CATS

Photo Gallery: CATS 10th Blood Donation Camp

2011-06-24T16:52:00.194+05:30

Though the date of the camp was officially 14th of June'11, but CATS who would have been unable to visit the blood bank due to work or personal commitments on 14th started getting their unit of blood counted towards the camp almost a week in advance!

CAT Vivek Kumar was the first donor of our 10th camp :)

CAT Anuradha Chawla walked into the blood bank with two of her colleagues,

Shruti and Manoj the next day where I was able to meet them :)

CAT Guneet Singh took her cousin Micky along two days ahead of the camp

as both would have not been able to make it on 14th to donate with the rest of the CATS.

CAT Guneet, you are one determined little girl.. PROUD OF YOU :)

We started the morning of 14th of June, World Blood Donors Day

with a donor count of 6. Given that our target was 50 units,

we were looking for another 44 donors to walk through the doors.

I reached the blood bank by 8.45am to set shop with CAT Amanat and

CAT Aman - the support team for the donors. CAT Paramjeet arrived

just as we were offloading the goodies and the necessities from the car.

He was our first donor of the morning.

The blood bank was all set for the day to receive the meowing CATS :)

and so were the CATS!

Wondering what the story is behind this cake??

It was CAT Chat's only son's birthday and the doting father had

brought along the cake to celebrate his birthday with all the CATS.

CAT Amanat happily helped CAT Chat to cut the cake in Anurag's absence,

and a wish was also made for CAT Monica who shared her birthday with Anurag :)

Birthdays galore :)

CAT Mukesh walked in with his wife Kusum just after 9am.

Mukesh might have started giving blood late in life, but he's been regular as a clock work.

Proud of you BOTH :)

CAT Gagandeep arrived soon before going to the office while Gurdeep led the SDI gang.

It was a good start of the day, given CAT Gagandeep

walked away in his own shoes after the donation :D

It was a pleasure to be greeted by Mrs Kanta Swaroop Krishen who

appreciated the electronic working style of CATS. She spent time speaking with the donors and

was quite excited to browse through the picture gallery of the previous 9 camps of CATS.

Yet another charming lady, Mrs Duggal arrived with Rtn. Sneh Popli to cheer up

the donors but it was so easy to get waylaid by the happy faces from the picture gallery ;-)

If this was not enough, then CAT Aman had also put up a chart asking 'What BLOOD Means'.

CAT Chat was at his wittiest best while Mrs Duggal was most inspiring :)

It was good to see CAT Arti back on the bleeding bed after she missed the previous two camps.

Ab iss rockstar ka naam main bhool gayi hoon ;-)

Rtn. Vipin Dewan kept his promise and came to cheer up the donors with his charming colleague.

It's always a delight to hear his stories, just as it used to be to listen to the stories of the previous Principal of YPS, Dr Harish Dhillon!

While all this was happening, a bus full of donors had arrived from SDI to simply sweep us off our feet...

There were more donors than pens available at the blood bank to fill the pre-donation medical forms ;-)

We were going full strength in the bleeding room...

and we had started running out of not only the pens, but chairs and sofas

also to sit in the foyer for the donors to fill their forms in...

Despite the heat and the lack of chairs, there was not a sign of complaint from anyone.

THAT is what I admire about you all :)

There is more to us than pretty faces :)

Go on.. I invite you to write a caption for this photograph :)

See, I told you that the photo gallery was a BIG HIT :)

Aa jayo... Aa jayo... Aap bhi aa jayo :)

It was great to see such a huge effort made by SDI to bring in the donors,

when it was all too easy to worry about the loss of working hours!

It was great to see the camaraderie between the defense personnel and the civilians.

Mera Bharat Mahan :)

All donors are equal but there are some above equals!

Please meet Ranpal who may be severely disabled in one leg, but that has not

stopped him from hopping along to the blood bank with a stick.

This man deserves a standing ovation for he indeed is the REAL HERO.

A disabled giving blood to enable another life.

We were indeed the stars of the day with media all around :)

The waiting queue spilled over from the foyer and corridor into the bleeding room itself ;-)

Please meet these handsome young kittens of ours, sons of our 40+ donor CAT Vishal Kalia,

who had brought them along to see what it feels like to be part of a blood donation camp.

It was a delight to see them all grown up... but handsome as ever :)

and here is the father.. CAT Vishal Kalia himself...

the one who's always there whenever anyone needs blood.

I remember calling him up on 07th of Jan'11 and he reached the blood bank

in less than 10mins to give blood for a poor accident victim about to undergo surgery :)

Boys will always be boys I guess ;-)

I may not remember the names, but I shall never forget the donors!

Meet this regular blood donor couple who joined us for the noble cause...

in his words, 'I have never seen such a rush at this blood bank before!'

and this is the important back breaking work which

CAT Aman was assigned; to keep records of all the donors.

Incase you missed Ranpal's previous photograph, this is how

Ranpal came to the blood bank to donate blood..

I wonder how should those able bodied ones amungst us should feel

after seeing this photograph.. I am talking about the ones

who do not donate blood despite being medically fit!

CAT Jolly was always rejected in UK and Canada whenever

he tried to give blood on account of malaria and mad cow disease :D

Thanks to being in India, he's become a regular donor with CATS :)

Do meet out new CAT Nitish, the quite one who surprised even his friends as he's a regular blood donor.

THANK YOU Nitish for coming along yesterday... and you look even fitter than the rafting trip :)

Our Fauji GS Dhillon in deep discussion with CAT AP to discuss CATS, Leh and beyond :)

I look forward to a guided tour of something special soon with The Army for all the CATS!

Time to meet another determined fauji who had come with his wife and two pretty children.

Son-in-Law of Col Shah (Rotary blood bank) is another towering example of

taking the challenges head on that life throws at us, rather than drowning in

sorrows or seeking sympathy through creating a web of self-pity.

This fauji with a beautiful young family who had come to donate blood with us all,

had come limping slightly with a stick as a support. It was later on that we came

to know that he had lost half a leg and a foot in a freak accident a few years ago.

Hats off to the courage of this fine Officer serving the Army, he never let the adversities get in his way.

Do allow the CATS to salute you Sir!

and what do I say about this 18yrs old smart chap.

I got into a conversation with Nipun and found out that this was his first blood donation.

I asked if his parents know and he replied, 'No. I actually had been asking them

to accompany me for my first blood donation since I turned 18, but they had been

dilly dallying giving one excuse or another as they feel I am too young to give blood.'

I ensured I stood by him and as he was being bled, he got a call from his mother

on his mobile, asking him where he was and he responded with a twinkle in his eyes,

'At the blood bank mum, giving blood!'

Not only these two students of PU gave blood with us, but asked us to go and

motivate the youngsters in the colleges to raise an army of blood donors in the city.

Leading by example they sure are.. and CATS would be more than happy to help them in their mission.

Who says females are a scarce breed when it comes to blood donation...

THEY ARE EVERYWHERE at the camp :)

Infact the energy at the camp was so palpable, that many walk-ins

immediately signing the membership forms to join CATS there and then!

I was surprised some even had the passport sized photos in their wallets

to stick on the membership forms...

they left no stone unturned to be part of this merry group of CATS ;-)

forms forms and more medical forms to be filled in...

Blood bank had appointed one person by this time to specially hand out the pens to the waiting donors :)

Rtn Darshan Mahendru may be a quite man, but what grace he brings along

with him wherever he goes. Thank you for coming in to cheer up the donors...

who by the way were too engrossed in either the refreshments or the photo gallery :)

I did tell you that we had a house full... right :)

Hey CAT Tanbir... yeh kya ho raha hai??!!!!

:P

Even the lunch hour went busy.... what a day indeed it was.... THANK YOU donors :)

CAT Puneet Kapoor came to donate blood but had to become a

cheer leader instead once again! It's always a pleasure to be with puraane-paapi..

CAT Hemant being another regular one.

I remember I would beg, request and at times blackmail Hemant to stay

as long as he could at the camp, without being fired from his job to

take care of the record keeping or photographs ;0)

Hustler may have left for other shores... but we still have the Warrior with us :)

To give or not to give ;-)

what an amazing journey it was... each part of the blood bank had different focus..

and here it was restricted to two senses only - Taste and Vision :D

A walk in dulhan who had come to donate blood with his dulha... LOVE YOU girl :)

Does the face expression convey enough that he's a first timer?

This proved to be the most pleasant surprise of the day for me...

CAT Jasmit shifted to Mumbai over a year ago and since he had written to me

saying that he would be making his blood donation on 14th of June,

I assumed he would go to his local blood bank to make a donation.

Can you imagine my reaction when I saw him walking through the doors

of the blood bank, straight from the airport to donate blood with his fellow CATS here in Chandigarh?!!!

Thakur.... khoon de de na!

CAT Hemant Anand who took over the task of reminding me to hold

the next blood donation camp as we enter the 10th week of the last blood donation!

The Silent Crusader CAT :)

and this gentleman had walked in to give blood in the name of his daughter's birthday.

He told me that he was about to leave for a few days to camp in Manali...

but walked away after filling in the form of CATS to join us from the next activity itself ;-)

I have honestly run out of words to describe this phenomena called CAT Abhijit...

Our original Pied Piper when it comes to blood donation!

He's probably sharing stories from his recent quest of kissing the Everest Base Camp with CAT AP :)

and here is our original Dulha, CAT Jasmit who has always donated blood with

his dulhan CAT Jasmine. The ones who're not just there for fun times,

but there when the going gets tough too.

Yeh jori to rabb ne banaayi hai... fursat mein :)

aur kaun kehta hai Punjab Police sirf khoon peeti hai... deti nahin :D

This gentleman had come with a colleague to be part of this blood

donation drive and we are indeed proud of them.. even if it's this once ;-)

Yupp.. back to the picture gallery :)

Yet another first time donor for whom we tried to make this day memorable :)

Meet this lady who not only is a regular blood donor, but has pledged to

donate her eyes as well body to the PGI upon death.

Walking Massiahs.. what do you say?

Want to join her ranks?

and this is what I call the purrfect partnership....

CATS donating blood with active participation of SDI :)

do meet yet another regular blood donor CAT Ajay.....

There's a saying in punjabi,

'Tera ik hath dewe te doosra de ke bhul jaawe!

He has literally taken it to his heart and can't remember the dates of

any of his previous 30+ blood donations!'

PROUD of YOU Ajay :)

and you really have to meet Madan.. it I was heading CATS to ensure

everything fell in place for the donors at the camp, Madan held the fort

on the ground for SDI.. and he did that without a break or lunch...

I literally had to force him to eat a muffin before I let him carry on further!

THANK YOU Madan :)

CAT Ashish walked in with his old pals Davinder and Jasraj along with

CAT Navpreet Singh to give blood together.

Do you notice to lanky chap standing in the extreme right hand corner

of the photograph? He works in a hospital and had seen many blood donations in his life,

but had never had the courage to jump from the fence. He's still doing his calculations

as he meets this noisy bunch of happy go lucky regular donor friends.

and this was another set of colleagues who neither stopped laughing themselves,

not allowed anyone else to stop giggling away - Drunk over blood!

and here is another one of us regulars playful ones,

CAT Navpreet who marked his paws at the camp post lunch... MEOW :)

10/10 blood donations has made CAT Ashish the brightest of STAR Donors amungst CATS.

Your special trophy is still in the making Ashish..

ab soch rahi hoon ke CAT Hemant ki bhi abhi banwa ke rakh loon ;-)

Davinder Singh and Jasraj... partners in crime for everything in life..

whether it's a quick junket to Bangkok or the blood donation ;-)

THANK YOU both for bringing in some Amritsari blood to the camp..

not to forget the set of advise you were handing out for the first time donors :)

Due dilligence and the cheers around created yet another first time blood donor.

CATS were able to do what IVY could not create...

and he made him promise to send an invite for all future camps too..

khoon munh ko lag gya na :P

This is how the sampling of blood is done to determine your blood group friends....

I am B+

what about you??

A drop of these chemicals is left on the drop of blood on a ceramic plate to settle..

the blood cogulates to determine which blood group each one of the donors is...

and this is also to be tested only.... not to be tasted ;-)

and this is how the blood you give is safely stored in the refrigerators...

Do you notice the plasma has floated as yellow fluid in the blood sacs

stored earlier on the upper shelf than the fresh ones which are still all red in the lower shelf?

The last set of donors before we called it quits at the count of 125.

but not before we say goodbye to our CAT Varun who came late but

ensured that his blood got counted with his fellow CATS.

Purrrfect teamwork in action visible with CAT Charanjeet typing away the

Press Release while CAT Aman is taking off the picture gallery.

It was time to shut shop as time was already 5.30pm!

and yes... the photo gallery was a BIG HIT....

what a delight it was to see the donors preening through the gallery to

spot themselves donating blood in the previous 9 camps...

while some were feeling proud, one was wondering,

'Where did I buy this shirt from that I am wearing in this pic?'

Forget the donors, even the blood bank staff could not get over

the photos we made available to them, which apparently no organisation had

ever done in the past, atleast never holding a picture gallery with them

taking a place of honour along with the rest.

Told you... we treat everyone as EQUAL in CATS :)

We can not possible finish off our day without a BIG THANK YOU to all the staff

at the blood bank, Mr Sudan and Col Shah especially who work hard for the donors at each camp.

We have practically become one big family :)

A BIG THANK YOU: CAT Aman and CAT Amanat for being the purrfect team,

right from making the picture gallery, keeping records, ensuring all donors were

photographed in the bleeding room and well served in the refreshment room.

This day could not have run so smoothly without your support girls :)

CAT Amanat, a little kitten whom we have seen blossoming from a chubby baby

into a beautiful teenager... from being the one we had to take care of,

to be the one we could give responsibility to.

THANK YOU CAT Amanat for taking charge of the photography

for the day amungst so many other things.

and folks, please pardon us incase she missed to take your photograph or

your prized photograph has come out a little grainy. This was the first time for her to

take photos and she had been on her feet since 8am!

Would you like to meet my sounding boards - CAT AP and CAT Charanjeet :)

I do owe a BIG THANKS to CAT Abhijit and CAT Anuradha Chawla

for being the purrfect pied pipers to bring in the bubbly donors from SDI.

Yeh SDI aur CATS ke khoon ka rishta humein baandhe hai ik dor se...

woh dor jo jeevan deti hai...

woh jeevan jo khoon se banta hai...

woh khoon jo hum ikathhe dete hain.

Three MEOWs to both the pied piers also :)

Counting the total blood donation units to 125,

we moved on to taking a peek at WHAT BLOOD MEANS to CATS :)

Would you like to add to this?

I spoke too soon I guess ;-)

After 10 at night as I was preparing to sleep I got a message from CAT DeepInder

who asked for the total to be raised to 126... he had donated blood in Manama, Bahrain

at the same time his fellow CATS were bleeding here in Chandigarh.

With tears in my eyes for the spirit which drives CATS and prayer to keep them all safe, I went to sleep.

- CAT Supreet

Photo Gallery: Lunch with Laden

2011-06-20T10:39:00.001+05:30

Osama was Dead - Long Live Osama!!

Honestly speaking, Sunday morning and we really had no idea what we were getting into...

What sort of ruckus get created thanks to our appearance in the city corridors!

All we knew is that it would be a laughter train ;0)

Benazir Bhutto and Gursharan Kaur in the making ;-)

Our Manmohan Singh and Gursharan Kaur... all set to meet Osama over lunch ;-)

Ah well.... here's Benazir for you... heading towards the venue :P

Our punctual 'Aam Aadmi 1 and Aam Aadmi 2' were already waiting to

receive the history makers for CATS Lunch with Laden at 11.30am :)

India's first couple finally arrived to complete the reception committee at 11.40am

George Bush soon arrived along with Hillary Clinton for the all important meet....

they had to come from far so made sense to jet-pool to save some oil :P

Just as the Americans were ushered in, the Italian arrived...

Our immaculately dressed Soniya Gandhi in her crisp and starched cotton sari,

white pulled back hair and a BIG NAMAASTE :D

General Musharraf reporting.. with his burqa clad wife a steps behind him :)

did I say reporting??!!!

ah well.... with so many personalities around, how can a reporter be far behind ;-)

Please welcome Mr Gilani... all prim and propah.. including the mostache :d

It seems Monica Lewinsky is not that well acquainted with the regalia of The Raj...

'Rani ki Jhansi' to add chaos to the confusion going on in the corridors of Chandigarh ;-)

Any guesses for who has finally arrived for lunch??!!!

Osama arrived in his trademark style, with his burqa clad wife in tow, well.. a few tows behind ;-)

What an effort... our Rani surely deserves kudos for being so immaculately dressed,

if you excuse the footwear and the mobile :D

Aam Aadmi can't get over the fact that he's sitting with THE Osama and THAT Bush :D

Madam Gandhi and Manmohan Ji in purrrfect tandem...

Ek ne kahi, dooje ne maani,
Dono bann gaye, brahm gyaani ;-)

Mr Gilani can't get over the food it seems :P

Mr Zardari finally made an appearance...

He got held up as he had a deal to close.... wohi.. 10% wali :D

Just when polite conversation was coming to a close,

our journalist left to take a break... which everyone thought was towards the boy's room...

A few minutes later everyone noticed that all of a sudden a third burqa clad woman had arrived and

joined the group taking up a back seat.

Curiousity finally killed the CATS and they asked her politely who she was,

to which she responded, 'Main Osama ki sab se chhotti biwi hoon'.

Mystery deepened as no one could recognise her from her voice either

so it was suggested that since her husband was also around,

she could perhaps take off her veil and join the group.

Instantly she lifted her veil and shouted aloud, 'Lai moye lai... tu vi dekh lai...'

JAI HO :D

This was such a simple act which was pulled off by Mr Bhatia with such elan...

that he had everyone in peels of laughter for the rest of the afternoon....

The lady in the foreground by the way is the FIRST WIFE of Osama in burqa :D

Even Monica Lewinsky and Hillary Clinton forgot their differences over Mr Bhatia's wifey act ;-)

Navy Seal forgot to see that the Osama he had killed a week ago, was standing right next to him :D

All over a round table meeting...

Just as this was taking place, some visitors walked in and did not know

how to react to this bunch of supposedly normal people,

dressed weirdly and behaving in such a strange manner....

Remember, it was not only costumes and the guns which were flying around..

the accents were at work too :D

The less said.... the better :D

LOVE YOU Mr Bhatia....

I just wish everyone had the sense of humour to be such a sport in life :)

While soup was being served we realised that both the laptop and

the projector had developed a snag and we could potentially not watch the scheduled film..

Osama quickly got into action since his prestigious lunch was facing a glitch...

He arranged a replacement Projector within minutes and guess

who ran to get a replacement laptop... Mr GILANI :D

I wonder why the media keeps harping about the absence of a

telephone line to his Abbotabad mansion.. who needs a fixed line in the days of mobiles :D

Women Power on full display...

