Kangaroos bouncing on snow ask ‘How’s the josh’?

The mention of 26th January brings to mind the days of GIC Badaun when every student used to think of getting laddoos and I used to worry about which patriotic poems to recite on the stage. Since my father was a teacher in the same school, there was no way to escape. Be it Republic Day, Independence Day or Gandhi’s birthday, on all these important days my responsibility was the same, preparing and presenting cultural programs, not one, not two, but three or more. When I joined the profession of journalism in Delhi, I was assigned the beat of the Ministry of Defence to cover. Due to this privilege, there were exclusive opportunities to attend the Republic Day programs, be it passing out of the grand Parade on the Rajpath to the Beating Retreat near the President’s House. If there seems to be any best and relaxing place in Delhi, then it is the area around India Gate. One feels immense satisfaction and pride to see Indian monuments of national importance.
People in Australia, the country of kangaroos and koalas, must also be feeling great today, because this beautiful country was established as a British colony in 1788, on 26 January, when the first governor of New South Wales visited Sydney to hoist the flag of the Union Jack for the first time. It’s a fact that the Australian Alps receive more snowfall than the Swiss Alps. By the way, heavy snowfall is reported this week in the Himalayan states as well. From Kashmir to Himachal Pradesh and the high reaches in Uttarakhand, the hill stations are covered with snow. Snow has accumulated up to ten feet high around the Kedarnath temple. Shimla in Himachal has turned white under the snow and to enjoy it, tourists have made a beeline to see the queen of the mountains. Traders say that 80 percent of Shimla hotels are full and rooms are being charged up to three times the usual price. By the way, there is nothing wrong with this, because the tourism industry has gone through a very bad phase in the last two years. Secondly, making arrangements for food and lodging during snowfall also becomes more difficult than on normal days.
Seeing the huge tricolour fluttering proudly on Shimla’s Ridge Maidan amidst snowfall, one’s mind can wander to Australia that kangaroos will be jumping happily there too. The Meteorological Department estimates that this time in January, snowfall and rain have broken the records of the last several years. When there is snowfall on the mountains, the plains start freezing. Not only Delhi, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, this time the cold waves have reached up to Mumbai. The weather in Mumbai is generally pleasant these days and people often sleep in their homes with fans on. But for now, there will be an effect of cold weather for the next three to four days. After the rains in January, there is a heavy fog expected in the plains. While night curfew has been imposed in many states, fog has also arrived to put its stamp. In such a situation, Republic Day comes to ask, ‘How’s the josh’?