Comrades in Revolution (Inquilab Ke Sathi)

My new Hindi book, Inquilab Ke Sathi (Comrades in Revolution), published by the Prabhat Publication, a renowned name in Hindi books, dives deep into the interpersonal relationships and friendships amongst the revolutionaries, covering the period esp. after the Kakori Case. These martyrs were out to sacrifice their lives for the motherland, but at heart, they remained bubbly youths, most of them in early twenties and even under twenty, and wrote their stories of companionship through actions and sentiments, which make them like any youth around us. This book is an effort to bring these revolutionaries closer to our hearts, with special emphasis on their lighter interpersonal moments, which took them all to the exalted zenith of self-sacrifice. The book is divided into six sections, each making an earnest effort to bring out the characteristics what made these young people they actually were

. Numerous anecdotes have been included in the book during different stages of their lives, including when they were busy in 'action', to when they were in jail, to when they were fighting their case in the court, to when they were doing things in their personal capacities, especially during the days of underground life or during long hunger strikes in jails. Some of these anecdotes are certainly going to shake the readers. I am confident once you start to read the book, you will not be able to put it down until you have reached the last page. Some selected photographs have been made part of the book, which will make your reading experience lively and unforgetful. Thank you.

Urban Challenges and How to Meet Them

Urbanisation has created many challenges. We can meet them through proper planning and sustainable development. Some of the important measures can be the following:

1.1.       Planning Cities: Many problems of urbanisation can be overcome by planning our urban spaces. Cities should be well-designed with adequate infrastructures, like roads, railways, parks, residences and public facilities, as well as spaces for businesses and industries etc. We have several planned cities, in full or parts, like Chandigarh and Jaipur.

2.2.       Strengthening Infrastructure: When basic infrastructure is improved in cities, better living conditions are created. It is the duty of the government to pay attention to basic problems, like traffic congestion, drainage, water logging, waste management, lack of hospitals etc.

3.     3.  Better Living Conditions: Better living conditions can be created in cities through providing affordable housing and improvement of slums. Also, reliable water supply, sanitation and electricity, and good quality healthcare and education facilities help to improve living conditions.

4.4. Creation of Employment Opportunities: A proper environment should be created by which employment opportunities can be created. This can be done through encouragement to industries and businesses. For this, efforts should be made for skill development of people.

5.5.       Conservation of Environment: Pollution is created in several ways. The problem of air, water and noise pollution has reached a new high in many cities. Awareness should be created about planting trees, conserving water and controlling pollution.

66..       Promotion of Sustainable Cities: A hearty effort should be made to promote sustainable practices, like the use of renewable energy, energy-efficient building and environmental-friendly technologies.

7.   7.    Good Governance: The government should make and enforce laws by which all people are able to take advantage of the infrastructure in a collective manner. People should be involved in decision-making. Also, the government should ensure efficient delivery of public services.

8.      8. Spreading Awareness and Discipline: One of the massive problems that almost each Indian city faces is dirtiness, as people are not aware of the value of cleanliness. Gandhiji said: “Cleanliness is next to godliness.” We all should learn how to dispose our waste in a proper way. This can be achieved when we all have a sense of discipline regarding the spaces around us.

All these measures can help to make our cities cleaner, safer, more inclusive and better places to live.

Indefinite Pronoun Exercise 1

Fill in suitable Indefinite Pronouns in the following sentences :

1.      .......................has called my name.

2.      Has .................called my name?

3.      You can buy ..............at this shop.

4.      You cannot buy ...............at this shop.

5.      When you have .................to do, you may feel bored.

6.      Only .................have been invited to the dinner.

7.      Though we invited ...............to the dinner, only ...............turned up.

8.      ................the work has been finished.

9.      I need to do ...............of the work yet.    

10.   Are there left ................of the apples in the basket?

11.   ..................of the old people can get old age pension.

12.   ................of the women wore charming make-up.

13.   ...................has completed the work allotted to him.

14.   Do you have any money? Yes, I have ............. .

15.   ..................of the residents did not attend the meeting.

16.   ....................knocked at the window and looked in.

17.   She seems to be ................in the office.

18.   The car was driven rashly and it ran into a pole or .............. .

19.   There is ...................in what he says.

20.   I need some loaves, are there .............in your shop?

21.   Such a terrible accident could occur to ................. .

22.   This is not meant for ..............and sundry.

23.   You cannot bring ..................at home.

24.   Does ....................else want to see this film?

25.   You should not say ...................about this issue.

26.   You can do .....................but say foolish things.

27.   ......................is dancing merrily.

