Monday, August 29, 2016

A few lessons learnt in my life... !!!

1) No matter how bad you are, you are always good. No matter how good you are, there's always scope for improvement.

2) Everyone is a source of inspiration in this world, just at different times and different places...

3) Passion is the most important ingredient for success. Rest all follow from passion...

4) Always take a decision. No decision is right or wrong. What matters is not whether the decision was right or wrong but whether you took the decision or not.

5) There can be hundreds of hurdles that may fail you in life but there should never be a failure that can take your will down.

6) Don't run after money. Run after hard work and work hard, money will itself run after you.

7) Success doe not lie in how high you reach but even then how low you can remain.

The Gist of Book - “THE HUNDRED-YEAR-OLD MAN WHO CLIMBED OUT OF THE WINDOW AND DISAPPEARED” - JONAS JONASSON



“THE HUNDRED-YEAR-OLD MAN WHO CLIMBED OUT OF THE WINDOW AND DISAPPEARED”
By – JONAS JONASSON
The Gist:
“Things are what they are, and whatever will be will be”
Chapter 1:
The introduction to the 100-year old Allan Karlsson’s escape from the Old People’s Home in Malmkoping, especially bad-tempered Director Alice, just an hour before the celebrations for his 100th birthday were to take place at the Old People’s Home. Mayor and the press all were invited. The Chapter very subtly defines a quality of Allan that he is never used to pondering things too long and also bad-tempered nature of Alice. These things are just mentioned in one line but are qualities maintained in the characters across the book and this consistency is what makes any book/story great.
Chapter2:
It gives the journey of 100-year old Allan away from Director Alice and her Old People’s Home through the flowerbed, park and churchyard to the Malmkoping Bus Station in his pee-sleepers, unchanged clothes and some crown notes. The scenes at the Bus Station are explained as Allan after discussing with the little man behind the ticket window, decides to board the bus which is on its way to Strangnas but on the way, steals the suitcase from “Never Again” man intentionally, who has asked Allan to look after his luggage rather irritatingly (though Allan hardly let himself ever be irritated) as he relieves himself at the station. The journey to Byringe Station by Allan is not determined by where but as to how much it costs and with the help of bus driver, the journey of Allan with the suitcase begins towards Life.
When Allan decides to steal the suitcase, the author beautifully calls this decision as a ‘yes’ to life, which reader realizes on further reading of the book. Also, the author briefly mentions about Allan having crossed the Himalayas once, many years earlier, though it is pretty difficult to identify that at this stage of the story.
Chapter 3:
Mayor along with the guests start searching for Allan but he is long gone and finally police is called. “Never Again” man has taken out the truth from the little man behind the station window through his methods had got to know the Allan had taken the bus which will again return to Malmkoping on its return journey. Allan got down at Byringe Station and met Julius Jonsson whom he told about his little escape and stealing of the suitcase. Julius was welcoming to the thief that Allan had become because he himself had been one. But through the interrogation of the driver of the bus and a lift to Byringe, the “Never Again” man had also caught up with the new thief. The “Never Again" man had thought of getting his suitcase back and putting Allan to rest but in a flash with a plank he was taken care of to spend the rest of his life in the freezer for elks. Allan and Julius now opened the suitcase.
Chapter 4:
The story of Allan’s life from his birth on May 02, 1905 in Yxhult after his mother’s march in May Day procession and his parents is covered in this chapter. Allan’s father advocating use of contraceptives led to his ouster from home and his anger at his railways’ job cost him his job. He wanted to see socialism in Sweden but not seeing the situation improve left to Russia to depose the Tsar. Overtime he got a liking for Tsar and thus dies fighting the communists led by Lenin in Russia as he tries to save his privately owned land. Her mother philosophically told Allan to move on after his father’s death as things are as they are and will be as will be. Unable to get support from father, Allan started working at Nitroglycerine Ltd.’s production branch as mother sold firewood. Easter eggs sent from Russia were used to cancel the debt to Mr. Wholesale Merchant Gustavsson. Allan’s mother also died soon though Allan had learnt making explosives. After the death of the parents, Mr Gustavsson learnt there could not be any debt from Allan but only his parents. Allan had clearly established his life’s philosophy of “Things are what they are, and whatever will be will be” and though he had an interest in current affairs, he was very far away from any political opinion. With his mother’s savings, Karlsson Dynamite Company was started and Allan tested his explosives at the gravel pit till Mr Gustavsson accidently became victim of one of the explosives in Aug, 1925. Allan had to spend the next 4 years incarcerated in an asylum at Prof Lundborg’s clinic, who questioned any negro or jewish aspects in Allan. Finally Allan had to leave his bed at the clinic for someone else.
Chapter 5:
Returning to present, Allan is being searched by the police and Detective Chief Inspector Goran Aronsson. Police dog borrowed from Eskilstuna leads the police team in the evening to the Bus Station waiting room. Though Aronsson went to Ronny Hulth’s home, the little man behind the ticket window, but he could not meet him. Finally a late evening call from husband of the lady travelling in the same bus with Allan informs police that Allan was in the same bus and got down in some station mid way.
Chapter 6:
Next Day, Allan and Julius realized that the suitcase had 50 Million crown notes and the “Never Again” man was dead in the freezer. Meanwhile Chief Inspector Aronsson got to know the parts of the story from Ronny Hulth and bus driver Lennart Ramner through his live-in girlfriend Jessica Bjorkman. He decided to go to Byringe Station which Allan and Julius just left with the dead body in the Inspection Trolley and the suitcase. Allan had changed his sleepers to the dead man’s shoes.
Now, the story of Per-Gunnar Gerdin aka the Boss of the Never Again group is told where he separated from his partner and friend and shifted to the robbery business from selling imported fruits and vegetables. After around two decades, he founded “Never Again” (meaning never to go back to jail again) group in jail with Bolt and Bucket and later Caracas joined. He couldn’t recruit more after his mother’s letter in jail about her playing Treasure Island game with him. The group was dealing with the Russians and Bolt was carrying the suitcase after the deal when he had met Allan at Malmkoping Station. The Boss sent Bucket to Malmkoping to search for Bolt.
Allan and Julius passed through fields, meeting a farmer on the way and finally put the body in one of the containers at a factory yard and left the trolley. Allan and Julius ate at a hot-dog stand, bought the car and hired the owner – Benny as the Chauffer. They headed south, getting petrol in Mjolby in the silver Mercedes and decided to stay in a farm or house rather than a hotel for the fear of getting noticed. Into the Smaland forests, they came to the Beauty’s farm house where they got to stay with an Alsatian dog, Buster and an Elephant, Sonya. Benny had fallen for the Beauty.

