28,29 and 30th March

28th
In the Supreme court in the afternoon.
29th ((closed for Mahavir Jayanti)
Spent good time in writing travelogue of Vietnam-Cambodia visit from 25th Dec.2017 to 1st  Jan.2018 sipping/eating tea and snacks in Costa Coffee restaurant at Basant lok.
30th(closed for Good Friday)
Completed travelogue. Trying to complete uploading of some photos too during holidays extending upto Sunday,the 1st April. The snaps were taken by us in SamsungJ5 Prime camera, recently bought by me. The picture quality is reasonably good.
Shivji's son is out of ICU and emergency ward into his  room in the hospital. He is recuperating. He feels week due to heavy medication, procedures under sedition.
Quotable Quotes :"Beauty doesn't need ornaments. Softness can't bear the weight of ornaments." Munshi Premchand

25,26 and 27th March

25th
Today is the penultimate day of Navratri. The priest came. He sprinkled holy water from the pitcher which was installed on the first day of the Puja. Around it had newly grown barley grass. The seeds had been sown on it earlier. The holy grass can be shared by all of us next day. 
"The word "Navaratri" is a conjunction of two words "nava" (meaning "nine") and "ratri" (meaning "night"). Spread over 9 nights and 10 days, it is one of the most sacred festivals in Hinduism where we worship Goddess Durga or Shakti, which represents the energy of the universe, in her 9 beautiful forms with great reverence." from Google
Today we are celebrating birth of Shri Ram too. It is said that he was born at midday. I joined in Venita's puja.
26th
Consulted An ENT specialist at Subhash Nahar, near Vikaspuri.
27th
Observed Ekadasi fast. Drove to Vikaspuri.
Attended aTalk on Triple Talaq by Professor Sabiha of Jamia Millia Islamia and Prof. Syed Tanveer Nasreen of Burdwan University in the evening at IIC. While Prof Nasreen made a brilliant presentation. Prof. Sabiha did  not sound quite convincing and clear on the subject. I had studied Mohammedan law as one of the papers in my Master-of law degree from  Allahabad Universityin 1961-62. I commended Prof Tanveer for her talk. I also referred to a recent sting operation by India TV on Nikah Halala and boast of a Maulana that he had made lakhs from the victims of Trpple talaque who wished to remarry their previous husbands. I also referred to a massive demonstration by Muslim women against passing of triple talaque bill. The Govt has, in the meantime, scrapped the move.. But the status of  triple talaque is that it stands invalidated by the Supreme court.
Quotable Quotes :" Trust is the first step to love." Munshi Premchand

22,23 and 24th March

22nd
Continued with ultrasonic treatment of my right heel pain. Much less now. I should be able to start my regular walks soon. Concentrating only on Asans and breathing exercises these days.
23rd.
In the Supreme court in the afternoon.
24th(Saturday)
Shivji's son's lungs are found to be infected with TB virus. He cannot breath even with the help of oxygen. He is on ventilator. I looked him up in the hospital today again.
Drove to Vikaspuri to join in Ashtami and Ram Naomi celebration on 25th.
Quotable Quotes :"People are so selfish. Those you help are the ones who turn against you." Munshi Premchand

19, 20 and 21st March

19th
In the Supreme court in the afternoon.
20th
As advised by a physician under went some tests at Max hospital.
In the Supreme court in the afternoon.
21st
In the Supreme court in the the afternoon.
Quotable Quotes :"To be successful in life what you need is education, not literacy and degrees." Munshi Premchand

17 and 18th March

17th (Saturday)
We cast vote in the Bar Council of Delhi elections in the premises pf the High Court. We had to select 25 out of over 200 candidates and mark each of them in order of preference. I selected only 11 and marked them from one to eleven. I did not know others. So left the remaining.
Shivji's son is recuperating in National Institute of T.B.(NITB) in Delhi. His friends brought him from Meerut to Delhi after he felt breathless. He works as as a lecturer in an Engineerig college at Meerut. He is on oxygen. I looked him up today. Shivji is assisting me in selling our ancestral house at Fatehpur,UP. He lives near our house at Fatehpur and practises law.
18th(Sunday)

"India will celebrate Chaitra Navratri from 18th March to 26th March. Navratri is a Hindu festival dedicated to the worship of Goddess Durga and her nine avatars for a period of nine days. There are four Navratris in a year, out of which two are celebrated widely. One is Sharad Navratri, or Maha Navratri, which coincides with the popular Durga Puja and concludes with Dussehra and is celebrated around September-October. The other is Chaitra Navratri, which is celebrated in the Hindu month of Chaitra, which falls around March-April.

