CATS ran out of the first set of 100 leaflets within minutes. We had to quickly get further supply of 200 leaflets to meet the demand.
Candles were the next ones to finish, but that did not stop the public from approaching the CATS as to why we had held the candle light vigil.
We had achieved our aim many-fold.
CATS - Earth Hour at Peace Memorial
CATS - Earth Hour at Peace Memorial
What started as a quite candle light vigil, soon became a awareness campaign of substance.
CATS were swamped with queries as to why were we holding this vigil and what was contained in the information leaflets. CAT Reeta imparted the information at the entrance to the Peace Monument and encouraged the passer-bys and visitors to the lake to understand the importance of saving electricity. Rest of the CATS quietly handed out the leaflets to the inquisitive visitors.
The warmth of mute candles created a flurry of activism in the masses. Even the local policemen could not remain untouched!
CATS - Earth Hour at Peace Memorial
CATS quietly led the EARTH HOUR awareness campaign in Chandigarh, by started a candle light vigil at the Rotary Peace Monument of Sukhna Lake.
CATS also prepared and distributed a leaflet giving practical tips for saving electricity. Our efforts were well reported in the local print media as well out station electronic media.
CATS yet again demonstrated that we may be a bunch of adventure seekers, but take our social responsibility seriously.
Photo Gallery - CATS Earth Hour 2008
The starting line-up at the Lake was not very encouraging... We thought we will wait for a few more paws...
A word of 'telling-off' from our very dear and extremely punctual CAT DV Bhatia shook us into action...
CATS getting used to holding the candles..
I still don't know who burnt my hair!
20 Proud CATS ready for the CAT WALK :-)
A sight to behold... Chandigarh Police cares indeed !!
There was no stopping our Crusader CAT Reeta...A firm believer in the environmental issues, she imparted
the information at the entrance to the Peace Monument and encouraged
the passer-bys and visitors to the lake to understand the
importance of saving electricity.
Notice our little CAT Akshat holding a candle is quietlyproviding support to CAT Deepinder,
who's busy fielding queries from the inquisitive visitors at the lake..
People eagerly reading the 'Practical Electricity Saving Tips'
from the CATS leaflet prepared specifically for EARTH HOUR
This photo should banish all doubts from your mindabout the success of our EARTH HOUR campaign..
CATS management has issued a show cause notice to this merry bunch of CATS, on account of dereliction of duty ;-)
CAT Aman and CAT Amanat trying to tidy up...May the flames from this humble candle vigil
rise high enough to create an awareness in the masses
to wake up and take action to save our environment...
CATS can't help celebrating after a successful campaign :-)
The moment of dispersal... Three cheers to the one who can spot our official photographer,
CAT Paramjeet in this picture!
CATS, this evening would not have been possible without the collective effort of CATS and supporters of CATS. Since this was an event to be held in a public place, I knew we would need permission. However, I was not aware from whom. Director Tourism, Mr Vivek Atray got STEPS into action to ensure all formalities were kept in place for us.
GM CITCO, Mr Malhotra not only gave consent for the event to be held in an otherwise cordoned off area at the lake, but also deputed the manager at the Lake, Vikas to ensure our event went ahead smoothly. As commands our 'No litter' policy, CATS ensured that all candle boxes, match sticks, paper wrappers were disposed off by us in the bins. We are also grateful to Vikas who also assured us that the Peace Monument would be cleared of all candle wax later on that night.
I have none else but CAT Charanjeet to thank for inadvertently being instrumental in getting the first CATS leaflet printed. He demanded that nothing but a 3-fold leaflet would do. As a result, I had to quickly convert an A4 text into a 2-sided 3-fold leaflet. I then passed the baton to CAT Paramjeet, whom I made to run back to his office, get a print out of the emailed leaflet, rush to a 'cheap' photocopier to get 100 reproductions! It's not for nothing that CAT Pradeep calls me a slave driver !!
Thank you all.
- CAT Supreet
Photo Gallery - EACH ONE TEACH ONE
This was the line-up of CATS at the EACH ONE TEACH ONE books distribution ceremony at Ambedker School,
run by CARES society in Janta Colony, behind PGI.
(minus CAT Rita who had lost her car key and
minus CAT AP who was helping her to find it !!)
All the children in the front line presented a fabulous program for us.
The dias shared by CATS & Rotarians alike.It was a moment of sheer pride for the ones who had contributed
towards the 'books fund' and made time for the
books distribution ceremony thereafter.
School children waited at every street corner
to guide us through the lybrinths of the Colony,
Choona lines welcomed us to the school,
the walls were whitewashed for us,
little girls showered petals on us,
the bouquets are still adorning my dining table.
Arvind, Rajeev and Avinash of Class V'welcomed' us with a Hindi/English song.
It felt really special..
We had started getting that 'Chief Guest' sort of feeling by now!
Kanchan from Class I recited a lovely poem'Hum Chhote Chhote Bachhe Hain'...
The frayed school belt failed to mar
the dignity of adorning the school uniform..
Power of education indeed outshines every adversity in a human being...
Creche Child Sibbu, simply bowled us all over with his renedition of'Maa mujh ko bandook dilaa de'
The might of the Army Uniform could not conceal the child within...
On being asked in which class he studies,
Sibbu innocently replied, 'Bua ki class mein!!'
President of Rotary Club of Chandigarh, Mr Arvind Mehan started the Books Distribution,after a very humbling 'Vote of Thanks' by Rajiv from Class V.
In fact Rotarian Darshan Mahendru immediately and appropriately
requested Rajiv that he must never use the word 'Gareeb' again
for education is empowering and enrichening experience in itself.
Rotarians insisted that I should be next to distribute the books,in order to keep both Rotary and CATS at par.
Thereafter we adopted a simple 'Left to Right' policy...Each CAT/Rotarian came on the dias to hand out the books,
as per their seat of occupation...
CAT Reeta doing the honours....
CAT Vasu a little perplexed.. Guess at a level it was anoverwhelming experience for CATS as well because
not long ago half of the CATS present,
were themselves in the schools mugging books!
Our darling CAT Gopika must have felt strange handing out booksto a girl child, who was practically as tall as her :-)
CAT Neerja is exploring the possibility of offering employment to some of the ladies trained at the school
for sewing and embroidery...