Aronsson didn’t find much at Byringe except the pee-slippers of Allan and locals calling Julius a thief. Later he got to know about the three men on trolley with a suitcase from a tip from a farmer. On reaching the factory yard, Aronsson was told by the workers that they saw only two men and not three heading to a gas station and the hot-dog stand. Aronsson reached the hot-dog stand but got no clue ahead and thus decided to return to Malmkoping to get the slippers identified, which he did from Director Alice. On the way back, he informed the county police chief of the developments, who inturn told the press about the kidnapping scenario, including by Julius.
Chapter 7:
Continuing Allan’s life story from 1928, after returning home in Yxhult from Prof Lundborg’s care, Allan decides to move away and blows his house with dynamite. The police caught him but let him go as Prof Lundborg’s colleagues didn’t need him anymore. He secured employment as an ignition specialist at a foundry at Halleforsnas where Esteban from Spain worked as an ignition specialist. After a few years of work, both left for Spain where war welcomed them. Allan remained non-political but in a foreign country he followed his friend and joined Army. Esteban got killed and Allan stayed to blow away bridges but in his own clothes for the army. He made sure none was at the bridges he blew and thus saves General Franco from dying over his last bridge blast. General Franco gave Allan his unconditional protection through a letter wherever he wished to go and Allan unknowingly takes a ship with Spanish flag.
Chapter 8:
Bucket’s story is told as the leader of violence committing mistakes and landing in jail while his brother became the new leader of the group.
From dog Kicki, Aronsson got to know of a dead body around an abandoned inspection trolley but thinks that dog is unable to figure out the dead body. But what the dog is unable to tell the chief inspector is that the body disappeared from the yard. Meanwhile the dead body had been dumped into the Red Sea from a ship at Djibouti after the Egyptian seaman had emptied the pockets.
Benny also shares his and his elder brother Bosse’s story, about their uncle’s will to teach both children and pay them till their education. Benny took on a lot of courses but never finished any to continue getting the money while Bosse does his course and without any stipend, curses his brother for his loss. So Benny as an almost-vet takes care of Sonya. Sonya’s story of landing from a circus at Beauty’s home is also told. Around midnight, Benny, Allan and the beauty visit the clinic at Rottne to get the requisite medicines for Sonya. At the same time, a car slowly passed by them driven by Bucket’s brother in desperate need of a smoke. The next day after reading the story and photos in Express, the brother called Bucket.
Next day when Beauty returned from Rottne with her supplies, she summoned all and demanded the explanation for what she read from the day’s Express. So the beauty was explained everything. The next day she buys a big bus to enable an early exit.
Chapter 9:
Allan sails into New York on September 01, 1939 and same day World War II started. Allan’s ship under the Spanish Flag was confiscated by US till 1945 and Allan showed Franco’s letter and knowing him as an explosive expert, he was locked for a few years until when one day the Senior Immigration Officer’s brother needed help of an explosives expert. Allan was taken to US National Laboratory in Las Alamos in 1943. The scientists were developing a nuclear bomb but didn’t know how to control it until in 1945 when Allan mistakenly suggested dividing the Uranium into two parts. Thus, Allan was invited by US Vice-President, Harry S. Truman for dinner and they were enjoying and have fun when Truman was told that President Roosevelt had died.
Chapter 10:
Bucket waited outside the supermarket in Rottne as ordered by the Boss, for red-haired woman (Beauty), guy with ponytail (Benny) and 100-year old Allan and a Mercedes as informed by his brother. As Beauty passed by him, he noted her presence, informed the Boss, noted her VW Passat’s license plate and followed her to her place. Following her, he reached her place and caught everyone. However, Allan got Sonya to sit on him and thus ended the story of Bucket. He failed to listen to his boss and had got too enthusiastic. Beauty had already bought a bus and it was modified by Benny and Julius to create space to carry Sonya comfortably. Now that would be put to use.
Meanwhile, Chief Inspector Aronsson had ordered to bug Per-Gunnar Gerdin, the Boss’ phone and got to know a few details through the conversation between Bucket and Boss. Aronsson shared the developments with Prosecutor Conny Ranelid.
After waiting for Bucket’s call for around 3 years, Boss himself started off for the registered address for VW Passat.
Chapter 11:
Allan got a call from the new US President, Truman asking for his help to enable Soong May-ling, wife of anticommunist Kuomintang Chiang Kai-Shek in China win over the communists. She had gotten the promise of help from Mrs Roosevelt. The next day Hiroshima was bombed with Atom Bomb. Allan promised to blow up the bridges to limit movement of Communist leader Mao Tse-Tung but as Soong May-ling’s bodyguards like to enjoy on the way and were miserably late and Mao’s forces had left the Sichuan province long ago. Kuomintang successfully captured Mao’s third wife Jiang Qing at the battle for Yibin. As the soldiers celebrated their victory, Allan decided to abandon the ship with the mess boy Ah Ming and Jiang Qing and moved towards Tibet. Jiang Qing promised that Ah Ming would be able to serve Mao himself. Allan started on foot and then on a camel he bought, from Tibet to Europe. Allan had learnt Chinese, Spanish, English and Swedish by now. He met three communists on way back to home Tehran. As the communists had a copy of the Communist Manifesto in Farsi, they were shot at the Tehran border, while Allan’s hands were tied and he was taken away.
Chapter 12:
Bucket’s body was put at the back of his Ford Mustang and driven by Julius with Benny behind in the Beauty’s Passat to dispose of the body. The plan was to burn the car and the body but as Benny and Julius stopped at a service station in Braas to get can and petrol, Bucket’s little brother and his colleague from the Violence group took away the Ford Mustang, changed its name plates and sold it in Riga. As the car started to stink in the garage in Riga, the garage boss learned of the dead body in the back and gave it to a drunk for four bottles of wine to drive the wreck to the scrap-yard for destruction.
The Bus driven by Benny left the farm around 6 in the evening. Earlier Boss was getting impatient for his remaining henchman Caracas who was late because he had gone to buy a watermelon. Boss got angry and split the watermelon on Caracas’ head and thus Caracas left crying and Boss decided to chase alone. With the help of GPS, he reached the farm, followed by Aronsson. He just saw the bus leave but decided to inspect the farm and saw the two hidden cars – silver Mercedes and red VW Passat. Knowing that he was at the right place, he decided to follow the bus but the road was very narrow. After patiently staying behind the bus for some time, Boss overtook the bus and stopped ahead, blocking the way of the bus to stop the bus and also because he running out of petrol too and took his gun out aiming at the Bus. He expected the driver to pull the brakes and Benny did stand on the brakes but the momentum because of Sonya torpedoed into the car.
Meanwhile, as Boss left the farm, Aronsson entered the farm. As he inspected the place in more detail than the Boss, he realized that the occupants of the farm had been their till today, farm belonged to Gunilla Bjorklund (Beauty), found a revolver lying on edge of the wooden floor (of Bucket) and found in the mailbox an official letter from the Vehicle Licensing Authority confirming that a 1992 yellow Scania K113 had changed owners. He followed the BMW now only to reach the accident spot and finally that the BMW had been hit by something big and yellow but he could not find the corpse.
The team had decided that Benny would call his brother for stay if Bosse could be bribed since they had a lot of money in the suitcase and thus Benny would settle the old differences and also because no other had any family or friends.
Chapter 13:
Allan was put in a holding cell in Tehran, alongside Kevin Ferguson, an Anglican pastor who had been in Iran for last 12 years searching for lost souls to recruit to the new faith. Allan heard Ferguson’s story and also got to know that they were being kept by the Secret Police of Iran. Allan got to know that they would soon disappear after the meeting with the Vice Prime Minister. So he started making plans of sneaking out. The holding cell was not a real prison with all security and locks but guards sometimes even did not lock the doors properly. But there were never fewer than 4 guards at entrance & exit and thus sneaking out would get Allan killed. When the Prime Minister (head of Security and Intelligence in Iran) was back from England, Allan went to meet him. The PM was unhappy over his treatment at the hands of British, which was because he had killed an Assistant Secretary in the British Embassy. The PM was relieved of the responsibility of the security for visit of Winston Churchill, former British PM, which was a major loss of prestige for the police chief. Allan now told the chief about his experiences selectively and that he was an explosives expert. Allan makes up the secret killing of Glenn Miller, a young Jazz musician by making sure both engines of the aircraft burn up. The Police Chief thus made plans to kill Churchill on his Iranian visit with the help of Allan by blowing up the only bullet-proof motor – DeSoto Suburban. Allan made the plan so that it would look like a communist attack and none would be able to pinpoint it back to him. Allan asked for the 9 ingredients of bomb along with nitroglycerine and a bottle of ink. Reverend Ferguson became Allan’s interpreter. The DeSoto was finally rigged as the police chief put the day’s eighteenth cigarette into Allan’s coffee. Now Allan placed a new cup on the table and along with Ferguson left, passing their holding cell as the police chief puffed the day’s nineteenth cigarette. Stopped short on their way to freedom, the guard was surprised to know that Allan and Ferguson had been allowed to leave by the Chief so he went in to confirm as other three guards kept an eye on them. As the police chief got to know that they were lying, he put his cigarette into Allan’s cup and now the nitroglycerine in the cup led to a huge explosion. Charge under DeSoto also detonated and Allan & Ferguson ran away and two of the three guards caught on fire with the third running in the opposite direction. Ferguson now guided Allan to Swedish Embassy while he himself went to make the third ran-away guard a Christian but got killed by the guard.
