A Tale of Love that is an Unforgettable Memoir

A Page from the Past: an Unforgettable Memoir

Some things happen on the spur and here is a love story that may excite a lot of readers

A Glorious Love episode

Seduction is an art, but it cannot be learned. It is a trait that is inbuilt and the spearhead of this is desire. I have had my fair share of women in my life, but one incident with an American girl remains unforgettable. Frankly, she was not a girl but a young lady doctor. That's a lot of qualification, so I wonder whether to call it seduction or by any other name. But in any case, I was older to her by 2 decades.

The second question that bugs me is whether I used my influence as the boss to have carnal knowledge of her body or was it plain and simple an act of mutual consent. Frankly, I have no clear-cut answer to this.

Over a decade back I had taken over as the project Director of a UN aided tribal welfare project. It was a place in the wilderness, almost as the city was about 30 km away. I enjoyed my work which took me in my land cruiser to distant and remote parts of the Western Ghats. I interacted with the tribal people and realized that this group had been left in a time warp and needed a concerted and conscientious push to take them forward.

As the director, I had a string of highly qualified doctors and scientists to help me and they were a selfless lot. Two or three were from the USA with idealist zeal. One of the doctors from the USA was from New York. She was about 26-28 and a typical American girl. She came from a broken home as her father had deserted her mother. Maybe that told on her psyche. Invariably Sally (I will give her this name and not the actual one) and I were thrown a lot together in our work. As a woman, I was always concerned for her and invariably took her for trips into tribal areas with me.

This constant companionship began to have an effect on me and I used to observe her for long periods. She had lovely legs and small breasts that sometimes strained against the blouse. She wore short skirts or jeans, but it was Sally in skirts that I loved to see. She was positively sexy and the flames of desire soon began to overtake me.

The monsoon in the Ghats is like an avalanche and one day in the monsoon I parked the cruiser under a tree waiting for the downpour to abate. At that critical moment, we sat together in the vehicle and I opened a flask of coffee which I always carried with me. I gave her and she was positively happy. I then did something inexplicable. Normally I would never have done it, but this time I did. I said
“Sally, you are beautiful".
She just smiled. Maybe she was aware of my longing for her as I had long been eyeing her on various trips.
“Sally I desire you"
I said these words in a matter-of-fact way. I wonder how Don Juan or any great seducer would have acted, but I said the forbidden words. Her reply astonished me. She said
“I know".
The heavens now broke asunder and thunder boomed and boomed again and the visibility outside was reduced to zero. The lashing rain and my desire or Sally's desire moved on one road: up the peak of passion. I caught her hand and kissed it and then bent low and lifted her feet and took the sneakers off her and began sucking her toes succinctly.
"Stop," she said “Don’t. Nobody has done this to me ".
I continued sucking her toes and whispered “Sally let me worship you. This is the way love is done in the East as per the Kama sutra".
I elongated the back seat and laid Sally on it, as from the toes I moved up, tracing a pattern with my tongue. I remember baring her mons and then started a long kiss of the most feminine part of her body. As I paid my homage I whispered

" This is natural and beautiful and they happen in their own time."

She looked at me, straight in the eyes, and my heart automatically beat faster, my stomach dried as I was reminded of things we can share - kisses and contact and ourselves - and the thought made me breathe a little harder and the best part she smiled at me. I had to take several deep breaths before I can think straight again. I realized my pulse has quickened. A bead of sweat rolls down my forehead and sticks my lock of hair sticks to my skin. Sally wiped it off my face slowly as I look at her painstakingly, with such delicacy, like she is beautiful and fragile, like she is priceless like she is some work of art, or something so perfect that you don't want to disturb it, but so beautiful that you can't help risking just a small touch. I knew exactly how she felt as I approached her beauty spot.

.No” she whispered hoarsely" No! Don’t, nobody has done this to me ".
I paid my homage as advised by Vatsyayana in his monumental l treatise. I spent what looked like an eon ministering to her. How long? A long time for when I looked at my watch 40 minutes had elapsed. I had followed the Tantric ritual of sex and as I continued I knew that I was the victor.

What seduction! I will never forget it. Sally remained for three more months and it was a heady affair. What happened after that is another story. Friends, sometimes it is good to get over one's thoughts and deeds as it is expiation from the mind of acts that happen on the spur of the moment.

