30th & 31rst Dec.

On 30th
Completed morning program.Visited chamber from 12.30 to 5pm.Attended to Arbitration matters. Collected reports from Escorts hospital. Retired to sleep at midnight.
On 31rst
Completed morning program. In an article, published in the Times of India today,Chetan Bhagat has given a good analysis of the reasons for failure of Anna to draw big crowd during his last three day fast which was withdrawn on the second day.I hope that Anna Core Committee will take note of it.Watched TV shows on the eve of the New Year.Liked the summary of 2011 events, broadcast by DD News.Z tv coverage was was better.Retired to sleep after midnight.

28th & 29th December

On 28th:
Completed morning program with some exercises. Venita had dental problem. Visited dentist in Safdarjung hospital. Collected medicines from CGHS. After taking medicines Venita feels better. Retired to sleep at 11.30 pm.


On 29th:
Completed morning program after a long gap of about a fortnight. Neha and Babua came. Spent the day with them. Molay's book release was scheduled for today in the India International center. Could not go due to the visit of Neha and Babua. Retired to sleep at 10.30pm. 

Visit to Chennai, Puducherry, Auroville, Hyderabad and Mallikarjun

On 16th:

We left Palam airport 1130 hours by Air India to Chennai. The plane was about 45 minutes late. Raj informed that he could not go to meet the Deputy Commissioner South West in connection with Gurkamal case due to his preoccupation in the hearing of another case in the Saket court. Sh. Digvijay Singh, Advocate, who was to accompany Sh.Raj Kamal had to go back to Fatehpur. Landed at Chennai at about 1415 hours. After checking in Police guest house I met Joint Director CBI, Sh.Ashok Kumar. Later called on Sh.Ramani and his family. Sh. Ramani is an old colleague of mine when I was the Joint Director South West/CBI and used to come to Chennai at least twice in a year for inspection. The accommodation in the Police guest house was good and comfortable. Retired to sleep at 2300 hours.

On 17th:

Visited Parthashastri and Kapaleshar temples in Chennai. The visit took 2-3 hours. It was the first day of Margazli month which follows Karthik month according to the local calender. It was a very auspicious day and both the temples were crowded. We were advised to visit them after 9 am only.Curiously both Shiva and Parvati as also Vishnu and Laxmi have separate temples. In the North you find them mostly together. After the temple visit we left for Mahabalipuram on way to Puducherry. The distance to Puducherry from Chennai is 135 kms. We had lunch in 'Bay Treasure' hotel in Mahabalipuram after a cup of coffee in Cafe Coffee day. There is a well stocked Emporium nearby. We selected a carpet which we decided to take on way back. In Mahabalipuram there are two temples side by side, one dedicated to Shiva and another to Vishnu. These temples are maintained by Archaeology Department of Govt of India and there is no formal worshiping. The area around the temples is very well maintained with neatly kept gardens. When we visited Mahabalipuram in 1983, it was all sand around the temples. Now the temples are protected from the sea waves by massive stone embankment. Arrived Puducherry Police guest house at 2030 hours and retired to sleep at about 2300 hours.

On 18th:

Visited Ganesh temple near the guest house, Arbindo, Mother Samadhi and Aeroville. Aeroville is  mini-Europe. The  nationals of about 45 countries live here.It is an experiment in human unity.No liquor,no drugs.It is spread over 20 square kilometers. It has a population of over 2300 and increasing very slowly.It is situated in forested area where , i was informed, you see peacocks in good number. I saw a few. No other animals.The trees are all planted by its denizens. The Mother,Mirra Alfassa, a French, Chief disciple  and Companion of Sri Aurobindo was the moving force behind the creation of Aeroville after his death  in 1950. She died in 1973. It is said that to be an Aerovillian,one must never lie.

Spent sometime in Villupur beach near Aeroville. Sea waves were going up quite high and touching our feet on the beach. Had a long walk along with Venita on the lively beach and coffee. Watched massive waves hitting the beach. Dinner at the roof top restaurant of Ajantha hotel on Puducherry beach. It was quite satisfying, though we were occasionally disturbed by the turbulent sea below. The waves have been hitting the beach since times immemorial. One day we will go, but life will keep on going and waves continue hitting the beach. Retired to sleep at 2300 hours.

