Trip to Bandhavgarh Forest

No. of people - 8+1
People arriving  - 3 frm Delhi, 2+1 frm Mumbai, 2 frm Bhopal, 1 frm Pune
Mode of travel - Train, Kalingutkal Express; late by 2hrs; boarded at 8.30 p.m.
Boarding - 6 frm Gwl & 2 frm Bina
To - Umaria
Destination - Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, M.P; 35 kms by road frm Umaria


The adventure had begun. We all had awaited impatiently for this trip with a doubt hanging over our shoulders whether this trip would happen or not, which it finally did with the help of a ticket agent who could get confirmed tickets for us. And so here we are at the Gwalior railway station waiting for our train which we learn is late by 1 hr. Yes, someone did enquire about the timings from home and was sweetly told that the train was running as per schedule :(
Anyway, we do a lot of time pass on the station with each other as well as other people, well you know how Mr. Abhishek Jaju tends to get at his best in these situations.

Time is not right for girls to be born

Its not worth anymore to be born a girl..no one understands the importance. There was a time when girls were considered to be goddess. A girl  born to a family was considered to be auspicious. But times have changed fast. They are being killed in the womb and if not there then they are being raped at the age of 4, 5, 6, 16, 20, 40...if not then they are being harassed at workplace, if not then at home by some pervert people who can be anyone ranging from ur boyfriend to your husband, from your parents to your in-laws to the gaon-wallahs. Rampant killing of girl child in womb, nirbhaya rape case,  rape of a 5 yr old, rape of a 6 yr old, aarushi murder case, honour killings are all evidences suggesting that the time is not right for girls to be born. 

What do we do then? We cannot of course stop them from being born..we cannot stop them from being educated...we cannot stop them from working...we cannot stop them from partying with friends, we cannot stop them from being independent. But what do we do then? Let them be raped in this heinous way? Let them be strangulated by their own educated parents? Let them again and again be mentally tortured like there is no tomorrow. 

Time asks for men to change. Time is for them to understand that women are not a piece of satisfaction, women are not objects of gratification, women are not to be looked down upon.. they are not a piece of rag to be used and thrown as and when they wish..they are not to be raped in a bus by 5 kaminey men, they are not to be robbed of their innocence at the age of 4, 5, 6...they are not to be stangulated for being overfriendly with their servant, they are not be killed in wombs, they are not what men make out of them.

Please respect the girl in all forms be it ur daughter, wife, daughter-in-law, mother, friend, stranger...Pleeesee.. 

A tribute to Justice Markandey Katju

One of the finest judges I have ever experienced in my career, he is that rare judge before whom no senior holds his face value and before whom no junior will ever lose his face. Yes, I am pretty new in the profession as per the standards set by the bar for a lawyer to be accepted as knowledgeable, but I am not new to the manner exploited by that rare impatient judge who does not acknowledge frivolous cases and throws it off with a curt "Dismiss". I even agree with the majority of my brethren that this particular judge was a little ruthless and did not even hear out the case made out by the parties and on his own accord dismissed it. But I do not agree with the notion that he was not a fairjudge, the word "fair" having been interpreted by each and every lawyer in his own words depending on the fact whether the lawyer is appearing for the petitioner or for the respondent. The reason for his harshness was to send out a message that "you cannot file frivolous cases in the Supreme Court and get away with it". A clear message that the time of the Court is not to be wasted. A clear message that was not very clearly understood by the majority of the lawyers and blamed the judge for being impatient adn ruthless.

He is none other than Justice Markandey Katju. A towering personality over 6 foot, he was one of the most feared and famed judge in the history of the Supreme Court of India. He retires today, ending a legacy and an era of quoting Faiz, Mirza Ghalib, Firaq, and numerous other well lknown poets and writers who were quite an influence on this knowledgeable judge.

