Remembering Zane Grey's " Riders of the Purple Sage"

Many years down the line I once again red 'Riders of the Purple Sage, ' a novel by Zane Grey. Perhaps more than any other novel, this book contributed to the concept of the American West. It has all the ingredients like a mysterious gunfighter, the outlaw boss and his masked accomplice, the frontier woman torn between love and law, the laconic cowboy out on the range--all these figures became familiar to readers through the work of Zane Grey.

This is the first of Zane Grey's many bestsellers. It’s a stirring tale of adventure and romance. A proud young heroine stands alone against the villains who rustle and stampede her cattle — until stranger rides into the territory. He is like a man sent by Jesus. This is Classic American frontier fiction, teeming with color, authenticity, thrills. One can read it again and again.

Rahul Gandhi is in a Resurgent Mood: Can he Succeed?

The Congress went to the polls after ruling for 10 years. This,
I am afraid is one of the bleakest periods of Indian history after 1947. With scant disregard of the wishes of the Indian people a political novice and a man with no sense of history, in effect an ineffectual man named Man Mohan Singh was hoisted on the Indian people. He was made the PM of 1.2 billion people. I wonder if such a charade has ever been committed in Indian history.

Such a man was bound to fail and this was reflected in the 2014 election when the Congress was wiped out winning just 44 seats. To top it the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi played a lack lustre role and failed to match the  BJP  mascot Narendra Modi. Many were despondent, but the majority looked forward to the promised "achee din".

Unfortunately the Achee Din have not materialised and there was a chink in the BJP armour. The saying that the hour finds the man is true and Rahul did some introspection. He went on  a 59 days Sabbath to  introspect and on his return a new Rahul has emerged. He has started a strong campaign against Modi. He is helped by the fact that Modi has been sitting on plenty of inaction. Modi has not given the promised OROP for soldiers, bungled on the land bill and overall created the image of a weak internal polity with just bombastic talk and no action, be it Kashmir or industry or anything.

Rahul has seized the moment and he is getting favourable response. Its a rejuvenated Rahul and given his lineage, he may well succeed.

Riding Horses and women

I was taught horse riding at the Academy. It was a wonderful experience.  I still remember my riding instructor Bawa Singh who put me through my paces. It was always a pleasure to control the bucking horse and as I clung to the horse with my legs clasped tightly around its flanks, gave me a feeling of tremendous elation. The horse did throw me down a couple of times, but that was when I was a novice. Once I was the master the horse was my docile pal.  Later I had a string of girl friend, can't help it when you hold the Presidents commission.  Yes! My Air Force monogram on my blazer did the trick. It advertised me and I needed no introduction.   But now with the passage of time I have found that riding is an art, both while riding a woman or a horse. Both experiences are to be savored and I wonder whether my stray thoughts on this subject will interest the reader.

A horse is meant to be ridden and so is a woman. That is the principle and essence of life. One cannot get away from it.A wild horse is tamed by being ‘broken in’.  A woman is similarly de-flowered and tamed. While riding hold on to the horse while in saddle with your thighs clasped strongly.  Likewise hold a woman firmly during sex with you thighs. The grip must be strong so as to press home your advantage. Hold on tightly when a horse bucks and move in rhythm with him.  Duplicate this when a woman also bucks, wriggles and cavorts in passion i.e., hold her tightly and move in rhythm with her.

After a ride pat a horse on his head to convey your appreciation and love for him.  Ditto for a woman after she is ridden. She will appreciate the attention. Build a bond of trust with the horse and understand him.  Likewise a bond of understanding and love needs to be established for riding a woman to ones satisfaction.Follow the rules and you will be the master.

The Psychology of Sex; Is there a Chemistry ?

There is a chance that you will be envious of a pal who moves about with a lovely girl on his arm while you don’t know what to do. Perhaps you feel this guy knows exactly which women to approach while you are clueless and at the end of your tether. You wonder maybe this chap has magic or maybe not. The truth is something simpler and is referred to as the Psychology of sex. Perhaps as a man you might think farfetched that just by looking at a girl you can forecast how she will react. But don’t dismiss this out of hand as there is some truth in this. Yes! One can certainly make a surmise by just looking at the girl what her reaction will be. This is a psychic ability to divine into a girls mind. I don’t think it is magic, but it is a divination that comes from the mind as a man decides how to approach a girl. It is like establishing chemistry, its easy but not all that simple. It is what we refer to as body language and once you vibe with the girl she will respond. he body is a giveaway. It could be an inane act of picking up a fallen handkerchief or just the way a girl breezes into an apartment store or simply sitting with legs crossed or uncrossed. The body language is the clue and one must be in the right mind to divine it.

The hands of a girl are the biggest giveaways. Event palmists concentrate on the hand and this is the biggest clue. Watching the hands will be the acid test. You will have to observe her hands closely. Generally girls are shy in case their hands are slim and pointed fingers. They are also more the dreamers. Large hands on the other hand show obstinacy and you will require greater and harder work to make any headway here. The body is the next in line. Slim girls are dreamier and need greater attention. They could be moody and emotional. Big boned girls will be large hearted. They are apt to be more open to deeper emotions.

