Gulzar saab called me today !!!!! Id mailed him my note on my - TopicsExpress



          

Gulzar saab called me today !!!!! Id mailed him my note on my little animal project in Bhutan and the link to my video on that journey, two days ago. Both my heart and I leapt with joy when that name flashed on my phone. Kaisi ho? the Goddish voice at the other end said. Main jo tumse kehna chahta tha uske liye mere paas utni angrezi nahin thi... isliye socha tumhe phone kar loon. Aapne mera video dekha? I gushed. Haan dekha. Bahut achcha laga aur ab phir se dekh raha hoon. Tumhe aawaaz aa rahi hogi shayad... He paused to let me hear it... I strained my ears and the familiar strains of the audio track filtered though. I beamed. Mujhe pata hai tum jo bhi karogi woh life inspiring hoga. Tumne toh mujhe bhi credit de diya. Aap toh meri inspiration hain Gulzar saab I said. In that case youre welcome, he said impishly and then he added Uskey liye thank you aur sabhi dogs ki taraf se thank you. Jeeti raho Aaj poora din, mere paaon zameen par nahin pade... Sigh ! If all monday mornings were like this... And tell me, how was your Monday ? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My note in case you missed it : Gratitude Everywhere I go, I see animals. Deprived of their natural habitat and food sources, finding shelter in corners and shadows of a world that is largely intolerant of their presence; foraging for scraps of food in garbage while humans throw perfectly good food away. They aren’t grand or exotic enough to attract attention but they are beautiful, gentle creatures who make the earth a warmer, more interesting place to live. They love unconditionally and add joy to the world with their jumps, wagging tails and joyful barks and meows. We unwisely call them strays… My first instinct is to hug them. My second instinct is to feed them. It was no different when I travelled to Bhutan last month. The only difference was that I had more money than ever before in my hands to help, to feed my beautiful friends. One post on facebook and twenty one friends responded generously, leaving me richer by almost Rs. 25,000, overnight. The unit of donation was a 3kg bag of pedigree dog food worth Rs 500. I watched in awe as the kgs went up from 3 to 93. We crossed the 100kg mark in style as two friends pledged 7kgs each within minutes of each other. Friends who weren’t on fb gave generously when I told them about it on the phone. We finally finished at 140 kgs. I was so overwhelmed I didn’t know whether to cry or whoop and dance with joy. I did both. And it hasn’t stopped. Just two days ago, my cousin Gautam thrust two thousand rupees in my hands as I bid him farewell at the airport. For the first time in my life I felt I could do as much as I wanted for my pet cause. I didn’t have to think twice before buying food. I looked for shelters to give to. I learnt how to wisely stretch my money to the maximum – I ditched expensive pedigree food in favour of rice – a 50kg bag of good rice cost me only Rs 1500 – the price of 3 bags of pedigree, and fed many more dogs. I bought carton loads of Parle G biscuits which the dogs loved as treats. A wholesale pack of a couple of dozen packs of biscuits cost Rs 70 almost the same as a small bag of candy and it was far more filling and nutritious for young children I made friends with. I met the most beautiful people and my circle of friends in Bhutan expanded. I wanted to create a special something to thank all my friends. One day I saw a group of little children playing and had an idea. I explained to them my little animal feeding project as well as my photography idea. They jumped right in! They didn’t just pose for me, they joined me in feeding dogs, they asked for a bag of pedigree to feed their neighbourhood dogs, they invited me to their school for their annual day celebrations (of course I went), they became my friends. They shared with me their personal stories and I realized how brave and beautiful they were. Two little girls had their parents living in Australia while they lived with their respective aunts. A boy gently told me the little boy next to him was his step brother. They watched out for me – once telling me to avoid a shortcut because drug addicts lurked there. I bought them a proper football and some badminton rackets. I gave them all my address and begged them to write – even promising gifts for every letter. As I drove out of Thimpu on my way to the airport, my last stop was on the road in front of their quarters to hug them goodbye. That was the magic of your contribution. I got hundreds of tail wags, licks and hugs. I learnt the joy and the power of having many people with me. And then when I tried to do something to say thank you, I got the most beautiful return gift - a bunch of the most precious little friends ever. I can’t thank you enough. But Ive made a little video to celebrate our little journey together...A ll of you who stepped forward, my Ashi Tashi to whom I owe my love for Bhutan, Uncle Benji who became my ATM when I realized my ATM card wouldn’t work in Bhutan, Dad, Mom and my brother Sudip who encourage me in my every flight of fancy and last but not the least my inspiration for everything beautiful – Gulzar sa’ab. https://youtube/watch?v=OP9cgzi2dmE
Posted on: Mon, 03 Nov 2014 11:49:52 +0000

Trending Topics



Recently Viewed Topics




© 2015