28.   I have seen every ................of his films.

29.   ......................in the team fared poorly.

30.   ......................of the men cannot enter the women's compartment.

31.   .....................in cash or kind is acceptable here.

32.   ....................but cashless payment is accepted here.

33.   ...................of them asked for the same thing.

34.   .....................of the officers approved the application.

35.   They ..................danced right into the wee hours.

36.   The leader was in the car with ............of his followers.

37.   ...................of the devotees stayed for long.

38.   Of all hats, only ..................seemed attractive.

39.   She is ..............of the few who matter.

40.   ..............of the young men join the army.

41.   Did it rain in the plains this year? No, not ............... .

42.   What..............do you expect from me?

43.   Is there any ...............accommodation available in this hotel?

44.   .................of the apples were rotten.

45.   I have seen ...............of these students in the fair.

46.   Of the parliamentarians, ...............were involved in the debate.

47.   ..................can help you in this matter.

48.   There is .....................called Mohan here.

49.   He was once a popular man, he is ....................now.

50.   ....................is enough.

 

Ans : 1. someone, 2. anybody, 3. anything, 4. everything, 5. nothing, 6. a few, 7. many, few, 8. all, 9. some, 10. any, 11. all, 12. some, 13. everybody, 14. some, 15. some/none, 16. someone, 17. something, 18. something, 19. something, 20. any, 21. somebody, 22. all, 23. anybody, 24. anyone, 25. anything, 26. anything, 27. everyone, 28. one, 29. some, 30. none, 31. anything, 32. nothing, 33. all, 34. none, 35. both, 36. both, 37. some, 38. a few, 39. some, 40. some, 41. much, 42. more, 43. more, 44. some, 45. another, 46. few, 47. nobody, 48. nobody, 49. nothing, 50. enough.

Relative Pronoun Exercise 1

Fill in the blanks with suitable Relative Pronouns :

1.      We always like the men ...............speak the truth.

2.      This is the bicycle ................I got repaired yesterday.

3.      This is the pickpocket ................stole my purse.

4.      It is only the crane .................drinks milk.

5.      I have lost the watch ................you gifted me.

6.      They never fail ..............strive for a great cause.

7.      I sent the letter to the officer ................I saw in the cabin.

8.      He reads the book ................he likes best.

9.      The answer ............... she gave was wrong.

10.   He is the man ...................purse was picked.

11.   The monkeys............were on the tree screeched loudly.

12.   Take anything ................you like.

13.   God helps those ................help themselves.

14.   I saw a dog .................chased a cat.

15.   There is lying the table ................one leg is broken.

16.   I have not seen the man ................hit this child.

17.   You get .................you deserve.

18.   The boy ......................you saw here is my brother.

19.   That is the bangle ..............I gifted her on her birthday.

20.   I like to read the books ..............I have read before.

21.   This is the kind lady ................fed me this morning.

22.   I am going to the village of Sagri ..............is my granny's place.

23.   I have not seen the animal ...............you call unicorn.

24.   She has not met the boy ...............she is going to marry.

25.   He easily solved the question .....................everybody found very tough.

26.   She was the student ..............the principal admired.

27.   He ..............is contented is happy.

28.   We met the soldiers .......................fought in the Kargil war.

29.   That is the house ........................Mohan bought.

30.   The pen .................you gave me is very beautiful.

31.   The pretty lady ...............was standing at the door was my aunt.

32.   The contention ..............you claim is right is in fact wrong.

33.   I know the woman ....................child won a medal.

34.   Is there anyone here ................can score a goal now?

35.   This is the information ...............you can trust.

36.   I saw a baby .................was playing with a doll.

37.   This is the parrot ................can copy any man.

38.   ......................works not earns not.

39.   .................has lost all hope has also lost all fear.

40.   .......................I have written is right.

 

Ans : 1. who, 2. which, 3. who, 4. that, 5. which, 6. who, 7. whom, 8. which, 9. which, 10. who, 11. which, 12. that, 13. who, 14. which, 15. whose, 16. who, 17. what, 18. whom, 19. which, 20. which, 21. who, 22. which, 23. that, 24. whom, 25. which, 26. whom, 27. who, 28. who, 29. which, 30. which, 31. who, 32. that, 33. whose, 34. who, 35. which, 36. who, 37. which/that, 38. who, 39. who, 40. what.

