Life As I Know It

Benzer kept me company during exams. He was a German shepherd who was neglected, never loved and never taken out for walks. His master fed him well and the kids teased him. Benzer was ferocious and bad tempered but like all dogs he was a very good listener. Benzer’s cage was right opposite my room window which is why we had uninterrupted conversations which went on till late in the night. We had a routine -  5 nights a month ( during unit tests), 3 weeks i.e once every 6 months ( 2 weeks prior to exams and 1 week of exams) He could see the lights on in my room and he would wait for me to take my breaks to talk to him, he would sit and listen. What did I do for Benzer? There was one week every year that I would stay up late just to keep him calm. That was the week that led to Bakrid. His master would get 3 goats that were tied near Benzer’s cage. The goats would bleat and Benzer would bark. The animals knew their fate and Benzer knew their fate too. The master’s kids would pet the goat

Travelling has its perks especially because it gives you an opportunity to observe people. Being a lawyer I think I have managed to at least grasp the basic art of distinguishing between fact and fabrication when a client is telling me their story. Sifting – an art that helps one retain just the essentials to come to a conclusion. I don’t guarantee that the conclusion is concrete, a percentage of gut feeling contributes to the final conclusion. During my recent train travel to Bombay I met two characters that deserve a mention in my blog. 1.   The Creepy Overtly Social Guy: This person spoke to everyone in the coach. He started off by initiating a conversation which was reciprocated by some and bluntly cut short by others. The thing that creeped me out most about the guy was his body language which  wasn't  too obvious but there are little things that people do that causes some alarm switches to turn on inside my head. This particular guy set of at least 3 alarms. The j