Anand. Later when Baboo left for Sweden Rashmi Kant Nagar Nandi Naithani, Shailendra Palvia moved in. Dr Palvia is currently Professor Emeritus of MIS at Long Island University. Naithani though younger than us has already left us on his final journey. May he attain Sadgati.

  Some nostalgic pictures of our Mani Bhuan days! Nostalgia is a feeling.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  In mid-1970 the NDDB office was moved from the fourth floor of Multi Storyed Administrative building of Kheda District Milk Producers Cooperative Union to the newly built campus near Jagnath Mahadeo Temple on Khetiwadi Road, Nagar and I were allotted fully furnished rooms with attached bathroom in the Chummury ( now Guest House). PV Mathew and Dr Narayan Raj also got accommodation at the Chummery. It had six rooms therefore two rooms remained vacant.

  Ashok Koshy and PT Jacob moved to Mani Bhuvan for a few months.

  With Rao ji Bhai was our cook cum man Friday in those days of late sixties in Mani Bhuvan.

  “Mani Bhuvan” was an eating and Gupshup place for many bachelor employees of Amul and newly set up NDDB. Mani Bhuvan was the last house in Anand town where I lived for the longest period before moving to the NDDB campus as first batch of officers who were allotted living accommodation on the newly built campus in 1970.

  Life Goes On

  I have stayed in what is now NDDB Guest House, Hostel as the first warden, D Block, C Block and B Block before moving to our own house behind Anandalaya which Behla and I built in 1987.

  Both of us have sold those beautiful houses where at least I thought will be my retirement home. But it was not to be.

  Fast forward 50-plus years …

  1- We all are now old, mid-seventies and more
  2-Some friends both mentioned and not mentioned above have left us on their final journey
  3- Our families are all over the world
  4- Many of us are still connected though we lost touch with some others.

  I found this article and was remembered Baboo Nair. He is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Food Technology, Engineering and Nutrition at the University of Lund.

  

  June 27, 2023

  Anand, Reminiscences

  ---

• Five Minutes of July 22nd, 1969

  

  Rashmi Kant Nagar

  Former General Manager, National Dairy Development Board

  Father’s Day is a new celebration for most Indians. We in India do not earmark a specific day to remember our parents- be it Mother’s Day or the Father’s Day.

  

  Shri Hem Shankar Nagar

  

  For us every day is the ‘parents day’ or it used to be so for my generation until the western influence separated it and assigned a day of the year for each parent.

  Be it as it may, being old school, I continue to cherish the memories of my parents day after day, especially their teachings that shaped my life, my thinking and the way I have conducted myself so far.

  “The only time he ever directly advised me was on 22nd July 1969, a day before I was to leave for Anand to join NDDB. He gave me three important tips.”

  My father was a man of modest means but a generous giver, generous at heart as his meanswere limited. He never said ‘No’ to anyone who came seeking help. As a teacher-educator, he helped his subordinates, many of whom just peons educate themselves while in government service and saw to it that they make a career in teaching. He provided them books out of his own earnings and didn’t expect even a word of gratitude from the beneficiaries. He willingly and happily transferred our ancestral home to children of his deceased brother while his own family lived in rented accommodation. All this while also supporting children of a number of near and distant relatives pursue higher education. And he was not ashamed of himself living under tremendous financial pressure. He happily dressed in worn out shirts that had clumsily mended collars. His contagious smile and cool manners were enough to carry him anywhere with confidence and a commanding attitude.

  He never interfered with our choice of a career. He gave us total freedom to choose a career path that made us comfortable and happy. The only time he ever directly advised me was on 22nd July 1969, a day before I was to leave for Anand to join NDDB. He gave me three important tips. Although he left this mortal world 47 years ago- on 13th May 1975, his words are so fresh in my memory as though they were spoken only a day before.

  He told me, “Rashmi, in a couple of days you will enter a new phase of your life away from home. You will be in a new environment with new people. The new phase will require adjustments but in the work environment what I am telling you may prove very useful.

  Remember that:

  1. Learning never ends. It is a continuous process. So be open to learning and the best way to do it is ‘observe and learn’. If you keep an open mind, you can learn from anyone, anywhere, anytime.

  2. Treat all your colleagues with respect irrespective of their status in the official hierarchy. Everyone is a human first.

  3. For every Rupee that you are paid, put in Rs. 1.25 worth of effort. This way you will end your day with a feeling of utmost satisfaction, you will sleep well and that will always keep you healthy. A good night’s sleep is worth more than a million applauses.

  Over my working life, I tried my best to stick to these fundamental teachings of my Dad and I hope that I lived to his expectations. If I have, then no tribute to him can be greater than my following his “5 minutes of 22nd July 1969”, and ‘Father’s Day’ has nothing to do with it.

