Travels and thoughts

I remember a small headline - a news item in the 80s when I was 15 - a Christian evangelist shoots down John Lennon screamed the paper.  While the world was upended, those words barely caused a tremor in mine. My Beatles journey hadn’t yet begun. My foray into Western music coincided with my Engineering college entry. From then onwards, I listened in rapt attention to the undeniably inspiring words and sounds of several great artists, including The Beatles. Music stayed with me throughout college, marriage, and kids. Our son developed a great interest in Western music, and interestingly, he didn’t seem bogged down by the decade or genre. He listened with a keen ear, curiosity, and a now-alien youthful desire to provide wide-eyed commentary on the artistic liberties used by each musician to produce that work of art. A repeat flick here, an innovative bass line there, the intricacies in each piece of work were dwelled upon and appreciated.  In 2023, he returned to India for that...

What is it? I sometimes wonder about the Kendriya Vidyalaya environment? A Central Government run institution across the country started mainly to assist employees of the Government during regular transfers - it is now a shining example of how Government runs establishments can also be best in class. Most of the students study for a few years, developing bonds of friendship - they are from entirely different backgrounds and cultures. Yet, the institute fosters an ecosystem from which people grow. I came from one such institute where I spent 3 years of formative life. However, despite being out of touch with many fellow students, we connected via social media later on in life, becoming the best of buddies.  A varied and diverse set of folks, all doing different things in different places at different stages in one's life, we come together for annual adventures. And so it was that Cochin, Karaikkudi, Tirussur, Dehra Dun, and Mumbai came together at Gurgaon to begin a North Western so...

 A year ago, when Sanchit Ram announced he was moving to Puerto Rico for a new job, I had to look at the atlas to find out where this place was. I discovered it was an island surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the North and the Caribbean sea on the South. Despite my feeble protests to reconsider his decision, my son landed in Puerto Rico. This year March, we visited Puerto Rico. Sanchitram would send us pics from his trips to various parts of the island, but we still need to prepare for the beauty and charm of Puerto Rico. We spent 5 days, and each day was unique with a beautiful experience. Exploring the Old Town of San Juan was a delight. The colorful houses on either side of the cobbled stone paths were enchanting. Getting lost happily in the maze of small quaint streets was easy. Although it was a significant tourist attraction, the place was squeaky clean. The sky here always looks a sparkling blue dotted with pristine white clouds. The old town has buildings that are restore...

Shantha Vishwanath, my dear mother-in-law, was born in the temple city of Kancheepuram in 1943. She frequently reminisces about her childhood days spent with her grandparents. She remembered visiting the temples holding her grandmother's hands as a young girl. Holidays were spent playing with her cousins on the open terrace of the large house. The house had a central courtyard. From the balcony, there were windows to look down at the courtyard's activities. Essential family functions were held there, leading to the gathering of near and dear ones. All relatives converged on the grandparent's house for summer vacations, and simple pleasures were looked forward to.  Happy to be in her city Kancheepuram Our mind has a special place for storing these memories, and sometimes, as we age, it is enshrined, lending possibly a more golden hue than it actually was! But then, the 1950s and 60s were a different time and era - barefoot walks in the cities, sitting on the ground in the fr...