Power of the past and present.. together :)

Manmohan Singh sharing a joke with Osama over some soup.. yeah, I said SOUP and not coup :D

Rani Laxmi Bai reciting 'Khoob larri mardaani woh to Jhansi Wali Rani thi' which Bush understood completely :D

Zardari quickly fixed up another contract before taking an opportunity to have a photograph taken with The Osama ;-)

It was amazing to see how quickly all the CATS got into action to ensure that the schedule ran smoothly.

Lunch was served while the projector was being fixed..

and there was a sumptuous fare for CATS to gorge on.... for hours!

Another discussion group formed to discuss if anyone had gate crashed a wedding intentionally..

At first everyone was quite till Aam Aadmi no.2 raised his head above

the parapet and admitted, 'very often' :D

That's it... that is all it took for stories to tumble out of the closet and

before you know, it was agreed that the next event has to be 'Gate Crashing a Wedding' :D

Our Mr Clean Image Aam Aadmi no.1 firmly said, 'count me OUT please' of the next event :D

Since we had the film to watch also, the rest of the gang was

quickly ushered towards the dining segment...

Can you actually imagine Osama, Bush and Musharaf queuing up for lunch ;-)

How could the line-up be complete without The Zardaris :D

A very nice theatre seating had been arranged for CATS to enjoy

TERE BIN LADEN as lunch was being served concurrently...

Mr Zardari left after lunch to fix a cricket match while Madam Gandhi

had to travel back to the capital... the journalist also went along

with her to snatch a few more moments with the Madam for an exclusive interview!

Bhookhi Billiyaan ;-)

It was such a hilarious moment to see one fake Osama being watched by another Osama..

while the asli Osama is kissing a fish or coral somewhere!!!

We really didn't know which way to look...

which Osama to admire since both of these two were SO GOOD and convincing :P

Can you imagine Osama in a bar?

Well... you don't need to imagine anymore :D

If the round table conference and the film was not enough, tea/coffee

was served to everyone while these two were busy posing for the cameras....

(both Bush and Osama 'felt' victorious!!)

Soon they realised that they were the only ones who were not given their cuppa ;-)

Manmohan Singh insisted that tea would be served to both of them only after

Bush repeats 'certain dialogues' from TERE BIN LADEN :D

HABIBI George Bush ;-)

Our usually reticent AR was also in his element today...

I had started wondering half way through the film in case he's going to

fall of the bar stool he was perched on while laughing his heart out ;-)

Ek Qaatilaana Jori :)

Friends turned foes ;-)

Even Hillary could not keep her hands off Osama ;-)

Our Osama, who had gone to such lengths to dress up for his role was in BIG DEMAND for a photo-op....

The Gang of History Makers... as never seen before ;-)

but the entertainment quotient was still high..

Can you imagine 'Jhansi ki Rani' dancing on 'Lakk 28 kuri da' for an audience

comprising of Osama, Bush, Hillary, Benazir, Manmohan Singh ;-)

and what an elegant performance it was :)

History Makers in the corridors of POWER :)

but how could the evening be over without an odd pleasant surprise...

an amazing sketch of Baba made by Sandy for a couple who can only be considered as a gift to all of us.

You have become a loving and indispensable part of our lives in such a short space of time...

Thank You for extending that hand of friendship and care :)

and yes... since everyone had made such an effort to make this event a memorable one...

we only thought it was apt to go a little ahead.

Osama was declared The Best Dressed Character of the day, his voucher was

collected by his daughter since he was already in his car ;-)

The Best Act of the day was declared to be that of Osama's youngest wife,

the voucher to be hand delivered to Mr Bhatia tomorrow evening ;-)

I could not possibly let the day end without a BIG THANK YOU to CAT Navpreet also

for organising the venue, Osama and Gilani for stepping in when

things went wrong and for each one of you to add such charm to our lives.

THANK YOU ALL :)

Long Live OUR Osama :D
CAT Supreet

Photo Gallery: CATS Rafting and Camping Adventure Trip 2011

2011-06-18T12:01:00.000+05:30

The morning which we had been waiting for long, to make a splash in the crystal clear river and tumble in the silvery sands on the beach. However, there's a price to pay for everything, and for me that happens to be waking up at a time when the rest of the world is still cuddled up in bed ;-)

CAT Manav was the first one to report at Beckons, I got a lift from CAT Harpreet and CAT Lovely.. CAT Priyanka and her sister CAT Vasundhara looked like twins to my bleary eyes! The sun broke through the night sooner than anticipated... CATS took a little longer to assemble, as anticipated!

CAT Amanat took charge of the registration process along with distribution of

sustenance packs. When kids grow up to start wearing your clothes, I wonder!!

It took no time for the old and the new CATS to make friends..

on second thoughts, there was not much choice since we all had a weekend to get through :D

CAT AP chatting with blood donor CAT Varun at the far end while

our second honeymoon couple is buy trying to fix some loose ends

Finally CATS settled into their respective cars to head towards destination RAFTING.. MEOW :)

The first pit stop came when our drivers wanted to stop over for a cuppa and a bite...

CATS decided to make use of the time well :P

The traditional round of introductions was also held given 60% of the CATS were new to the group..

CAT Ansh and CAT Aman could not be dragged for the intros as they were too busy catching up with each other ;-)

Ahem.. the paw count??!!!

It's always fascinating to see the transition from the urban towards the rural areas...

two homes, two gates, two courtyards... two different stories to tell....

just hope they are full of love and warmth!

CATS were seen rummaging through their sustenance packs soon enough....

The Italian sandwich, one of the 11 items CAT Aman and CAT Amanat put together

for all the CATS the night before :P

On second thoughts, it was good that we prepared such a sumptuous pack as it did manage to sustain us later!

Hills are providing such a pleasant backdrop for the golden wheat fields in the foreground...

after we stopped at Paunta Saheb Gurudwara for a total of 12mins.

Saw the first team effort by CATS in action at the gurudwara when to save time,

CAT Manav took turns with me to guard the shoes while everyone else went into the main hall to pay their obeisance.

As the clocl struck 12.50pm we found ourselves in Rishikesh.. struck in traffic :(

We reached Kodiyala at 2pm and as you can see, CATS just can not be bothered to pose...

these hungry CATS need more than a few mice to satisfy their rumbling bellies.

Food... Food... GLORIOUS FOOD :P

and there was pin-drop silence at this table :)

ok... extend that silence to every table ;-)

CAT Nitish is the prime example of what good the delicious lunch did to the CATS :D

CAT Amanat... lost in her thoughts or worried about how to control

her travel sickness during the last leg of the journey taking us to the confluence...

CAT Vineet was purrrfect when it came to managing the kittens... couldn't have asked for more :)

3.30pm and we were all too excited to just jump into the rafts and set off...

Time to get into the safety gear... find a helmet which fits your head..

suck your belly in and tighten up that life jacket.....

and here begins the bargaining spree to match the colour of your life jacket with your attire...

or find a helmet big enough to hold your head :D

CATS were in splits on finding a couple of pretty CATS wearing their helmets back to front :D

CAT Ansh, you can not probably tighten this life jacket any more!!!

CAT Vineet with ALL THE kittens at the starting point ;-)

Time to share some cuddles :)

Sister Act :)

CAT Manav and CAT Varun.... both with a passion for blood donation.. and rafting ofcourse ;-)

I wonder if CAT Nitish had any idea as to what lay in store for him that evening ;-)

A mother we can rely on.. A son we are so proud of... CAT Rachna with CAT Ansh :)

'Yeh bua phir pataa nahin kya karwaayegi mujh se!!!'

Focus.. Focus... FOCUS on the task at hand...

with these glasses, CAT Varun can opt to fly also ;-)

CATS listening in rapt attention during the training session...

CAT Adit.. looking good enough to eat :P

I still have my doubts if CAT Ansh is wearing his helmet the right way or not ;-)

We really can't go wrong with this helmet now.. can we CAT Vineet :D

CAT Varun and CAT Priyanka at varying stages of learning to hold the pedal ;-)

Our guide Suman presented a very animated and interesting training session..

demonstrating the rescue by kayak when you are sea literally ;-)

As we got used to of the Ganga, it became more playful and infected us so ;-)

Our guide Hem shouted the instruction, RELAX which CAT AP misheard to be NELAAXsss...

When CAT Harpreet asked to be brought back immediately after diving into

the Ganga as the water was too cold, instead of rescuing him CAT AP suggested

a new line of business for him, 'Mann Kulfi'..

CAT Manav immediately made an offer to buy a franchise for this hometown :D

CAT Vasundhara dived in and her elder sister CAT Priyanka got worried and

dived into the water to give her company, only to realise when in water

that she had no access to Vasundhara as she dived from the opposite edge :)

Yalgaar Ho... 18 CATS making merry in 2 rafts and what fun we had :)

First 10mins of rafting was enough to convert even the non-believers

into enthusiast rafting CATS... CAT AP who all his life has simply refused to

indulge in any activity related to water, asked aloud that our raft be taken OVER

every rapid rather than from the sides!

CAT Rachna, who was previously too concerned about the safety aspect of rafting

as she had a son to look after, had returned with her 10yrs old son CAT Ansh.

It's amazing to see the confidence growing with every rapid :)

Now how would you feel if I told you that THIS is where we spent the night??

and this was the virgin beach set up just for CATS.. right at the edge of the forest

with no access to the outside world... SHEER BLISS :)

The only way we could reach our camp site was to row harder perpendicularly,

against the current after rafting for 16kms!

Our tents, beach furniture, food, rucksacks were transported to

our beach through the rafts.. which also meant that if we forgot something in the cars,

we could not retrieve them once on the beach ;-)

The awestruck CATS as they came off the rafts... absolutely speechless!!

Colourful, yet serene... Strong yet tender... wild yet beautiful...

and all this was ours for 18hours.. MEOW :)

Before it became dark, the sensible mothers getting the young brigade into some dry clothes after rafting the afternoon away..

Will these CATS get out of their wet clothes by any chance before they catch cold!

Amungst other things, I guess making sand castles has to be one beach activity

common across the globe. CAT Jasmine her home in the sand in 2008,

I made my own last year and this time, barely had she reached the beach that

CAT Amanat forgot about her wet clothes and started making sand castle!

CAT Lovely was found to be literally rolling at the beach while others were busy choosing their tents.. priorities eh :)

Colours red, black and yellow seems to be the theme of the day!

CAT Vineet took out his fishing rod as there was plenty of mahseer in the river...

however the impatient CATS made such noise that they drove the fish away...

Fishing needs a lot of patience, which we clearly demonstrated we did not have :D

CATS drowning their sorrows in green tea to get over the disappointment of not being able to catch even a single fish :)

As soon as the darkness fell... the major source of light on the beach was our logfire!

but what an excuse to sit around and play a round of jokes and songs over drinks...

and now add some chicken and veg kebabs to the fire.. .VOILA, we have our snacks ready :P

When Suman needed a volunuteer MUMMY, CAT Ashish promptly volunteered himself to play dead for the kittens ;-)

O hoye.. take care of the peeping toes CAT Adit!!!

Let's add some special effects to the scene to heighten the drama!

Is this scary enough?!!!!

Wish CAT Ashish had given me enough time to catch 'The Mummy' in rising from the dead ;-)

the grub's up CATS... grab your plates :P

and CATS pounced on the hygienic, simple and delicious dinner laid out with Hari supervising the dinner table...

Do you need anymore evidence of how good the food was ;-)

and if you thought the night was over, it was not!

Suman got the kids together again to make a sand dune of CATS!

Mission Sand Dune accomplished..

kittens left the pedals to guard their sand dune duly marked with the paws for the night ;-)

Chanda Mama door ke........

how can one not fall in love with a place like this!!!!

Wish the river would wash away my stresses everyday...

too lazy to get out of my sleeping bag... but too tempted to catch everyone in action by the river...

CAT Vineet busy shaving with a little mirror in hand to keep the chin intact ;-)

CAT Rachna quickly freshing up while CAT Ansh is still asleep in the tent...

Some of the CATS had even beaten the crew in waking up :D

Yeh tera ghar... Yeh mera ghar.. Yeh ghar bahut haseen hai :)

bleary eyed CAT AP got out of his tent at 5.30am and said after looking around, '2 gore bhi hain beach per!'

How beautifully the water has tossed and polished the pebbles of all colours...

a feast for the eyes... a souvenir to bring home???

Suman desperately trying to wake up Hem... but to no avail :D

Do I really have to get up??!!!!!

The story of TWOs!

The beach slowly coming back to life after a blissful night spent listening to

the peacocks singing aloud and the stars keeping a watch on us...

Even if the man tried, he could not possibly create such beauty

so effortlessly in abundance, even with all his wealth and design!

CAT Mona lost in her own thoughts.....

Love is to fly toward a secret sky, to cause a hundred veils to fall each moment.

First to let go of life. Finally, to take a step without feet - Rumi

The boys slowly emerging out of their tents too... with everyone making calculations

of which toilet tent would have been used the least number of times :D

Hats off to CAT Harpreet and CAT Lovely that despite being on their second honeymoon they were ready in time ;-)

Na ker kissi pe bharosaa ke kashtiyaan doobin...

Khuda ke hote huye, na-khuda ke hote huye...

Kinaaron se mujhe ae na-khuda door hee rakhna...

Wahaan le ker chalo toofan jahaan se uthne wala hai...

CAT Vineet caught up on his morning exercises before taking a dip in the Ganga...

nopes... Ganga had not strewn them around :D

Teri aarzu teri justju mein bhatak raha tha gali gali...

Meri daastan teri zulf hai, jo bikhar bikhar ke sanvar gayi...

This was one good way of declaring who this tent belonged to ;-)

even our sandals were in love with the sand ;-)

It seems as if the clothes and slippers are challenging the owner to come and wear them..

or else they will move towards the Ganga by themselves ;-)

There is pleasure in the pathless woods,

There is a rapture on the lonely shore,

There is society, where none intrudes,

By the deep sea, and music in its roar:

I love not man the less, but Nature more.

- Lord Byron

Yaad nahin kya kya dekha, saare manzar bhool gaye...

Uss ki galiyon se jab laute, apna bhi ghar bhool gaye...

Son nicely tucked away in bed... while mother caught making merry in the sand ;-)

CAT Rachna.... a pro at camping by now :)

While the rest were either still asleep or wandering around the beach,

CAT Vineet and CAT Varun chose to play beach volleyball...

Any guesses who this sleeping arm belongs to???

and these hair clips???

With so many slippers around this family tent... I renamed it 'The Gurudwara Tent'

Give us a break... I am nearly ready!

BLISS :)

Awight CAT Ansh.... time to brush your pearly whites and get ready for some more fun :)

Toilet roll in a dry toilet I can understand... but what is this tea-mug doing here??!!!!

Question: What is the difference between the mountain goats and Hem/Ayodhya on a steep hill?

Answer: Mountain goats do not wear clothes!

Told you we had green the night before :D

Here now... even CAT Lovely would agree with me that it was only tea :P

Just when I thought every one was up and about... CAT Nitish is spotted by the river ;-)

Nopes... need to start the head count again.. even CAT Vanita is in the queue for brushing her teeth ;-)

CAT Vineet and CAT Varun resting their paws after an energetic game of beach volleyball

Kehan le jaayeinge yeh raaste....

The dining tent coming back to life... almost ready to serve breakfast to the hungry CATS :P

O maajhi re...... tu le ke mujhe saath chal tu....

CATS in varying stages of weaning themselves of Ganga :)

I guess CAT Amanat was the last one to get ready.. hidden away in her own little world ;-)

CAT Vanita and her energetic son CAT Adit all packed up and set for some kayaking fun :)

Aah well.. kayaking can wait.. let's have another game of volleyball first...

Jism se rooh talaq ret hee ret...

Na kahin dhoop na saya na saraab...

Kitne armaan hai kis sehraa mein...

Kaun rakhta hai mazaaron ka hisaab...

CAT Mona also all packed up FINALLY.. after getting 3 kids ready.. CAT Aman, CAT Amanat and CAT AP!!

What a joy to have CAT Lovely and CAT Harpreet along..

they not just packed up their luggage in time, but also helped pack up the

tenting gear to save time for the crew..

THANK YOU both :)

Is this some sort of dance session without the DJ for our kittens?

The dining tent witnessed heavy rush of the paw-traffic soon after breakfast was announced :P

What a view it was... What a place :)

Look what happens when CAT gets the cream :P

(courtesy CAT Monica ;-))

Just when everyone was busy getting their act together to hit the trek..

CAT Varun decided to take a short cut like a mountain goat!!!

Yupp... that's the height he reached after climbing vertically....

can you see our beach in the background CATS?

and THAT is how much more CAT Vineet could have climbed,

had he not set his heart on the kayaking to be take place shortly!

CAT Lovely and CAT Vanita hiking up from the trail which our guide made for us..

told you it was all jungle behind us ;-)

and this is what we left behind before hitting the trail back to the beach... nature at it's wildest best :)

CATS at the plateau point of the trek....

As we were trekking down, our crew was busy wrapping the camp site..

one group of CATS was playing ball underneath the dining tent..

and rest were enjoying dipping their toes and souls in the Ganga :)

and this is what the kitten brigade got upto..

reviving KABADDI.. complete with a referee :D

Told you there was love in the air :D

and what a sole to hold... with a string :D

yupp.. the kittens were still at it!!

Ganga finally tempted the first CAT to go for a swim...

and the first CAT to experience kayaking :)

humein bhi kayaking karni hai :(

the first kitten to kayak away... CAT Adit.. MEOW :)

how the hell do I get my paddle away from the safety rope?

meri fotu lo na :D

CAT Rachna on a collision course with her guide :D

CAT Priyanka balancing well :)

YEAH.. bring on the power CAT Manav :)

Humari baari kab aayegi :(

Hey bhagwaan.. yeh larkaa kuchh khaayega bhi??!!!!

and THIS is called Kayaking - The Ayodhya way!!!!

achha nahin khaana mat khaayo... atleast go and take a swim now, will you??!!!!

CAT Nitish seems to be wondering... 'ab iss me se to main paani mein nahin giroonga na!!!'

CAT Adit seems to be running on duracell battering...

first volleyball, then kabaddi, followed by kayaking and now swimming :D

CAT Amanat and CAT Lovely seems to be deciding like Lukhnawi Nawaabs, 'pehle aap - pehle aap' :D

chalo main hee pehle chali jaati hoon....

Trust me, CAT Vasundhara is not merely posing for the camera ;-)

CAT Ansh trying his little paws to go solo...

If my son can kayak... so can I :)

While CATS were having fun in the water, the team was busy taking down the campsite,

tent by tent, pole by pole...

and this is how it was all transported to the beach at the edge of the jungle for CATS!

arrey jaane do mujhe!!!!!!

