25th Dec

Completed morning program. On Christmas eve, Akshat and Yash with Santa in a get-together :

The Airport is specially decked  for Christmas. Venita got enough time to go round shops.
Left  for Colombo by Sri Lanka airlines.

24th Dec

Completed morning program. Alaynah,(4),our youngest grand child, in Christmas outfit. Venita brought it from London on 19th Dec.:

Started packing for our journey to Sri Lanka on 25th Dec. Google search informed that that you get Sri Lankan Rs.2.06 for one Indian rupee. Weather is tropical. Unless one travels to upcountry areas, cottons are enough to wear.
Retired to sleep at about 11.45 pm.

23rd Dec.

Completed morning program. In the High court from about 2 to 3 pm. Met Vikas in the High court. We had coffee together in Bar cafeteria. We got Sri Lanka Visa.Venita started packing. We are to leave for Colombo day after for over a week to spend winter holidays in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka tourism website groups  travel itineraries into 8 :1. Scenic 2. Pristine 3. Anuradhapur 4.Heritage 5.Wild  6.Bliss 7.Essence 8. Festive. We are not so much interested in Scenic,Anuradhapur,Wild,Bliss,Essence and Festive group of itineraries. We will be more interested in Heritage, a bit of Pristine. Venita ,of course, is more interested in shopping. Children want their mother and grandmother to shop as much as she can. She buys mostly for them and little for herself.They are the main beneficiaries. Cheers to you children iii.
Retired to sleep at about 11.45 pm.

22nd Dec

Completed morning program. In the High court from 1 to 2 pm.The Supreme court closed for winter holidays from 19th Dec.The high court will close from 25th.
Quotable Quotes ;"If Harry Potter taught us anything it's that no one should live in a closet 'JK Rowling
Retired to sleep at about 11 pm.

21st Dec

Completed morning program. Attended a party hosted by Anand and Abhay to celebrate their mother's birthday at Noida. Their close relations and friends joined in.
Retired to sleep at about 11 am

20th Dec

Completed morning program. Spent the day reading newspapers and doing misc.work.
Pilku is 46 today. He was born on 20.12.1968. According to the Indian calender, he came to this world at  about 05.58 hrs of Thursday, Shuklapaksh, Pratipada of Paush, Samvat 2025. Venita did Puja in the temple early morning and distributed prasad and 'khir' to all. We talked to him in London. I told him that he had seen me how i faced ups and downs in life coolly. He should take a lesson from it. Things settle down sooner or later. Whatever happens in our life is for our good. He will see truth of it soon.
"A hug from a loved one when feeling down and low is all one desires. But, how about a hug actually boosting your immunity and protecting you from illness? Well it is true as a research published in the journal Psychological Science claims." The HealthSite ,dated 20h Dec.2014.
Quotable Quotes : " What i gave, i have/what i spent i had/what i saved i lost."Agha Sahid Ali, Kahmir poet.
Retired to sleep at about 11.45 pm.

Shillong visit

19th
Completed morning program. Venita arrived at about noon by Virgin Atlantic. Worked from home. Came across following write-up in a mail.Quote. Reactions are always instinctive  whereas responses are always well thought of, just and right to save a situation from going out of hands, to avoid cracks in relationship, to avoid taking decisions in anger, anxiety, stress or hurry.Unquote.
Retired to sleep at about 11 pm.

