Sodal Mela - 06/09/2025 - Best Wishes

Baba Sodal Mela is the most popular local event of Jalandhar. It is only of this day that an official local holiday is declared in Jalandhar. Devotees not only from Jalandhar but from all over come to pray and participate in the Mela.

Baba Sodal is also the family deity of the Chadda clan.

India is a holy land of fairs and festivals. Thousands of such events are celebrated in form of sacred gatherings and with different rituals. Such is a fair celebrated on Anant Chaudas in Jalandhar, state Punjab. More than one and half million devotees mark their presence for paying obeisance to an immortal legend named Baba Sodal. People from all religion creed and cast attend the festivities with full and show in pursuit of justifying the fulfilled blessings at this holy place.

It is assumed that woman used a pond of water for meeting domestic requirements like washing cloths and so on. The holy mother of legendary Baba Sodal (in his early childhood) accompanied her son to pound. The child started playing mischiefs by making clay balls and throwing at her mother. When utterly disturbed, mother cursed the son badly. Baba Sodal made her mother repeat the rebuking words and then in pursuit of obeying her he jumped into the pound and never reappeared. By hearing hue and cry of mother people gathered. After Relentless search there was no sign of the boy.

It is said that the child appeared in the form of holy snake and declared his farewell from this mortal world.

He also demanded his reincarnation should be accepted by Chadha and Anand families and should be offered Mathi (local flour made snake) called “Topa”. Baba ji declared that he is descendants from Chadha clan. So his part of “Topa” weighing two and quarter ‘Ser’(an old measurement unit) and for each Chadha boy half ‘Ser’. He further said “topa” should be weight against each member of bachelor brahmin’s family. It can be consumed only by members of Chadha clan, even their son in laws not allowed to have the share of “Topa”. On Amawasya ( no moon night) before Sodal fair head of Chadha clan visits the pond and extracts clay fourteen times for his each son. This means to make Baba Ji appear on the day of Tryodashi (13th of local month). Every member pays his obeisance to Sodal Baba , Kasar (kneading of simple flour) is made and offered fourteen times gradually in parts. On Chaturdashi (14th of local month) all members of Chadha clan eat only fried food especially made from a traditional fry pan. Eight days ahead of this festival all members of Chadha clan sow ‘Kheti’ on the name of Baba Ji which means the more prosper the sow, happier and richer will be the family.

( Credit : official site www.sodalmandir.com )

 

Gold Prices Since 1921

In 1921 , Gold  sold for Re 1 / 87 p per gramme

Today , it sells for Rs 11,000 / gramme 24 carat

Copy Paste the link ;-

 
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6NjcLO5qXkiIvbtmbKv1_yKarbtMHKmjUM-ErE3yfQRv9ZBqdsG-EFLcXtAWODOfzUdVFuBBX_rkiPNGezp-fhJXFBWWDbw-IBzAX1AMQyTnog1VxHf4txDA9P36mXP9KA2Y5kRVEHkyo/s1600/gold.jpg

 

CLICK + TO ENLARGE

Question : What is Life 's Golden Rule ?

Answer : He Who Owns Gold Makes the Rules.

 

 

Bahawalpur and I . Bahawalpuris Fire and Fury Pakoras

I remember my early childhood days in Rajpura Township , Punjab ,from 1962 to 1968 . 

Rajpura Township had been established to accommodate migrants from Bahawalpur post Partition .The migrants worked hard very hard .

.Most of my childhood friends there spoke Punjabi with a heavy Bahawalpuri accent ,

For 1, 2 ,3 even I would say Hekk , Doo , Traa .

Bahawalpuri folks were very fond of red chillies

Kamal Kakri- Lotus Stem vegetable - ' Bheesa '

 Pakoras of Rajpura

They would inject a paste of really hot red chillies in kamal kakris and deep fry these as Pakoras.

The resultant ' fire and fury ' stuff was greatly relished by many , especially , when taken with hard drinks.

One of my Mamajis , when ever he visited us , would ask for those Tej pakoras, as snacks with the liquor he brought with him .

