Elysium

"History is not always written by the writers of the great times. It is written by those who have hanged the heroes". How they survived when their king lay massacred on the bloody ground? how they know of the sword that pierced his heart? where where they? how did they hear his last mumble? how did they live to see him fall first? and yet we sing along with their lament, and yet we dance in their folklore. What world they lived, i do not know, though i know they lived, yes they lived great beyond contestation, beyond our contemporary imagination.

The Indian solider was an essential support of the British Empire worldwide. Post 1858, the British redesigned the Indian army around the Martial Race Theory, in order to secure the Raj. Based on their loyalty towards the British, various Indian communities were deemed "martial races", characterized with qualities such as manliness and bravery. The Rajputs were a martial race and therefore, the Imperial Cadet Corps (ICC) and the Jodhpur Lancers emerged as important parts of the army.To reduce the expenditure of “Govt. Of India” Viceroy Lord Dufferin (1884-1888) introduced the scheme of imperial services, i.e. forces raised in and paid for by princely states. Sir Pratap’s Jodhpur’s regiment, the Jodhpur Lancers, joined in immediately.Polo in its modern form was introduced when Sir Pratap invited the Bengal Lancers to raise the Jodhpur Lancers. By 1899, the Jodhpur lancers were divided into 2 regiments- each made up of 8 squadron officers, 8 jamadars, 8 kote daffadars, and 1058...

Monsoon 2008 15 Aug “Tap” “Tap” - ‘Excuse me, excuse me sir, may I request you to please put your seat up straight. As the captain just announced, we are about to land. I opened my eyes and saw a young girl leaning forward towards me wearing a beautiful woven garment with colours that were bright and yet not so familiar. She stood there with her extensive artificial smile till she was satisfied that I got the message and left. Trying to sit up I saw Salman Rushdie’s latest master piece “Enchantress of Florence” lying flat on my lap and my i-pod nearly falling from my seat. Suddenly everything came back like some old black & white slideshow throwing too many Charlie Chaplin clips at once that it’s even hard to laugh at a constant humour. So I remembered the burnt toast, double half fry, a speeded drive, screaming for change, a long queue, hand shakes, a dragon and someone asking “Anything you would like to drink sir? SIR????? I was about to land in the worlds most exotic & ...

I guess he sat there in thoughts, As I guess he rewinds his past. I think he dreams of a life, As I think he dreams of reality. He might’ve sat in rest, or he might’ve sat in pain. I have guessed this, And now I’ve guessed it all. For all my thoughts, Hey may have just sat there…. Just to sit !!

Hear the night singing bright, lonely ocean, loathsome tide, glistening sun, sleepy eyes, leaf of winter shed in spring.Galloping horses, freedom shines. Blades of grass, birds they sing. Starry sky, swaying tree, ants at march, blooming flowers, innocent lie, green crisp apple falling free, scattered rays and misty haze. Comb of pine, the moon at nine. Drops of Jupiter, Crystal dew, three thousand days. Fresh and new. By my close friend - Jai Singh Sirmathura

Never darken your own door, Your Satan lives within you, Live like heroes in your own time, Like the one that makes a difference; Live like a King in the coming times, Like the one who is wise; Live like brave men, And Brave men you are, And when we had live it all; we all shall feast with Odin together, And rest in the abode of gods, Before any other.

Thats Nono on the left and me in the middle & thats my close friend Jai on the right. It was i and Jai who went to ladhak on my bike. He is best in the world for directions..

Now when the people at the fair think they have done good, Sold all they wanted, got all the pretty money, It is then the men risk it all at the spin machine. Earlier was played on cloth with dices. Now its more inspired by famous Las Vegas Roulette.

He walked 350kms to sell his animals in the fair. A healthy camel can go for Rs.10,000

Sister Love ..!

I made this bike trip to Ladhak with my friend Jai, we were riding amongst the clounds. Trust me that high of wind across my face... damn ! it was stronger than any liquor i ever tasted. This picture was taken by Nikon FM10 Manual.

Call it a camel affair. There were people who had come from more than 300kms to sell their animals here. The ground had more than 200 of them.

My boss sent me to Jhalawar to experience the colourful fair of Chandrabhaga. Fair starts 6km off the main town. A true exhilarating experience.

There are so many things that one should, or can do.... or go your own way... 'Or' you can stay and listen to the old lament. Let’s see, what possibilities are there for patriotism... of saving livies. There are million of people that are hungry in this land, but what is being done for that, absolutely nothing. One day all those people will die, either because of food or some will be murdered by their own families. What can we do to stop this ? its not a question to one man. It’s a question to the entire humanity. We should act now, before it gets too late. There are thousands of organisations that have come up for the good of the people, but how many of them are really acting. There are millions and millions of money being spent in the name of charity, but the question is how much is really being used for the purpose. One man cannot make a difference here, but if we join hands, this idea can, An idea is never too small, it has and can always make a difference. They say that t...