The film is a paean to Sikh soldiers during the war. It is one of the most authentic war films ever made in India and one feels happy that in case the British retreat from Dunkirk can be presented on Celluloid, why not Bollywood showcase the bravery of Indian soldiers.
Yes, they were mercenaries, fighting for a foreign power, but the British had made India their home and after independence, the new Indian state has acknowledged the umbilical cord of the British Indian army with the modern Indian army.
There is another magnificent role played by Yograj Singh, who acts the role of a havildar who motivates the Sikh soldiers to fight the Germans. Thousands of Sikhs died in France, remembered only by the English, as independent India led by Nehru turned its back on these brave soldiers.
Pandit Nehru is guilty of a great act of misdemeanor as he ignored the sacrifice of Indian soldiers in France and for 6 decades no Indian leader ever visited the hallowed resting place of soldiers who died in the far-flung land of France and Italy.
The film portrays the fears of the Sikh soldiers sent to fight thousands of miles from home to defend the borders of England. Many wonder whether the blood they will shed will bring something for India. They wonder whether their bravery will be acknowledged by generations to come.
When my novel" Romance of the Frontier" was published many people asked me questions as to how I compiled a book of over 250 pages and what were the pitfalls if any.Many wanted to know what goes into writing a novel. Hopefully, I will try and give a peep into the mechanics of writing a novel and how to go about it.
Writing a novel is different from writing any other book like a textbook or even non-fiction. In the last category, the author needs hard facts and it is a question of marshaling those facts into a readable book. It could be a
biography or a book on any scientific topic. In contrast, a novel is a plain fantasy, except when writing a novel based on a historical incident. A novel is a test of a writer's imagination and its translation to the written word. It is also the ability to put across your ideas in a coherent form to readers.
You will need a plot, a story to tell. It will be a good thing in case you have some personal experience on the topic you are writing. You will need a good command of the language you write because the publisher cannot publish a book if it does not have proper grammar and language. A point to be noted that writing novel can be pure inspiration and recreation of events that are enthralling to the reader.
I wrote " Romance of the Frontier" 3 times and the computer was a help. One must give credit to the great writers who wrote in longhand and no resources
like a word processor. But again you will have to create a story, a romance and write a book that appeals.You will need a publisher and that is both the difficult and the easy part.Easy because there are so many of them who want to publish a book and difficult because some are just out to make money and will charge you. You may not sell a single book and thus your investment will be down the drain. But whatever it may be, you will have to create a story and relate it in a coherent manner.
My novel " Romance of the Frontier" has given me intense satisfaction and enhances standing in society. A writer is a respected man, more so if he is a creative man. Yes, one does require perseverance and a spark of genius. All of us have it some time and one can channel it to write a book. In case readers are interested this book is available on a dozen sites including Amazon.
I hope these few lines will motivate newbies to pen their thoughts and write a novel. After you write the first, the second will always be easy. My novel has now sold over 9000 copies and that is a source of great satisfaction.
Turmoil in Bangladesh as ex-premier Begum Zia is convicted for corruption
Begum Khaleda Zia chief of the BNP has been given a five year jail term and the entire country is facing an agitation by her party.
Khaleda Zia appears before court in graft cases | (Image via Dhaka Tribune)
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Begum Khaleda Zia the ex-PM of Bangladesh has been sentenced to 5-year Jail term.
While in the opposition she was indicted by the anti-corruption bureau of embezzlement of 3.1 million Taka from the Zia Orphanage fund. This was the money that came from abroad for a humanitarian cause. Her eldest son Tarique Rahman and four others were charged along with her for the offense.
Tariq is the Vice-Chairman of the BNP( Bangladesh Nationalist party). Yahoo
news has reported that the Begum is given five-year jail term while the others including her son have been sentenced to 10 years RI.
Islam came to the sub-continent nearly 1300 years back and a lot of mixture of the Islamic faith with Hindu and Buddhist religions took place leading to Sufism a more benign form of Islam. The Sufi’s produced a series of godmen called Pirs who were supposed to be in communion with God. The Pir’s
The Pir's are revered in India and Pakistan by both Hindus and Muslims. Many Pirs is hereditary and I have been following a Pir in Mumbai for 25 years.
The hold of the Pir over Muslims is hypnotic and many feel he will solve their problems The Pir from Lahore
A true story about the powers of a Pir has been reported by Pak Newspapers and also there is a video on YouTube about it. The man, a youngish Pir of about 30 years of age is alleged to have impregnated over 300 women.