CAT AP seems to be wondering.. yeh sab to ker aaye...ab to jaana he parega ;-)

wonder who's shoes these were... but the butterfly seems to have fallen in love with them :D

yeh 1 gajj ki larki swim ker aayi... lo main bhi aayi ;-)

absolute resolve to kayak away on the Ganga :)

and the arms emerging out of the life jacket belog to... our dhaai kilo ka CAT Aman !!!!!!

chalo main ek baar phir se dubki maar aati hoon :)

wooo hooooo... here i come :)

Thank God... atleast he has finally decided to eat his breakfast!!!

CAT Lovely and CAT Vineet were the next ones to have a go at kayaking...

aakhir mein aaya to kya huya.... yeh dekho... isse kehte hain kayaking :P

can I go for another round PLEASE... :P

Yeh main aaya... second time around ;-)

Yeh billiyaan pagla gayi hain.... Chalo saare paani se baahar!!

The Merry Gang of 18 CATS... saying goodbye to our beach... till we come back next year :)

but not without leaving our mark behind on the sand :)

It's amazing to see the pride every CAT has in their being that in practically

multi day trip of ours, atleast one CAT always goes ahead and leaves

our pugmarks behind, organically ofcourse...

It was CAT Jolly in our first rafting trip on the sand...

Krazzy4 CATS writing CATS in snow during Leh trip...

the complete gang wrote CATS in stones last year during rafting..

CAT Amanat and CAT Manav this time in the sand.. MEOW :)

We finally got into our rafts on day 2 at 11am...

after running over various rapids and numerous dives into the Ganga

and plenty of body surfing... we were taken into this little beach we had never visited before...

There was not much to see and we were hungry as it was 1pm by now.. however, we let the curiosity kill the CATS :D

but not before we shared half a polo each and ofcourse a purrrfect shot in the sand :)

Chalo bhai.. le chalo jehaan chalna hai!!

Sand has disappeared but where the hell is this water emerging from now?

Are we here for some acrobatic show by any chance Suman???!!!!

Are we supposed to do this too???!!!!

Don't look at what Suman is doing... with a narrow passage and

slippery rocks providing little foothold, it was not easy to climb up!

'ABSOLUTELY' Suman seems to be saying...

and we all agreed standing deep inside a 5' pool,

you rope climb against an 8' slicing waterfall.. This is just the beginning..

do this first then I will tell you the rest!!!

One by one, we all went up thanks for the constant encouragement from

our guide Suman and CAT Ashish who both used every trick

under the sun to get everyone into the cave.

CAT Vineet and CAT Varun took charge of the everyone further ahead,

as one literally had to crawl up towards an even larger pool of water

with atleast 30' high waterfall which automatically made all the

CATS go BRrrrrrrrrrr like the coke ad :D

Being in the dicey cave, larger pool with an old bridge hanging over and

some sun filtering through, giving it an eerie feel, CATS were meowing

aloud while diving in and out of the sharp waterfall providing

purrrfect head/shoulder and neck massage ;-)

If you think, this was it, the worse was yet to come!

We literally had to sit and crawl towards the entry point of the cave,

the same spot where we had climbed up using the rope.

The only trouble was..

the only way out of the case was to jump through a narrow passage straight into the pool - MEOW!

CATS sunning themselves and sharing notes

after an experience of a lifetime through the cave and the waterfalls :)

CATS on the way towards the final destination point..

one more challenge before we get lunch.. i.e. a grade 3 rapid called The Daniel's Dip!!

We offloaded CAT Aman, CAT Ansh and CAT Adit and gingerly both

the rafts with the rest of the 15 CATS started rowing towards The Daniel.

CATS brushing past The Daniel.... no flips.... just success :)

The interesting thing this time about the Daniel was that though it had

lost it's teeth due to the unusually high level of water in the river for

this time of the year, but the rapid had become quite long rather than remaining just a hole!

We did it nevertheless... MEOW :)

Everyone was so tired that again not a voice was heard over lunch at 4pm

after a day full of pure adventure and fun.

CAT Adit claimed to have eaten 5 rotis, CAT Aman claimed he did not remember how much he ate!

CAT Mona refused to disclose!

I asked CAT Ashish if he could take come photos while everyone was eating

since he had finished already, he responded,

'baithe-baithe sab ker doonga, per uthne ko mat bolna' :D

OK CATS.. everyone needing a sunburn ointment please queue up fast :D

Thaki-haari billiyaan :D

What else you expect after two days of non-stop fun, adventure and travelling, either by road or the river!

Time to leave CATS... the LAST SHOT before we climb into the cars and head home :)

Till next time.

- CAT Supreet

Photo gallery: CATS Chandigarh Marathon 2011

2011-06-15T15:00:00.000+05:30

Sunday Morning - CAT Zubin kindly offered to pick me up at 5.15am

to reach the Bhatia household by 5.30am.

Isn't it bliss when you can be driven around, just once?!!!

In case you are wondering what exchange is taking place in this photograph,

it's all legal and convenient you see. CAT Zubin had not eaten anything

before leaving home so CAT Monica is handing a banana to him over the locked gate :)

We had to cheer the Full Marathon running friends from Delhi you see...

Amit and Shruti.. YOU CAN DO IT :)

By 5.45am we had been conveniently dropped by CAT DV Bhatia

close to the starting gate where CAT Rajpal was already waiting for us,

but CAT Reeta was still missing from the pack of half marathon CATS.

The BEFORE photograph ;-)

The full Marathon was flagged off late around 5.53am rather than

the stipulated time of 5.45am as the usual speeches became too long!

The half marathon CATty team with Barnaali from CAT Monica's Delhi Running Gang in the meantime.

Half Marathon was flagged off shortly, and quite unceremoniously

at 6.03am as per my watch.. I say that since the organisers had NOT

put any digital clocks over the START gate!

The view at the lake was breathtaking by the time we reached there..

wondering how to time our run since the organisers had also not put

any MILE markers to indicate how much had we run!!!

How could they do that to the runners??

UNACCEPTABLE... PERIOD!!!!!

Since the route was also quite monotonous, (Full marathon runners had to do the

same loop 4 times while half marathon runners had to do exactly the same loop twice),

we made many a friends int his marathon since we bumped into each other so many times ;-)

As CAT Reeta and I were moving towards the fag end, the 5kms Fun-Run was

flagged off with much pomp and show.. Though we had a marathon to finish,

I was more keen to spot and capture our fellow Run-runner CATS!

Our benchmark CAT DV Bhatia, with CAT Nirmal, Elusive CAT Charanjeet

with our pretty CAT Sandy leading the gang in the fun run :)

and 'the Staff' of CATS :P

ok.. jokes aside... this generously proportioned gentleman insisted

on being clicked, 'Please use my photograph as an encouragement to others..

if I can do it, so can everyone else!'

Sense of humour galore :D

Adults were worse than the kids in the fun run.. this kid literally had to drag his father away from my camera :D

As I was looking for CAT Abhijit, I came across CAT Kulwant and

our gritty little CAT Aman making their way towards the lake too :)

The AFTER photograph at the Finishing line :)
After waiting and taking photos for about 10 odd minutes,

I finally chose to make my way forward to finish my own task at hand!

CAT Zubin was the first to finish in around 2hrs.10mins followed shortly

by CAT Monica at 2hrs.28mins and CAT Rajpal finishing at 2hrs.47mins.

CAT Reeta and I finished leisurely at 3hrs.25mins :)

CATS after returning the timing chips and getting their well deserved medals

around their necks.. with friendships as solid as the rocks we are leaning against - MEOW :)

being CATty wanted to add one more thing.. the ribbon was heavier than the medal :D

with all post-run formalities taken care for the half marathon runners,

we started looking for our fun-runners.

CAT DV Bhatia was the first to arrive back... CAT Aman followed a few minutes later

who ran in the safe custody of CAT Charanjeet and CAT Sandy.

Hum SAATH-SAATH hain :)

CAT Sandy arrived shortly with a huge grin on her face.. meow :)

CAT Nirmal being warmly greeted by CAT Reeta and CAT Monica...

I regret not being able to meet CAT Abhijit since he had left by this time...

CAT Sudhanshu would have been there too I believe but I could not spot him anywhere.

This five year old beautiful girl replied ever so confidently on being asked

what her name was, 'Mera naam Harjot hai te ghar mainu pyar naal Jotu kehnde ne'

With one mother home safely, we had to watch out for the second one ;-)

CAT Kulwant arrived shortly and safely to complete the pack of CATS.

CATS might have arrived home but others were still pouring in.

This was one surprise package of the morning.

This father had come with his two little daughters for the fun-run!

CATS being photographed by media personnel at the finishing line.. hand in hand :)

humare 3 bachhe :D

We might have run but there was no end to the fun!

CAT Charanjeet sneaked up to chat up the ladies ;-)

Last but not the least of the surprises of the morning -

This elderly gentleman Dharampal Gudhiya had come all the way from Meerut

to participate in the Chandigarh Marathon.

Claimed to be 113yrs old, he had only one message for everyone,

'ghar baithe nahin, kuch karte huye maro!'

By 10.30am CATS reached the home of our dear Bhatia family,

which was the venue for breakfast prepared by CAT Guneet and CAT Mona

for everyone who had come from the Delhi Running Gang as well as CATS.

Since the Delhi Gang had not arrived as yet given their full marathon was yet not over,

while waiting we were served with delicious hot tea lovingly prepared by

CAT Nirmal to ease off all aches and pains around ;-)

After it got confirmed that our Delhi running friends would arrive at

the Bhatia household by lunch time, it was decided that atleast CATS should

head towards the dining table..... and just what grub awaited us friends!

Wish you were there :P

Can you imagine gorging over toasted and stuffed pannini, soft idlees in gravy

followed by mouth watering paranthas.. now add mint chutney, garlic/chillie chutney,

5 types of pickles and yes, the yogurt to polish them off with :P

Do meet the beautiful and efficient CAT Guneet with CAT Mona

who prepared such mouth watering fare for the hungry CATS..

THANK YOU... ahem.. just thinking that if such delicious food would be

offered to us in future also, then we are willing to run 21kms every Sunday!!!

If you have any doubts, then have a look for yourself at how busy the CATS were over the breakfast ;-)

Aaaaaah... CONTENDED CATS ;-)

The look should say it all :P

But there was MORE on the way... the last course!

A gorgeous looking Pudding, delicious Gaajar-halwa and Kheer awaited

the CATS to make up for the calories they had lost while running in the marathon!!

Amidst the fun and din CATS were creating in the house, there were

some quite tender moments also shared by this youngest runner from CATS..

CAT Mona hugging her 9yrs old son CAT Aman on his yet another achievement :)

Honestly, we stopped keeping count after the 3rd of helpings :D

and finally it was time to say our goodbyes...

go home to scrub clean of the grime we had picked up all morning.

What a morning eh.. a morning WELL SPENT :)

Till the next Marathon,

CAT Supreet

Moment of Celebration

2011-06-11T12:03:00.000+05:30

My Dear CATS,

Can any of you recognise this beautiful blushing bride?

This 'good-enough-to-eat' lady in red is none other than our tomboy CAT Gurneet.... yupp the same one who's Hb was 14+ and who could eat for two of us for the same meal ;-)

The girl who could not do enough for anyone in distress, who served everyone with a 100watt smile, a fragile looking damsel who was the backbone of her parental family through the thickest and thinnest of times... you go girl... lucky is Sangram who has held your hand and even luckier is the family you have walked into, to call your own.

CAT Gurneet and CAT-to-be Sangram surrounded by family and friends on 20th of February 2011; the day this handsome couple tied the knot and exchanged vows of a lifetime.

Do join me in wishing them a beautiful life ahead CATS.

- CAT Supreet

Moment of Celebration

2011-06-11T11:35:00.001+05:30

My Dear CATS,

Continuing with the season of celebrations, our CAT Hemant got married to a lovely girl named Richa on 08th of Feb'11. Though we could not make it to his wedding which was held in Allahabad, our best wishes are with him for a long loving and beautiful life ahead.

Look forward to meeting your pretty bride Richa at the next blood donation camp CAT Hemant :)

CAT Supreet

Moment of Celebration

2011-05-31T15:33:00.000+05:30

My Dear CATS,

I take extreme delight in announcing the much awaited wedding of our die-hard CAT Manpreet with her beau Harman on a beautiful 14th day of January'11 in an otherwise bitterly cold month. May be God also wanted to be kind for having made them wait so long to tie the knot ;-)

CAT Manpreet looked ravishing holding hands of our new CAT Harman, a true convert he is for sure :)

CATS, do join me in wishing this 'made for each other' couple a life full of love and grace.

- CAT Supreet

Photo Gallery: CATS 9th Blood Donation Camp

2011-05-25T06:53:00.001+05:30

CAT Harpreet S had opened our account for the 9th blood donation camp on

27th of Dec itself before he had to leave for Delhi. However, our camp date was today.

The day began which was chilly enough to go through the four layers of

clothing to freeze the bones. The sun God had not made it's presence felt in

the last few days and I was not expecting to day to be any different.

The thermostat in the car showing 7C managed to chill the rest of the bones too.

However, surely the weather could not keep the CATS tucked in their

quilts while they had a far more vital task of donating blood to save

some precious lives or atleast improve the quality of some lives.

Would they?

However, an even bigger pleasant surprise waited for us in the bleeding room

where we met Rajeev who was donating blood for the 87th time!

Did we need any more inspiration? Where are you all CATS? Can't see you anywhere :(

CAT Chat had in the meantime quietly sneaked in with a bag full of food

for the donor CATS, apologising for getting late since he lost his way in the morning fog!

Allow me to share that we pounced upon the crisp matthis promptly with

the new jar of mango pickle which CAT Chat had brought in. We kept the gur/peanut gazak for later.

I had to run an important errand at the office before I went to the office 15mins late,

but I was not that lucky! CAT Kusum called me while I was on the way to the blood bank,

'We are waiting for you.'

Bless both CAT Kusum and her energetic husband CAT Mukesh were indeed

waiting for me at the reception of the blood bank at 9.20am.

As last time, CAT Mukesh managed to donate but his dear wife

got deferred on account of low Hb again :(

The good news was that I cleared my medical so atleast we managed to

add another unit to the list and more importantly, it was needed for an elderly lady in emergency.

While taking my blood I was told that I had to be bled in less than 4mins,

to ensure platelets can be processed out of the whole blood for an elderly lady in emergency.

Dr Sudan's detailed explanation about various components of blood

made me understand why blood at times is taken quickly or at times at

normal pace from a donor. It all depends upon the end use of the blood.

Emergencies do not really wait for the weather to clear... and there was more to come!

As we were settling in, a gentleman walked in with a request of

3 AB+ units for an extremely poor patient who was to undergo major surgery

on both of her feet crushed by a heavy vehicle in Kharar.

Looking at the past donor records, CAT Mukesh was AB+ and checking at

our past camp records, I called CAT Vishal K. He reached the blood bank within

5mins and be the next AB+ donor for this lady in sheer pain in the hospital.

This gentleman got so moved by the gesture of CATS that though

we had nearly fulfilled his requirement within minutes, not only he donated blood himself,

but he called in 3 more employees from his office!

Accidents also do not check weather before arriving... do you really need more proof??

CAT Kanwarjit made a flying visit and left about 4kgs of fresh milk

with me with clear instructions, 'Hot milk for everyone.'

He disappeared before I could even open my mouth!

CAT Hemant walked in to donate 8th unit of blood but there were

more of the hospital staff than the CATS in the blood bank!

CAT Puneet came skipping from the college for this noble cause

spreading warm hugs and smiles all around :)

and do meet this handsome chap... he cried hoarse for his blood to be taken

as we had a tough time explaining to him that you are yet to be 18yrs (the eligible age for blood donation)

He kept saying, 'chaar maheene ki to baat hai.. LE LO!'

There were sandwiches, biscuits, bananas, hot milk, coffee and tea

ready for the donors too. CAT DV Bhatia also came to cheer the donors, who were missing in action!

CAT Navpreet S came with his classmate and finding the lack of donors,

immediately called up his father to reach the camp and donate blood as the score was quite dismal.

The score was only 11 by noon and the weather was refusing to

give us any hope either. Our target was 50 but I had almost become resigned

to the fact that we might be lucky to cross even 20 today.

CAT AP called in to say that 6 donors are expected from his dealer.

Was there hope??!!!!

Rajinder walked in soon with a cheerful smile and his colleague to keep

the numbers rolling. CAT Kanwarjit also appeared again with 2 friends in tow.

Do meet our STAR DONOR.. CAT Hemant donating blood for the 8th time

with CATS and the only one he missed was when he got posted out of town and fell ill as he missed us so much ;-)

PROUD of you Hemant.... ahem... waise... yeh khoon mujhe de de THAKUR :D

Yeah... taking a break from the boring office work...

go on.. take another unit from this regular donor of ours :)

Rajinder seems to agree with me too :)

It was good to see that enough donors had started coming in to make

the staff bring in not 1-2 gifts each... but club them together into the

Refreshment Room for the donors... MEOW :)

Yeah... nothing gives me a more heart warming feeling than to see the Refreshment Room full of BLOOD DONORS :)

Our lovely Sonia from SDI brought in more smiles and cheer around the bleeding room..

She infact insisted on sitting in her LUCKY CHAIR :)

and who says girls cant donate blood regularly??

On the contrary, some of our regular men donors were missing in action this time....

Hustler, Sahil, Balvinder, Vinod... some had left town while others were unavailable..

Two cars soon appeared in the porch out of nowhere, with

a dozen strong brigade of donors, all courtesy a fellow CAT

whom I can only call the Pied Piper of CATS.

The Medical Room did not have enough chairs for the donors to sit on...

infact.. pens were a precious commodity suddenly ;-)

Bring them on :)

We could hardly get them accommodated in the medical assessment rooms

when another couple of cars screeched to a halt in the porch of the blood bank.

Out of the blue emerged the familiar face of Sumit, who had donated blood

for the first time in his life with us over a year ago, had fainted after donating blood.

Despite the fact that he still can not account for those few lost minutes

of his life, he brought in his gang from Elixir to the camp. TUSSI GREAT HO!!

CAT Kanwarjit with yet another friend to donate blood...

and have you taken into account the three donors using the console against the wall to fill their forms??

Trust me.. suddenly the whole blood bank had come alive :)

More donors were waiting in the Reception Area to go through the medical screening... MEOW :)

and in case you are in any doubt that the weather Gods had suddenly become kind on us..

These gloves should be ample proof to you that when goodness strikes, then nothing else matters.

The whole blood bank was brimming with cheers and joy all around

but I was soon approached by a worried son. He needed 3-4 units for his father

suffering from leukemia at PGI. The relief on his face was palpable when he found

that he could have the blood within 2hours needed to process the blood

we had already donated by now.

