Friday, January 31, 2014

MY MARRIAGE IS ON THE ROCKS

HUMOR IN AND OUT OF UNIFORM 

MY MARRIAGE IS ON THE ROCKS

Here is a story from my Humor in Uniform archives - I wrote this a few months ago and am posting it once more your perusal...

A CASE OF “MARITAL DISCORD”
Memories of My Navy Life
By
VIKRAM KARVE 

Disclaimer:
1. Please read this apocryphal story only if you have a sense of humor. This yarn is a spoof, pure fiction, just for fun and humor, no offence is meant to anyone, so take it with a pinch of salt and have a laugh.
2.  This story is a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the story are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice:
No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.
Copyright © Vikram Karve (all rights reserved)


MY MARRIAGE IS ON THE ROCKS – an Apocryphal Story by Vikram Karve

NOWA  SODA  NWWA  LOHA  (The Navy Ladies)

In the 1970’s, when you were carefree navy bachelor serving on a ship, especially in Mumbai, there was so much fun and life outside, that you barely knew what naval wives did, except for the occasional social interaction during one of those rare ship’s wardroom parties where ladies were invited.

Of course, you had probably heard of an organisation called Naval Officers Wives Association (NOWA) especially if your Captain’s wife was one those active social bees.

But if you were a smart career conscious “upwardly-mobile” single naval officer it made sense to hobnob with SODA.

No, I don’t mean the “soda” you mix with whisky.

I am referring to Senior Officers Daughters Association (SODA).

Needless to say, acquiring a SODA wife had great advantages because you suddenly acquired lots of influential “uncles” and “aunties” in the service.

Now, once a “SODA” daughter married a naval officer she also became a “NOWA” wife.

A double benefit “SODA + NOWA” wife was an unbeatable winning combination guaranteed to propel you to high rank.

Now, with the entry of lady officers in the navy, maybe it would be a good idea to start a Lady Officers Husbands Association (LOHA) for the husbands of lady naval officers.

Unfortunately, I did not have the honour of becoming a member of any of these exalted associations.

1. I was not the wife of a naval officer, so I was not eligible for NOWA

2. I was not the daughter of a senior naval officer, so SODA was out of the reckoning.

3. I was not the husband of a lady naval officer, so no LOHA for me.

But I am still confused about one thing.

Suppose a female naval officer marries a male naval officer.

Can the lady naval officer become a member of NOWA?

Or can the naval husband of the naval lady officer become a member of LOHA?

Can you wear uniform and still be a member of these “social” organisations by virtue of your marriage?

I am sure some knowledgeable veteran will clear this doubt and tell us – if so, why so and if not, why not.

When I got married in 1982 my newly wedded wife automatically became a member of NOWA.

I discovered this when I saw my monthly mess bill and found that my NOWA contribution had been duly deducted.

In the navy you have no choice in these matters.

Whether you want it or not, the moment you get married, your wife becomes a member of NOWA and the subscription is compulsorily deducted.  

However, at that time, the Chief of the Naval Staff was a lifelong confirmed bachelor.

He was a true devoted sea dog “married to the navy” who probably didn’t care much for wives associations.

So, in the absence of a “first lady”, it seemed that NOWA was adrift and defunct, at least in New Delhi, where I was posted at that time.

Meanwhile, my wife started working, and I don’t recall her going to any NOWA event.

In fact, except for the “Ladies Club” at IAT Pune (an inter-service institution) which she regularly attended, I don’t think she participated in NOWA at Mumbai – we lived quite far away, I was busy on a ship and she was busy with our small son.

The only time my wife actively participated in NWWA was when we were posted to Vizag (Visakhapatnam).

Yes, you read right. 

It was NWWA now – sometime in the mid 1980’s NOWA was renamed as NWWA.

We love changing names – names of roads are changed, names of cities have been changed.

In the Navy too, “Supply and Secretariat” (S&S) Branch became “Logistics”, TAS became ASW, inter-service training “schools” became “colleges” and “institutes”, and even NHQ has become IHQ.

Similarly, Naval Officers Wives Association (NOWA) was now re-christened as Navy Wives Welfare Association (NWWA)

Those were halcyon NWWA days in Vizag which was jokingly called the “Entertainment Naval Command” (ENC), the others being the “Working Naval Command” (WNC) and “Sleeping Naval Command” (SNC).

My son had started going to school, I was away sailing most of the time, and my “homemaker” wife thoroughly enjoyed NWWA activities and made lots of friends.

Besides events like those grand “husbands’ nights” parties with magnificent entertainment and delicious food,  NWWA did a lot of genuine welfare and education activities too, in which my wife loved to participate.