At the Swedish Embassy, Allan had no passport or the newly introduced special personal identity number, so the Third Secretary Bergqvist could not allow Allan to go. Allan finally called US President Harry Truman and also chatting for some time, requested him to call the Swedish PM Erlander and vouch for who Allan was and so the Swedish PM could call the Third Secretary Bergqvist and inform him that Allan should get a passport. Due to the explosion at the Secret Police Headquarters and the burning of the DeSoto, the meeting between Churchill and Shah was held at the airport. On the return, Churchill was accompanied by the Swedish Military Attache, Allan.
Allan met PM Erlander on landing in Sweden in December 1947. Allan was given money by the PM for his services rendered to the nation and then asked to help the country in making its nuclear bomb to protect it against any attack by Sweden. Allan met the head of research at Atomic Energy PLC, Dr Sigvard Eklund, who was not at all happy with the PM involving himself in the atom project and recommending him to interview Allan. Allan put up at the Grand Hotel with so much money given by the PM. Dr Eklund was pretty satisfied with how the interview of Allan went and knew he was most unsuitable for the job. Allan thought Dr Eklund didn’t deserve his assistance and thus he left. As he sat outside the Grand Hotel on a park bench, Allan greeted the man that came and sat beside him and the man returned the greeting with Mr Karlsson.
Chapter 14:
Prosecutor Conny Ranelid on hearing what Chief Inspector Aronsson had to say, issued warrants for Allan, Julius, Benny and Gunilla and hoped to construct a chain of circumstantial evidence. Ranelid had all his case sorted out for the three men and the woman and hoped to atleast get a life sentence on the centenarian literally. Then he asked Aronsson to put up at Vaxjo to wait for all the tips next morning as he would leak the news that the centenarian is a veritable murder machine.
Chapter 15:
The team reaches Bosse’s house and Benny apologizes and gives three million up front, without any conditions and tells him the full story. After asking a few questions, Bosse finally welcomes all to his Bellringer farm. Since the Boss had not died after the collision, the team had taken him into the bus and he was given first-aid by the almost doctor Benny and laid in the bus. As all were busy with the dinner preparations, the badly injured Boss came out of the bus, took out his gun from the glove compartment and limped in to the Kitchen where all sat and asked the dog to be locked in the pantry. As he questioned Allan, Bosse realized that it was his old friend Pike, his colleague in the food business, who separated amicably over the difference of opinion over the business of selling Swedish imported meatballs, treated with formaldehyde. After a quick chat, all had become friendly and Pike had let go his anger after meeting his old friend. Bosse told his story of how he got hold of half a ton books of Bible, ultra thin in genuine leather and golden leathering but he could not understand what was wrong in it. So he read the whole book only to find that the writer had added another line at the end of the book’s last chapter – the book of revelation.
Chapter 16:
Sitting on the park bench, Allan was greeted and offered a job by the employer of the man who greeted. Allan left with the man in his chauffer driven car and left his room at the Grand Hotel as it is. On the journey, man explained the magnificence of the opera as Allan described how difficult it was to cross the Himalayas. The two men got down in Dalaro and walked in the winter darkness, finally getting into the submarine. The man introduced himself as the Russian physicist, Yury Borisovich and wanted Allan’s help in building the Bomb. As both drank vodka on the submarine, each shared their life stories and experiences. Yury, a passionate socialist, sang the aria “Nessun Dorma”, opera from Puccini’s Turandot. Allan and Yury discussed everything on earth and heaven, including the atom bomb except religion and politics. After getting down at Leningrad, they started in Humber Pullman Limousine for Moscow. Allan described his adventures in Spain, America, China and the Himalayas and Iran, while Yury opened his heart about what he thought of Marshal Beria, the boss of the secret service, who had no shame in killing anybody. Allan wondered why Marshal Beria didn’t just get Allan kidnapped and make him help in the formation of Atomic Bomb. Yury told that Marshal Beria had recently failed in such a way. Trying to kidnap Albert Einstein, Marshal Beria had got his unknown brother Herbert Einstein kidnapped and failed to get anything out of him about the atomic bomb and he was put away in jail. Instead of telling about this mistake to Stalin, Marshal Beria decided to get hold of Allan with the new strategy. Allan met Marshal Beria and was invited for dinner with Stalin.
The dinner started with Allan, Stalin, Marshal Beria and Yury. There was another man in the room, claimed to be the interpreter. Allan told his life story selectively about his father fighting for socialism in Sweden and then in Russia. Allan himself had fought in the Spanish Civil War. Allan raised the Swedish toast and Stalin sang a song. Allan also sang a poem from his childhood he remembered from his village school and told that it was by Verner Von Heidenstam. Stain, being a poet earlier himself, knew that the poet had love for Germany and had met Hitler’s right man, Rudolf Hess. So the dinner suddenly went a change in atmosphere. Stalin was getting angrier with Allan with his each reply, including his becoming good friends with General Franco, being in China for making war against Mao Tse-sung and prevented the attempt to kill Churchill. After the abrupt end to the dinner, Allan put in a windowless cell in the cellar of the nation’s secret police. Yury was unhappy as he had brought Allan in good faith and feared that Allan might die but he was assured by Marshal Beria that he would be kept as a back-up in case Yury is unable to build the atom bomb by himself. Allan was sentenced by the special tribunal for 30 years in the correction camp (the Gulag Camps) in Vladivostok. As the prisoners were being carried in the draughty freight car to the cold Vladivostok, each prisoner was allocated no fewer than 3 blankets due to bribery by Yury. Allan met Herbert during the journey and Herbert told him that he was deeply unhappy and preferred to kill himself, if in his own view he hadn’t been such a coward. Allan assured that there would be plenty of opportunities to die in the camps. Allan didn’t mind working in the camps but only missed vodka and Herbert had also survived even by doing less work but staying close to the hard working Allan. Finally after exactly 5 years and 3 weeks, Allan decided to move on and have a drink.
Chapter 17:
At the Bellringer farm, all enjoyed their breakfast and Julius and Bosse informed all what they read in the newspaper about being suspected for triple murder and warrants being out for them. However, Pike had not died yet. All decided that none apart from Bosse would leave the farm and they would not report to the police.
Meanwhile, Aronsson got a worthy tip from the deputy police chief in Jonkoping, Gunnar Lowenlind about seeing a yellow Scania bus with a badly dented front and only one functioning headlight somewhere near Raslatt. Aronsson could not analyse the situation under the influence of alcohol and decided to check out the next day from the Hotel Royal Corner in Vaxjo to his home in Eskiltuna.
Chapter 18:
During the 5 years and 3 weeks in the Gulag camp, Allan learnt Russian and also brushed up on his Chinese. From the contact established with the returning sailors, Allan learnt about Soviet’s atomic bomb, the divided Germany and the war in Korea. The 38th parallel separated the US established South Korea and Soviet’s North Korea. Allan planned the escape but needed Herbert’s help who had the reputation as the prisoner 133 who could still hardly get his way correct even after staying for over 5 years in the camps. Herbert used his reputation to get a pair of newly washed and ironed uniforms and also steal a signal rocket. Finally the day came when huge military consignment came by rail to be loaded in to the ship. Allan fired the rocket into one of the containers when the opportunity came but instead of the explosion, only smoke came out of the container. As a few prisoners tried to climb the 2-metre high fence using the smoke as a shield, the guard on the watchtower fired bullets but the bullets hit the containers also and series of explosions began. All of Vladivostok was literally on fire in around 25 minutes. Allan and Herbert’s barrack too got fire and thus they had to leave in black and white prison clothes without changing into uniforms. Meanwhile, Stalin got to know of the fire and planned Vladivostok as the base of Soviet Pacific Fleet, giving its responsibility to his new favourite Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev before dying of the stroke as he realized that somebody must be responsible for the explosions in -20 degree Celsius temperature at Vladivostok.