One thing that was most interesting about this loquacious judge was that he never seemed to be influenced by the presence of any hi-fi senior lawyer. He was impartial and unbiased to one and all. Once, in a case Senior lawyer Mr. Mukul Rohtagi was to make an appearnace. The briefing lawyer, on seeing that the senior lawyer had not yet reached the court and the matter being called out, asked for a passover, which in plain language means to request the court ot call out the matter for a second time when all the matters in the list get over. Justice Katju enquired from the briefing lawyer as to why she is not arguing. She said Mr. so and so is appearing and that is why a passover may be given. The instant reaction of Justice Katju was "Ms. Counsel, let me tell you very frankly that there is no merit in this case. Whosoever may appear for arguing this case, it is made clear beforehand that this matter will be dismissed by us when it is called out again. Please let your senior counsel about this." This ourightness instilled a deep respect for him. He was not the one before whom the face value of any senior would work and he was not the one before whom any junior would lose his face.

He also used to enjoy a lot in the Court with his innumerous quotes and sayings and hindi updesh which was very evident when one day he asked of noted lawyer and jurist, senior Nariman (Fali S. Nariman), "Do you have a matter or are you here to watch the fun?". The whole court exploded in laughter and senior Nariman wittingly replied "To watch the fun, Your Lordship". That was the kind of repute the judge had.

His another quality was to speak out in Hindi whenever he got an apporutnity to. He was not the one to be deterred by the English speaking lawyers babling on and on about their case. English being the official working language of the Court, lawyers and judges alike were supposed to converse in English, but Justice Katju was an exception. He made use of every opportunity to attack in hindi the bechara lawyer arguing before him. It was fun listening to him in Hindi. Maybe his roots had a great influence on him. Maybe he was more comfortable in speaking out his mind in Hindi. But you never know. I was just wondering of the time when he sat in the High Court of Madras as Chief Justice.

His love for subjects such as Urdu and sanskrit is evident from the numerous famous judgments he wrote where at the start he quotes poets like Faiz, Firaq and Mirza Ghalib. His interests in literature is evident when he time and again quotes Shakespeare and Dostoevsky and Charles Dickens and many others in his judgments and orders.

He was a judge who was very lenient towards prisoners who had spent long time in priosns for small crimes. He was also a judge who was very strict when it came to murderers and serious criminals.

To be contd...

Mornings

My neck gets ample of exercise in the mornings when I leave for office. As soon as I step down from my first floor home in Lajpat Nagar, I am greeted by the incessant ringing of tring-tring bells by rickshaw walas and the I-have-stopped-the-rickshaw-for-you-please-come-fast look. That is when the exercise of the neck starts. Every minute you are on the road you nod your head left-n-right with the no-I-dont-want-to-get-in-your-rickshaw look. It is notable that almost every rickshaw wala will stop his khali rickshaw for a minute or so expecting you to honour the seats of his rickshaw.

Almost the reverse happens in the case of a auto rickshaw. It is not their do-you-need-a -auto look that meets me every morning but the i-do-not-have-gas attitude or the more egoistic this-auto-is-for-hire-only-for-far-off-places-and-not-for-very-near-places-like-high court-or-supreme court and the newest formula they have adopted is I-do-not-get-savaris-from-supreme court-so-I-won't-go. Some won't even take the pain of approaching and asking the name of the place if they see Afghani people, who are large in number in Lajpat Nagar and make sure to come to the so-called auto stand everyday to travel everyday to God knows where to, waiting for an auto. Humph... Even a threat of complaining to the police does not help the case. Well, you can never force them to take you to your destination when they don't have fuel in their vehicle. That could cost me my job also. So I stand there waiting for humanity to happen and a auto wala whisking me away in his auto to the place of my choice ;) And when that happens, I make sure to give him an extra 5 bucks for being my saviour in time of trouble. And when that does not happen, I take the liberty to use my thumb to flag down an already occupied auto with the oh-I-am-so-getting-late-for-office-would-you-mind-giving-me-lift-till-the-place-I-get-an-auto look. In short, the ever useful abla naari in distress look does get a heart or two melted.