Blood was being donated. Blood was being claimed. Emergencies and accidents

really do not check the weather before knocking at your door.

They just come; just as CATS were standing by to ensure that enough blood is donated

through this camp to help as many people in distress as we possibly could.

Weather be damned!

Well.. do meet CAT Kanwarjeet who kept rallying around not just donors but logistics too... THANK YOU so much :)

Another first-time CAT Donor in the making??

the logo behind brought a smile to my face... we surely CAN & WILL have more donors today..

and some of our regulars from W3Syntactic Inc. too :)

The Elixir Gang waiting in the Reception Room of the blood bank... I was beaming with sheer JOY.... MEOW :)

yeah... it's me... I am at the blood bank... can you come along mate?

....and don't forget to bring a couple of other friends too for blood donation :)

Our young charming and dedicated blood donor CAT Navpreet S,

who always brings in atleast 1-2 friends with him from the university for blood donation.. BLESS YOU :)

Who would mind a soft comforting hand while he's being bled for a cause..

see what you missed if you were not one of our lucky donors ;-)

but we were not done yet really...

and some donors who followed Sumeet from the W3Syntactic Inc. Team... :)

Rohit was disappointed that though he rounded up a few donors,

he himself got deferred as he was on antibiotics but that should be no reason to round up others to donate!

There was enough happening to keep the blood bank staff rummaging

through everything on the table... certificates.. cards.. registers...

and blood testing.. all being done at the same time!

Vivek was so overwhelmed by the sheer camaraderie that he immediately

called his two cousins to donate blood with us.... JAI HO :)

CHEERS.. we all are THE PROUD BLOOD WINNERS :)

CAT Zubin was another pleasant surprise was he made a flying visit to

Chandigarh and found himself donating blood for the first time in his life.

I am sure CAT Zubin would be including his experience in his script for the next play he directs ;-)

NOW... you are the purrrfect role model for your children

when it comes to encouraging them for blood donation Zubin :D

It was a pleasant surprise to meet the CAT Vivek for the first time,

who had come with his wife and beautiful little daughter Manvi.

Despite my best attempts, Manvi refused to warm upto me she held me

responsible for causing 'Ooooiiieeee' to her dear father ;-)

Rocky and Sumeet... have no words for the camaraderie that you showed on the day...

Log kehte hain... Aap karte hain!

and the only one amungst CATS who has donated 9/9 times

i.e. in each of the camps held by CATS...

CAT Ashish A has already started discussing what special gift would be

made for the CATS who reach the 10 donation mark ;-)

and Ajay faces no compulsion of having to donate blood for the sake of

lectures in college, but this handsome brave heart has been donating blood ever since!

He can't remember, but using rough averages Ajay feels he must have donated blood a good 40 times by now :)

CAT Charanjeet arrived along with CAT AP with their Rotarian friends to cheer the donors.

Another pleasant surprise came when a neat looking couple walked in announcing,

'Glad to be finally here!' CAT Varun donated blood with his beautiful wife CAT Shubdha

and made a pact with CATS in blood.

CAT Navpreet B came alone and was immediately reprimanded for leaving

his new bride Rinky home! The protective husband immediately emerged

out of our seasoned CAT Navpreet, 'lekin uss ka Hb 9 hai.' He was not spared ;-)

He donated while sulking over a game of pool on his phone :D

CAT Onkar brought in yet another beautiful surprise when he walked

in with his neighbours, the elderly Saund couple. The sexogenarions expressed

their desire to fill the eye donation form to pledge their eyes upon death.

If this was not enough, they requested that I find out the process of body donation

also as they did not want their bodies to go waste upon death. Who says it's difficult to

change the mindset in old age? They LEAD by setting an example!

This indeed had been a day of extreme highs and lows.

Though we spent the first half practically twiddling our thumbs, we barely had

the time to grab a glass of water in the second half. The blood bank staff had a

tough time finding a few spare minutes to have their lunch.

There were alteast 15 first time donors today along with the seasoned donors.

Though so many of the regular CATS were missing in action, but the enthusiasm

of the new/old CATS alike simply swept us off our feet. The impossible had been

done with sheer enthusiasm, goodwill and determination of my fellow CATS to ensure,

you all give me another reason to hold the next camp in time!

Out of 55 donors today, 30 came from CATS and their families/friends/professional

circle, 5 from SDI, 12 came from our Pied Piper and his team....

8 from Sumit and his Elixir Team who had fainted while donating blood!

The count would have been higher had we not had 6 deferrals today.

Could we really ask for more? Not only did we surpass our target of 55 units,

we also had 2 more pledges for the eye donation.

May this sense of camaraderie to help others in need continue for the rest of the year.

- Till next time,

CAT Supreet

CATS Purrrr n Brrrrr Lunch

2011-05-24T22:47:00.000+05:30

Apart from the adventure that CATS has become synonymous with,
2010 has also been high on the celebrations front for CATS.
Let's just say that with 5 weddings and 2 babies, we had been
quite busy on all fronts ;-)

The idea behind Purrrrr and Brrrrr was to WELCOME our new CATS
while catching up with the old ones and have lots of fun together.
The afternoon would had lots of group activities to add spice to the luncheon.
It was also an opportunity to exchange notes with fellow CATS who
have shifted out of town/country.

Watch and find out more about this large happy-go-lucky family of CATS.

Photo Gallery: CATS Purrrr & Brrrrrr Lunch

2011-05-24T22:33:00.000+05:30

First day of the New Year.....

Any idea what CAT Aman and CAT Amanat have in store for you

tomorrow just as you walk in CATS??

BE WARNED... Be VERY VERY warned ;-)

Second Day of the New Year - 2011

The afternoon began dot on time at Aroma where Mr Kohli had personally

overseen the arrangements for CATS... He instructed his team to be at our beck and call

to ensure our Purrr & Brrrrr Luncheon meet is a complete success.

CAT Amanat and I had set shop for registration...

I was least surprised to get a call from CAT Manpreet,

'We are Aroma, where can we find you?'

CAT Roshni was next to arrive with Ankush.

Everyone was handed over their name tags... surprise was the little

hand coloured girl/boy to every CAT to be pinned on their lapels... :)

The introductory game to hit CATS was 'Swap a Limb'.. literally ;-)

Everyone was instructed to avoid the use of Yes/Yeah/Haan/Aaaho/Alirig

ht/OK... and in case you did, then you loose a limb to your fellow CAT.

Given that everyone had 4 limbs (2xArms and 2xLegs),

if you still made more mistakes, then you only had your chaddi or your head

to trade as penalty.. Choice was YOURS ;-)

As you can imagine... the game immediately warmed up the CATS and led to a riot in the cozy hall :D

CAT Mona fighting with her daughter CAT Amanat, as she was refusing

to give her mother a limb for having said 'Yes;

It was funny to hear CATS accepting anything or saying anything to avoid loosing a limb!

CAT Navpreet's newly wed wife was asked, 'Is he good?'

and this shy young bride responded promptly, 'NO!'

CAT Amanat and her father CAT AP were the clear winners of this round with 9 limbs each...

her mother CAT Mona whilst stood second with 8 limbs...

Have to admit.. this is one crafty family in the making amungst CATS :P

and if you are wondering why these beautiful girls are all lined up for....

then check out what's in store next ;-)

All the married/engaged/spoken for men who had come to the lunch

with their better halves, had to compete with each other to make a

sandwich for their beloved, in the quickest possible time.

8 CATS were given bread slices, butter, tomatoes and cucumber of which

they had to ensure 4 slices in each sandwich, along with 3 seasonings.

One could smell love in the air that was supporting these men...

with shouts and silent prompting from their children and beautiful halves.

It was not a sandwich, but gastronomical magic in the making in the hall at that moment :)

They say boys will always be boys... and that was clearly visible in this game.

CAT AP was the first one to yell DONE, but was disqualified on account

of not putting butter in his sandwich. He innocently claimed to unsuccessfully

stake his claim to winner's title, 'Butter Doctor ne manaa kiya huya hai' :P

Our bride-to-be CAT Manpreet's beau Harman and Ankush were

considered joint winners while CAT Naveen was honoured for

having produced the most well made and seasoned sandwich.

All the sandwiches which were made as part of the competition,

were duly served by the competitors to their better halves and the rest of the CATS :)

Harman adding spice to their lives.. quite liberally ;-)

CAT Naveen presented a precisely cut sandwich to his wife CAT Preeti and

his two young kids CAT Ayush and CAT Shivam...

CAT Charanjeet never really made a sandwich..

so don't know who's sandwich he stole to serve this gang of CATS :D

CAT AP was forced to smear butter on his sandwich before serving it around ;-)

Now it was time to introduce every one present in a slightly different manner.

A CAT Race was organised whereby anyone who could answer the question

was asked to move forward by one step, introduce him/herself and shared their experiences with the group.

It was laughter galore for CATS whilst reminiscing all the weird and

wonderful activities we have been undertaking since inception :)

with stories rolling in left right and centre...

It took a while to introduce each of the 29 CATS present, but it sure was fun :D

CAT Race over and now it was the turn of the 8 beautiful halves to prove their mettle...

CATS were provided with neck ties which they had to tie around the

necks of their respective halves! Men could not help them with their hands but could speak with them :)

What a scene it was... regardless of how many years had they been married/together,

the men started issuing instructions or tying the knots in the air to

help their better halves... I was later told that as CAT Rinky failed at her first attempt,

CAT Navpreet gallantly tied the knot himself around his neck ;-)

The tension that the tick-tock of the timer created made things worse as

the first one to tie the knot was supposed to be the winner ;-)

and this is the state CAT AP was in after CAT Mona was finished around his neck :D

Please don't laugh at this knotty affair... but this is the winning couple... CAT Atul with his gorgeous wife Shalini :D

Ahem... is CAT Manpreet trying to lug Harman around by his neck tie by any chance ;-)

CAT Navpreet can't even undo the tie he tied himself around his neck eventually :D

and we were not over yet... there was more in store for the CATS

before they could get their paws on the delicious grub that had been prepared for us ;-)

Wondering why they all seem to be tied together?

Well... keep looking ahead :D

All the kittens of the group were divided with one adult into 2 groups.. and yeah..

I forgot to mention that they were tied tightly together in a rope :D

Their task was to run from one end of the hall to the other ;-)

Yeah.. you guessed it... The group led by CAT Tony was on the floor

half way through all piled up on top of each other,

even though he had his strategy clearly in place ;-) ....

The other group led by CAT Atul was wonderfully pulled by the youngest of the lot,

8yrs old CAT Sikander to the finishing line... Jo Jeeta, woh INDEED Sikander :)

CATS were converted into Scavengers in the next game.

The whole group was divided into two groups and were given a

list of 20 items to collect. No time limit as such but the first group to

collect them all was to be the winner.

Easy.. right? Well... the list included items like set of keys, driving licence was easy...

but what about a coin from 2005 or before, nail paint, year planner, book.

Chocolate/Sweet should have been relatively easier but proved to be the bane of everyone's life!

Gundeep, Ankush and CAT Roshni frantically rummaging through their

bags/belongings to find that elusive item off the list ;-)

Kittens were found to be running around... CAT Jagjyot ran to the bar to fetch a drink off the list..

CAT Manpreet was running around to get cups... CAT Amanat stole the keys off the other group's table ;-)

Aroma's waiting team did not know what to make of this

seamingly sensible looking bunch of people running amok!

Even My Kohli's office was not spared...

Ankush got a leather bound book from his office to complete the list :D

Ahem... and is that my lip gloss lying on the table by any chance??!!!

and this was the winning list... As I ran down the list of items collected by

CAT Tony's team, I stumbled when I felt that the sweater looked a bit familiar... IT WAS MINE!!!!

Come on CATS... you can't steal things off your host ;0)

But I guess... all is fair in love and war...

for it surely looked like war in the hall whilst this task was on!

CATS deserved some food after all this running around... What say?

Sumptuous and mouth watering lunch was beautifully laid out for CATS...

CATS eating in complete silence after the soup which was devoured many times over by the hungry souls ;-)

Told you everyone was hungry by this time ;-)

Old CATS catching up after a year... whilst exchanging notes about

wedding venues, menus and the process of getting married :)

CAT Hemant still not getting involved in the wedding discussions as yet...

I guess he thinks that February is far as yet... If only he knew ;-)

CAT Rajpal quietly took over the responsiblity of ensuring no one sneaked out

without food... CAT Atul happens to be happy to be around and catching up with everyone :)

Girly gang giggling away...

Last morsel being devoured... before CATS are lined up for another game.. on special demand from our little ones :)

Three sets of two kittens each were lined up back to back and

their task was to swap as many items with each other in 2mins.

Before you think it's easy... can you think what all can you exchange with someone you met 2hours ago?

The youngest age group was frantically exchanging everything... Jackets were easy.. but what else??

CAT Ayush and CAT Sikander, duly being prompted by their respective fathers,

would have stripped down to the basics had the time not run out for them!

In 2mins these kittens managed to exchange 10 items :D

Love them both ;-)

In all honesty, the eldest pair of CAT Amanat and CAT Shivam also swapped 10 items each..

While counting their items, I stumbled AGAIN on something which looked fairly familiar...

and before I could say anything, CAT Amanat said quietly, 'Mobile is yours!!'

CAT Sahil and CAT Aman were too shy to take off anything..

and probably too unsure of finalising what else to exchange..

but they sure had fun in seeing the brouhaha that went around them in those 2mins :)

and with this we called it a day friends...

though a few had left before this photograph could be clicked...

it seals another successful event for CATS...

and may the year ahead also be full of fun and laughter for each one of us..

AMEN

- CAT Supreet

Photo Gallery: Dharamshala - McLeodGanj - Palampur - Andretta

2011-05-24T21:48:00.000+05:30

Morning of 28th of December brought along the usual feeling of excitement to be embarking on a new trail, along with the sluggishness of having to wake up earlier than the birds!

After a slightly delayed start from Chandigarh on a cold

winter morning, it was not long before a pack of 6 CATS were

on they way to Kangra....

With three kittens in the car, you can well imagine

how many time one particular question would have been asked,

'Ab aur kitni doooooor?'

and this is what was their first attraction of the day after a long drive in the hills...

Any idea what this is CATS?

Wrapped in wonder and serenity, CATS could not be blamed for feeling a little bewildered

Such is the magic of Masroor Temple just short of Kangra town....

Masroor is famous for remarkable group of highly carved

15 monolithic rock cut temples in the Indo-Aryan style, only ones of it's kind in Northern India.

The main shrine contains stone images of Ram, Laxman and Sita.

However, presence of the figurine of Lord Shiva in the

centre of the lintel affords a strong presumption that the temple was

originally dedicated to Lord Mahadev.

Rock-cut style is much more difficult than the structural one.

In the latter, the artist shapes the material as he likes,

whereas in the former the Material determines the way

the artist should move.

The limitation makes an artist creation

out of a rock a most difficult task and the ability with which

the remote artist of seventh and eighth centuries

carried out their purpose is superhuman.

Layer upon layer of the rock was carved out in minute detail which
sadly lies mostly unnoticed and in ruins today.

CAT Naveen with CAT Preeti with their sons CAT Ayush and

CAT Shivam, accompanied by little Madhav and Umang.

Although the remote location of these temples protected them

from the invading army of Mahmud Ghazni, some damage was caused to it's

stone construction during the 1905 earthquake.

CAT Naveen with Umang trying to squeeze between

the rocks displaced during the earthquake.

After this poignant halt at Masroor, CAT Naveen made a prudent

decision to skip going to Kangra Fort as it was getting dark and

the weather had started taking a turn for a little worse too.

Dharamshala... were we come... MEOW :)

The car packed with CATS, ready to stretch out SOOOON

Second morning at the beautifully located Kunal in Dharamshala...

After a sumptuous breakfast, CATS set their paws on the road....

only to disembark every now and then for a photo sessions :)

CAT Ayush bossing over little CAT Shivam and Madhav... ;-)

Dharamshala happens to house the personal monastery of
The Dalai Lama -Namgyal Monastery. It also consists of an Institute for Learning
where future Lamas are provided with higher Tibetian studies.

Thereafter came St John's Church situated in the forest
between McLeodganj and Forsythganj. It has a monument dedicated to
the then viceroy of India, Lord Elgin who dies at Chauntra (Mandi - HP)
in 1863AD. With stained glass windows and deodar woods around,
it was a beautiful halt for CATS.

The next stop of the day was at Bhagsu Nath Temple in McLeodganj.

Thanks to the winter season, the long queues at every main point of the temple were missing!

The main temple of the sizeable Bhagsunath Temple Complex..

With such clean water in the well maintained 'sarover there',

could we really blame our little kittens for calling it a swimming pool??!!!!

CAT Shivam in front of the small but sacred Bhagu waterfall,
which is supposed to have medicinal powers...

Not quite sure why, but CATS actually made their entrance from the

rear end of the temple and emerged from the main entrance gate ;-)

With Gods worshipped of two religions, it was time for some local shopping ;-)

but soon everyone was hungry.....

could not blame them, it was lunch time Mama Preeti ;-)

The hunt was not just food.. it was for Pizzas cooked at Carpe Diem ...

Walk.. Trek... WALK.....

for food glorious FOOD :P

but not before you pay obeisance at the temple of another local deity on the way ;-)

Ab to khaana de do Bhagwaan.... bachhe bhookhe hain!!

with pizzas nicely tucked away for baking in the stone hearth,
Madhav and CAT Shivam decided to have a kick about...

only to be joined by two furry CATS for lunch ;-)

With so many CATS around, could the dog be far away ;-)

Bhai-Giri :D

With a delicious lunch over, it was time for some more sight seeing.

Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Norbulingka Institute and Nechung Monastery.

The beautiful monastery of Norbulingka boasts of a rich collection of
art, paintings, handicrafts and thankas.

The Norbulingka Institute, committed to the preservation of Tibetan culture,

formally opened in 1995 and employs around 450 people,

many of whom have recently arrived from Tibet.

Umang and Madhav with CAT Shivam in front of the main figurine of Lord Budhha

Currently about 70 students are training in literary studies and a variety of
crafts including Thangka painting, metal statue work, woodwork and
needlecraft. It is a fascinating place, built in Tibetan style with Japanese
influence and set in landscaped gardens.

The towering figurine of Avalokitesvara looks ever so graceful.

It has huge stucco statue of Padmasambhava also in the premises.

and how can one leave this beautiful place with rolling the prayer drums...

Back at The Club House for a quick check on work and to put up the paws for the night...

The main discussion over dinner was the itinerary for the following day.

Given the weather conditions turning wet, windy and wild with snow fall
visible not too far away, CATS took the decision to avoid Triund the following day.

Triund may have been out, but nothing can stop CATS from prowling the streets of McLeodganj...

another peek at the St John's Church before heading towards our next destination...

