Horoscope

Lost Childhood

Of pleasant weather, it was a spell.
On earthen floor, the earthy smell.
……. hearing the gales of laughter every which way,
listening to stories spellbound,
seeing the swarms of bees,
disturbing the ant mound.
Such were the heydays of childhood,
Which I would have preserved if I could.
Sundry friends of mine used to turn up,
….the rainbow and the afterglow.
The moon rose above the horizon,
…..and nature pleased me with everything under the sun.
But an awful moment made sun set on my happiness,
…the once azure sky looked clouded over,
it was a dewy morning and dewy
eyed was I,
a horrendous tragedy it was,
and no eye was dry.
The hands which patted me on the back,
the feet which trained me how to be on track.
The eyes which didn't allow mine to water,
.. and told there is no color like black.
The moment was like nothing on earth,
I have lost all these.
..And now, the deciduous trees have shed leaves,
the gardener is raking up the dead leaves.
Let's take a leaf out of autumn's book,
Everything in this world loses its sheen,
…and nothing is evergreen.
Every pleasure of life has an unpleasant aftertaste,
To disfigure life, time is making haste.
….and for the change, no one presses,
this is the law of nature and no one transgresses.
……………and this happens without cease.

N. Choudhary.

To Water

Behold the view with interest keen
A zigzag rivulet flows down
Along the bank, trees look green
Alas! The water filthy and brown
The hamlet along the sides borne
Contaminate the asset, a deliberate error
Drops and drops a multifunctional boon
And the scarcity stands a terror
Man is hell-bent to exploit nature
Insanitation a torture to amphibian race
The very cause to many more creature
A cosmic problem, a sustaining menace
Who may come from heaven down
Teach the values lost and unknown.

Mohd Akhtar Dev
Seripura Gool

A Question for the Chenab

Life is what happens to me between spells of longing.
And you ask my tears why they are smiling.
Our memories are not for sinking
Even if you close your heart and closet.
You may carve pieces of my soul
And a life-sized drawing of my destiny
On the coffin in a Jammu summer
Out of sinfully blessed snowflakes.
You may disown me with a furtive smile
Sitting atop the mighty mountain;
But I'll preserve the heritage,
Visible or invisible, but ever vintage,
Of our broken relationship
And of the shadows near your curves
On my prayer mat in Akhnoor village.
Under the influence of too many Bacardis
And high on the essence of raw power
I forgot to ask you the question
Of my existence and my religion.
Are you a damaged Idol,
Or an Idol who did the damage?
A tragic victim of your geography,
Or a terror on the rampage?
Dropping a Gulmohur petal into your waters,
My ears for the echo like true believers
Ant my heart for the answers.
—

Basant Kumar Rath

There will not ever

be everyone like me
I am special b'coz I am unique
I am stardust and dreams
I am light, I am love and hope
I am hugs, and sometimes tears
I am words "I love U"
I am swirls of blue, green red and
Colours no one can name
am sky, the seas, the earth
trust, yet I tear.
I hide, yet I don't hold anything back.
I am free
I am child becoming an adult
I am me, and Me is just right.
-

Ruchee Mahajan, Rehari Colony

On top Of the World

Near the top I can't betray
My friend though he led me alone
Demands of friendship I will pay
For it my dearest thing I can lay
He may be an eagle or a little bird
My tongue will ever bear his word
Side, I will him, though hell will bar
Sun he may be or a sinking star
I will make him to reach the top
Even if my breath will stop

Aradhana Gupta 'Anand'
Manhas

Dear contestants, before proceeding further here is our message. Write a paragraph not more than one hundred words on the topic “Auctioning of cricketers in Indian Premiere League”. Send your answers to Quiz No 631 at our below given address.
QUESTIONS FOR THE WEEK:
1.By how many runs Australia defeated Sri Lanka in the 9th ODI of the ongoing CB series?
2.How many ODI wickets Muralitharan has taken so far?
3.What is the full form of WTA?
4.Motor Racing legend Michael Schumacher belongs to which country?
5.The term “Cagers” is associated with which game?
6.When did the game of cricket originate?
7.Which Indian cricketer was nicknamed ‘Tiger’?
8.Who was the first Pakistani player to cross the milestone of 8000 runs in Test cricket?
Answers to Quiz No 630
1.8 wickets
2.6 wickets
3.70 not out
4 Hockey
5.Cricket
6.Belong to Yugoslavia (played for USA)
7.41
8.United Cricket Board
Do You Know?
1. Former Australian captain Alan Border is nick-named “Herby from Herbaceous”.
2. The book titled ‘Heroes and Contemporaries’ is written by English cricketer David Gower.
3. The 1994 French Open Tennis tournament was won by Sergei Bruguera.
4. ATP stands for Associated Tennis Professionals.
5. Indian footballer Mohammed Habib was nicknamed ‘Bade Miya’.
The first prize for Sports Quiz goes to Ashishdass, R/o Channi Himmat, F2 Block II, Sector 1A, Jammu. Congrats Ashishdass. Keep it up. The second prize has been bagged by Gurpartap Singh, C/o House No 289/11, Nanak Nagar, Jammu.
The third prize goes to Ishan Vashisth, C/o 239, Lower Mastgarh, Jammu.
Dear Contestants, please send your mail alongwith passport size photograph with in five days to Sports Quiz Daily Excelsior, C/O Excelsior House, Janipur Jammu, Pin 180007.
The participants in Sports Quiz must note that the award of Rs one hundred is only given to first prize winner.