On 19th:

Left for Shani temple at Thirunall, Karkaikal district. Also visited Chidambaram (Nataraj Temple). Had dinner in Hidesign Promenade hotel on Puducherry beach. The sea was less turbulent today. Slept at midnight.

On 20th:

Visited Ganesh temple on way to Aeroville and prayed for the happiness and long life of Pilku who was born today.
 Madhav rang up. Reserved places for meditation in Matri Mandir on 21st December. Went to solar kitchen. Had lunch. Everything is cooked with solar energy. Checked in Swagatham guest house. Joined in Om chanting in Savithri Sadan. It was an unique experience. There were more Europeans than Indians in chanting, conducted by a German. Quite refreshing. After dinner visited a theater, which staged the story of love &  marriage of Arjun and Chitrangada. Retired to sleep 2230 hours.

On 21st :

Visited Matri Mandir and practiced meditation. It is 29.5 meter in height with a sphere of 36 meter diameter.It is a massive structure. French architects designed it. It is beautiful .All around are manicured lawns and gardens. There is a multi- rooted banyan tree.It is an old tree. It is said that it survived because of a lady who lived under it and did not allow it to be cut for fuel by the nearby villagers. In the afternoon joined in a Tai-chi session. Retired to sleep at 223o hours.

On 22nd:

Visited Tibetan pavilion. It accommodates visitors to Aeroville. There is a prayer room where the deity is Dalai Lama, who is considered to be the incarnation of the Buddha. Venita liked the painting depicting Krishna, done in Tanjore style for Rs.5000/-. As there was no arrangement to take the payment by Credit card , I requested to dispatch it by VPP. Checked out from Swagatham guest house at 1000 hours. Called on Sh.Sharma, IGP, Puducherry. Retired to sleep at 2330 hours.

On 23rd:

Left Puducherry at 0900 hours. Before that I went for early morning walk and took a few snaps of rising sun. On way to Chennai, we visited Ganesh temple. The temple elephant which was sick on our visit earlier had recovered. Took some snaps of Venita with it. You give it a coin and it blesses you with its trunk on your head. It won't bless you unless you place a coin in its trunk. After receipt of the coin it gives it to its handler. Both the elephant and its handler looked well fed and healthy. Arrived CBI guest house at Chennai by road at about 1300 hours. While going to Puducherry from Chennai we had traveled by East Coast Road(ECR). It is 135 kms by ECR. On way back we traveled by 4 lane National Highway. The distance is 125 kms. I liked travelling by National Highway. While travelling by ECR which is a two lane road I always felt there could be a head-on collision anytime. While we paid Rs.3300/- for journey through ECR, a sum of Rs.2600/- was paid by journey through National Highway. They charge for both way journey at the rate of Rs.8, per km. Missed the emporium on E.C.R and could not buy the carpet , selected by us, as we traveled by the National Highway.  We reached CBI guest house Chennai at about 1330 hours. Our GoindiGo flight to Hyderabad was delayed by a couple of hours. We spent 2 hours in Hilton Hotel on way to airport and had lunch too. Arrived Police guest house Hyderabad at about 2100 hours. Retired to sleep at 2300 hours.

On 24th:

Left Hyderabad at 0800 hours. Took packed breakfast, Puri and Vadas. We had it midway from Hyderabad to Mallikarjun at about 1000 hours. On way we also passed through a tiger reserve. You could have a safari if you like. Had lunch at Sahashra hotel. It was tasteless. Mallikarjun is situated at a distance of 225 kms from Hyderabad.The guide informed us that the helicopter of Late Raj Shekhar Reddy, the then Chief Minister of Andra Pradesh, crashed in the Kraunch Mountain in the area. Went for boating in Krishna river dam. Did abhishek of Mallikarjun.It is a gorgeous temple. It evokes awe with its gold plated canopy and Gaj Stambh.
 Pilku informed that his two week old doggy, Bela died in the veterinary hospital on 23rd, where it had been admitted on 21st December. The children cried. The insurance company paid a big sum to the hospital for its treatment. We were warned not to mention about the death to the children, when we talked to them. They were still disturbed and had not been able to reconcile to its death. Retired to sleep at 2030 hours.