Just as the rains were determined to drench us....

We were determined to make it to the Cricket Stadium ;-)

and why not eh..... We beat the weather in atleast one leg of our journey.. MEOW :)

and that is when all hell broke loose....

it was raining cats and dogs will we made it to our hotel in Palampur - The Teabuds

and what a beautiful morning awaited us in a few hours time....

All packed and ready to head home for the New Year's eve....

But not before we went down a trail to gather some more beautiful memories off this trip...

The stream was tiny but it was so calming to spend a few spare moments there...

before we left for Baujnath Temple and then Andretta to see the

Museum and Art Gallery of none other than the legendary Sobha Singh Ji.

CAT Ayush leading the kittens into the tea gardens at Palampur...

There was more fun in store for the CATS when we came across a traffic jam..

of a slightly different kind ;-)

Umang wondering what to do with them :D

Final tea break before we seriously started climbing down to Chandigarh...

after convincing our driver to believe our GPS than his own experience ;-)

It might have been a trip that nearly did not happen...

but it surely was a beautiful way to say goodbye to 2010 :)

- CAT Supreet

Moment of Celebration

2011-01-08T21:44:00.000+05:30

My Dear CATS,

The season of celebration is on and this time it's our dear CAT Navpreet B who donned the sherwani to bring home Rinky, a pretty girl from a town close to our rafting home.. MEOW ;-)

The Prince of the day, CAT Navpreet wed a gorgeous Lady in Red, Rinky on 03rd of December'10 with all the friends and relatives around to share his joy. There are at least half a dozen witnesses from CATS who noticed his transition from a tentatively adventurous and regular Blood Donor CAT to the man who fell head over heels in love with his soul mate Rinky.

Right from the very first trek of CATS through the Nepli Forest on 02nd of Sept'07, he has played an active role in CATS. I would never forget our Shali Trek in Dec'07 where the valley resounded with his voice as he shouted time and again, 'Sue, kithhe tu' as I was lagging behind. Known for his own brand of humour, our Shimla Heritage Trip in Mar'09 happened only because he and CAT Ashish A dug their heels in for a day away from Chandigarh and thanks to their obstinence, 18 CATS had the time of their lives less than 8hours later as they traversed through the chartered Toy Train to Shimla.

Wishing this pair of love birds a very happy married life; a life full of adventure and pleasant surprises which will bind them together for a lifetime. Do join me in welcoming a new CAT into the pack :)

MEOW

CAT Supreet

Moment of Celebration

2010-12-04T18:56:00.000+05:30

My Dear CATS,

You better get ready for yet another round of celebrations now.

Celebrations which are not about the pitter-patter of the tiny feet but the ones which will resonate in the house of CATS for years to come, the sound of 'payal ki jhankaar' :)

Yes, we are talking about the wedding season CATS and the account has been opened by this shy little boy whom you see in the photograph below :)

Does anyone remember on which trek you met him last? Go on, scratch your head.... still can't place him??? OK, allow me to re-introduce CAT Ravinder to all of you again. This polite but young CAT was very actively involved with our activities, right from blood donation to doing the ground work for our treks so that everyone on the day has a wonderful time.

CAT Ravinder left for Muscat where a wonderful professional opportunity took him away from us soon after the Tresure Hunt held at Chhatbir Zoo in Feb'08. Though he was away from the country since then, however he continued to contribute in every possible way he could. He would send donors during our blood donation camps in addition to making a monetary donation for various causes that we keep serving, responding to calls for flood relief to medicines.

It was a pleasant surprise to get an invite from him, announcing his wedding to a very pretty Neelam on 30th of November.

Neelam walking towards the groom CAT Ravinder waiting for her to

arrive on their wedding day.

Aah... and here we loose CAT Ravinder again... to Neelam :)

Bet every parent waits to see their kids all dressed up like

Princes and Princes to live happily ever after.

It was a joy to be part of their wedding celebrations. Would you not join me in wishing them the happiest of married lives ahead?

- CAT Supreet

Photo Gallery: Delhi Marathon 2010

2010-12-04T10:15:00.000+05:30

Delhi Marathon was only 4 days away and

we had not had the time to get the T-Shirts ready

which we were to wear on Sunday...

This is what we thought our T-shirt should look like...

What do you think?

Was it worth 3 hours of running around town yesterday to find

3 T-shirts of same colour in required sizes to fit the 'three musCATeers'...

while nearly getting run over by a bus at Aroma lights...

and then 2hours with our legendary type setter...

followed by another hour at the printer.

I woke up at 5am to get ready for the trip ahead.. RUN Supreet RUN ;-)

Cab arrived dot at 7am.. infact just as I was to get into the cab at 7.02am,

I got a call from CAT Guneet, 'I hope you won't come before 7.15am!!'

What a FALSE start ;-)

However, with CAT Guneet in the car by 7.18am and CAT Rajpal by 7.35am,

we left Chandigarh behind at 7.45am... on the way to Delhi...

in time I would say with loads of goodluck calls, text messages and FB messages to keep us company.

First pit stop came at Karnal Haveli for breakfast.. CAT Guneet had decided

at Ambala itself that she wanted Dosa for Breakfast... Rajpal was quick to

decide upon mouth watering Chana Bhatoora.. Given I could not find milk around,

I opted for Idi Sambhar but not before declaring that I needed

a cappuchino at the very next CCD/Barista on the highway!

Fortunately Barista was not too far from Haveli and I had a JUG-ful of

intoxicating brown liquid to set me up for the day :P

Since CAT Monica was away to US and our stay had been organised at

her home in her absence, her friends took it upon themselves to ensure

every comfort was available to CATS during the stay.

As promised, I called up both Nilimesh and Anita as we left Karnal so that

they had a fair idea about our expected arrival time in Delhi.

We reached Delhi at 1.30pm, dreading to go through the expo since our experience

at Chandigarh Marathon had been quite harrowing!

However, all our fears were absolutely misplaced.

The expo was so well organised that we were worrying needlessly.

Since we had gone well prepared with the documents (original/copies) as

the organisers had requested off us, we were guided straight to

the counters according to our registration numbers.

It took all of 5mins at this counter to hand over the papers and get our official sheets,

thanks to the completely computerised efficient registration system.

The volunteers/staff were friendly and keen to help.

Then we collected our goody bags and then we were directed towards

this desk to get out timing chips activated.

It barely took 10mins to go through this process. In fact I remember almost

getting disappointed at not having to put a fight in the face of rowdy and inefficient staff ;-)

I had started wondering if we should have actually slept a little more in

the morning and left Chandigarh a little late if things were so easy at the Expo :D

Actually the longest it took was at the counter to get the parking ticket in advance for the car parking...

But even this took no more than 5mins!!!

With a Bib each for ourselves.. and a parking ticket for our cab...

we were all set for the run next morning.. MEOW :)

However, as we walked out of the expo, we noticed that CAT Rajpal

was limping badly. Apprently, his foot had been bothering him all day

in the 10k worth of shoes he had purchased a month ago, worn every

single day to the office to ensure they got broken into and ran 20kms

in the same shoes a few days previously.

We could not figure out what was wrong, but we chose to look into his foot

upon reaching CAT Monica's home.

We called up both Nilimesh and Anita as we left the expo who were on the

way to CAT Monica's house to get us settled

After getting directions from both to reach CAT Monica's house just as

Anita herself pulled in.. Nilimesh came a minute later with a huge

bunch of keys in his hands... He explained which key is for which

lock and that is when we realised that he had already been here in the

morning to deliver a fresh supply of fruit, vegetables, milk, bread etc for us!

Anita brought in delicious packed lunch for the hungry CATS to pounce upon....

We were left flabbergasted..

Such a warm welcome in a city we did not know..

by people who barely knew us..

for them it was enough that we were CAT Monica's CATS from Chandigarh!

As CAT Rajpal got busy with his notes for his forthcoming interview,

CAT Guneet and I quietly left the house in the evening to purchase

some last minute supplies as sustenance during the run the following day.

After enjoying the dinner cooked by Monica's maid, we asked CAT Rajpal

to wear his shoes once again to figure out if all is well.

Unfortunately, the pain returned as soon as he slipped the shoe on!

It was 10.30pm and there was no way we could nip out to buy

another pair of shoes. I called up Nilimesh who said that he wore

size 8 and his son wore size 9 while we needed size 7 for Rajpal.

Anita was already sleep and not aware of the trouble we were in.

Suddenly it occured to me that Monica may have gone to US,

but she would not have taken her shoes with her! A quick call to

her and she told us where to look for the shoes in her pantry area

and said just one thing, 'Do whatever, take whatever, wear

whatever you need.. just make sure Rajpal and all of you have

a comfortable run tomorrow!'

Monica... since words are failing us... a BIG HUG is due to you when you return :)

and with a midnight goodluck call from a fellow CAT, we decided to call it a day!

I heard the phone beep what I assumed was the crack of dawn...

somehow the fear crept into my bones that none of us woke up with the 5.30am alarm

and that we had missed the marathon!

Fortunately, my fears were completely unfounded as the alarms

dutifully rang the day in at 5.30am :)

By 6.15am we were ready and giving final touches to our preparations for the run...

We were terribly missing all of our fellow CATS from last year..

Mr Bhatia's commanding orders.. Mrs Bhatia's lovingly prepared cuppa-cha...

The drama of getting Aman ready!!

Please cast no doubts over the bottle CAT Rajpal is holding...

It is nothing but what CAT Monica had advised him to drink during the

run last year and he's dutifully following her instructions this time too..

with a bottle of sugar-free apple juice :P

With our waist belts packed and hooked, breakfast of toast and tea..

all that was required was to tie the timing chips on to the shoes of each one of us...

Monica... aap ki duty hum ne nibhaayi iss baar :)

6.35am and were out of the house to head towards the marathon venue...

We found ourselves in a serpentine queue by 6.45am, wondering how long

would it take us to reach inside the holding area given how slow the queue was moving!

It was sheer delight to bump into Anita in the queue who was also running in

the half marathon... but only uptil the point her ham string started bothering her...

Waiting.. Waiting and Waiting in the LONG LONG queue which CAT Rajpal got us to

hop scotch our way through.. like a true CAT ;-)

One last shot together of the '3 musCATeers' before the run began... MEOW :)

and here we GO :)

can you spot CAT Rajpal at the starting line up?

Though the original plan was that the 3 musCATeers would stick together

throughout the run, we changed the game plan in the morning.

Given that CAT Rajpal did Chandigarh Half Marathon in 2hrs.12mins,

CAT Guneet and I suggested that he should not spoil his timing because of us tortoises!

Reluctantly, he agreed and sprang ahead of us :)

CAT Guneet and I chose to stick together for the run...

and boy.. what fun we had all along ;-)

Pulling a leg here.. Waving a hand there... Sharing a joke all around... it was fun all the way :)

CAT Rajpal's foot gave no trouble at all till this point..

though the 500ml bottle of apple juice was a task to deal with ;-)

However, being diabetic he did not have much choice as everything being

offered by the organisers along the run counters was sugary :(

ahem... even I wonder now what were we running on ;-)

When we were at 9.5kms point, CAT Rajpal was a km ahead of us..

can you see the little paws climbing up the shoulders of a grey T-shirt???

CAT Monica, do you remember this exactly was the point where

you were last year when CAT Rajpal and I were running together?

Deja vu :)

Honestly, even I don't remember the joke now..

the guy in blue next to me might remember ;-)

Or perhaps I was basking in the glory of wearing a cap which was given to

me with such love and affection by someone so dear that I could not help grinning from ear to ear :D

Our T-Shirts were such a HIT that strangers along the way were cheering us,

'Come on CATS... RUN'

Little did they know that both of these CATS were running on painkillers :(

CAT Guneet deserves a standing ovation for completing the run with an

extremely painful vericose veins in her leg and I was running with a debilitating stomach ache!

Despite respective pains, we finished our first 7kms in 58mins

(our target was each 7kms in 1hour)... however, as the pain rose for both of us,

our pace slackened as it was very important for us to finish..

we did not want to drop out midway!

CAT Rajpal was expected to finish within 2hrs.10mins at best, finished much to

our surprise at 2hrs.47mins.. His foot had started hurting around 17kms mark and that slowed him down as well...

Despite our best intentions and efforts, we respected out protesting bodies and

finished at 3hrs.15mins rather than the target of 3hours...

CAT Guneet stepped on the finishing line mat with me.. one second later...

to immediately turn around and say, 'Thank you so much Supreet for making

sure that we participate in this marathon!'

It was madness at the finishing line... a near stampede!

The task now was to look for CAT Rajpal.. we found him sitting upright just

feet away from us but he neither saw us nor could he hear us...

Eventually we had to ask these people eating at this roadside hawker,

'can you please ask that man wearing the same T-Shirt as ours to meet us over here?'

See, T-Shirts do provide practical solutions too ;-)

Same spot as last time for a photograph before we head towards the medal counters

through the gate that you see behind us...

3 MEOWs to the 3 musCATeers :)

As Airtel claimed that 20,000 of their medals had been 'stolen' and that

they would courier them out to us, we were too tired to argue with them...

We were tired and all we wanted was to get some grub at the picnic organised by Anita and her Gang :P

Like lost lambs, we ventured through Nehru Park to look for food and friends :P

yeah... FOOD glorious FOOD :P

It is amazing how this gang of super energetic friends come prepared with

delicious and nutritious picnic lunch for everyone after the run..

with CATS being merrily adopted :)

There was plenty to choose from fresh fruit, juices, sandwiches, salads, pulaos,

pastas, idlis, paranthas, dhokla... atleast these are the ones I remember!

As you can see the evidence.. itna khaaya ke billiyaan waheen dher ho gayeen ;-)

We got home by 12.30pm and given Guneet's condition, she was asked to have

the shower first while Rajpal and I had some masala chai with some more grub :P

CAT Monica's maid massaged legs and feet of CAT Guneet and I while

CAT Rajpal opted to just rest his foot.. with food for company :)

By 2pm we were all ready, packed to lock up our home in Delhi and leave

for Chandigarh. Nilimesh came to see us off and we could not leave without extending

an invite from CATS to our Delhi Gang.

Words can never express how much care they took of us while in Delhi.

Though at one stage we nearly called off participating in the marathon since

we had not practiced much and all three of us had one emergency or another at

our respective homes to take care...

and we all felt over the moon after having completed the marathon.

And Monica... participation in this marathon would have been impossible WITHOUT YOUR SUPPORT!

and if you think CATS' affair with marathon for this season is over, then think again!

Mumbai - here we come in January ;-)

MEOW

- CAT Supreet

Moment of Celebration

2010-12-02T18:31:00.000+05:30

My Dear CATS,

It is with immense glee that I report yet another addition to our CATS family. The proud parents this time are CAT HarmeshInder and his loving Shefali.

Our handsome kitten Adhiraj Inder was born on 12th of Sept'10

Adhiraj being tenderly held in the arms of his beautiful Dadi...

He may have been just born, but he came armed with

a Barbie Doll present for his Vaddi Didi, Harnaaz Inder ;-)

Do join me in sending the best of wishes to CAT HarmeshInder and his family.

Dearest Lord in Heaven,

Bless this child and bless this day of new beginnings.

However, there's another surprise for you my dear CATS.

CAT Rahat may not have had the time to send in the

photograph of his little Rehbar, however trust

CAT HarmeshInder to do the needful ;-)

You can see CAT Rahat holding

little Adhiraaj and his wife Puneet holding her son

Rehbar in her arms.

Bless both the little CATS in the making :)

WICKED - I know ;-)

CAT Supreet

Moment of Celebration

2010-12-02T18:19:00.000+05:30

I waited and waited and waited for a photograph.. FINALLY I decided to break the news to all of you that our dear CAT Rahat and his beautiful wife became proud parents of kitten Rehbar in May of this year.

A BIG WARM WELCOME to the new addition to our CATS family. May God surround Rehbar with love, teach him to live life with faith, hope and charity.

- CAT Supreet

Photo Gallery: Chandigarh Cyclothon 2010

2010-12-02T16:56:00.000+05:30

I have to be the first one to admit that waking up at 5.30am did make me wonder

for once, 'WHY??!!!', but the thought of meeting you all was too tempting :)

By 7.30am CATS couldn't wait to hit the road on their bikes :)

Time finally to leave for the venue... CAT HarmeshInder posing with our little ones..

9yrs old CAT Aman and 14yrs old CAT Amanat... with pride :)

One fine day... we will have Adhiraj Inder also joining us.. Amen :)

This is what greeted us at the 15/16-10/11 roundabout... a barricade CAT HarmeshInder

got opened for us respectfully.. while CAT Reema waited.. with attitude :D

We reached the Assembly Point by 7.40am... Main Gate of Home Science College for Girls :P

CAT Vineet joined us as soon as we reached... but where are the rest?

We were soon joined in by CAT Vineet, and another pretty Supreet along with LaDawn.

Rohit called and from his voice it sounded had just woken up! CAT Reeta nearly

chickened out of the event but set herself from home.

CAT AR 'tele-reported' as he was running a little behind schedule too.

With helmets waiting on the handles...

Hydrating fluids ready in our bottles...

Our sustenance money and mobiles tucked away neatly in CATTY clutches ;-)

LaDawn looked towards one side... time was ticking on.. still waiting for about 10 more to join us...

CAT Sanjeev arrived quietly and CAT Davinder came with the florescent jackets

for all of us, saving us having to queue up again at the jackets counter

in the holding area. CAT Sandy marked her absence on the phone due to fever.

Surprises of all surprises, CAT Rajpal was LATE!

CAT Reema looked the other way to ensure she can wave any stray CAT down the road ;-)

It was 8am by now... and CAT HarmeshInder was really getting agitated.. where the hell is Rohit???

A GYAA??!!!

How many times I told you that the main gate of home Science College has changed

since the days you used to make rounds of the college ;-)

while all this was unfolding at the assembly point, CAT Sanjeev sat quietly on the footpath... just observing ;-)

and just when we thought CATS had had their share of fun for the day...

we came across this guy who rode the bike in reverse sitting on the handle!!

CAT Reema shouted at us all, 'Bachhe saambh lo aapne'

The line up in the making at the holding area...

Sun was shining but we were still under the soothing shade of trees.

Holding Area was well organised affair.

There was no chaos and no rush of people trampling over each other.

Last minute touches being given... CAT Sanjeev pinning the bib onto CAT Aman's T-Shirt

Pint sized CAT Aman was our main concern since he was riding his new adult size bike!

OK TESTED ;-)

If you see carefully, you will find a kid sitting behind his father on a

dual seat/dual pedal bike.... regardless that his legs could not reach the pedals and

his fingers barely kissed the handle bar :)

However confusion reigned high for a few minutes when the organisers told us

to start off with another segment. After a few minutes of dilly-dallying,

we were told to pedal off at 8.45am and there was no looking back after that.

