Category: Articles

Captain Pravin Raghuvanshi, NM

(Captain Pravin Raghuvanshi—an ex Naval Officer, possesses a multifaceted personality. Presently, he is serving as Senior Advisor in prestigious Supercomputer organisation C-DAC, Pune. An alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad is involved in various Artificial Intelligence and High-Performance Computing projects of national and international repute. He has got a long experience in the field of ‘Natural Language Processing’, especially, in the domain of Machine Translation. He has taken the mantle of translating the timeless beauties of Indian literature upon himself so that it reaches across the globe. He has also undertaken translation work for Shri Narendra Modi, the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, which was highly appreciated by him. He is also a member of ‘Bombay Film Writer Association’. )

? Happy New Year 2021!?

Having bid farewell to year 2020, we’re ushering in the New Year 2021, which calls for a celebration, as it is an occasion to  spend frolicking time with near-and-dear ones, and exchange Happy New Year wishes and greetings.

A great deal of things happen in the  year just gone by, mostly unprecedented, melancholic and sombre. The pandemic Covid-19 did unleash its catastrophic spell on the humanity.

The 2020 was a life time unique experience in many aspects: societal, economic, profession, science. World has changed in this period perhaps busy in establishing human superiority over the nature. Conceited mankind did attempt to takeover nature’s all functions in totality with Artificial Intelligence, robotics and cloning humans. But then suddenly the nature gave one of its little gentle but lethal slap, and made the human world realise its pygmy status बी bringing the world to its knees in a jiffy. All socio-economic theories, architectural shapes and even rituals lost meaning and got changed forever.

Mankind will try to find an answer to this pandemic and also the ruffling of nature but it would be wise if we offset the course at least to remain parallel to nature if not converging, while maintaining its due reverence and obeisance!

Let us usher in the year 2021 with full vigour and sensitivities, keeping the lessons learnt from the 2020 in our memory box guarding against the auto delete.

 Today is the first blank page of a 365-page book. Let’s write a good one…as the adage goes: “A job well done is half done!”

 Let’s dream a new dream…Hoping smiles from the threshold of the year just rang the bell, whispering: ‘It will be happier…with promising newer vistas of wellness and prosperity!’

Happy New Year 2021!

Captain Pravin Raghuvanshi, NM

☆ Wah Ustaad! – Mr Vinay Madhav Gokhale☆

It was on a Sunday morning. I was sipping my morning cuppa when my attention was drawn to the news in ‘Sakal’ about a Pune district level carrom tournament being underway. I had this long cherished wish to watch one. With not much having to do for the day, I decided today was going to be it.

A call was made to Ajay, a late-afternoon time was fixed and there we were, standing in the table tennis rooms at Nehru stadium. There already was a motley crowd inside comprising mostly of spectators like us, tournament organizers wearing the caps, few of them wearing their club ‘T’ shirts and then there were friends and supporters of the individual players or clubs etc. Why so much crowd for a district level Carrom tournament, I wondered. I was to get an apt answer soon.

The air inside was stuffy with practically no air conditioning or circulation in place. However the atmosphere was full of enthusiastic expectations. There were two rooms, each one housing close to eight boards on which matches were played in the singles, doubles and team categories. There was a separate category for seniors too.  The carrom boards were lighted and warmed by the yellow bulbs stooping from the roof.

We were treated to some vintage games of carrom. The explosive reverse breaks and the  rollicking finishes, the straight shots, the reverse shots, the sharp cuts, the side flank shots, the thumb shot, the third pocket shots, the fluke shots, the cannon shot, the deft nudges and touches, the deliberately played negative shots to move opponent’s pieces away from the pocket, we witnessed the entire array of shots. Each difficult piece pocketed was greeted with an impromptu roar of appreciation and a simple piece missed was followed by a sympathetic gasp.  So much involved the audience was with the game!

We soon started realizing the game was played at a much different level than we were aware of.  There were hardly any mistakes committed, was one reason.  The second was the realization that the players were reading the carrom board just like a chess board. An enormous amount of thought went into planning and executing each shot.