My Tribute to Lee Van Cleef- the Eternal Gun Slinger from Hollywood

The Eternal Posh Gunman

Lee Van Cleef

I once saw a movie “Gods Gun”. It is a western with an emotional streak. A boy traumatized during an incident unable to speak and a gunfighter who has become a priest. It a wonderful movie and Lee van Cleef showed why he is such a great star in such roles as he literally becomes God's gun to kill the evil men and in a last dramatic scene the boy recovers his voice and warns Lee. It is a fitting finale.



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The Evergreen Star

The Evergreen Star

Lee van Cleef acted in nearly 100 Western and cowboy roles. In most of his roles, he played the suave, slick well-dressed man with a hat and a cigar who was fast on the gun. His roles as the gunfighter have lived long after Lee passed away in 1989 at the age of 64 of a heart attack.

Lee Vs Clint Eastwood

Lee and Clint together

One has only to see the movie the Good Bad and Ugly to realize the forte of Lee as an actor. There in the role of Angel's eyes as the Ugly who faces Clint Eastwood, he is simply superb. Clint Eastwood is no mean actor in such roles, but Lee carried himself with aplomb in the role of the gunslinger out to search a lost gold shipment

Other Films of Lee

In Barquerero

Lee also starred in many other films the notable being Death rides a horse, Barquerero, The Lost Gun, The man who shot Liberty Wallace and many more. It is to his credit that he continued acting in films right till his death. Hollywood is the poorer for his death.

Last Word on the Legend

The face of Lee

Earlier Lee had served with the Navy as an accountant and was an Admin Officer at the end of the war. He had many nondescript roles till picked by Sergio Leone for the role of the suave bounty hunter in “For a few Dollars more’. This film was the rise of Lee and after that, he never looked back. Lee married thrice, but that is only incidental to his place in the hall of fame as a gunslinger that spread terror to the men who faced him and lived his role to the letter T

Zulfikar Bhutto and his role in Creation of Bangladesh

we say Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was the Catalyst who Created Bangladesh?

Bhutto was a leader from West Pakistan with a megalomaniac dream of ruling Pakistan and he was ready to shake hands with the devil to achieve his aim

Zulfi Bhutto

Sheikh Mujib

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto the ex-leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party is a man who ignites strong passions. Many people in Pakistan swear by his name. However many others assert that he was just a gas bag who did more harm than good for Pakistan. In this connection the role of Bhutto in the break up of Pakistan is worth examining.

Creation of Pakistan

Bhutto and Mujibar in happier times

Pakistan was carved out of India in 1947.The basis for the creation of Pakistan was the two nation theory that envisaged a separate homeland for the Moslem's of the subcontinent. Pakistan emerged in two parts separated by 1500 miles of India. The two parts of Pakistan had nothing in common, except religion. The people had a different culture and spoke a different language.

People in East Pakistan spoke Bengali, while in the west they spoke Urdu and Punjabi. Racially the East Pakistanis were comparatively dark-skinned and had a smaller body built than the West Pakistanis. In addition their culture was entirely different from the west. Generally they were considered inferior by the Punjabi’s. To compound matters, the resources of the eastern wing were diverted to the west. They also had much less representation in the Government and military.

Victory of Sheikh Mujib

General Yahiya Khan

East Pakistan was the more heavily populated state in Pakistan. Thus after the removal of General Ayub Khan in 1968, it had a greater number of seats in the Pakistan parliament. Sheikh Mujibar Rehman the leader of the Awami party articulated the sentiments of Bengalis and they in one voice supported him. In the 1970 elections called by Gen Yahiya Khan, the successor of Ayub Khan, the Awami league got the majority in the Pakistan Parliament.

The Awami League won 99% of the parliamentary seats in the east and emerged with a majority and logically the sheik should have been invited to form the government. But ZA Bhutto whose party had won in the west was loathed to hand over power to the Bengali leader. Though he won 60% of the seats in the western wing he was in a minority and this played heavily on his psyche. He started a campaign against handing over power to the Awami party.