Now have a look at her eyes. These requite careful observation. Large eyes show the girl as adventurous while small eyes show caution. Keep a look out for colors and the dress she wears. A slim girl in a pale sari is likely to be more of an extrovert, while a girl in shalwar kameez more staid. Girls in skirts are more open and become friends easily. What I have written is just the tip of the iceberg. You will have to observe the girl in the classroom or the office. You will have to strike chemistry with her. There is no clear cut mantra, but remember to be brave for faint hear never won fair woman

Some Half Truths about the Rani of Jhansi that need Elucidation

RaniLaxmibai of jhansi ( 1835-58) is romanticized as a great woman who fought for the "Independence" of India . She was a brave woman who took on the might of the Raj and died fighting. In her last battle her troops were surrounded by Sir Hugh Rose   and she was killed on 17 March 1858. Sir HughRose the British commander was himself wounded  and later commented that " The Rani was the bravest and greatest of the commanders of the mutiny". All this is very well but some half truths need to be re-stated for history to recognize the truth. The Rani was married at the age of 13 to Raja of Jhansi Maharaj Ganghadhar Rao Newalkar who was 40 years older to her. She gave birth to a son in 1851, who died and after that the maharaj Rao and Laxmibai adopted another boy as heir. This was not recognized by the British. The Mahraj Rao died in 1853 and Rani Laxmibai carried out a ceremony installing the adopted boy as the heir. She appealed to the English to recognize this. The British however did not approve and the Rani repeatedly appealed to the English to recognize the young adopted boy as the heir to the throne of Jhansi. She was not all inclined to fight the English and many overtures to the East India Company. In case the British had accepted the young adopted boy as the Maharaj of Jhansi, theRani was prepared to side with the East India company. The rejection of her request led the  Rani to launch her fight against the British. Her entire aim was very limited and just consisted of allowing her adopted son to rule Jhansi, freedom of India  was never in her mind. Thus the rani was interested in local issues, but her army despite being aided by Tantya Tope was defeated  on all fronts. She fought bravely, but it is small consolation  for the poor performance of the troops of  Tantya Tope and the Rani in battles with the English army.

The Jama Masjid at Fatehpur Sikri was built on a Hindu Temple

Fatehpur Sikri is about 50 km from Agra and for about 15 years was the capital of the Mughal empire. This was during the time of Akbar the great, who became emperor of Hindustan after defeating Samrat Hemu in the 3rd battle of Panipat in 1556. After some years Akbar shifted to Agra and later to Fatehpur Sikri. The place at present is looked after by the ASI ( Archeological Society of India). Incidentally the ASI was set up during the days of the Raj. One monument however is alive and that is the Jama Masjid. This mosque was erected between 1571-76 by Muslim saint named Salim Chisti. The mosque is made of red sandstone and has an outer wall and a large courtyard. The sad part is that this mosque from accounts given by the local people stands on the ruins of an Hindu temple. It is surmised that this mosque was dedicated to Lord Shiva One of the banes of Muslim power is the destruction of Hindu temples and the erection of Mosques over them the samething happened at Fatehpur Sikri. The mosque is known as the Jama Masjid and dedcated to Salim Chisti who is entpmbed here. A look at the walls and the main gate will show typical Hindu structures like 'chatris' with Hondu motifs. These are a giveaway and point to the origin of the Jama Masjid being on a Hindu temple. The mosque is a besutiful piece of architecture and has a Buland Darwaza ( large doorway) with paintings on its walls. The paintings are somewhat faded and need restoration work. The mosque proper has the mazar of Salim Chisti. Akbar it appears was fond of this mosque, hence it lies in close proximity to the Royal Palace where his favorite queen Jodha bai resided.

Two Singing Stars from America; Roy Rogers and Gene Autry

When I was a boy the comics of Roy Rogers and his horse Trigger and Gene Autry with his horse Champion did the rounds of our classrooms. They were both stupendous characters and were what we term as ‘Cowboy singing stars’. They played their roles to perfection and both sang some lovely country hits that still do the rounds of bars in the mid west and east in the United States.

Gene Autry Gene Autry married, but he had no children, but he remained faithful till his wife died in 1981. Rogers himself departed in 1998 and is remembered as one of the most versatile stars of the west on Hollywood screen. His more famous Christmas songs are still sung like ‘Rudolph the red nosed Reindeer.’ Gene was a cowboy star and carved a name for himself both on the radio, the TV and films. He for decades was one of the richest stars of Hollywood. For 10 years he starred in TV serials and endeared himself to the public. Roy Rogers

Parallel to Gene Autry was Roy Rogers. He also expired in 1998 and that signaled the end of an age of Hollywood. Roy Rogers with his horse trigger and wife Dale Evans career ran parallel to Gene Autry. He was last seen active in early 1990 Oscar awards function. Both men were inducted into Hollywood’s legendary Singing stars hall of fame. My preference was for Gene Autry who in his films and comics followed a strict code of conduct. He was clear; help children and women and never shoot first at an opponent and never in the back. Last Word

Both Roy Rogers and Gene Autry are part of history and Hollywood is the richer for these stars that lit the screen with action and songs for 5 decades. That’s some achievement!