Remembering my" Crime Reporter" days .and .A Walk on the Water Front with my Cowboy ( Cowboy and Indian strike again:)

The Waterfront in Toronto is always breathtaking. ..

My Cowboy Brian and I decided to explore again the Toronto waterfront this long weekend.as we have been doing for years...A walk down by the Harbor front always brings back memories of my first few years here in Toronto.When you look over the waters of an Ocean or a Lake as large as lake Ontario..it gives you a sense of Time travel and timelessness ..watching the birds fly over the waters and the waves hit the shores...there is nothing more serene to bring you face to face in deep communion with who you actually are ..

I remember my first three year gig at the Omni Television station down at Bathurst and lake shore..The wonderful people I met..the shows I had the privilege to work on such as Medical Intelligence  and Agenda and all the friends I made..they were all so beautiful and amazing..

Omni TV Station. A Toronto Heritage building.

Ken Hama, Kale, Kendra..Meetu, Rima ,Andy and so many more..we were always laughing and sharing good times during the breaks .The brilliant producers and directors of the shows and the celebrities that came on were all unforgettable...Everyday there was a learning experience of what is going on either in the world of medicine or in the world at large from the people who were at the helm.
I remember how we could look down at the waterfront and walk down there all the time..It was always a feeling of coming home..our Crew was the best  team in the world..In 2004 I was awarded the most amicable crew member prize at the studio and I was truly humbled because it was the team that made me part of the family...Vac Verikaitis, the brilliant  director..Steve the worlds most amazing producer..the host  Jacqueline Hennessy who was so friendly and down to earth ..those were very happy days.with many dreams....
Every year in late Summer Rogers OMNI  would hold an appreciation day for staff and volunteers and took us on a cruise trip around  lake Ontario and the Central islands and  it was really a wonderful time and a life time of beautiful memories..and that is what I remember and talk about as Brian and I walk along the water front...

There are some jobs and places where every one just fits in like a glove...people of the same passion and mind set...such as the team spirit I felt at Omni and almost 13 Years ago as a Journalist on the Crime beat at  Maharashtra Herald India..Till this day my fellow reporters and many of the editors and  police officers who were our `sources' still call and we have stayed in touch like a loving family over the years...
Most of the `gang' is scattered over the globe..from Australia to the US..but we still get ,time to connect and there are some die hard fans such as " Vikki" ...The world needs more like Vikram Chaddha..or Vikki as I know him..He started out as a young Rookie reporter at MH when I was leaving for Canada and is now a respected lawyer and businessman in Pune India...he makes sure we all stay in touch and never let go of the " Mother-ship' where we started our careers many years ago..Vikki had a lot of spunk..once he went up to the Hollywood actor/ singer Keeanu Reeves who was performing in Bombay and got an unscheduled interview..that went 'viral'.   

I will never forget my Editors  Mr Dilip Raute ( Former Economic Times),(He taught me how to make a regular news report into an analytic  `special' news feature story), 
Mr Micheal Gonzalves ( Mid day and Financial Chronicle) ( The brave Dare Devil editor) who sent me on my mission to ' Interview under world don Arun Gawli in the ' Don's ' Hide out near Nashik.India. He gave me my own Column the `Crime Watch' and I went from being just a reporter to a columnist. Similarly Rohan Kohli of the Sunday Magazine of our Paper gave me a full Page for feature stories every weekend. I am indebted to them. I understood that Great people help others on their journey and small people try to sabotage others every step of the way  in Journalism as in life..' everything" is Team work.

I miss our team of reporters and sub Editors Cliff Samuel, Prakash Dange, Rohan Kohli , Asim Shaikh, Kanchan, Barnabus,  Puran Vaswani, Vandana ( they married each other)..Paul,Carlton Dalton, Roger Dragonette who was also part of a local Rock band and all the crime reporters from other local  news papers namely Abhijeet Ghorpade,..Prasankumar Keskar,  Swapnil Pore, Madhav and so many more..Swapnil Pore made sure I never missed a breaking news story..There was more camaraderie than rivalry between all of us..and the Police officers and lawyers were all `part of our team'.  The famous Defense Counsel Shrikant Shevade of TADA ( Terrorist and Destructive Acts) Fame was one of the best friends  of our news paper and crime reporters. Through him we got many breaking news stories of the day! Similarly the Police commissioner Mr K K Kashyap was very encouraging, friendly and always stopped by when he saw our reporters and shared a Joke or an anecdote that " made our Day"!

