Monday 10 January 2022

Becoming Seventy!

What do you do as you turn seventy?

"Seventy is getting old, yet not old enough." Do you agree?

What did Ghumakkad do as he turned 70? More so during the Covid/ Omicron pandemic?

Well here is a flashback of what all I did as I entered the week of my 70th birthday.


Firstly I learnt how to crush sugar cane with manual labour! Yes, it was fascinating to take out fresh sugar cane juice at a road side kiosk. Manned by a lone middle aged lady from nearby village, the kiosk is 100% eco-friendly. No electric motor or petrol pump. Just two wooden rollers operated by hand! See the picture below.


There was not one but many such manual crushers on the stretch of the Karimnagar highway between Hakimpet and Thumukunta. See the 20-second video clip below to feel the energy required to take out just two glasses of sugar cane juice. Hat tip to the lady for all the manual labour everyday!

Talking of technology, look at the bevel gears made of solid wood. Am sure the village carpenters must have created it generation after generation! The geared rollers are eco friendly as well as hygienic. See the pictures below.

Secondly, I continued my manual labour by peeling 10 kgs of sweet peas! But don't ask me what happened to the most tender peas while peeling?

As you can see in the picture, the peas were being peeled in our garden. This 70-year-old loves shooting the flowers specially with the morning glow!



Thirdly, I explored the country side near our area. Whether a papaya plantation, Cheeku orchard, a village lake or a road blocked by a herd of goats, Ghumakkad's lens kept clicking.




The road goes past the College where Ghumakkad presently teaches. That's what keeps me going- to learn together with the students!

Fourthly, being an eternal nature lover, I spotted a snake skin of a longish rat snake. It was shining in the noon sun in a plotted layout not frequented by the owners. The snakes are known to shed their skin every 3 months or so. Since we had a snake skin at home, I did not disturb it and left it there. Pictures below.


Fifthly, I continued to enjoy morning golf. Whether on a foggy morning or a clear day, being on a golf course is always a bliss.




Readers may browse our earlier stories on golf listed below:

Is golf like yoga?

Why I love golfing?

Sixthly, 70-year-olds love sweets- even during the breakfast. See the picture of Gajar Halwa (Carrot pudding) on crisp toast with butter!

Lastly, I celebrated the birthday with friends and family both online and offline. Sharing two pictures of the face-to-face celebration first.

Being the 70th birthday, our children put in lot of effort to organise not one but four different online calls. Each of these online celebrations brought lot of nostalgia and warmth. It also put the birthday boy on the mat by asking him live questions! What fun it was! The messages sent by family and friends can be seen in the video links given below. The background score in all the videos is by our grandson Ansh in Chennai. Ansh has his YouTube channel, do subscribe to it.

The first video contains messages from the family.


The second video contains messages from near and dear ones including two of my former students.

The third video has Ghumakkad's Naval family. It includes two specially composed pieces one each in Hindi and English. Do browse.

And the last video contains messages from some of the BITS buddies and pieces of my heart.

We thank each and every member of our family and friends for their warm messages. It was simply overwhelming. Your love and blessings keep us going!
In addition, Nikhil our grandson in California played Rasputin by Boney M on his drums specially for me. See the YouTube clip here.

Not to be left behind, Anuva our 9-year-old grand daughter in Chennai who is learning piano, played the Happy Birthday tune for her Dadu. 

May God give such loving and caring family and friends to everybody.

There was only one regret- the pandemic prevented people from travelling. God willing we hope to have your blessings again on the 75th birthday in 2027!

Thanks again for your presence, calls, messages, posts, pictures and those who forgot- thanks for having me in your thoughts. We close with the motto of an Infantry Division in India which says 'Bash on Regardless'.

Here is some cake for you!

God bless and lots of love

   - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad with Neeta Bhargava/9th Jan 2022

#70thbirthday #turningseventy #weeklong70thbirthday #70isnotold #youngat70 #lifebeginsatseventy #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh #gratitude #forevergrateful #friendsmakeadifference #70yearoldhiker #70yearoldphotographer #70yearoldgolfer #70yearoldnaturelover 

67 comments:

  1. Happy Birthday, Harsh Sir ! You are 70 years young and seem to have just learnt to be 30, by the look of your energetic activities of the day !
    God bless you with good health and another 70 more years of energetic living !

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  2. Happy Birthday Capricornian !
    Wish you good health and joy with lots and lots of wonderful years ahead !

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  3. Happy birthday to a guru, from whom I have learnt professionally, and much more on how to live, and enjoy each moment of life, as if it is the first, or last. Sir, the journey has been most beautiful from the first interaction of ours onboard the damsel Gomati. Archana joins me in wishing you a lifetime of good health, happiness and wanderings. May the sweetness of sugar sustain in all your celebrations. Warm regards to ma'am.