Bhutto and the Crackdown of the Army

The surrender of Pak forces

This was a fatal mistake. The apologists for Bhutto have never been able to explain this stand of their leader, as it precipitated the break up of Pakistan. Egged on by Bhutto the Martial law administrator Yahiya Khan did not honor the verdict of the electorate and cases were filed against Sheik Mujibar Rehman for sedition. He was arrested and flown to Pakistan and put on trial. In the meantime, Yahiya with complete support from Bhutto ordered a crackdown in the east and the Pakistan army started a campaign against the local Bengali leadership. Indira Gandhi took advantage of the situation and helped form the Mukti Bahini a revolutionary group, which wanted independence from Pakistan.

This action of the Army and the stand of Bhutto that he was the winner in West Pakistan and Mujibar a winner in the east added fuel to fire. Bhutto for personal ambition egged on the army and was responsible for the break up that took place. He was a brilliant man but with a convoluted logic. Born of a Hindu mother he seemed to harbor distinct megalomaniac tendencies. This was the one single reason he did not allow power to be handed over to Sheikh Mujib. The rest is history as the Pakistan army was resoundingly beaten and the state of Bangladesh was created.

Last Word

Bhutto led away to Jail and subsequent hanging

Bhutto did become the Prime Minister of Pakistan, but his own army chief (General Zia-Ul-Haq) deposed him and after a farcical trial had him hanged. Much as one sympathizes with Bhutto on his hanging, the fact remains that men who ride the tiger are eaten by the tiger at some stage.

Forgotten Players of Indian Test Cricket who Shone Briefly and Faded Away

For Cricket Lovers: Men who Played for India and Faded Away

In India test cricket is played since 1932. the game is loved by Indians and today India is the powerhouse of world cricket. Many Indians played for India and some had talent, yet faded away.

• AA Baig
• AG Kripal Singh
• Surinder Amarnath
• RB Kenny
• Deepak Shodhan
• Irfan Pathan
• AG Milkha Singh
• Last Word

AA Baig

Baig with Pataudi

Here was a cricketer who hailed from Hyderabad and was a student at Oxford University in 1958-59. The Indian was touring England at that time under DK Gaekwad. The sad part was that the main batsman Polly Umrigar was off-color and the other main striker Vijay Manjreker was injured and could not play. Indians needed a man to bolster the batting and they decided to induct Baig in the 4th test against the MCC at the oval.

Baig made a sensational test debut and in the second innings faced up to the bowling pace battery of Fred Truman and Brian Statham with confidence. Seeing Baig bat with gusto, the veteran Polly Umrigar also found his bearings and the two hit centuries. Baig was run out for 112, a magnificent century on debut. But after this tour, Baig faded away and except for a series against Australia he could not click.

He was in prime form when selected for the 1971 tour of the MCC but didn't get to play a single test. It was a sad end to a promising career. He will remain the only cricketer who was kissed by a lovely girl in a skirt as he helped India draw the third test against Australia in 1960.

AG Kripal Singh

Kripal as a Sikh

He was a test player from Tamil Nadu and played for the erstwhile Madras state. He was a Sikh and the son of AG Ram Singh who had settled down in Madras. He made a sensational debut against New Zealand at Hyderabad in 1955-56. He partnered the veteran Polly Umrigar in a big stand. While Umrigar hit 223, Kirpal hit 100 not out when the innings was closed.

After this innings Kirpal failed to make a mark and though on a return to the test team hit a superb 53 against Wes Hall and Roy Gilchrest at Madras in the 4th test against the West Indies. Kirpal just after the century against New Zealand converted to Christianity and cut his hair. Many devout Sikhs feel that was the reason for his downfall. The fact is that Kirpal Singh slowly faded away. His last test was in 1964 against Bobby Simpsons Australian team when in his last innings he was bowled by McKenzie for 1.

Surinder Amarnath

Surinder

He was the elder son of the legendary Lala Amarnath and elder brother of Mohinder Amarnath. Surender made a sensational debut against New Zealand in 1976 under Gavaskar and promptly hit 124 in Auckland. It was a glorious century, but after that, on the subsequent tour of the West Indies, he was suspect against genuine pace. He did make a sporadic comeback twice but again went into oblivion. He was also not much of success against Pakistan when India toured that country in 1978

RB Kenny

He was a player from Bombay. But the selectors were not fair with him and Kenny played only 4 test matches, all against Australia. But he batted admirable against Richie Benaud's team on their tour of India during 1958-59. Kenny partnered Baig in the Bombay test to help India to a draw. He also batted well in the 5th test at Calcutta when he hit 62. But the selectors never gave him another chance and he continued to play for Bombay but did not get another look in.