 

Gold Prices Since 1921

In 1921 , Gold  sold for Re 1 / 87 p per gramme

Today , it sells fore Rs 10,000 / gramme

Copy Paste the link ;-

 
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6NjcLO5qXkiIvbtmbKv1_yKarbtMHKmjUM-ErE3yfQRv9ZBqdsG-EFLcXtAWODOfzUdVFuBBX_rkiPNGezp-fhJXFBWWDbw-IBzAX1AMQyTnog1VxHf4txDA9P36mXP9KA2Y5kRVEHkyo/s1600/gold.jpg

CLICK + TO ENLARGE

Question : What is Life 's Golden Rule ?

Answer : He Who Owns Gold Makes the Rules.

 

 

Samadhis of Shaheed e Azam Bhagat Singh ,Sukhdev and Rajguru. 23 rd March -Martyrdom Day

n 1947 this land , across the river Sutlej , had come under Pakistan in 1947.

Pakistan kept them in a totally neglected state.

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In 1947 , Hussainiwala, an enclave of 12 villages went to Pakistan. India got a corresponding enclave of 12 villages linked to the Sulaimanki Headworks.

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In 1961, Jawaharlal Nehru brokered an exchange deal and Great martyrs ' Samadi at Hussaainiwala came to India while Sulaimanki Headworks villages went to Pakistan.

Work was started by India started on renovation of the memorial of the martyrs

 

Ganga and Taxes Lest We Forget

Lest we forget -19 th Century 's Great and Devout Donor For Haridwar Pilgrims .When I was young , I remember reading an old inscription ( near enclosed Zenana Ghats ) at the upstream end of Har ki Pauri , Haridwar.The inscription was about when in 19 th century authorities imposed a Pilgrim tax of One Anna on every pilgrim visiting the Holy city of Haridwar .This greatly upset a devout wealthy Hindu business man of that time. He vowed to undertake the responsibility on himself of paying the Pilgrim tax of all pilgrims and for all times to come .So , he paid a sum of Rs. One Lakh ( a princely sum then ) in return for a promise that never again would any tax be imposed on the Pilgrims visiting Haridwar.It seems the ever voracious tax collecting authorities ( not sparing even pilgrims and disregarding the solemn promise given to the great Donor ) deliberately first, shifted the inscription plate to a secluded place away from public gaze and then may have removed it altogether

Upper Ganga Canal

Please Save 170 Year Old Engineering Marvel ( Upper Ganges Canal ) Up to Roorkee

Convert Old Upper Ganges Canal ( Haridwar to Roorkee ) in to a National Heritage ( Museum )

Convert the abandoned old section of the Upper Ganga ( Ganges )Canal ( from Har-Ki - Pauri, Haridwar to Roorkee ) in to a sort of national heritage museum- thinkers of Jalandhar discussed animatedly.

This section ,originally constructed around 1850 by the East India Company , was at that time the biggest canal system ever undertaken. It was and still is an engineering marvel It has aqueducts , super passages , massive sluice gates , spillways etc. There are massive "lion statues " guarding the canal , near Roorkee.

The Solani aqueduct near Roorkee, apart from being an engineering marvel has the distinction of having first ever Steam Engine ( before the Bombay line ) actively operating in India to ferry massive amounts of earth required for raising the level of the canal 's course.

But. presently , this old section of the beautiful canal is in dis use and a new canal course has been constructed parallel to the old canal. The old canal is in a very pitiable condition. It is neglected and open to vandalism.

It should , immediately , be declared a 'National Heritage " and suitably preserved. It can , also , be developed in to an attractive tourist designation.

Further , aqua riverine life like the great Indian Gharial , which once was abundant in the Ganga and which is now threatened can b

 

Why is Jammu railway station called Jammu Tawi ?

Jammu-Sialkot Railway Line - Pre Independence Times Before Partition , Dera Baba Nanak was a very important , Highway / Railway line ( with its Railway Cum Road bridge over River Ravi ) linking Delhi /Amritsar / Jullundur routes with another strategic town - Sialkot. From Sialkot the Highway split- to Jammu and via Muzaffarabad ( Jhelum Road to Srinagar . The main highway connecting Jammu and Srinagar ran through Sialkot and Muzzafarabad . 