On 25th:

We attended Aarti at Mallikarjun 0500 hours. And then visited Sakshi Ganesh temple on way back after breakfast. The rent for night stay at Mallikarjun Devasthan guest house was Rs.800/-. The taxi charged Rs.6400/- for 2 days. It had been arranged by CBI Hyderabad. The roads of Hyderabad were crowded due to Christmas.We drove through Banjara and Jubilee hill roads. Visited GVK mall. In one restaurant we could get a cup of tea. Others were selling coffee but no tea. Due to sea of crowd it was difficult to move about in the mall through its 3 floors. It was beautifully decked with Christmas tree, balloons etc. Retired to sleep 2245 hours.

On 26th:

The Joint Director Sh. Laxmi Narayana called on. He said that he was educated at Srisalam, where Mallikarjun temple is located. His father was posted in Krishna Power project. He lived there for 20 years. His demeanor showed the impact of the place. He was soft spoken, well informed and a decent person. Visited Pramod. Pramod and his wife Anita are staying with their son, Vikram at Miapur. In fact we stayed back at Hyderabad today so that we could meet them. Otherwise we had nothing much to do on the day. We spent for over 8 hours with them and had delicious lunch,cooked by Anita.Her maid had not come. Anita is the elder sister of Venita. Both of them, shopaholics, visited nearby market where they spent over a couple of hours buying handicrafts.Anita has kept the house very well decked, neat and clean.Had a chat with Aryan too.Retired to sleep at 2300 hours.

On 27th:

Left Hyderabad by GoindiGo flight at 1300 hours. Reached Delhi at 1410 hours.

15th Dec.

Completed morning program. Visited Max hospital for PP test. Collected blood reports. On return from winter holidays, i will undergo Thallium test. There is nothing significant in reports.In chamber from1.30 to 4.30 pm. Discussed Gurkamal case with Advocates Rajkamal & Digvijaysingh. Briefed Advocate Gaurang Vardhan about Arbitration case. Met Neha ,Babloo and Babua at DLTA. Babloo brought coffee. Babua was tired. It was about 5 pm. He is brought here straight from school where he went at 8 am. In school he has hectic schedule. He did not get to play to recreate. Neha took him quickly to Gurgaon for bath, food, play and sleep. Packed up for journey tomorrow early morning.

Retired to sleep at about midnight.

14th December

Completed morning program. Had to cut it down due to scheduled tests in Max hospital in the morning. Owing to a particular medicine which I should not have taken as advised by the doctor of the Nuclear medicine department, the gated stress thallium test could not be done. Similarly PP could not be done as I took some tea/coffee in the 2 hours after breakfast. Now I will have to come again for these tests. As I am going out on 16th, the earliest I can go for the Thallium test will be after 28th. PP could however be done tomorrow as I am coming to the chamber.

I read a write-up in the center page of the Indian Express today about Euro crisis. It is said by the author that David Cameroon, British prime Minister has been criticized by all heads of the states of European union for his veto of an Euro bolstering treaty change to defend the Euro through greater fiscal cooperation and tougher sanctions on nations going Greek. He is alleged to have an euro sceptic attitude It is mentioned that the British suspect the continent which they think are lands of constitutions, Napoleonic legal codes, defeated armies, imperfect freedom, rabies, wife swapping and garlic. They mistrust what lies beyond the channel. The mistrust is said to be fathomless. There are others who think that the British could have gone with the process without adopting the Euro. They should not forget that their economy is heavily dependent on the Euro zone. They also have to keep in view that the mid Atlantic, as America pivots to Asia, could prove a lonely place for Britain. The author refers to the wisdom of Warren Buffet, "It is only when the tide goes out that you learn who has been swimming naked. But I think that the British Prime Minister has done the right thing. The British Economy is solid and the recession in the World economy has not affected it much. Moreover the British ethos is superior. There is something in British culture which is enduring and worth emulating. An English friend wrote me that he was to suggest to Police leadership to go aggressively against the rioters in the context of last riots in London. I replied that British Police should continue d"to handle the riots as they have been handling so far. If you change your way to how the other European countries handle riots, you will loose your sheen and your individuality which has earned you kudos all over the world." My friend is a retired Assistant chief Constable of British Police. Let us not forget that the image of British Bobby is different from the image of the Police men of other European countries. He has not replied to my letter so far. Perhaps he has changed his opinion after reading my letter.

In chamber from 2.30 to4.15 pm. Venita returned after hair-cut and shopping at about 4.15 pm. Spoke to Digvijay Singh. He is reaching Delhi tomorrow. We have associated him in a case along with Shri Rajkamal.

Retired to sleep at11 pm.

13th Dec.