Deepak Shodhan

shodhan

He was a cricket player from Gujarat. He came into the test team against Pakistan and batting at no 8 hit 110. He was a fluent stroke maker and continued to play cricket for Gujarat in the Ranji trophy.

Shodan was inexplicably dropped from the team after this century. Much later he mentioned that the selection committee was biased against him. He must be the only test player to be dropped after hitting century on debut. But that is Indian cricket with all its vagaries

Irfan Pathan

Pathan burst as a medium pace swing bowler with a bang. Earlier he swung the ball and had the distinction of taking a hat trick against Pakistan when the Indian team had toured that country with Dravid as captain. But inexplicably Irfan lost his swing and sting and has slowly gone out of reckoning of the Indian team. He has also lost his pace is a mere trundler. He is another player who has gone to seed despite promising much. His batting was also no rabbit, but all in all Irfan Pathan is now out of reckoning of a place in the Indian test team

AG Milkha Singh

Milkha

He was the younger brother of Kirpal Singh. He came on the national scene with a string of magnificent scores in the Ranji Trophy while playing for Madras. In 1962 he was India's most promising batsman. Earlier on a tour of Pakistan with the Indian young team, he had hit 3 centuries.

Milkha got his chance against Pakistan and the MCC in 1960 and 1962. But somehow bad luck dodged him and he could not consolidate his position in the test team People do talk of his 35 against Pakistan in 1961 in the 5th test at Delhi. The selectors were also guilty in not giving him any more opportunity, as in those days the selection was based on the quota system. There was also bias against him as he was a Sikh. It's hard to believe that Milkha's test career was over at 21 and he never got another chance despite great scores in Ranji and Duleep trophy.

Last Word

There are many other cricket players who made a splash but then just faded away. There was V Subramaniam ( Madras), VV Kumar( Madras), BP Patel( Karnataka) and Ashok Mankad( Bombay) also, but they all come in the category of an also-ran. Cricket is a demanding game and along with talent luck is another ingredient.

Hindu Crematorian Opened in UAE( Sharjah)

Hindu Crematorium opens in UAE

The UAE has added another feather in its cap, with a crematorium for Hindus and Sikhs for their dead. This was a long-standing demand and the UAE government has shown a pragmatic and tolerant attitude by sanctioning this crematorium

A New Era

The ruler

I have been in the UAE for almost 2 years and one aspect of life here intrigued me as there was no proper crematorium for the Hindus and Sikhs to dispose of their dead and carry out the resultant rituals. As people are aware unlike in Islam and Christianity, where the dead body is buried, in Hindus, Sikhs, and Buddhists the body is cremated on a funeral pyre. Mostly sandalwood mixed with normal wood is used, but now at many places, electric crematoriums have come up and these make the task easier.
This lacuna is now laid to rest and a crematorium has opened in the UAE at Sharjah. This is an electric crematorium and is built on a 10-acre plot gifted by Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah. Sharjah is part of the United Arab Emeritus.

Half the cost of the crematorium was borne by the Indian government and the other half by local Hindu residents. The cost of the facility was over one million Dirhams.

A secular approach

Sharjah crematorium

The facility is a great help to Hindu residents of the UAE and another example of the pragmatic approach and tolerance of the Muslim government here. The cost of cremation is about 3500 dirhams and overall is a great boon to the Hindu and Sikh residents of this place, who earlier had to send the bodies back to India for the last rites. This was not only time-consuming as well as cost a pile of money.

This is another feather in the cap of the UAE government and brings out the tolerance that is the hallmark of the Koran. Another example of this tolerance is the Sikh temple in Dubai( largest outside India) and now the land is donated by the ruler of Abu Dhabi for a Hindu temple. I wish other Muslim states take a leaf from the book of the UAE.

Greatest Music Composer -Ennio Morricone King of Wild West Themes

Morricone and the Wild West Themes

The Great Music Director

The great western films of yore directed by Sergio Leone perhaps may not have been that great, but for an excellent musical score by Ennio Morricone. Morricone collaborated with Sergio Leone for most of his films and the immortal ones like How the West was Won, My name is Trinity, Good Bad and Ugly, Fistful of Dollars and For a Few dollars more still set the charts ablaze.