All said and done, I anyhow reach my destination and start the day anew forgetting the turmoil and recollecting it only when I feel a scratch in the hand and an urge to pen it down.

hindi mein sher-o-shayari

Dil ki sunun ki dimag ki

dono paagal hain yeh itfak nahi

pyar mein jab is dil ne dhoka khaya

toh dil ne fuslaya "ki yeh toh bacha hai ji"

aur dimag ne samjhaya "ki yeh toh kacha hai ji...kisi pe bhi fisalta hai kyunki"

dil ki awaz mein thi woh gehrai

na samajh me aaya thi ki nadani thi dikhayi

jab dimaag ki baat par gaur farmaya

tab neend khuli aur hosh aaya

ki yeh duniya badi matlabi hai

sab karte yahan par gandagi hain

is duniya mein rehna hai toh dil se nahi dimag se kaam lo...

dil humesha toot tha hai aur dimag hamesha sambhalta hai.

My niece on her first ever baby show -

I was looking cute
Dat was how I was viewed


Dressed up as a pari
I had no worry


I went to a baby show
And sat in d second row

But cudn't keep my feet still
And climbed onto d stage fir n fir (again n again!)


d principle was pareshan
“kaun hai ye nanha shaitan”!!!


I was called to perform on d stage
Coz I cudn't be bound like a animal in a cage


So I went up d stage to stand
And an exclamation went up – “ oh! Wat a cute baby with a cute hair band”


D hair band had two ears
And I bath daily with pears


So I was standing dere
N all attention was on me n my gear

I had a fairy stick in my hand
Which I used to make d balloon on d stage expand


D anchoring host was happy
N d audience went clappy clappy


den later on d results came out
N my bua let out a little shout


Coz I had won d first prize
Which for my dadu-dadi, mummy –daddy n chachu-chachi was a big surprise


Dey all heaved a sigh of relief
Coz dis little naughty girl had made dem believe.


One piece of advice
Every adult has within him a child


Show ur naughtiness to everyone
forget all d tensions coz u r unique and the only one.


Thank u for ur support
Wenever I win another time I will put up a post

N also plz forgive my BUA
She is a liitle crack hua...

Jab se I have won dis baby show
Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!

Encounter

She was standing there. A paper in hand. Looking expectantly all around. I caught her eye and she came nearby. She showed me the paper she was clutching tightly in her hand. It was the address of the metro station on which we both had got down. She asked or rather indicated to me whether it was the right station on which she had got down. I said "yes". By the way she showed me the paper and asked or rather indicated for certain things I had come to the conclusion that she was dumb. She could not speak. The thought of not being able to speak sent the active cells of my fist-sized brain into a frenzy. The fact that I had recently gotten married and could not speak out my heart loud at my in-laws place was pre-dominantly flowing in the brain. I was forced to think about the situation where I would want to clarify some issues with my spouse but would not do so just for the sake of it. Just for the sake of it or maybe for the reason that the issues are not so big so as to be spoken out. But here was a well grown up woman who was unable to speak even the smallest of things in her mind. Her happiness, sadness, everything, and I really mean everything had only the medium of her facial expressions but no words. No words to state the various emotions that go on in a mind. No words to express emotions that cannot be expressed by facial expressions or otherwise. No words at all at any point of time. I was amazed at the fact as to how this woman has been spending her lifetime without words. Not only this woman but all those persons in the world who did not possess the minimal faculties for proper functioning of a human being. But why did facing this woman suddenly float an emotion that was buried deep somewhere. Why all of a sudden I was forced to think that all small issues need not be given voice come what may? That some things are best not said. When the time is right they will themselves find a mention and I need not repeat them inside my head and practice day n night as to how I would want to present it. But one thing that I am unable to understand is why having met a total stranger at a total unwarranted time instill within me the urge to keep silent rather than speak out. Having encountered her I should have been inspired to speak out rather than remain silent but that is not the case to be... It is rather amusing that I should be feeling this way...a feeling which is rather uncommon....'coz when you meet a person of some disability the first thing that you say or rather do is thank GOD for having given you all the right faculties in the right place to live a wonderful life. Indeed I was thankful to GOD for having provided me the power to speak out my heart but then why did it feel odd that I should have decided to keep quiet about some things and not speak them out. Maybe then it was the right thing to do...or maybe then it wasn't...I don't know...Maybe I will never know...or maybe I know and don't want to speak it out....or maybe...just maybe....