Once our daughter arrived, my wife had to taper off from NWWA activities to bring up the baby.

The incident I am about to narrate occurred during this period.


“MADE FOR EACH OTHER” CONTEST IN LIEU OF “NAVY QUEEN” CONTEST

The most eagerly awaited event of Naval Social Calendar is the annual Navy Ball held in December.

And the two highlights of the Navy Ball are the Fashion Show and the Navy Queen Contest.

We were surprised to see that the Vizag Navy Ball was much more grandiose than the Mumbai Navy Ball – the fashion show had top models walking the ramp and the Navy Queen Contest had the best of gorgeous beauties participating since this prestigious beauty pageant was a stepping stone for a career in showbiz and the glamour world.

Then things changed.

There was a new C-in-C.

His wife automatically became the ex officio head of NWWA by virtue of her husband’s appointment.

She was a staunch feminist and she had “progressive” ideas.

She decreed that there would be no “commodification” of women.

So the Navy Queen Contest was scrapped.

Instead of the Navy Queen Pageant, there would be a “made-for-each-other couple” contest.

Interest in the Navy Ball waned.

The sale of tickets for the Navy Ball fell sharply.

This problem was solved by compulsory sale of tickets to all officers.

The second problem was that there were no entries for the “made-for-each-other couple” contest.

The high profile Navy Queen Pageant was an open competition and used to attract a large number of entries from young ladies – from Vizag and even from places as far away as Calcutta (now Kolkata) Hyderabad, Bhubaneswar and Madras (now Chennai).

However, it seemed that no married couple wanted to sashay on the ramp for the “made-for-each-other couple” contest.

(Yes, only married couples were eligible for the “made-for-each-other couple” contest - the NWWA head-honcho was a feminist, but apparently she was not a “liberated” feminist).

Civilian couples of Vizag did not fancy parading on the ramp and it seemed the naval couples were also not too keen.

After years of Navy Queen Contests, people were quite skeptical about this new “made-for-each-other couple” contest.

So, there was not even a single entry for the “made-for-each-other couple” contest.

The powers-that-be were disappointed with the poor response.

So, NWWA was pressed into action.

All “young” wives were told to “report” with their husbands for the preliminary round of the “made-for-each-other couple” contest.

My wife ignored the missive.

She did not even tell me about it.

In fact, most naval wives did the same.

The result was that just three couples turned up for the preliminary round.

They could have crowned them then and there – as the winners and first and second runners up.

But this did not happen.

The “head honcho” of NWWA was furious.

She was determined to make a grand success of her “trailblazer” “made-for-each-other couple” contest which was being held for the first time in the Navy Ball.

Her prestige was at stake.

For her, the success of the “made-for-each-other couple” contest became a “prestige issue”.

So she pressed her cohorts into action.

Qualitative Requirements (QRs) were drawn up and “target couples” identified for the “made-for-each-other couple” contest

Lists of “target couples” were sent to ships and units and commanding officers were ordered to direct those officers and their lady wives to “volunteer” and be present for the preliminary round of the “made-for-each-other couple” contest that evening.

Simultaneously, similar parallel “directives” were passed on to the wives via NWWA channels.

Unfortunately, we, my wife and I, were a “target couple”.

A message was accordingly passed on to me that my wife and I should be present for the preliminary round of the contest at 7 in the evening – my wife in a Sari and me in Red Sea Rig uniform.

When I reached home, before I could speak, my agitated wife told me about the visit of some NWWA ladies.

She was upset.

She had told the NWWA flunkies that she did not want to leave our baby daughter alone and hence could not participate.

But they refused to listen saying that they had made baby care arrangements.   

When she bluntly told them that she was not interested in taking part in the contests, subtle hints were dropped that her “negative” attitude may not be good for my career.

Remember, this was the “Entertainment Naval Command”.

For my wife, this was the first time NWWA was exerting pressure and compelling her to do something she did not want to do.

I did not want to force my wife to do anything against her will, especially participate in such a contest that I thought was quite ludicrous.

We, my wife and me, did not go for the preliminary round for the “made-for-each-other” contest.


MY MARRIAGE IS ON THE ROCKS

Next morning, my boss, a Commodore, summoned me to his office.

“Look here. You know me. I never interfere in the personal lives of my officers. But I beg of you – please take your wife and go for that bloody preliminary round of the “made-for-each-other” contest in the evening,” he said.

“Sir, that was last evening,” I said.