He set a stupendous musical score that in no small measure contributed to the success of the movies and two of them being rated as among the all-time great 100 movies of the last century.

Morricone effect

Classical Scene

One can even now relish the background score that heightened the scene of 3 macho men as they eye each other in a triangular gunfight (Good bad and ugly) and a young boy who looks through a window to watch a beautiful woman slowly undress and become nude before a mirror (Malena). The effect of these scenes was heightened by the score of Ennio Morricone who was a classmate of Sergio Leone.

Sergio died of a heart attack some years back but Morricone is alive and kicking. He has set the musical score of two latest movies by Giuseppe Tornatore: The Best Offer (2013) and Leningrad (2014). He must truly rank as one of the great composers of an era that spans two centuries. Hollywood honored him with an honorary Oscar award in 2007.

Morricone’s Contribution

Music album

Morricone composed music for some 40 westerns and with the score of A Fistful of Dollars Morricone began his 10-year collaboration with his childhood friend Alessandro Alessandroni and his Cantori Moderni. These two provided the whistling and the twanging guitar on the film scores, that have become a distinct trademark of Ennio Morricone. It was a great integration of music with the film by Morricone

Last Word

Morricone in action

Morricone is a legend and even in Asia, he has a tremendous following. In the UAE at the Jumeirah Beach resort it was a great pleasure to listen to his tunes against the backdrop of the sea washing the shore. I recommend listening to a DVD of his music, it not only soothes but elevates. The fact that his music has sold 75 million DVD’s is proof that Morricone is a living legend.

A Glorious Zoo at Al Alain-Abu Dhabi

Introduction

African lion

Zoo's always fascinating the young and old and I thought it a good idea to display some of the photographs that I have taken of the Al Alain zoo in Abu Dhabi. The zoo is about 100 km from the capital and located in what is called the green belt of Abu Dhabi. The soil was imported from Punjab in Pakistan and the trees and shrubbery from the subcontinent.
The zoo is one of the finest I have seen. 

The White Tiger

white tiger

The White Tiger is an exclusive export from India and only about 500 white tigers exist all over the world. The white tiger is a delight, but it is not as ferocious as the Bengal Tiger and perhaps not as cunning as well. The home of the white tiger is in Rewa in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The white tigers in the Al Alain zoo are healthy and well looked after.

Lions

Asiatic lion

The zoo has lions in their natural habitat. African lions abound, but missing is the great Asiatic lion, which is pictured here. The African lions are ferocious, while the great Asiatic lion a native habitat of the Gir Forest in Gujarat is comparatively tamer. The lions in the zoo in Abu Dhabi are a delight and there are at least 6 pairs of them

Zebras and Giraffe's

giraffe

these are tame animals and a real delight. you can get a chance to feed a giraffe for 10 AED. For this amount, you get a small packet of carrots and radish and have the pleasure of feeding the giraffe by hand. Vast enclosures keep the giraffes and zebras and are a delight.

Leopards, Cheetahs and smaller cats

leopard

These animals are typically from India, though the African leopard is also there. The smaller cats can be vicious as seen in the jungles of India. there are also panthers and Cheetah in the zoo at Al Alain. But the attraction is always the big cats

Amphibious Reptiles

crocodile african

Special enclosures house crocodiles and alligators. The most deadly African crocodile from the Congo is kept in a special enclosure. The crocs are in a deep pit and care must be taken not to fall inside the pit. These are deadly, compared to the alligator.

The Tiger

tiger

This beast is the pride of India and as is known all over the world , the home of the tiger is in India. The Bengal Tiger is the most ferocious and cunning of all animals. One can recollect the character Sher Khan the tiger created by Rudyard Kipling in his book Mowgli.

The Al Alain zoo has a tiger but not the Bengal Tiger. I hope they will get one soon

Large Mammals

Rhinoceros African

The top of the list is the African two-horned Rhino. The Al Alain zoo has 2 pairs of them and one can see them relaxing in the sand in their enclosure. They are lovely animals and a great attraction. But they do not have the great Indian one horn rhino from Assam. 

Last Word

The zoo is wonderfully kept. The entrance fee is 200 AED or about $50. But it is worth more than that and inside one can travel in a small electric car. Maintaining a zoo in a desert environment is a feat by itself. the zoo has lots of birds and other animals, more on them in another post