As Allan and Herbert moved southwards, they came across Kirill Afanasievich Meretskov, decorated commander in the Red Army and a Marshal at Vladisvostok to administer the Soviet non-presence in the Korean War. Marshal Meretskov was returning from his hunting cottage outside Krasniko, 2 hours south of Vladivostok when he saw the smoke and asked his aide driver to stop to get a good view of the smoke in Vladivostok. Allan and Herbert were nearby and thus got the opportunity to rob the Marshal and his aide of their uniforms by pointing their pistol at themselves and also took their stylish military green Pobeda and moved south towards North Korea. Crossing border was easy. The full time war was being waged in North Korea as American War planes circled in the air. So Allan left the main road and drove inlands to prevent being the target. Allan and Herbert rested at a farmer’s place as Marshal and his aide. The next morning, they reached Pyongyang and decided to meet North Korean PM Kim Il Sung. Herbert as Marshal could not play his role well and thus at the entry point where the soldier was immersed in alcohol, Allan translated Herbert’s Russian into Chinese, telling that Marshal Meretskov wanted to meet North Korean PM. As the drunken soldier called his superior and waited, Allan and Herbert changed clothes. The drunken soldier tried to inform his superior of the clothes being changed but he was dismissed as being too drunk. Allan and Herbert got the pass to meet the second-in-command of the PM’s second-in-command. Allan and Herbert met the second-in-command to PM’s second in command, his son Kim Jong Il and waited for 3 days to meet him. Allan informed the son that he had a message directly from Stalin to be delivered directly to the PM because the communication could not be trusted as it was suspected that the US had infiltrated the Soviet Communication System. The young son wanted to confirm if Stalin had himself sent Allan or Marshal Meretskov but Allan cautioned since the communication system was infiltrated by the US. But the young Kim had known Uncle Stalin for a long time and he could talk to him in code. On the phone, the young Kim got to know of Stalin’s death and cried in the lap of Allan. Allan sang the Georgian song sung by Stalin at the dinner and swept away any doubts in the young Kim’s mind. So Allan, Herbert and Young Kim went to meet the PM in the SU-122 self-propelled howitzer. Allan decided to tell the PM that Stalin had the important message that Soviet would give a few hundred tanks to North Korea and he be helped with transportation and Visa to China since he had some business with Mao Tse-tung too. The three people reached PM Kim Il Sung, sitting with another gentleman and as Allan introduced himself, PM replied that he knew Marshal Meretskov very well and that Allan was certainly not him. Meanwhile, Marshal Meretskov had managed to get his new clothes without the medals and got a new Probeda and started with his aide southwards, five days after the fire at Vladivostok. At the Korean border, his suspicions were confirmed and at the outer defence ring, he was confirmed that the fake Marshal was visiting PM’s second-in-command and the PM. Marshal Meretskov convinced the PM’s son’s second-in-command about the imminent danger to the PM and his son and started towards the PM and reached just in time as Allan’s interrogation by the PM began. As everyone said that Allan is going to die, Allan said that the PM’s guest had not demanded his death and hoped that he would have a different opinion. He was Mao Tse-tung and Allan told him to give regards to his third wife who was saved by Allan in China. Mao was astonished to meet his wife’s savior but Allan’s imminent death was averted again. Herbert tried to run to get himself killed but he ended up entangling himself with the contents of the cleaning cupboard. Allan also met and hugged Mao’s cook Ah Ming. Mao was present in the room of Kim because Kim had set up his headquarters in Manchurian China only. Now, Mao was prepared to help Allan and his comrade, Herbert with whatever they wanted. Allan said he wanted a holiday and Bali was suggested and Herbert decided to accompany. Mao promised to give false papers and a pile of dollars sent by US President Truman to Kuomintang, who abandoned it in their haste during their flight to Taiwan.
Chapter 19:
The team at were able to stay away from the world for two weeks, enjoying their time at the Bellringer farm. Their story had also died in the media. However the local paper kept publishing something on them, with a short recap of the events, such as Director Alice giving Allan’s room to somebody else, fitting of the security door at the ticket office of the bus station, etc. Reading all the paper reports led to an angry man calling Chief Inspector Aronsson that the police hadn’t checked up properly on the foreigner, mentioned as the “hot-dog stand proprietor”, and he could be a turk or a muslim, having hundred relatives and all living on public assistance. While replying to the man on phone, Aronsson suddenly realized that Benny had a brother as Aronsson asked for enquiries into the families of Allan, Julius and Benny, before the identification of Gunilla Bjorklund and that brother lived just outside Falkoping and all could be holed up there. Aronsson told prosecutor Ranelid and sought his permission to go to Vastergotland to follow up on the new tip but didn’t give the details.
Chapter 20:
Allan and Herbert reached Bali through the fake British Passports and relaxed on a white beach. The waitress constantly got the orders wrong and Allan wanted to complain about her to the manager. But Herbert liked the waitress Ni Wayan Lakshmi, who was around 30 years younger, equally slow-witted as Herbert and knew German when trying to learn Dutch. They both married and her name was changed to Amanda and she left the job of waitress. They bought a house close by the hotel of Allan. Everything could be bought in Indonesia and Amanda asked what Herbert would like for himself as they had so much money. He wanted and thus got a driver’s license in his name and a diploma certifying Herbert as a driving instructor. She also bought a local driving school and renamed it Einstein’s School of Driving. It soon became a successful company. Amanda also had acquired a degree in economics and decided to enter politics. She named her party – Liberal Democratic Freedom Party. She decided to fight the Governor election and became Governor with the help of dollars. They bought the hotel in which Allan was staying and their family entered most of the businesses. Over time, Amanda also gave birth to two sons – Allan Einstein and Mao Einstein. But one day, Gunung Agung, the three thousand metre high volcano erupted and thousands of Balinese died. Riots had taken place everywhere in Indonesia and Communists were being wiped out. Herbert retired and Amanda also thought of retiring but was offered the post of Indonesia’s Ambassador in Paris even though she had no idea where Paris was. As Herbert and Amanda decided to move to Paris, Allan also decided to accompany them and get some work at the embassy in year 1968.
Chapter 21:
Chief Inspector Goran Aronsson reached the Bellringer farm and met Allan sitting in a hammock on the large wooden veranda, introducing himself and telling Allan that he and his friends were under arrest and Allan should tell where they were. As Allan walked into the kitchen to prepare coffee for Aronsson, Aronsson analysed Allan and the situation around. As he took out his mobile to call his colleagues in Falkoping for reinforcements, his phone rang and it was Prosecutor Ranelid and he had some sensational news.
Chapter 22:
The Egyptian sailor, who had dumped Bolt’s body in the Red Sea, had taken Bolt’s wallet with 800 Swedish crowns and come to Djibouti for three days of leave and looked to change the money. A person was revolting in Djibouti because the USA had established a military base there and thus was carrying a suicide bomb with himself to blow off some American soldiers. But since he was wearing too many clothes to cover his bomb and it was very hot, he accidently pulled the bomb’s string and the subsequent explosion also killed the man standing closest to him and carrying Bolt’s wallet, carrying 800 Swedish crown notes, passport and driving license of Bolt. The body could not be identified but from the wallet, assumed to be of Erik Bengt Bylund (Bolt). Meanwhile, Arkis Ikstens was shocked to see a human arm sticking out of the last car squashed at the car-crushing machine at the scrapyard in the southern suburbs of Riga, the capital of Latvia. The police identified him from his wallet as Henrik Mikael Hulten (Bucket). The Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs at 11:15 am on May 26, 2005 got fax from Djibouti and Latvia, one after another, indicating the death of two men. The two faxes were scanned and mailed to Prosecutor Ranelid as the official at the Ministry had identified the two photographs from what he had recently read in the papers. Thus, the case of Ranelid seemed completely dismissed and he thought to somehow salvage the situation. As soon as Aronsson heard Ranelid’s voice, he told him that Allan was now under arrest and others must be in the vicinity but Ranelid told him about the update on Bolt and Bucket and asked Aronsson to find the third victim and then newly awoken Per-Gunnar Gerdin stepped out into the veranda and Aronsson sensed that the number three had just found him.
Chapter 23:
In 1968, Allan joined as an interpreter for the Ambassador Amanda in Paris and was to accompany her to the Elysee Palace for accreditation. He had not had any shave or haircut since the volcanic eruption of 1963 but since riots had erupted in France too, he could not get a haircut here too. As he returned back to embassy, Amanda had been told that the two-minute accreditation had been replaced by a long lunch with French President De Gaulle and US President Lyndon B Johnson. Actually both the Presidents hated each other but since it was customary to have lunch together when in the same city, So, President De Gaulle had invited Indonesian Ambassador Amanda also for lunch to be able to skip talking to Johnson. Herbert decided to stay home to prevent any mishaps from his side as he and Amanda both were susceptible to saying wrong things. Riots and Demonstrations were taking place everywhere in France but De Gaulle did not suspect any communist hand as he trusted his leading advisors including the Interior Minister Fouchet and his especially knowledgeable senior official, Claude Pennant who were also present at the lunch. The senior official had advised the President to treat tough protests with equal toughness. As both the Presidents directed their questions to Amanda, Allan was kept busy and he changed almost everything from Amanda’s answers in her mother tongue. Claude Pennant, the senior official with the Interior Minister had been a Soviet Communist spy brought up under the wings of Marshal Beria and Allan remembered seeing him at the dinner with Stalin, Beria and Yury. Allan brought this to the notice of President De Gaulle when he was exchanging pleasantries with US President and told them that he was not recognized by Claude because of his long hairs and beard. As President De Gaulle went to privately converse with Interior Minister, President Johnson and Allan shook hands and Allan mentioned former President Harry Truman as his friend before leaving. As Allan reached the Indonesian Embassy, he was called by President Johnson for dinner because he wanted to know more about the spy, meeting with Marshal Beria and Stalin, he had got to know about Allan’s contribution from Harry Truman and also he was happy for putting De Gaulle in tension after the lunch. At the dinner, President Johnson introduced him to the secret agent Ryan Hutton. As Allan shared his life’s story with President Johnson about giving the atomic bomb to Yury in an inebriated state and having a 15 year holidays financed by Mao Tse-tung, President Johnson became a picture of misery as he also heard people outside the Embassy shouting “USA out of Vietnam”. Allan asked if he could do anything for the President but President asked him to leave and he left thanking the President and Ryan. After Allan left, Agent Hutton suggested that they make use of Allan to get to Yury Borisovich Popov who was the technical director of the entire atomic arsenal of the Soviet Union and then the President Johnson could take the initiative toward mutual disarmament. Meanwhile, as Claude was imprisoned, French government controlled the riots and the workers were appeased with big increase in the minimum wages. President De Gaulle asked the Indonesian Embassy in Paris for Allan to award him a medal but he had left without anyone having a clue, including Amanda.
Chapter 24:
Prosecutor Ranelid in trying to save his career and honour, arranged a press conference the same afternoon to inform that the arrest warrants of the three men and the woman had been cancelled in view of the new evidence even though they were guilty anyway and that law sometimes required that arrest warrants be withdrawn, however offensive that may feel in certain cases. But the press was not convinced and finally Prosecutor had to say that for technical reasons in connection with the investigation, he was unable to say anymore but at 3 the next afternoon, he would describe exactly what happened (because he knew that Aronsson had got hold of the group).
Aronsson was enjoying the evening with his new friends who did not have arrest warrants on them anymore and they talked about everything except what happened in past few weeks. Finally Prosecutor Ranelid called Aronsson to check with the team if he would be welcome at the farm the following morning for a little informal chat about the earlier events and he would also personally apologise to the four. As Aronsson told the team about the Prosector’s request, they all discussed and finally Allan convinced all that it was better to tell some story to one person in person rather than having the whole press behind them until they had their story and plus they also had a whole evening to come up with a story. Aronsson told Prosecutor Ranelid that he was welcome at 10 the next morning. Then as Benny, the only non-drinker, was going to drop Aronsson at his place of staying in his car, he iterated “John 8:7” and asked Aronsson to remember it in the Bible when he comes the next morning at 10.
Chapter 25:
Prosecutor Ranelid started early from Esiltuna for Falkoping and knew he would not have more than an hour to hear the team’s story because he had to return to the press conference at 3. Chief Inspector Aronsson woke up late as he had drunk champagne in substantial quantity and had also clearly heard Allan that they would make up a story for Prosecutor Ranelid and thus he was being an accomplice to something he was himself not aware. The previous night at his hotel, he had looked up “John 8:7” in the Bible, followed by full reading of the chapter in which there was a story of woman who had committed adultery and the Pharisees had taken her to Jesus to put him in a dilemma that if the woman not be stoned for her crime then Jesus goes against Moses and if he does then he would be battling the Romans who had monopoly on the death sentence. To this, Jesus replied “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone” and thus the woman was not condemned by any of the Pharisees. Similarly, Aronsson realized that who was he to cast the first stone on the four innocent and also they were rather an appealing bunch and so he let go off any thought of their being guilty.
Finally Ranelid and Aronsson were at the Bellringer Farm and the team started with their story beginning from Allan’s escape climbing out of the window. Allan had climbed out of the window to get a bottle of vodka to meet his friend Julius. Meanwhile, he was called by Julius who was in turn called by Pike to take charge of the Bibles from Bolt. Bolt had been entrusted by Pike to collect the suitcase with 200 Bibles from Bosse’s place as Pike as part of the organization, Never Again (meaning never to break the law of man as well as GOD), to spread joy among the worst villains of the country. Bosse thus brought from inside a heavy grey suitcase and showed the Bible. Ranelid enquired why Bolt had done the nasty things at the station and Pike replied that Bolt hadn’t seen the light (of GOD) yet. Allan said that Bolt had called Pike resigning from his Never Again organization in order to join a foreign legion and thus intended to make a bonfire of the Bibles. As Bolt went to use the station’s public convenience, Allan took the suitcase and boarded the bus to meet Julius and meanwhile played little fun with the driver as he asked for the destination with a fifty crown note. Later Bolt also joined them at Julius’ place and after having elk and vodka with them, decided not to burn the Bibles. But next day, Bolt had the worst hangover and thus was taken in the trolley, leaving his shoes somewhere, to the Aker foundry. Leaving Bolt in the trolley, Allan and Julius went to meet Pike’s friend Benny at the hot-dog stand, who had studied criminology and had met Pike when once interviewing inmates in a big prison. Benny was supposed to take them to Stockholm to Pike but instead first decided to meet his fiancée, Gunilla and drove to Smaland but didn’t inform Pike who now thought that Bolt with the three planned to do something with the Bibles. Ranelid asked Benny why he didn’t inform the police about Allan and Julius after reading about a suspected Kidnapping of a cenetenarian, he replied that Allan and Julius declined since Allan was on run from Director Alice and Julius had had bad luck with the police. He also didn’t inform Pike because they suspected the police yet didn’t know that he had turned a believer of Bible and would thus be tapping his phone and he was right about it, making Ranelid curse himself for letting this information in the newspaper. Pike told that only Bucket knew of the informant who gave the tip regarding the four and since he died, there was no way of knowing that. Ranelid asked about the taped conversation of Pike and Bucket where Pike swears and thus Ranelid asks if the Lord would permit that swearing. Pike replied that he talked that way to make Bucket believe that it was his same old boss Pike and not the new religious boss so that he followed the orders as Bucket was not at all comfortable about the new direction of the group. Beauty was not happy when Bucket entered her farm, already drunk and using all the expletives and having his gun. Finally he left saying that he would be doing drugs in Latvia. Pike continued that he went to Lake Farm as Bucket had given him the address but they left just before he arrived as they were not aware of his visit. Ranelid asked why Gunilla had bought the bus. Gunilla told that she and Benny bought it for his brother Bosse to fill it with the watermelons. As Ranelid asked now Pike about the Russians, Pike was caught on the back-foot and didn’t know what to say but Benny intervened with a Russian statement and said he and Bosse were nicknamed Russians by the acquaintances. Though Allan only understood the real meaning, it got Pike off the tight situation. Finally Pike told that he had overtaken the bus but lost control and thus the bus had hit him but he was taken care of by the almost-doctor Benny. Ranelid was not exactly convinced with the story but he had no other choice. He asked why they all had remained hidden when they were innocent and to this Allan replied that innocence can mean a lot of things depending on whose perspective is adopted and finally, with no more questions Ranelid left from the Bellringer farm thanking all. In his car, ranelid went over the story again but was not convinced over how the indication of a dead body by the dog Kicki could be that of a very old man as Allan had argued. So Ranelid decided to blame the dog for leading him to the wrong conclusion of the events. He already held a favour with Kicki’s dog handler over saving him from a suspected shop-lifting. After Ranelid left, the team with Aronsson got together to resolve a question but before he started, he asked if Aronsson was comfortable with the story or wanted to go for a walk as the team chatted. Aronsson replied he was convinced with the story and asked for the favour of not telling him anything that he didn’t really need to know and thus Aronsson was welcomed to the friend zone, where Aronsson never had been. When Allan told Aronsson that they had pile of money, he was shocked but no explanations were sought or given but only the question of its ownership was asked. Pike said that he would like the friends and the millions to stick together. They all decided to go on a shared holiday but there was the problem of destination as none had valid passports and there was Sonya also to be carried. Allan and Beauty got some idea for that all.
