CATS: April 2008

Photo Gallery - 2nd Blood Donation Camp

SMILES all around kicked off our day....

CAT Vishal sprung a surprise by bringing in 5 students from CIHM to donate blood first thing in the morning...

Our Top CAT Couple of the Day...

CAT Ashok and CAT Neerja with Rtn Babbi Ji and our Elusive CAT Charanjeet :-)

Merry bunch of CATS and Rotarians taking pride in having recycled our banner from the last blood donation camp in January!

President of Rotary Club of Chandigarh, Rtn. Arvind Mehan

(and a fresh convert to CATS!!) took the lead and joined hands with CATS

in donating blood himself for his club's Heartline...

Sushil having a tough time to hide his grin, whilst CAT Aradhika is 'trying' to imitate an intellectual look ;-)

Oh you don't want to know what transpires when you ask a simple question off CAT Vasu...

Rtn. Madhu Handa had come only to cheer up CATS for their noble deed...

Little did she know about the CATS.... what the heck... We got a unit :-)

All's fair and forgiven in Love and War !

CAT Anu A had been rejected in the last camp on account of low Hb...

We were all literally holding our breath till she cleared her medical...

Another Unit you see ;-)

CAT Neerja hard at work just for CATS... without lunch at that!

What can I really say.... Nidhi and her gang led by CAT Reenu donated not just with a smile... but amidst peels of laughter and bravado :-)

Visitors had started wondering if CATS were operating a dress code!!

CAT Rahat at his best behaviour... He's a gem indeed...

Though I shall not share the photo with his toungue sticking out and his eyes all rolled up ;-)

Rtn Babbi Ji tirelessly took care of the refreshments of each donor throughout the day....

CAT Deepinder, CAT Uday and fresh CAT Ashwin comparing notes..

CAT Ashish A waiting to be seved food, right here and now on the bed itself after the donation... He said that if he liked the food enough, then he was going to show up in the evening too!

Our 'Naya Jora'...... CAT Jasmit with his 'Vohtee' CAT Jasmine, who had infact coerced her husband to ensure that they donated blood together.... MEOW

CATS... and lots of them :-)

I salute the spirit of CATS who came forward to take our blood donation count to 36.... but we are still short of 14 units my dear CATS.... Can we all dig a little deeper into our hearts to do a little more for HEARTLINE??

- CAT Supreet

CATS 2nd Blood Donation Camp

If you think donating blood is painful or bothersome, then just be prepared for the shock of your life..

Please meet CAT Aradhika, who was yapping her life away when I approached her with a camera… She immediately threw a list of instructions as to how to take the most flattering picture of her while tucking her hair behind her ears, telling me to avoid the double chin and not to miss her matching earrings and the pink bag in the photo..

Remember, she had a needle stuck inside her arm all this while and she was being bled at this stage.

Our nurse in white immediately got into action and told CAT Aradhika in no uncertain terms that she must not move at all…. The video captures the after effects of the admonishment….

Hats off to CAT Aradhika for her CATTY spirits :-)

Do you still think it hurts whilst giving blood??!!

Photo Gallery - Sukhna Nature Trail

The moon was still shining bright when it was time to wake up..... As always, I had to make a few 'wake up' calls to a few CATS at 3.45am!!

CAT Navpreet mumbled, 'Sue, bari maari kardi hain tu!'Yes... even the kittens were not spared :-(
I have been asked if I have worked for a 'Torture Chamber' by any chance!

CATS exchanging MEOWs at the assembly point....

The graceful early risers were there to give us company...
or sympathise with us perhaps!

Walking along the promenade, CATS were mesmerised by the warmth of the rising sun...

Spirits of the CATS soured with the sun...

Soon CATS had walked 2.6kms along the lake promenade...
The front runners decided to cool their paws off a little and let the whole pack of CATS re-assemble before we went towards the nature trail just before the regulatory end...

CATS indulged in a balancing act to cross the choe which appeared out of nowhere...

Just as thought our adventure for the day was over...
A Spotted Deer (Cheetal) paid us a surprise visit

Black Drongo sang beautifully for us...

Our fellow avid Bird Watchers (Ornithologists), CAT Ashok and CAT Neerja helped us identify our Peacocks from our Koels, Brain Fever Birds, Open Billed Storks, Black Winged Stilts, Babblers, Purple Sun Birds, Geese, Mynas, Green Barbets, Common Sand Pipers to name a few...
See what all you missed??

A clear view of the lake from the 'other' end...

Can you spot the tower at the top end of the lake??

