Seniors are Welcome !

Three Tense Days for Batala in Aug 1947. My father Late Sher Jasjit Singh,PCS(later IAS), was the then SDM,Batala,in Aug 1947. He helped restore law & order, in Batala,the biggest city in Gurdaspur Dist,when it was rumored to go to Pakistan. There was delay in announcing the Radcliffe Award,regarding the fate of Gurdaspur & Batala. Wikipedia also refers to this uncertainty. The Tribune newspaper as well, referred to these 3 days of tense uncertainty. Even The Partition of India Act,1947,indicated these areas going to Pakistan. The tension was palpable. My father,as SDM,Batala, prepared for the worst case scenario.He was firm, quelling the panic.Sh. Ishwar Das Pawar,Dist and Sessions Judge,in his book "My Stuggles in Life" ,in the chapter My Trying Moments,refers to the role played by my father.He describes how the Hindus and Sikhs in Batala, drew up various plans ,if the contingency arose. And how some had tried to arrange trucks out of the city.They waited with ...

                                  Reality Check on Facebook Likes. The other day, I caught myself checking Facebook multiple times, to see who was adding to the Likes of my Facebook posts. That set me thinking. Why are we so obsessed with checking such Facebook Likes? One reason is Peer Endorsement, a virtual pat on the back for our ideas,or perhaps,lack of ideas,dressed up in Forwards. Nothing wrong in doing so,except that it is incredibly  addictive. Another reason can be FOMO, or Fear of Missing Out. How can we miss out on our Facebook Friends travels, stories? By doing so,perhaps we are trying to ensure that our own stories, also get noticed,Liked. An interesting phenomenon is the role of  Social Media Influencers.They command vast followings,friends, for whom they presumably set the trends. Don't  get me wrong. Facebook is a great digital social medium, enabling us to connect i...

                        The New Normal,Not the Old Normal. As we start on the long journey back to a semblance of normalcy, the question arises, What will Normalcy mean ? There are many answers, none definitive. But it is possible to paint a probable Post Covid Scenario. Firstly, Normal itself will have to be redefined. After all,Normal always refers to a context,a framework for comparison. So the New Normal,in the transition to a Post Covid time, will also change. It will be dynamic, drawing on the lessons learned,and hopefully,unlearned also. Secondly, it cannot,should not,be Business as Usual.Because we may talk of Herd Immunity, but we should not forget Herd Memory. Just as the Matriarch Elephant in a herd, has the genetically programmed DNA to pass on her experience,to ensure the survival of the herd,so also should we, digitally reprogram our lifest...