Fall by Sandeep Silas
Fall by Sandeep Silas in Borough in the Mist (2007)
Tag: Manchester Business School UK
An enchanting village by #Sandeep #Silas, published in #The #Hindu
#Yvoire One of the most beautiful villages in France, Yvoire is full of flowers and cheerful local population, writes Sandeep Silas
A VISUAL TREAT A charming village house, with lace curtains, flowers and enveloped in greenery form a real romantic setting
G ive me a choice to choose a place to live the rest of my life. An idyll by the lake, amidst flowers livening up my window; stone houses those seem to have travelled back in time; thin pedestrian lanes without any machine monster emitting black smoke; spires surprising you at the end of a street; a village market that comes up informally in the square; laced window panes; lazy boats in the lake; and great food. Yes, I am talking of Yvoire, a village in France, a member of the most beautiful villages of France.
Barely 45 minutes from Geneva, creeper roses welcomed me at the entrance. Flowers seem to be the passion of every inhabitant. Each window was like a beautiful vase distinctive in colour and presentation. Ranked in France as one of the “Four Flowers”, Yvoire is full of flowers – lilies, gourdon, iris, roses, daffodils, gerberas, poinsettia, wisteria vines and the rosemary bush.
Yvoire is located in the Rhone-Alps region of France under the department of Haute-Savoie. This small village, just 3.2 sq km. with a population of 810 only, has access to two faces of Lake Geneva, as it separates the “petit lac” from the “grand lac”. The village just celebrated its 700 years of existence in 2006. Set in the 14th Century, as usually done then with fortifications, a castle, ramparts, mansions, and stone houses, the village continues to look the same. The St. Pancras Church that dominates the village heights dates to the 11th Century but has been rebuilt and attended many times. Its slender green-onion like dome is representative of Savoyard and Piemontese religious architecture of later centuries.
Homes were not homes, they were more! Some had portions running as boutiques selling designer garments, locally made souvenirs, cheese and cakes, and a lot doubled up as restaurants. Survival had placed the village between the horns of “character” and “commerce”. It obviously gets a lot of tourists who come to dip their souls into the sponge of delight for a day.
From the square, under the church steeple, you can buy things you may not need, but would like to take back. Though each window here was very beautifully done, one particularly caught my attention from the square. A vivacious green Boston Ivy creeper half encircled it, with purple, pink, and red gerberas raising their sprightly heads from the pot placed on the window-sill. Each leaf of the creeper had three tongue-like lobes, one each to taste the sweet, sour and salty breeze, I thought. Behind the glass window-panes was a beautiful lace curtain. Only a face, like that of Helen of Troy was missing. A perfect window for a Romeo and Juliet conversation!
The turrets of Savoy Castle still hold intrigue within their bosoms. Tiny windows, more for watch and ward and breeze rather than views characterise the castle. Jardin des Cinq sans is now a leisure garden with the five-senses theme – fruit and vegetables for taste, flowers for sight, herbs for smell, and aviary for hearing.
A village surviving since 1306 AD in the same time warp is an amazing spectacle to visit and see. In its earlier years it was on the trade map through the Alps and along the Lake Geneva. In the 16 {+t} {+h} Century fishing became a primary occupation for the residents.
Now, in the 21s {+t} Century it is heritage that makes the place important. Actually, I felt that the place has been blessed because its importance over the centuries never diminished despite changing times and trade preferences.
Invigorating
Past paper boats hanging in the air I moved to the lakeside. Walking down a stone paved path beside yellow lilies was invigorating. Once beside the water I sat down to look at the mountains. Across the Lake Geneva (Lake Léman) are visible the Jura Mountains. A pair of ducks frolicking in the water accentuated my loneliness. Couples sat, walked and boated enjoying every moment of togetherness. I resumed my walk and halted at a letter-box made in cast iron, fixed on the outside wall of a home. It had a rider on his horse, embossed on the front face. Its letters – “ LETTRE”, and its stylisation immediately transported me back to the medieval ages when horses served as car, train and plane. Another wooden door to a godown carried a pasted poster appeal carrying instructions, with this slogan at the end of the page – “Vive La France! Vive L’ Empereur!” This was how official orders/notifications were communicated to the public in those days. Lunch was freshly caught fish from Lake Léman, what else!