How much force to apply, what should be the angle so that the pieces do not get disturbed unfavorably, which return path the striker should take, which pieces the striker should touch etc.  If there were no easy pieces available, how to play a waiting game enticing the opponent into taking more risks and make a mistake etc, every move was driven by a strategy.  Sometimes the players simply chose to pocket the obstructing opposite colored pieces for their own benefit later.

The icing on the cake was provided by Yogesh Pardeshi, a lad from Pune. Yogesh has a very modest personality with no air about him whatsoever. He is remarkably quiet and soft-spoken. For those uninitiated to the world of carrom, Yogesh is a three times ‘World Champion’ in Carrom!

Aditya Chavan, Kiran Dhende, Sulaiman Shaikh, Digambar Chatra were all ‘excellent’ that day but Yogesh Pardeshi still was several notches better, a true ‘World Champion’ class! And he gave enough evidences that evening.

When Yogesh’s match against Digambar started, majority of the crowd flocked around him. Digambar looked in good spirits, fresh from his win against Sulaiman some time back. As the game started, a hush descended around the board only to be broken by the sounds of the striker caressing the pieces or crashing into the pieces and the delightful sound of the piece disappearing into the pocket. Yogesh stayed so much focused on the game that he did not even bother to look neither at his opponent’s face nor at the people around him. Neither the ring tones of people’s mobiles bothered him, nor did the sounds made by the audience disturb him. His eyes, ears, brains, hands were all “living” the game.

There was no unsuccessful start for him with most of his breaks slotting two pieces.  He commanded the pieces to the pockets with the precision of an unerring robot. Shots were ‘discovered’ from seemingly unconceivable positions, his defense was rock solid, and no unforced errors were made. A brilliant move by the opponent was met with an even better response. Each mistake by Digambar was heavily punished. The outcome of the match was never in doubt, a cold execution that left behind a devastated opponent!

After the match we met Yogesh, shook hands with him and congratulated for his win. When we introduced our names he also introduced in a down-to-earth voice, “I am Yogesh Pardeshi”.  He enquired whether the two of us also played carrom. Did we really all these years? Not really. We had our first lesson of the game on that day. The only words I had for him were “Wah Ustaad!”

If you want to draw more inspiration, read his page, “History Behind My Success” at URL,  http://yogeshpardeshi.wordpress.com/

So what was the takeaway for me and Ajay? We have resolved to put in some Carrom practice and participate in local tournaments ourselves. Touchwood, we keep our resolution for the New Year 2014!

© Mr Vinay Madhav Gokhale

Mob. – 09890028667

≈  Blog Editor – Shri Hemant Bawankar/Editor (English) – Captain Pravin Raghuvanshi, NM ≈

Shri Ajeet Singh 

(We present an article ‘Shri M K Pardhi – A Centurian Journalist remembers … ’ written by Shri Ajeet Singh ji, Ex-Director (News), Doordarshan.)

We are extremely thankful to Shri Ajeet Singh ji for sharing experience of Shri M K Pardhi ji who celebrated his 100th birthday on 18th December 2020.  ? e-abhivyakti family extends heartiest greetings to Shri M K Pardhi ji.?) 

☆ Shri M K Pardhi – A Centurian Journalist remembers … : Shri Ajeet Singh ☆

Shri M.K . Pardhi,  a former officer of the Indian Information Service, who completed one hundred years of his glorious life Friday, is proud of his one special assignment and has a deep regret for another in his long professional career as a journalist.

Shri Pardhi who is hale and hearty shared some of his experiences today at a webinar organised by All India Radio Pune to mark the occasion. People from different parts of India joined to wish him a happy birth day and listen to his experiences and advice for the new generation.

Centurian Shri M.K. Pardhi at his Pune home Friday /Shri Pardhi with his wife.

“I started my journalistic career from a Marathi newspaper Janshakti and reported the “Quit India” movement led by Mahatma Gandhi in then Bombay in 1942. Gandhi ji was a charismatic leader. People followed him with reverence. I was privileged to cover that.