That's the CATS spirit..... MEOW :-)
In case you are wondering what happened to the photos of the rest of the CATS distributing books..
Our official photographer CAT Paramjeet was too busy
capturing the various moods of the school children :-)
One cherub caught blowing kisses...
Any guesses who's the target??
Some others are trying to make sense of this colourful lot which had descended upon their school...
We sure hardly amounted to being old and wise enough to remotely
pass off as 'Chief Guests' to even these little minds ;-)
These had to literally pinch themselves to reality...Kids must be having second thoughts
that if this is what becomes of a so called educated person
(...read CATS)...
then is it really worth it??!!!
Yet another child mulling over his future 'Role Models'
Bhai log ishtyle :-)
Innocence personified... A moving moment of silent prayer...
One little girl could not help praying,
'God save me from CATS'
Yet another budding moment loaded with thoughts...
What do you see in the picture?
An Officer...
A Doctor...
An Activist...
A Leader....
CATS... with almost all of the 133 school children, for whom we had bought the books and stationery for the new academic year starting from tomorrow.
then is it really worth it??!!!
Yet another child mulling over his future 'Role Models'Bhai log ishtyle :-)
Innocence personified... A moving moment of silent prayer...One little girl could not help praying,
'God save me from CATS'
Yet another budding moment loaded with thoughts...What do you see in the picture?
An Officer...
A Doctor...
An Activist...
A Leader....
CATS... with almost all of the 133 school children, for whom we had bought the books and stationery for the new academic year starting from tomorrow.
All jokes aside, it was an extremely humbling experience for CATS. What had we really done to be treated like dignitaries? What we had contributed towards the books would not even be missed by most of us, but it meant the cost of knowledge for a whole year for these 133 children.
I urged these children to learn enough, so that when they become financially independent with dignity, then they should be able to fund the education of one child - Each One Teach One.
I am wondering if I could exhort my fellow CATS to ponder upon this little thought. Could we repeat this little feat each year CATS?
- CAT Supreet
CATS 'Each One Teach One' books distribution function
Little Sibbu of Ambedker School in Janta Colony, during our 'Each One Teach One' books distribution function this morning.
Recording quality is pretty bad but surely you can not miss the confidence with which he recited 'Maa mujh ko bandook dila de', wearing his mock Army Uniform :-)
Don't miss his JAI HIND!
CATS were simply bewitched by Sibbu.
CATS 'Each One Teach One' books distribution function
Anju and Manju singing ‘Itni Shakti Humein Dena Daata’… It was indeed Providential intervention indeed because of which CATS even thought of taking their first paws towards social responsibility.
Ironical that this was also the first ever thing CATS sang, prodded by CAT Rajesh and CAT Reeta in the bus on our very first trek to Nepli, even though playing Antaakshri has since become a norm in CATS.
Apologies for an extremely short video... CAT Rajpal and CAT Hemant were using the video mode as photo mode!
Meow Feedback - Akhand Path
Organising an Akhand Path was an activity mostly unbeknown to CATS. We were either too young, or too neutral religiously, or belonged to a completely non-Sikh background. It was a challenge indeed to do something which we had never attempted before, whereby we were not even entirely aware of all the rules, but could not afford to break any!
At first we were under the impression that all we were required to do was to pay a fixed amount to a Gurdwara, show our face at the beginning of the Path on Friday and then go back only for the completion of the Path on Sunday. However, it must have been a very wise soul who said, ‘man proposes and God disposes’! Additionally, only 3 CATS had paid towards the cost of the Path. We were broke.
On the appointed day, i.e. Friday the 14th of March, Jyoti who mediated with the Gurdwara authorities on behalf of CATS, reached the Gurdwara in Sec.46 early along with CAT Neelu. Around 8.20am I and my mother CAT Kulwant met with CAT Paramjeet, CAT Vishal and CAT Hemant in the parking of the Gurdwara. By the time Path commenced at 9am, CAT Pammi, CAT Gurpreet, CAT Manpreet, CAT Nirmal had joined in as well. I was surprised to see a couple of CATS paying over and above the requisite amount per CAT for the Path as dutch money. I actually asked if what they wanted to have the change back!
Despite the old tradition being that one of the family organizing the Path must always sit and listen to the Path during its’ whole duration, given the time constraints we all faced, we had planned to follow the contemporary ways by leaving the Bhai Ji to continue with the Path and return on the final day. After the Path had started, the eldest amongst us all that morning, CAT Kulwant got up and asked us all not to take the Path lightly which had been bestowed upon us by the Almighty. She said, ‘Tussin jo vi ker rahe ho, poori shardha naal karo.’ Silence befell the CATS. She was right. Something in me prompted me to say that perhaps one of us could stay behind, just a little longer. CAT Kulwant instantly agreed to listen to the path for a couple of hours.
Thereafter CAT Neelu invited us all around for a cuppa cha to her house, which was at a stone’s throw away from the Gurdwara. Over tea we discussed what we wanted to do with Kirtan, Langar etc. I asked what the rest of the CATS would like to do if we were left over with some excess funds given that a few CATS were paying more. CAT Neelu had her heart set to do something for the children. CAT Nirmal and CAT Paramjeet said anything for the needy. They suggested that perhaps we could even have the langar with the inmates of Orphanage and an Old Age Home.
As we were leaving, CAT Neelu volunteered to take over from CAT Kulwant and her sister Jyoti agreed to go thereafter. This meant that someone from CATS family would be there listening to the path till 2pm. This was encouraging. I spoke with CAT Pammi who said that she could come with her mother CAT Daljeet at 2pm till 5pm. CAT Mona agreed to sit from 5 till 7pm. We started wondering if we would be able to keep the chain of attendance going. We were not entirely sure but we decided to give it our best shot.
By the evening I had asked around and found that a local school run for the children of daily wagers and road side workers, needed funds to buy books and stationery for the new academic session starting in April. They needed Rs.10,000/- for classes 3-5 and Rs.20,000/- would take care of the whole of the primary school. I discussed with other CATS who agreed to support this cause with the excess funds. Given our current status of funds, I thought we should be able to raise Rs.10,000/-
If things were working out on the financial front, our chain of attendance was threatening to break off. CAT Pammi went back after 7pm to keep the chain going, but we had no one to take over from 11pm onwards. CAT Paramjeet had agreed to do the night duty but could not get away from his office. CAT Navpreet was in Delhi. I called a few other CATS with no luck. Additionally, I was reluctant to leave any of our female felines in the Gurdwara beyond 10pm. I was feeling physically drained and with no one volunteering. Desperately I called up CAT Pammi and said we have to accept that the chain will get broken and that she should go home as well.