Answers anyone...???

At last!

My days are numbered now.
Time is plenty but it seems less.
There is much to do but what to do no clue.

It seems like time has decided to fly by
and carry with me in its wings
to drop me at the spot where i will lose an identity
with which i lived for 26 yrs and instead
give me an identity with which i will have to live for the rest of my life
a life which no one knows when it will end.

It feels utterly shocking that i will leave a life that i created for myself
and go live in the shadow of someone else (which i never meant to happen)
for the major part of the God gifted life.

Leave everything behind
ur name
ur family
ur friends
ur life
ur lifestyle
ur freedom
ur smartness
ur cunningness
ur willingness
ur zeal
ur enthusiasm
ur excitement

all in all ur everything except urself so that u can be moulded into a new human being overnite so that u can
adjust to the changes
adjust to the new environment
adjust to the new surroundings
adjust to the new lifestyle
adjust to the excitement of being a newly wed
adjust to losing ur freedom n living in captivity
adjust to living ur life on someone else's terms
adjust to living a life that u never imagined will happen to u
adjust to everything n everything...

worn torn story of a gown

I am 15 yrs old. I am long. I am usually black but on this occassion I was kind of bluish. I have two hands.

I met her when I was almost 15 yrs old. On that fateful day she had kidnapped me. Though intentionally but unwillingly. She required my services and I was the only one without any guardian who could be any use to her.

She took good care of me though she could do nothing of the injuries that I had sustained over the years. But then she tried her best to hide my injuries from the rest of the world as best as she could. She knew that I wont be staying forever with her. One day my original guardian will find me anyhow.

I did not want to be found. I had found a new home. A new caretaker and a new companion. I missed the gossips of the ladies where I first used to live. Nevertheless it was peace to live in silence again. My original guardian had not taken good enough care of me through these years. I was injured at the hands but I was never treated. I was injured in the front beneath the chest but I was left to my own state. I had nothing to be happy about.

In this new owner I found a intelligent human being who knew her stuff. I had started admiring her. But it was not to last for long. After all I had been kidnapped by her. How could a crime like this be kept secret for long.

My previous owner saw me with my kidnapping mistress one fateful afternoon. She was drinking water when that lady saw me with her. All eyes in the room were upon us. I urged her to move fast. But it was too late. She intercepted us on our way out. I was speechless. She proded me with her fingers first to check whether I was the one she was looking for. She touched my injuries to make sure I was the one. And sure enough I was. My kidnapper was confronted and bombarded with questions. She being a good soul accepted that I belonged to that lady and she had "borrowed" me for a day or two coz she was in dire need of me. Such is the

good nature of my kidnapper that she readily agreed to give me back to my previous owner but only after a day or two when she could successfully find another replacement for me. So it was to be that I stayed for another two days with my kidnapper when she returned me back to the caretaker of the room where my previous owner spends most of her day time. I was reunited after a tearless but heartbreak separation.

I am the gown. Advocates' gown.

P.S. i am really sorry dat i had to rob that tattered gown, but i had no other option u see. just a minute ago my gown went missing before my eyes n i had to go to the court room. In Supreme Court wearing of a gown is compulsory so i had to make some alternative arrangement for myself :) and so i had no other course except to BORROW someone else's gown till the time i could buy my own :)

kissa KURSI ka!!!

