Jalandhar's- a town of Bastis

At one time, Jalandhar had twelve Bastis:
Basti:Danishmandan,
Basti:Sheikh,
Basti:Gujan,
Basti:Babakhal,
Basti:Mithu,
Basti:Shah Kuli,
Basti:Shah Ibrahim,
Basti:Nau,
Basti:Peerdad,
Basti:Bhurekhan,
Basti:Pathana,
Basti:Banbatta

Jalandhar had twelve gates:
1.Ma Hiran Gate
2.Balmiki Gate
3.Shitla Gate
4.Khingra Gate
5.Neela Mahal Gate
6.Saidan Gate
7.Phagwara Gate
8.Gate Shak Kuli
9.Lahori Gate
10.Khodian Gate
11.Dehlvi Gate
12.Joran Gate

These are 12 important Mohallas with gates ( called Kot):
Kot Kishan Chand
Kot Lakhpat Rai
Kot Sadat Khan
Kot Achhi
Kot Chhivian
Kot Pakshian
Kot Bahadur Khan
Kot Muhammad Amin
Kot Sadiq
Kot Badal Khan
Kot Fazal Khan
Kot Aasma Khan.

Rains Bring Relief From Scorching Heat

Clouds hovered over Jalandhar through out the day.This brought the temperature down . There was intermittent drizzling.

In the evening, there was a heavy downpour . Although there was water logging on the roads and low lying areas , people were enjoying Shimla like cold winds . Air conditioners apart even fans were not switched on.

Jullundur Gymkhana Elections--Results.

Hon.y Secretary---Satish Thakur ( Gora )
Joint Secretary--- Sandeep Behl
Vice President----- Dr. Pawan Gupta
Treasurer---------Amrik Singh Ghai

Executive Members

Narinder Shergill
Daljit Chhabra , Advocate
Maj. Gurpreet Kochhar
Vikram Sehgal
Dheeraj Seth
Vijay Sehdev
Shaant Gupta
Amit Kukreja
Tarun Sikka
Pankaj Sharma

Jullundur Gymkhana Club-Elections Today

complete album by gopal1035

Elections were held to elect office bearers of Jalandhar's elite club, Jullundur Gymkhana. There was a lot of excitement and activity in the Club. One senior lady member came on a wheelchair to cast her vote . The total electorate is 3000

The main contenders are Mann group and Gora group.

" Jai Mata Di' ---Mothers' Day ---11 th May 2008

Mothers' Day celebrations are gaining popularity each passing year . Sons and daughters wished their mothers to day. . Those away made phone calls or sent SMS.

Schools of Jalandhar held special functions , yesterday , to highlight the respect and regards due to Mothers.

We send our Greetings to all Mothers. " Jai Mata Di" . Real Mother Goddesses are the ones at home. Let us give them all our love and respect.

Undergratuaue Exams- GNDU-conclude

The undergratuate examinations of Guru Nanak Dev University have , more or less , concluded. Students are , now , feeling relaxed as the tension of Exams is over . Some private students are busy preparing their Field Study Report for the Environmental Studies paper , passing which has now become compulsory. The report has to be submitted before 18-05-08 .

The weather was cool to-day . But few days back it was very hot and oppressive. Colleges would be seeing very little activity till the results and admission season starts.

Extreme Heat Conditions -- Fire Hazard

These days there are extreme heat conditions prevailing in and around Jalandhar . There are many forest fires raging in jungles near Talwara and else where. Very valuable forest resources are being destroyed . Un harvested ripe wheat is also very vulnerable to fire .There is so much combustible material like dry grass and leaves around which can start a major fire. Water ,the main medium of fire fightng , is extreme shortage .

We should keep some buckets or in some similar containers water handy so that it may be of use at any emergency.

India's Middle Class

It is very gratifying to note that Indian Left leaders , recently, defended the Indian Middle Class against President Bush 's remark that growing prosperity of India's 35 crore Middle Class ( which is more than entire American population ) was responsible for World wide food shortage.

Indian Communists have during the last 4-5 years of their power devastatingly wrecked the dreams of the Indian Middle class ( many of whom had earlier moved up from Working Class. ) Left's restrictive policies have shaved of many percentage points from India's G.D.P. growth and effectively derailed the Reforms Programme . China , by following Free Market Reforms has been enjoying double digit growth.