Chapter 26:
Allan’s once Russian physicist friend, Yury Borisovich Popov, lived and worked in a secret place which had no existence for the outside world but only for the Russians and was thus unapproachable. However, Allan was recruited by CIA agent Ryan Hutton and employed as Administrator under the name Allen Carson at the US Embassy in Moscow after practicing the A to Z of spying for several weeks. Allan had no ideas and neither did Ryan on how to approach the unapproachable and thus Allan took the refreshing walks to the city library in Moscow everyday reading daily papers and magazines, hoping for Yury to make a public appearance. Months passed by when finally one day in 1968, Allan came across the news that the Vienna Opera was to give a guest performance at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, with Franco Corelli as Tenor and the international Swedish star Birgit Nilsson in the role of Turandot. Allan remembered that Yury had sung ‘Nessun Dorma’ in the submarine and assumed that Yury may not miss this guest performance. On the evening of March 22, 1969, Allan placed himself strategically at the entrance hoping to recognize Yury as he entered the auditorium but it was dark and all looked similar, wearing black suits under a black coat and entering in pairs with women and Allan didn’t have any luck with finding his old friend. Now, Allan looked for his opportunity on Yury’s exit. Secret Agent Ryan emphaised on discretion but Allan paid no attention to it and so as everyone came out of the auditorium after the extended performance, as it was a huge success and the performers were called back to the stage 20 times by the applauding audience, each noticed a man standing in the middle of the bottom step, holding a homemade poster which read: “I am Allan Emmanuel” and thus if Allan was going to be indiscreet, he was going to be on his own behalf. Yury Borisovich Popov came out from the theatre with his wife, Larissa Aleksandrevna Popova, who was very thankful to her dearest husband for the outing, when he saw the man standing with the board and could not believe it could be true because he believed that Allan had died at the explosion at Vladivostok. But Allan was in front of him and now Yury could finally live with himself for he felt he was responsible for Allan getting deported to Gulag as Allan had come to Moscow on Yury’s trust. Yury’s wife understood the situation as Yury was hardly able to say much and she had been her confidante and life partner for 40 years, knowing his guilt feeling. So she took Alan and Yury to a restaurant and as Yury got to his senses in a while, she and Allan got to know each other. Allan asked Yury if he wanted to be a spy and Yury couldn’t digest that Allan was himself a spy while Larissa wanted to know more. So Allan told about the offer from US President Johnson and secret agent Hutton and his spying work in the US embassy in Moscow and search for Yury. He also told about Herbert Einstein and Amanda at Paris. Now Herbert had finally died, after all his death wishes failed him, at 76 last December in Paris, leaving behind a successful wife diplomat in Paris and two teenage children – Allan and Mao. Allan got back on the proposal of Yury to be a spy but Yury dismissed it as he was honoured for his services to his mother country. However Larissa countered Yury’s views saying that though Yury got a lot of decorations and awards for his work, they were shut up in Arzamas-16 behind barbed wire and Yury slaved day after day for nothing. Allan thus further explained the proposal that Hutton wanted to know what the Soviet Nuclear arsenal consisted of, so that US could start negotiations with the Soviet Union over atomic disarmament as otherwise a nuclear war was imminent between USA and USSR. Yury as the technical boss of the entire Soviet nuclear weapons knew everything about the program’s strategy, geography and force and had no political inclinations like Allan which helped him serve three different leaders as well as Marshal Beria but he also knew how much Larissa had to sacrifice and yet she had never complained. So Yury agreed to the deal and decided with Allan that US President Nixon only needed to hear something that would make him happy rather than the whole truth. Since Allan had so indiscreetly announced himself through the handheld poster, no KGB agent or the GRU military people took him to be a spy and even at the restaurant, no one could take note as a US spy was recruiting a Soviet spy. Allan and Yury would thus mostly meet during the 3-4 performances in the theatre annually and would cook up some suitable nuclear weapons information to be sent to the CIA, mixing fantasy with reality in such a way that from an American perspective, information was both credible and encouraging. President Nixon brought nuclear disarmament on the discussion table considering US to be stronger of the two while Chairman Brezhnev also believed the same from the spy – a cleaning lady at the CIA section for Intelligence reports. She sent information indicating CIA spy at the centre of the Soviet nuclear weapons program but the problem was that the information being relayed by the spy was incorrect. Brezhnev called Yury and showed him the documents which Yury dismissed them as that could be written by any student after a bit if research in a library and there was nothing to worry about. While KGB set up discreet surveillance on literature related to nuclear weapons at 200 libraries in Soviet Union, Brezhnev didn’t respond to Nixon’s unofficial proposals until one day when Nixon was invited by Mao of China, Brezhnev’s recently made enemy and thus he feared China and US may make an unholy alliance against the Soviet Union. Thus, Nixon received an official invitation to visit the Soviet Union the following day and when Nixon visited, two separate disarmament treaties were signed, one concerning anti-ballistic missiles and other regarding strategic weapons. Then Nixon met the agent Allan at US Embassy in Moscow who had supplied crucial information and invited him for coffee. Allan and Yury continued to supply information and enjoy food, drink and good company of each other. However, even though Nixon had won reelection in 1972 but had to subsequently resign due to Watergate scandal, being accused of receiving illegal campaign donations, ordered secret bombings, persecuted enemies and used break-ins and telephone bugging. Meanwhile Allan and Yury toned down the Soviet capacity over the years as it seemed to satisfy every US President. The American budget for defence against nuclear weapons reached astronomical sums and Soviet Union couldn’t match it and the country seemed to crack at the seams. On November 10, 1982, Brezhnev died of a heart attack and at the next day intelligence meeting, Allan, Yury and Larissa decided to stop the non-sense. Allan informed Agent Hutton and CIA airlifted Yury and Larissa to the US and given an apartment in Manhattan and they both died in 1984, Larissa three months after Yury. As Allan informed the US Embassy at Moscow that he was leaving, the section discovered that Allan had only been paid the additional foreign allowance during the 13 years 5 months of his service and Allan was assured that he would be paid via cheque as soon as he reported to US Embassy at Stockholm.
Chapter 27:
Allan called Amanda and she was more than happy to welcome Allan and the team. To arrange for the travel, Beauty called the nearby military airfield in Sweden but they refused and then she was refused by the German airline also. Finally an Indonesian transport company agreed to take them to Bali for a reasonable fee. So, Benny and Julius arranged the false papers for the elephant and also false Veterinary Certificate for Benny. Thus, the team along with Aronsson and Pike’s mother boarded the Boeing 747 and as they approached the Bali International Airport, Allan talked Dollars to the Air Traffic Controller, exactly 100,000 Dollars and then doubled it. They all landed and reached the hotel owned by Amanda where Mao and Allan Einstein along with her met them. Everyone enjoyed at the hotel with their drinks and the evening Balinese party. Everybody enjoyed there all the time and Amanda proposed and married Allan.
Prosecutor Ranelid addressed the media with the story presented to him by the team and blamed the dog Kicki for wrongly identifying the body on the trolley when there was none actually. Ranelid had to say that an investigation would be carried on the death of Bucket but he was able to save his skin on the escape of Allan’s episode. The investigation into the death of Bucket ended as the drunkard didn’t know who gave him the car to be taken to the scrap yard. Ranelid also went on a holiday to Canary Islands.
Chapter 28:
The salary from the US Embassy helped Allan found a little cottage near his earlier place and the Swedish authorities paid him pension too. He leisurely spent his time, reading the newspaper and also got himself a cat which appeared at his one on his birthday. He named it Molotov and both enjoyed each other’s company, until one day the fox caught up with the ageing cat and that made Allan very sad and thus angry and put revenge as his agenda even though he knew revenge was a poor thing to live for. So Allan set an explosive charge beside the chicken coop and as the fox came lurking to the chicken coop, an explosion far greater than ever heard in the area took place and the fox was blown into little pieces and Allan too flew in the air in his armchair. Allan was 99 years old and had blown his own place. The social services came and the Social worker Henrik Soder took him to a hotel in Flenn. By January, 2005, Henrik got Allan into the Malmkoping’s Old People’s Home and there he felt his life was over listening to Director Alice’s rules. He slept the first night at the Old People’s Home thinking that he would never wake up but he was woken up by Director Alice for breakfast. Days passed and Allan longed for death as Herbert did once. Lastly the staff at the Home started preparing for Allan’s 100th birthday and Allan felt it as the last night in which to die.
Chapter 29:
It is a repeat of Chapter 1, the beginning and the end of the story.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