  

  

  June 22, 2023

  Culture and Identity, Reminiscences

  ---

• Nivedita Corporation

  

  Dr AS Abani

  Former University Professor, Director, and Dean for 50 years including tenure with NDDB

  
  
  In 1989, Dr AS Abani created a “situation description” as a “role play” exercise to educate students on organizational politics and behavioral aspects. The scenario involves a professional leaving a well-known, internationally renowned organization after over a decade of service. Although Dr Abani originally shared the exercise on his Facebook page, he provided me with printed pages upon my request in mid-2022.

  Due to the challenges of typing from a printed document in our old age, the exercise has remained in my draft folder for an extended period.

  However, as I have almost fully recovered from a health setback in 2022, I have begun working on my website and rediscovered this blog. 

  I apologize to Dr Abani for the significant delay in posting his first contribution to Vrikshamandir. And hope that I would receive some more contributions from him.

  Readers’ comments are welcome.

  

  

  

  

  

  June 20, 2023

  ---

• संगीत ऐसा भी है, जो मिट्टी गाए

  

  अक्तूबर२०२२ के बाद डाक्टर मुकुंद नवरे से मई २०२३ मे पुनः संपर्क स्थापित हुआ। उनके जन्मदिन पर फ़ोन पर बातचीत भी हुई।

  मेरी उम्र के लोगों की बातों मे सलाम दुआ, एक दूसरे के स्वास्थ्य आदि की बातों के बाद ज़्यादा समय बीते दिनों की बातें करने में बीतता है। जो बीत गया उसे बयान करने में ऐसा लगता है जैसे हम उन क्षणों को फिर जी रहे हैं।

  बातो ही बातों में उन्होंने भारत में अपने घर में पड़ी पुरानी चीजों की देखभाल और सफ़ाई के दौरान पुरानी संदूक से मिली अपने पिता जी की पुरानी डायरी की बात बताई। उसी डायरी में श्री आसाराम वर्मा की हस्तलिपि में लिखी निम्नलिखित कविता “संगीत ऐसा भी जो मिट्टी गाये” के बारे में बात हुई जो उन्होंने मुझे फ़ोन पर पढ़ कर सुनाई।

  मुझे सुन कर आनंद आया। खेती और संगीत के शाब्दिक समन्वय का यह प्रयोग मन को भा गया। सुनते समय लगा जैसे सात आठ साल का “मैं”, अपने गाँव पर अपने खेतों के बीच की मेड़ों पर चल रहा हूँ । बरसात हो कर बादल छट रहे हैं और बादलों के सफ़ेद और कजरारे बच्चे सूरज से आँख मिचौली खेल रहे हैं। कुछ बालियाँ निकल चुकी हैं और बहुत सी निकलने के लिये मचल रही हैं। धान की सुगंधित मंद पवन सारे वातावरण में फैल रही हैं।

  मेरे पूछने पर अपने पिता जी और श्री आसाराम वर्मा के बारे में डाक्टर नवरे ने बताया और बाद में व्हाट्सएप पर लिख कर भी भेजा, जिसके आधार पर यह भूमिका नीचे लिख रहा हूँ ।

  

  डाक्टर मुकुंद नवरे के पिता श्री लक्ष्मण नवरे ( १९२०-२००२), सन १९४० से १९५५ तक सातारा नगर परिषद की पाठशाला मे शिक्षक थे। बाद मे उन्होने साहित्य सुधाकर, साहित्य रत्न परीक्षाऐं उत्तीर्ण की और हिंदी प्रचारक बने। सातारा मे उन्होंने राष्ट्रभाषा विद्यालय भी चलाया था। १९५६ में नागपुर स्थित शासकीय पटवर्धन विद्यालय में हिंदी शिक्षक पद पर नियुक्त होकर भी वे हिंदी प्रचारक बने रहे। १९६३ मे हिंदी विषय में एम ए करने के बाद वे कालेज में प्रोफेसर बने।

  
  श्री लक्ष्मण नवरे का वर्धा स्थित राष्ट्रभाषा प्रचार समिति में काम के लिये अक्सर आना जाना होता था । वहां श्री आसाराम वर्मा भी हिंदी प्रचारक के नाते आया करते थे। इसी कारण दोनो मे मैत्री बनी। दोनों साहित्य प्रेमी थे और कविताएं करते थे।

  
  डाक्टर मुकुंद नवरे के पिता जी की मराठी और हिंदी में कविताएँ लिखते थे। पुरानी संदूक में मिली नोटबुक में श्री लक्ष्मण नवरे ने अपने मित्र श्री आसाराम वर्मा को कभी कविता लिखने का आग्रह किया होगा जिसके फलस्वरुप आसाराम जी की दो कविताएं डाक्टर नवरे को मिली नोटबुक में मौजुद है।