Life shows what irony! Only a month back I was cribbing about sitting and sitting on my blog because that was what I was doing those days. Sitting. But now since the time I have left my job I strive to sit. Yup, when u r in a profession which demands you to be on ur toes all day, I am left with little choice as to sitting. It has become a routine affair that I am being demanded to be on my legs all the time I am in the court premises. I have to literally snatch seats from illegible persons. Illegible persons? who are those you may ask. They are those who are 1) not senior advocates 2) are junior advocates be they elder to me 3) are those who are not recognised in the legal world as the luminaries of the profession 4) i do not know them though the world may know them 5) persons who are not related to me 6) etc...etc...

I have literally stooped down to the level of "Kissa Kursi ka" in order to straighten my back be it just for a few minutes.

I am sorry legal world but it is imminently necessary for my body and it is pertinent to mention herein that I have grown accustomed to the chair in these two years of having worked in the corporate world that I am unable to keep myself on my toes for longer than required :)

end of an era

It was the end of an era.

End of the corporate era.

The 'nice' journey is over.

The journey in the corporate world.

The journey of rat race.

The journey thru thick and thin.

The journey thru wilderness and plains.

Journey on straight and twisted roads.

Journey up and down the hill.

Journey on smooth and rugged roads.

The journey with friends and foes alike. But nevertheless a journey which gave me friends whom I will cherish for life.

The journey of many bad twists lost in the many good turns.

A journey to remember 'coz it was my first in the corporate world.

Right Angle of Photography! - part 2

My pensieve

dhurrrr....whoorrr....gurrrr....dhurrrr......dhupppp...

No, this is not Santa in an interview trying to stop his scooter. It is the rear tyre of the scooty I m sitting on going berserk. OK, it got punctured when I sat on the scooty. Happy.

Not that my sitting had anything to do with it getting punctured. There was no air in the rear tyre already and when I sat as a pillion driver it got worse.

Now, whats the use of telling this to you... Nothing. Just that my hand was itching for writing and i thought of penning down the thought for the fear that it may not get lost somewhere in the so-many-hundreds of other important memories stored in the so-many thousand neurons in the brain. I want my blog/diary to be my pensieve where i can take out a thought and keep it safely for later recollection. This way there is no cluttering of unimportant memories in my brain n i also do not lose any other memory though not significant to this unfair world where all i hv is myself n my memories.

I know. I write absurd sometimes but that is how I am. sometimes gud n sometimes bad but the beauty is that i write where many people don't :)

Sit! sit! sit!

sit for a while when u wake up

sit when u go for nature's call

sit everytime u shit

sit when u have breakfast

sit while u drive or are driven to office (1 hr, 2 hr...)

sit when u reach office and start ur PC

sit when u r read mails

sit when u r working on projects

sit when u go to breakout area to have coffee

sit when u come back to ur seat

sit when ur boss is nearby

sit when u want to play carom

sit when u have lunch

sit and watch when others are playing TT

sit in the shade when it is sunny outside to take a walk

sit in the sun when it is chilly

sit after a walk

sit after a run

sit when u have no work to do and all u do is play games on ur computer and idle away ur time

sit while u drive or are driven back to ur home

sit when u reach home

sit when u have dinner

sit with ur family for a hearty talk after a long day which u passed sitting

sit @ home when u watch TV (lying and watching is harmful for eyes)

sit (slumber) in theater seats when u watch movies

sit in the bus or auto when u go out

sit and listen to ur friends while they do the talking

sleep while sitting (when u don't have any other option)

sit when u r tired

sit when u have nothing to do

sit and gaze up in the sky to feel the beauty of night life

sit and watch the birds who u didn't realise existed

sit and watch the world go by

sit and watch ur lawyer play with words in front of judge

sit and watch while the doctor operates on ur near and dear ones

sit and wait for that one phone call for which u have been waiting for so long

sit whenever u get the opportunity to sit

sit when the room is crowded and there is no place to sit, yet u find a place for yourself to sit by hook or crook

sit when an elder is standing and needs that seat more than u do

sit while the child hangs on to u for his dear life

sit and read ur favorite book (lying down while reading is harmful for...u know what...)

shit! sit while u write all this nonsense!!!

double shit! sit while u read all this nonsense!!!!!!!

