Mail From Home
Dad was once a champion letter writer. He could churn them out by the dozen, and he never forgot a birthday or an anniversary. When we were in college, he would often send us little notes, with a five dollar bill slipped inside and instructions to “go out and have an ice cream cone”. Now […]
Birthday Girl!
Moy Moy turned 19 today and, as always, it was a special day of celebration and reflection. She woke earlier than usual, smiling and beaming. She loved the new dress and the bright yellow turtleneck I had gotten her for wearing to college and she caused a round of applause at the breakfast table when […]
The Comforts of Home
“Jo,” Dad asked on Saturday morning. “When could you take me to get a haircut? It’s just driving me crazy it’s so long.” It was the fourth time he had asked me. I had been racking my brain for days trying to think of a barber whose shop was presentable enough to take Dad to […]
Flowers
It’s not quite flower season yet here in Dehradun (that’s January and February), but the wonderful thing about this city is that there are flowers literally, year round. Especially if you have a gardener like Ramesh Rawat. Ramesh is a genius.His father was our gardener when we first moved here and Ramesh has inherited the […]
Street Life
Sometimes it’s fun to just go for a walk and see what there is to see. Since we didn’t celebrate Diwali this year because of Mom’s death, I had a lot of time on my hands in the afternoon. I walked around the neighborhood shooting whatever took my fancy. This family was on their way […]
The Galaxy
A long time ago, I promised a photo of Dehradun’s version of the “Grassy Knoll”. This is the best I can do. It’s hard to find the right angle for this one. The house would actually look fine on a three-acre plot, but since it’s on a much smaller one, and since the street is […]
Fr Charles Drennan
I first met Fr Charles in my parish church in Dehradun. Good sermons are hard to come by here and I invariably get excited when a new priest arrives because “there’s always hope”! Charles did not disappoint. Except by the fact that he wasn’t staying around. I discovered, on that first Sunday, that he had […]
Barack Obama
I know there is little to say now about this man’s historic victory, but I still have to add my voice to the choir. I never in my life have felt so hopeful about a political event – Obama’s campaign in America has made me re-think the whole way we are working on disability in […]
Phone Call
Funny thing about Moy Moy. She’s a typical teen, and loves the phone. Provided, that is, that it’s her sister Cathleen on the other end. Cathleen, our resident chatter-box, has a unique ability to talk to Moy. Whenever she calls us, she makes sure to speak with her as well. It’s a challenge, since Moy […]
Is there a doctor in the house?
The Examination: “Let me have a look at that, Sir.” And The Diagnosis: “I’m sorry, Sir, but I’m afraid you have a serious case of mosquito bite.”