I am indebted to our senior " Guru' of journalism" Mr Tahir Shaikh the legendary Crime and Court reporter of Poona and the State of Maharashtra who taught me and many journalists before me the ropes.and fundamentals of all Court and Crime reporting.He was one of the best pioneering reporters in the English language and was an expert in covering every field from Politics to Judicial and Military news. he often said that the basis for all good journalism was Good crime reporting because it is in the Crime beat that we learn to write Honest, precise, factual and descriptive news..with no " colouring or " Dash" added( Mr Tahir Shaikh passed away recently and I pay him my deepest respects)..
Mr Krishna Murty our news editor who thought crime reporting was not meant for the girls and always tried to send me of `boring' but ' Big Brand' business press conferences when he could..He was really and truly a father figure who I will never forget. Under his guidance I got into some " General-ism" including covering the Military, University, Social Issues and Business news., covering the visits of the American and Burmese  and other Ambassadors to India when they visited our City  and  also the public speech in Pune by Notorious ' Bandit Queen" turned politician Plulan Devi. (I heard that she was assassinated by her enemies a few years ago)

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Yes I was always the " Crime reporter" until I left..Once when I was sent to cover the Indian Science Conference at the University  I met Dr Chandrasheran the famous Forensic expert from the National Institute of Science in Bangalore. He gave me an " Exclusive Interview" on how he and his team investigated the World's First Human Bomb Case in Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination by the LTTE. The story was re- carried by many publications and opened the eyes of the readers about how Scientists and Doctors helped Law enforcers in cracking that internationally puzzling case...It was a discovery of how ruthless Terrorists use " Technology" and Human beings to destroy lives..it was Horrific! But also educative....Besides my Job..I miss the office staff such as Mr Gupta ( our accountant who made sure we got paid) and the "Page Layout' Back Room guys Deva,( Dev Manus)  Raju , Kishore and so many others..
There was also a little `stray' Dog I named Rani..she would wait for me near the office upstairs when she heard the sound of my Bike.and me getting into the elevator..if she missed my `entry' she would come up late at night wagging her tail and Kishore or Deva would let me know that my " Pet Dog Rani" was checking in on me. We the reporters always had a pack of Glucose biscuits for Rani as a reward for her love and faithfulness..
Being a Journalist and Reporter in India from  the 1990's into the New Millennium  was very exciting and we were always on our toes....Each day there was some breaking story related to  terrorism, spies being caught during the " Short Kargil war" conflict with Pakistan ,Jail breaks and  Bollywood stars on the wrong side of the law" among st many others..and it was exciting to be part of the action..
In Journalism reporters and Editors earn their " Stripes" by hard work and a ' Flair for the Pen. " No body becomes an Editor without first being a reporter and column writer themselves. I remember how when in `one' Local news Paper the rich spoiled son of a wealthy Bussinessman ' owner' took on the "Editor's chair" Many respected and older Editors and senior reporters quit that publication. The owner had `violated' the code of ethics in News Journalism  where you are respected first and foremost as  a Writer and Reporter who has earned his/ her stripes and not because you have some God father/ father or favorite Uncle who has handed over the honor to you which others have earned the ' hard way", Till this day we respect and value our Editors and Senior Journalists and reporters who taught us the ropes and got their stories with hard work and courage and their " Powerful Pens".I am blessed and humbled to have been part of such a great experience in the action packed days as a woman Crime reporter in Poona's pioneering and highly respected English language news paper the Maharashtra Herald..( One day I might write a book about the great experiences and stories we covered as a team and the wonderful people I had the privilege to work with)! 