 

From Sialkot , a narrow gauge train ran ( Via Ranbir Singh Pura ) to Jammu 

 

Old Jammu station ( in a derelict condition ) stills exists on the Right Bank of River Tawi. When , broad gauge railway line was built by India to Jammu , the new Railway station ( on the Left Bank side of the River Tawi ) was named Jammu Tawi . ( Jammu is on the banks of river Tawi )

 

31 st October Birth Anniversary of Sardar Patel- Bismarck of India

Our Tributes and Gratitude

 

One lesser known point of his contribution to India. India 's Lakshdweep and Minicoy Islands located very very strategically in the Indian Ocean are 100 % Muslim. When , in 1947 , India was being divided on communal lines , Sardar Patel sent an Indian Naval ship to Lakshdweep which raised the Indian Tricolor there. After a few days a Pakistani ship arrived but had to return.

The greatness of Sardar was that unlike Kashmir ( which is only Muslim MAJORITY ) that Sardar Patel never let Lakshdweep ever become an Issue.-

Had Sardar 's views prevailed there would not have been any Kashmir problem and India would not have surrendered abjectly in Tibet. With Tibet existing as an independent nation , there would not have been any hostile Chinese neighborhood. Sardar Patel had warned Nehru against the Chinese designs on Tibet and the repercussions it would have on India..

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Separatists and Pro Pakistan politicians in Kashmir valley would have been very effectively dealt with by Sardar Patel.

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Sardar Patel placed the interests of his country above every thing . He did not encourage his children to interfere in state matters and , he did not leave behind a dynasty.He was the true " Iron Man of India ) and after Mahatma Gandhi , Gujarat 's ( then Bombay Presidency ) biggest gift to India.

1984 Anti Sikh massacres were deliberate and premeditated

Despite having a large presence of Army Units in Delhi (including the Red Fort ) , Army was not called out for 3 days.Units which came from Meerut were sent back.

Compare this with the terrorist attack on Parliament in 2001, Special Forces of the Indian Army reached the Parliament House ,in helicopters , in less than 10 minutes.

Later , top honest Police Officers observed that during the riots frantic calls were received by the Police Control Room ( PCR Tel No 100 ). These were referred to concerned Thanas . What happened in the Thanas - all records were missing.

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Bravery of Fellow Stephanian

Going back to the terrible Anti Sikh riots of 1984 which as an Indian have shamed me among others. I wish to recall the heroism of my friend and college mate who played a very daring and brave role in saving the victims.

Virendra Saksena IRS ( now a very senior officer )- in St. Stephen's College from 1974-1977 ( R/o Allnutt South Extension , my neighbour ) was in Delhi at that time.

Virendra risked his life in saving innocent lives .

Some how I feel that his bravery ,patriotism and fight against injustice may end up unrecognized ( I think very few out side his close friends are aware of it ).

So , I have taken the liberty of putting it in Stephanian domain. ---- On our request Virendra Saksena's writes ---Gosh I am a little surprised that the past has been recalled by my dear friends Ashwini and Kishore.