However, admirable is the determination of CATS, Pammi, who takes pride in being called a ‘jugaaru’, got back to me within minutes saying that she will stick around for two boys from her social circle to come at 11.30pm till 5am the following morning. I could not help smiling to myself. God was working in strange ways. He made us despair before he provided a solution. Given this would have meant CAT Pammi sitting alone with her aunt till late, I called up CAT Rajpal to immediately reach the Gurdwara to relieve CAT Pammi and provide cover till midnight till the boys showed up. CAT Rajpal agreed, despite the fact that he had to leave for Delhi early morning.
CAT Gurinder was cynical about our determination and decided to go to the Gurdwara at 5am, just to check if someone is indeed sitting there listening to the Path. He was surprised to see two bleary eyed boys, who left after checking with him if he was next in line to sit for CATS. In the meantime, CAT Paramjeet had just enough time to have a shower before he reached the Gurdwara around 5.30am, after putting in a 20-hour day in the office. I along with CAT Kulwant reached just after 7am where I found CAT Rajpal and CAT Neelu for ‘Madh di Ardaas’.
Again we went around CAT Neelu’s to have a cuppa cha and make some decisions. We decided that since we were getting more than the requisite amount for the Path fund, we should cut all expenses out and contribute maximum amount towards buying books for the new academic session for the children in need. This meant, no Kirtan, no Langar.
We had barely walked out of her house after tea that I got a call from a fellow CAT who had had a flash of inspiration whilst listening to the path. As a result, a fair amount was offered towards our cause as a ‘Thank You’ note to the Almighty. We immediately went back to our base camp for the path; Neelu’s house! This additional sum meant that we could afford to have the Kirtan, a humble langar and still be able to buy the books atleast for the whole of class 3-5, if we made vigorous efforts to raise more funds. We decided to become more vocal and visible in order to raise funds.
In the meanwhile, CAT Kulwant once again kept the chain going the second morning, who was followed by Jyoti and CAT Neelu. On a mission, I went to Fortis Hospital where a few of our CATS hibernate. I literally took an envelope in my hand and went around asking Fortis CATS to generously put their green bills towards the books for needy children fund. Let’s just say it was a trip worthwhile. From Fortis I went straight to the Gurdwara to take over from CAT Neelu for 2pm to 4pm shift, when CAT Gurneet’s mother came to sit for a couple of hours, despite the fact that she was unwell.
Second evening was well shared and attended by our CAT Pammi, CAT Gurpreet, CAT Vasu, CAT Navpreet. Chain of attendance was kept alive by the same two boys taking over for the night shift. Our early bird CAT Gurneet took over at 5am. I went in at 6.30am and was joined in by CAT Purosottam and CAT Aarti at 7.15am. CAT Paramjeet showed up soon, armed with his camera. CAT Manpreet and CAT Gurpreet also came just after 8am who went to do ‘langar sewa’ along with CAT Gurneet. CAT Hemant also made it just before the Path finished with the Bhog at 8.30am. CAT Neelu and CAT Gurinder managed to mark their attendance half way through the recitation of the Bhog.
Bhog was over half an hour earlier than expected. We had another half an hour before Kirtan commenced and CATS were left with time to kill by scratching their paws. CAT Nirmal joined the resting gang with Navkavita. CAT Kulwant trotted in with CAT Mona, CAT AP, CAT Aman and CAT Amanat as our Ragi Sahib for the day, Dr Jagir Singh was pulling in the car park. We all shifted downstairs to the main Darbar Hall of the Gurdwara for the Kirtan.
What transpired thereafter was mesmerizing. Through the trials and tribulations which CATS faced in order to successfully complete the Akhand Path, to redeem ourselves of the promise we had made at Gurdwara Nanaksar during the Harike trek a fortnight previously, the most divine experience of the whole three days was the Kirtan performed by Dr Jagir Singh after the Bhog ceremony on the final day. The calm recitation of selected Bani from the Holy Guru Granth Sahib brought peace and tranquility in the whole congregation. No one wanted to move. There was not a soul untouched in the hall. I did not want to get up to take the videos for the benefit of the missing CATS. CAT Paramjeet was struggling to wean himself away from the kirtan to take some pictures. Wish you were there with us.
CAT Neerja R came with her bhabis, CAT Pammi with her daughter and mother, CAT DV Bhatia with our lovely CAT Nirmal Bhatia are ones I noticed after the kirtan was over. CAT Dharam with his wife and daughter came in later. Since CAT Hemant got late in getting the Desi Ghee Jalebis in time for the langar, CAT Paramjeet suggested that we distribute the boxes elsewhere since half the sangat had already left.
As the routine had become in three days, after the langar we went to our base camp, CAT Neelu’s house for a much needed cuppa. Over tea we reviewed the Path, realised that we would be short of Rs.10,000/- required to buy books for classes 3-5. We also decided that we will share the Jalebis packed in Bacardi boxes (yes Bacardi boxes!!), equally between Kusht Ashram (Leprosy Home beyond sec.31 railway track) and the Orphanage (Mother Teresa’s Missionary Home in sec.23).
We packed ourselves into 3 cars and went to the Kusht Ashram first. The keepers there took us into the Kitchen where quietly we handed over one box of Jalebis. On the way out their Pujari beseeched us to pay obeisance at the Shiv Mandir and Hanuman Mandir on the premises. It was humbling and liberating at the same time. It was only right that CATS pay respects at the temple after successfully completing the Akhand Path. I could not help smiling whilst bowing my head in front of benevolent Mary at the Orphanage. Almighty was at work again. There is indeed one God afterall.
Going to the Gurdwara umpteen times a day, for three consecutive days and taking my shoes off each time had indeed messed up my internal programming. Even I failed to fathom why had I taken my shoes off on the tarmac before sitting in the car bare-feet to leave for the Orphanage!
A tale I can tell the grandkittens perhaps….