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    1. Thanks much Archana and Raghu. My inspiration comes from younger folks like you. God bless.

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  4. What a fulfilling day Harsh. Tushi great ho. God bless you with another 70years. Cheers

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    1. Thanks much Vinod. Buddies like you bring cheer in one's life!

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  5. Happy Birthday once again Harsh. You have certainly earned all the affection you richly deserve
    Happy New Year

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    1. Thanks much Sir. Coming from my former instructor means a lot!

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  6. A very happy 70th birthday and many more wonderful ones to come. Stay blessed

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  7. Dear harsh, what an amazing blog, Ghunakkad ----- represents every inch of you. Full of your amazing qualities and facets, which has always attracted me to you as a close friend your grand children are wonderful musicians and your love of nature is overflowing in the multitude of pictures that you sent. Warm regards and happy 70th ! Anand

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    1. Thanks much Sir. Your mentorship has been instrumental in shaping our minds. Grateful.

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  8. Dear Prof Harsh
    Lovely writing and nice pictures. Welcome to our special club of seventies. My best wishes and may God bless you with health and happiness.
    Regards
    T R Sankaranarayanan

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    1. Thanks much Prof. Following in your foot steps, albeit slowly. Regards.

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  9. जन्मदिन की बधाई हो, सर! :)

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  10. Interesting and a nice blog. Wish you many happy returns of the day. I will join you at 70 next month.

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    1. Congratulations in advance Paddy and welcome to the club.

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  11. Such a beautiful blog sir!! Happy 70th birthday sir.

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  12. Happy Birthday, Harsh Sir. Wishing that you always stay young at heart.

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    1. With your good wishes Rama, Insha Allah!

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    2. Touched by your decency in replying to all the

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  13. Happy 70th uncle!! With your kind of zest for life, I peg you at 17, not 70. May you continue to be young at heart. Here's to you having your greatest year yet.
    Happy birthday!!
    Jai

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    1. Thanks so much Jai. Our next hike together is long overdue. Looking forward to your next visit to Hyderabad.

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  14. Happy Birthday Sir. Liked the blog.

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  15. Happy Birthday Sir. Stay blessed.

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  16. Wish you a very happy birthday Harsh...May you have many more such loving and fun filled birthdays!!....loved this blog

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    1. Thanks much Ratnaja. My inspiration comes from talented and accomplished persons like you. Always.

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  17. 70 years of unfettered joy! Way to go buddy!!

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  18. Wishing you a very happy birthday bhaiya 🎂💐

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  19. Congrats Harsh,You are 70,going on 71, ( growing on ) young & energetic as ever. Wishing you excellent health & joyfulness.

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  20. What a wonderfull way to celebrate .
    God Bless, wish you many many more years of Joy .And keep the Ghummakad alive and kicking in you

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    1. Thanks much Shiv. Friends like you keep me going!

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  21. Happy birthday dear Harsh Barghav! Wishing you many happy returns of the day! God Bless!

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  22. Happy birthday Sir, Wishing you health and happiness...

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    1. Thanks much Deepak. Friends like you keep me going!

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  23. Looking at you one can believe that 70 is the new 25 Sir.

    Happy sailing through the years to come.

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    1. Thanks much Jai. Your adventurous spirit inspires me.

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  24. Bhai Sahab !
    Keep ur hobbies alive.
    Many more such milestones will be achieved.
    Stay blessed and happy 🌹💓

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  25. Happy birthday.
    Many happy returns of the day.
    Hope you have many more healthy and blissfull years in the future.

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    1. Thanks much Sangeeta. Hope you all are doing fine.

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  26. Happy birthday Harsh! God bless you and your family. Lots of love... Mikky and Rashmi

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    1. Thanks much Jiji and Jijaji. Hope you all are safe and sound in California.

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  27. We too enjoyed talking online to you on your 70th Birthday. Thanks to Ankush and Ashi for online arrangement. Nice experience.

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    1. Thanks much Jijaji. Your message was so warm and affectionate. Thanks again to you both.

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  28. Mouth watering chalata khana.

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  29. Wish you a very Happy 70th Birthday Sir! Your love for life & enjoying the smallest of things around you is inspiring!

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  30. Thanks Harsh. It was wonderful reading. Once more Wishing you the very best in your post seventy innings.Good luck and all the best.

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  31. Happy Birthday Harsh. Belated but fresh wishes anyway. Glad you could spend the milestone day revelling in Nature and with the joy of family and friends. Here's to may more Ghumakkading Years.

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  32. Wonderful , ding so many things and appreciating everything what you saw was amazing , you r as young as you were in childhood / youth ! keep clicking and publishing , it is so refreshing ! I just finished 71 and loving it !

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    1. Thanks much Naresh. Appreciate your warm wishes. Hopefully we can do some golfing together in coming years.

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  33. Could be just another day in life? Vivek S Batra

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