Back in October 1984 many of us who were in ISH were preparing for the Civil Services examination. The Khalsa College stood across the road and some of us happened to know the son of the then Principal of the Khalsa College. At that point of time when Mrs. Gandhi was assassinated, the Principal of Khalsa College was a part of the Indian delegation to UN/USA, to convince the international community that there was no discrimination against Sikhs in India. In the wake of the assassination and the ensuing violence a lot of Sikh families had taken refuge in the staff quarters of the Khalsa College. The Indian students of ISH felt that they could not be a silent spectator to the violence that was taking place in Delhi. It was generally felt that it was a watershed moment that beckoned each one of us to take a stand. This included around 20 of us – Rajiv Bora, Pratap Paikray, and Anil Saxena are some of the names I recall. So even though the Civil Services Exam was to start in a weeks time, we decided to spend the nights in the campus of the Khalsa College to express our solidarity with the Sikh families and to help them in whatever way possible if a mob tried to harm them. Initially there was some suspicion about our bonafides as some of the families who had sought refuge in the college were worried that we could be Trojans for the rioters. To convince them few of us decided to offer one of us as a hostage at all points of time, well inside the place, while the rest stood guard outside. The Principal’s family was deeply embarrassed about this but we assured them that we appreciated the concerns of the group present in the college. The 2-3 nights spent in the college were very scary. Across the ganda nala we could see fires burning in the Kingsway Camp settlements accompanied by frenzied yells and we expected a mob to show up any moment at the gates of the college. Fortunately, nothing happened. At last the army stepped in and when we saw the soldiers marching on the road between ISH and Khalsa College, we all breathed a sigh of relief.

 

INDIA 's INDEPENDENCE WAS PREPONED FROM 1948 to 1947. WHY ?

An enquiry should be instituted as to why the process of India's Independence and Partition ( Creation of Pakistan ) done in a TEARING HURRY .

 

Who were the Politicians crazy for grabbing Power at all costs ?

 

Why no Security ( like UNO Troops ) provided to millions of helpless Refugees / Migrants who were slaughtered on an unprecedented scale.

 

15 th August be observed as a Holocaust Day .

Memorials be put up remembering all those who perished.

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Q --INDIA 's INDEPENDENCE WAS PREPONED FROM 1948 to 1947. WHY ?

 

Ans --. The British had discovered that MA Jinnah , who had TB. would not last long. Without Jinnah there would not have been any Partition The USA , the Post World War II Super Power, desperately wanted to partition India. The USA ,fearing India joining the Soviet Bloc in the prevailing Cold War ,wanted at least one part of the partitioned India ,aka Pakistan ,to remain in the Western Bloc.

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Britain Created Pakistan 

 

Please read ;-

 

https://www.rediff.com/news/interview/britain-created-pakistan/20171102.htm?fbclid=IwY2xjawEqiolleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHZJI1GrxD_j0Ts9Nfz9ioro8cfwaDbifNsQucZYM_hjugB07zOn7Ryj5fg_aem_-c19on8Yf_duSXF8iQxbjg

 

Why do we use the word RETURNS for our Income tax details

The answer lies in the situation prevailing in British India in 1860.

Before the Revolt of 1857 , East India Company officials were most corrupt. East India Company's Rule ended in 1858 , after the Great Revolt ( First War of Independence of 1857 )

In the Reforms introduced by the new British Crown administration,every British official RETURNING to England had to submit details of the property he had acquired during his stay in India ( Hence , the word RETURN )

Robert Clive , Warren Hastings had acquired millions by looting Indians ( Back in England , they were derisively called "NABOBS `

) "

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East India Company was the first Organised Drug Traffickers Syndicate.

East India Company made Indian farmers grow opium which it then exported to China

 

1901 - Shanghai -Sikh policemen marching on the Chinese roads.

Please watch the ending part of this short video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9ls4mV51Yk 

Dalhousie town- in Himachal Pradesh was Pakistan -For 4 days from 14/08/1947 to 17/08/1947.

 

Dalhousie town was part of Gurdaspur District of Punjab.

 

Till 17/08/1947 every one assumed that under the Radcliffe Award ,Gurdaspur district would go to Pakistan.

 

For these 4 days ,soldiers of Baloch Regiment, which Regiment was allotted to Pakistan , took control of Dalhousie town . They also put up Pakistani flags in this beautiful hill station.

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 Incumbency Board of DC s of Gurdaspur District lists Mushtaq Ahmed Cheema as the DC from August 14 to 17, 1947, who later moved to Pakistan on that day. Indian DC Chanaya Lal took over from him on August 17.