Completed morning program. Visited Escorts hospital for USG KUB ,KVR and URFlOW tests. These relate to health of the prostrate. Though i have no such problem, but i undergo this ritual once a year to be sure that there is no such problem. I will get the reports tomorrow. Visited CGHS. At SBI met the new AGM. Previous AGM is posted in South Africa. Transferred Rs 2 lacs from Citibank to sbi and took two FDRS of one lac each.Less interest was being given by Citibank. Nominees will remain the same .Met MD Asthana in CGHS. He said that he had Angioplasty 12 years back. Now he is getting admitted in AIMS for a complete check up. Necessary arrangements are being made Dr. Yadav. a Dean in AIMS. MD has not changed much. He was with us in IPS. Later he joined IAS. Now he is settled in Gurgaon. In chamber from 1.45 to3.15 pm. On way back visited Hanuman temple in Chanakyapuri, it being a tuesday.

Retired to sleep at about 9.45pm.

12th December

Completed morning program. Venita accompanied. She desired to congratulate Anjali for the birth of son. Neha also joined her at DLTA, where Babloo's office is located. Both of them met Anjali, her in-laws and Shanno at Max hospital, Noida . They also met Gita who lives nearby.Before going to Anjali's place, Venita bought a gift from the shop of Dutta & sons in Safdarjung enclave. In chamber from 12.45 to 4.30 pm.On way back dropped Neha at DLTA and saw her off to Gurgaon. Had a cup of coffee in DLTA Cafeteria along with Venita. Silku suggested us to shift to Gurgaon. We will think over it. Atiar spoke.

Retired to sleep at 10 pm

11th Dec.

Completed morning program. In the meeting of the executive committee of the Society, i was given the responsibility of overseeing appeal to the D.B. of the High Court in the matter of the arbitration case of the society. I objected. They insisted. Silku, Ritsy,Khyati & Alaynah came at about 2 pm. Alaynah had all my attention till she left. I am attracted towards her. She is attracted towards me. I remember her quite often. After 5 , she will drift away and have her own world . We bless her. She is more like her mother. Alaynah means brilliance. Let her shine like the Sun and give life to many including us. Ruchi rang us. We saw her, Pilku and children in the Skype. They could not see us. I asked some questions to the children. They could answer some. The questions test their presence of mind. Before i could tell them 'the news' of the day, i lost internet connection. Vikas & Bitto spoke.

Retired to sleep at 11 pm.

9th & 10th Dec.

On 9th

Completed morning program. Visited CGHS. In chamber from 12.30 to pm. Attended batch lunch in CSOI. Met Bezbaruah,Fabian,OC Sharma,Sidhu,Bedi,Sahgal,Karnail and others,all batch mates.Amrish & Anand came.Talked to IGP Puducherry, AP Singh & Atiar. Heard a discussion in Times Now till midnight.

Retired to sleep at 001500 hrs of 10th

On 10th

Completed morning program. In chamber from 12 to 4.30 pm. Booked tickets to Chennai on way to Puducherry and back to Delhi via Hyderabad. We start our journey on 16th and return on 27th or 28th Dec. Met KTS and told him about the book of Fabian.Lunar eclipse started at about 6.30 pm and ended around 11 pm. Ruchi talked to us.

Retired to sleep at 11.45 pm.

8th Dec.

Could go for walk only. We had appointment with Dr. A.K.Agarwall, Head of the Medicine Department, RML Hospital at 10.30 am. Venita has been under his treatment for the last about 3 years. In 2009 she suffered from diabetic diarrhea and was hospitalized. In 2010 she suffered from pneumonia and was hospitalized. Dr. Agarwall treated her. Today he said that he wanted to quit in a few months as he felt tired. Collected medicines from CGHS. After leaving me in the chamber,she went to Dilli hatt. Mr. SS Sharma came We had two cups of Darjiling Pecko tea, brought by him. He keeps variety of tea from Sikkim & Darjiling. He has tea from different tea gardens of Darjiling. The Lopchu tea of Darjiling is the best It is quite refreshing. We talked about happenings of our service carriers.Anjali gave birth to a son today after a Cesarean operation. Shanno informed.I in turn informed Venita & Bitti through Munna I also congratulated Anjali's mother-in - law. Could not talk to Ankur and his father. Anand also talked to me from the hospital. Informed children by email to congratulate their Bua.

Retired to sleep at 10.30pm.