CATS flagged off... YIPPIE!!!

and soon after I lost my cap to the wind... fortunately CAT Davinder retrieved it back for me :)

The gang having fun on the road.. MEOW :)

It was amazing to see how the new ones who had come to the fold a few minutes ago,

automatically became the very being of each other. CAT Sanjeev was looking over

both the kids from the holding area itself. CAT Reema had met CAT Sanjeev for the

first time, but hit it off straight away. Two no-frills CATS! CAT Rajpal and CAT Davinder

took charge of CAT Aman to ensure he does not get knocked over by anyone

even by mistake. CAT AR we found just after the Golf club and CAT Savneet managed

to find me thanks to the CATS T-shirt and cap i was wearing.

CAT HarmeshInder, our new pretty Supreet and LaDawn would stop every so often

to allow me to catch up with them. It was camaraderie all over again.

aaj phir jeene ki tamanna hai :)

Three charming friends with salt n pepper hair/beard met us on the way

who were all too happy to say hello, 'We are all under 17!!'

and we caught up with our fellow CATS on the road who could not reach the assembly point in time...

CAT AR and CAT Savneet got introduced on the road!

Our first timer, the pretty Supreet and LaDawn waiting for the last batch of CATS to catch up with them :)

CAT Rajpal keeping CAT Aman safe on the road.. on beautiful city roads... BLISS :)

CATS beyond the finishing line...

CAT Vineet touched the finishing line at 9.30am, followed by CAT Amanat,

CAT Reema and CAT Sanjeev at 9.45am. The rest of the gang clocked in

soon after, but not before witnessing a little accident half a kilometer

short of the finishing line. A boy around 10years of age had fallen off his bike

and had suffered a cut above his left ear. Though it was a little frightening

to see a little splattered on the road but the kid was promptly given first aid by the marshalls.

I requested for an ambulance which arrived within minutes and took the boy

to the hospital. Little incidents like these do make you could your lucky stars.

You automatically become grateful for being part of a group, in which everyone

takes pride in each other and we all look out for each other. That kid was unknown to us,

but we all stopped. He could easily have been our own CAT Aman or CAT Ansh.

That's the least we could do as human beings.

With gratitude deep in our hearts and happines warming our souls, we touched the finishing line at 9.55am.

we could not leave the grounds without a BIG MEOW to our little CAT Aman,

who did 20kms on an adult sized bike...

Proud of you little one.. CAT Aman demanded to know why he could not run

Delhi Half Marathon (21.097kms) with me in November?

CAT HarmeshInder played the perfect host for CATS... the freshly made nimbu pani with

nutricious biscuits and wafers..

and flavoured milk on offer too for the ones who wanted.

If every event is to begin and end like this... then I want an event to take place every week ;-)

- CAT Supreet

MEOW Feedback - Chandigarh Cyclothon 2010

2010-09-26T13:39:00.000+05:30

My Dear CATS,

What a wonderful Sunday morning we have all had.

I have to be the first one to admit that waking up at 5.30am did make me wonder for once, 'WHY??!!!', but the thought of meeting you all was too tempting :)

CAT HarmeshInder, CAT Reema, CAT Aman, CAT Amanat and I reached the assembly point by 7.40am. We were soon joined in by CAT Vineet, and another Supreet along with LaDawn. Rohit called and from his voice it sounded had just woken up! CAT Reeta nearly chickened out of the event but set herself from home. CAT AR 'tele-reported' as he was running a little behind schedule too. CAT Sanjeev arrived quietly and CAT Davinder came with the florescent jackets for all of us, saving us having to queue up again at the jackets counter in the holding area. CAT Sandy marked her absence on the phone due to fever. Surprises of all surprises, CAT Rajpal was LATE!

As previously agreed, we waited till 8.05am and then proceeded towards the holding area. But not before we encountered a guy who was sitting on the handle and biking in reverse! Watch the photos to believe me. Sun was shining but we were still under the soothing shade of trees.Holding Area was well organised affair. There was no chaos and no rush of people trampling over each other. Pint sized CAT Aman was our main concern since he was riding his new adult size bike! However confusion reigned high for a few minutes when the organisers told us to start off with another segment. After a few minutes of dilly-dallying, we were told to pedal off at 8.45am and there was no looking back after that.

It was amazing to see how the new ones who had come to the fold a few minutes ago, automatically became the very being of each other. CAT Sanjeev was looking over both the kids from the holding area itself. CAT Reema had met CAT Sanjeev for the first time, but hit it off straight away. Two no-frills CATS! CAT Rajpal and CAT Davinder took charge of CAT Aman to ensure he does not get knocked over by anyone even by mistake. CAT AR we found just after the Golf club and CAT Savneet managed to find me thanks to the CATS T-shirt and cap i was wearing. CAT HarmeshInder, our new pretty Supreet and LaDawn would stop every so often to allow me to catch up with them. It was camaraderie all over again.

Three charming friends with salt n pepper hair/beard met us on the way who were all too happy to say hello, 'We are all under 17!!' City kids ignored us but the slum kids were merrily cheering us over. Water stations had been set up after a few kilometers. Marshalls were keeping an eye on the bikers and the roads were kept free of traffic by the Traffic Police. Cyclists ruled the roost on the roads this morning. Ambulances were stationed visibly at all major intersections. It was as if no one could help us more. It was fun time with new friends in our own city, but fun came with the paddle power!

By the time we headed towards the IT park, the sun was beating upon our brows and the path was uphill. As much as wanted to pedal away swiftly from the harsh sun, we could not do it quickly enough! DT Cinema intersection was the half way point and also the time when we could turn our back towards the unforgiving sun. At this juncture, it was sad to come across a bunch of mid-teen boys running on hormones, who were indulging in a spot of eve-teasing. I was quite tempted to report them to the police officers stationed on the way, but rightly or wrongly, I chose not to. Would it really have mattered to either the police or the boys? Would the police have reported the matter to their parents? Could any action be taken against the boys given they were so young? What impact this reporting would have on these boys? Would they learn their lessons or just become even more persistent pests? I was really saddened by the unhealthy development in these boys. This is a picture of our Cit Beautiful, which is extremely ugly and unbearable. I don't know if this mindset would ever change, if at all.

Anyway, let's get back to our cyclothon. CAT Amanat was way ahead of the game by now but hats off to CAT Sanjeev and CAT Reema who made sure our kitten does not become a lost lamb in the woods. CAT Davinder offered almonds and Tang flavoured water to the ones around him when the energy levels were going down. CAT Rajpal ensured that no harm came to CAT Aman. CAT Vineet was nowhere to be seen. CAT Savneet was last seen pedalling with CAT AR. We were only a few kilometers short of the finishing line by now. We were getting there, meowing all the way.

CAT Vineet touched the finishing line at 9.30am, followed by CAT Amanat, CAT Reema and CAT Sanjeev at 9.45am. The rest of the gang clocked in soon after, but not before witnessing a little accident half a kilometer short of the finishing line. A boy around 10years of age had fallen off his bike and had suffered a cut above his left ear. Though it was a little frightening to see a little splattered on the road but the kid was promptly given first aid by the marshalls. I requested for an ambulance which arrived within minutes and took the boy to the hospital. Little incidents like these do make you could your lucky stars. You automatically become grateful for being part of a group, in which everyone takes pride in each other and we all look out for each other. That kid was unknown to us, but we all stopped. He could easily have been our own CAT Aman or CAT Ansh. That's the least we could do as human beings.

With gratitude deep in our hearts, we touched the finishing line at 9.55am.

THANKS for being there for each other CATS.

Let's try to become a better human being.

CAT Supreet

ROLL OF HONOUR: 08th Blood Donation Camp

2010-09-02T11:57:00.000+05:30

The Blood Donors who deserve a standing ovation:

No	Name of Blood Donor
1	Mukesh Verma
2	Kanwaljit singh Dhillon
3	Anu C
4	Sandeep Kumar
5	Gurpreet Singh
6	Gagandeep Kaur
7	Arti Verma
8	Damanpreet Kaur
9	Kanwarjeet Bindra
10	Vishal Kalia
11	Devinder Sardana
12	Naveen
13	Pooja Rana
14	Sweta Srivastva
15	Manpreet Singh
16	Manoj Shukla
17	Anirudh Trehan
18	Sudhir Singh
19	Aman Kumar Anjana
20	Anil Gautam
21	Jagbandhu
22	Rohit Kataria
23	Suchet Pajni
24	Shobhit Khare
25	Veer Pratap Singh
26	Harjot Singh Chopra
27	Gautam Kumar
28	Hardeep Singh Dhaliwal
29	Ravinder Kumar
30	Rustam
31	Samir Sood
32	Suresh Kumar
33	Gagandeep Garg
34	Rakesh Kumar
35	Ajit Kumar
36	Supreet
37	Jolly
38	Shailesh Kumar
39	Vikramjeet Singh
40	Antriksh
41	Sanjeev Ranjan
42	Hemant Anand
43	Shruti Sharma
44	Varun
45	Abhijeet
46	Advait
47	Anurag
48	Ramninder Madaan
49	Devinder Seth
50	Lokender Pal
51	Jeeva
52	Harmeet Singh
53	Nitish Jain
54	Ravinder Shukla
55	Pawan Thapa
56	Onkar Singh
57	Jasveer Singh
58	Kewal
59	Sudhir Kumar
60	Simmi Waraich
61	Gurdev Singh
62	Ashish Arora
63	Sahil
64	Krishan Murari
65	Gurmukh
66	Mannu Tewari
67	Deepak Sharma
68	Alok Kumar
69	Anu Sodhi
70	Maharaj
71	Simrat Pal Singh
72	subhashish
73	Vishal Tyagi
74	Vivek Singh
75	Mohit Bansal
76	Sukhdeep Singh Grewal
77	Heera Singh Gill
78	Sandy
79	Paramjeet Singh
80	Ajay Wadhwa

	List of Deferrals, whom we look forward to seeing in 3 months times at the blood bank:

No	Name of Deferred Donor
1	Kusum Verma
2	Rajwant
3	Vandana
4	Dinesh Gaur
5	Ritu
6	Navpreet Singh
7	Gopika Trehan
8	Amanpreet Kaur
9	Pralyankar
10	Ram Avtar
11	Pooja

Photo Gallery: CATS 08th Blood Donation Camp (Launch of CAN and WILL Foundation)

2010-08-25T15:41:00.000+05:30

The day had begun early for me. 4am to be precise!

I might have organised 64 treks/events for CATS in 3years, but I still get

the same butterflies each time! Would everything be OK? Do I have enough

CATS donor gifts on me? Would I run out of food? Who would take charge of

the Refreshments Room? Who will attend to the donors in the bleeding room?

Would I clear my medical to be able to give blood myself!

Especially for the blood donation camps, there is always the BIG ONE.. would the donors actually come!!!!

After helping CAT Mona to get the sandwiches ready for the Birthday Fare

for the day, ensuring fruit bags, drink cartons, sandwich trays, cookie boxes

and ofcourse, the all important DONOR key rings were loaded into the car.

I had barely sat down when I got a call from an anonymous number.

It was a very old CAT Mukesh who had recently come back to the city

after being posted out for 2years. These were his exact words,

'Supreet, hum dono ne yeh faisla kiya hai ke aaj hum dono khoon denge,

zindagi mein pehli baar.' I was overwhelmed.

This CATS couple had demonstrated beyond doubt, it is never too late to begin.

I felt overwhelmed and relieved at the same time.

Was it my Maker telling me, 'All izzzz well?'

9am this CAT on the run made a pit stop at the baker to pick up the

cake and vegetable rolls. As I drove slowly towards the Blood Bank with my

precious cargo spread all over the car, I was greeted at the gate itself by

Anurag (CFC) who helped me transport some birthday fare eatables from the car to the bank.

However, we had a pleasant surprise to be greeted by CAT Chat in the foyer

who was holding the fort, wearing his CATS cap with such pride, complete with

another chocolate cake for CATS birthday.

Do I have words to describe how I felt at that point??

Please meet CAT Mukesh and lovely wife CAT Kusum.

He had requested to be the first ones to donate, and they were indeed.

The one above has his own designs I guess :)

They did not just come themselves, but brought along a friend also who donated

for the first time too. CAT Mukesh, I feel humbled indeed by so much goodness that is around us.

and meet the shock of the day, CAT Anuradha CLEARED HER MEDICAL in 8th attempt ;-)

YES... she donated blood.. the fiesty CAT who has been instrumental in

getting so many of her colleagues to donate blood, finally managed to do it herself.

THREE MEOWS to CAT Anu C

CAT Chat duly dispensing off his duty ensuring all the donors were given

their set of gift, certificate, donor card and the coveted CATS key ring :)

The much talked about.. much awaited.. in it's new avtaar...

a 'CAT on the run' for CATS 3rd birthday... YUMMY :P

Surrounded by all first time donors, Our Graceful CAT Chat doing the

honours of cutting the cake at 10.15am so that all of us could get our paws on it for our lick of the cream :P

and now a little about about the grub so lovingly organised by CAN & WILL

for the CATS 3rd birthday. Along with the cake, CAT Mona as you know had already

prepared sandwiches, as had CAT Gopika who prepared another variety of

lip smacking sandwiches for everyone. We also had three varieties of fruit to

maintain the energy levels after donation.

There were also some two types of yumm stuffed vegetable rolls to fill the rumbling bellies...

CAT Gopika had also prepared a highly nutritional salad for the hungry and

bleeding CATS which we really had to ration out as everyone just pounced upon it :P

and then for some instant energy there was a cookie platter with almond, cashew and butter cookies :P

all you have to add now is a refrigerator full of flavoured milk, masala lassi, nimbu pani and juices.

We had enough food... but would we have enough donors walking through those doors?

It seemed we were making a good start... new faces had walked in already along with some seasoned ones :)

Aaah.. our HUSTLER donor :D

CAT Kanwarjeet who's 2.5yrs old son Kabir made records of sorts by trekking 6.5kms

including a hillock in our very first trek on 02nd Sept'07.

This little kid walked all the way and when we reached the log hut for breakfast,

he turned around and said to his mum, 'Thakk Gayi' ;-)

It was good to meet you CAT Kanwarjeet.. and let's discuss Leh over a cuppa :)

There was enough happening to keep the Blood Bank Staff on full alert..

Remember this pretty girl?

She had donated for the first time in our last camp... and here she's again :)

CAT Vishal, regular as clock work when it comes to blood donation...

Your certificates are lying with me Vishal which I will have delivered across to your college tomorrow :)

ur STAR Donor CAT Devinder S chose his favourite seat to donate blood

when our cheer brigade led by the President of Rotary Club Chandigarh, Rtn. Arvind Mahajan

arrived to greet the donors. Rtn. Hassan Mejie was also dressed for the occasion.

Another pleasant surprise of the day was Naveen from Team CFC who was promptly handed over the camera as he walked in ;-)

Who says females can not donate every three months or do not come forward to donate blood?

It was around 11am and the male/female ration of donors was practically 50:50

Shabaash meri sher billiyo :)

Rtn. Neena also came to inspire the donors to rise above their selves and reach out....

Our young role models in the making mulling over their first ever blood donation in the Refreshment Room.

The gentleman whom you see on the table is a first time donor also.

What prompted him to donate blood is that his elderly father was recently in hospital and

needed 4 units of platlets. When he faced problems in getting only 4 friend/relatives to

step out and donate blood, that is when he realised the importance of blood donation.

He gave us his details and wants us to keep him posted about each of the future camps :)

The Bleeding Room was brimming over with the donors.. MEOW :)

Rtn. Jetinder Kapoor came with Rtn. KK Gupta, who lovingly brought along

a box of macroons for the CATS to say, 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY'

A BIG THANK YOU to our Rotary Family for being so thoughtful :)

Jagbandhu, who comes only and only for blood donation camps had wrote

a beautiful piece encouraging everyone to be part of the blood donation drive.

THANK YOU and I think you will be our STAR DONOR in the next camp Jagbandhu :)

Time was ticking on.. and the donors were trickling in also.. we were on a roll :)

CAT Parmjeet had been given the charge of the camera by now and donor records

were being updated jointly by CAT Navpreet, CAT Hemant and when they left,

CAT Paramjeet was handed over the dual charge ;-)

Our Man Friday Ashok made sure that food never ran out in the Refreshment Room

for the donors. Right from clising the cake to shopping fruit to refilling

the cookie trays, it was all his domain.... THANK YOU Ashok...

By this time I did not even have the time to think if the donors would come!

The staff at the blood bank had to forego their mid morning tea as there was barely any time to scratch their heads!

Hats off to these two friends who just walked in to donate blood... so taken in

were they with our merry bunch of CATS, that they asked to be registered for all our future activities ;-)

However, their benevolence did not end with blood donation, they asked for the eye donation forms too :)

I needed as many caring pair of working hands as possible... it would have been

mortifying if any of the donors walked away with a feeling of being unattended or not valued...

Thank you CAT AP for taking care of the donors for hours at end...

and was it not sheer delight to have our bench mark CAT DV and his beautiful wife CAT Nirmal come around to cheer up the donors?

Thanks to the best ever speech delivered by CAT Abhijit the evening before,

Rustam volunteered to donate blood with his co workers and mates :)

work.. work.. and more work.... no time for lunch!!!!

Bags to be labelled.....

Records to be maintained....

and plates to be refilled.. CAT Gopika in control of the Refreshment Room by now :)

She could not donate blood this time on account of low Hb, but more than

made up by working non-stop since the previous day by my side...

paw by paw... smile by smile... pout by pout.. and yes... sandwich by sandwich ;-)

By this time, both the medical rooms were full for the pre-bleeding medical and

a horde of donors was sitting in the reception area too..

a STAR DONOR himself, Rtn. Kewal Seth came to congratulate CATS for their 3rd birthday...

Major BM Singh had a stiff neck and should not have been driving,

but he came for sure to cheer up the donors no end.

CAT Navpreet was deferred on account of medicinal intake but he stayed

for a few hours also and got his father and friends from the university to donate with us... MEOW :)

Our yet another STAR DONOR Hemant had no trouble with his pulse or BP this time..

now if only he had put his mobile in the right pocket before being wired to the bag ;-)

Kaun thi bhai... Main HAT khareed loon kya??!!

Jokes aside, first time blood donation is an experience in itself....

I find it comforting to spend more time with the first timers, perhaps

because I had fought through my own clouds of fear and concern years ago before my own first blood donation.

and this is that magic bag of red fluid without which we loose lives...

It was reported in the paper in the morning that 50 units of blood were needed

to save the life of one woman... she's well on the way to recovery as I write this :)

Saath mein insaan kitna kuchh ker jata hai :)

The Racer Varun who came to donate blood after a little banter on Rimmy's Wall on FB ;-)

Chale aayo... chale aayo... :)

and do meet our STAR DONOR CAT Abhijit..