- CAT Supreet
At first we were under the impression that all we were required to do was to pay a fixed amount to a Gurdwara, show our face at the beginning of the Path on Friday and then go back only for the completion of the Path on Sunday. However, it must have been a very wise soul who said, ‘man proposes and God disposes’! Additionally, only 3 CATS had paid towards the cost of the Path. We were broke.
On the appointed day, i.e. Friday the 14th of March, Jyoti who mediated with the Gurdwara authorities on behalf of CATS, reached the Gurdwara in Sec.46 early along with CAT Neelu. Around 8.20am I and my mother CAT Kulwant met with CAT Paramjeet, CAT Vishal and CAT Hemant in the parking of the Gurdwara. By the time Path commenced at 9am, CAT Pammi, CAT Gurpreet, CAT Manpreet, CAT Nirmal had joined in as well. I was surprised to see a couple of CATS paying over and above the requisite amount per CAT for the Path as dutch money. I actually asked if what they wanted to have the change back!
Despite the old tradition being that one of the family organizing the Path must always sit and listen to the Path during its’ whole duration, given the time constraints we all faced, we had planned to follow the contemporary ways by leaving the Bhai Ji to continue with the Path and return on the final day. After the Path had started, the eldest amongst us all that morning, CAT Kulwant got up and asked us all not to take the Path lightly which had been bestowed upon us by the Almighty. She said, ‘Tussin jo vi ker rahe ho, poori shardha naal karo.’ Silence befell the CATS. She was right. Something in me prompted me to say that perhaps one of us could stay behind, just a little longer. CAT Kulwant instantly agreed to listen to the path for a couple of hours.
Thereafter CAT Neelu invited us all around for a cuppa cha to her house, which was at a stone’s throw away from the Gurdwara. Over tea we discussed what we wanted to do with Kirtan, Langar etc. I asked what the rest of the CATS would like to do if we were left over with some excess funds given that a few CATS were paying more. CAT Neelu had her heart set to do something for the children. CAT Nirmal and CAT Paramjeet said anything for the needy. They suggested that perhaps we could even have the langar with the inmates of Orphanage and an Old Age Home.
As we were leaving, CAT Neelu volunteered to take over from CAT Kulwant and her sister Jyoti agreed to go thereafter. This meant that someone from CATS family would be there listening to the path till 2pm. This was encouraging. I spoke with CAT Pammi who said that she could come with her mother CAT Daljeet at 2pm till 5pm. CAT Mona agreed to sit from 5 till 7pm. We started wondering if we would be able to keep the chain of attendance going. We were not entirely sure but we decided to give it our best shot.
By the evening I had asked around and found that a local school run for the children of daily wagers and road side workers, needed funds to buy books and stationery for the new academic session starting in April. They needed Rs.10,000/- for classes 3-5 and Rs.20,000/- would take care of the whole of the primary school. I discussed with other CATS who agreed to support this cause with the excess funds. Given our current status of funds, I thought we should be able to raise Rs.10,000/-
If things were working out on the financial front, our chain of attendance was threatening to break off. CAT Pammi went back after 7pm to keep the chain going, but we had no one to take over from 11pm onwards. CAT Paramjeet had agreed to do the night duty but could not get away from his office. CAT Navpreet was in Delhi. I called a few other CATS with no luck. Additionally, I was reluctant to leave any of our female felines in the Gurdwara beyond 10pm. I was feeling physically drained and with no one volunteering. Desperately I called up CAT Pammi and said we have to accept that the chain will get broken and that she should go home as well.
However, admirable is the determination of CATS, Pammi, who takes pride in being called a ‘jugaaru’, got back to me within minutes saying that she will stick around for two boys from her social circle to come at 11.30pm till 5am the following morning. I could not help smiling to myself. God was working in strange ways. He made us despair before he provided a solution. Given this would have meant CAT Pammi sitting alone with her aunt till late, I called up CAT Rajpal to immediately reach the Gurdwara to relieve CAT Pammi and provide cover till midnight till the boys showed up. CAT Rajpal agreed, despite the fact that he had to leave for Delhi early morning.
CAT Gurinder was cynical about our determination and decided to go to the Gurdwara at 5am, just to check if someone is indeed sitting there listening to the Path. He was surprised to see two bleary eyed boys, who left after checking with him if he was next in line to sit for CATS. In the meantime, CAT Paramjeet had just enough time to have a shower before he reached the Gurdwara around 5.30am, after putting in a 20-hour day in the office. I along with CAT Kulwant reached just after 7am where I found CAT Rajpal and CAT Neelu for ‘Madh di Ardaas’.
Again we went around CAT Neelu’s to have a cuppa cha and make some decisions. We decided that since we were getting more than the requisite amount for the Path fund, we should cut all expenses out and contribute maximum amount towards buying books for the new academic session for the children in need. This meant, no Kirtan, no Langar.
We had barely walked out of her house after tea that I got a call from a fellow CAT who had had a flash of inspiration whilst listening to the path. As a result, a fair amount was offered towards our cause as a ‘Thank You’ note to the Almighty. We immediately went back to our base camp for the path; Neelu’s house! This additional sum meant that we could afford to have the Kirtan, a humble langar and still be able to buy the books atleast for the whole of class 3-5, if we made vigorous efforts to raise more funds. We decided to become more vocal and visible in order to raise funds.
In the meanwhile, CAT Kulwant once again kept the chain going the second morning, who was followed by Jyoti and CAT Neelu. On a mission, I went to Fortis Hospital where a few of our CATS hibernate. I literally took an envelope in my hand and went around asking Fortis CATS to generously put their green bills towards the books for needy children fund. Let’s just say it was a trip worthwhile. From Fortis I went straight to the Gurdwara to take over from CAT Neelu for 2pm to 4pm shift, when CAT Gurneet’s mother came to sit for a couple of hours, despite the fact that she was unwell.
Second evening was well shared and attended by our CAT Pammi, CAT Gurpreet, CAT Vasu, CAT Navpreet. Chain of attendance was kept alive by the same two boys taking over for the night shift. Our early bird CAT Gurneet took over at 5am. I went in at 6.30am and was joined in by CAT Purosottam and CAT Aarti at 7.15am. CAT Paramjeet showed up soon, armed with his camera. CAT Manpreet and CAT Gurpreet also came just after 8am who went to do ‘langar sewa’ along with CAT Gurneet. CAT Hemant also made it just before the Path finished with the Bhog at 8.30am. CAT Neelu and CAT Gurinder managed to mark their attendance half way through the recitation of the Bhog.
