Sudesh Batra, Mona Chugtai and Sarbani's mother (who is visiting from India)
Nisha, Swaran, Poonam, Sudesh, Smita, Prem, Pammi and Ritu.
Andrei's daughters visiting from California. We knew them when they were knee high.
Pool was a favourite place to cool down and clean up. Above picture is of Jeff, Norma (Jeff's mom), Jyoti, Isabel, Jim (Jeff's brother), Ravi, Ritu and Binu.
Anup caught with a full plate. He earned it though, having seen Sachi through two episodes of Pneumonia. Thank You.
Last but not least our kids made the day complete by their unencumbered joy. Right is Suraj (who spent the whole time in the pool) with his friends Nilesh and Asawar. Below is Ravi romancing with Ami. Ami's mom sent authentic paans that Iforgot to take out with dessert (Freudian slip?). We are enjoying them still. Thank you Ritu (and sorry all of you who missed out on the treat). Next on the right are Jeff and Jyoti who got into the Holi spirit big time. If you look closely at Jyoti's T-shirt you will notice 'RAVI JUNIOR' written on it. Ravi thought he will name the baby but Jeff stepped in quickly and reminded him the baby is 'JEFF JUNIOR'.
There are no words to thank friends and family for the joy you bring in our life.
Adding to the truth is subtracting from it.
gratefully yours.....Ambi.
ooPS (hours later)
True sign that things are getting better: I forgot to mention that Sachi's peg tube came out yesterday. He went to Dr. Dave Dyke (one of his friends) for this. A quick yank, screech halting pain and it was out. No anaesthetic, no pain pill. Sachi is very brave. I needed some soothing balm for my nerves though. We went for lunch at Red Lobster after that. He has a patch of gauze covering the hole which according to Dr. Dyke will heal very soon. No stitches needed. Sachi will have two belly buttons though. He is doing good today.
Still grateful....Ambi.
9 comments:
Thank you so much for sharing your journey-both the wonderful and the not so wonderful. It has been truly inspirational to look in on. You are both wonderful, strong people who deserve all the best. I look forward to seeing Sachi at NHI soon. My family prays for your continued healing and peace. Virg
The Global Village….
The all encompassing colors of Holi, red, blue, yellow, green…..how beautifully they have embraced the brothers and sisters from different countries and continents in these pictures and synergized them into one synthesis of humanity…..The colors of nationality have faded into insignificance with the dazzling warmth of festivity in an inimitable way that transforms the participants into members of one loving fraternity. Barriers dissolve, prejudices evaporate and tensions ease, when people from diverse cultures and communities mingle like this and celebrate a common bond of joy and brotherhood, without inhibition or reservation….without criticism or comment….without division or dissection….Just with pure, unadulterated exhilarating abandon.
The coupling of your Wedding anniversary with the Holi festival is an idea that could have emerged only from the fusion of two beautiful minds and evolved souls like yours’, that have traversed 34 long and prolific years of togetherness, braved countless onslaughts of uncertainty, survived numerous twists and turns of life….and still welcome the dawn of another long journey through life with renewed conviction and rejuvenated relationship.
It is this kind of marriage that I hope and pray, God would shower on our entire mankind….
Marriage of opinions and ideas, fusion of religions and races, blending of cultures and countries, evolution of love and spirituality…… linking the ever expanding billions on our planet into one Global Family…. Vasudeva Kutumbakam…..
Love and Pranams.
Babi
Dear Ambi & Sachi,
Thanks for pictorial view of Holi. I could recognise and place most of the faces even under layers of color.It was good to see Sachi in his old self again. The tube that was the last vestige of his illness
is thankfully gone. It was very thoughtful of you to celebrate wedding anniversary by playing Holi with children and friends. Holi - the splash of colors - is one of the most meaningfull festivals of India. It is the only festival that has been extensively picturised in all great Indian movies. And perhaps the only one that is well-known outside India.
Congratulatios for giving it a regular boost in Lincoln.
Love, Daddy.
Dear Sachi,
WORK IS WORSHIP .....NANAK
We are exceedingly glad to learn that, from 21st july onward, you shall rejoin hospital duty, on half
day work basis. Even earlier you had planned to shift to this schedule from October onward. It has just got advanced by a few months. Your four month's brave ordeal has brought this about into
a happy ending. May your half work days exceed your full work days. congratulations and wishing you all the best;
Your's loving Daddy.
dear sachi/ambi
we are quite happy to know that u have now fully recovered and joining in your work shortly.we were always hopeful for your early recovery and you have proved it.God is great.
the nice photographs of holi and anniversary are quite lively thanks to ambi for her efforts to keep us informed.Hope Jyoti is in fine health.We are extremely happy to know that she and Jeff are going to be blessed with a child shortly.Our blessings for them.
sarada/Surama.