18th
Left Shillong at about 8.30 am. Had a cup of tea at Barapani IB. Very refreshing.You do not get lake view from IB now. Big trees block it. Shillong has become more congested. Guwahati is developed a lot. New malls. Cannot locate old Guwahati. It is all new. Quite a few fly-overs. International brands can be seen all over.
Visited Shankar Barua's place. His wife lives mostly in Delhi with her son. His mother was there. She wept a bit. She said CBI seized most of family jewellery and other property papers in search in connection with Sarada chit fund case. She was left with two steel rings in fingers.
Met with Mrs Chakravorty. Her husband died about a year back. Her eyes were moist when i left. I gave Rs 500 to her grandson whom i saw for the first time. After lunch at Assam guest house,left by Air India at about 4.30 pm. Reached Delhi after a flight of 2 hours 20 minutes.
17th
At dinner in Peter'house i had Chinese food. Sweet dish, chocolate cream cake by Peter's wife, Nandita, was superb. My room in the Meghalya Police guest house, Shillong was full of sunshine during the day. It was quite pleasing. Photon plus did not work in Shillong as well as Guwahati. Meeting with the Commission continued upto 3 pm. Although there were invitations for dinner and drinks, but i did not feel like going out. Had quiet dinner in the room. 
Very cold day Talked to Mrs Bezbaruah over phone. Bezbaruah had gone to Pune. She inquired about Pilku, Silku and Babloo. When Pilku and Silku stayed in the hostel of Edmond's school, Bezbaruahs were their local guardian at Shillong. As Babloo too had to join Edmond's and we could not afford his stay in the hostel,we hired annexe of a house where all three of them stayed with Venita for their school education. Pilku had come down to Guwahati later to join Central School for his 10+2 which he completed at Delhi after all of us moved there on my deputation to the Central Bureau of Investigation in 1985.
Wlll leave for Guwahati tomorrow.
16th
I almost missed the flight to Guwahati as i delayed in reporting due to traffic jams on the way. Duty officer of Air India at the airport helped. The porter whom i engaged took me to the aircraft through shortcut to the gate on an electric car. I rewarded them. Meghalaya police had sent transport with escort to take me to Shillong. Due to agitating women i was held up for about half-an-hour at Khanapara on way. Had a cup of tea at Burnihat. Assam skyline has changed a lot with highrise-multi-storeyed buildings, hotels. Total impression is of prosperity. There are no more ramshackled houses,
On way to Shillong took rest at Nongpow forest IB. But i could not get that memorable cup of tea which i used to when i was DGP Meghalaya. The Chaukidar did not have gas to prepare it. Even tea at Burnihat was no good.
I am visiting Meghalaya after about 10 years. Last time i came for Commission of Inquiry in 2002-4. Road is four lane and still being done up in patches. Due to pilot, there is continuity and safety in road journey. I missed helicopter as it leaves Guwahati at about 9 am. Left Nongpow early.The coal trucks would start moving now. In fact major chunk of traffic coming from Shillong side consisted of them. Reached Shillong at about 6.45 pm. Went to Peter's house for dinner at about 8.30 pm.. Peter had invited a couple of retired IAS officers and a former DGP Meghalaya with their families. Returned guest house at about midnight after dinner. The Governor here is well known to me We worked together in Civil defence when he was IGP Arunachal Pradesh. I am sure he  would have permitted me to stay in Raj Bhavan on request. But  I stayed in the Meghalaya Police Guest house where i felt more comfortable

15th Dec

Completed morning program. In the Supreme court from 1.30 to 3 pm. Packed for journey to Guwahati tomorrow.
Quotable Quotes :"एक अजीब सी दौड़ है ये ज़िन्दगी, जीत जाओ तो कई अपने पीछे छूट जाते हैं, और हार जाओ तो अपने ही पीछे छोड़ जाते हैं।."
Retired to sleep at about 10.45 pm.

14th Dec

Completed morning program. Spent the day in miscellaneous work. Neha started her blog. She has placed some of her write-ups in it. I will go through them and give my comments .
Quotable Quotes : "Trust a person to that extent,That he feels guilty to cheat you; and Care a person to that extent,That he fears to loose you."
Retired to sleep at about 11 pm.

13th Dec

Completed morning program. A friend has forwarded me an article on 'Steps to Avoid a fall and an Accident' By KATIE HAFNE , published in the New York Times, NOV. 3, 2014 ,with his comments "It is a useful article for those over 75 years or less depending on the state of your fitness. It is  a staggering statistics that one third of Americans over 65 yrs fall every year. Recoveries can be slow or incomplete for the rest of person's life. Among the recommendations regular exercise is the most obvious. And one need not be in the vulnerable age or fitness level for it. It can be an excellent preventive medicine for life long. Particularly balance exercises like standing on one foot." 
It is interesting to know these facts.

Retired to sleep at about 11 pm.

12th Dec

Completed morning program. Visited CGHS. In the Supreme court from about 2 to 3.30 pm.
Quotable Quotes : "A person should not be too honest. Straight trees are cut first and Honest people are victimised first." Chanakya

11th Dec

Completed morning program.Visited Soni service centre. In the Supreme court from 1.30 to 3 pm.
Quotable Quotes : "A man is great by deeds, not by birth." Chanakya.
Retired to sleep at about 11 pm.

10th Dec.

Completed morning program.
Dilip Padgaonkar writes in the Blog,Huff Post dated 9th Dec,2014 "In his latest book, World Order, Henry Kissinger cautions that "with India, Japan and China all led by strong and strategically oriented administrations, the scope both for intensified rivalries and for potential bold resolutions will expand." He then goes on to add: "In any of these evolutions, India will be a fulcrum of twenty-first century order: an indispensable element, based on its geography, resources, and traditions of sophisticated leadership, in the strategic and ideological evolution of the regions and the concepts of order at whose intersection it stands."