The faces I recall from this trip were unusually charming – a woman with two spaniels under a signboard, the boy at the cake shop, the woman who entered the boutique hurriedly, the man making a straw hat, and the girl who served us food in the restaurant. The names, those people gave to describe their homes and themselves – Les Murailles, La Maison Fleurie, La Maison d’ Historie, La Gangière, La Bentellière and Coup d’ Coeur, continue to stay in my memory. Especially Coup d’ Coeur, as between the suspended flower baskets from the balcony, at the entrance, were hung many red coloured hearts made of round pieces of wood glued together. I left my heart amidst the wooden ones in France, beating for someone.
(Published in The Hindu, December 27, 2010)
Link:
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/an-enchanting-village/article981735.ece
#Memories from the #September of 2003! #First-ever #Commemorative and #Currency #Coin on ‘#Railways in India, made by Sandeep Silas!
#Memories from the #September of 2003! #Finance #Minister, #India, Shri Jaswant Singh and #Minister of #Railways, India, Shri Nitish Kumar had released the #First-ever #Commemorative and #Currency #Coin on ‘#Railways in India’ in its entire 163 years history so far!
Idea, design and making by Sandeep Silas!
September 1st, 2003!
Some pictures to bring those moments alive!
Sandeep Silas speaking at the Commemorative & Currency Coin Release Ceremony!
Hon’ble Minister of Railways Shri Nitish Kumar delivering his Address! Proud to have served under you Sir! Truly, you are a visionary, great, fair & impartial administrator with a sound grip on the system! A statesmanlike person who respects his talented officers and works as an exemplary team leader! You taught me many important lessons of life, Sir!
Hon’ble Finance Minister of India, Shri Jaswant Singh addressing the audience!
The Release of the Commemorative & Currency Coin!
First-ever on ‘Railways in India’ in its entire history so far!
Do Kadam दो कदम
Do Kadam (Two Steps)
Two steps I desired to walk in companionship
Someone to be with, on the sweet road of love
I searched for a youthful beauty like you everyday
I believed I was on way to become a statue of stone
Some conversations, some meetings is the desire now
I have found the reason of my incomparable existence
Let the word be spread, let there be celebration
I am alive, let this be known to all with respect
Half of my life I have lost in the years of darkness
Let me dedicate the rest to your name, my precious
Happy is ‘deep’ that you have come of your own
I don’t know, I feel, but my companion has come
Do Kadam by Sandeep Silas ‘deep’ in Ranai-e-Khayal 2012
http://www.garlandofpeace.com/aboutus.php#
![BEAUTIFUL THOUGHTS by [Silas, Sandeep]](https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51T%2BzYeK4uL.jpg)
Translated Book in English available on Amazon Kindle:
https://www.amazon.in/BEAUTIFUL-THOUGHTS-Sandeep-Silas-ebook/dp/B0080RNI7C
In the heart of the mountains by Sandeep Silas, published in The Hindu
In the heart of the mountains by Sandeep Silas
Man has been building in statuesque, grandiose and ornate architectural styles since the time stone was quarried and bricks fired. Imagination, force of will, ornamentation and sheer celebration is visible in what he has built the world over! And, that is what I saw in the Blue Mountains, 110 km. from Sydney.
As I sped towards the Blue Mountains, the whole atmosphere changed and Nature started speaking in hushed tones. The road wound its way up through dreamy villages wrapped in slumber. At Glenbrook came the gateway, and Wentworth Falls was pretty. Charles Darwin, who laboured to unravel the mystery of the origin of species, once stayed here, and a walk commemorates this association.
The village of Leura romanticises candles and clothing. In October, Cherry blossoms line the streets of Leura, and gardens are filled with butterflies sipping nectar. We halted at bohemian Katoomba, and I particularly remember the sloping drive through the village. Homes are old fashioned and the boutiques bright. The post office, the bank and the church remind you of temporal and spiritual connections.
ABORGINAL LEGEND
Gavin, my chauffeur, mentioned the Three Sisters. I presumed he was recounting a fable, bringing back to life the days of the Aborigines. Till, I I realised the Three Sisters is a prominent feature of the Blue Mountains World Heritage area, which celebrates Nature.
There is an Aborginal legend associated with the three sisters The beautiful sisters, Meenhi, Weemala and Gunnedoo, daughters of the Katoomba tribe’s witch doctor, fell madly in love with three brothers of the Nepean tribe. Ancestral law forbade marriage outside the tribe. The brave warrior-brothers engaged in battle for the maidens. The witch doctor turned his daughters to stone using his magic stick, intending to restore them to life after the fight. But, he was killed in battle and his magic stick could not be found. They say the Lyrebird instinctively scratches the earth even today, searching for the magic stick.