Bhog was over half an hour earlier than expected. We had another half an hour before Kirtan commenced and CATS were left with time to kill by scratching their paws. CAT Nirmal joined the resting gang with Navkavita. CAT Kulwant trotted in with CAT Mona, CAT AP, CAT Aman and CAT Amanat as our Ragi Sahib for the day, Dr Jagir Singh was pulling in the car park. We all shifted downstairs to the main Darbar Hall of the Gurdwara for the Kirtan.
What transpired thereafter was mesmerizing. Through the trials and tribulations which CATS faced in order to successfully complete the Akhand Path, to redeem ourselves of the promise we had made at Gurdwara Nanaksar during the Harike trek a fortnight previously, the most divine experience of the whole three days was the Kirtan performed by Dr Jagir Singh after the Bhog ceremony on the final day. The calm recitation of selected Bani from the Holy Guru Granth Sahib brought peace and tranquility in the whole congregation. No one wanted to move. There was not a soul untouched in the hall. I did not want to get up to take the videos for the benefit of the missing CATS. CAT Paramjeet was struggling to wean himself away from the kirtan to take some pictures. Wish you were there with us.
CAT Neerja R came with her bhabis, CAT Pammi with her daughter and mother, CAT DV Bhatia with our lovely CAT Nirmal Bhatia are ones I noticed after the kirtan was over. CAT Dharam with his wife and daughter came in later. Since CAT Hemant got late in getting the Desi Ghee Jalebis in time for the langar, CAT Paramjeet suggested that we distribute the boxes elsewhere since half the sangat had already left.
As the routine had become in three days, after the langar we went to our base camp, CAT Neelu’s house for a much needed cuppa. Over tea we reviewed the Path, realised that we would be short of Rs.10,000/- required to buy books for classes 3-5. We also decided that we will share the Jalebis packed in Bacardi boxes (yes Bacardi boxes!!), equally between Kusht Ashram (Leprosy Home beyond sec.31 railway track) and the Orphanage (Mother Teresa’s Missionary Home in sec.23).
We packed ourselves into 3 cars and went to the Kusht Ashram first. The keepers there took us into the Kitchen where quietly we handed over one box of Jalebis. On the way out their Pujari beseeched us to pay obeisance at the Shiv Mandir and Hanuman Mandir on the premises. It was humbling and liberating at the same time. It was only right that CATS pay respects at the temple after successfully completing the Akhand Path. I could not help smiling whilst bowing my head in front of benevolent Mary at the Orphanage. Almighty was at work again. There is indeed one God afterall.
Going to the Gurdwara umpteen times a day, for three consecutive days and taking my shoes off each time had indeed messed up my internal programming. Even I failed to fathom why had I taken my shoes off on the tarmac before sitting in the car bare-feet to leave for the Orphanage!
A tale I can tell the grandkittens perhaps….
- CAT Supreet
CATS Akhand Path
Through the trials and tribulations which CATS faced in order to successfully complete the Akhand Path, to redeem ourselves of the promise we had made at Gurdwara Nanaksar during the Harike trek a fortnight previously, the most divine experience of the whole 3 days was the Kirtan performed by Dr Jagir Singh after the Bhog ceremony on the final day.
The calm recitation of selected Bani from the Holy Guru Granth Sahib brought peace and tranquility in the whole congregation... No one wanted to move.. There was not a soul untouched in the hall... I did not want to get up to take the videos for the benefit of the missing CATS.. CAT Paramjeet was struggling to wean himself away from the kirtan to take some pictures... Wish you were there with us...
Photo Gallery - Akhand Path
Arambh Sri Akhand PathPath commenced at 9am on Friday morning... in the presence of 10 CATS
It was a special moment for each of the CATS...
Bhog Sri Akhand PathPath finished earlier than expected at 8.30am...
Strangely enough, number of CATS present at the completion was also 10 !!
Langar Hall - Huge Karahi contains White Chana for the langar...
Poori being prepared by the sewadars.. Can you spot CAT Gurneet and CAT Manpreet in the pic?
Poori being cooked... All healty stuff CATS :-)
Kirtan being held in the main Darbar Hall of the Gurdwara after the bhog of the Path...
Such was the power of the Bani sung in a manner most touching by Dr Jagir Singh that sangat listened to the Kirtan in pin drop silence...
Langar Sangat naal Pangat wich baith ke chhakya jaanda hai... 
CATS enjoying a relaxing with a cuppa cha at CAT Neelu and Jyoti's house
Poori being cooked... All healty stuff CATS :-)
Kirtan being held in the main Darbar Hall of the Gurdwara after the bhog of the Path...
Such was the power of the Bani sung in a manner most touching by Dr Jagir Singh that sangat listened to the Kirtan in pin drop silence...Perhaps the biggest lose of the CATS who did not come
was to miss this hour of eternal bliss..
Langar Sangat naal Pangat wich baith ke chhakya jaanda hai... A humble langar was shared after the Kirtan....
CATS enjoying a relaxing with a cuppa cha at CAT Neelu and Jyoti's house after the langar... Don't frown at the box of Bacardi lying with the tea cups...
This box contains Desi Ghee Jalebi :-)
Our bewitching CATS literally stopped the traffic in it's tracks ;-)
We had collectively decided to distribute the Jalebi equally between Kusht Ashram
CATS paid respects at the adjoining mandir of Hanuman Ji with equal zeal...
Our bewitching CATS literally stopped the traffic in it's tracks ;-)
We had collectively decided to distribute the Jalebi equally between Kusht Ashram and Mother Teresa's Missionary in Chandigarh...
It was proverbial intervention when we were stopped by
the Pandit of an on-site Mandir at the Kusht Ashram,
'Shiv Ji viraajmaan hain, darshan na kar ke jaayienge?'
CATS humbly paid equally warm respects at the Shiv Mandir after the Path...
