Tag: #Articles

Shri Jagat Singh Bisht

Shri Ajeet Singh 

(We present an article ‘Memories of the Victory Day 1971’ written by Shri Ajeet Singh ji, Ex-Director (News), Doordarshan.)

☆ Victory Day Special – Memories of the Victory Day 1971 ☆ Shri Ajeet Singh ☆

(Vijay Diwas – 16 December)

(Mr. Ajeet Singh is a Hisar based free lancer. He worked as Sub Editor in All India Radio, Shimla in early 1970’s and later as Sr. Corespondent in Srinagar during 1990s and retired as Director of News. Doordarshan Hisar in 2006.)

Bliss was it to be in the newsroom of All India Radio Simla this day 53 years ago. And it was heaven to be a young Sub-Editor listening to the relay of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi addressing Parliament on the fall of Dhaka garrison after the 16-day long Bangladesh liberation war. Clapping  and celebratory gestures erupted as she announced, “Dhaka is now the free capital of a free nation”.

Member after member hailed the indian victory over the Pakistani forces. I still remember Srinagar MP Shamim Ahmad Shamim who while congratulating the Prime Minister said, “She has not only created a new history but also a new geography”.

It was a bigger bliss for me as I was to read that evening’s regional news bulletin as our regular Newsreader veteran Ramkumar Kale had taken ill since the eruption of war itself.

A senior announcer    had been very keen to read a news bulletin. He frequently demanded to be given a chance but  Assistant News Editor Puran Chand didn’t oblige.

In his usual jovial manner, the announcer would plead that he had been PA to actor Premnath and was experienced enough.

The first reason to deny him reading a news bulletin was that he was a perpetual paan- eater and  we non-paan eaters were scared of his spitting paan while talking. Some time we even told him that.

Paan is essential for a clear throat. An announcer has to speak a lot. Paan, therefore, is a must for him. Your newsreader Ramkumar Kale speaks only for 10 minutes. That is no job. I speak for six hours”.  

Ramkumar Kale would say that job of a newsreader and that of an announcer are quite different. “An announcer could make a mess of a news bulletin if he didn’t practice off air in a studio for one month and listen to his recordings under professional guidance”.

When the December 1971 India- Pakistan war broke out, Newsreader Ramkumar Kale fell sick and the Regional News Unit Simla did not have a panel of casual newsreaders.

It was decided , though reluctantly, to try the senior Announcer for newsreading as he only was available on announcer duty that day.

The jovial Announcer was thrilled. “You should listen to the bulletin today. You will forget Ramkumar Kale”.

We pleaded with him to practice hard as this was his first chance. He didn’t care much.

I, as standby news editor in the studio, wished him all the best.

Hardly two minutes into the bulletin, he closed the fader switch and said, ” This bloody thing is choking my breath”.

I gestured him not to talk and concentrate on the bulletin. He opened the fader and read the next item but to close it again saying, “You will kill me today”.

I showed my eyes  hinting that he should calm down and read the bulletin.

At half time, he rose from his seat after closing the fader. I was shocked. I just got hold of him by his arm and gave a big rap on his back dragging him to the seat.

There was a gap of about half a minute or so. The Duty Officer and the Engineer on Duty rushed to the studio. By that time a humbled Announcer was in the chair and reading bulletin at a much slower speed. He threw no tantrums .

As he, somehow, finished the bulletin, the Duty Officer and the Engineer-on-Duty,  still in the studio, wanted to know what had happened. The Announcer mumbled something that wasn’t much audible.

They turned to me. I told them it may be a short studio failure. Check it up tomorrow.

I told the factual story in the newsroom. Everybody laughed. ANE Puranchand said, “No more chance taking with announcers. Ajeet Singh, you will read bulletins from tomorrow. Take these old bulletins home and practice. Will record you off air tomorrow at 2 PM”.

The jovial Announcer was friend from the following day but he never pestered for newsreading.

And I read the bulletins for the next about three months.

1971 war had ended after 17 days. We had  started an additional daily bulletin that continued long after.