Indian Communists should realise that when there is over all growth , every body gets a share of it , including the Working Class which then rises to the level of Middle Class .

Poem dedicated to 1857 War of Independence

The Stream Crossing ("Pattan"-1858 )

Haggard , Beaten and Downcast .They walked along our bullock carts.
Without exchanging glances , without making enquiries .
Both sides knew each other.
We moved silently along the criss crossing streams and dry land in the river bed,
On stones and in mud, the wooden wheels groaned ,
They gave our carts the tug or the required jerk .
Whether to help us or to avoid a lash on the bullocks , we don't know .

Was it a dry river bed or an elaborate trap ?
Horsemen in full dress, Cheery and with vengenceful lust .
Went firing their rifles at their former Sepoys
With abandon joy they slashed their swords on already shot men.
Shouting "Pigs", "Dogs", And What not , We did not understand ( Thank God ).

When it all ended ,
the longer streams now carried smaller streams.
Of blood, flesh, and a whole nation's Morale .

After a stupefying stall , the caravan of bullock carts moved to the end of the river bed.
Climbing the steep bank , they found themselves in the weekly bazaar.
The bazaar stalls were untouched by the retreating marauders .
But the people were all downcast.

We stood their for what seemed eternity.
Not buying nor moving ahead.
Two playful children emerged ,With gay abandon they moved up and down the path.
One a Sikh and other with a chest of iron.
They seemed to be saying "Don't lose heart", "Don't lose hope".
Bhagat and Chandra Shekhar Would one day avenge the holocaust.
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( Background of the poem is the defeat of the great warriors in 1858 and History's most vicious and inhuman revenge taken out by the victorious English forces . "Pattan " in Hindi means River crossing and well as defeat. "They" are defeated and unarmed sepoys are walking along " We" i.e. public caravan of oxen carts , at a dry river crossing, when they are ambushed and brutally butchered by the English .The victors were very successful in humiliating and scaring the Indians till great revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh and Chander Shekhar "Azad" and many others like them were able to restore the National pride .)
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Poet-.Ashwani Kumar Aggarwal.

Cricket IPL Matches Bring Pakistan & India together

It was always our dream that Pakistan and India shouls field joint teams in the field of sports . When their spirit of co-operation takes over from their spirit of confrontation , the sports world would be shaken to the core .

A very auspicious beginning has been made in the IPL Cricket matches where great sportsmen from Pakistan play as one team with Indians and others . Let this be the beginning of joint teams in many other fields.

Who knows , we may see in our lifetimes , Pakistan and Indians , together , help bring peace in Afghanistan and Iraq .

Which Indian Middle Class ???

Which Indian Middle Class is President Bush talking about ?

If he is talking about Red Indians , then he need not worry . Middle , Upper or Lower , Red Indians , more or less , have been done away with .

Knowledge at the Flick of Your Fingers

With the technology of Internet and Search Engines like Google , the entire world of knowledge is , now , available at the click of a button . This is extra ordinary revolution is a great boon to all and more so to physically handicapped persons like my self . Google brings forth the eligible links with in a fraction of a second. Only a few years ago such an exercise would have taken days in a public libarary. ( A century ago , it would have meant a long journey to an Universirty like Nalanda or Taxila. )

In Jalandhar , Television classes offered by channels like NDTV Imagine 's English speaking and dance lessons by the legendary choreographer , Saroj Khan has brought these talents to the very homes of ordinary Indians.

Jalandhar Gymkhana Elections Hot Up

With the finalising of the eligible voters ' list , election related activity to Jalandhar 's prestigious club , Jalandhar Gymkhana has started in right earnest. Elections are held every two years There are approximately 4000 members , out of which around 3000 are eligible to vote . Some of Jalandhar's top and most successful personalities are in the fray for the posts of office bearers. Lavish parties to woo supporters have already commenced.

Sewerage Manhole Covers Antique Collectors' Dream !!!

We have heard of old currency notes , postage stamps , watches , weapons etc . commanding extra ordinary prices among collectors. But here is a wild card entry.

Original sewerage covers of Chandigarh appear to have fetched around Rs. 8 Lakhs among antique collectors in U.S.A. ( It is reported that in India they can still be had for around Rs. 12000/.)

These covers command demand as collectable art pieces because they carry the original site plan of Chandigarh on their iron covers . Besides , they were designed by Chandigarh's legendary Chief Architect and Designer Le Corbusier and his associate Pierre Jeanneret .