While the tenth day of Sharad Navratri, celebrated as Dussehra, marks the victory of Lord Ram over Ravan, the ninth day of Chaitra Navratri is celebrated as Lord Ram's birthday and is also called Ram Navami. Hence, Chaitra Navratri is also known as Ram Navratri. Chaitra Navratri also marks the change of season from spring to summer." MSN news.

Venita went to Vkaspuri on 15th March  to join in Navratri puja in the Arunodaya Society temple. I too may join her on Ramnavmi day on 25th March.

Quotable Quotes :"What people think in their heart gets out, no matter how much they try to hide it." Munshi Premchand

15 and 16th March

15th
Venita drove to Vikaspuri to join in Navratri puja.
16th
Attended meeting of Policy Perspective Foundation(PPF), a think tank, on 'Restructuring the Ministry of Home affairs...'. The recommendations of PPF will be sent to a committee which is studying the matter.
Quotable Quotes :"Trees bear fruits only to be eaten by others; the fields grown grains, but they are consumed by the world. Cows give milk, but she doesn't drink it herself - that is left to others. Clouds send rain only to quench the parched earth. In such giving, there is little space for selfishness." Munshi Premchand

13 and 14th March

13th
We had set out for Kanpur from Fatehpur,UP, in the afternoon on this date in 1967 where in-laws lived and marriage was to be solemnized. Marriage was solemnized in the early hours of 14th March.  My friends who  had seen Venita at the time of dwar-pujan through her see-through veil told that my would-be wife was beautiful. I saw her first time at 'dwar-pujan' before marriage. We had not met before marriage. My sisters had seen her before marriage and approved the proposal of marriage. I had felt disappointed when they told that she was quite thin. But nothing could be done then as the proposal of marriage had been approved by them . Later after quite a few months of marriage when I got her weighed she was just above 30 kgs. She has added another 30 kgs in 51 years of our married life.. She is now doubled and over 60 kgs. BMI guidelines, keeping her height in view, say that she should not be more than 54 kgs. We hope she will keep her weight under check . I am 68 kgs and according to BMI I should not be more than 64. I am keeping it under check. My father-in-law had organized grand reception of barat. Flowery decorations were superb. Baratis were ferried in cars from 'janvasa' to Venita's residence and back, a distance of about a couple of kms.. They stayed overnight and were as far as I remember about 60 in number. I travelled in my father-in-law's vintage Morris car. He had two such cars, one small and one big. He was fond of vintage cars.
14th
Abhishree is doing rock climbing in the photograph below.In this you climb up steep walls too.  Her school tweeted this photograph to her parents. Her uncle who used to do rock climbing in college days says :'It is tough'.

We took lunch in 'Machan' restaurant of Taj Mahal hotel . Venita joined in buffet. I ordered Arrabbiata basil and garlic soup (shared with Venita) and a plate of baked vegetables with some buns and butter.  Soup was delicious. The hotel gave complementary sugarless/eggless sweet dish and Formosa green tea.
               In the Taj hotel on our 51st anniversary

Met Juri who had come there for lunch along with a friend.

Quotable Quotes :"More marriages might survive if the partners realized that sometimes the better comes after the worse." Doug Larson

11 and 12th March

11th(Sunday)
I thought the right heel had healed. I did not go for walk for two days. When I went for walk today in the morning, it started paining after 10 minute walk. Had to return home. Will show it to doctor next day.
12th 
Doctor advised physiotherapy and a tablet for 7 days. Cannot walk due to pain which is due to inflammation in the heel.
In the Supreme court in the afternoon.
Attended Purbe's son's marriage at Trivoli garden resort near Chhatarpur temple complex in Delhi. Some retired IAS officers of Assam/Meghalaya cadre also came. Purbe retired after service in Meghalaya Govt few years back. He had invited us in his daughter's marriage too last year. We could not attend as Venita was not well.
Quotable Quotes :"To be successful in life what you need is education, not literacy and degrees." Munshi Premchand