The Blue Mountains, belonging to the Narrabeen Group of layers, have evolved over hundreds of millions of years. The Three Sisters were once seven sisters. Four have been lost to the Valley, the weather and Time!
I saw a wooden signboard; ‘The Three Sisters’, and took the path. At a view point, I was amazed at the vastness of the range and the Leura Forest in the valley. The forest reverberated with birdcall. Inching further, I was face-to-face with a mountaintop, the edges of which were jagged — victims of wind erosion.
A bench in a cavity of the cliff invited me to solitude. Touching the cliff, I wondered where the ‘Three Sisters’ were located. All lookouts were blocked by the heavy mist. Disappointed, I rose and took to what they call ‘The Giant Staircase’, which takes you deep down to the forest.
I trudged back to the starting point, I followed some visitors to Echo Point to share a glimpse of what they saw — the three lovelorn sisters, captives of fate, stood a little to my left in storybook silence. For a brief moment, the majestic sun illuminated their dormant sensuousness.
And, to think that all this while, I had actually sat and brooded on the waist curve of one of the three!
(Published in The Hindu May 2, 2010)
Link:
http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/in-the-heart-of-the-mountains/article419085.ece
Keywords: Blue Mountains, Three Sisters
Jazba
Jazba (Passion)
Like nectar rises my passion to the flower
Whosoever tasted said, ‘sweet like honey’
Like deep lines etched on snowy mountains
I lie silent on the rocky bed below the snow
Give me some sun, let me melt and reach you
My core is water, give me favour of your mercy
I halted thinking that the road was my destination
In a magic like grip I was, my life was in a bind
Touch me and wake me, let eyes not get dimmed
Hold me, pick me up, silent is all congregation
Give me some laughter, give me some smartness
Wish me a prayer to rise and blossom next season
Jazba by Sandeep Silas ‘deep’ in Saada Khayal (2009)
Morrow’s Face…my first book of poems
Tribute to all my Teachers on ‘Teachers Day’…taught me to face the drama of life with grace!
Once you act a Shakespearean drama on stage with grace and poise, you are empowered to face life like a King or Queen!
So was OTHELLO…at St. John’s College, Agra 1979!
I salute all my teachers who have taught me at St. Peter’s College, Agra; St. John’s College, Agra; Manchester Business School, Manchester, UK; Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs, Syracuse University, New York, USA!
They gave me the power to live life as I want; strive to bring reform and transformation in systems and processes; think positive in all circumstances; and to be creative every moment of life!
Strategy: WHAT WOMEN WANT—STOP GANG-RAPES!
WHAT WOMEN WANT—STOP GANG-RAPES!
sandeep silas
The capital has become the scene of another gang-rape. This time it is a eight year old girl child. The girl was abducted while sleeping outside with her family. Why were they sleeping outside? Because there is no power in their colony!
Not one politician of any political party either visited the girl’s traumatized family or issued any statement. Such things have become kind of routine news and acceptable facts to Indian society. Unless a person from immediate family gets affected even public does not bother and consumes the news carried in newspapers or TV with tea.
The affected family is left to fend for themselves with an unfriendly police system and a very complicated judicial system, where justice is more denied by delay.
Who will give the healing touch?
Who will stop these gang-rapes which destroy childhood?
Who will stop the ever increasing gang-rapes on our highways, city roads, public transport and in residential colonies?
In our childhood we were taught the idiom “Who will bell the cat?” It is so true today in this respect as the nation asks this question from the people who are responsible for governance in any form anywhere.
On the last day of July the nation was shocked when news came that a mother and daughter were dragged out of car in UP the previous night and gang-raped by some criminals of a Ghumantu gang for three hours in Bulandshahr District (65 km away from Delhi) on National Highway 91, and barely 100m away from a Police Post. Mother of 35 years and daughter of 14 years raped together!
The country is being scarred again and again, call it Nirbhaya or by any other name, gang-rapes continue with criminals at large. It is a systems failure: the maintenance of law & order, the long drawn trials, the lack of evidence, and little or no punishment, more alarmingly the will to stop these crimes against women.
Our country is a land where womanhood has been worshipped in the form of a Goddess. We believe in Devi Shakti. We do pilgrimages of all Shakti Sthals. We celebrate festivals with aplomb and our greetings are Jai Maa, Jai Bhagwati, Jai Mata Di, Radhey-Radhey and so on.
