MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS is the latest addition to the writings of Shri Rajendra Shekhar. His earlier works Not a Licence to Kill and पल कल, आज और

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1 MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS is the latest addition to the writings of Shri Rajendra Shekhar. His earlier works Not a Licence to Kill and पल कल, आज और कल were very well received and widely acclaimed. MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS was released in Raj Bhawan, Chandigarh on July 7, 2018, by Shri V P Singh, Governor of Punjab in presence of a select gathering. The book contains tales of gone by era narrated in a very interesting way by Shri Shekhar. The book promises to take the reader on a rollercoaster ride. News item in The Tribune; July, 8, 2018

2 Speech at Launching of Book Raj Bhavan Chandigarh At the outset I would like to thank H.E. Mr. VP Singh; Governor Punjab, for inviting me over for this lunch. I am glad to be a part of the celebrations of MAAPHC recently formed at the initiative of Justice Karamjit Garewal, the Convenor of this function. The invitation cards for the launch and for the dinner are simply awesome. VP and I go back more than 60 years when I was a student at Mayo. His elder brother, late Raghuraj Badnore, and I were not only class fellows but close friends ; and I have fondly devoted an episode to Raghu in my book. Mayo s charismatic ambience helped me in making lifelong friends in- Raghu Badnore; Nahar Deogarh; Ghanu Rawatsar. Masoom, Sonny Bhatia, Wazir Tonk. Unfortunately, except for Wazir, none of them is alive today. I am that ancient. My eventful journey to Mayo begins from Bharatpur, at the age of 7 years. Interestingly, though, this journey was almost a non-starter. When my father proudly announced that he was sending me to Ajmer to study at Mayo- popularly called the Eton of the East. Amma, my mother, simply shrugged indifferently as if to say, For all I care, Eton is a pile of bricks. She was understandably distressed at her only child being wrenched away from her. And where is Ajmer, she asked in a huff. Babuji smiled indulgently and said, Ajmer is not in Bharatpur. Which did not amuse her, and she was about to take a defiant stance when she saw an anticipatory gleam in my eyes; and that made her change her mind and reluctantly concede. I entered the hallowed precincts of Mayo as the only commoner; a tiny speck floating in an ocean of thikanedars; jagirdars, princes; and Rajas in the making. But I sailed through with aplomb; thanks to my friends; and my determination to end up as a Mayoian. I am grateful to Kamal Garewal for having ensured that I don t address an empty hall. My recently acquired friend KC Verma is here. Incidentally, when I asked KC whether he had read my book or at least come across it; I was simply enthralled by his response. He said, One does not have to read a book to promote it. I left it at that and felt a deep lasting bond with him for his guileless confession. Nonetheless, I have risked presenting the book to him and am hoping that he continues to promote it even after he has read it. Sanjeev my eldest son and Arjun the youngest son are here and it s a great boost. My book is titled, Memories Are Made of This. It is the opening line of a song sung by Dean Martin. It is, I believe, an all time favourite with my friend Karam Garewal. However, my reason for choosing this headline for the book is pure and simple; that I have written a memoir. The book contains 59 episodes of various sizes and hues; and is divided basically in four segments. My account begins at age 7 when I was poised on the threshold of entering the portals of Mayo. The first segment ends with my completing Studies and joining the Indian Police Service. The first segment is rather eventful as it depicts how I had an unfortunate break in my continuance as a student of Mayo. However God ordained that I carry on my schooling at Mayo. The most poignant part of this segment is my wooing and winning the hand of my future companion, despite the stonewalling on part of dear dad, who finally relented as basically he was an adorable and reasonable human being, who realized that our gently resolute stance was unshakable.

3 The second and 3 rd segments, span over the period of my 35 years in service as a field officer in various districts and as a senior officer at the police Headquarters. It is significantly notable for my posting at Barmer, a border district and which became the focal point of attention of the enemy thrust in the southern most region of Rajasthan. In my 3 tenures in the Central Bureau of Investigation; I supervised the investigation of various prestigious cases; the real emphasis being on projecting through investigative acumen, the unique CBI culture. Evidently I was able to drive the point home that I was able enough to be at the helm of the Organisation. The fourth segment deals with my post-retirement years and mentions, among other happenings, my trip to Muscat, the capital of Oman; where Sanjeev was the General Manager of a water sports complex. At Muscat I met with a near-fatal accident and acquired this hobbling walk; definitely a small price to pay for surviving the shock. This last segment is pleasantly stimulating in that I could find time to justify the saying. They also serve who stand and stare. I stood on the side lines and went into raptures of pure ecstasy fondly staring at the antics of my grandchildren. All told, it has been a journey that promises to take the reader on a roller-coaster ride. The book is peppered with endearing characters that flit through the pages perpetrating well meaning indiscretions. And, significantly, the unifying chord is of humanity and humane relationships that courses throughout the book. I am fast approaching 83 years of age and what really spurred me into speedy action in writing this book was the off the cuff remark of Sanjeev, Papa you are getting on in years, you know. Now, I have deliberately omitted mentioning about my favourite protagonist, Mrs Shekhar; because I believe that the proof of the pudding lies in its eating. My book has been published by Notion Press based in Chennai; which fact more or less makes me the sole purveyor of my ware; with Notion Press being nothing more than a notional pusher. Be that as it may, I have thoroughly enjoyed penning this book; and I earnestly hope that my euphoria rubs off on the discerning reader as well. Thanks for patiently listening to my rather long discourse. Note: This book can be obtained on line at https//notionpress.com/read/memories-are-made-of-this. Reviews

4 The Tribune 20/7/2018

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