Vikas Sharma

SONU BHATT, JANIPUR
Q: What can be done when people don’t listen to the truth and suppress it with loads of lies?
A: The truth always triumphs, whatever the circumstances may be, because none can suppress the stark realities.
ROHINI K GUPTA, REHARI
Q: A good laugh is sunshine in a house. Comment?
A: It is generally said that laughter is a best medicine and if it is found being practiced in a house, the said house must be likened with heaven, if not more than that.
WANI SHAKEEL, ALINBASS
Q: Worrying does not reduce yesterday’s sorrows, but empties today’s strength. Comment?
A: Worrying or repenting on sorrows of yesterday certainly spoil our today and snatch away our strength to carry forward our pursuits of tomorrow. Hence one should forget about the past, concentrate on today and leave the tomorrow to its own destiny, because none can say any word about tomorrow.
SUBASH MAGOTRA, R DOMAIL
Q: Just like seasonal frogs, most of the politicians show their presence only during election time. What are your views about such leaders?
A: Equating seasonal frogs with present day politicians would amount to bringing disgrace to the frogs, because the frogs atleast eliminate various harmful insects from the fields, which are otherwise harmful to the crops in the fields and bring about various other diseases in inhibited areas.
BRAHM SINGH KATOCH, JAMMU
Q: The Government of India is in process of amending Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act. What will be your suggested broad parameters to make the same realistic?
A: I am a law abiding person, but not an expert to make any comment on law of the land. Let us leave the issue to the experts of law as far as this question is related. However y humble submission to all my countrymen is that not bearing but maintaining of a moral character is the need of the hour.
JUNAID AHMED ZOHD, GOOL
Q: The coalition Government in our State has opened various new degree colleges and upgraded various schools but in all such institutions there is an acute shortage of staff and infrastructure. Does the priority of the Government lie in opening up more and more institutions only?
A: The politicians are always out to out-number their prospective opponents in the next elections and in the process they either make various tall claims or make announcements for the times to come so that they could harp on those acts when the next elections are announced. Coalition Government is not averse to that. Present coalition Government has upgraded various higher secondary schools and opened several new degree colleges but without appointing a new teacher or the staff to man these, which tantamount to a crude joke with the students in particular and the people of those areas in general.
GAZI SYED BUKHARI, GOOL
Q: Most of the semi-literate persons have managed to secure high positions in Government through one way or the other at the cost of highly qualified persons who remain unemployed mainly due to wrong recruitment policies of the Government. How can the back-door appointments in Government departments be checked?
A: It is very simple. Let the legislature pass the RTI Act bill in Assembly in its entirety, as prevailing in entire country and the results would be obvious. Because in the case of transparency, there remains a very little hope for wrong doers.
DEEPAK SINGH, JANIPUR
Q: Of late there has been witnessed a mushroom growth of coaching centres on different names. What role these teaching shops would play in spread of education?
A: There is a mad race amongst some zealot people to earn money by way of opening coaching centres and the day has come when when one finds a coaching centre even in a lesser known lane, only for the fact that the parents have developed a craze to send their wards in coaching centres without taking into consideration whether the education being imparted in such centres is upto the mark or not. The parents have developed a tendency to proclaim that their wards are getting education from such and such educational centres, and it is that very point from where the students start distracting from their parents as the their roots.
SUNJAY DHAR, SARWAL JAMMU
Q: In your opinion who is responsible for encouraging corruption, the one who offers or the one who accepts?
A: The person who gives bribe the other who accepts the same are both culprits in the eyes of law of the land. But the main question arises as to what prompts a person to ask for bribe and why the other person is compelled to pay through the nose or willingly offers the same. Both these aspects should be thoroughly be probed before arriving at any just conclusion.
YOGESHWEAR SHARMA, JAMMU
Q: After end of each session school teachers charge fine from students for not attending to the requisite number of class days in the particular session, that too with out giving them a proper receipt. What this act of Government or private teachers signifies?
A: When the entire society has become corrupt, the person like you and me have no place to hide our faces because in those schemes of the things we are considered as fools of the first water. A student who pays fines, would never utter a word to any body for having faltered for attending lesser days in a class and the parents would side by their ward, so that he could take part in examination. And the process goes on and would perhaps never get stopped unless some harsh measures are taken by the Government in this regard also.
RAJESH MANHAS, KASTIGARH
Q: Bollywood opened various cinema theatres in Jammu, Udhampur and Kathua district, but why not in other districts of the State?
A: It is not the Bollywood, but local entrepreneurs who apply for a license to the State Government for opening a cinema theatre at a very particular place. If the Government after considering all pros and cons finds that the license can be given to a particular person, that is granted accordingly. Bollywood has no role to play in the opening of a cinema hall in any part of the country.
KIRTI SHRIKANT, KATHUA
Q: Do you endorse Azad Government’s propaganda that “J&K is corruption free State”?
A: Your question has a tilt towards the opponents of Chief Minister. Because Chief Minister has stated that J&K State is second honest State in the country, while his endeavour has been to make it corruption free State of India.
ANCHIT PROCH, HIRANAGAR
Q: How can we achieve peace of mind?
A: We can achieve peace of mind through meditation and self-introspection, as also through practicing real techniques of Yoga. Because after all the element of peace of our mind lies within our ownself and has to be retrieved by our own self.
VINAMARTA SHRIKANT, KATHUA
Q: What could be the fate of nation where youth is developing anti-social habits and taking all type of toxic drugs?
A: Not all but a few disgruntled youth may be found indulged in drug abuse, who can be brought back to national mainstream by providing them essential medical back-up, in rehabilitation centres. The Government on its part would be well advised to block the loopholes, through which these drugs were entering the country and take stringent measures against drug traffickers.
AKHLAQ H NAJAR, GOOL
Q: Why so-called senior citizens of the society remain in deep slumber when minor girls are raped, menace of dowry deaths becoming galore besides human trafficking and sex scandals etc are the order of the day?
Q: The issues raised by you are all concerned with our society and to stem the rot not the initiative of elders but participation of all the people of the society is required, because as long as we continue to see our social fabric ruining, we cannot escape of responsibility for the same. Hence a collective effort of all the sections of the society is required to keep all the shattered things of the society in place.
Dear Patrons,
It is true that rice is staple food of nearly half of the world. Through draw of lot from amongst the correct replies the prize for the week goes to Mr J K Kaul, C/o A 3/38, Upper Shiv Nagar, Subash Nagar, Jammu, 180057. Congratulations Mr Kaul for winning the prize in the column. Please pay a visit to the Office of The Daily Excelsior, Janipur Jammu alongwith your credentials to obtain prize money in cash.
QUESTION FOR YOU:
Who is Bobby Cash?

