A bundle of joy :)

There’s a general notion that people of all ages across the globe are in constant search of love. They seek love, they try to understand love, to comprehend its depths, and are ready to endure any amount of pain, heartaches, grief’s and woes for apparently it’s all worth it (yeah.. sad I know). If  that is the case, if having a taste of true , unconditional love is all that matters then surely people have been looking at the wrong places for it, either that or that fact that what they fancy is completely different.

I know what it is like to be loved unconditionally, just pure out and out innocent love, unchanging, unaffected by things regardless. It was January the 23^rd 2008, little did I realize that my life was in for a major change thanks to the adorable angel who walked in.  Little did I realize that from that day forth I had by me a friend who would always be there through hell or high seas, seeing me through all my bad days, showering me with the same love and affection at times when I didn’t deserve it as when I did, never turning away from me, always there when I was in need, when I was not at my best, when I was down and low, always there…, whose rapturous presence was like that ray of sunlight that shone through the stormy clouds and gave rise to a rainbow, unaltered by my soaring tempers, who cannot bear to see a tear in my eye, who randomly turns into a complete clown to my amusement, and shifts to being protective and possessive when others are around. That wonderful warm feeling that spreads all over you and erases every anguish and woe, makes you forget every awful thing, makes you feel marvelous, and so you smile, genuinely pleased, no matter how the day turned out to be, all this and so much more, when you know love in its most pristine form ever. I do, for I have with me my angel, the perfect embodiment of love and friendship, my best companion, my Simba. :)



Every single day this little miracle with paws makes my life a much better one, every single day this naughty (giant) fur-ball makes sure I have a smile on my lips, his silly antics amazing me completely and sending me into a fit of laughter. He’s the first to wish me good morning, he’s the first to welcome me back home (even if it’s just for 5 mins that I’ve stepped out), the only one who shows the sadness he feels when I leave him( again even if it’s for like a min). Due to him I’ve seen, felt, and received what the whole world is after, unequivocal, unconditional love.

For all those who have a pet dog, you’d know exactly what I’m talking about, for all those who think I’m a deranged lunatic (that you never had a pet is a given) you don’t know what you’re losing out on. This isn’t just for kids, or animal lovers, this transcends all boundaries, specifications, generalizations yada yada. This one will never let you down, never! And I bet you wouldn’t have felt as good as you do when there is a dog that completely dotes on you, it’s totally out of the world to have that, the best feel-good factor ever. Seriously, get yourself a pet, if not for anything else then just for the fact that it does you good!

I talk to him when I'm lonesome like; and I'm sure he understands. When he looks at me so attentively, and gently licks my hands; then he rubs his nose on my tailored clothes, but I never say naught thereat. For the good Lord knows I can buy more clothes, but never a friend like that.

A most unfortunate, lamentable situation.

Of the 40 tiger reserves in our country, almost 20 of them have really very low tiger density, some facing local extinction and trying to recover, some where they already are locally extinct.  Various reasons like human encroachment of land coming under the area of the reserves, poaching, depleting habitat and felling of trees for agriculture, human settlements, industrialization etc have brought about the deplorable condition of our national animal.

With the many downers that we’ve been witnessing there is surely a big possibility of the extinction of these beautiful creatures. There is also a misconception among the general public that this hue and cry is just exaggeration and the world has enough tigers for something like extinction to never materialize. For all those ignorant minds, wake up! Else the day is not far off when you’d actually see it happen. So stop pretending that there is no problem when there is. Don’t put your hands up and say there’s nothing you can do for there is. The least one can do is spread awareness, it does wonders, it pressurizes the Government to act and act quick, it helps the NGO’s working for this cause, it throws light on the various alarming facts, it helps people understand the seriousness of the issue, it motivates the nation as a whole to put its act together and work towards saving the tiger.

A recent article in a leading national newspaper brought to light one of the few positive outcomes of the efforts of the Government and various NGO’s. A total of 16 villages have been relocated and rehabilitated from the Bhadra Tiger Reserve in Karnataka. This whole process had started in 1987 but picked up momentum in the late 1990’s with the active involvement of the forest and revenue departments and, more importantly, the participation of village representatives and NGOs.

This stands out as a one of a kind situation where to make way for the tigers, the humans have moved and it comes as a much needed ray of hope, for not all relocations worked well and had been handled badly. The Bhadra settlement surely would encourage the Government agencies and the NGO’s to work together and help save the tiger. This shows that there are things that if effectively and strategically done then the chances of the country’s wildlife to stay protected definitely come around.

So a bow-down to the villagers of Bhadra and the officials involved for overcoming the various political, bureaucratic hurdles and letting the tiger roar!

Here’s hoping we see many more such efforts become a success. Amen.

The city that stole my heart..surprisingly..DELHI ♥

Let me begin with the most recent of things. I’ve been rambling about Delhi so much it surprises me. It’s almost like I wish intently to live there, maybe I do. The city does that to you! And so, a few things about why this particular city is now so endearing, why for the first time another city has had this effect.

• My internships in Delhi, both of them! :D

The first time was with Shefali when we interned under Ms.Ramni Taneja. That was the first time I was away from family on my own in a new city. It was some experience. The whole trip was a roller coaster ride with its lows and highs. The best part for which we could go through the tough times was that we were interning under such a remarkable person and charming person. There are people who demand respect, others who don’t ask for it but simply earn it, others still who strike a chord with you in a way that you revere them for life. Ramni ma’am was one such person, the first of the kind I’ve met. A very knowledgeable, learned, successful and famous lawyer who also is a very modest, humble, encouraging, supportive and benevolent person. We saw the charm of litigation thanks to her, she helped us understand the nuances of it, the difference between the corporate world of law and litigation. It was due to her that we fell in love with the Supreme Court of India, and with our profession all over again.

