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"Every
act of creation is first an act of destruction"
................Pablo Picasso
"Success
is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If
you love what you are doing, you will be
successful."...................Albert Schweitzer
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ART
INFO: |
Indian
Art on Christie's June canvas: Christie's is coming up with a
South Asian Modern & Contemporary Art sale in London on June
10. The auction will feature roughly 100 works which includes
celebrated artists of the modern and contemporary art genres Google
Earth offers
virtual tour of masterpieces of the Prado Museum in Madrid, Spain,
that enables web surfers to examine 14 paintings by artists such
as Velazquez, Goya and Rubens in ultra-high resolution. The
researchers took over 8,200 photographs, and combined them using
Google Earth's zoom-in technology.Javier Zapatero, Google Spain's
director, said the images are 1,400 times clearer than those, a
co-megapixal camera could render. |
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10
Most Expensive Paintings
1.
$135 million Adele Bloch-Bauer I. Gusav Klimt 2006.
2.
$104 million Boy with a pipe, Pablo Picasso 2004.
3.
$95.2 million Dora Maar with Cat, Pablo Picasso 2006. 4.
$82.5 million Portrait du Dr Gachet, Vincent van Gogh 1990. 5.
$78.1 million Au Moulin de la Galette, Pierre-Auguste Renoir 1990. 6.
$76.7 million The Massacre of the Innocents, Paul Rubens 2002. 7.
$71.5 million Portrait de L'Artiste sans Barbe, Vincent van Gogh
1998. 8.
$60.5 million Rideau, Cruchon et Compotier, Paul Cezanne 1999. 9.
$55 million Femme aux Bras Croises, Pablo Picasso
2000. 10.$53.9
million Irises, Vincent van Gogh 1987. ..................................................................... Watts
to pose nude Naomi
Watts is to strip for a nude painting by a top Australian artist.
The star will pose for David Bromley, who is famed for his naked portraits
of famous woman, as part of his submission for a prestigious
Aussie prize. .................................................................................................................. |
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Kylie
still earns a lot Its
been two decades since her very first hit, but Kylie Miogue is
still raking in records amount of cash. The 41-year-old star
amassed £4.1 million in April 2009, it has emerged the latest
accounts for the singer Darenote company lodged at Companies House
in Britain reveals she earned £2.8 million from her 2008-09 world
tour. The rest was made through record sales and royalties.
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Celebrity
Pics |
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Mariah Carey performing live
The
woman with the best singing range (and the inexplicable love
of butterflies) ended her 16-year Grammy drought on February 8
by winning three trophies. Mariah Carey, who had eight Grammy
nominations, won the best contemporary R&B album for The
Emancipation of Mimi, the best R&B song for 'We
Belong Together' and best female R&B vocal
performance for the same song. Carey, one of the best-selling
artists of all time, hadn't won a Grammy since her first two
as a fresh-faced artist in 1990.
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www.psonar.com
With
this website you can upload all your music online and enjoy it or
sync it from anywhere in the world. The website requires
registration and has a limit streaning usage.
Music
in games
Music
in games mostly consisted of a series of beeps, but with the
advancement in technology, companies started opting for well known
artists. In 1994, 'Way of the Warrior', with music by 'White Zombie'
was one of the first games to have a well known artist doing the
score. Quake had Trent Reznor from 'Nine inch Nails' while 'Duke
Nukem 3D boasted of 'Megadeth'.
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Melodious Kerala man into The Limca Book of Records
35-year-old Shaiju's passion for music has no limits. M S
Shaiju a resident of Thoduppuzha in Kerala, has a whopping two-and-a-half lack
digital audio tracks of Hindi, Malayalam, English and Tamil songs
including film and non-film albums made in this languages from 1940 till
now. Recently he was included in the Limca Book of Records for having the
largest collection of audio tracks in India.
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Shakira
hates chocolates & more trivia on her
She
admits that she is very shy about her body and that her sexy videos
do not represent the kind of woman she is.
She
fired her beauty staff after deciding she had become too obsessed
with her appearance.
