Suchitra Sen 

I read about the death of Suchitra Sen on Times of India. I was quite upset on hearing the news. Suchitra Sen a Bengalee was a superb actress. She has worked in a few very successful Hindi movies like Mamta with Ashok Kumar, Aandhi with Sanjeev Kumar and Bambai ka Babu with Dev Anand. I liked her the most in Aandhi where her role was superb and she played a character very similar to Indira Gandhi. Her make up in the movie was like Indira Gandhi. The story of Aandhi was also similar to the life of Indira Gandhi. The songs in the movie were very good and Sanjeev Kumar was also too good.

Suchitra Sen got married at a very young age. Her husband helped her with her career. She has worked in maximum number of Bengalee movies with Uttam Kumar the superhero of Bengalee screen.

Suchitra Sen in her later life was a recluse. It is as though she did not want to show herself in the public domain as she was getting old, so that her fans would always remember her as young and beautiful.

She has one daughter Moon Moon Sen and two grand daughters who are also in the movies.

I was very sad to hear the news of the death of Suchitra Sen. An era of the Indian film Industry had come to an end. May her soul rest in peace.

Winners

Danielle Steel

This is the latest novel by Danielle Steel. This is the story of a teenage girl Lily Thomas who is preparing for the Olympic Skiing completion, the only daughter of millionaire investor. She meets with an accident when her chair cable breaks down and she is flung down in the valley. It is a miracle that she survives the accident but she loses her control below the waste and she becomes an invalid stuck with the wheelchair. Bill Lily’s father is shattered as he tries to come to terms with the tragedy. This is also the story of her Doctor Jessie Mathews a neurosurgeon who also suffers from the tragic loss of her husband due to an automobile accident, and she is left with the responsibility of bringing up four children, three sons and one daughter. The story brings out the courage of     who later goes on to win the skiing medal for the handicapped Olympiad. She eventually falls in love with Jessie’s son. Her father builds a state of the art facility for accident victims and he along with Jessie develops the centre. Bill eventually comes to terms with the fact that his daughter is going to be an invalid and will never be able to walk again. Winners is a novel about winning against all odds. A very touching novel.

My visit to an orphanage

Yesterday i.e. on Monday 27th January 2014 I had the occasion to visit an orphanage. I was not ready for the emotion that was going to hit me hard. The orphanage was very clean and the area I visited had a play room with toys here and there. I visited the main room where all the babies stay. I saw children from age group of 6 months to 4 years. There were more girls than boys, a proof of the fact that girls in India are not favored. It showed the bias of Indians against girls. The children were looked after maids or ayahs. They were taking good care of the children. But after all they were not parents. A great depression set into my mind and even at age 61 years I realized that I was so lucky to have loving parents. I also felt that both my children who are now grownups with their own kids were so lucky to have us. I may not have been an ideal father but the love for my children was genuine. Even today I feel the attachment for both my children, though providence has it that we don't meet that frequently. But I am happy for the love and affection that my children feel for me, and I for them.

Coming back to the orphanage, I was pained to see the small children without parents. I pray to GOD that each of the child should get adopted in a good home and get the love of Parents. I met a beautiful girl of about 18 months who has been adopted by my friend. My friend is a very loving person. They are also well off and I am happy that this girl has found a good home. I took the small girl in my arms and I felt so happy. I immediately remembered my grand children especially my grand daughter who is now about 15 months old. I thank GOD that my grandchildren are surrounded by people who love them.

I think that all should visit an orphanage and see the beautiful children who are thirsty for our love. Let us all try to do something for these lovely angels. Visiting them will rid us of all depressions and frustrations and will give a new meaning to our lives.