Harvest Moon rising near the Niagara

However sadly in life there are some places where you are an `outsider' from day one..you are looked upon as a threat if you talk about your experiences and reveal anything that does not ' fit' into the uneventful lives of the people around you.." You are different!"..That is what was interesting about the Movie-Divergence which Brian and I watched together.. it symbolizes how those who have ' Independent minds and thinking"..are always considered a threat..it happens especially in environments such as Banks, Call centers, Government offices and trades where imagination, creativity, open expression and being yourself is not an asset.The people who are Free thinkers are not out to harm or threaten anyone..but just live their own lives to their own drum beat..yet they are considered as `Great threats' to those who are stuck in their `stagnant ponds' for ages and ages and like those who " fall in easily"...There are people in power ( not only at work but also in society( especially cultural/ religious organisations ) who fear those who do not fit into the 'Role'). Free Thinkers do not easily get swayed, ' hypnotized' or become 'fans' or followers of anybody. 
I am reminded of Steve Job's best quote in my list: "Here’s to the crazy ones — the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things. They push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do".
Example here in N America there are many people in the corporate world who believe that immigrants must be `Needy', speak bad English, have lousy accents, obey orders,be easy to manipulate and dominate..and when they don't fall into that mold ..but show themselves as smarter and better read than their ' Bosses' 'watch out' danger alarms ring out !!! 
Unfortunately in Canada as in Life you cannot always work at where your talents and interests lie and often in the initial years you land in a job where you are a fish out of water far  away from your element and that can be a tragedy in itself..one of the joys in life is job satisfaction. However Vedanta teaches us to give our the best to all our work and make lemonade when life give us lemons...and that is when the quotes and life of Steve Jobs gave me a lot of inspiration : "The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again — less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life"Steve Jobs. 
"Sometimes life is going to hit you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith:".Steve Jobs.
Yet Birds of a feather eventually flock together and eventually we..( each one of us) find our niche in life and work... As Brian says..when a door closes..a huge window opens up..and what he says is often so true..
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When my Mother visited   Canada in 2003 and 2004..I took her down to the  Omni TV station on a work day and 

she 'wowed' everyone with her sweet ,charming and friendly nature..I remember how she herself was treated like a celebrity and even the special guest on the show that day..who was a legendary Hockey player from the 60s..commented that My Mother was very very sweet and special and unforgettable..There is something about  my Mother's heart that touches people of all ages, races and creeds and just spells..Mom....because  she is so genuine and authentic..

I remember here in Canada I once knew  politician who had stood for city council and lost and yet planned to stand again..in Election year she would suddenly hug people .but her smile never reached her eyes nor her heart and everything she said and did was fake..she wondered why people ran away from her and the truth is...her life was all about her self and not about others...she did not know the secret of Love which is unselfish, un calculating and true caring..
The ONLY beat I have Never covered as a Journalist is Politics. That is because I am not a fan of politicians in India or in Canada or anywhere. Not politicians in the work place or in  families or'social organisations' I have little or no respect for them and feel that there are very very few " True' leaders any where in the world  and the best leaders are the ones who are far away from `Name and Power'.
It is that " leading without wanting to be a Leader" that  I have seen in the words and actions of my mother and more so in the life and influence of Swami Kripamayananda Maharaj the head of our temple at Vedanta society Toronto...people of  all walks of life are drawn to him and seek him and trust him....that is what sets the real  world `Givers' apart from politicians   Most Politicians seek power for prestige, control, money, influence and personal reasons..while as the ones who really care for people..will be far  far away from seeking or ever wanting that `power'..Its election year for our city and walking by the waterfront..I make a wish that we get people who love people up there and not the ones who love themselves and subject us to their shenanigans as being more important that anyone or anything else especially the people who chose them to serve.....
My Brian is another ' Giver'..after putting in a 44 hour work week, he works on renovating his elderly Mother's home so that she will be safe and sound....besides that he mows the  neighbors lawns when they are asleep and just `looks our for everyone' in every way he can..These are the people who Lead without wanting to be  Leaders in anyway..
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The lake shore has a new addition which is an Aquarium..However getting tickets to the place is something only a Magic Octopus may pull off this summer..its out of question during the peak summer season..\better luck at Marine Land 
( Niagara Falls)  So Brian and Iheaded to one of our most  our favorite romantic destinations..the Niagara Falls on a warm August  Full Moon Sunday...and more on that later..... 
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