Rifleman Sanjay Kumar : An Essay

Rifleman Sanjay Kumar

Unit : 13 Jammu and Kashmir Rifles

In 1999, Pakistani army occupied a large area in Kashmir in the winter, so an operation was launched in the summer to get this area vacated. This operation is known as Kargil war.

This is important to know that defeating a well-fortified enemy is a very difficult job, and in this war, the Pakistani soldiers had occupied strong bunkers on the hilltops, and defeating them there was a massive challenge. This challenge was even more difficult in view of the fact that the enemy was located at a height while the Indians had to move from below, so they could be easily seen by the enemy. However, the Indian Army, with help of the Indian Air Force, started to attack and occupy one peak after another.

Point 4875 is the name of one of the hilltops on which the Pakistani army had built strong fortifications. It was difficult for the Indians to attack these bunkers because all the routes leading to them were in the open and the enemy could easily see the approaching Indians.

At this, Sanjay Kumar took up the challenge and led a team to attack this point. Despite coming under direct enemy attack, he advanced with his small team inch by inch. Sanjay Kumar himself leapt from a distance and crossed the main hurdle killing three Pakistani soldiers. In this task, he himself too was wounded, but the goal was not yet achieved.

From a nearby bunker, the Pakistani soldiers were firing at Indians and it was necessary to silence them too. Despite being wounded, Sanjay Kumar jumped from this bunker to the next and attacked the Pakistani defenders there. The Pakistanis were so terrified that they fled from there leaving behind their machinegun. Sanjay Kumar took it up and fired at the fleeing enemies.

Enthused by his courage, the other Indians joined him and silenced the remaining Pakistanis in the area, taking control of the hilltop fully.

For his unique courage, dutifulness, loyalty and decision-making ability, Sanjay Kumar was conferred with the Param Vir Chakra.

Fg Offr Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon : An Essay

Flying Officer Nirmaljit Singh Sekhon

Arm : Indian Air Force

The air force plays the most important role in any modern war, so was the case in the 1971 India-Pakistan War. It defends the country from the enemy air attacks and also launches attacks well within the enemy territory. The Indian Air Force accomplished its objectives well and made victory possible in this war.

On 14 December, 1971, six Pakistani Sabre jets approached the Srinagar airfield to attack. At this time, Sekhon and Ghumman were on ORP duty, that is, they had to take on any intruding aircraft. They had the Gnats to defend the airfield, while the Sabre jets were far more powerful. But these two warriors were not scared of either the larger number of enemy aircraft, or the more powerful enemy. They scrambled their Gnats on the runway when the Sabre jets were on their heads, raining down bombs.

Sekhon and Ghumman took off facing these odds, and immediately started to chase the Pakistani aircraft. There was fog and visibility was poor, but they dared the enemy. Sekhon first shot down one Sabre jet and then chased the second one and hit it too. But the remaining Pakistani aircraft came behind him and shot at him. His aircraft sustained a hit. Sekhon spoke to Ghumman on radio and said, "It seems my aircraft is hit. Continue with the fight."

After this, his aircraft started to fall off the sky and was soon engulfed in fire. He died in the line of his duty. His effort disallowed the Pakistani intruders from causing any significant damage to the Indian installations. For his daring feat, technological skill and courage, Sekhon was conferred with the Param Vir Chakra posthumously.

Lt Col A.B. Tarapore : An Essay

Lieutenant Colonel A.B. Tarapore

Unit : 17 Horse

17 Horse is the name of the unit, but it does not have horses for fighting; when it was established long back, it had horses, which were by the year 1965 replaced with tanks, but its name continued as before. Tanks are armoured vehicles which play a major role in a battle. In the 1965 India-Pak War, this unit came to face the Pakistani tanks at Chavinda.

On 16 September, 1965, Tarapore was ordered to deploy his tanks at Chavinda. Taking part in a battle nearby, he was already wounded, but he continued to fight. He led a massive attack on the Pakistani tanks and destroyed 60 of them. In this effort, only 7 Indian tanks were destroyed. In this battle which lasted for 6 days, Tarapore laid down his life leading his unit from the front. For his exemplary courage and leadership qualities, he was awarded the Param Vir Chakra.