No wonder when a city's sewerage covers are so costly , the land rates in Chandigarh touch the sky.by gopal1035

Boat Club in Jalandhar

The land which has become vacant due to non- commissioning of Canal from D.A.V. College to Garha ( passing Adarsh Nagar, Lajpat Nagar , New Jawahar Nagar ) should be utilised for starting a boat club , on the lines of Delhi Boat Club, near India Gate. Such a facility would greatly be welcomed by the public , especially , during the hot summer months . Besides, land sharks would be prevented from grabbing of public land. Water can be sourced from the canal tail end.

Acute shortage of Water in Jalandhar

With the summer season seting in , water scarity has become a grave problem in Jalandhar. Water table has fallen alarmingly and many localities are not being supplied adequate water.

We should not
1) Not leave water taps open.
2) Not water Lawns.
3) Not wash cars and other vehicles
4) Not use centrifugal " Tullu" directly on water pipelines.

Sports Goods Industry observes Strike today

Jalandhar is renowned for its sports industry . It has been created with great labour , since Independence , by the efforts of trained craftsmen who migrated from Sialkot ( Pakistan ).

These days sports industry if facing tough competition from cheap Chinese imports and VAT exemption given by U.P.
Industry leader Vijay Dhir has pleaded with the Punjab Government for similar concessions for Jalandhar units.

Good Wishes To India's Working Classes

To-day is May Day and we express our solidarity with the Working classes of India. We wish them prosperity and upward social and economic mobility. We , also , strongly believe that free market policies and Economic reforms would ultimately help the workers also. The crux is that more wealth should be created in the economy. Then it should be shared with all . Like the legendary Narain Murthy of Infosys says", Iam a capitalist on the out side and a socialist at heart ". If India Inc. prospers so would their employees.

The restrictive brakes applied by India's Left has benefitted no body. It has shaved off many percentage points from India's G.D.P. growth. Peers in erstwhile U.S.S.R and main land China have done away with obsolete ideologies. China is enjoying double digit growth.

India is , sadly, LEFT behind China.

Free Pakistani prisoners for Sarabjit's release

Pakistan Government is perfectly justified in asking for release of Pakistani prisoners held in Indian jails. India should reciprocate magnanimously and release them of the same grounds on which we seek Sarbjit's release.

It is not correct to link release of Pakistani prisoners with repatriation of Dawood Ibrahim . Dawood's case should be set aside for the time being and not allowed to impede the release of other prisoners. With the development of very close relations between India and Pakistan , Dawood case would be handled on its own.

We do not gain any thing by letting prisoners rot in each other ' s jails . Let us establish a permanent mechanism with people like Burney , Asma Jehangir , Kuldeep Nayar , I.K. Gujral , who should look in to the cases of hapless prisoners both in India and Pakistan.

Like we say let us keep the issue of Kashmir on one side , for the time being , and proceed with cultural / economic ties. Similarly, let us not allow extreme views hinder Sarabjit's release.

Pakistan , in general , and Human Rights activist Burney , in particular , has earned our deep gratitude by securing the release of India's Kashmir Singh.

Ring Road for Jalandhar Sanctioned--Excellent Real Estate Opportunities

Punjab C.M. has formally sanctioned the Rs. 571 crore Ring Road project which was put forward by Jalandhar Municipal Corporation . ( After formalities are over , it would be implemented by P.W.D. and National Highway Authority of India ). The Ring Road would take off in the North from Village Sarai Khas on the Jalandhar -Amritsar G.T. Road, then , on the Western side, touch Kapurthala Road, then Nakodar Road, then Jalandhar-Nurmahal Road and finally join Jalandhar- Ludhiana G.T. Road at Village Kot Kalan . A bye pass is already operational on the Eastern side between P.A.P. Chowk and Bidhipur ( touching Hoshairpur Road and Tanda ( Pathankot Road) .Thus the Ring would be complete .
Total length is 55 km . About Rs. 317 cr of the project cost has been earmarked for land acquisition.
Apart from greatly easing the flow of traffic by , especially , providing bandpass to Nurmahal , Nakodar and Kapurthala , it would lead to development of this Western part of outlying Jalandhar on the lines of eastern side ( existing Amritsar Bye pass ).
There is lot of excitement among property developers and Investors on this new real estate goldmine in Jalandhar.