CATS paid respects at the adjoining mandir of Hanuman Ji with equal zeal... CATS Harike Wetlands Trek
CATS in a wooden barge in our final quest to find the dolphins.. Notice the concoction of local lingo mixing with hindi creating a heady mix ;-)
CATS Harike Wetlands Trek
Most memorable part of the boat ride was seeing the Sangam of River Beas and River Satluj. Whilst Beas waters were clear and relatively fresh, Satluj waters were clearly murky, smelly, oily, filthy and thoroughly polluted. In fact, we could clearly distinguish between Beas and Satluj waters where they merged together in the Sangam. The stench arising of the Satluj waters was so unbearable that we had to request for the boat to be taken towards Beas waters. We were told that every Minister or Officer who comes to Harike for a day trip simply enjoy the natural habitat after making tall promises for taking care of the polluted Satluj waters, but nothing of substance has come to the fore thus far. We noticed later that most of the birds were prancing around in the Beas waters and not on the Satluj side. An extremely sad state of affairs indeed.
CATS Harike Wetlands Trek
The sheer vastness and still of Harike Patan Wetlands… Peer a little harder and you will be able to see hundreds of birds lining up the shores of numerous tiny islands dotting the wetlands.. rest of them can be seen taking a leisurely flight…
CATS Harike Wetlands Trek
Playing TRUTH OR DARE, CAT Gurneet had been ‘dared’ to placate her Saleem CAT Rajpal ;-)
CATS Harike Wetlands Trek
CATS engrossed in playing DUMB CHARADE… CAT Ashish A enacting out ‘Mithya’
Meow Feedback - Harike Trek
We set off for Harike early morning, immediately dividing the bus into two halves. Since the bus with 32 seats was cheaper to hire than a 14seater bus, our bus was nearly half empty. CAT Ashish A. put his business acumen to work and coined the thought that we should perhaps pick up some Ludhiana/Jagraon passengers from the local bus stand to earn some money for the CATS!
CAT Navpreet and a few others suggested that we should start antakshri without our customary prayer. There was no stopping the CATS who belted out one song after the other. Quite ironical though that about an hour later when we got stuck on alphabet 'Ae', it was CAT Navpreet himself who sang 'Ae malik tere bande hum' :-)
CATS were caught off-guard when we were approaching the parking of Gurdwara Nanaksar in Jagraon. We noticed lots of women and children sitting around with packets of 'Mishri' and cans of water in their hands, rushing towards our bus. So fierce was the competition amongst them to reach us first (or attack us first!!) to boost their sales figures for the day, that they would not even allow us to alight from the bus. Some of the felines literally had to take to their paws to avoid being way laid by these otherwise innocuous looking women and children.
We found out later that no monetary offerings are permitted in the gurdwara and 'Mishri Parsad' is the only offering accepted inside. Pity though that such a great policy had been effectively put to use within the Gurdwara, but the authorities were absolutely helpless at their doorstep to stop this loot.
We first reached the main hall of the Gurdwara premises to pay our respects. Towards the end of the Parikarma, we came across a door leading to 'Bhora Sahib' in the basement. This is apparently where tapasya was done by Sant Ishar Singh and where he was blessed with the 'Saroop' of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. However, Bhaiji at the door said that we could visit the Bhora Sahib only if we agreed to a set of conditions, which included holding an Akhand Path, or a Sehaj Path, or reciting Sukhmani Sahib or Jap Ji Sahib certain number of times a day etc.
Hush fell over CATS as these conditions seem out of reach for most of us. Additionally, half the group belonged to Hindu religion and would not have been able to perform the path by themselves. Whilst I left most of the group to decide what they would like to do, I witnessed an unexpected moment of sheer pride as the leader of the pack. CAT Ashish A, CAT Gopika decided that they would comply with one of the conditions and walked through the doors of the Bhora Sahib. They were closely followed by CAT Gurneet gallantly put her paws forward. I could not help reciting 'Ek Pita Ekas Ke Hum Baarak' to myself.
Watching them take the initiative and seeing the faces of the rest, I asked the Bhaiji if we can get someone else to do the path on our behalf to which consented. We agreed on Akhand Path but then he said that each one of us would have to get one Akhand Path done. This again put us in a quandary as getting the Akhand Path conducted is considered as one of the most pious but equally strenuous tasks in the Sikh religion. Finally he relented and said since we all belong to one family (activity related CATS family rather than a biologically related family), we could pay obeisance in the Bhora Sahib if we could get one Akhand Path conducted within a time frame of a month. We readily agreed.
Thereafter we had a quite langar and set off towards Harike. CATS decided to give Antakshari a skip and indulge in some dumb charade instead for the second leg of the outward journey. Soon the enthusiasm of the experts rubbed off on to the rusty ones like me and again the bus was divided into two groups. Mithya was surprisingly easy to figure out but Kaafila took forever. In fact we had so much fun that when we looked out of the bus, we had already reached Harike! We had missed stopping by at Sabraon for the Anglo-Sikh war memorial altogether in playing dumb charade.
DFO of Ferozpur, Mr Basanta Raj Kumar had arranged for his staff to escort us for the day. Soon we found ourselves by the waters of Harike Wetlands where stillness and silence ruled. Since 15 of us had to be accommodated in a seemingly rickety motorboat, we were instructed to plant ourselves in the boat as per our weight and size (yes!!) and strictly told not to rock the boat by moving around at any stage. For the first time in the day, there was absolute silence. CATS were dumb struck by the sheer vastness of the space and the variety of aviary around them. CATS had been let loose amongst the birds, but it was the birds which were having a last laugh!
Most memorable part of the boat ride was seeing the Sangam of River Beas and River Satluj. Whilst Beas waters were clear and relatively fresh, Satluj waters were clearly murky, smelly, oily, filthy and thoroughly polluted. In fact, we could clearly distinguish between Beas and Satluj waters where they merged together in the Sangam. The stench arising of the Satluj waters was so unbearable that we had to request for the boat to be taken towards Beas waters. We were told that every Minister or Officer who comes to Harike for a day trip simply enjoy the natural habitat after making tall promises for taking care of the polluted Satluj waters, but nothing of substance has come to the fore thus far. We noticed later that most of the birds were prancing around in the Beas waters and not on the Satluj side. An extremely sad state of affairs indeed.
It was sheer joy to watch birds 'walking' on water. National Geographic had become 'live' for us. It was also extremely interesting to draw comparisons from the Zoo Treasure Hunt a fortnight ago. There we saw so many birds, but in the cages. Here we were caged in a motorboat whilst thousands of birds had the free run of the place! We really missed our 'Bird Watching' CAT Ashok and CAT Neerja for it would have been really good to know more about the resident and migratory birds around us.
