Friday, December 19, 2014

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



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