CATS enjoying the wilderness, in the middle of our City Beautiful...

CATS getting really 'up close and personal' with our four legged pals :-)
We were left in awe by the herds of Deer and Sambhar...

This is the hole which caused a split between

the believers and the non-believers amongst the CATS!
The verdict is still out about the theory as to whether there was a python in this hole which was trying to swallow the dog (who's tail is visible in this picture), or whether the dog was howling
after getting its' one leg entangled in a wire, which was invisible to CATS from above...

What everyone does agree upon is that the dog was sitting
merrily in the hole, when all of a sudden it started howling and
then was seen struggling to get its' one paw released from 'something'

The stray dogs accompanying a horse rider brought back

the memories of Fox Hounds leading their masters on the

'now' controversial fox hunting, traditionally held after Christmas in UK

The die hard CATS exchanging notes with the freshers during the

last leg of our nature trail, which took us through the Lake Club...

CAT Tony quite happy distributing, 'Parshaada Ji'
to which CAT Harman and others were heard replying,
'Wahe Guru Ji'

Another beautiful morning spent in the lap of mother nature...
CATS got busy planning for the summer after breakfast,
before heading home to snooze away rest of the morning...

- CAT Supreet

Words of Catty Cheer :-)

Congratulations....amazing enthu, guys! I am compelled to ask how you manage to rise on a sunday morning, week after week...!? Don't tell me you party the night away on saturdays and without taking a breather reach the venue all set to trek!

Anyway, good show..keep it up!

Anant

CATS Sukhna Nature Trail

A leisurely stroll through the Sukhna Nature Trail... You can hear the peacocks if you listen carefully... I would not even mention herds of Spotted Deer and Sambhar we came across during the trail... Then there's the story of the python trying to swallow the dog too :-)

2nd Blood Donation Camp of CATS

Meow CATS,

Given your encouraging response during our last blood donation camp where 41 units were collected, CATS second Blood Donation Camp is being organised:

Date: Friday, 25th of Apr'08
Time: 9am - 5pm
Venue: Fortis Hospital, Mohali (Reach Fortis Blood Bank, located just beyond the IPD Counter)
Cause: Heartline Project
Target: 50 Units

It would not cost you anything and it does not really hurt anymore than a standard blood test would. Last timers know all about Heartline, however, we have had new members joining us since January.

If you are wondering how blood donated by you would be used, then we have an extremely noble cause involving children. Under a project called 'Heart Line', free heart surgeries are conducted by PGI and Fortis Hospital on
poor children suffering from congenital heart disease. Examples are the child of a farmer from Ajnala with small land holding, tea vendor from Ambala Railway Station, child of a rickshaw puller from Pinjore etc.

Rotary Club of Chandigarh provides the consumables costing approximately Rs.65,000/- per surgery, which they collect from their members. Each paisa collected through donations for this project is spent on the surgeries. PGI and Fortis do not charge anything for conducting the surgery. Both the institutes provide exceptional service to the patients. Each surgery requires about 5-6units of blood, which is required during and at times post surgery per child.

A total of 209 surgeries have been successfully conducted till date. Infact 209th surgery was performed on 8 years old Sunny of a driver from Ganganagar, Rajasthan. Most tender moments were witnessed when a 6 month baby from Hallomajra and an 11 month old baby from Punjab recently underwent surgeries successfully and went home hale and hearty.

Blood donated by CATS during the January camp has helped 12 children to get operated and regain health after the life saving surgery each one of them underwent.

If any of you still have any doubts, then may I request you to flick through the 'Blood Donation' page of our blog.

I hope to see many of you pussy footing through the IPD doors on Friday CATS, with pride.

CAT Supreet

CATS in Indian Express today

Hey CATS,

Jagmeeta has done a well equalised and all encompassing story about our little effort to commemorate the Earth Day, by raising awareness of our local flora and fauna through our Sukhna Nature Trail yesterday. Vikram has taken some wonderful shots too (the legal and benign ones!).

Please grab your copy of the Indian Express this morning before it disappears off the shelves.

CATS have once again made front page headlines in SimpliCity, and not without reason :-)

Three MEOWS to the spirit of CATS,
CAT Supreet

(Date: 21st April'08)

CATS Swimming Crash Course

Meow CATS,

The details for the CATS crash course have now been finalised.

The rest of the information stays the same. However, please note that the timings are different and there are two sessions available rather than one a day for CATS.