  
  १९७६ में जब डाक्टर मुकुंद नवरे जलगाँव मे डेयरी बोर्ड की टीम के लीडर थे तब अपने पिता जी के साथ भुसावल जाकर श्री आसाराम वर्मा से मिले भी थे ।

  

  संगीत ऐसा भी है, जो मिट्टी गाए

  संगीत ऐसा भी है जो मिट्टी गाए

  संगत के लिये, हज़ार हज़ार तारों का, सुनहरा तानपूरा सूरज छेड़े
  तो कभी
  लाख लाख,छलकते हुए मृदंगों को
  बादल खन खनाये,
  और फिर मिट्टी के सुनहरे कंठों से
  धानों का ध्रुपद,
  तिल के तराने,
  अरहर की आसावरी,
  ज्वार की जयजयवंती,
  मटर का मालकोस,
  गेहूं की भैरवी फूटे,
  गहगहाए
  लहलहाए
  संगीत ऐसा भी है जो माटी गाए

  

  धरती एक प्रौढ़ा नायिका

  धरती एक प्रौढ़ा नायिका

  बावरे ! परदेसी सैंया साँवरे जाओ जी जाओ अब तो अपने गाँव रे !

  चौमासा कब का बीत गया, मैं भरी भरी, तू रीत गया, जाओ जी जाओ अब तो अपने गाँव रे !

  पिया, भुजाओं में इतना कसो नहीं, अंगना में मेरे बसो नहीं, मैं अब केवल प्रिया नहीं, मां भी हूँ , जानो

  हाथ जोड़ती हूँ जाओ !

  देखो पलने में मक्का मचल रहा है, क ख ग लिखना सीख गई मूँगफली, बस्ता लिये कपासी खड़ी, मदरसे जाने को

  पहन लिया अरहर ने, घेरदार घाघरा घूमर नृत्य मचाने कोजुआर हो गई हमारे कंधों तक ऊँची,व्याह के योग्य

  पहनने लगी नौगजी लुगडा नागपुर, धान सुनहला जामा पहन, बन गया कब का दूल्हा

  अब तुम ही सोचो, ये सब देखेंगे रंग रलियां हमारी

  वह देखो कोई देख रहा है,

  शायद, अलसी कलसी लिये खड़ी है,नन्हे गेहूं की उँगली पकड़े

  अब तो छोड़ो छोड़ो सैंया ! मैं पड़ूँ तुम्हारे पाँव रे!

  परदेसी सैंया, साँवरे ! जाओ जी जाओ अब तो अपने गाँव रे !

  रूठो नहीं सजनआठ मास के बाद, अजी फिर से अइयो, और सागरमल की बड़ी हाट से सजन,गोल गोल गीले घुंघरून की, छुम छुम पैंजनिया लइयो

  तेरी मेरी तो जनम जनम की भाँवरें !

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  June 14, 2023

  कविता, संस्मरण

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• Dr HB Joshi shares his views on the why, what and how of Vrikshamandir

  

  Dr HB Joshi

  Dr.Hemendra Joshi – NDDB/ SAGP 1977-2000, Banas Dairy / 2001-2012

  Thank you Dr Joshi for your kinds words about Vrikshamandir. I had written a blog in 2020 titled “Why Vrikshamandir”? I quote below the last paragraph of that blog.

  One can read the full text by clicking this link “Why Vrikshamandir”

  “I decided to launch this website and post blogs documenting life experiences, incidents, and insights observed and reflected upon from time to time by me as well as by those whom I came in contact with, who profoundly impacted the course of my life journey. I am deeply indebted to each them. There will be pages on this website and blogs dedicated to their life stories written by me or contributed by others.”

  ~ Shailendra

  

  Vrikshamandir -a magic instrument to keep people in a confident, lively and buyont mood!

  
  If we describe a vriksha (tree) in the real sense, it is the lifeline of all living beings on earth; human beings derive oxygen for sustaining life, and in turn, vriksha takes in carbon dioxide, so it is natural symbiosis! At the same time, vriksha provides shelter to birds generously giving space for their nest that In turn make the vriksha vibrant with activities. Travellers get a canopy, protection from the scorching sun and even an umbrella while raining; thus, in a real sense, vriksha is a temple, a throne of God which sustains life over the earth! There are multiple benefits of a vriksha, but in this context, these are enough to count!
  
  Navigating through the beautiful blogs on Vrikhsamandir, lovingly nurtured by Shri Shailendraji, benefits all of the NDDBians who are retired and are away from active life. It serves as a beautiful platform for sharing their thoughts!
  