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Please read

 

https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/features/gurdaspur-the-dist-that-almost-went-to-pak-120526?fbclid=IwAR016nOXVVICnwihXl86T1IueNX8GT5J9uu6xJCLQos0deq7MfXFSDA4H5o 

Build Netaji 's Samadhi Near Raj Ghat New Delhi =Happy Jayanti

Named

Azad Hind Ghat

 

Mortal remains of Netaji Subhash Chander Bose should be brought to Azad Hind Ghat from Renkoji Temple Tokyo 

 

JAI HIND

 

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Emile Schenkl Bose- The Real " Kaiser - E - Hind "

 

Queen Victoria of England was given by Prime Minister Disraeli the title of " Kaiser -e Hind " meaning in German " Empress of India " . Victoria had German ancestry and Disraeli took great pains to please her.

But for Indians the real Kaiser -E- Hind is not Victoria but EMILE SCHENKL BOSE the Austrian - German wife of Netaji Subhash Chander Bose,one of the most respected National Heroes of India .

Well , had events happened in India's favour and had India been lucky then Independence would have come under Netaji Subhash Chander Bose . The great " ARZI HUKUMAT AZAD HIND " ( Provisional Government of Free India ) based at Singapore would have become the ASLI HUKUMAT AZAD HIND based at New Delhi .

Then ,firstly , there would not have been any partition ( as Netaji , unlike the Congress , had full confidence and trust of Indian Muslims )

And secondly ( as I see in my dreams ) Emile Schenkl Bose ( with daughter Anita Bose ) would have landed in India and the admiring and adulating Indians would have been welcoming India 's real " Kaiser E- Hind " and Emile Schenkl Bose taking her rightful place as the First Lady of " Azad Hind " at the Rashtrapati Bhawan , New Delhi ( A glorious conclusion of Azad Hind Fauz ( Indian National Army's ONTO DELHI ) " Dilli Chalo " campaign .

JAI HIND

( There are may devotees of Netaji Subhash Chander Bose in Jalandhar. They love the movie " Bose - The Forgotten Hero " THEY WANT THAT A SPECIAL POSTAGE STAMP BE BROUGHT OUT HONOURING EMILE SCHENKL BOSE )

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On recapturing Singapore in 1945 , Mountbatten blew up ,by putting explosives , the Azad Hind War Memorial in Singapore ( like ISIS blowing up Al Nuri Mosque in Mosul ).

Let us Rebuild now , at a suitable place, Azad Hind War Memorial .

We wish Volunteers take up this Project. We will put the names of all Azad Hind Fauj soldiers.

Jai Hind

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What an irony ?

In 1979 , Mountbatten himself was blown up by explosives.

18 th Century India's Richest Business Family -Jagat Seths

Please click ;

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/new-updates/the-remarkable-tale-of-indias-wealthy-jagat-seth-family-lenders-to-mughals-and-british/articleshow/102971142.cms?fbclid=IwAR0Gtf2Q6E_nFJqmGvPfVQkLtaBBgteZspoE8RsLZWuZeOeCiM4Rzn-JKKY 

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My Comments

Jagat Seth s issued demand drafts. These were called Darshani Hundi. Hundis payable on Darshan / Demand .

Merchants took these with them instead of gold coins etc

 

31 st October - Birth Anniversary of Sardar Patel- Bismarck of India

One lesser known point of his contribution to India. India 's Lakshdweep and Minicoy Islands located very very strategically in the Indian Ocean are 100 % Muslim. When , in 1947 , India was being divided on communal lines , Sardar Patel sent an Indian Naval ship to Lakshdweep which raised the Indian Tricolor there. After a few days a Pakistani ship arrived but had to return.

The greatness of Sardar was that unlike Kashmir ( which is only Muslim MAJORITY ) that Sardar Patel never let Lakshdweep ever become an Issue.

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Had Sardar 's views prevailed there would not have been any Kashmir problem and India would not have surrendered abjectly in Tibet. With Tibet existing as an independent nation , there would not have been any hostile Chinese neighborhood. Sardar Patel had warned Nehru against the Chinese designs on Tibet and the repercussions it would have on India..