” The incident that I regret was my assignment in the Censor Board in the Press Information Bureau during the Emergency between 1975 and 1977. I did not like the job but had to delete news items unpalatable to the government of the day from the newspaper pages.

“Shri M. K. Pardhi worked in the All India Radio, Publication Division and Field Publicity departments of the ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

Shri Pardhi was Regional Officer in the Field Publicity department and would frequently go on field tours to inspect the working of the Field Publicity units under his supervision. “These tours would actually turn to be literary discussions with Marathi writers in different district of Maharashtra state”, says a writer who had come to offer birthday greetings to him in Pune.

When asked about the secret of his long life and good health, Shri Pardhi said it was because of his still continuing involvement in creative activities like literary writing and review. “Remain happy. Things will change. Adversity will also change”.

A journalist put a naughty question to Mrs. Pardhi. “When was it that you had a fight with each other?”.

“We fight almost every day but make up within minutes”, was the prompt reply from her. Though a bit hard of hearing, Shri Pardhi nodded in affirmation with a smile.

“Was it a love marriage or arranged one?”

“Both”, said Mrs Pardhi with a bit of blushing without elaborating.

Any message for the new generation?

“Work hard. Be creative and remain away from intoxicants”, was the  advice from Shri Pardhi as the time for this webinar ended.  Shri Pardhi was to join another felicitation function organised by a Pune publication.

Greetings continued to pour in on social media from the working and the retired members of the Indian Information Service and those from the programme and other wings of All India Radio and Doordarshan. Print media persons and literary writers too turned up in big numbers to wish many more happy return of the day to Centurian Shri M. K. Pardhi.

Shri Pardhi who was born on the 18th of December in 1920, retired in 1978 aged 58, then prescribed age for retirement for Central Government staff. The age since has been raised to 60 years.

©  Shri Ajeet Singh 

Ex-Director (News) Doordarshan

Mo. – 9466647037

≈  Blog Editor – Shri Hemant Bawankar/Editor (English) – Captain Pravin Raghuvanshi, NM ≈

Shri Ajeet  Singh 

(We present an article ‘Meet my friend Swami Sudarshanam…’ written by Shri Ajeet Singh ji, Ex-Director (News), Doordarshan. We are extremely thankful to Shri Ajeet Singh ji for sharing experience of his friend Mr. Srinivasan Sudarshanam now Swami Sudarshanam while he was AIR’s correspondent in New Delhi who covered reporting of 13/12 attack from inside Parliament.) 

☆ Meet my friend Swami Sudarshanam… : Shri Ajeet Singh ☆

Srinivasan Sudarshanam wanted to be an army officer after doing his B.A. in Literature in Sailam city of Tamilnadu. Medical test held at Roorkee in present day Uttarakhand, failed him.

Living with his sister in New Delhi, he tried for several jobs and got the post of a Public Relations Officer in the Delhi Industrial Development Corporation where he worked for about nine years. In between, he cleared the UPSC examination for the Indian Information Service in 1983 and was posted as a Correspondent in the All India Radio where he worked for over 22 years. Taking voluntary retirement in 2005, feeling that it was getting a routine dull job, Sudarshanam returned to his native Chennai to take up the job that his heart wanted for long. He became a priest in the famous Narsimha temple. Friends now call him Swami Sudarshanam.

“Radio job was interesting and several incidents that I was witness to, stay in my mind”.

(Former Reporter Sudarshanam is a Swami now)

Reporting 13/12 attack from inside Parliament

Asked to elaborate, he listed the terrorist attack on Parliament on the 13th of December in 2001, as the most vivid one.

“It was an attack on the most significant symbol of Indian Republic and democracy. Our brave security people foiled it with a great sacrifice. I shudder to imagine what could have happened if the terrorists had succeeded in entering the Parliament House.