Narendra Modi, who has demonstrated his ability to wield both hard power and soft power (Hinduism, Buddhism, cricket, Bollywood) to good effect, has his job cut out for him. He is aware that good fortune awaits India so long as the Buddha keeps smiling."I am  quoting the above thinking lest you miss it. It is worth reading.

Malala and Satyarthi awarded Nobel Peace prize at Oslo, Norway today. They will share 1.1 million dollar. Other Nobel awards are to be given in Sweden.

Quotable Quotes ; ""Education is your best friend. An educated person is respected everywhere. Education beats beauty and  youth." Chanakya.

Retired to sleep at about 11 pm.

9th Dec

Completed morning program. Visited CGHS. In the Supreme court from about 1 to 2.30 pm.
Quotable Quotes :"Books are as useful to a stupid person as a mirror is useful to a blind person." Chanakya
Retired to sleep at about 10.30 pm.

8th Dec

Completed morning program. Visited Safdurjung hospital. In the Supreme court from about 1 to 3pm. On way back visited Soni service station.
Quotable Quotes : "Once you start  working on something, don't be afraid of failure and don't abandon it. People who work sincerely are the happiest."

7th Dec

Completed morning program.
A research of Birmingham University has indicated "that it is possible that worry leads to disruptions in the timing and duration of sleep, rather than late sleep times causing greater worry."
Quotable Quotes :"A person should not be too honest. Straight trees are cut first and Honest people are victimised first."Chanakya
Retired to sleep at about 11.15 pm. 

6th Dec

Completed morning program. Met Accounts officer of Shri Tulsi's office at CSOI. He gave final copies of my and that of Venita's ITRs.Venita's ITR will be returned to him after her signature for sending it to Income tax office, Bangalore. My ITR with digital signature is already sent. He has been handling my accounts for few years.
May like to see a photograph of Akshat below in course of a training.

Quotable Quotes :  "As soon as fear approaches near, attack and destroy it."
Retired to sleep at about 11.15 pm

5th Dec.

Completed morning program. In the supreme court from about 1 to 3 pm. Attended the Executive committee meeting of the Association of senior retired IPS officers.
Quotable Quotes : "Once you start  working on something, don't be afraid of failure and don't abandon it. People who work sincerely are the happiest." Chanakya
Retired to sleep at about 10.45 pm.

4th Dec.

Completed morning program.
Government of Meghalaya appointed me as an Independent member of the State security commission for a period of 3 years.
Visited Safdurjung hospital. In the Supreme court from about 1 to 2.30 pm.
Quotable Quotes : "Before you start some work, always ask yourself three questions - Why am I doing it, What the results might be and Will I be successful. Only when you think deeply and find satisfactory answers to these questions, go ahead."Chanakya 
Retired to sleep at about 11 pm 

3rd Dec

Completed morning program.Visited Mahajan diagnostic center. In the Supreme court from about 1 to 3 pm.
Quotable Quotes :"The fragrance of flowers spreads only in the direction of the wind. But the goodness of a person spreads in all direction."
Retired to sleep at about 10.15 pm. 

2nd Dec

Completed morning program. Visited Mahajan diagnostic center, In the Supreme from about 2 to 4 pm. Munna came and stayed overnight. He came in connection with a departmental case in the Supreme court. He is to go to Amritsar tomorrow.
Quotable Quotes : "Good friends are like stars...You don't always see them, but you know they are always there."
Retired to sleep at about 10.30 pm.

1st Dec

Completed morning program. Visited CGHS. Called on the office of the DG Civil defence.Fire services and Home guards and NDRF.to hand over a memento which i had received as the then DG Civil defence etc. in 1997. I thought that its proper place to keep would be the office of the DG Civil defence.
In the Supreme court from about 2 to 4 pm. 
Babloo is 43 today. On 1st December, 1971, it  was Wednesday,Chaturdashi of the month of Marg Shirsh, Shuklapksh, Samvat 2028. He was born at 09.02 hours in Dhubri civil hospital. I was then posted as SP Goalpara dist, the biggest in Assam area wise. The dist hqrs was at Dhubri. 
                             Babloo cutting cake

Quotable Quotes :  "To fight the darkness do not draw your sword, light a candle. You can't climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pockets"
Retired to sleep at about pm.9.45 pm