Biography 1

I remember that day very well, I think it was 20^th June 1964.One day before that is on 19^th July Baba came to drop us that is Aai Deepak and I to the S S Kampala and we were travelling to Mumbai to Bombay to India for a resettlement. We were leaving Dar-es-Salaam for good. During our journey we were also accompanies by Sudha mami and Sanjay who was a toddler about 8 months old, Vimal mavshi and Suresh mama. To see us off at the S S Kampala Kamal mavshi, Nana and Raju had come. In those days security was not very tight and all of them were allowed to board the ship. The ship was quite huge to my child’s eyes and of course we were very excited. I was excited for the long sea journey, even at that young age of 11 years I loved the sea voyage. But my heart was very heavy because I was to leave my Baba and go without him. I was very much attached to him and I always wanted to be like him. He seemed so powerful, so wise and so loving. At about 9 o clock they disembarked the ship that is Kamal mavshi, Raju, Nana and Baba. Baba in his car must have dropped them and he went alone to an empty home where his loved ones would not be there. But he had promised us that on the next day he would come to the shores to wish us good bye. The bay of Dar-es-salaam is such that there is a small creek through which the ship used to pass and we could see people on the coast or the beach and as promised we three i.e. Aai Deepak an I went on the deck of the ship and Baba was there standing beside the car and waving out to us. That was my last view of him. It was with a very heavy heart that I wished Good bye to him, not knowing when I would meet him again, because there was uncertainty all through. But since I was very young I adapted to this situation very fast and I began to play. We were in the 1^st class cabin. Aai and Deepak had one cabin and I was in the adjoining cabin to be shared with another lady, but that lady never turned up, so we had the cabin to ourselves. But I always slept with my mother and Deepak in their cabin.

R2

Our ship left at about 7 o clock in the morning on 20^th June 1964. Our first stop was going to be Zanzibar. Zanzibar is a very small island off the coast of Tanzania. It was full of clove trees and it was an island which was in the hands of Sultanate of Oman, but it had gained its independence and hence it was now a part of Tanzania. Tanganyika plus Zanzibar was Tanzania. Zanzibar got it independence along with Tanzania in 1961. After seeing Baba off we went to the cabin. All three of us cried embracing each other. I was now the man of the family, since Baba was at Dar. It was on my small shoulders that there was the responsibility of taking care of Aai and Deepak. Deepak was a very naughty boy and hence I had to take care of him. My mother was very sensitive and since she was not that well educated I was in charge, a young boy of 11 years studying in the 6^th standard was now head of the family. The day began nicely Suresh mama, Sudha mami and Vimal mavshi were travelling in the 3^rd class, and hence they were given bunks. Bunks were large dormitories at the bottom of the ship. S S Kampala was a passenger as well as a cargo ship and lot of cargo was also loaded in the ship. Since my father was a British government officer we were all entitled to 1^st class cabins. The cabins were fantastic; they were quite big with independent beds for each of us. But I remember that since the ships were old i.e. I am talking of 1964, the ships used to roll a lot and for the first three days the ship rolled very heavily, with the result that Vimal mavshi felt sea sick and she was taken to the bed. We youngsters that is Deepak and I like monkeys used move around the whole ship. The rolling of the ship had no impact on us and we were not sea sick and we really enjoyed the sea. We had access to every part of the ship since we were 1^st class passengers. There was quite a crowd of young boys with us in our age group. We were a group of 10 to 12 boys. Most of them were Europeans and two of us Deepak and I were Indians. We had opted for non-veg food i.e. Deepak and I. Aai had vegetarian food. Vegetarian food was Gujrathi thali delivered to her cabin. Whereas we were required to go to the dining hall. The dining hall was huge. There were big long tables. One table was kept exclusively for us for the children of the 1^st class and there was a matron who took care of us and who over looked all our requirements. You can say that she was sort of baby sitting for us. She was the one who used to arrange lot of programs, take care of our meals and ensure that we were all comfortable. I remember that after that we used to go to the deck. The deck was very huge and there was an enclosed hall of about 30 feet square. There were 2 table tennis tables there and there were go carts and toys. There was a library and all things of comfort and luxury were provided to us. I had already started playing table tennis to some extent at Dar-es-salaam and I liked the game. I came into this game because basically in Dar-es-salaam our Maratha Mandal Mukund Padhye had just returned from India and he along with Vilas Natu boasted in front of me, that you cannot play the game and they used to literally buly me and I used to just sit on the sideline watching them play. Perhaps that was when the seed of playing table tennis entered my mind. In the ship I earnestly started playing and I had a flair for the game. Our matron had arranged one small tournament  and I came out to be the winner, the champion of the ship. I was given a small desk calendar as a prize for my victory. We had lunch in the afternoon and I siesta after that and Aai used have lunch in the cabin, either alone or with Vimal Mavshi, Sudha mami and Suresh mama. They were not permitted to move all over the ship since they were 3^rd class passengers. But they used to enter our cabin on the sly and since we had 2 cabins we could easily accommodate them during the day. During the nights strictly they were not allowed in the 1^st class.