The second turned out to be totally unexpected. AK, Appu, Mariyam and I were in for a clerical time for we were to be interning under a Judge of the Supreme Court. We had no idea. This internship was a once in a lifetime experience, quite literally. Hon’ble Justice Altamas Kabir is the best Judge our country has today. Hearing matters till 6:30 p.m (way beyond the usual ‘pack-up’ time for the judges), working in the chamber till 8:30 (it was funny how all the workers in the SC would wait for him to leave so that they could :P ), heading n number of committees, working with compassion, truly the most just, sensible, and compassionate judge with an immaculate sense of right and wrong. I could write a whole book about him! Who knows maybe I will! The four of us are the luckiest ever to have had this opportunity of learning from him first hand, for there never were any before us, and there never will be any! ( I made sure I ask him that :D ).

You rarely meet someone who makes you look forward to Mondays, look forward to work, look forward to learning something. Justice Kabir is one such. Words fail me when I try to put forth his greatness.

• The Supreme Court of India.

Everywhere your head turns you find hustling lawyers, whirling in their black cloaks, looking busy and important, having that air about them, one that spells intelligent-smart-know-it-all-too-busy/important-to-pause. Absolutely amazing. The court room’s, the advocates being grilled by the judges, the smart ones making them listen, the aura all around, the miscellaneous days when the Court is bustling with activity, the sheer pleasure of argument, the laws, the cases, the importance of them all, the working of the judiciary at its peak, all this and much more, much more. The Apex Court of our country in all its glory.

And then there were fun times too. When you’re in another city with just your friends you tend to have a blast, and so did we! :D

• The SHOPPING!! And other ssuuuuppper things.

We couldn’t get enough of the shopping Delhi had in store for us, one of the reasons why I’d love to live there. I have to mention the streets of Janpath with the tiny shops but the trendiest clothes ever, it makes you forget you’re street shopping. People who swear by brands forget their ‘brand image’ and go wild shopping here. You also learn the art of bargaining (Shefali's a total pro, my guru in it ;) ) which in addition to making you the proud owner of a gazillion things also is a lot of fun. Shopping in janpath is bliss! The bellow and clamour  of the shop-keepers, the untidy lanes, the crowd, all of it don’t matter anymore. And you will definitely not mind going broke after shopping here.

The fashion sense of people, something that really needs to be worked on here. It’s good to see people well dressed, although most of them are empty heads but still, it’s always nice to have people with a good fashion sense around (its pleasing to the eye) not like the crowd here that gapes at you if you dress decently and so you’re forced to dress like a drab!

You also have Nirulas, Wengers and Costa Coffee! The chocolate-chip muffins, the coffee, the sandwiches, the donuts et all are the best ever!

Of course there is BLUE! If you want to relax after a long busy day at work, this is the perfect place. With live music and happy hours, this place has become my favourite in Delhi. (Thanks Suraj) The continental cuisine is as delicious as the indian, the cowboy theme working wonders. Blue gets a two-thumbs up.

The clubbing! Saturday night at Fbar, thanks to Arshu Chachu. TOTAL FUN!  But one should be vary of firangs trying to get fresh, not everyone has a gunman now do they ;)

The Delhi Metro! Connecting every part of the city to another, the Delhi Metro is a quick, economical and, if you have the kind of company I have, then a fun means of transport! J

The only snag there is, if any, would be the food, on a daily basis… And it’s no small hitch!!

It is to be noted that one cannot survive on cheese burst pizzas, Maggie noodles, toast with butter and jam, and Mc Donald’s burger alone for a month!!!..

Tip: Learn how to cook! Else you’d be craving homemade food in a week PLUS you will put on a lot of extra kilos.

(Ofcourse if you have someone like Murtuzza cooking for you then you needn’t worry one bit but there’s only one Murtuzza! So go learn yourself)

All these and much more make me want to go back to Delhi ( ofcourse after mastering the art of cooking there would be no stopping me, not that there is now ;) )

The feeling of being in the Capital, the biggest metropolitan of our country sure is something. :)

Yee-hawww!

Being a little biased towards the old traditional conventional way of penning down my thoughts, in a nice hardbound book with a very catchy, trendy, fun theme, using my favourite fountain pen, this had to wait a while. Very gradually the idea of blogging was growing on me, and finally, I gave in to it! Not that I don’t like my fountain pen or my JOURNAL anymore, nothing can ever take their place, blogging wogging nothing. But since I type faster than I write might as well have an addition,  go electronic,  providing a lil sneak-peek inside this head of mine which according to most people never rests.."Why do you always keep thinking?” “ Why do you not shut down that brain of yours?” Well for one I’d be dead if I did duuuhh(lame I know, you have to put up with it)!!.. Plus I like it, like to keep those gray cells working, assures me I have them ;)

So  there are things I keep pondering about, my musings, the numerous deeply insightful thoughts ;)

And those are exactly what I’ll be blogging about, my take on things a-z. To give a general idea, I tend to get very philosophical at time, poetic too, sometimes even the lamest of things make me laugh my head off, my chosen career, incase that doesn’t work out my alternate career plans (this was a friend’s suggestion, brainstorm whatever when we were being silly ;) ), BOOKS, the current happenings, my ever growing to-do list, French, ohk before you doze off there also are movies, shopping, t.v series, shoes, parties and the like..phew..

*totally bollywood/hindi daily soap style*And so a new journey begins …

:P