By the way8230;

Sounds of silenceThe Delhi Congress on Sunday discovered that being silent was, well, not as easy as slogan-shouting and stone-pelting. Delh...

Sounds of silence
The Delhi Congress on Sunday discovered that being silent was, well, not as easy as slogan-shouting and stone-pelting. Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee President Sheila Dikshit had announced on Saturday that party-men would hold a silent sit-in8217; or a mauna dharna.

This has never been a favourite mode of protest for the Delhi Congress, but this time round they did not have much of a choice considering that AICC President Sonia Gandhi had 8220;sought8221; that the Congressmen only protest 8220;silently8221;.

Caught as they were in an unfamiliar situation, the Congressmen were visibly perturbed. The dharna began very silently at around 11 a.m.. Towards noon, cracks in the wall of silence started showing. The discreet ones walked away to a distant spot to chat with their colleagues. Others who couldn8217;t hold themselves any longer just broke out talking, especially in the back rows.

However, at the end of the protest, it was Sheila Dikshit who brought much-needed relief to the Congressmen 8212; she herself started speaking!

Traffic diversions
Jumping a red light is not a matter that people give much thought to at night. And a sleek motorbike zigzagging through the traffic and zooming across an intersection is more of an inspiration than warning. So when a red light interrupted a group of drivers on a Gurgaon road one night, the first vehicle hesitated, but decided against stopping. The next car did not even slow down to think, and the rest merely followed suit. Others waiting at the crossing could do nothing much but helplessly watch the cars speed away.

However, for a change, the combined might of the policemen present at the spot proved too much for the young and old enthusiasts. Passersby soon had an interesting view 8212; seven vehicles parked in a row, each with an abashed owner and piqued family standing by the side sheepishly evading the serves-you-right glances of the onlookers. But all their pleading fell on deaf ears as the policemen mercilessly challaned away.

A friend in need8230;
Helping the needy has always been considered a noble thing to do, but sometimes a kind gesture might land one in a soup. This is what happened to a colleague when he tried to help out a friend who was transferred from Chandigarh to Delhi.

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This friend was in search of single room and made it clear that he could not afford to pay more than Rs 1,500 as rent. When my colleague heard from a property dealer that a flat was vacant in Patpargang, he rushed to see the place. Impressed with the flat, he immediately finalised the deal, paid the advance to the landlord from his own pocket and informed his friend that his search for a house was over.

But to this colleague8217;s utter disbelief his friend started complaining about the house as the locality had neither a badminton court nor a swimming pool. He argued that he had enjoyed all these facilities in Chandigarh and was not ready to accept the fact that at Rs 1,500 he could not get a better deal in the Capital. My colleague was left with no option but to shelve the deal. It was then that he got a shockthe landlord refused to return the advance money. So this was the price he had to pay for trying to help out a friend in need.