My Suggestions for Answer Writing in the Mains Examination..!!


Here is my opinion for the success in the Civil Services Mains Examination.
I shall try to give a rational argument for each of my suggestions. If u feel they may be helpful, implement them according to your needs and if you feel they were not helpful, pardon me for wasting your time. I implemented these measures and got a decent rank in the Civil Services Examination recently. Many, including myself, believe that the rank is not up to my expectations and my hard work but i and you all must remember that we have no idea how much hard others have worked and its a competitive examination. So if other person worked harder or smarter than you, you are defeated no matter how much effort you put in.

Also, remember Luck has its role in the making of a civil servant but it will come into picture only when you have given your best.

1) In my opinion, the most important thing is that you LOOK AT THE QUESTION (whose answer you are writing) AFTER EVERY 30-40 WORDS (or every para) you have written in the answer. Make it a habit to look at the question again and again. Do it for Essays also

Rationale: We generally read the question once, make an overview of the answer to be written, in our mind, and then start writing the answer, without looking at the question again because we believe that we have read everything that was there in the question and have even framed an answer and so there is no need to re-read the question again. Also we consider it to be a distraction and a waste of time to read the question again and again.
But this is not the case. It has happened with me a number of times that i read a question once, made an answer in mind and wrote the answer. Then after the examination, while discussing or while checking the answer sheets (in school and college exams), i came to know that i had written 'What' instead of 'Why' or 'How' instead of 'What' or such way. This is frustrating. Teachers have always guided us that read the question carefully, which can solve this problem. That is correct. But another problem persists where we deviate from the topic and start writing all we know about the topic in the exam rather than what is being asked. This especially happens in case of Essays and long question answers. In UPSC, though 60 markers were generally considered long but in my opinion, even 20-30 markers, wherein we have to write close to 200-300 words, we can deviate from the answer at every 40 words (or at every para) and thus, get less marks. By looking at the question again and again while writing its answer, you not only make sure that you don't deviate from the topic but also make sure that you only write relevant things about the topic and not everything that you knew. Similar is the case with Essay where we have to write so much that we can very easily get deviated. So by looking at the essay topic again and again, we stay stuck to the topic and write meaningful and relevant things. I hope i have clarified my argument.

2) As part of answer writing for Optionals, another suggestion that i consider stood out for me is that IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO START YOUR ANSWER 2 STEPS BEHIND THE QUESTION (what is being asked) AND END YOUR ANSWER TWO STEPS AFTER THE QUESTION (where the answer ends according to question)

Explanation through examples in a couple of optionals:
(a) PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION: Question – “The success of Taylor’s Scientific Management theory led to the development of the Human Relations Theory.” Comment? (The question is only an example and not the real question)
Answer - In this case, you can not really start with How/How not the success of SMT led to the development of HRT. You have to first explain what is SMT and how it developed (this is what I mean by TWO STEPS BACK) and then when you have explained that how its success led to/ didn’t lead to the development of HRT, then I would suggest to end the answer with the contribution of HRT through the success/failure of SMT.
(b) GEOGRAPHY: Question – “The problem of urban waste management is a serious menace to overcome”. Comment? (The question is just an illustration and not the real question)
Answer – Here again, the answer (in my opinion) should ideally start from what do you mean by UWM and what are the various ways through which it is generated and then move on to the problems, rather than beginning the answer with the problems of UWM. And the answer should be concluded with what is being done to manage the menace of UWM and what further measures can be taken, rather than concluding the answer at the problems only. (Therefore TWO STEPS FORWARD)

HERE I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO SUGGEST THAT THE SUGGESTIONS SHOULD FORM A PART OF ALMOST EVERY ANALYTICAL QUESTION, though not much of the factual questions. And therefore, ARC 2 is highly recommended for Public Administration students and while going through it, focus not only on the recommendations part but also on the problems that are aimed to be solved through those recommendations.

3) ALWAYS WRITE ALL THE POINTS IN THE ANSWER, BOTH NEGATIVE AND POSITIVE, WITHOUT TAKING MUCH INTO CONSIDERATION THE NUMBER OF WORDS YOU HAVE WRITTEN.

Rationale: I will try to explain this point through the help of a common example (in the form of a story) which almost every aspirant faces during his preparation for the Civil Services Exam:

One day a New Civil Service Aspirant visits his friend who has recently scored a top rank in the examination, enough to be an IAS. Now the aspirant asks him “WHAT SUBJECT SHOULD I CHOOSE AS MY 2ND OPTIONALS FOR MAINS, apart from mathematics? I am confused BETWEEN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND GEOGRAPHY.”

The IAS answers that “CHOOSE PUB-AD”
The Aspirant asks “WHY PUB-AD”
The IAS replies “BECAUSE ITS SCORING, SHORTER SYLLABUS AND HELPS UNDERSTAND THE JOB OF AN ADMINISTRATOR. ALSO HELPS IN GS”
The Aspirant goes back home but returns back and asks “MY FRIENDS TOLD ME THAT GEOGRAPHY IS ALSO VERY SCORING, HELPS IN GS AND ALSO IS VERY SCIENTIFIC, KEEPING IN MIND MY SCIENTIFIC BACKGROUND (Engineering)”
The IAS replies ”YES ITS TRUE. BUT GEOGRAPHY IS VERY LENGTHY”
The Aspirant returns back the next day to ask ”BUT IN P.A. WE HAVE TO READ A LOT OF REPORTS AND I WONT BE ABLE TO READ THOSE REPORTS”
The IAS replies “BUT IN GEOGRAPHY YOU WILL HAVE TO REMEMBER A LOT WHICH IS NOT EASY WHILE IN PA, THERE IS NOTHING MUCH TO REMEMBER”

Now, my story and the answers in it may not sound convincing but I hope I am able to make the point out of it. In this story, we realize that if the IAS had given the comparative Pros and Cons of each of the optional subjects, it would have saved both the IAS and the Aspirant a lot of energy and time. The similar is the case with our papers, the only difference being that WE WOULD NOT BE SITTING BESIDES OUR EXAMINERS AND EXPLAINING THEM EACH OF OUR POINTS. We need to explain everything that is asked in the question to save ourselves from losing any marks.

And the word-limit put by the UPSC for each question is only a guideline to the students to enable them to finish the exam in time. (There is no source for this information but I am saying this is because in any of my optionals, I never wrote a 20/30 marker in less than 300/400 words and still got enough marks to be somewhere in the final list. Had there been a word-limit, I am sure not to have cleared the mains even once. However, I was able to write this much and still complete the paper was because I write pretty fast and that too in decent handwriting. This applies in GS also, but the problem is that mostly we are short of material to write or have too less time to even reach the word limit)

4) Though I USUALLY PREFERRED WRITING IN POINTS, its your individual choice whether to write in points or paras because it hardly makes a difference to the examiner as all students who write good get marks.