“The Business was as usual in Parliament that day. Senior colleague Sebastian Robert went to cover the Lok Sabha and I went to the Rajya Sabha Press Gallery. At sharp 11 AM the Rajyasabha meeting began. The Opposition did not allow the House to function. Several issues were raised. Some members even went to the well of the House and shouted slogans. The House was adjourned for the day. I rushed to AIR Room inside the Parliament House, to file the development. The same thing happened in the Loksabha and Mr. Robert and myself filed a combined story. It was around 11.20 AM, when we heard a commotion from the ground floor. Rifles firing sounds and security persons running this and that way asking people to get indoors in their rooms. By the time we reached ground floor, the main gate was closed. MPs were running here and there. Fortunately, I heard a Security Officer talking in his walkie-talkie passing the information that terrorists in a car forced their entry at the main gate. When challenged, they fired. Some security persons were killed. Three terrorists got killed. Their attempt to enter the main gate was foiled. Two terrorists were rushing to the Rajyasabha entrance.

I told Mr. Robert and he went to AIR Room to file this initial but unconfirmed report. I followed up the developments.
Fortunately, I met the then Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mr. Pramod Mahajan, who confirmed the above developments.
But the fate of the two terrorists who rushed to the Rajyasabha entrance was not known. We could revise our story quoting the Minister.
Soon the Delhi Police Commissioner arrived.

He confirmed that two terrorists who rushed to the Rajya Sabha entrance, were also killed by the brave security officers. I was doing the leg job and Robert kept on revising the story.

But another confusion cropped up. Someone was heard shouting that one terrorist managed to enter Parliament and is reportedly on the first floor. All were asked to close their rooms. About ten MPs came to AIR Room and were hiding themselves.

Friends believe me, my honest saying. Even PTI and UNI picked up details from AIR on that day. Soon it was confirmed that all five terrorists were killed in the shootout. Nine security personnel laid down their lives.

All India Radio, organized a day long discussion programme on the event. Myself and S. Robert were asked to participate in the programme. We both participated using Hinglish in the programme, both being Tamilian having just a little speaking knowledge of Hindi. The programme was well appreciated as we were filing the reports from ground zero.

I want to add here one thing. This was for a day only. Our friends who worked in North East, Jammu, Srinagar and in Chandigarh during long drawn violent crises, were constantly working under far greater threats and pressure. We should salute them. Compared to them, our lives were easy with this one-day affair” concluded Sudarshanam emphasising that reporting was quite a difficult job too.

Another coverage that he remembers is the Indian Army operation against the Tamil Tigers of the LTTE in Srilanka.

“I was deputed four times on month long tours to Srilanka. That was very difficult assignment. A newspaper had a headline “Capture Sudarshanam and Robert alive” quoting an LTTE commander’s order to his cadre. Being Tamilian we were considered traitors by them.
I was deputed to cover Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao’s visit to the Swiss resort of Davos for the World Economic Forum. He faced a lot of questions on the economic reforms he was heralding and also those on the Babri Masjid demolition. He fared quite well.

Sudarshanam, a teetotaller, had a once in life experience at Davos. He had to take four pegs of brandy to beat the extreme cold at this snowy resort.

Sudarshanam also visited Germany, China and Mauritius but these were just routine coverages.

“22 years of life in New Delhi was very good except for the fact that I couldn’t pick up fluent Hindi. My friends laughed at my broken Tamilised Hindi, but they enjoyed the vadas and dosas I offered them.

“My aged mother could talk only in Tamil and the mother of my Sikh neighbour only in Punjabi. But both the ladies gelled with each other very well and conversed for hours. When I asked my mother what she talked to the Punjabi lady, she only said that she was a good woman.
Back in Chennai, Sudarshanam did what he longed for life. He became a priest in the Narsimha temple.

Sudarshanam lost his wife Gita last year. He has no children of his own. He performs the temple duties from 6 to 10 AM. He gives religious education to about 40 children of the families living in the Guru Paradise Apartments. They are in 6 to 16 years of age and come in four batches age-wise between 4 and 8 PM.