Her
favourite colour is black.
She
plays the guitar and the mouth organ.
Her
first album was released when she was just 13 years old, titled
Magia.
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"The
difference between a bad artist and a good one is : The bad artist
seems to copy a great deal; the good one really
does."............William Blake ............................................................................................................................ |
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Different
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Herb
Alpert and Jerry Moss, whose A&M Records label recorded
superstars such as Sting, the Carpenters and Quincy Jones, have
donated company papers and mementos to the UCLA Library. The
collection includes sound recordings, gold albums, letters and
photographs.
Singer
David Bowle's first single Liza Jane which was released in 1964,
was with the group King Bees.
Since
its launch in 1981, the song 'Memory of the Musical Cats' has been
played on radio more than a million times.
Themes
from movies Unforgiven, A Perfect World, The Bridges of Madison
County, and Absolute Power were all written by Clint Eastwood. The
Carpenters signature song, We've only Just Began, was originally
part of a television commercial for a California bank.
Duran
Duran took their name from a group of mad scientists in the movie
Barbarella.
Elvis
was an avid gun collector. His collection of 40 weapons included
M-16s and a Thompson submachine gun.
Throughout
their career, Ringo Starr received far more fan mail than any of
the other Beatles.
Sinead
O'Connor is in Jamaica recording a reggae album with some of the
country's leading musicians. The Irish pop singer has been in
Kingston since last week working on tracks for the album,
co-producer Sly Dunbar said.
Veteran
diva Bette Midler labelled modern female pop singers characterless
and criticised them for lip-synching during supposedly live
performances.
A
judge has ordered Marion 'Suge' Knight to pay $107 million to a
woman who claims she helped the rap mogul start Death Row Records. Eric
Clapton was born to an unwed mother and to shield him from the
shame, Eric grew up believing that his grandparents were his
parents and his mother was his sister. Stevie
Wonder was placed in an incubator when he was born and given too
much oxygen, causing permanent sight loss. Jimi
Hendrix was thrown out of high school for holding the hand of a
white girl in class. Major
Radiovision of London began selling video-discs in June 1935. Each
side of a disc offered six minutes of sound and pictures, which
were reproduced by means of a device linked to a primitive
television set. The discs were never commercially successful. ............................................................................................................................ |
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Rap lingo and
what it means
Cuddy - is a word
used to describe a friend or someone you are close to.
Boo-yaa - totally
dope, incredibly fine.
Dop - sort of high
five type of handshake.
Hood - the
neighbourhood
Husteler - dealer
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"Dancing
is a perpendicular expression of a horizontal desire" -----
George Bernand Shaw |
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Janet
Jackson is
a singer, probably better known as pop legend Michael Jackson's
sister. However, she managed to come out of the shadow of her
more-popular sibling and carve a niche for herself. Since her
breakthrough in 1986 with the album `Control`, Jackson's career as
a hitmaker has been a model of consistency, rivaling Madonna and
Whitney Houston in terms of pop-chart success over the long haul.
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Different Latin Americans dance styles
Waltz
This is a slow dance, with a three beat rhythms. It is normally performed during weddings.
It is derived from the German word walzan which means roll, turn or to glide. Even though it was
born in the suburbs of Vienna and in the alpine region of Austria, this is referred to as a
Latin American dance style.
Foxtrot
Though this style originated in New York, it’s is considered a Latin American dance.
The combination of quick and slow steps permits more flexibility and makes it look sensuous.
Rumba
It originated in Cuba. Fast paced and sexy, rumba has sensual hip movements,
achieved by transferring the body weights from one foot to the other. This hip movement
is combined with very smooth steps, to make it look sensual.
Samba
Samba originated in Brazil and is performed in the street carnivals in Rio de Janeiro.
In Samba, three steps, are performed on two beats.
Cha Cha Cha
This dance consists of three quick steps and then two slower steps, performed on
two beats. It originated in Cuba, and contains both African and Cuban beats.
Jive
Do not confuse it with the jive done by most Catholics. Jive comes from North America.