I would like to share this that the quality of your answer matters the most and then only your handwriting. This is depicted as the examiners who are checking the exams are constantly insisted upon by the officials to be extremely careful in checking the answer sheets of all the candidates. (Again there is no basis for this statement but an observation proved correct again and again.)

5) Always end the question on a positive note. This can be done either by writing the importance of the topic/writer, or by suggesting ways for improvement, or by highlighting the measures taken by the government for the improvement.

6) I guess i missed it at point#2 but i should write it here. Answer writing is the most important thing for this examinations (the mains part). Write as many answers as possible. Show it to anyone - your friends, teachers, etc. But do also read it yourself. You will realize that you automatically become the examiner while going through your answer. Make it a habit to write at least an answer each day. You may start by writing with open notes and books but do write. I can not emphasise on anything more than answer writing. Thats why this should be Priority#2.
Rationale: When you write with an open book you will know that what can be the best answer to that question. Generally we dont know what can even be the best answer in our opinion. So writing with open notes gives us a benchmark towards which we can strive in our preparation. Further, we read and memorize so much information for this examination but whats the use if i am not implementing it. So writing is the method through which you test all your answer writing strategies (like whether writing in points or paras is beneficial,etc.). Also, you will be able to manage your time well.

I sincerely hope that i did not waste your time. All the best. God Bless.


Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Do you think this is akin to bribery?

Today I went to Talkatora international swimming pool to give trials to do swimming at the venue. I had not carried all the required documents like the medical certificate, which would declare me fit for swimming. I talked to a coach who allowed me to give the trials on the condition that if I am successful in completing 100 meters in the pool smoothly, I shall produce all the remaining documents and thus be admitted for swimming.

(Trials are held only to certify that the person will not drown in the pool, though coaches are present at the sidelines of the pool.)

Though I confidently went into the pool but only after a lot of effort and repeated breaks could I finally complete the required 100 meters. I must admit that 100 meters is easy for any good swimmer. But since I was getting into the swimming pool after a very long time and that too without any practice, it was a difficult task for me.
The coach called me aside and told me that he thinks I swam decent enough and shall be admitted. I said ok. After I came back from the changing room, he said that he had cleared me in the trials and now I was only required to submit the remaining documents and the fee before I could become a member.

Then, on the way back to the gate, he told me that I needed some coaching. So I should visit him at a school in R K Puram and get my movements corrected before I become a member here. He also told me that his fees for the COACHING would be INR 3000 (though the fee here is 300 per month).

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Marksheet for CSE 2011

Hi everyone,
 The UPSC has published the marks civil services main examination and personality test for the year 2011 for which I had appeared and got a rank of 437. I had appeared in the examination in 2010 also, though I did not get a rank. I would like to take this opportunity to compare my performances over the two years on the basis of my marks and my perception towards the papers that i undertook.

2010 marks:
Essay - 118
I had written just one essay before the final exam and shown it to my teachers whose views i had solicited and tried to include in the final exam.Since this was my first attempt and had little idea about the UPSC marking, I had no expectations of marks but thought that 100 would be a decent enough score.

General Studies - 136 + 98
I had no idea how i got such marks which were considered good that year. I had tried to follow THE HINDU throughout the preparation.

Public Administration - 169 + 133
I had Pub Ad as my optional in the prelims also that year and with 2 months preparation for the mains examination, I was happy to achieve the score of 302. But i was shattered to see every other person scoring around 350 in Pub Ad that year.

Philosophy - 132 + 147
The amount of hard work I had put in this subject's preparation, I was really annoyed to look at my marks especially when the highest score in the subject that year was 419.

Interview - 121
One of the worst interviews which I shall write about in my next post but i was the very hopeful of obtaining good marks from it.

The result was that I got 1054 marks out of 2300 while the cut off was 1133 marks that year.

The following year I expected very good marks in Philosophy and General Studies as their papers went good. The essay had not been up to the expectations and I prayed a score of 100 again. I expected comparatively lower scores from Public Administration as the paper did not go very good. Again the dampener was expected to be the Interview.

However, just like the last year's results, this years results are also completely against expectations.

2011 marks:
Essay - 97
General Studies - 112 + 115
Public Administration - 170 + 158
Philosophy - 158 + 136
Interview - 165
Total - 1111


The results depict how incorrectly I perceive my performance in the examination.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

My body, My life...

We r born with two eyes in front bcoz
we must always look ahead and never behind,
We should see what lies beyond ourselves.

We r born with two ears: one left and one right
so that we can hear both sides: compliments & criticism,
And accept what is right.

We r born with a brain concealed in the skull
that always ensures that we are rich, no matter how we r and where we are,
For no one can steal what lies in our brain, packed more jewels than the world can contain.

We r born with two eyes and two ears, but one mouth:
for the mouth is a sharp weapon
that can hurt, flirt, & kill.

Remember our motto:
Talk less, see more and 
Listen most.

Alas, We r born with only one heart deep beneath our ribs
that reminds us to appreciate & give love from deep within...

Thursday, December 8, 2011

She did it…!!!



It was my last day of stay in Delhi. I was to return home that day via train. The train was to depart from New Delhi railway station at 2:35pm. It’s not every time that you call up someone special and ask her if she can come to drop you at the station. It’s not because you don’t have any conveyance to the station because being in Delhi, you have metro – the best vehicle at your disposal which is the fastest, the safest as well as the cheapest. But you call because you know she is someone special and if she is there, you don’t need anything else. She said no. She had to take her mother somewhere and no wonder moms certainly come before friends.
I woke up at my friends’ place at around 12 noon. As the usual late comer that I am, I knew I will have to hurry up to be at the station by 2:35. Slowly and steadily, I had my bath, prepared my stuff and had my breakfast. I was up and ready to leave by around 1:40pm. A 10 minute auto ride to the metro station and a 5 minute check at the station meant it was almost 2 by the time I boarded the metro. I had estimated that the metro would take me around 25 minutes to the railway station as there were 7 stations to be crossed and I approximately assumed 3 minutes per stop (This actually forms a guess estimate problem which I had been fighting so bravely in my interview a couple of days back. So I guess if I were to get placed in that company that my estimate would be right- or the so-called approach would be correct and this only means that I will be missing my train. So either I miss my train but get the job or I get the train but miss the job :-P. But actually I was not willing to let anything go).
All this while from when I left my friends’ place till I reached the railway station, I was constantly talking to her and she was busy driving her car, taking her mom to her destination. So she was cutting my phone and I had thought that it is always difficult to talk on phone with your family around.
I reached the station at around 2:15. The metro was real quick and my estimates were certainly way beyond the reality. Now as I was moving towards my platform, I was talking. She said she was waiting in the car for her mother. I reached my coach. I kept my luggage. I got her call. She asked me where I am. At this time, there was this announcement going on the station about the departure of my train at the scheduled time of 2:35pm. Due to this I couldn’t hear her voice clearly. But more than that I also missed something else (I will tell this later).
The call was cut and I called her up again. The time was 2:30 already. Her phone was busy (Guess what- she was herself calling me..!!). I cut the call. I was in no hurry to talk to her as I knew that I could talk to her even once the train started running. But she was desperate. She was desperately trying my number. I picked up. She just asked”Have you reached the train?” I replied in affirmative. She said that then why can’t she see me at the station? I thought she must be kidding as she must be with her mom. So, I asked which platform was she at. I knew that if she could reply to that then she was there right in front of the train. She replied platform 10. I now knew she was already here. I now remembered that I had in the conversation that day, already told her that my coach was D7 and my ticket number was 007.
Now it was my turn to run again as she had earlier (She had come to station just around 2:25 and had just come from a couple of traffic jams on the busy Delhi roads). I asked her that in front of which coach was she standing and what was she wearing. As soon as I heard the words C4 and blue shirt, I ran. I knew where she was and didn’t want to miss meeting her – the girl who had especially come to see me off at the New Delhi Railway Station. It was after some 25 meters that she was so close to me as never before and a hug took all the tension out of our minds. The horn of the train rang and people thronged in numbers to enter the train. I was still with her. It was only when the train had achieved considerable speed and had even crossed the point where I was standing that I ran for one last time, leaving her arms to enter the train.
She had done it. And I fell for her…
Regards
Rahul…