1. To all from S K Gupta: ‘‘ Education is what survives, when what has been learnt has been forgotten”.
2. From J K Kaul to all: ‘‘ The ability to understand the good and bad of others merely shows, your mind is sharp ’’.
3. To all from Kiran Kanchan: ‘‘ A person is pronounced great when he can face a difficult situation with happiness and laughter”.
4. From Gurpartab Singh to all: ‘‘ Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless”.
5. To all from Gurdial Singh Salaria:
‘‘ He who learns from mistakes becomes great ’’.
6. From Jetinder Sharma to all: ‘‘ Always respect a human and its humanity, not a person and its personality”.
7. To all from Pankaj Sharma: ‘‘The glory of life is to love not to be loved. To give and not to get, to serve and not to be served ’’.
8. From Kewal Krishan Gupta to all:
‘‘You will never change your actions until you change your mind”.
9. To all from Ritwik Rezutra: ‘‘Give to the world the best you have and the best will automatically come back to you”.
10. From Bhoori Singh to all: ‘‘ Friendship is just like a snow ball easy to make it, but hard to keep.’’.
11. From Subash Magotra to all: ‘‘ Always remember that if facts don’t fit the theory, change the facts, it will surely make success”.
12. To all from Deepak Singh: “ He who is virtuous is wise and he who is wise is good and happy” .
13. From Pushpa Devi to all: ‘‘ A man is not finished when he is defeated. He is finished when he quits.’’

BEST MESSAGE
The award of rupees 100 for this week’s best message has gone to KAJAL GUPTA, H.NO-643, OPPOSITE DAK BUNGLOW, JAMMU for message to all: ‘‘Sometimes loneliness is the right way to express our feelings to ourself as a person can’t lie to his own soul ’’. Congrats.You have to collect the prize money from the EXCELSIOR office within week’s time.

Haresh Singh