“Only five couples landed up. So it is re-scheduled at 7 this evening. You buggers don’t go and we are being asked explanations from the top. Please make sure you go. I know you have a small son and a baby daughter. My wife will look after them. But you and your wife, for heaven’s sake, please go.”

“Sir, my wife …”

“No excuses. I don’t want to hear any excuses.”

“Sir, please listen …” I pleaded.

“What …?” my boss asked.

“My marriage is on the rocks. My wife and I, we are not on speaking terms. There is so much marital discord that it looks like my marriage is going to break up – it seems that we are heading for a divorce,” I said with a sad face.

“What? Divorce? Your marriage is on the rocks? You never told me all this!” my boss said with a surprised look on his face.

“I am sorry, Sir, but under these circumstances of marital discord, I don’t think it is appropriate for us to take part in the made-for-each-other-couple contest,” I said sheepishly.

“Okay. I can understand. I’ll tell them. But you must sort out things with your wife. You have children. You may have some marital discord but divorce is not a solution. You must try and make your marriage work. You must take some help in these matters. I’ll see what I can do. You can go now,” my boss said with a worried look on his face.

Back in my office I congratulated myself for my quick thinking which had extricated us from the “made-for-each-other couple” contest.

Then, I had a good laugh to myself.

While I was laughing, my boss was acting.

He made a two calls.

First, he called up the NWWA powers-that-be.

Then, he called up his wife.

The result was that NWWA was asked to intervene and try to “save” our marriage.

Now, ladies love to gossip, so the rumour mill was instantaneously abuzz and various theories were floated by “know-it-all” gossip-mongers.

“They are incompatible,” the more charitable one’s said.

But most agreed that I, as the husband, was to blame for the “breakdown” of our marriage and some let their imagination run wild and even painted me as a drunkard and wife-beater.

Luckily, the NWWA “marriage counsellor” lived directly above our house and she knew us well.

She got a call from the NWWA “head honcho” asking her to talk to us and then brief her on the “case”.

The “marriage counsellor” had a hearty laugh and she said, “I know them well. Nothing is wrong with their marriage. In fact, I had a chat with the wife just a few moments ago on the way up to my house. It looks like her husband is up to some mischief. I will tell her and she will straighten him out.”

“Are you sure?” the NWWA “head honcho” asked.

I have seen so many marriages. My marriage may break, your marriage may break, but they are not going to split – that’s for sure,” the NWWA “marriage counsellor” remarked about us.

In her opinion, my wife and me, were in fact a genuine made-for-each-other couple

They, the “marriage counsellor” neighbour, and my wife, were waiting for me in the evening.

I told them everything, and we had a big laugh.

And yes, thereafter, no one asked us to take part in the “made-for-each-other couple” contest, which was won by a truly “made-for-each-other couple” who were good friends of ours.

After this, for the rest of our tenure in Vizag, my embarrassed wife steered clear of NWWA in order to avoid the knowing looks of pity and sympathy (since rumours never die).

By the way, the “made-for-each-other couple” contest was scrapped and discarded the moment the C-in-C was posted out.

The new C-in-C made sure that the traditional Navy Queen pageant was started again and I think it continues to this day.

I don’t understand why some big-wigs have a penchant for changing things just for the heck of it – some change uniforms, others change ceremonial drill (you must have noticed the navy contingent indulging in army style noisy marching and slogan shouting eyes right during the Republic Day Parade), nomenclatures are changed (from “Supply & Secretariat” to “Logistics”, from “TAS” to “ASW”, from “NHQ” to “IHQ” etc etc), and so many things are changed for which no solid reason seems ostensible.

When I recall this story of the “made-for-each-other couple” contest, and when I think of all the things I saw being changed at the whims and fancies of the powers-that-be, I sometimes wonder whether the Navy is a “system based” organisation or a “personality driven” organisation.

VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve 
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work. 
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Disclaimer:
All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Copyright Notice:
No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.
Copyright © Vikram Karve (all rights reserved)

Did you like this story?
I am sure you will like the 27 short stories from my recently published anthology of Short Fiction COCKTAIL
To order your COCKTAIL please click any of the links below:
http://www.flipkart.com/cocktail-vikram-karve-short-stories-book-8191091844?affid=nme
http://www.indiaplaza.in/cocktail-vikram-karve/books/9788191091847.htm
http://www.apkpublishers.com/books/short-stories/cocktail-by-vikram-karve.html
COCKTAIL ebook
If you prefer reading ebooks on Kindle or your ebook reader, please order Cocktail E-book by clicking the links below:
AMAZON
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005MGERZ6
SMASHWORDS
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/87925

Foodie Book:  Appetite for a Stroll
If your are a Foodie you will like my book of Food Adventures APPETITE FOR A STROLL. Do order a copy from FLIPKART:
http://www.flipkart.com/appetite-stroll-vikram-karve/8190690094-gw23f9mr2o

About Vikram Karve

A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer and blogger. Educated at IIT Delhi, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and an anthology of short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional  and academic research papers in journals and edited in-house journals and magazines for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing and blogging. Vikram Karve lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.

Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Vikram Karve Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/vikramkarve
Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm
Email: vikramkarve@hotmail.com
Twitter: @vikramwkarve
      
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

HUMOR IN UNIFORM – FAUJI MEMSAHIB – “ASSET” or “LIABILITY” ?

HUMOR IN UNIFORM

FAUJI MEMSAHIB – “ASSET” or “LIABILITY” ?

From my Humor in Uniform Archives - a piece I had written a few months ago, once more, a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor, for a subtle laugh and food for thought...

Do Wives Still Matter in the Army, Navy and Air Force?
Incoherent Ramblings of a Retired Mind
By
VIKRAM KARVE

Disclaimer:
1. Please read this story only if you have a sense of humour. This is a spoof, a yarn, just for a laugh, no offence meant to anyone, so please take it with a pinch of salt.
2. This story is a work of fiction. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright Notice
No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.
Copyright © Vikram Karve (all rights reserved)

IS A MILITARY WIFE AN “ASSET” TO HER HUSBAND’S CAREER PROSPECTS?

We were all sitting in the wardroom discussing the recently arrived flag rank promotion signal.

It was a big surprise.

There was a Captain who we all admired.

He was a true Sea Dog who was universally acknowledged as an outstanding professional.

We were shocked to hear that this highly respected officer had been passed over for promotion to Rear Admiral.

And what was worse – a non-descript “armchair sailor” who had spent most of his time pushing files ashore had been promoted.

The quirk of fate was being hotly debated with emotions being fuelled by the intake of generous amounts of whisky.

“Never go to sea if you want to get promoted,” an officer said.

“What bloody injustice! They ignore a smart deserving officer and promote that stupid clueless dolt. Have you seen him?” another angry officer said loudly in disgust. 

“Have you seen his wife?” a voice was heard, from a dark corner of the wardroom.

I know what you are thinking.

You are probably imagining that she was a promiscuous sex bomb sleeping around and distributing sexual favours to get her husband promoted.

We thought the same thing too.

But a few days later, when we met the lady, we were in for a big surprise.

She was a most elegant, genteel, gracious and charming lady – an epitome of grace and poise.

She treated us with utmost courtesy and we were enchanted by her refinement, her polished manner and her dignified personality.

She was an embodiment of an ideal naval wife.

We normally say in naval jargon – ‘this sailor is an “asset” to the ship’.

In a similar way, this wife was an “asset” to her husband’s career prospects.

She embodied the saying: “Behind every successful man is a woman”.

We realized that, sometimes, wives do matter.

Of course, someone told me that wives matter more in the Army than in the Navy.

That a lifelong confirmed bachelor could become a Navy Chief (and many single officers rose to high naval rank) bears testimony to the fact that, at least in the navy, wives did not matter that much as far as an officer’s career prospects were concerned.

But my late father-in-law who was an army officer from the prestigious first course of the National Defence Academy (NDA) (or 1st JSW – as he liked to call it) once told me that one of his most distinguished coursemates, who was a true professional army officer, and who had won medals for valour in war, could not make it to the top, probably because he was a bachelor.

It appears that, in earlier days, as far as wives were concerned, there was a big difference between the navy and the army.

I really do not know whether things have changed now.


DO WIVES STILL MATTER IN THE MILITARY (ARMY NAVY AIR FORCE)?

When you join the navy as a carefree bachelor, you don’t care, or you don’t even know, about these intricacies.

At least, in the 1970’s, when we were young officers on board ships, wives did not matter much.

Those days most of us were bachelors, and we were so busy sailing, that we hardly knew the wives of married officers.

Yes, if you were on board a ship, wives did not matter – what mattered most is how well you did your job.

I am sure it is the same in field jobs in the army and flying duties in the air force.

Wives start gaining importance in “peacetime soldiering” where professionalism takes a back seat and other aspects start predominating.   

As we grew senior we gradually realised that wives did matter, especially in shore appointments and tri-service establishments, where there was more social interaction.

Please don’t misunderstand me.

I am not saying that your career prospects depended upon your wife’s attributes.

Far from it.

You had to be good in your job and deliver the goods.

Let me put it this way.

