It’s so easy to like this boy. I know I shouldn’t say it, being the Mom, but Anand is so charming and funny and smart it is impossible not to fall for him. He always makes me proud. He can handle any situation with grace and aplomb and he has a gift for making other people feel easy and included. I love watching him in a group – any group. He can mingle with elderly relatives, neighbors from Vasant Vihar, little kids from Latika, university professors and political activists from both sides of the fence – all with the same wit and intelligence and genuine interest in who they are. He wants to hear their stories and understand what makes them tick.

At Mom’s funeral, Anand read the Prayer of the Faithful.  As I listened to him speak about his grandmother, I realized just how lucky Ravi and I are to have such a son: in India, our children are our Social Security System. We’ve got a ways to go before we retire, but watching him there on the altar that day, I knew he’d be ready when we do.