--

 

Sardar Patel placed the interests of his country above every thing . He did not encourage his children to interfere in state matters and , he did not leave behind a dynasty.He was the true " Iron Man of India ) and after Mahatma Gandhi , Gujarat 's ( then Bombay Presidency ) biggest gift to India

Daresi Ground Ludhiana's Glorious History

 Daresi , situated in the heart of old Ludhiana ,is now famous for its magnificence Dussehra celebration ,

Daresi name is derived from the English word Dressing land , meaning a sort of levelled / plain area.

 

During the Great Revolt of 1857 Ludhiana town had overthrown the British. To take revenge , the British razed to the ground some 300 houses and the levelled ground as named Dressing Ground , also used for military parades.

 

https://m.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070618/ldh1.htm?fbclid=IwAR00jksQY6vSTUSd9WEvGYU2W1N1Fwnn83UnSkMJccD_whwlVsj71szyWZs 

14 th August- Partition Horrors Remembrance Day

Why was India 's Independence Preponed from 1948 to1947

 

Let us pay Homage to Lakhs of innocent Victims of Partition ( on both sides ) - People who were devastated for no fault of theirs

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.

INDEPENDENCE WAS PREPONED FROM 1948 to 1947. WHY ?

 

An enquiry should be instituted as to why the process of India's Independence and Partition ( Creation of Pakistan ) done in a TEARING HURRY .

 

Who were the Politicians crazy for grabbing Power at all costs ?

 

Why no Security ( like UNO Troops ) provided to millions of helpless Refugees / Migrants who were slaughtered on an unprecedented scale.

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Partitions were a time tested tactic of the Imperialists to keep emerging powers weak. They did in Palestine, Korea, Germany and Vietnam .Germany and Vietnam have re unified..

 

Bloodshed in 1947 happened because of the tearing hurry on the part of the departing Britishers.

 

The Britishers did not bring in any / UNO sponsored Peace Keeping Force and , hence, Britishers are responsible for the tragic loss of lives and terrible destruction of 1947.

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Britishers had the biggest role in creating the myth of the Two Nation Theory.

 

After the revolt of 1857, Britishers became anti Muslim and propped up others. Then they followed the tactic of Divide and Rule.

 

At the time of independence in 1947, U-S-A , the successor of Britain as a Super Power , desperately wanted to create Pakistan so that in the then prevailing bitter Cold War scenario , to keep one part under the West even if the other ( India under Nehru ) went to the Soviet Bloc.

 

Pakistan was initially propped up by . U-S-A , used and then dumped.

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My late father , Dr. Dharam Paul Aggarwal had seen the pain of senseless Partition ( 1947 )riots / killings in his youth., though our family was lucky that we were in Indian Punjab.

 

My father used to say that community wise , it turned out to be a partition of Indian Muslims.

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15 th August ( 1947 ) - Indian Independence Date Chosen by Mountbatten- WHY ?

 

The date August 15 was also carefully chosen by the British. It was on this very day that Japan announced to surrender in 1945.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrender_of_Japan...

 

Mountbatten was rattled / ever obsessed by the Imperial Japanese victories ( especially in Burma ) and Singapore . Mountbatten had with his name a pretentious colonial title of 1 st Earl of Burma.

Mountbatten wanted to insult memories of Azad Hind and Netaji Subhash Chander Bose who was in alliance with the Imperial Japanese .

They had liberated Burma and Singapore .

 

Nehru , always , towed Mountbatten 's line.

 

. Mountbatten blew up ,by putting explosives , the Azad Hind War Memorial in Singapore ( like ISIS blowing up Al Nuri Mosque in Mosul ).

 

Nehru made no attempt to rebuild Azad Hind War Memorial in a  Free India.

Kesar Hind Club , Jalandhar- Origin of its Name

There is an old club in Jalandhar called by every one as KESAR HIND CLUB ( actually named Kaiser-e-Hind Club.

( It was originally situated at Company Bagh ( opp GPO ) where these days is Press Club. )

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German word for Emperor - Kaiser and Russian word -Tsar are both derived from the word Caesar ( Julius Caesar )

.Julius Caesar was born the caesarean way hence the name caesarean.