In the East to be childless is a sin and not having a son is an equivalent sin. This is a hangover of a feudal mind but people in India and Pakistan are swayed by these thoughts. This Pir propagated that any women who could not conceive or wanted a son could approach him and he would intercede with Allah and see that the wish of the women was granted.
The Noor Bed
It so happened that a few desperate women approached the holy man and were completely hypnotized by him. In a trance, they were led to large bed which he referred to as the “Noor Bed” and there he copulated with them. A few conceived and the word spread that the Pir had magical powers. The fact that a woman had slept with the Pir was never told. Women who were childless also approached the Pir. He duly obliged and over a period of a few months impregnated over 300 women. The end
Somebody got a whiff of it and informed the police who went and arrested him. But no charges could be leveled or framed as no woman was willing to give evidence. In any case, the Sharia laws are so lax the charge of rape can never be proved. The Pir is now on bail I wonder if any research can be done to really find out how many got pregnant from the Pir and how many had boys. A friend from Lahore told me that the Pir did a good social service as he saved the lives of many women who suffered abuse at home. What a thought !.
Aeroflot is the state air carrier of Russia and has its pedigree from Communist days. The airline launched under communism was not initially treated as a commercial venture. During Soviet rule, the stress of Aeroflot was not commercial, but after the collapse of the Soviet Union, commercial considerations came to the fore. The airline is one of the biggest airlines in the world and flies to 800 destinations from Cuba to USA and China to India. It covers most of the globe and is Russia’s official flag carrier.
The airline’s safety record is suspect and a number of accidents have occurred. In addition, in-flight catering also needs a revamp. But it is the best airline to fly to the far corners of Russia.
Competitive Airline
The fares charged by the airline are competitive and this is one of its strong points. The airline also has a cargo division which transports goods to the far corners of the globe.
Aeroflot allows a refund and tickets can be canceled. Patrons can expect a full refund in case the booking is canceled 24 hours prior to the flight. The refund policy is fairly liberal and the airline allows a full refund up to the flight time departure.
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The Aeroflot head office is in Moscow at Aeroflot Head Office
10, Arbat Str.,
Moscow, Russia, 119002
Phone: +7 (499) 500-6905
Fax: +7 (499) 500-6867, Feedback
During the days of Soviet rule, the airline laid very less stress on customer care.Aeroflot has improved its service and is a monolith carrier. Its advantage is its reach all around the globe. Passengers are divided at about 50% about the efficacy of the airline. Another bonus is the Russian girls as air hostesses. Nobody can beat them and if you play your cards right you may land one for a date after she finishes duty.
It's best for eating varied types of beef and other meats. A Pakistani restaurant it opened 3 years back. Here are some photos.
You can't get a better spread of meats with authentic Pakistan food anywhere else. Don't go there with inhibitions as this a pure delightful eating joint. The king size mounted on stand is a highlight I have not ever seen.
Plato in his book "Republic" recounts a lovely tale that has intrigued me to a great extent. I have interpreted it as a realization of a dream of man and sexual conquest. Nobody can deny, that men even the most puritan of them do have lascivious thoughts of women and in this context, the tale related by Glaucon, who was the brother of Plato needs to be read.
The legend runs something like this. There was a lesser vassal called Gyges, who paid allegiance to the King of Lydia. Gyges was infatuated with the queen, the wife of the king of Lydia. He longed to possess her and have carnal knowledge of her body The more he saw the queen in court the more he lusted for her.
Providence took a hand and one day while he was roaming about in the countryside an earthquake took place. This earthquake had a magical effect and a small cave opened. Gyges went inside the cave and saw a large horse made of bronze. This horse was a cover for a tomb of a man and Gyges saw the corpse was wearing a ring. He removed the ring and wore it. In a moment he was aware that he had astonishing powers and once he wore the ring he became invisible.
Gyges wearing it entered the king's palace and proceeded to the chamber of the queen. As he entered, he saw the queen now nude and he seduced her. Plato does not explain how he seduced her as he was invisible. But in all probability, his invisibleness added to his charm as he made love to the queen. After having satiated his desire he went to the king's chamber and killed him.He came back to the Queens chamber and again made ferocious love.
He later married her and became king. The desire for a woman can lead you anywhere. Right?