Avery fast, energy-consuming dance, it is much more bouncy than the swing. The swing is
what the Catholics in India call jiv.
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Sexophonists Charlie Mariano
One of the last living musicians from the Bebop era. Bebop or Bop is a form of Jazz
characterised by fast tempos and improvisation based on harmonic structure rather than melody.
Mariano studied music at Berkeley College of Music. He started performing professionally
in 1941 with the show based in the Boston area. The second part of his career began
with formation of his early fusion group Osmosis in 1967. Post seventies his music got
influenced by folk music from other cultures, pop and rock.
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VERSES
FROM THE HEART
THANK
GOD!
Uninvited,
I went to a temple
And God wasn't there.
They say,
He's gone fishing,
or relaxing in a five
star
or strolling on the beach
For he too must rest.
But the priest
Am told, is acting God.
Thank God, God is a stone
I wonder,
What they would do
If he was real .
I'LL
KEEP COMING BACK
Amidst the majestic
mountains,
the exuberant valley
.
The virgin banks
dressed in white snow
and peace all around
but for the Chinar
whispering ,
quietly disturbed
by
the flow of the clear
stream
the cool breeze across
and the occasional
music of the birds,
I belong here.
I love to live here
with the gods.
I'll keep coming back
to this land
of the gods.
I belong here
in the Himalayas.
(Taken
from ' Time to be alone ', a collection of poems by Anil Kumar
Naik.
He
can be contacted on akn929@yahoo.com
).
Perpetual Pleasure
To lead a noble life
Is Perpetual pleasure
Virtues are
Divine treasure
So many roads
One is goal.
Leaving the mundane yearnings
Know your soul
Live higher
Than ego feelings.
Higher than
Negative dealings.
Woes are communicator
Of bright spirit.
Let us have faith on
Wisdom and wit
----Dr. Mahashweta Chaturvedi (Bareilly,UP)
RAINBOW
In the rainy sky
Of hope,
Only lovers know,
How love appears
Like a rainbow !
Love,
The loveliest painting
Painting by the
Soft and silent words
Of understanding.
-----Monima
Choudhury (Nalbari, Assam)
MIDCONTINENT
Something holds us here
-
Call in the madness of phone lines,
The pride of blizzards,
The love of wheels and wind.
Something holds us here,
Where roads don't ever seem to end.
Our maps are letters home
We don't know where to send.
-----Mark Vintz,
USA
(Mark Vintz is a professor of English at
Moorhead State University. Editor of several
Poetry anthologies & magazines)
CALL FROM A FAR
Your loving call from
a far
Made my day twinkle like a star
I saw newness in everything
Without you life is nothing.
Your loving call is like an oasis
A bright light in the darkness
Bringing with it real happiness.
To sing a song of sweetness.
------ Ranjani Suresh (India)
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Mail
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Music
The
Times Music is touching the two extremes of the music world. On one hand
it has all great party hot and whacky albums and on the other sublime
devotional and serene albums. The latest is an album named Saraswati, the
perennial source of wisdom. Goddess Saraswati is the presiding deity of
learning and knowledge. Side-A has touching prayer songs and mantras along
with commentary. And side-B has 108 chants of Beej Mantra and Arti. These
melodious renderences will be widely acceptable by all music lovers
especially the devotees.
This
album of Alisha was a long-awaited one by her fans. And this “Indian
Madonna” has not disheartened her fans. The remarkable thing is that the
songs of the album, though melodious have taken a back seat compared to
the hot video of the title song, where nothing is left to imagination. The
music of the album of the “Queen of Indipop” is created by none other
than Sandeep Chowta. It is a must keep for all Indipop lovers. Her last
album Made in India created history, let’s see what is the fate of
Alisha.
Keh
Do Keh Do from Magnasound has Ustaad Ahmed Hussain at their best. And not
to say much about Mohammed Vakil, the singer. Legends like Jaggit Singh,
Pt Shiv Kumar, Pt Jasraj and Naushad had high words of appreciation for
him. The album is a compilation of romantic songs. The lyrics are penned
by Hasrat Jaipuri, Rafiq Jaipuri and Krishna Behari. It has eight tracks
and will be a memorable collection. Keh Do Keh Do is certainly going to be
a music lover’s collection and Vakil is a rising sun on the horizon of
music.