The bulletins were also used to be relayed through a public address system on the Mall road Simla where people would crowd to listen to the latest on the war front. It was still the Radio age. Television had arrived but was still in its infancy, confined mainly to the national capital Delhi.

Due to some strategic consideration, Jalandhar and other stations of All India Radio used to stop transmission early as the enemy could locate the position of their transmitters  and bombard , especially during night when engaging them was rather difficult. Simla located among hills didn’t suffer this disadvantage. So it was listened to even in the plains of Punjab and Haryana.

It did give some sort of image or recognition to me.  People in my home village near Panipat would tell me having listened to the bulletins from Simla. It did please me.

Every experience makes one a better person. By and by I became more confident.

War ended and bulletins also came back to development and local stories. After about two months of my newsreading, came a letter from some listener saying that one Ajeet Singh who read news that day mispronounced

the word ‘zila’ as ‘jila’ 13 times. He was right as we counted the word was used 14 times in the bulletin, may be he missed one count. I improved not only that but started rehearsing for all Urdu words. Mr. Puranchand ANE was an Urdu man and a big help.

Newsreader Kale joined after about three months. He trained me in voice acculturation.

Jasdev Singh, the ace sports commentator used to do Newsreel from Delhi. I got hooked to that.

During 1980s and 90s when I was in J&K,  SFH Naqvi was incharge of the Newsreel section in the News Services Division in Delhi. The Statesman used to carry detailed review of radio programmes of the week those days. One of my despatches was praised therein. HT also appreciated some despatch later.

©  Shri Ajeet Singh 

Shri Ajeet Singh ji is a freelance journalist based at Hisar. He retired as Director of News , Doordarshan Hisar in 2006.

Mo. – 9466647037

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

Ms. Ashwini Abhyankar

 

 ☆The Human Prompt ☆ Ms. Ashwini Abhyankar☆

I met a friend, after many months. Upon meeting, she enveloped me in a warm hug and on the heels, came her reaction,”Now you can write about this!”. I waited a beat, of course internally. Frankly, I felt like ChatGPT. Someone can give me a prompt and hey presto, I have the result ready!! Of all the requests that I have received, to date, to write, this took the cake! And believe you me, I have received plenty!!

I’ve been asked to write travelogues. Now, you might wonder why this would be weird. The answer is, not every place that I visit triggers anything, even though the places might be interesting in their own right. I am a vibe person. So, I can write only when a place, or rather a space, speaks to me. Sometimes, the vibe is so strong that you can lose yourself in that. Taking photos is also forgotten. And then, when I do write, I don’t write about what I saw, but rather what I felt. And for that, I don’t need any references or photos That vibe I enjoyed, flows out effortlessly in my writing.

I’ve been asked to write about movies, particularly if that movie carries a message. Firstly, I’m not a movie buff and secondly, again, only if a movie speaks to me, can I write. More often than not, the movies are lopsided and overdramatic, and it certainly doesn’t bode well for me ☺

I have people writing to me their opinions about certain matters and then, wanting me to write a piece about that or my reaction about that. Like I said before, it’s difficult to respond or react to a cause, if it doesn’t speak to me.

In fact, I often wonder myself, what sets me off and to date, I haven’t had any satisfactory answer. Sometimes, I have pent up emotions and have a feeling that they would come gushing out on paper. In fact, at times I want to unburden myself. But no, the pen doesn’t budge, if it doesn’t want to. And sometimes, a very small gesture, yes, even a hug or two words in a seminar are all that are needed to push me over. Thus, no, that hug did not push me into writing anything that day. But here I am, almost a month later, reacting to it, because it did push me into a purge. Though I didn’t write about what feeling the hug incited, I did think about what does provoke me. And I also came to the realisation that I’m not ChatGPT 😀 beholden to write at a prompt!