NUMBERED ACCOUNT

NUMBERED ACCOUNT

CHRISTOPHER REICH

This is very exciting novel about the Swiss Banks and the Swiss Banking system. It brings out the secret working of the Swiss Banking system and how it is misused for illegal activities.

It is the story of Nicholas Neumann who is the son of a senior executive of a Swiss bank whose branch is based in the US.

Nick sacrifices a brilliant and promising Wall Street career as well as his fiancée and leaves USA for Switzerland to work in his father’s bank. The bank is headed by his father’s close friend. Nick shifts to Switzerland and takes up work in his father’s bank to solve the mystery and find the murderer of the brutal killing of his father seventeen years ago.

Nick starts working at the bottom rung of the bank and quickly learns about the nitty gritty of the workings of a Swiss bank. He learns about the secret money transfers to and fro from the banks. He learns about the absolute secrecy that goes along with the system. He learns about the money laundering of drug money as well as transfer of huge amounts to various banks across the globe to fund terrorism.

Nick eventually gets to handle a very big account which handles millions of dollars transferred to and from the said account. The account holder is known only by his code name “Pasha”. Pasha turns out to be a Middle Eastern millionaire who is organizing a very big terrorist activity. Pasha has built up his personal army and has planned an activity which will cause great harm across Europe and the world.

Nick eventually solves the mystery of his father’s death and also becomes successful in pulling off the mask of Pasha.

It is a very hair raising story bringing out the misuse of the secrecy of Swiss banking system by sinister persons to create global havoc.

Natural Causes

This novel by Michael Palmer is a medico-legal thriller.

The story revolves around Dr. Sarah Baldwin, who is a resident Doctor at the Medical Centre of Boston. Before becoming a doctor Sarah was a practitioner of Holistic healing which included alternative therapies such as acupuncture and ayurvedic and herbal medicines. She had obtained her training in holistic medicine and acupuncture under an oriental master at Thailand. From there she came to Boston and started working with Peter Ettinger a leading Alternative and Holistic medical practitioner. But after three years with him she became disillusioned and she decided to study medicine and become a doctor and practice medicine. She was convinced that an MD in medicine coupled with her experience in holistic medicine would prove to be a boon to her patients who would get best of both the worlds.

But Sarah’s life turns topsy turvy when three of her patients, taking her herbal supplements develop complications. Two of these patients die due to excessive bleeding and also lose their unborn children. The third one named Lisa (the daughter of a Multi millionaire) due to excessive bleeding loses her hand and also her child.

This is when all hell breaks lose. Lisa’s father sues Sarah for malpractice. Michael Palmer is a gifted story teller and he brings out the medical and legal aspects very cleverly in weaving a very interesting and page turning novel in the class of a Robin Cook.

Love of a Father for his Child

 

The above is obtained from Facebook " Fight for Life's Photo"

It is very touching and it makes me to think. As a father I have done many things, scolded my children, spanked them when needed, tried to discipline them through punishment, denied them things which I felt were not appropriate, so on and so forth.

All these things at a later stage in life builds up a feeling of guilt. A father starts thinking if he was right in doing all these things. He thinks whether he was harsh. A father is caught up in a maze of such thoughts and feelings.

But one thing is certain and that is a father loves his children unconditionally. Generally in our Indian society the importance of a mother is well recognized and her sacrifice is spoken of greatly. A father is relegated to the back ground.

But as a father of two children I would like to impress that the love of a father is no less. The only draw back perhaps is the way of showing the love. A fathers love is not vocal.

As a father I love my kids from the bottom of my heart and I am willing to do anything for them. These emotions are not exclusive to me but are universal for all fathers. 

When my son was born I understood the love that my father felt towards me. The nights he must have stayed awake during my illness. The hardship he must have undergone to make two ends meet in providing for my education. The pleasures he must have sacrificed in providing for my future. The sleepless nights he must have spent worrying about my career. The list is endless. 

I had just taken these things for granted. My father was always there for me as I am always there for my kids. 

A father is lucky when the kids realize the sacrifices the fathers have done.

I don't know if my father is lucky enough. I don't know if I have been a good son to my father.

But one thing I can say that my father is a wonderful father.  I don't know whether I am as good a father to my kids. It is for them to judge.

One thing is certain that a father loves his children unconditionally. and I realized this only when my son was born.