Before I forget

Blogging has given me a wonderful note pad to scribble my memories, as memories may fail to support as age goes up.

I owe a lot to two persons for my being in this city of CWG and Asiad, for the past forty years. I will write on those two souls, who are no more in this world. I will also include my friends in 1971, group of job seekers, whose names I have forgotten, but their youthful faces are still clear in my mind. All that later on.

Yes, Delhi was a sleepy – nick named ‘Babu’s city’ in the 70s. The first time it had some awakening was when the Asia 72 exhibition was held in 1972 (The Pragati Maidan was built for that). That was perhaps the first of its kind in Delhi with a gap of many years, or may be I felt it that way being a new Delhi-ite. The year 1971 ended up with the liberation of East Pakistan – renamed ‘Bangladesh’. The war was for 14 days. Those were power cut evenings–in preparation of a bomb attack from Pakistan. The fourteen days were buzzed with the screeching noise of Knat, the Airforce fighter guarding the Delhi skies. The Hindustan Times was full of stories of the advances our Vyjayanthi Tanks made in the Western Sector and the captures our Army made there.

At the end, I remember, the Hindustan Times photograph with General Niazi the Pakistani General with ninety thousand of his troupe surrender before Lt. General Jagatjit Singh Arora, The Turbened Indian General who fought the enemies in East Pakistan and defeated General Niazi. War cemented Mrs. Indira Gandhi’s seat of power and the decline of Congress. The INC (Indian National Congress) had split in 1969 with Freedom Struggle heroes Kamaraj, Nijalingappa, Morarji Desai, K C Abraham et al staying with Official Congress, and IG with artists of sycophancy forming the Congress (I). Of course, the people, as they are, stood with the more glamorous IG team. Some Historians memoired that Bangladesh was an absolute creation for Mrs Gandhi’ for her own sake. I am no historian. Things were becoming bad to worse in the country and Jai Prakash Narain called for a second liberation struggle. People came out wholeheartedly in support of JP and the movement.

The absolute power got shaken. An unnecessary emergency was declared and the Nation was under complete darkness. Thereon it was darkness in the corridors of power, IG, the sycophants and her son Sanjay ruled Delhi like Sultana and Aurangzeb. Fundamental rights were violated by the very people who was to protect them Morarji, Jaiprakash Narain, and all those seemed a threat to her were jailed and tortured. Many were vanished off the scene by all means.
Then India rose up once again. Thanks to our democratic spirit, roots and values, Mrs IG was defeated in her own pet constituency, Rae Bareilly by a lesser known Raj Narain ( He was the comic reliever in the Morarji Desai Government) in the National Elections. Congress was confined to the South, notably Kerala. Thanks to the good deeds and discipline which came with the Emergency in that part of the country. The Jan Sangh also joined hands with the fighters and formed a united Janata Party.

The rebels (so they were called) could not last long, power hungry, Charan Singh, Jagjivan Ram, Chandrasekhar, all together brought the two years old government under Mr. Morarji Desai, (one of the few all clear politicians in the Independent India). The Jansangh portion of the Janata Party also walked out of the Janata Party and formed their BJP. That very formation has disintegrated to regional parties, who horse trade in the centre whenever there is uncertain verdict. They have learned the art of splitting and staying alone.

I am no historian, hence the dates and exactness of the facts may vary. But the essence of the thing is true to the best of my memory. Back to the Bangladesh episode, much hatred were traded between politicians of both nations for their survival. In the recently concluded CWG, Pakistan contingent got the lasting applause after India. That was really heartening. Indians were not welcoming the sports persons from our neighbouring country. We were welcoming our estranged brethren. I felt very good.