 Written by : Ms. Ashwini Abhyankar

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

Padmashree Padmaja Phenany Joglekar

☆ Tribute – Ratan Tata ☆ Padmashree Padmaja Phenany Joglekar ☆

I am deeply saddened by the unfortunate demise of Respected Ratan Tata ji. I vividly remember our meeting at a Tata Hospital function where I had the pleasure of performing. After my concert he met me warmly and was so appreciative.  I also had the honour of presenting to him the portrait of JRD crafted by my father Shankar Phenany thru a now forgotten but a very difficult art form called Scrapper board. He was thrilled to receive this portrait.

I am confident that his soul must have been welcomed in Heaven with Great enthusiasm. So let us celebrate the legacy of this great Human being and try to imbibe in our lives the path of rightiousness & Morality which he proudly prescribed all his life.  OM SHANTI 🙏🏻🕉️

Padmashree Padmaja Phenany Joglekar

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

Mrs. Manjusha Sunit Mulay  

☆ Ratan Tata… । In His Own Words! ☆ Compiled by – Mrs Manjusha Sunit Mulay ☆

“I had a happy childhood, but as my brother & I got older, we faced ragging because of our parent’s divorce, which in those days wasn’t as common. My grandmom brought us up.

“Soon after, when my mother remarried, the boys at school started saying all kinds of things about us. But our grandmother taught us to retain dignity at all costs, a value that’s always stayed with me. It involved walking away from these situations instead of fighting back.

“And if it weren’t for grandmom, I wouldn’t be half the person I am today.

“My father and I couldn’t agree on the same thing – I wanted to go to college in the US, he insisted on UK. I wanted to be an architect, he insisted on me becoming an engineer. If it weren’t for my grandmother, I wouldn’t have ended up at Cornell University in the US. It was because of her that even though I enrolled for mechanical engineering, I switched majors & graduated with a degree in architecture. My father was upset, but I was finally my own, independent person in college & it was my grandmother who taught me that courage to speak up can also be soft.

“After college, I landed a job at an architecture firm in LA, where I worked for 2 years. It was a great time – the weather was beautiful & I loved my job. It was in LA that I fell in love & almost got married. But at the same time I’d made the decision to move back, at least temporarily, since grandmom wasn’t keeping too well. So I came back to visit her & thought that the person I wanted to marry would come to India with me, but because of the 1962 Indo-China war her parent’s weren’t okay with her making the move anymore & the relationship fell apart.

“After the move, I did spend some time with my grandmom. I’d run with my dog, catch up with her & we’d have long chats. I’m glad I got that time with her before she passed, because right after I moved to Jamshedpur for an internship at what’s known as Tata Motors now.

It was a waste of time – I was moved from one department to another & since I was a family member, no one told me what to do – I spent 6 months trying to be ‘useful’.

“It was only after I moved to Tata Steel that I got specific work & my job got interesting. I started from the floor & understood the plight of those working there. So years later, when we downsized Tata Steel from 78,000 to 40,000, we ensured to pay them their present day wages until retirement–it’s been in our DNA to serve those who serve us.

“Then, in 1991, JRD stepped down as the Chairman of Tata Industries and then from Tata Sons, there was vicious criticism.

There were other aspirants, who were vocal of him having made the wrong decision. I had been through this before, so I did what I knew best–maintained silence & focused on proving myself.

The criticism was personal–JRD got clubbed with nepotism & I, as the wrong choice. I was under scrutiny, but the time I spent on the floor served as a big plus – I hadn’t gotten there from nowhere!

“All in all, it was a big move. I remember after I was appointed Chairman, I walked with JRD to his office, where he told his secretary that he had to move out. I said, ‘No, J, don’t move out, this is your office for as long as you want.’ He said, ‘Where will you sit?’ I said, ‘Where I’m sitting today–I have an office down the hall & that’s fine.’

“I was lucky to have him there. He was my greatest mentor & the years that he was alive, I used to go into his office & say, ‘J, I wish this had happened 10 years ago, we have such a great relationship.’ He was like a father & a brother to me & not enough’s been said about that.

“Ever since, my life has been for & about growing the company. When I was appointed Chairman, it was believed my surname got me the position, but my focus was on creating something bigger than us all & on giving back, which has been in the TATA DNA since the start.