So,
he is Rahul, whom the music industry describes as “a bundle of energy
that packs a mean punch and can get crowds grooving”. He is out with his
second album from Times Music titled Sanam. The album is more
about Rahul, the person, rather than just another album with nine
tunes. The album also includes Rahul,s favourite ‘ I wanna be a star’,
an upbeat and very young number. Whereas his past album Rahul was a
childhood dream, Sanam is a more confident statement of stepping into the
limelight. In Sanam, Rahul reveals a cheerful, gentle and captivating
young side of his nature. Jayanta Pathak is the principal composer of the
album. Jayanta’s compositions have been conceived keeping in mind
Rahul’s vivacious performing style and his tireless energy levels.
Some musicians of Indian
origin, who have made it big abroad
Talvin
Singh
Born
and educated in England, he moved to India at age 16 to pursue his love of
classical music.
Though he studied the traditional tabla, the version he plays today is
completely electronic – he calls the resulting music ‘tablatronics’.
Discouraged, Singh returned to England to work with artists like Bjork,
Sun Ra. The Future Sound of London and Siouxsie and the Banshees
.He then founded Anokha, a London nightclub where jungle DJs and Asian
punk bands went head to head with Singh’s tabla and percussion.
Tarsame
Singh
Born
in England.
Now
known as Taz, half of the group called Stereo Nation, formed in 1996. His
partner being Kendell Smith of Caribbean descent.
Formerly
known as Johnny Zee in the days of ‘new skool’ bhangra
. Popular both in India and the UK
Nitin
Sawhney
Born
to Indian parents,
in
the ‘whitest’ areas of England,
in Rochester, Kent
.He
suffered racial discrimination throughout his childhood
. But
as he put it himself,
“From oppression comes expression”
. He
soon became a part of the ultra-hip underground jazz-dance scene
. So
far he has made five CDs and has won the 2002
BBC World Music Award among other prizes
. He has remixed
for Paul Mccartney and Sting, and written for Sinead O’Connor
Freddie
Mercury
Born
Farrokh Bulsara on September 5, 1946, in Zanzibar
. Moved
to India in 1947, attended boarding school at Panchgani, near Mumbai. The
family moved to England in 1963.
Freddie
joined his first serious band, IBEX, in 1969 and later made the band,
Queen, world famous.
He died on November 24, 1991.
Bally
Sagoo
Born
in New Delhi, grew up in Birmingham, UK
. His
passion for music developed as a consequence of his dislike for studies
. Bally
soon became a popular DJ amongst the Asian community in the UK, mixing
traditional Indian music with Western beats
.
In 1989 Bally approached a local record company called Oriental Star,
which signed him up to remix a song called Hai Jamalo Tutak, Tutak by
renowned bhangra singer Malkit Singh
. Bally then became the most sought-after Asian DJ in the world ,did a lot of work in India too!
Apache
Indian
Born
Steve Kapur on May 11, 1967 in Birmingham, UK
. Although he was of Indian parentage, Apache was associated with reggae
sounds in the early ‘80s, sporting dreadlocks and an abiding love of Bob
Marley
. The ‘Don Raja of UK Asian ragamuffin, Apache Indian came to represent
a cross-cultural fusion of music that both baffled and excited pundits in
the mid-‘90s.
Songs like Chok
De and Arranged Marriage made the reverse crossover to Indian ears in the
late ‘90s.
Classical
Singer Gangubai Hangal
---By Varsha Deo
Who
has not heard of classical singer Gangubai Hangal. She is 87 and yet
active. These days she doesn’t do much
riyaaz. But her singing is as enthralling as ever. She has passed
on her art to her daughter Krishna.