Wish we could clone him.. the world would become such a better place with more souls like him around :)

Another first time donor Rimmy Madaan... her only fault was that she did a story on CATS.. and look what it has led to ;-)

It was good to have CAT Jolly come around too.. even though we all believe that two units can be taken off him in one go ;-)

son CAT Navpreet was deferred, so father CAT Onkar stepped in to give blood instead :)

yes.. the medical room was still full... yet more donors.. yet more blood.. yet many more smiles :)

CAT Rivinder S joined CATS for blood donation for the first time... a great benefit to be posted back in town :)

CAT Kewal came with his friend to donate all the way from Rajpura.. MEOW :)

yeh dekho laal rang... inn se 2 unit lo :D

Regular donor Gurdev leading his colleagues,.. his STAR DONOR personalised key ring would be waiting for him next time :)

and the one who has given blood 8/8 camps.. CAT Ashish A.. inn ki tareef mein itna hee qaafi hai :D

jokes aside though, he spent with me two afternoons to sample food at

3 bakeries before we settled on the menu which was being devoured by all :)

Another husband wife team; CAT Maharaj and CAT Anu Sodhi came to

donate blood together... good to see you both on the bleeding block after a long time :)

just imagine the sheer merriment was going on at the blood bank...

this lot was passing through the corridor, but still grinned through the glass of the bleeding room for a KODAK MOMENT :D

Sahil, your STAR DONOR key ring would also be ready at the next camp :)

Yet another CFC member Aman came with his colleague to donate blood...

thanks for spreading the infection of blood donation around Aman :)

Yeh dil maange more...

We were running out of sandwiches and drinks by this time...

CAT Mona stepped in with more sandwiches and drinks for the donors :)

Another pair of friends who donated blood together :)

CAT Mohit may not be able to make it for other events, but it was nice to catchup with him for the blood donation :)

Thanks Ajay... Aap khoon ka rishta bakhoobi nibha rahe hain hum se :)

CAT Sandy who had come running from the university with her friend to donate blood..

and then run back to campus to carry on with her research.. THANK YOU bachha :)

and just when we thought we were done... this handsome couple walked in with the last batch of donors :)

It was a very special feeling to be congratulated by the doctor who saved your mother

from the clutches of near death three decades ago... and equally propelling he was now

that there is so much more for CAN & WILL to achieve... while his gorgeous wife stepped in

with tender support..... 'Don't you fret darling and Supreet - YOU WILL' :)

and what a day it has been... 80 units in a day against the target of 50.

Time to rest my paws.. but not before I thank each of the first timers who kept

their faith in this noble deed... for the SDI team for their support.. for CFC to become

part of the gang.. Rotarians for cheering us up with smiles and cookies.. all the staff

of Rotary Blood Bank under the leadership of Dr Shah... All the donors for coming

together to make it a memorable camp.. for all the CATS who came together to celebrate

our 3rd birthday and for everyone to be part of the launch event of CAN & WILL Foundation.

- CAT Supreet

CATS Choordhar Trek

2010-08-25T12:34:00.000+05:30

CATS resting their paws at Jumm Nala enroute... during an attempt made to scale Choordhar Peak (12,000ft) in May 2010...

Photo Gallery: CATS Choordhar Peak May 2010

2010-08-23T15:41:00.000+05:30

Reception of Hotel Chandigarh Beckons was alive with CATS busy signing up the Registration Sheet..

cash was being tallied.. By 4.21pm, all the CATS were ready to leave...

Till we saw CAT DV Bhatia leaning over the bakery counter..

we thought he must be buying something for home.. till he turned around

with pasteries in his hands to send us off in a traditional manner with some 'MEETHA'

A gesture which only the elders can think of.. a gesture which all of us loved :)

We asked the youngest of the CATS present, CAT Sidharth to do the honours,

who had come to see off his father CAT Krishan... It's all in the family you see :)

The pack of CATS ready to embark on the journey, along with the send-off committee.. MEOW :)

The journey began with CAT Ashish driving towards Manimajra to pick up

CAT Paramjeet and I driving towards the nearest Petrol Station to get fuel for the car,

and then pick up CAT Chat from Panchkula main road.

Strangely enough a 3mins re-fuelling job turned into a 10mins argument

as they did not re-set the meter to zero.

Finally the manager gave us a discount for 2 litres when we showed him the

complete fuel record of the car, which clarified that the car's fuel tank is not large enough

to hold the amount of fuel they were claiming to have put into the tank

Eight of us got into two cars to drive into the hills... and our first pit-stop was Dharampur for some tea and snacks.

It was 6.50pm by the time we joined the tables together at Modern Dhaba for our evening snack

and by the time we waited for the pakoras and tandoori paranthas to arrive with

the cutting tea, we dived into the curd-rice made ever so lovingly by our CAT Gopika...

we were equally amazed by the food that had been packed by CAT Puneet' the better half

of our CAT Krishan.. even this tiny chicken sandwich was not spared..

it was torn into pieces to have consumed as 'prasad' by all :P

and this was till the paranthas arrived.. along with the pakoras.. not to miss the mint chutney,

pickles and THAT tea... burp!!!

We set off from Dharampur around 7.45pm.. and were stopped in our tracks by

this jungle fire in the valley shortly.. the point where the two cars separated

While we waited at Ochhghat as soon as we realised the other car had taken the 'wrong' right turn....

exploring the local market...

It took a while for the other car to realise that they are waiting at the wrong turning

and get back to us.. joys of driving together!

We might have lost about 45mins in the process of getting together,

but thoroughly enjoyed the warm but breezy weather...

From Ochghat onwards we drove together till we reached Nauradhar Rest House;

our base camp for the night.

The fun was not over yet!

Though I had been assured of 2 rooms at the rest house and told that the dinner

would be ready for us as well, upon arrival the chowkidaar Jitender even refused

to open the door to us. He said that he had no intimation of any booking and

there surely was no dinner available for eight hungry people!

We had an even bigger shock when an absolutely drunk caretaker of the rest house

Pyare Lal appeared and started hugging and kissing our men on their cheeks!

Claiming to be the 'Maalik' of the place, he said that no rooms were available,

but he could adjust 3-4 in his room itself ;-)

Fortunately, with one call made and one call received, 15mins later all was settled and

two rooms were opened for us. However, since it was not possible to cook dinner

at that hour, we opted to dive deeper into our travel and trek sustenance packs.

CAT Puneet's thoughtful gesture of packing some khakhra came in handy.

Trust me, CAT Chat is not looking rattled without reason.

He was the first victim of Pyare Lal ;-)

I remember there being just one chair in the room downstairs. Jitender would pile on

our rucksacks on that chair while Chat kept transferring them onto the floor alongside.

I kept looking at this drama, till Chat managed to get the seat for himself ;-)

The night held a different story for both the rooms.

CAT Krishan was one of the early birds, out to capture the beauty nature had spread around for us so liberally.

By 7.30am, we had washed and were packing for the trek ahead.

Remnants from the last attempt to Choordhar which four of us had made during

a non-CATS event. That attempt was our reccee for CATS in October of 2008.

18months later, all of us had one thing or another emerging out of our rucksacks

which reminded us of that trip. CAT Monica had water purifier pen, I had the

mouth wash and CAT Paramjeet's camera. CAT Monica even had the same jacket

as last time while I was wearing the same black spaghetti and CAT Paramjeet

had the same white cap from the last trip.

We were holding onto the memories. We were about to embark on a trek to deliver

a promise we had made to each other last time, to scale Choordhar Peak together.

We were missing CAT Mini badly. She could not join us despite best attempts.

CAT Chat had scaled Choordhar Peak about 15years ago, when Mr chauhan had played host to him.

It was a delight to see the boys sharing some memories with each other.

CAT Chat had actually taken framed photographs from his last trek as gift for him.

In the meantime, CAT Monica and CAT Krishan went into the kitchen to see a pile of

aalu paranthas ready on a platter. Instead of waiting for the cook to serve it for us,

given there is no formality in CATS, they brought the platter into the dining hall themselves

and all the CATS were belled to come down for breakfast.

Jitender had packed aalu paranthas and jam sandwiches for the trek too.

It was getting close to 8am and we could not see our porters in sight. I decided to

distribute the trek sustenance packs, juices and water bottles while the three

assured porters came around.

Soon we realised that the porters meant for us had been given to the family of

Raja Saheb of Solan (whom you can see in the background wearing a red cap!).

Sure enough our feathers got ruffled since despite us getting up and being ready in time,

we had been delayed for no fault of ours.

Angrez chale gaye lekin aulaad chhorr gaye!

The sun was shining bright and we could not possibly proceed without the porters.

I asked CAT Monica and CAT Paramjeet to go to the market place and organise porters

if they can, as we had done last time.

The next batch of porters were not picking up the phone calls made by Jitender.

The resourceful CATS gone into the market place could not find any porters but they

made a deal with a mule owner instead!

They were told to steer the mule on the trail, using its tail ;-)

Eventually we called up CAT Chat's friend Mr Chauhan. Finally three porters were arranged for CATS.

This trip had been planned with a fine tooth comb a month in advance.

Why were things going hay wire?

Hats off to all the CATS, who despite the delay by nearly 1.5 hours, were cool as a cucumber.

The CATTY line up at 9.15am

The point where CATS left Nauradhar behind and hit the dirt track.

Someone had used hot coal-tar to make this smiley on a rock in the middle of the path..

were we supposed to leave a coin behind or walk past it?

We chose to click a picture and walk past...

The gradient was 60 degrees in the first one hour.. quite demanding, but we were prepared for it :)

Do you notice the shine in the stones? It is because of the quantity of mica

that is found in the composition of stones in this area.

Legend has it that when Sanjeevani Booti was required to treat Lord Laxman,

Hanuman was told that Sanjeevani Booti shines in the jungle. Since he was unaware of

any other ways to identify the herb, he came across this mountain which was shining in entirety.

It is said that it is this mountain of Choordhar that Hanuman had flown away with to treat Lord Laxman

Beautiful views surrounded as we trudged along the way...

Three of the four CATS who had set foot on this trail 19months ago, hand in hand.

Miss you CAT Mini... as CAT Monica's extended hand signifies, WISH YOU WERE HERE!

The trek was not without its' usual sights and scenes.

This lady might need crutches to walk around.. and she needs no assistance in running

her household... This is empowerment in action

Somehow, I am getting a feeling that our Kapoor CATS have a thing for the goats!

I remember CAT Puneet fussing over a 'memnaa' during our rafting trip last month and

here was her husband, CAT Krishan patting a goat :P

Same spot as last time.. memories being relived :)

Jai Shiv Shambhu....

(though we are not responsible for the graffiti on the board!)

Abhi dilli dooooor hai CAT Zubin :)

It was hot, we were sweating like pigs by now.. but in this little tete-a-tete

each one of us confirmed to be doing absolutely fine.

Our three porters were also confident that we would be able to trek up to out

destination for the evening. Though by this time the family of Raja Saheb of Solan,

carrying large handbags and umbrellas was having trouble. A porter was seen running to

fetch the medicines for them. Smugly we felt that we would have reached Jumm Nala

by now had our original three porters been given to us than this family.

That would have saved us from trekking in the direct scorching sun too.

Nevertheless, our eyes were set on the Peak.. MEOW :)

We came across some lovely cottages and huts along the way..

and the path was getting less taxing by this time.... but for some strange reason, I had started

lagging behind.. I would plonk myself down the moment I would see a little shade and

drink a lot of water at every pit stop.

How is it possible that CATS go somewhere and not find something to hop on ;-)

I thought i felt a little spin in the head as we were having fun fooling around this

tree stump... i quickly put it down to the sun.. Unbeknown to me, CAT Krishan had

noticed a slight change in my gait at this point.. he thought I

was perhaps tired from the late night.. little did we both know!

Everyone was amazed at the determination and strength of CAT Chat on the way up...

whilst we kept our nose directly on the trail....

This was a nice spot to take a picture, but somehow I felt it nicer to lean against the rock than stand steady on my feet..

We were gob smacked to see this newly wed local Himachali woman was

carrying a bottle of water well balanced upon her head as she merrily skipped her way down the hill...

By this point I had realised that what I was feeling was not due to the sun.

I was staring at the monster I so desperately was hoping would not revisit me,

in the shape of high altitude sickness.

I was having difficulty breathing, had a slight headache, dizziness had reached

the stage where I could not walk in a straight line despite my best attempt,

was feeling too sleepy and my legs felt like logs.

Everyone else had gone ahead as we were closer to Jumm Nala while

CAT Paramjeet kept me company. He knew I was in trouble, but we both kept our fears to ourselves.

We had to reach the Peak. How could we not? This was our second attempt.

I was so ill that CAT Paramjeet had to point out the hut/cafe of Jumm Nala

atleast 4 times before it became clear in my head!

CAT Monica promptly took out the bedsheet she had brought along, and spread it out for me.

I was too gone a case to think anymore. I just wanted to lie down and sleep.

Some localites also taking a rest under the shade.. they were also on the way up to the temple.

Each of the CATS enjoyed lazing in the shade after trekking for 3 hours in the sun. Infact, CAT Chat's wish had come true.

I have no words to explain how well my fellow CATS took care of me.

The trip was not about reaching the peak anymore, it was how to get me back on my feet.

CAT Monica got the packed food out for me to eat, which unfortunately

I could not eat. High altitude sickness leads to extremely hightened sense

of smell, which meant that I could smell the oil and each ingredient with

which rice and daal were cooked. I could smell pine oil in maggie noodles.

I was desperately trying to keep nausea at bay. I did not want

the vomiting to begin as that would finish me further.

Despite my protests, food morsels kept appearing in my mouth from nowhere!

CAT Paramjeet ensured i drank a whole carton of juice whilst lying down.

CAT Krishan kept saying, 'dont let her go to sleep' as he did not wish me to

loose consciousness. Once everyone felt satisfied that I had eaten

some chocolate and juice, I was left alone for a while.

In the meantime, CAT Paramjeet went to ask if there was a pony available to

take me back to the base camp incase I was unable to walk back.

We rested there till about 2pm, when we woke up to lovely skies above.

Just as I got up and requested everyone to go ahead while I wait at the

little hut at Jumm Nala, my suggestion was promptly shot down by CAT Monica,

'In CATS, we do things together. No one has the luxury of having rules

changed to their circumstances!'

I felt guilty as hell that just because of me, this would become an aborted

trek for all of them. I knew i could not go higher, but I knew I could surely

survive another day here at Jumm Nala while they go to the top.

Each time I protested and pleaded that they must go and reach the peak,

i would be promptly reminded that this is the rule we had made since

inception of CATS, had grown up with this rule, had lived with this rule.

I was told quite firmly that I could simply forget about being left behind!

With a heavy heart and deep sadness, I accepted their decision.

The Baby and the Baba of the group for this trek ;-)

As we all accepted the jinx of Choordhar Peak, CAT Monica and

CAT Zubin crossed over the path which symbolises Jumm Nala.

Localites believe that this is the place from where Ravan had made

a staircase to heaven, from where he brought the 'Amrit' back in his navel.

Why were we returned from exactly the same point TWICE in 19months?

What does this mean? Are we missing some signs? Or are we getting baffled

over purely natural circumstances as last time we returned as we did not

have enough warm clothes and this time we were returning because

every CAT chose to stay with an ill CAT rather than going up?

Deep in thought, wondering if turning us away was some divine intervention,

around 2.30pm we started walking back towards the base camp.

Nothing made sense.

CAT Krishan found this lone wild orchid on the way down..

You must be wondering what CAT Zubin is peering at... He's keeping an eye on CAT Krishan

who has gone inside the cave of a wild animal!

CATS on the way back, still managing to find many distractions :)

A fresh water spring offered a refreshing break with its' ice cold water...

As we were climbing down... i could feel a slight improvement in my sense of smell.. I could eat again!

Kids who had wished us on the way up in the morning, met us on the way down in the evening...

We were pleasantly surprised to see that each child greeted us strangers with a namaste with a smile :)

... wish our kids were as friendly!!

Homemakers were also waiting for their breadwinners to arrive...

The deep blues of the hills afar in the setting sun....

and we still had way to go before we reached our base camp... as we kept climbing down..

I got more oxygen to breath in and slowly I could begin to smile again!

I was able to eat the same dry fruit closer to the base camp, which I had found

difficult to even look at before. I was feeling hunger for the first time during the day

and my fellow CATS could hear me talk too!

We reached the same rest house where lovely tea was laid out for us, courtsy the son of Mr Chauhan.

Around 8pm we left Nauradhar as we did not wish to risk spending

another night under the watch of Pyare Lal.

We settled our bills, got into the car and left for Rajgarh. Here also, my fellow CATS

took charge of finalising the rooms and ordering the dinner as I was too unwell to do anything but sleep!

Guilty as I was that each one of them missed reaching the peak because of me,

I was glad that I had someone around to take care of me too. It was a frightening

prospect to be alone when you know you are wavering between consciousness and a drowsy state of mind.

DAY 3 - Another beautiful morning broke over the next day and filled our rooms with crisp sunlight.

CAT Krishan, CAT Monica, CAT Zubin and I left the lodge to explore the local fruit market.

We noticed tree laden with plums on the way and jumped over the fence to get our paws on some of them :P

Only to realise that we had trespassed into the property of the local SDM!

We did not see any fruits, but got distracted by this basket carrying some fluffy things bouncing around.

It turned out to be a basket carrying 3 days old being sold in the market!

You could buy 20 of these for Rs.100/-

In other words, cost of this life is a mere Rs.5/-

In search of fruit, we found this mithaiwala instead.. and bought mouth watering besan barfi :P

After eventually buying some fruit, CAT Paramjeet drove upto us to give us a lift

back to the hotel. We quickly got ready and packed up.

Sumptuous breakfast peppered with a fruit platter set us right for the day.

As some of us were putting luggage in the cars, we noticed this tree laden with figs.

Like school kids, we were throwing stones and using CAT Chat's trekking stick to steal some more fruit :P

Time to say goodbye to Rajgarh around 11am...

Over breakfast we planned to stop at Dagshai Cemetery, and then if time permitted,

we could visit Kasauli also before heading home.

Dagshai was not too far from Solan.

We were amused to be told by a couple of localites, that we were the first visitors

they had come across in a long time, who were asking for directions to the graveyard!

Dagshai is also a cantonment town built by the british as a sanatorium for

the TB patients. It has a british era graveyard overlooking the valley.The famous

MARY REBECCA WESTONS grave made out of marble figure of a woman , baby

and an angel. Dagshai is located at a height of 1734 mtrs.

Dagshai is 05 kms from the hotel and has lots of picnic spots with grand views.

One can see the entire chandigarh lights at night.