We worship our Goddesses every day. We name our daughters in the name of our Goddesses. We see their forms from Ma Durga to Ma Kali depicting victory over evil forces and demons. Our Goddesses ride lions and bless their followers. Our Mantras are chants in praise of our Goddesses, where we pray and bow in supplication and seek blessings from them.
Still no Political Party has made women safety as their national programme.
Who will lead the growing concern for crime against women?
It has to be backed by the Government’s legal and administrative action to show the Government’s resolve to hold back such horrific crimes against women. The very fact that again such a crime took place again in the capital of the country, only reveals that the courage of criminals is at a questionable large.
The last five years data of rape cases and the rate of conviction is a cause for immediate concern!
Countrywide protests could begin when women realize they are not safe while sleeping, travelling, or working. Women do feel unsafe and my conversations with the ones I know have revealed deep set anger, frustration and disenchantment with the present scenario of safety of women in the cities and villages. The incidents continue to shock the conscience of the people to the core.
SOME ALTERNATIVES BEFORE THE GOVERNMENT:
- Bill to be brought in Parliament for Capital Punishment / Chemical Castration of convicted rapists
- Emergency Decree like Italy announced in February 2009 for mandatory Life Sentence to be given to rapists
- Fast Track Rape Trial Courts
- Recruitment of Delhi Police Constabulary to be broad based from all States of India, and not have predominance from neighbouring State of Haryana as this move shall instill confidence and break the criminal-police nexus (majority of constabulary in Delhi Police and sexual crime offenders have roots in Haryana)
- Video recording to be a must in all Police Stations
- All cabs to be installed with Cab Cameras and GPS indicators
- Delhi Police to be brought under the control of Delhi Government and not be under the Home Ministry through Lieutenant Governor, Delhi
- Licensing of all Cab/Public Road Transport Drivers in the capital and the other cities to include Psychiatric Tests and be not as easy as it is today
- Creation of a Department of Crime Against Women under the Ministry of Women & Child Welfare
Now, is the time we have to be seen to be taking tough and long lasting measures to protect our daughters, sisters, wives, and mothers. It is the cry of the ‘Daughters of India’. In this Year 2016, let it be noticed and talked about in the homes of India that the Government means business and such type of violence is to take place no more.
Punishment for Rape in Different Countries
I am placing before the people a comparative appreciation of the punishment awarded for rape in some countries:
USA: Under federal law the punishment for rape can range from a fine to Life imprisonment. The severity of the punishment is based on the use of violence, the age of the victim and whether drugs or intoxicants were used to override consent. If the perpetrator is a repeat offender the law prescribes automatically doubling the maximum sentence.
English Law: The offence is created by section 1 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003:
| “ | 1-(1) A person (A) commits an offence—
(4) A person guilty of an offence under this section is liable, on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for life. |
China: China retained the death penalty in the 1980s for certain serious crimes. The 1980 law required that death sentences be approved by the Supreme People’s Court. This requirement was temporarily modified in 1981 to allow the higher people’s courts of provinces, autonomous regions, and special municipalities to approve death sentences for murder, robbery, rape, bomb-throwing, arson, and sabotage. In 1983 this modification was made permanent. In 2006, the Chinese government reversed the previous modified death penalty requirement that was made permanent in 1983. The law was enacted on January 1, 2007, and required all death sentences be approved by the Supreme People’s Court (SPC), effectively depriving the provincial people’s courts of exercising the final say on the death sentence, allowing death penalties handed out by provincial courts to be reviewed and ratified by the SPC.
Italy: In February 2009 Italy passed an Emergency Decree-Mandatory life sentences–The Italian decree, which goes into effect immediately but still has to be approved by both houses of parliament within 60 days, introduces mandatory life sentences for people convicted of gang-rape, sexual assault resulting in murder and violent sexual abuse of children.
India: Section 376 in The Indian Penal Code, 1860
- Punishment for rape.–
(1) Whoever, except in the cases provided for by sub- section (2), commits rape shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which shall not be less than seven years but which may be for life or for a term which may extend to ten years and shall also be liable to fine unless the woman raped is his own wife and is not under twelve years of age, in which case, he shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years or with fine or with both.
The women of India need a healing touch. An administrative-legal direction to the whole issue is warranted. How soon we act is what shall matter and assuage the hurt conscience of the nation. Perhaps, something like the Italian response is the need of the hour!
“SAVE INNOCENCE” CAMPAIGN could be started in the country by those who are sensitive enough to realize the immensity of the problem and want to protect and respect womanhood!
© Sandeep Silas, Delhi, India
www.garlandofpeace.com
www.sandeepsilas.com
JAI HIND