9 and 10th March

9th
Attended batch lunch at CSOI. 15 batchmates attended of which three were from IPS, remaining from IAS.IFS and central services. I took some boiled vegetables and soup. Later on way to CSOI,  I took from tiffin I carried. The food served in CSOI has much more salt than required. It is oily,saturated and has much spices.
10th
Attended a Colloquium on 'Institutions of Democracy-Judiciary', organized by Policy Perspective Foundation, at IIC. The main speakers included Shri GS Singhvi, former Judge of Supreme court., Prof. Upen Baxi, former VC of Delhi University and Shri Siddharth Luthra, Senior Advocate. All of them said that there was hope of improvement in the functioning of Judiciary. Despite big constraints the judicial system was delivering and people trust t. I highlighted the scourge of adjournments and insensitivity of courts to the problems of common people.
A 
Quotable Quotes :" Trust is the first step to love." Munshi Premchand

7 and 8th March

7th
In the Supreme court in the afternoon.
                      Splendour of bogenvillia  in a VV park

8th
In the Supreme court in the afternoon.
Late Rajendra Mohan died on 5th March 2018. He was an IPS officer of 1964 batch. Could not have attended his cremation as I was in train travelling back on the day to Delhi from Fatehpur. Attended Shanti path for him and the bereaved family today at The club in Noida. He lived in Noida. He was,like me, a 1939 born. He was living on dialysis for last few years. He had no children. He is survived by wife
Quotable Quotes : "People are so selfish. Those you help are the ones who turn against you." Munshi Premchand

3,4 5 and 6th March

3rd
Election results of Indian States of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura have started coming. BJP is likely to form Govt in Tripura on its own strength, Nagaland along with its ally NDPP and may join NPP in forming a non-Congress government in Meghalaya.
4th
SP Fatehpur Ms P.Gangooli came . We shared information on misc. matters. Group Captain (Rtd.) TP Srivastava too came. He had come to Fatehpur to attend his late elder brother Vinod Srivastava's Shanti Path followed by lunch. Late  Vinod was my contemporary but a  couple of years senior, a retired BRTF officer. His wife was in touch with Venita from her son's place at Pune and met her when she visited Fatehpur and Venita too happened to be there. TP gave me a copy of anthology of his write-ups on  mainly military strategic issues. Venita joined in lunch.
5th
Met elder sister, niece at Kanpur and had lunch. Munna's family,wife and son, were at sister's place. Elder sister is suffering from old age related problems, knee pain, general weakness, poor eyesight etc. She did my Rochna for Bhaiya dwij which was celebrated a couple of days back. I could come only today.
                             Rochna for Bhaya dwij.

 Earlier at about 7.30 am came Dr Chetan Kapoor, had frugal breakfast with me when I had it sumptuous. He could not eat much due to lack of strong teeth. He came trudging to our place all alone. He is the most popular Dr.at Fatehpur . Now  86, still hard working , helpful to all at all times.
Left Kanpur by Shatabdi express. Arrived Fatehpur  at about 10.30 pm .
6th
In the Supreme court in the afternoon.
Quotable Quotes :"May God paint the canvas of your life with the colours of joy, love, happiness, prosperity, good health and success. Wishing you a happy Holi!" Anonymous

1 and 2nd March

1rst
Burning of Holi pyre in the vicinity of the ancestral house took place at Fatehpur at about 9.30 pm.. Earlier some boys came and took a sum of Rs 51/- as contribution for expenses on the occasion. About 25/30 Mohalla people attended Holika Dahan. Moral of the mythological Holika Dahan story is that truth always wins. We had quite a few visitors too.
2nd
Sprinkling colour and smearing of gulal were done by a large number among themselves. Children were shooting ballons on all and and sundry. A mirth ful atmosphere was seen in the locality. It is likely to continue next day too. I saw some of the old photographs of Pilku,Silku and Bbloo, steeped in deep colours on the day of Holi in 1980/81 at Nowgong in Assam .I was posted there at that time as DIGP.I could not recognise them for a while. After careful examination, I could decipher them.
Visited the site of Holi pyre in the evening. It was fully extinguished.
We offered clours to Venita's Krishna idol first and thereafter to others. Telephones from friends and relations poured in wishing us on the occasion. A photo taken by Shivmohan's son in the ancestral house at Fatehpur and transferred to my photo gallery through blue tooth is reproduced below :

Some local people visited to wish us happy Holi. Late Naresh Bhaisaheb's family came.
Quotable Quotes :"May God gift you all the colors of life, colors of joy, colors of
happiness, colors of friendship, colors of love and all other colors you want to paint in your life. Happy Holi. " Anonymous