The famous ARMY PUBLIC SCHOOL and DAGSHAI PUBLIC SCHOOL are located here.

Dagshai has a story to tell , so one turns the pages of history to trace its

emergence from a cluster of hamlets in wooded wilderness to an establishment

of historical importance .

There is the oldest pologround where the very first Durand cup was played.

There is a large jail in Dahsgahi built in 1846. Freedom fighters , law breakers and

rebels were subjected to rigourous imprisonment here.

The Cemetery rooted in Brit-Indian history in this quaint hill village of Dagshai greeted us with peace...

Wish people paid head to this sign hand written at the gate of the cemetery...

However, nothing prepared us for what we saw once we stepped inside..

Though CAT Chat, an expert in European graves told us that this was one of the best kept cemeteries in India...

Chowkidar's house was nothing beyond a room which was locked with barred windows holding some railings inside.

The room opposite was strewn with broken pieces of gravestones...

Rubbish for some.. memories for others :(

A sole window which divides the outside world from the inside!

Most of the CATS had visited a graveyard for the first time in their lives...

they were feeling as awkward as perhaps the tomb stones themselves staring back at the CATS!

The mute spectators since 1800's to the world going past..

Each with a story to tell of their own.. if only we had more time to spend with them..

if only we had the ears to listen to their tales...

The famous MARY REBECCA WESTONS grave made out of marble figure of a woman,

baby and an angel. The tomb reads on one side,

TO THE SACRED AND IN LOVING MEMORY OF MY WIFE
MARY REBECCA WESTON
WHO DIED AT DAGSHAI 10TH DECEMBER 1909
AND OUR UNBORN BABE

Mary was pregnant when she died. Her husband transported marble statues from Europe

for her grave her, which sadly has been badly vandalised since.

No steps have been taken by the Dagshai Cantonment Board or the district administration

to protect the memorial that has been damaged over the years by people who believe that

if a woman possess a piece of that statue will be blessed with a baby boy.

The head and wings of the elf have also been badly damaged. During the British regime,

the memorial was washed daily and Indians were not allowed in the area.

Why can't we leave them in peace?

I wonder who's darling this CISSY was?

Having many hours in the cemeteries in England myself, i must admit that I have

never come across a grave stone like this one before... wonder what the significance of this shape is!

A tombstone representing EIGHT!!!

The modern graves reduced to cemented gravel!

Moving away from the dead to the living... CAT Zubin.. Picture Purrrfect :)

Allah ke naam pe kuchh de de Baba!!!!

CAT Gopika, as most of us, was so hungry that she was seen literally begging ;-)

Dont really blame her.. it was nearly 2.30pm by now and we had had our breakfast at 10am...

time to move on.. taking our pensive CAT Chat with us :)

At Solan we decided to buy fruits to take home for our respective families..

where we came across this sight of a young chap resting underneath his hand cart...

while his friend had quietly slipped an empty pouch in his open mouth for some fun ;-)

All jokes aside, if you look closely, you will find two more boys sleeping underneath

the cart.. what was fun for us, was a hard earned rest after an arduous task undertaken.

Should we not be grateful for what we have?

A late lunch finally at Dharampur where the air conditionaing worked only

at 32 degrees and the ordered food arrived at intervals of 15mins each ;-)

and the much asked for, much desired chicken burger arrived THE LAST for our CAT Monica :P

After having eaten like pigs, all the CATS wanted to do nothing but sleep there and then ;-)

But we had a way to go as yet... time was around 5pm and we were still

short of 50miles from Chandigarh.. but that is not too far.. we will be there soon...

for the first time we will be reaching EARLIER than the time mentioned in the itinerary of the trip.. WOAH :)

Little did we know!!!

If you are wondering if I have put a wrong picture towards the end...

then allow me to assure you, I have made no mistake.

The strange set of incidents which had started from the moment we left the

assembly point in Chandigarh two days ago, were far from over!!!

After crossing Pinjore, and only 5mins short of dropping CAT Chat at his home, we got hit

by the gentleman in the previous photograph!

The rest, as they say, is another story!

We eventually reached home at 10pm.. the previously anticipated time of arrival!

Choordhar Peak... We have to come back... It's not done ;-)

- CAT Supreet

Photo Gallery: CATS 07th Blood Donation Camp

2010-07-30T11:58:00.000+05:30

The 14th morning of May'10 had arrived full of hope

of a successful blood donation camp and hustle to ensure

everything was ready for the donors at the Fortis Blood Bank.

The gifts were ready :)

and I was ready to leave for the Blood Bank, with my own 'Proud to be a CATS BLOOD DONOR' key ring :)

The banner was up.... taking a place of PRIDE

The Reception Desk was all set by 9am to receive the first of the donors...

Even the staff at the blood bank has grown up with CATS, this girl had started

as a young trainee in our first camp 1.5yrs ago. She's a young bride now :)

However, the first of the donors took us by surprise by arriving at 8.30am!

Gurdip Dhillon and Ashish Parsad decided to make their donation count before heading home after the night shift.

CAT DeepInder gave his unit in a rush before leaving for his monthly review meeting.

CAT HarmeshInder arrived charmingly soon after to spread cheers in the blood bank...

Nurse no.1 to test your blood

CAT Gagandeep was the next pleasant surprise in the shape of yet another first-time donor...

Food... glorious food :P

All jokes aside, it is absolutely paramount that even if the donor has had a full meal

immediately before coming to the blood bank, the donor must consume fluids and

eat something after every blood donation.

CAT Gagandeep was in such a rush to leave for his office that he forgot to change out of the hospital slippers ;-)

He had to come back within 15mins to retrieve his shoes!

If you are still not sure why should you donate blood, then meet Rtn. Kewal Seth

who has donated blood 42 times till he turned 60.

Cheerful team of CATS and Fortis in the corridor to ensure everything went smoothly for the camp.

would you believe that this beautiful girl is a first time donor too?

Hum bhi kissi se kam nahin... another of our smiling first time donor waiting for her turn outside the bleeding room :)

While the next batch is busy filling the forms in...

The blood bank staff is doubled its' strength at the Reception Desk to cope with the number of donors arriving :)

The ball was indeed in her court :)

Rajinder Sharma saw my update on FB and came along with his brother and two friends...

Three Cheers to such good hearts :)

CAT Vishal in his enthusiasm reached the wrong blood bank in the morning...

but still drove half way through the town to arrive at Fortis to get his unit counted..

Sahil is also a regular donor... who has also committed to donate his eyes after his death..

His parents have pledged to donate their bodies after death for medical research..

Benevolence runs in this family and we are honoured to have such donors amungst us.

Anxious moments to know your blood group, and more importantly your Hb..

the litmus test to confirm whether you can donate blood or not!

Having been deferred twice myself on account of low Hb,

this is one part of the blood donation process that I loathe and detest!!

I thoroughly empathise with the ones who are deferred. You come all set to donate blood,

only to be disappointingly turned away.. even if its for your own good.

Gang of CATS and one batch from SDI, under the CATS banner at Fortis.. gloating in their 2mins of fame ;-)

Five MEOWS snatching a moment together after bidding goodbye to yet another set of donors.

Refreshement Room was becoming more and more full by the passing minute...

CAT Simi walked in with two of her friends.. practically dragging one of them

to come and donate blood for a good cause.. MEOW :)

CAT Rakesh paid a pleasant surprise too..

what are you thinking here now... every unit counts :)

Next batch getting ready to bleed in the corridors.. as seats in the waiting area were full of donors in waiting!

Yupp.. this lot has already donated and now rummaging through the informatory papers :)

We also had 2 donors, who were just walking past and came into the blood bank

after reading our banner outside the IPD gates.

Hats off to Rajwinder and Amandeep for true service to mankind!

The Blood Bank Team in force... Special thanks to Dr Kuldip for personally attending to our needs :)

Now would you believe the spirit of benevolence that electrified the blood bank that day?

CAT DeepInder remained in action throughout the day with us,

catering to every need of the moment, personally attending to all the donors,

ensuring everything was in place at the right time for everyone.

A BIG MEOW to CAT DeepInder.

Forms Forms and more Forms....

Donors, Donors and more Donors :)

Units, Units and more Units :))

Despite providing more chairs in the waiting area, corridors and the refreshment room...

and more bleeding beds being added.. the waiting time was getting a little longer..

but look at these cheerful smiling faces of CATS.. Does it seem remotely to you that

CAT Riyaal, CAT Jyotika and CAT Hemant are anywhere near to loosing their cool?

THANK you all for putting up with the slight delay due to the sudden rush around the lunch hour :)

CAT Puneet snatched a few minutes in between being a professional and a mommy to give blood...

Another pleasant surprise was the arrival of Harman Sidhu, Founder of Arrive Safe,

the NGO focusing on traffic, along with his elderly father.

His presence was an inspiration to many CATS around. Harman was given the charge

to cheer up the donors in the refreshment room...

Told you we were busy and needed more help around ;-)

This was one momentous moment we never thought we would ever see.

CAT Gopika had come to each of the previous 6 camps, only to be rejected

on account of low Hb. Hats off to her persistence that she came 7th time too,

despite all of us telling her that she would be wasting another form and

another needle for the blood test.

Can you imagine the scene at the blood bank when she was cleared for donation

with a Hb of 12.9!! It was a moment of utter disbelief.

We demanded to check the reading on the machine ourselves ;-)

The waiting room was mercifully inundated with the donors..

CAT Arti had taken to reading the paper while waiting for her turn for the bleeding room...

The corridors were overflowing with the waiting donors... but not a frown on any face...

not a single crease on any forehead.. not a scowl to be heard..

Thanks for being so patient..

Food.. bring in more food... order more fresh lime.. get more juices.. need more sandwiches and samosas...

CAT Ashish with his friend Ajay and CAT Gopika in the bleeding room...

Just thinking.. could we call the bleeding room a production line for blood??!!!

Can you imagine how happy this little girl would be to have FINALLY become a proud donor??

7th time lucky!!!

CAT AP had come to spend an hour with the donors in the morning..

However, seeing the sheer camaraderie and the rush of donors,

he stayed behind till 4pm to support and cheer the donors.

Infact we came to know how hungry he must have been only when

CAT Mona called up around 1pm to say,

'Give him something to eat, he left home without breakfast!'

Grateful that he chose to stay longer on a day when we needed as many cheer leaders as possible...

Our 6 footer CAT Riyaal, an anxious first-time donor with the Hb count of 18.5...

literally asked for a friend to be around at the time of bleeding ;-)

Rotarian Babbi Ji who looks after the welfare of each poor child undergoing surgery also came around to cheer up the donors...

Yes... yet another batch of HAPPY DONORS :)

The SDI team in their enthusiasm to convert as many employees into donors

had brought along a boy who 'looked' old enough to help save another life...

only to be told that he cant give blood as he's only 17yrs old!!!

Remember for the future references, every donor must be 18yrs-60yrs and must weigh atleast 45kgs.

SDI team was led by none else than their CEO, Mr Ajay Tewari himself on the day...

The energy which surged through the blood bank was palpable upon his arrival...

Mr Tewari came in like a regular donor, without expecting any special treatment due to his position...

He has earned even more respect in the eyes of CATS for honouring the tradition of CATS,

for not having any special tradition/honour for anyone.

For CATS, we all are EQUAL and Mr Tewari affirmed our faith in equality.

A stolen moment in the medical room...

An everytime donor CAT Arti with most of the time donor with none time donor CAT Anu C...

Meet CAT Navpreet S who joins celebrated his 18th birthday by donating blood and

pledging his eyes for donation after his death, with his whole family.

He kept his promise of donating blood regularly..

I just hope more of us can become regular donors...

help save more lives... Thanks Navpreet :)

CAT Hemant who is donating blood 6th time with CATS..

the only camp he missed was when he had gone to Kolkota for a short while...

I would like to add that it is CAT Hemant who always sends the first reminder

around 10 weeks after the camp to say, 'Next camp is due. Get into action!'

Keeping the pain aside.. CAT Aditi can go through anything..

from donating blood to rafting for two days to trekking 13kms across three hillocks :)

CAT Abhijit, words fall short of how can we even begin to describe him.

He has taken nearly dead car accident victims to hospitals for treatment,

at the risk of being tormented by the police... He has rounded up foremen,

electrical engineers, sweepers, brick layers from his site to donate blood..

He has given stash of cash to help the needy, a stash which had everything

from crisp bank notes fresh from the ATM to badly soiled and oily fivers and tenners.

Yes Yes... another happy batch of donors from SDI... some new faces but mostly repeat donors..

Me too.. Meee Tooooooo ;-)

Do you notice the gentleman sitting in the back row on the extreme left chair?

His uncle was admitted in the hospital and came into the blood bank to check

why so many people were walking in and out merrily in a hospital,

which is supposed to be a gloomy place.

He was astonished to be told that we all were voluntary blood donors.

He immediately went out and dragged five of his friends/cousins, all young and

healthy boys/men who were both ignorant and afraid of donating blood.

For the ones who are still mulling over how painful the blood donation is,

allow me to take you through the whole procedure.

After filling the form whereby you give your medical history through tick-boxes,

it is decided by the trained staff whether your blood would be suitable depending upon

if you are taking any antibiotics, or have had a major surgery in the previous one year, or are diabetic etc.

Then you reach the medical room where a brief medical is conducted to check your blood pressure,

your weight, your blood group and the Hb.

A tiny prick is made into your finger to draw a little blood which is used to confirm your Hb and your blood group.

While you press your finger against your palm after the prick, within 2mins the machine will confirm your Hb count.

and the four drops of blood on these two slides will confirm your blood group...

Then if your Hb is more than 12.5 for girls and 13.5 for boys, your BP is 80/120 and

your weight is over 45kgs, then you can proceed towards the bleeding room.

and this is the bleeding room where you are first made comfortable before a unit of blood drawn from you.

See, its that simple :)

But all jokes aside, this is why CATS bleed every three months...

A bag of red fluid, which can not be manufactured in a factory,

can not be constituted artificially, can not be drawn from a goat or a cow...

This is where only a human being can save another human life.

LIFE IS PRECIOUS...

Yes... more forms to be entered into the system.. more work created for them...

the staff had to work overtime during our camp, but they did so cheerfully :)

Your precious Blood Donor Certificate being written out :)

Mr Tewari said that now he can go home and tell him son with pride,

'It's not just you, even Papa got a certificate also today!'

The nursing staff kept labelling the bags and putting them into various machines for storage and processing.

Waiting with a smile.. for a cause :)

Balvinder Singh, another man with a mission from SDI.. for him might is right ;0)

Seriously though, the contribution of this one person is absolutely phenomenal.

For each camp, not only he comes but rounds up every body walking around his office for this noble cause.

and the last batch from SDI... we had to tell them that we have packed up..

otherwise, they would have kept coming!!!

It was nearly 7.20 pm now but the blood bank staff, along with

CAT DeepInder were in there beyond their normal working hours for the donors.

Another unsung and unseen Heroine of the day is Rajwant from SDI,

who stayed in constant touch with me throughout the day while organising

the logistics of the donors, to avoid overlapping of batches.

and there were smiles all around...

The Donors came... in trickles and droves... spreading joy all around...

all 63 who donated.. and even the 11 who were deferred on medical grounds...

Could I ask for more?

- CAT Supreet

Roll of Honour: 07th Blood Donation Camp

2010-07-29T17:36:00.000+05:30

The Blood Donors who deserve a standing ovation:

No Donor’s Name
1 Gurdeep Dhillon
2 Ashish Prasad
3 CAT DeepInder
4 CAT Supreet
5 CAT Gagandeep
6 CAT HarmeshInder
7 Sonia Dhir
8 Sahil Bhagat
9 Gaurav Rai
10 Vivek Bhuria
11 Rajesh Vishwakarma
12 CAT Jolly
13 CAT Vishal K
14 Veer Pratap Singh
15 Pralyankar Kumar Singh
16 Ashima Gupta
17 Gagandeep Kaur
18 Surabhi Shukla
19 CAT Rakesh C Kumar
20 Rajwinder Singh
21 Amandeep Singh Anand
22 CAT Simi
23 Nitika Gupta
24 Harnoor Sandhu
25 Rajinder Sharma
26 Rajesh Sharma
27 Vikram Verma
28 Baldev Rawat
29 Anuj Tomar
30 Yogesh Negi
31 Jeewa
32 CAT Paramjeet
33 CAT Ashish A
34 CAT Navpreet B
35 CAT Gopika
36 CAT Hemant
37 CAT Riyaal
38 Ajay Wadhwa
39 CAT Puneet
40 CAT Arti
41 Haridner Chahal
42 Zeeshan-ul-Haq
43 CAT Davinder Sardana
44 CAT Navpreet
45 Ajay Tewari
46 CAT Aditi
47 Gurdev Singh
48 Jaswant Singh
49 Abhijit Shahi
50 Birinder Singh Bisht
51 Harmeet Singh
52 Lakhvir Singh
53 Vinod Uniyal
54 Charan Preet singh
55 Vikram Jeet singh
56 Rajesh Kushwaha
57 Rahul Kumar
58 Ankit Srivastva
59 Zubair Ahmed
60 Jatinder Jain
61 Daya Yadav
62 Balwinder Singh
63 Subudhi

List of Deferrals, whom we look forward to seeing in 3 months times at the blood bank:

No Name
1 CAT Simrat Watts
2 CAT Gurneet
3 Rajan Thakur
4 Sunny
5 CAT Jyotika
6 Kanchan
7 Shweta Srivastva
8 Pawan Thapa
9 CAT Rupan
10 Avneet Kumar
11 Sudhir

The List of STAR DONORS amongst CATS:

No. STAR DONOR Times Camp No
1 CAT Ashish A 7 1,2,3,4,5,6,7
2 CAT Hemant 6 1,2,3,4,6,7
3 CAT Kapil 5 1,2,3,4,5
4 CAT Devinder S 5 3,4,5,6,7
5 CAT Navpreet B 5 1,3,4,5,7
6 CAT Abhijit 5 1,*,4,*,7
7 CAT Supreet 5 1,2,3,6,7

And the soon to be STAR DONOR CATS who we look forward to meeting at the blood bank in 3 months time:

No STAR DONOR Times Camps
1 CAT Paramjeet 4 1,2,3,7
2 CAT Arti 4 3,4,6,7
3 Vinod Uniyal 4 3,4,6,7

Blood Donation; let us all make it a MEOW Tradition.

Amen,
CAT Supreet

CATS White Water Rafting Trip 2010

2010-06-27T16:42:00.000+05:30

A memorable weekend spent in the mighty Ganga... rafting through torrent rapids from Dev Prayag - Vyas Ghat - Kodiyala - Marine Drive - Shiv Puri.

CATS team of 10 women and 2 men rafted for 70kms over two days.. having the time of our lives... promising to be back later in the year for more camping and rafting fun.