These humans do not have a single ounce of value for us bums on whom they sit and do all these rubbish things :P

i m fed up of this sitting and shitting... God! plz rescue me from all this sitting :(

Ego!

Ego, Ego, Ego
why did you come not to go!

Differences, opinions & view
these have created much hue.


The situation created by my three good friends who were inseparable from each other some time back but now cannot see eye to eye, made me realise that life is not a bed of roses and I spilled out these words in anger.

My very first attempt at something so emotional in poetic verse :)

Find the road of ur life

"Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish, in lonely frustration for the life you deserved, but have never been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battle.
The world you desired can be won. It exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours."
[Ayn Rand]

unusual photographs

Childhood and old age - a miraculous combination

We are born dependent on others
We die depending on others

We are born with all four limbs undeveloped
We die with all four limbs non-functional

We crawl towards our growth
We crawl to our end

When we are born we are unable to recognize our family members or anyone for that matter
When we die we are still unable to recognize the outside world

When we are born the only communication we have is the cry
When we die there is no one to hear our sobs

We are lavished with all the attention in the world
We crave for attention when we are nearing the end of our life

We are happily doted on by our fathers and mothers and family
We are left helpless in one corner of the home because the child we took care of is busy taking care of his/her child and has forgotten the parent who took care of him when he was a child

We are introduced to the outside world very eagerly
We remain in one room of the house if there are some guests visiting lest our children are embarrassed

We are given every basic necessity that we need
We are dependent on our children to have our specs repaired and out artificial dentures made

We are happy when we see our grandads and grandmas coz they are the only ones who do not have teeth like us
We understand our grandchild's cry and play with him without our artificial dentures so that he can relate to us

We are yet to see this world
We have been there and experienced it all


Childhood and old age are two stages of life which are very similar to each other though having a gap of 60 years or so. The connection between a grandchild and his grandparents is a very divine one. They both are so similar and different to each other at the same time. They tend to understand each other so perfectly. And when one is not at home the other misses him profoundly. A perfect combination for a growing child and an ageing mother/father coz the child needs attention and the grandparent needs someone to spend time with. PERFECT!

What???

"What has she brought?"



"Cherry"



"What?"



"Cherry"



"What?"

.

.

.

.

.

"ohhhh...Cherrrryyyy"



P.S. A conversation between the old generation and the new generation. Though the word cherry was pronounced perfectly as it should be pronounced, my mom could not understand what was being said. Not that I blame her. Its just that people need to view the product themselves to understand what actually it is. Well, it happens with my mom atleast (and has happened to me also occasionally). Maybe it is because the way they pronounce it is slightly different from the way we youngsters pronounce it. Or is it that the memories of old people is dimming as they grow old they need to visualize things inorder to recognise it?

Caught Snapping - Novemebr 1, 2008

This is the image of a 50 ps dividend that I had received from a company. It was published in the column "Caught Snapping" of the weekly Delhi metroplus magazine of a leading English Daily The Hindu.

After having received a phone call on the next saturday following the publication of my photograph I was on cloud nine. I had to be. It is not everday that u get to see ur name published in an English Daily newspaper! I was doing office on that saturday :( n I cudnt just control myself when this piece of information was delivered to me. I immediately started eating the ears of my colleague who was overtiming with me ;)

Later in the day when I met my parents in the Great India Place Mall in Noida, I just couldnt stop myself from blurting out my achievement...

As a reward of the phot being published in the newspaper I was given a Rs. 2000/- gift voucher of Art Karat - a semi precious jewellery house. Yipee!!! a 50 ps dividend was returned with a Rs. 2000/- award. Can anyone believe my luck???? I can. He he he he

Later that day I had also brought a Fastrack watch for myself which was pending for a long time. All happiness in one day!!!