Gangubai
was born at Dharwar, in Karnataka on 5 March 1913, in a family of
musicians. After a long and distinguished career spanning over more than a
generation, she still retains
a pre-eminent position amongst the most outstanding vocalists of classical
Hindustani music in India. Initiated into music
by her mother Ambabai, a renowned Karnataki musician in her own right , she
took early training under late Hulgul
Krishnacharya. Gangubai perfected her art under the late Sawai Gandharva.
She had the honour of singing the National Anthem on the opening day of
the Indian National Congress session in the year 1924 at Belgaum. One of
the foremost exponents of the Kirana gharana in our times. Gangubai has
enriched the tradition by her own unique style and talent. Her art
combines rare grace and delicacy of presentation and its vibrant emotional
content carries the unmistakable hallmark of Kirana Gharana gifted with a
voice at once resonant and flexible. She has a repertoire which is rich,
delicate and diversified, with her singular and sustained contribution to
Hindustani vocal music. She has won wide acclaim, respect and recognition.
She has also received Padmabushan in 1971 and Tansen award in 1984. She
has also received a number of appreciation awards such as ‘Godavari
Award’, ‘Sangeet Ratna’, Roohe Ghazal’ and Acharya Pandit Rama
Narayan Foundation Award 2000
According
to her, the essential qualities to become a good artist is firstly, one
should have aptitude and willingness to spend long hours for riyaaz.
Though these qualities are god-gifted, but one can also develop these
qualities. Anyone aspiring to be a classical singer must possess some
artistic talent.
These
days artist learn this beautiful art through music cassettes and sometimes
copy a particular artist’s style. They even copy someone’s hairstyle.
She feels originality is fading.
She
admits, these days she doesn’t spend time on riyaaz. At her age, she
cannot sit for long hours but proudly says, even today she can sing
without a microphone; there was a time when she would practice for long
hours without a break.
Flautist – Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia
Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia is is a well known flautist in India and abroad. Years ago, when Panditji’s father found out his son was taking up a career as a flautist, he broke down and cried. He had wanted panditji to be a wrestler like him. But the music of the river in
Allahabad, panditji’s hometown, had already worked its charm – one of India’s most well known and respected flautists had found his calling.
Grit, zeal and awareness of his limited ability to flex his vocal chords led Pt Chaurasia to take up the flute at the age of 16 under Pt Bholanath of Varanasi after learning vocals from Pt
Rajaram. He joined All India Radio (AIR) as staff musician at 20. But the quest for more led him to seek out as his guru, surbahar maestro Annapurna
Devi, daughter of the late Ustad Allaudin Khan. AIR is also where he met his wife
Anuradha, his sustaining force and support.
Pt Chaurasia has been the recipient of awards such as the Padma Vibhushan and the Sangeet natak Akademi Award. He has also been successful as Hindi film music director with santoor maestro Pandit Shivkumar Sharma; with the latter and Brijbhushan
Kalra, he has also composed the world’s largest selling classical music record at the time, Call of the Valley.
He is currently director of the Indian Music Department at the Rotterdam World Music Conservatory, Holland, where he spends three months every year.
With the opening of his school of music,
Brindavan, at Juhu this Janmashtami, Pt Chaurasia’s long standing dream will finally see fruition.
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Home Coming
-- a short story
....... by AKN
Sirsa
is one of the finest villages
in the Kumaon region. It is about two miles above sea level. If you travel
from south, you reach Garampani, a major junction. While
proceeding from Siyolbari bus-stand, you will have a glimpse of the
scenic beauty of Sirsa with its seducing and enchanting bountiful gifts of
nature. Beyond this lies the fine village of Sirsa. cool, refreshing air
and tall green pine trees greet you as you climb the hills. One can see
the neatly arranged trees ornamenting the hills as you approach the simple
houses of the Sirsa village. And now you are in
the virgin land which one could fall in love.