With Jamshedpur for instance, while our workers were thriving, the surrounding villages were suffering. It became our goal to uplift their quality of life as well … things like these came naturally to us.

“Even with the Nano – I remember seeing a family of 4 on a bike in the heavy Bombay rain—I wanted to do more for these families who were risking their lives for lack of an alternative. By the time we launched the Nano, our costs were higher, but I’d made a promise & we delivered. Looking back, I’m proud of the car & the decision to go ahead with it.

“That’s what my life has been about—work became a lifestyle. I was always at Bombay House or travelling, that’s why even though I came close to marriage with 2-3 different partners, I couldn’t go through with it because they’d have to adjust to my lifestyle & that didn’t sit right with me.

“Now that I’m retired, that lifestyle has changed again. People ask if I’m truly ‘retired’ & to that I say—there’s no doubt about it. I’m enjoying the separation from the company—I don’t look at newspapers & worry about the bad stuff anymore.

“But let me tell you, retirement isn’t about playing golf, or reading on a beach, whilst sipping on a cocktail. In fact, never before has the urge to do more, been greater. From affordable cancer treatment, to making the lives in rural India easier—I’m looking forward to making it happen at the Tata Trust. I’m trying to enjoy myself to be honest— I’m spending time with friends —old & new, across age groups, who I’m constantly learning from.

“At 82, I’m still learning, so when you ask me to give advice, I feel like the ‘right advice’ changes over a period of time—but the one thing that remains unchanged is the desire to do the right thing.

“So I’ll say this —leave the advice & do the right thing, even if it isn’t the easiest thing to do. When you look back at your life, that’s what’s going to matter the most. Doing the right thing.”

# RatanTata

Compiled by – Mrs Manjusha Sunit Mulay 

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

Shri Ajeet Singh 

(We present an article ‘Reminiscences of Kargil war…’ written by Shri Ajeet Singh ji, Ex-Director (News), Doordarshan.)

☆ Reminiscences of Kargil war… ☆ Shri Ajeet Singh ☆

As the nation celebrates the silver Jubilee of the victory in Kargil war of 1999, I am flooded with the memories of event that I covered for All India 25 years ago.

Kargil was largely a deserted town when I entered it for four days to report the war in the first week of July 1999.

527 Indian army men laid down their lives as they evicted the Pakistani intruders from the commanding heights of the Himalayan ranges.

I was part of an army conducted media party from Srinagar. The party comprising correspondents from major media networks had waited for over three weeks in Srinagar to get army permission to move into the battle field.

I was travelling in a van along the Film Division team. They had stocked sufficient quota of bread, butter, biscuits, and rice to cope with the situation of getting stranded in some cut off place in war zone.

I had a satellite phone too beside my tape recorder. 

Crossing the 12000 feet high Zojila, our first halt was a Bofor Guns battery that was pounding the Pakistan army positions across the high hill to provide covering fire to our advancing troops there. That was quite a show for the visual media and the artillery unit obliged them abundantly. We were convinced about the efficacy of the gun that otherwise was mired into allegations of commission in its purchase from Sweden during a previous regime.

Shortly ahead was a briefing by senior army officers about the area and the position of Indian army. The Tololing ridge overlooking Drass town had been cleared of the intruders who comprised of Pakistan army soldiers and militants. 

Some young officers were in high spirits as we talked to them during the lunch hour. I gathered that main focus at that time was on the Tiger Hill that stands tall behind Drass town. Flash lights of bombardment with guided missiles were visible as we crossed Drass taking a right turn towards Kargil town.

The narrow road runs along a river and some parts of it are in the firing range of Pakistani troops sitting on high hills on the Kaksar range.

A BSF man stopped our vehicles at a check post for some urgent precautions. 

“You are in the firing range of the enemy. Keep a distance of about 100 meters between your vehicles. No lights during darkness. Drive fast and do not stop even if you are fired upon”.

The last instruction was quite chilling. We saw the wreckage of some vehicles down in the river and that heightened the fear. 