  You would agree with me when a person gets superannuated suddenly, he becomes inactive, and that transition is challenging to bear. Some of us continue to work even after retirement but more often than not their to ability to perform gets restricted due to old age and slowing down of reflexes!

  दश कूप समा वापी, दशवापी समोह्नद्रः।
  दशह्नद समः पुत्रों, दशपुत्रो समो द्रमुः।
  
  दस कुओं के बराबर एक बावड़ी होती है, दस बावड़ियों के बराबर एक तालाब, दस तालाबों के बराबर एक पुत्र और दस पुत्रों के बराबर एक वृक्ष होता है ।

  Source: Vrksayurvedah-6

  
  Without active life, there are all possibilities of setting devious depression as there is no vent to let the steam off!
  
  In this context, vrikshamandir plays a pivotal role in linking retired people with each other and maintaining communication. It happens many times retired person gets frequent moods off due to lower endocrine levels!

  I feel Vrikshamamdir provides the perfect and sure-shot remedy! The modus of operandi is to recollect all your past constructive and creative experiences, which are nowhere recorded and could be treasured in the Vrikshamandir wonderfully in story forms and serve as an energy booster when one’s mood is off. It provides an opportunity to recall one’s creative contributions to the organisation and society. It also helps depict objective lessons that one can learn from one’s own experiences and contributions.
  
  Vrikshamandir is a beautiful instrument for exchanging experiences and learnings through anecdotes and parables. It helps develop skills for storytelling and writing, which in turn ignites the habit of reading and continuously updating knowledge and being aware of the world around us.
  
  The present generation who have not seen Dr Kurien saheb and his leadership could become enlightened by going through all the practical lessons he preached to the people who came into his contacts while working! This could help in building up morale, and thus Vrikhshamandir is entirely instrumental in teaching the values and principles for achieving success by being a proactive person!
  
  Everyone likes the past reminiscences when they see either pictures, photographs or listening audio outputs, which are undoubtedly excellent reference material preserved in Vrikshamandir and definitely when one looks at it, they slip back into past glory, certainly raising their oxytocin level and get a ‘feel good factor ‘out of it!
  
  Vrikshamandir provides a social e-venue where all members can flock together, and some people who knew each other but have not met for long due to a change of location or other reasons could pick the thread together and enjoy life!
  
  In my life, I have just come across the first time such an arrangement when a blog is actively linked with the retired members of the organisation, and even after retirement, they could share their experiences!
  
  Last but not the least, I must mention the creative endeavour of our senior and mentor, Shri Shailendraji, to keep all the “birds” in a jovial mood by compiling and editing “contributed” material – reshaping only where required- and put them on the open and accessible to all treasure trove of vrikshamandir so that they chirp for ever in good air!

  

  March 24, 2023

  संस्मरण, Dairy Devemopment, Dr V Kurien, Operation Flood, Reminiscences

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• Meeting of former NDDB employees at Anand on 21/22 January 2023

  I visited my home country, Bharat, from 14 November 2022 to 6 March 2023, after nearly two years and four months. There was so much to do during the four-month trip to Bharat; So many people to meet—so many places to visit. I was excited but tired too.

  After all, I had just gotten over my radiation sessions in June 2022 and was in the middle of hormone injections while starting medication for my heartbeat too. There was some anxiety, but the excitement was far more than the anxiety. The first few months went very well, and I could cross out many tasks on my to-do list while in India.

  The month of February 2023 was a waste as I fell sick immediately after my return to Gurgaon from a very satisfying trip to Anand, where I participated in the third get-together of former NDDB employees. I was bedridden during the month of February 2023 first with pneumonia and then with UTI.

  I was lucky to have recovered just in time to travel back to cold and freezing Toronto in early March and not pay a penalty for a change in air tickets booked months ago.

  I travelled more than 5000 km by road in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat. I also travelled by air taking 4 flights. Roads have greatly improved so have airports.

  I will write separately about my trips to my village Banduari, Gorakhpur, Anand, Nadiad, Vadodara, Netrang, Statue of Unity and Bhavnagar, Ahmedabad, Palanpur, Chittorgarh, Salangpur, Dubai and Cairo.

  I first wanted to do a quick short blog on my visit to Anand.

  Next week I hope to be able to post videos of some fascinating discussion sessons that were organised during 21/22 January, meeting of former NDDB employees at Anand.

  Let me begin by sharing some pictures !

  I have 427 photographs and about 7 hours of video recordings taken during the third meeting of former NDDB employees held on 21/22 January, 2023. ( Photography and videography thanks to Ramesh Baria who has been a sort of official photographer at NDDB after National Studio).

  I don’t know why I am facing some technological challenges and struggling to upload all the photographs and videos. I hope to solve these issues with the help of a friend who has agreed to come home and help me on Sunday 26 March. Looking forward to his visit.