Q: Ravi Mahajan on his service as an article. *WISHING YOU & FAMILY
A HAPPY NEW YEAR 2021*
*------*
*THOSE WERE THE DAYS, I THOUGHT, WOULD NEVER END.*
*PERSONAL REFLECTIONS:* *OTS, Madras (Officers Training School, Madras,
now, Officers Training Academy, Chennai). Sometime in Dec. 1963. *Suddenly
the atmosphere in OTS, where I am training to be an officer in Indian army,
is electrified. Our passing out parade has been fixed for *2 Feb. 1964.* For
other GCs ('Gentlemen cadets' as trainee officers are called at the academy
during training), it was a landmark day but for me it had another
significance too. *2 Feb.** happened to be my Birthday too. I would be
exactly twenty years old on that fateful day.*
We all had come to this great institution as boys, seven months ago but
would be passing out as men, as officers of the Indian army. We had gone
through the physically hardest, most trying time of our life. But it had
also been equally satisfying time. Unfortunately, these days will never
come back in our lives again. In hindsight, I fondly remember a line from
an old English song *“Those were the days, my friend, I thought, would
never end”.*
*Today, 31.12.2020. *It all seems yesterday, the mid-morning of life.
How and where *fifty six years (1964-2020)* have gone, is simply impossible
to comprehend. Time has it’s own way, moving quickly, unknowingly*,* catching
you unaware. I was young, full of energy & ambitious. I got married and
embarked on a new life with my soul-mate, had children. They studied,
married and became independent. I am* seventy six years* now.
I wonder where all the years have gone. I know I have lived them and lived
them well. But before I knew, *DUSK of life* has come. It seems to have
come *‘so soon*’. How it got here so fast, caught me by surprise? Where did
my youth and middle age go? From mid-morning, straightaway dusk seems to
have come and it has come so fast, it is difficult to comprehend. During my
younger days, I remember seeing older people but *‘old age’* seemed so far
away and something which only happened to others.
Now, my friends, those young handsome guys *full of energy and appetite,
are retiring, getting grey, losing both energy and appetite.* They move
much slower now. They are not what I remember them to be, young, handsome,
energetic, fast moving. Their age too is beginning to show. They look
older, tired, hair thinning, skin sagging, eyesight getting weak, body
resistance lowering, some part of body always aching when they get up.
Now, I am also just like those older people I thought, I would never be.
I remember my grandfather who walked with a drooping posture with a stick,
with wrinkled face, white hair. I never really believed, he was like us
only, once upon a while. I remember an old English song of our times *“Those
were the days my friend I thought would never end”.*
Now DUSK of my life has come, but do not know how long will it last, how
far is the night and when will it all, end? Yes, I have regrets. There are
things I wish I hadn’t done and things I should have done. Of course, I am
happy I have and was able to do many things which I should have. It’s all
in a lifetime.* But life is lived only once.** Make the best of what you
have rather than cribbing about what you don’t have. *There will never be a
second chance. Empty wishes *(wish, I had or wish I had not)* or regret
will only be there to give you company.
Unfortunately, we have been entrapped into endless chase of wealth and
material.* Yes, money is important* but learn money’s correct perspective
in life and *be a master not a slave of money. *Learn to make and live a
life which is more important.* Do not chase illusion of happiness in
material pursuits.* Do not neglect your health, family and social
responsibilities for single-minded pursuit of wealth, status and glamour.
Think and lead a life as per the convictions dictated by your mind, not
simply aping others even though everyone else seems to be doing that.
So, friends, whether you are in mid-morning, noon or evening of life,
DUSK shall be there sooner than you can imagine. How long it will last, no
one has an idea. But, it shall be there faster than you think. Whatever you
want to accomplish, do it quickly. Don’t postpone, don’t procrastinate.
Take action, whatever you can, NOW. Live for today! Say and do things you
want people to remember about you. *Love people more than things, spread
goodness, help others, be kind & generous, be forgiving, forever remain in
gratitude and live a life of humility.* Do all these because you do not
know when clock of life will stop and which sunset or sunrise will be the
last.
