Heart to Heart

                                                     On reading ‘Sahit Sanjivani’ It would perhaps be trite to say how powerful and ennobling the magic pull of a written word can be. Of the many books that have enthralled me Jung Bahadur Goyal’s ‘Muhabbatnama’ occupies a special niche. A riveting account of the lives and loves of some of the all-time-greats in limpid, unpretentious tapestry of Punjabi words, the book inspired me to write a middle on it carried by the Tribune (30 November 2018). While that pull still abides, I never thought that another book by the same author that fell on my lap to round off the year with, would also stake its claim for similar accolades. But ‘Sahit Sanjivani’ compels, and commands to be lauded. A slim, 168-page, beautifully brought out volume, it shines the light on the therapeutic effects of books. Recounting his own bleak days when struck low by fortune’s hard knocks making life all woe and pain, Goyal reveals how the charm of ‘Jane Eyre’, ‘Wuther

                     Himachal shows the way The old order changeth, yielding place to new. That’s the immutable law of nature. If things stall and do not undergo change, be it life, love or politics, lassitude and indolence fester and weeds of corruption and arrogance blossom in the rancid cesspool of ennui. Viewed against this backdrop, the (not so) bhola-bhala Himachali has acted with exemplary sagacity and political farsightedness and stopped the BJP’s fire-spewing juggernaut, nay ‘bulldozer’, on its tracks against all odds. I therefore personally salute my fellow Himachalis and with a bowed head say aloud: “Vande Himachal!” No, no, no … the so-called ‘bhakts’ need not fume and fret, nor unsheathe their saffron-tinted knives. Firstly, because unlike our intrepid Deepika Padukone, I take scrupulous care in regard to my sartorial choices and use the ‘besharam rang’ for wear with more discretion than valour. Secondly, my views on the Congress, the Emergency excesses and Indira Gand