We walked for about 5kms around the Wetlands after the boat ride. With serene waters on side and farms on the other, we witnessed a 10 second episode of jungle raaj straight out of the Discovery Channel. We saw two dogs fighting noisily and bitterly over a squirrel. Before we could react, we saw the blood stained squirrel dangling limply in the jaws of one dog. The dogs had left the CATS in awe!
Next came a much resisted lunch break stop at a local banquet hall where a wedding was taking place. We stuck a deal with the manager to serve us the excess food from the wedding celebrations to CATS for lunch at a nominal cost. I could not help thinking of CAT Charanjeet, who had coined the name CATS but had said in the same breath that we should be careful of using the word CATS, since cats are known to the scheming creatures! What the heck, food was good and the service was prompt which put us back on the trail of the dolphins.
We traveled through dusty narrow lanes through the fields to reach a village 25kms away from the main Wetlands. Though it was a very hot and sunny day, CATS were determined to give their best shot at finding the Dolphins. We walked for about a kilometer, only to be told that since the waters had receded in the last few days, dolphins had actually not been spotted for the last 4-5 days at all. We felt disheartened and perhaps a little cheated, but there was no one to be blamed. No one had promised us a sighting of Dolphins and we had decided to try our best to get an opportunity to see them.
Since we had come this far, we decided to embark on one final hunt for the elusive dolphins. We jumped onto a wooden barge usually used to ferry tractors across the marshes. One skinny Mallah used a bamboo pole to fish us out to the other side of the waters. The disillusioned CATS had lost all sense of purpose and direction by this time and for some strange reason, started walking towards the heart of this island. What were we thinking?? Were we trying to find a house of dolphins where we would have spotted them resting in their rocking chairs in the balmy late afternoon with a glass of Nimbu Pani or Vodka?? Heaven knows.
Fortunately, senses soon prevailed and we grudgingly accepted that we were not going to see any dolphins that day. In our disappointment, we forgot to visit Sabraon on the way back (AGAIN) and were soon heading back towards Ludhiana. Since we wanted to have a little more fun before we all headed back to our homes, CATS decided to have dinner in Ludhiana, hosted by CAT Fang. However, this was also cancelled since they decided that they were not really hungry upon reaching Ludhiana. Then they wanted to have a bite at McDonalds' in Doraha, however, McDonalds lies on the other side of the divided highway and it was too much to make a U-turn and travel back. Half the bus had fallen asleep. CAT Gurneet would wake up and ask after a few odd minutes, 'Aur kitni door hai?' By the time some CATS got hungry, there was not a decent eatery in sight. In the end, we were all too tired to care for the food.
Looking back, I would say that though disappointment of not being able to see the dolphins was write large across our faces, but none of us can deny that we had sheer fun in the bus, the boat ride in the wetlands was the most memorable for all of us, the walk around the wetlands was an experience, and we sure will catch up with the Dolphins next time.
I was also told by the Chhatbir Zoo Director, CAT Dharam that it was our very own Harpal who had actually spotted the Dolphins in Dec'07 (remember the smart looking extremely helpful second in command from our Chhatbir Zoo trek). Harpal had then asked the local office to officially identify the dolphins. CATS are also grateful to DFO Ferozepur, Mr Basanta Raj Kumar who had instructed his staff to ensure every assistance be extended to CATS for a memorable day out for us.
CAT Supreet
CAT Navpreet and a few others suggested that we should start antakshri without our customary prayer. There was no stopping the CATS who belted out one song after the other. Quite ironical though that about an hour later when we got stuck on alphabet 'Ae', it was CAT Navpreet himself who sang 'Ae malik tere bande hum' :-)
CATS were caught off-guard when we were approaching the parking of Gurdwara Nanaksar in Jagraon. We noticed lots of women and children sitting around with packets of 'Mishri' and cans of water in their hands, rushing towards our bus. So fierce was the competition amongst them to reach us first (or attack us first!!) to boost their sales figures for the day, that they would not even allow us to alight from the bus. Some of the felines literally had to take to their paws to avoid being way laid by these otherwise innocuous looking women and children.
We found out later that no monetary offerings are permitted in the gurdwara and 'Mishri Parsad' is the only offering accepted inside. Pity though that such a great policy had been effectively put to use within the Gurdwara, but the authorities were absolutely helpless at their doorstep to stop this loot.
We first reached the main hall of the Gurdwara premises to pay our respects. Towards the end of the Parikarma, we came across a door leading to 'Bhora Sahib' in the basement. This is apparently where tapasya was done by Sant Ishar Singh and where he was blessed with the 'Saroop' of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. However, Bhaiji at the door said that we could visit the Bhora Sahib only if we agreed to a set of conditions, which included holding an Akhand Path, or a Sehaj Path, or reciting Sukhmani Sahib or Jap Ji Sahib certain number of times a day etc.
Hush fell over CATS as these conditions seem out of reach for most of us. Additionally, half the group belonged to Hindu religion and would not have been able to perform the path by themselves. Whilst I left most of the group to decide what they would like to do, I witnessed an unexpected moment of sheer pride as the leader of the pack. CAT Ashish A, CAT Gopika decided that they would comply with one of the conditions and walked through the doors of the Bhora Sahib. They were closely followed by CAT Gurneet gallantly put her paws forward. I could not help reciting 'Ek Pita Ekas Ke Hum Baarak' to myself.
Watching them take the initiative and seeing the faces of the rest, I asked the Bhaiji if we can get someone else to do the path on our behalf to which consented. We agreed on Akhand Path but then he said that each one of us would have to get one Akhand Path done. This again put us in a quandary as getting the Akhand Path conducted is considered as one of the most pious but equally strenuous tasks in the Sikh religion. Finally he relented and said since we all belong to one family (activity related CATS family rather than a biologically related family), we could pay obeisance in the Bhora Sahib if we could get one Akhand Path conducted within a time frame of a month. We readily agreed.
