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Tuesday, May 05, 2009
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New Delhi

New Delhi

Inside delhi

Hide-and-seek

Intelligence agencies keep an ear on the ground, more so during election days. A lawyer in the Capital who is a well known supporter of a political party whose leader is in the race for the Prime Minister’s gaddi was recently surprised to find himself being snooped on.

In a complaint to the Delhi Bar Council and the head of the intelligence agency, the lawyer has recounted the incident where two other lawyers allegedly barged into his house to gather information.

While the complaint in itself is not out of the ordinary, the lawyer’s account of how he nabbed the two is straight out of a Bollywood pot-boiler.

He recounted that after his wife grew suspicious of the two and tipped him off, he promptly alerted the security personnel posted at his South Delhi housing colony gate.

The colony’s maze-like lay-out made it difficult for the duo to sneak out and after running around in circles when they finally made it to the exit gate, they found the lawyer, a few of his party activists and security guards waiting for them.

Faced with no option, the two then sang.

Awaiting action by the Delhi Bar Council, the lawyer is peeved that the intelligence agency used people of his own fraternity to spy on him.

Smriti Kak Ramachandran

Age no bar

A unique fashion show was held in the Capital over the weekend where senior citizens walked the ramp to promote awareness among the younger generation about the country’s rich cultural heritage.

Titled “Silver hair on ramp”, the show also saw the release of a book titled “Blessings”. The book, in English, has been authored by Kiran Chopra, chairperson of Varishth Nagrik Kesari Club which organised the event.

The book contains reminiscences and narrations of elderly folks and Ms. Chopra’s first-hand experiences during her interactive meetings with them.

“Several senior citizens took part in the fashion show. Its theme was ‘Hamari sanskriti hamara andaaz’. Our younger generation must be made familiar with our culture and this is the message that we wanted to convey through this fashion show,” said Ms. Chopra.

The highlight of the show: the dresses for the senior citizens were designed by noted fashion designer Ritu Beri.

Madhur Tankha

A tricky issue

Be it to cool off with an ice lolly or stroll on the balmy grass under the open sky or simply lie down under the soothing shade of the trees, the India Gate lawns are one of the preferred destinations in the heart of the Capital and always packed with people.

But with such a crowd descending on the place especially on weekends, parking one’s car can sometimes turn out to be a tricky issue. The other day a friend parked his car on one of the C-hexagon side roads that was already teeming with cars. However, on his return two hours later he noticed that his car was missing.

Panicking at not being able to locate it even after a considerable search, he approached the nearby police station and complained to the officer who after reassuring him directed him to speak to the traffic cop instead.

But to the friend’s surprise, instead of noting down his car theft complaint seriously the traffic cop asked him to look for his car again.

The friend obliged grudgingly and returned to check for his car again only to find it parked at the exact spot where he had parked it.

Explaining the mystery to the puzzled motorist later, the traffic cop said: “This happens frequently at India Gate. Every evening at least three to four persons approach us claiming that their cars have been stolen whereas in reality they just do not remember where they had parked the vehicle. So all we do is gently tell them to go look for their car again and they always find it parked at the same place.”

Manisha Jha

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