Start Date: 26th April 2008
Venue: Lake Club
Morning Session Timing: 8am - 9.30am
Evening Session Timing: 6pm - 7.30pm
Cost: Rs.750 for a month per person (based upon 30 days a month)
Coaching Cost: Included in above cost (Club coach as well as our own CAT Arun would be available at hand for coaching)

Given that you have a choice of either attending the morning or evening session, PLEASE confirm which session would you prefer to join. Best scenario of course is that we all attend one session, subject to every CAT's convenience. However, I leave this decision for each one of you to make.

Every CAT must ensure that they purchase their swimming costumes well in time to start the course on Saturday, 26th of April.

- CAT Supreet

List of Activities for the summer... thus far

APRIL 2008
Sunday 20th: Early morning nature trail trek behind Sukhna Lake

Tuesday 22nd till Friday 25th: 3 day trek to Hatu peak (this is a women only trek being organised by a fellow CAT), but is a non-CAT activity

Friday 25th: 2nd Blood Donation Camp to be held, in aid of poor children undergoing free heart surgeries under the Heartline Project

MAY 2008
Friday 23rd - Sunday 25th: 3 day multi activity trek to Solang Valley (13km above Manali) , is a non-CAT activity, being organised by a fellow CAT

JUNE 2008
Wednesday 04th - Sunday 08th: 5 day multi activity, but mostly trekking in the splendid Great Himalayan National Park (Kullu Valley)

JUNE - JULY 2008
Thursday 26th June - Sunday 6th July: 12 day multi faceted trek to Leh and surrounding places involving trekking and sightseeing, is again a non-CAT activity

This list of activities has been released so that all CATS can book their holidays in advance from their offices (and specifically hospitals!!). A lot of activities are being undertaken in the summer, purely to maximize the benefit for the families with school/college going kids.

Other half day or full day activities may also be undertaken by CATS in the summer. Any or these trips/treks may well be cancelled if not enough CATS register for each one.

Time to take some action CATS.
CAT Supreet

Photo Gallery - Rafting Trip (Dev Prayag-Rishikesh)

Gurudwara Sri Pounta Saheb...
Our first official stop enroute Dev Prayag..

Breathtaking views... Need I say more!

CATS getting their act together at the hotel parking lot in Rishikesh... Our second scheduled stop on the way to Dev Prayag...

Couldn't resist sharing this masterpiece with you...
CAT Navpreet in Moam-jama...

Wicked.... I know ;-)

With our bellies full.. CATS about to leave our third and last
scheduled stop, Kodiyala, before we reached Dev Prayag in our bus...

This is what happens to CATS when you give them too much food!!

Getting into the safety gear at Dev Prayag...

or choosing from our perfectly lined up armoury shall I say :-)

Line up at Dev Prayag for the safety lessons in rafting...

Bet even our mothers would not recognise us in the safety gear!

Guide Bachhan with his bunch of Merry CATS

The 'love at fist sight' moment between us CATS and our Ganga...

....Aage Aage dekhiye hota hai kya !!

I was merely abiding by the 'rescue' technique as taught by our Guide Pradeep... Trust Me...

I had indeed rescued my fellow CAT rather than

throwing the CAT out of the raft!! ...HONEST :-)

Here's CAT Joey as the evidence of how much we enjoyed in Ganga..

SHEER BLISS

Our picture perfect camp site at Vyasghat....
Shivering CATS were treated to the luxury of log fire...

Our Dinner Tent awaited to feed our murmuring bellies...
as soon as we stepped out of our rafts...

Do you guys remember the photograph of a cat

emailed a couple of days prior to our rafting trip??

Well.... this is our 'Bheegi Billi' personified in CAT Gopika :-)

CAT Uday diving into the yumm food laid out for us...
I had even suggested to fellow CATS if we should get some cooking lessons organised!

and what can we say about our newly wed couples....

CAT Jasmit and CAT Jasmine preferred the warmth of the logfire,

than the protection offered by our dinner tent from the rain...

Dum Dum Diga Diga.... Mausam Bheega Bheega

Hai ALLAH ;-)

Vyasghat offered everything one could desire for...

Noisy CATS had the log fire to chatter over...

Quieter ones had Ganga for company and contemplation...

Thus the night fell...

Sharing stories with an Irish, a Canadian and an American rafter..
'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' sung by CAT Jolly on a starless night

in punjabi style was the highlight of this multicultural flock...

Irony was that stars actually emerged from the clouds soon after this punjabi renedition to light up the previously overcast sky!!

For the benefit of both the missing newly wed couples he sang,

once again in punjabi ishtyle...

'Hum Tum Kamre mein Band Hon' ;-)