Sylvester Gomes & Shankerda - my days in SPV School New Delhi

I was probably in class seven, year was 1967-68. There used to be football matches and in every match the hero was Sylvester Gomes. He used to play in forward position and would never miss a chance to make a goal. He was a great athlete with great stamina.  He was my ideal. However it requires a different devotion and sincerity  to make a football player , which we lacked.
However I came to know that at the behest of Sylvester the 1968 batch SPVians had joined the Swaraswati Puja. My regards to the Sylversterda. I would like to get in touch with him and know more about him.
The second name that still rings a sweet memory is Shankerda he was a great singer. Songs by Shankerda was a must in any social function. He was liked by everyone . During the 1965 war, desh bhakti geets  like  kadam kadam baraye ja still ring in my ears. Any body knows his whereabouts. My regards and best wishes for both  of them.

Three SPVians - (New Delhi)

It in the year 1965-66 I was in class  VIII. I was always  a mediocre student with problem of learning,  called autism.  But the class eight  was the threshold class when we had to choose  between arts  or science stream . To go to  science stream you have to do well in Maths, English and Social science . I was  unnerved as  maths was my problem. I convinced my father to keep a tuitor for me . The tuitor was good and he finished the course during the summer vacation itself.  I was quite confident and was doing well, catching up with  the  best students - Purobi Bhowmick and Amitava Sengupta. However at the time  of final exam  I had chicken pox,  and could  only  appear  for  some subjects, however I was given Science based of three subjects required to get science stream.
After 47yrs I still  remember myself, Amitava and Piyush  sharing the same bench.  Piyush  became a marine engineer and lives in CR Park  Amitava and myself  became a scientists  in ICAR-nirjaft (jute research institute)  in Kolkata and Amitava in IPL- Delhi, also lives in CR Park . I was told that Purobi Bhowmick  went  on to become  a doctor .

Bandhugon

স্মৃতির আধারে 

Bandhugan - NIRJAFT  

In late seventies Bengal had given a new word to the English dictionary ‘Gherao’. Militant industrial unrest was in full swing. One after another industry was moving away from Bengal. Trade Unions were as strong as the ruling party/Government.

In our institute also we started seeing the reflection of the day. Suddenly a tall built guy whom Dr Anantha krishnan used to call Bandhugan, as he used to start his numerous speeches with the same word every time. He had his followers a group of people. They started to harassing the director every  now and then. They even put up a 20 point program taking cue from the PM Indira Gandhi's  20 point program. They soon grabbed the power. Director started giving due importance to their views and fancies. The another Director came and they started playing the same technique, but he was a tough nut to crack. Soon as time passed three of them got exemplary punishment and their careers were ruined. However behind the scene their were a dada and a didi who used to pull all the strings they remained untouched and lived happily thereafter, and also got rewarded like others, that was the saddest part which Bandhugan and his group realized long after. 

The misery of the institute did not end there then came the time of Chote mian and  Badhe mian's  BRaj which was no worse than the dada-didi raj

Cats a pet of different nature

My wife Krishna is fond of street dogs and cats, her heart is full of mercy for their well being. However keeping dog as a pet is full of hassles. Going  out for few days becomes out of question.  Secondly taking them out for potty is a problem any body will avoid.
Whereas cats can not be chained or they do not like to stay at home for 24 hrs. After shifting the window grills, two cats have started visiting us . My wife is very god of them . They come only at lunch  and dinner time and wait patiently for their turn for food.  After taking food they sleep on the widow itself or some time they are away for few days, like independent creatures. So we are proud owners of two cats with out the hassles associated with dogs.

Goja and Khaja

Both the similar sounding words are basically made from maida.  In both cases the dough is prepared but cut differently and then fired in oil and dipped in sugary syrup. Khaja is a speciality of Puri whereas Goja is available in Bengal/Kolkata.

Doodh puli a bengali delicacy

It is made from a Dow mainly  of  rice powder stuffed with coconut cooked in nolengur. Finally it is dipped in a broth of milk and nolegur (jagger made from palm trees juice).

Making of jalebi

Jalebi is fighting a lone battle. Only an expert hand can make that two and a half turn required to make it. After frying it is dipped in a sugary syrup.

Accident in SPVidyalaya I will never forget

How many ex-students remember the school bus  accident  in SPVidyalaya about  50 yrs back at the Lodhi Road crossing near the India Habitat Center with a brick loaded truck  in which I was with my elder sister. A senior student named Kalindi died.
Another school bus accident happened when,  while attempting to board the bus which were used to be over loaded. The rush was to get a proper seat. I hope the situation had much improved . After that accident the principal  madam Kamala called an all students meeting in which she wept inconsolably . After that incident she left.
These two  accidents left an indelible mark in my memory.

How to cope with life after 60

Life after retirement becomes miserable, as daily routine  of going to office ends.You become lonely age related diseases take over you, the new tech savvy world becomes difficult to manage. Spending time becomes difficult. Here are some of the tips that benefited me.

First  maintain a good health and keep your teeth  in good condition. There is nothing more painful than a tooth pain. As we go sedentary life,  keep a treadmill at home, and take

a walk at3.0 km/hr for every 6-10 min every  1 hr . This will keep you healthy. 

Be smart phone  savvy.  In fact when I tried to make a whatsapp group of Nirjaft scientists, I could get only 3 contacts, where 2 contacts  are  dorments.There will be pressure from your family your family  members will say what baba will do with  a smartphone and facebook, it will be a waste of money. In fact I have two smart phones. 

Smartphones are  virtual computers - you can use it for booking train/plane tickets,hotel booking, you can keep a watch on your bank account, through Facebook and whatsapp you can keep contact  with your dear  and near  ones. You can even book a cinema tickets or see preview ,you can check read  and send e-mails, if you are interested in reading  books,  you can read them at a low cost through ebooks.  If you are interested  in photography or want to take  video of places you visit,  you can also do  it in a smart phone. If you are interested in writing your  experience  you can  open a blogg of your own,  making bill payment  is a pleasure. Above all when  you are  not allowed to watch the news channels, you can  see  it in a smart  phone. 

So friends be  smart phone savvy, there can be some hiccups, I am here to help you.