Other things being equal, the officer with a “better” wife did stand a better chance of getting a good ACR.

Like beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, the term “better” was highly subjective too and depended on how you (and your wife) were perceived by your boss (and the “first lady”).

I think things must have changed now.

Nowadays, most navy wives pursue their own careers (it must be the same with most military wives too).

These modern career women, the “new age” military wives, have an identity of their own, distinct from their husband’s identity.

They do not require the crutches of their husband’s rank for giving them status.

In fact, many military wives earn more money than their fauji husbands and many wives have better career prospects too.

Long back, for the traditional homemaker military wife, her husband’s career was the “be all and end all” of her life and all her efforts were towards boosting her husband’s career prospects.

Now, for a career woman married to a military officer, it may no longer be so, as the wife has her own career ambitions.

Traditional equations have changed, and these modern career women may not be willing to kowtow before the so-called “senior ladies”.

An old sea dog once said: There is nothing like “senior lady” in the navy. Yes, there are ladies who are wives of senior officers and that’s it!

As far the world of military wives is concerned, another interesting thing has happened.

In the 1990’s the defence forces opened their doors to women.

The advent of women into the hitherto aggressively male world of the military has changed things drastically.

The opportunity for workplace intimacy within the cocooned military environment made it easy for male and female officers to fall in love with each other and have intimate relationships.

The result of these “office romances” was that many men and women officers get married to each other.

Now, we have a new kind of “fauji” wife – the “uniformed memsahib”.


THE CHANGING FACE OF THE MILITARY WIFE

Look how things have changed.

1. First, we had the “full time” military wife whose only identity was her husband’s rank.

2. Then, we had the working “career woman” military wife who had her own separate identity which had nothing to do with her husband’s military rank.

3. And now we have the “uniformed memsahib” who has a military rank of her own (and if she prefers, she can flaunt her husband’s rank too).


ROLE AMBIGUITY OF THE UNIFORMED MEMSAHIB 

As far as the “uniformed memsahib” is concerned, is there a confusing role ambiguity?

What is her relationship with the so-called “senior ladies”?

If you go by actual facts, the official status of a woman officer is higher than that of a “senior lady” whose only claim to fame is her husband’s military rank.

Does the “uniformed memsahib” attend AWWA and NWWA meets?

You may not believe this, but these wives welfare organisations, AWWA, NWWA and AFWWA, have a rather “feudal” hierarchy where a wife’s “appointment” depends on husband’s rank.

What happens when a young lady army officer (say, a Captain) gets married to her boss, a Lieutenant Colonel, who is commanding the unit?

Does she become the “first lady” or does remain an ordinary officer serving in that unit?

Like I said, is there a confusing role ambiguity when a female officer gets married to a male officer and becomes a “uniformed memsahib”?

I do not think it is true, but someone once told me long back that he had heard that a lady officer was appointed as an “ADC” to a Senior Officer’s Wife in her capacity as President of the Wives Welfare Association.

I do not believe this, but if such things are happening, it is indeed shocking, and in such cases the women officers have themselves to blame for not maintaining the dignity of their rank.

The moot question remains:

In the “new age” military (army navy air force) – do wives still matter ?

VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve 
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work. 
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Disclaimer:
All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
NB
No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.
Copyright © Vikram Karve (All Rights Reserved)

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Did you like this post?  
I am sure you will like the 27 short stories from my recently published anthology of Short Fiction COCKTAIL
To order your COCKTAIL please click any of the links below:
http://www.flipkart.com/cocktail-vikram-karve-short-stories-book-8191091844?affid=nme
http://www.indiaplaza.in/cocktail-vikram-karve/books/9788191091847.htm
http://www.apkpublishers.com/books/short-stories/cocktail-by-vikram-karve.html
COCKTAIL ebook
If you prefer reading ebooks on Kindle or your ebook reader, please order Cocktail E-book by clicking the links below:
AMAZON
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005MGERZ6
SMASHWORDS
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/87925

Foodie Book:  Appetite for a Stroll
If your are a Foodie I am sure that you will like my book of Food Adventures APPETITE FOR A STROLL. Do order a copy from FLIPKART:
http://www.flipkart.com/appetite-stroll-vikram-karve/8190690094-gw23f9mr2o

About Vikram Karve

A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer and blogger. Educated at IIT Delhi, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and an anthology of short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional  and academic research papers in journals and edited in-house journals and magazines for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing and blogging. Vikram Karve lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.

Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Vikram Karve Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/vikramkarve
Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm
Email: vikramkarve@hotmail.com
Twitter: @vikramwkarve
      
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

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