By late evening we reached a hotel in Kargil.  The town had faced daily artillery shelling from across the Line of Control. 

The hotel was a three storied structure but all media persons wanted the first-floor rooms. By now they had learnt that the top floor could face a direct hit from an artillery shell and if the shell exploded in the hotel compound, its splinters could get into ground floor rooms. 

DC Kargil too was functioning from a nearby hotel as his office was in the firing range.

Most people from Kargil town had been shifted to tents at a safe place some distance away on the Zanskar road. We visited them the next day to listen to their tales of woe. They had abandoned their animals as there was none to look after them in home steads.

Next day we were taken on to the road that leads to the Aryans inhabited five villages along the Indus river in the Batalik range . Aryans have features quite different from the majority Ladakhi people.

They support local flowers in their headgears except for the time when there is some mourning in their family.

They usually work as labourers for the Army.

It was an Aryan shepherd who first noticed the armed intruders and informed the Army. A reccy team from the army was ambushed by the Pakistani soldiers. All its members were brutally killed and their highly mutilated bodies were handed over to the Indian Army. This was in clear violation of the international norms. 

We talked to the Aryan people who gave details of Pakistani intruders.

Back into the hotel next evening, the owner cum manager came to my room as I just finished filing my despatch to All India Radio newsroom in New Delhi over the satellite phone. He said he knew me through my frequent bylines in All India Radio news bulletins till about an year ago. I had functioned as AIR’s Senior Correspondent in Srinagar for over six years before being transferred to Delhi.

We got talking and I found in him an interesting person. 

“Sir, this is not correct that Indian Army didn’t have information regarding Pakistani plans to intrude and capture positions on high hills the following spring. They had full details from their spying agents in Pakistan”.

I interrupted him saying how could he be so sure.

“Sir, a letter containing all details of the areas of intrusion was received in October of 1998. It was in Urdu and I was called to the Army Officers’ Mess to read its contents as they couldn’t read Urdu”, he elaborated.  He sounded some convincing. 

And at one point, he even started sobbing. I tried to console him.

“Sir, Pakistan is not an option for us, the Kargil people. We are Shias and we know what Shias are facing in Pakistan. We have to stay in India only. There is no other home for us. 

“But the Indian army won’t be able to protect us”.

Why you feel like that? I asked.

“The evening, I went to read out the Urdu letter for the army, I witnessed something shocking. The Army officers were dancing with each other’s wives. Holding wives’ waists they were dancing and singing making a train like formation as school children would do. They were also drinking. They made me sit for over an hour outside the mess in cold weather. Do you think such people could save us? The officer who called me was also drunk. He might not have even properly listened to me as I read the letter”.

He was a bit agitated and somewhat desperate.

I told the matter in confidence to an army officer. He said, “Letters from the spies come every year as winter comes and we vacate the higher pickets. These are duly noticed but contents are found highly exaggerated or even totally baseless.  Some of the spies are double agents. You never know if these letters were planted by Pakistan agencies in an effort to extend our resources. It is extremely difficult to man higher pickets during winters.

I didn’t report the story. I couldn’t. On the fourth day, as the press party headed back to Srinagar, the Army spokesman in New Delhi, Colonel Bikram Singh announced that the Tiger Hill had been recaptured. Col. Bikram Singh was to become the Chief of the Army Staff in due course of time. In between he had a stint in Anantnag as a Brigadier. 

The saga of the recapture of the Tiger Hill was to unfold in weeks and months to come. Sepoy Sanjay Kumar was to be decorated with the highest gallantry award of Param Vir Chakra on the following Republic Day of 2020.

That is the history that would continue to be told every year every time anyone talks of how the Kargil war was won by brave Indian soldiers defeating the evil designs and machination of a devious enemy, defeated many times but still not giving up.

 © Shri Ajeet Singh 

Shri Ajeet Singh is a freelance journalist based at Hisar in Haryana. He was All India Radio’s Correspondent in Jammu and Kashmir for over 19 years. He retired as Director of News, Doordarshan Hisar.

