All fingers pointing in one direction…..

( The Taj Mahal Hotel)

Finally the operation of the commando’s is over today morning. The last of the perpetrators have been flushed out. The commando’s, the army, the police, the firebrigade all gallantly fought till everything was under control and out of danger. They have performed the duty they were asked to and come out with flying colours, some even sacrificed their lives in this.

(The Taj Mahal Hotel Today)

Don’t know if anything good can come out of these events, but one of the terrorist has been caught alive…. As more and more investigations commence and more and more startling informations come out, it is becoming clearly evident that these were not Indian nationals who were killing people at sight.

All the evidence that is emerging so far is showing that they come from our neighbouring nation. A nation that claims that they themselves are victims of terror. They even claim they will assist India in fighting terror and they are determined to the fight against terror….

Hello !! Has ever Pakistan witnessed Indian origin people going to Pakistan and killing their people ?? Do they have Indian terrorists in their country ?? Doesn’t Laskhkar E Toiba chief roam freely in Lahore and hold public meetings ?? Does just saying that we condemn these acts constitute their stance against terror ??

So either the Pakistan Government is turning a deaf ear to these aspects or simply it is not in control of their country and especially the terror outfits …. As long as they themselves are the one who are bearing the brunt of this, we have no business to enter their country unless called upon….

But now that the miscreants use Pakistani territory to train, acquire logistic support and obtain strategic information to come to Indian shores and kill innocent people, spread terror… will the ministers of my country do something about it ??

Will they trace out the planners and take them out ?? With or Without the support of the Pakistani Government ??

The military, the police the fire brigade did their job…. Can the politicians who call themselves leaders do their bit ???? Can they do better than finger pointing amonst themselves, while all fingers are pointing in one direction….

Mumbai Terror Attacks !!

Another round of unmindful terror attacks rocks the financial capital of my country. I cannot quite fathom what these mindless attacks help the terrorists achieve??

I work for a cotton trading company and our main buyers a Swiss company had sent their Vice President to India and he completed his business trip yesterday. He was supposed to attend a wedding in Mumbai and his wife was supposed to join him yesterday. They were booked at the Oberoi, luckily for him the flight was delayed and by the time his wife landed the news was abuzz through out the city and they didnt go to the hotel.

For the same wedding another guy representating an inspection agency (dont want to give his name), an agency who do weighments of our Cotton Containers, had his wife booked in the same hotel and she is still in the Oberoi rite now as i write, and we all pray for her safety. The husband is outside the hotel and may God give him strength.

As much as these events are sad, as much as we hate them these events are happening more and more with each passing day… Can sanity return to our planet and can people live in peace ??

Tiger obsession…

Really strange reactions have come to me for my excitement to the news of the possible arrival of tiger cubs in our zoo. (http://hitchwriter.blogspot.com/2008/11/white-tiger-cubs-coming-soon-at-indore.html) For me a lover of animals and most of all the tiger it is really a joyous occassion and eventually I tend to inform every one about this as I cant conceal it inside.

Starting with my office colleagues, my brother who works in the same office, was disappointed that I got to know it first. But he was very happy to know. Our Export Manager was like, ” Kya farak padta hai ? ” (What difference does it make?)

At home I tell wife and she tells me nice to hear but don’t tell Hriday (my son) coz if you tell him he will ask the question every day when will the cubs be born…. I told her sorry but I cannot obey. Before I can even get hold of Hriday, my brother has given the good news to him and I watch them both in an animated discussion and they even strike a deal to go to the zoo on Sunday morning even before I can reserve that right.

When I was about 4 years old, for about 3-4 months I stayed with my Mama & Mami (maternal uncle/aunt) in Baroda which has a very big zoo “Kamatibaug” they have a particularly large number of spieces of Birds, which I must highlight. Everyday at 9.30 Pandubhai (a guy who served my Mama) would come to fetch me. He would come with his bicycle which had a small seat fixed on the rod between the handle and the seat where i was supposed to sit and we both would go to the zoo.

In the zoo they had a tiger named ‘Vitthal’, some how he caught my fancy. I would stand in front of his cage and talk to him for about 1 hour and this used to happen everyday for the 4 months I stayed in Baroda. Within 30 mins the rest of the zoo would be seen but ‘Vitthal’ & ‘Dhiren’ (myself, incase you forgot) would chat for 1 hour. I don’t remember what I used to chat to him but since then this wonderful beast, the biggest cat has caught my imagination and I have not been able to get enough of this animal.

Watching a Lions pride in the wild, or deers, or birds or even a leopard is different but watching a tiger in the wild is most thrilling, adventurous and scary feeling….

A tiger has a territory of about 10 – 12 square kilometers, when the tiger is sitting in the forest the forest is relatively quiet. But as soon as he starts walking either a monkey or some parakeet or some barking deer will give a warning sound in their own typical way, which is called a “call” by tiger watchers, this is for alerting the other animals that the tiger is on the move. When we go for tiger watching the “call” is what every one is looking out for, for if the tiger is not moving its very difficult to spot him as he camoflauges very well.

But if you are lucky and you hear the “call”, the jeep comes to a stop, every watcher goes quiet in anticipation getting their camera’s ready. Everyone is shooing each other to keep quiet and wait for the sound again, suddenly another “call” comes “kooooh” and people start pointing in different directions while the other hand is on the lips to tell all to keep quiet. There is suddenly tension in the air, the hands start perspiring, the throat goes dry and aniticiaption of the next “call” grips you. As all eyes suddenly become persicopes trying to find the slightest movement in the bushes, suddenly there is another “call” from a high branch near the road at 45 degrees from the jeep, and a monkey is spotted who made that noise. The monkey is very near and it seems the spot the monkey is looking at is also very near. There is tension mounting and everyone has just realised that they might finally see what they all had been waiting to. The jungle is very dense and as seconds pass every one is concerntrating hard, suddenly the bushes give way and you realise the tiger is moving in towards the road. The “call” has been traced and no it isnt a false alarm all the watchers are writ in tension and suddenly the magnificient beast comes out of the bush on the road and turns towards the jeep and looks and blinks. Every one is thrilled, stunned to see the size… Indian tigers from head to tail could measure from 10 to 12 feet… the head and the mouth so huge that the their versions we see so regularly in the zoo or television look like pussies. The watchers finally realise they want to shoot the tiger, with the camera, start clicking, the tiger slowly starts walking away from the jeep on the road… The “call” moves with us as we follow him, as time passes the driver gets a little more closer, suddenly the giant cat gets irritated and just stops and turns… The jeep immedieately stops, the warning has been given, the tiger stares in the eyes to make sure the message has been conveyed clearly. Every passenger who earlier wanted to trail the giant cat scolds the driver, stay away don’t follow him. You got too close….

Slowly the giant cat starts moving on his way again, the driver wouldnt dare follow him this time, they see him for a while than the tiger decides to head for the bushes again and gets out of sight… for a while the “call” follows than suddenly the “call” goes out as the tiger has probably found some shade to rest. Imagine the whole jungle against the Tiger alerting that the hunter was on prowl. Now they can all relax as the Tiger is relaxing, the monkey’s may play, the deer may graze now that the giant cat is in rest…

The stunned, thrilled watchers are gleeing and checking their pics, calling each other lucky and allowing the joy to sink in…