“I was thinking of moving to an old age home after the passing away of my wife. Neighbours assured me of all help and I had to drop that idea.

“This is the best period of my life. I get a lot of bliss. Neighbours give me a lot of respect and help me if I need it ever, says he.

How is your fellow traveller and colleague of long years, Mr. Robert?

“He too has become a priest. He is a long white-robbed Christian Father in some Church.

We both had a long laugh. Life is a wonderful journey. Sudarshanam and Robert are now travellers of their respective religious journey. May be their directions are different, but goal is the same. Some glimpses of spiritual experiences in this final phase of their lives.

Long live my friends.

©  Shri Ajeet Singh 

Ex Director (News) Doordarshan

Mo. – 9466647037

≈  Blog Editor – Shri Hemant Bawankar/Editor (English) – Captain Pravin Raghuvanshi, NM ≈

Shri Ajeet Singh

(We present an article ‘Life on the edge for BSF wives….’ on the eve of  BSF Day – 1st December written by Shri  Ajeet  Singh ji, Director (News), Doordarshan. We are extremely thankful to Shri Ajeet Singh ji for sharing his experience while he was AIR’s correspondent in Jammu and Kashmir for over 19 years.) 

☆ BSF Day – 1st December ☆ Sometime in Srinagar: Life on the edge for BSF wives…☆

(Writer Shri Ajeet Singh ji was AIR’s correspondent in Jammu and Kashmir for over 19 years.  He retired as Director of News, Doordarshan, Hisar.)

Sometime in Srinagar:

Mrs Ekka suddenly held me by both my wrists and asked me to tell the truth as I, standing at the door, conveyed her a message that she should get ready to go to the army Base Hospital in Srinagar and a vehicle was on the way to pick her up.

Her husband, BSF Assistant Commandant Ekka who lived in the room next to mine in the Safe Zone declared Tourist Reception Centre, had been injured in an encounter with militants in Chhanpora locality of the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir state. Message had been received on my landline phone as I only had the facility on the second floor of the tourist hotel under security.

She feared the worst. I told her that I had been to the hospital for a coverage and met her husband who was slightly injured in the arm and he was fine after some sort of first aid only. She didn’t believe me.

“Why didn’t he come home if it was an injury requiring first aid only?

Please tell me the truth”, she pleaded and clinched both my wrists as if not to let me go without telling her the truth.

I had not been to the hospital. Ekka’s officer Deputy Commandant Garg had told me on phone about the incident and requested me to bring Mrs Ekka to the hospital. He also cautioned me to ensure that Mrs Ekka was not scared as I conveyed the information.

We locked our rooms and came downstairs where a vehicle waited for us. It was a 20-minute journey. Mrs Ekka was tense but silent.  She almost continuously stared at me as if to read my face or eyes to know whether or not I had told her the truth about her husband.

This scared me too from inside. What if Ekka’s injuries were grave or he was ….. no more.

She suddenly turned to the driver and asked him if he had seen her husband.

“He is ok madam. Deputy sahib told me”, he said.

That seemed of not much relief to Mrs. Ekka.

Soon we were in the ward where Ekka was admitted. He was cheerful and welcomed his wife. ” Hey! You need not have bothered. See it is only a minor injury near the elbow”.

Trying to control her tears, Mrs Ekka saw the injured arm and turned her face towards the wall as if praying for the safety of her husband. Deputy Commandant Garg told us that Ekka had killed a militant in the encounter.

She looked at me this time with folded hands.

“Thanks and sorry. Like army wives, we the BSF wives too live constantly praying for our husbands and fearing the worst. It is a life always on the edge”.

I saw this and much more first hand about 25 years ago as the correspondent of All India Radio Srinagar.

I remembered it on the BSF Day that falls on the first of December.

Kashmir is still in turmoil.

©  Shri Ajeet Singh 

Ex Director (News) Doordarshan

Mo. – 9466647037

≈  Blog Editor – Shri Hemant Bawankar/Editor (English) – Captain Pravin Raghuvanshi, NM ≈