And Remember:* NEVER REGRET GROWING OLD. IT IS A PRIVILEGE DENIED TO MANY.*
*Capt. Ravikant Mahajan (Vetern)*
KR Written from the heart. Wow Iwas to enter the Pallavaram in 1966 got
the telegram in the midnight from the academy; me and my friends 3
together; all entered and did the short service commission; my mother stood
against; so turned out an IRS ; served the country either way. And in spite
of the best opportunities did not run after the money and nothing is lost;
God stayed with me in all actions and one of my bosses said "Blessed". Yes
true. Sunrise and sunset are cyclic, virtually the sun never set or rise at
all. The sun does never rise nor set. When people think the sun is setting
it is not so. For after having arrived at the end of the day, it makes
itself produce two opposite effects, making night to what is below and day
to what is on the other side. When they believe it rises in the morning
this supposed rising is thus to be accounted for. Having reached the end of
the night, it makes itself produce two opposite effects, making day to what
is below and night to what is on the other side. — Aitareya Brahmana 3.44
So there is no dusk at all; in the cycle one appears and disappears. K R
IRS 311220
On Thu, 31 Dec 2020 at 16:00, Ravi Mahajan <[email protected]>
wrote:
>
>
> *WISHING YOU & FAMILY A HAPPY NEW YEAR 2021 *
>
> *------ *
> *THOSE WERE THE DAYS, I THOUGHT, WOULD NEVER END.*
>
> *PERSONAL REFLECTIONS:* *OTS, Madras (Officers Training School, Madras,
> now, Officers Training Academy, Chennai). Sometime in Dec. 1963. *Suddenly
> the atmosphere in OTS, where I am training to be an officer in Indian army,
> is electrified. Our passing out parade has been fixed for *2 Feb. 1964.*
> For other GCs ('Gentlemen cadets' as trainee officers are called at the
> academy during training), it was a landmark day but for me it had another
> significance too. *2 Feb.** happened to be my Birthday too. I would be
> exactly twenty years old on that fateful day.*
>
> We all had come to this great institution as boys, seven months ago
> but would be passing out as men, as officers of the Indian army. We had
> gone through the physically hardest, most trying time of our life. But it
> had also been equally satisfying time. Unfortunately, these days will never
> come back in our lives again. In hindsight, I fondly remember a line from
> an old English song *“Those were the days, my friend, I thought, would
> never end”.*
>
>
>
> *Today, 31.12.2020. *It all seems yesterday, the mid-morning of life.
> How and where *fifty six years (1964-2020)* have gone, is simply
> impossible to comprehend. Time has it’s own way, moving quickly, unknowingly
> *,* catching you unaware. I was young, full of energy & ambitious. I got
> married and embarked on a new life with my soul-mate, had children. They
> studied, married and became independent. I am* seventy six years* now.
>
> I wonder where all the years have gone. I know I have lived them and lived
> them well. But before I knew, *DUSK of life* has come. It seems to have
> come *‘so soon*’. How it got here so fast, caught me by surprise? Where
> did my youth and middle age go? From mid-morning, straightaway dusk seems
> to have come and it has come so fast, it is difficult to comprehend.
> During my younger days, I remember seeing older people but *‘old age’*
> seemed so far away and something which only happened to others.
>
>
>
> Now, my friends, those young handsome guys *full of energy and appetite,
> are retiring, getting grey, losing both energy and appetite.* They move
> much slower now. They are not what I remember them to be, young, handsome,
> energetic, fast moving. Their age too is beginning to show. They look
> older, tired, hair thinning, skin sagging, eyesight getting weak, body
> resistance lowering, some part of body always aching when they get up.
>
>
>
> Now, I am also just like those older people I thought, I would never
> be. I remember my grandfather who walked with a drooping posture with a
> stick, with wrinkled face, white hair. I never really believed, he was like
> us only, once upon a while. I remember an old English song of our times
> *“Those
> were the days my friend I thought would never end”.*
>
>
> Now DUSK of my life has come, but do not know how long will it last,
> how far is the night and when will it all, end? Yes, I have regrets. There
> are things I wish I hadn’t done and things I should have done. Of course, I
> am happy I have and was able to do many things which I should have. It’s
> all in a lifetime.* But life is lived only once.** Make the best of what
> you have rather than cribbing about what you don’t have. *There will
> never be a second chance. Empty wishes *(wish, I had or wish I had not)*
> or regret will only be there to give you company.
>
>
>
> Unfortunately, we have been entrapped into endless chase of wealth and
> material.* Yes, money is important* but learn money’s correct perspective
> in life and *be a master not a slave of money. *Learn to make and live a
> life which is more important.* Do not chase illusion of happiness in
> material pursuits.* Do not neglect your health, family and social
> responsibilities for single-minded pursuit of wealth, status and glamour.
> Think and lead a life as per the convictions dictated by your mind, not
> simply aping others even though everyone else seems to be doing that.
>
>
>
> So, friends, whether you are in mid-morning, noon or evening of life,
> DUSK shall be there sooner than you can imagine. How long it will last, no
> one has an idea. But, it shall be there faster than you think. Whatever you
> want to accomplish, do it quickly. Don’t postpone, don’t procrastinate.
> Take action, whatever you can, NOW. Live for today! Say and do things you
> want people to remember about you. *Love people more than things, spread
> goodness, help others, be kind & generous, be forgiving, forever remain in
> gratitude and live a life of humility.* Do all these because you do not
> know when clock of life will stop and which sunset or sunrise will be the
> last.
>
>
> And Remember:* NEVER REGRET GROWING OLD. IT IS A PRIVILEGE DENIED TO
> MANY.*
>
> *Capt. Ravikant Mahajan (Vetern)*
>
>
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"Thatha_Patty" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email
to [email protected].
To view this discussion on the web visit
https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CAL5XZop9FoqFSdtSr_jtsiN_qWb1RaH6zc_kWF7HHHCR0FTaAg%40mail.gmail.com.