The
simple and honest folks move about doing their jobs with the usual charm
and dedication. The colourful birds frolic among the lush tall trees. And
it is here an old lady, known to the folks as ‘maji’ dwells in one of
the many simple houses. She is an old widow in her late sixties. She had
lived here since she was a child and is known to all the folks in the
village
She
was a proud monther with three grown-up sons. The first two served in the
army. She was a very happy and satisfied old lady, until the day she got
the news that her sons were declared lost in action. One in the
Indo-Chinese conflict and the second in the Indo-Pakistan war. But she was
not the one to cry over her lost sons. She received pension from the
Government. Now she looked forward towards her third and youngest son, her
only hope. And he left for Bombay, the city which provides for so many
Indians from all over the country.
She
had heard of Mataji and Bhagat Singh. And she was proud that two of her
sons were in the army and serving the nation. But fate had other plans.
They were declared lost during the wars. Hence she holds the doubtful
distinction of being the mother with both her sons missing. Doubtful
because, there was some speck of chance of their return. Anyway the third
son too applied, but corruption and bribery played a role in recruitment in the
army. Baldev counldn’t make it. He too had an ambition. Like others in
the village and like his two elder brothers he too wanted to serve his
motherland. But his land did not want him. One has to bribe his way to
serve his country, so Baldev was forced to look elsewhere.
Dejected
Baldev tried his hand at some odd jobs, they were not his cup of tea.
After a great deal of debating, he planned to go to Bombay, learn
something and then only return home to his land and people.
Baldev
landed in Bombay as many youngsters with great hope do. But it was not the
enchanting city or films that brought him here. It was a purpose and aim
in life that landed him here. And he wanted to achieve it and fulfil his
ambition. He was a different youth with purpose and promise, not to meddle
with the luxuries and enchantment of the city life
With
little luck, Baldev, got a job of a watchman. From his small salary, he
saved and sent money to his old mother. He wrote to her frequently. She
was thrilled to receive his letters. And these letters came from a distant
and strange land for her.
Years
passed and from a watchman, became a driver. He was employed with an old
Doctor Bhat. On hearing this maji would smile and say, “my little Baldev
is learning to stay in a city”. For Baldev it was a dream come true.
Because Baldev’s dream was to become a first class mechanic and go back
home to his village and start something on his own.
In
the meanwhile, the doctor’s old driver returned from his vacation, and
due to Baldev’s dedication and sincerity to work, the old Doctor was not
willing to leave Baldev. After a little bit of training, he became his
compounder and learnt about sickness and medicines. On hearing this, maji
would smile and say, “my little Baldev has become a chota-mota
doctor.”
He
worked as an efficient compounder for the doctor whom he considered much
more than a boss. And the Doctor considered him much more than an
employee. Then one day Baldev opened up his heart to the Doctor and told
him of his story, his plans and ambition in life. Doctor was impressed and
promised him all help and co-operation to see him
achieve his dream.
After
a couple of months, Doctor introduced him to Lobo, a garage owner and told
him of his sincerity and dedication to work. Baldev was thrilled and
determined to learn. He joined the garage and resumed work. It had taken
him four long years of waiting to achieve his ambition of becoming an
mechanic. And it was here he graduated to become a first class mechanic.
Now
after two years of strenuous training, he is bidding farewell to the
Doctor, who was not only his ideal employer, but friend, guide and a
father like figure for him. Baldev is a full fledged motor mechanic and he
is returning back to Sirsa, his village and the land that bred him. His
land had given him so much,
now he is returning to give back what he can. His mother who waited for so
many years is longing to see her little Baldev who is coming back to
fulfil his promise, rejecting all the temptations of city life.
Doctor
Bhat was proud and happy that he could play a small role in moulding the
life of Baldev. There were no tears in the Doctor’s eyes. He was glad
that young Baldev is returning to his homeland with lots of memories and
rich experience. The Doctor had just one favour to ask Baldev. He told him
to write to him regularly of his progress and be sincere in his work.
Yes,
Baldev was a different youth, a youth with an aim and ambition in life.
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(If
you have any good short story you wish to share with others, you may send
it to us at: The Editor, Leenacom.com, Garodia nagar, 25/179, Mumbai 400
077. SMS: 09969154602 Email: akn929@yahoo.com
)
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