 

Mo. – 9466647037

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

Ms. Divya Trivedi

☆ The Real Journey of Founder & CEO of SGHS Publications ☆ Ms. Divya Trivedi ☆

Divya Trivedi is the Founder and CEO of SGSH Publications. She lives in the City of dreams Mumbai. She graduated in Bsc Chemistry in 2022. She received many awards and certificates in her childhood journey. She eventually started her writing journey on 9th November 2020. And she published her first book titled “The Beauty Of Quotes” on the 4th of April 2021. As a writer, Divya Trivedi was always curious about how publishing companies are printing and listing the books. Like the processes behind it, what makes a publication best, the processes of start-up, what kind of impact it creates in the writing community, etc.

She never thought of starting a publication house, but as we know hard work always pays off. First she was the co author in many publications, then she have compiled many books in other publications, then she worked as a project head and then she felt something is missing in the publishing industry. So After learning and getting to know everything one by one, she decided to start her publication, not for anything else but just to Spread Goodness Spread Happiness around the world through books. That’s why she started a publication named SGSH Publication. SGSH publication was started on 30th October 2021 founded by Miss Divya Trivedi. She worked really hard to establish a well-known publication with a good mission like SGSH but due to some problems she decided to handover the publication to other member and she wanted to start her own publication named as Satyamev Jayate Publication but some founder of other publications make her realise the hard work in SGSH Publications, so that time she continued but later she realised publication is a business and in business sometimes we have to be strict, we have to be bold, we have to say Truth. But with SGSH name she was uncomfortable working in publication so she decided to Change the SGSH Publication to Kitab Writing Publication on 4th of March 2023. Till now, she has published 1000+ solo books, 200+ anthologies and 10000+ books printed by her publication which is not possible without her constant and dedicated efforts from her side. Divya Trivedi aims no matter what always stay real and honest with customers. She wants to achieve this only with sincerity, honesty, and hard Work. She knows there are thousands of Publications, many even at top positions, but for Kitab Writing Publication she aims not just to provide publishing services but also she tries to provide writers Motivation and to Spread Truth. In the meantime 15th May, 2024 she have purchased one underrated publication Story Spinner Publication but that was her biggest lost.

Kitab Writing Publication grew well, 5 star rating on Google reviews, 99% Return ration but again the publication has to face this challenge and the challenge is for Trademark ™️ Registration Kitab Writing was very common name, and there was complications; so again she have started SGSH Publications. It’s not easy to start and close, close and start but her aim is right, maybe some decisions are wrong. She has learned many things. And as she was not from a commerce background so she is trying her best to serve the best.

Now SGSH Publications have fire in her work. She is going to make it big. No matter what Divya Trivedi will never give up.

Her biggest inspiration was people around her, who always inspired her and trusted her work. In SGSH Publications

She has been awarded multiple and prestigious titles mentioned below:

1. Best publication of the year 2022 from Incredible Indian Awards
2. National book of records
3. Fastest growing publication in 2023 from World wide book of records
4. Asia’s Top 100 Entrepreneur 2023
5. Indian archiver forum and many more Google articles, magazine.

She publishes books and anthologies. Her publication is unique because of her Honesty, Hard Work and consistent efforts. In her opinion, earning money from the business is a little easy but when she has authors coming to her again and approaching her to publish their write-ups with full happiness and satisfaction is what makes her unique. Each of her team members are very happy to work. More than a work and for money, they too are inspired by the mission of the publication and work for that. So not just the founder herself but every last member of her team is working for the same motto and writers are happy. She just sees this publication as the Best Publication in this world and also she sees herself as a Best Motivational Speaker for writers and Best Entrepreneur in the world. With her constant dedication she is going to reach the skies beyond the limit with flying colors. Her journey was a bit up and down, but setting up this publication is one of the best choices she has ever made.

Spread Goodness, Spread Happiness!

 Ms. Divya Trivedi,

Founder, SGSH PUBLICATION  

 5C, 507 Navin Shankrman Shibir, Magathane, Borivali East, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400066.

Mob.  075069 94878

Email – [email protected]

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