Muddying my boots – one walking trail at a time

I know I will never be the sort of the mountaineering girl that has several summits under her belt. But that, I have managed to get over my fear of hiking and actually enjoy a good hike is good enough for me. For my husband too, I think. He had married a bookworm. Now he has a wife who is a bookworm who happily accompanies him to most of his hikes. Not a bad deal, I say.

Of packages in the post and handwritten letters in the letterbox

I cannot remember when was the last time I had this magical little hour of tearing through a package, of letting my eyes feast on the multi-coloured wrapping paper, of opening each gift, heart throbbing with anticipation and excitement and curiosity, of discovering and revelling in all the gifts that my friend and her husband had chosen for me and my husband, of reading the letters, of eyes feasting on the familiar curve of the cursive writing of a dear one.

A glass of gin and a story that stretches back to twenty years and more

Since I grew up in Gujarat, a state on the Western coast of India, and a state where the manufacture, sale and consumption of alcohol is prohibited (but many households stock drinks in the privacy and safety of their homes though), I grew up without really having any kind of an alcoholic drink. Even when I moved away from Gujarat, I failed to develop a liking for an alcoholic drink. But for once, I think I may have found a drink that I might sometimes indulge in. On rare evenings when the air carries the scent of jasmine flowers or the memories of the scent of jasmine flowers, I might have a glass of a drink that may be just right for me.

Adieu Kinetic Honda – my first love, my faithful friend and confidante

When I go to India now, it will no longer be there - standing faithfully like an old family dog, waiting for me in the courtyard, waiting for me to put it to life, bouncing over potholes and dirt roads and cruising through summer evenings and winter afternoons, through love and loss and so much in between. Farewell, my friend. You have served me like no other. There will be no one else like you.

Went to borrow a baking tin, returned with conversations and companionship

When you borrow, return and lend things with your neighbours, you also build something. You build friendships, trust, interdependence. You realise that we all need each other. And that it is okay to ask. For a little sugar, a plate or two, a serving bowl when you have guests over, a potato or two. Return what you borrow with a little of something of yours - something you made, a beautiful conversation, a little love...

This blog will not be easy to read

This blog doesn't make for easy reading because it tries to compile, and will be an ongoing process at that, the news reports that document how the migrant community in India has been on the road - hungry, tired, exhausted as they make the long trudge home. Walking or cycling hundreds of kilometers in the summer heat so that they have a roof over their heads and two square meals a day. This is the tragedy unfolding in India during the Covid crisis. A man made tragedy because the government did not account for these people when it imposed a lockdown.

Captured in the bookshelf are pages from my past

The day we met, he came to pick me up at my place. He borrowed a book from my bookcase. It was Maximum City. At that point in the afternoon, I did not know if I was going to see him again, least of all marry him. And the book he borrowed from me was a gift. I did not want to lose it. So he offered to give me one of his, as a sort of surety - that his book would be mine for keeping, until he returned the one he had borrowed from me.

Thinking of fundraising to help feed the hungry during the Corona crisis?

And do not know how to start? Kumar Manish can help you with a few quick tips and suggestions. Manish is one of the team members behind #AhmedabadFightsCorona – an initiative that has managed to raise over 1.84 lakh rupees in just two days since the 21-day lockdown in India was announced. The team is … Continue reading Thinking of fundraising to help feed the hungry during the Corona crisis? →