Thereafter we had a quite langar and set off towards Harike. CATS decided to give Antakshari a skip and indulge in some dumb charade instead for the second leg of the outward journey. Soon the enthusiasm of the experts rubbed off on to the rusty ones like me and again the bus was divided into two groups. Mithya was surprisingly easy to figure out but Kaafila took forever. In fact we had so much fun that when we looked out of the bus, we had already reached Harike! We had missed stopping by at Sabraon for the Anglo-Sikh war memorial altogether in playing dumb charade.
DFO of Ferozpur, Mr Basanta Raj Kumar had arranged for his staff to escort us for the day. Soon we found ourselves by the waters of Harike Wetlands where stillness and silence ruled. Since 15 of us had to be accommodated in a seemingly rickety motorboat, we were instructed to plant ourselves in the boat as per our weight and size (yes!!) and strictly told not to rock the boat by moving around at any stage. For the first time in the day, there was absolute silence. CATS were dumb struck by the sheer vastness of the space and the variety of aviary around them. CATS had been let loose amongst the birds, but it was the birds which were having a last laugh!
Most memorable part of the boat ride was seeing the Sangam of River Beas and River Satluj. Whilst Beas waters were clear and relatively fresh, Satluj waters were clearly murky, smelly, oily, filthy and thoroughly polluted. In fact, we could clearly distinguish between Beas and Satluj waters where they merged together in the Sangam. The stench arising of the Satluj waters was so unbearable that we had to request for the boat to be taken towards Beas waters. We were told that every Minister or Officer who comes to Harike for a day trip simply enjoy the natural habitat after making tall promises for taking care of the polluted Satluj waters, but nothing of substance has come to the fore thus far. We noticed later that most of the birds were prancing around in the Beas waters and not on the Satluj side. An extremely sad state of affairs indeed.
It was sheer joy to watch birds 'walking' on water. National Geographic had become 'live' for us. It was also extremely interesting to draw comparisons from the Zoo Treasure Hunt a fortnight ago. There we saw so many birds, but in the cages. Here we were caged in a motorboat whilst thousands of birds had the free run of the place! We really missed our 'Bird Watching' CAT Ashok and CAT Neerja for it would have been really good to know more about the resident and migratory birds around us.
We walked for about 5kms around the Wetlands after the boat ride. With serene waters on side and farms on the other, we witnessed a 10 second episode of jungle raaj straight out of the Discovery Channel. We saw two dogs fighting noisily and bitterly over a squirrel. Before we could react, we saw the blood stained squirrel dangling limply in the jaws of one dog. The dogs had left the CATS in awe!
Next came a much resisted lunch break stop at a local banquet hall where a wedding was taking place. We stuck a deal with the manager to serve us the excess food from the wedding celebrations to CATS for lunch at a nominal cost. I could not help thinking of CAT Charanjeet, who had coined the name CATS but had said in the same breath that we should be careful of using the word CATS, since cats are known to the scheming creatures! What the heck, food was good and the service was prompt which put us back on the trail of the dolphins.
We traveled through dusty narrow lanes through the fields to reach a village 25kms away from the main Wetlands. Though it was a very hot and sunny day, CATS were determined to give their best shot at finding the Dolphins. We walked for about a kilometer, only to be told that since the waters had receded in the last few days, dolphins had actually not been spotted for the last 4-5 days at all. We felt disheartened and perhaps a little cheated, but there was no one to be blamed. No one had promised us a sighting of Dolphins and we had decided to try our best to get an opportunity to see them.
Since we had come this far, we decided to embark on one final hunt for the elusive dolphins. We jumped onto a wooden barge usually used to ferry tractors across the marshes. One skinny Mallah used a bamboo pole to fish us out to the other side of the waters. The disillusioned CATS had lost all sense of purpose and direction by this time and for some strange reason, started walking towards the heart of this island. What were we thinking?? Were we trying to find a house of dolphins where we would have spotted them resting in their rocking chairs in the balmy late afternoon with a glass of Nimbu Pani or Vodka?? Heaven knows.
Fortunately, senses soon prevailed and we grudgingly accepted that we were not going to see any dolphins that day. In our disappointment, we forgot to visit Sabraon on the way back (AGAIN) and were soon heading back towards Ludhiana. Since we wanted to have a little more fun before we all headed back to our homes, CATS decided to have dinner in Ludhiana, hosted by CAT Fang. However, this was also cancelled since they decided that they were not really hungry upon reaching Ludhiana. Then they wanted to have a bite at McDonalds' in Doraha, however, McDonalds lies on the other side of the divided highway and it was too much to make a U-turn and travel back. Half the bus had fallen asleep. CAT Gurneet would wake up and ask after a few odd minutes, 'Aur kitni door hai?' By the time some CATS got hungry, there was not a decent eatery in sight. In the end, we were all too tired to care for the food.
Looking back, I would say that though disappointment of not being able to see the dolphins was write large across our faces, but none of us can deny that we had sheer fun in the bus, the boat ride in the wetlands was the most memorable for all of us, the walk around the wetlands was an experience, and we sure will catch up with the Dolphins next time.
I was also told by the Chhatbir Zoo Director, CAT Dharam that it was our very own Harpal who had actually spotted the Dolphins in Dec'07 (remember the smart looking extremely helpful second in command from our Chhatbir Zoo trek). Harpal had then asked the local office to officially identify the dolphins. CATS are also grateful to DFO Ferozepur, Mr Basanta Raj Kumar who had instructed his staff to ensure every assistance be extended to CATS for a memorable day out for us.
CAT Supreet
Photo Gallery: Harike (RECENT FIND)
Think TWICE before you pity us for having been on a wild goose chase....The charming beauty caught on camera by our one and only CAT Hemant whilst the rest of us had headed off to the island in search of the elusive dolphins :-)
YIPPIE....
Photo Gallery - Harike Trek
Humbly CATS pay obeisance at Gurdwara Nanaksar Sahib...
Finally at Harike WetlandsShifty CATS cant help posing for the camera whilst waiting for the petrol to arrive for the motorboat required to take us around...
The Reception Committee waiting for the CATS at Harike....
We were given the 'Aerial Guard of Honour' too...
CATS on the prowl with the Harike wetlands on one side and the village Harike on the other...
Three Meows for the one who names this charming beauty...
Two for company...
Who will confirm if this one is Koyal or not?
CATS and a dog having lunch in perfect harmony :-)
Full of hope... Off we go again... In search of Dolphins spotted in Harike only a couple of months ago...
Ah well... Atleast we tried :-(
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