DEAREST BHAIYA AND DARLING BHABI,
Here i come again after a long time
...I have missed so much of fun...lovely flowers,enjoyable HOLI,bhaiya
joining his work n to top the list...the most surprising news was that
BHAIYAJI'S peg tube has been taken out...wow! but dear brother ,it has
pained a lot is'nt it?why they did it just like that without anesthesia
?i can imagine what bhabi must have felt..
bhabi dear...that;s why i call u..angel bhabi...and
look at the picture of bhaiya...its just superb...whom shall i comple-
ment...you or bhaiya?...ofcourse both..Bhaiya, u look so, so, so good
n handsome with those expressive eyes...as if wanting to talk to us..
...it has been soooo long since we saw u Bhaiya...we all r dying to see
your dear face...when will u come..in feb 0'9?
it was wonderful talking to u bhaiya...you sounded
so relieved, cheerful n confident.Walking in fire has made u brave n
confident..all this has come from your spiritual strength.
BHAIYA N BHABI..We wish you both a very ,very
happy belated wedding anniversary!May you celebrate your DIAMOND JUBILEE
May the ALMIGHTY SHOWER ON YOU BOTH HIS BLESSINGS...what a lovely couple
you make...u make others 'J'..NAZAR NAHIN LAGATE...
MY angel bhabi, your magic touch has made your
garden so flowery n fantastic...how could so many types of flowers
grow n bloom at one time...is'nt it magic...the lovely lotus, hibiscus
rajanigandha, marigold, dahlia n what not...really we r missing a
great sight...
It's so nice seeing all of you enjoying HOLI so much.
Really this festival brings everyone together..you forget your own
identity and become one with the others.As the colours mingle, so also
we mingle with each other.Seeing the beautiful pictures of HOLI we
also feel like playing with you all again.
Had a terrific DARSHAN of LORD JAGANNATH in puri with
sudha bhai n subu.'MAN BHAR GAYA' HIS GRACE ONLY.
all our love n prayers with you both.
love, sini n sanju
The colors still linger on...... In spite of this yawn of silence, the pictures still exude the same warmth, the faces tell the same story, the memories captured with digital precision retain the same exuberance.... they all celebrate the bonding of feelings in one united voice of love.
Sanabhai must have settled down to a routine of healing at his temple of work and convalescing at his temple of abode...While one demands his undivided focus on placing the patient above all else, the other envelopes him in a blanket of warmth and care. As the hospital increases its claim on his time and medical faculties, the home applies the potion that enables him to lose himself in a spell of dreamless slumber. The dichotomy between work and rest is only superficial.... for a Karmayogi like you there cannot be any difference between the two.... Life is one undisturbed, unbroken flow of positive energy, facing and braving vicissitudes of multiple complexities with serene tranquility and spiritual maturity. Allow us, your loving siblings, to offer whatever little strength we have to add like small drops of water and become a part of the ocean of resilience that vibrates through your veins and manifests in your activities. Grant us the blessing of participating in your gigantic leap from handicap to heroism, in our own peculiar ways. For, it is only by being a part of your journey, by participation and prayer, that we can find meaning and significance in our own respective walks through life.
Love and God bless.
Pranams & Prayers.
Babi
Music is like moonlight.....soft, soothing and tranquil....Imparting peace to the arid Soul, injecting calm into the weary traveler.... It has the power to elate and elevate....to transform and transport.....to excite and exhilarate......Like Hermann Hesse wrote in his Nobel Prize winning novel, Magister Ludi, “The true quality of music is reflected by the serenity it infuses into the heart of the listener”.
Sitting among the first few rows of avid music lovers, we were transfixed by the spectacle that was unfolding on the stage. The magician was standing on the small elevated podium facing a 60 strong orchestra...... With his eyes closed, as if in deep meditation like a Yogi, he moved with the flow...or rather initiated the direction of the music emitting from the instruments that acquired a strange life of their own under the adroit fingers of the players. The conductor knew the Symphony so well that it seemed as if he had mingled with its intricate rhythm and variations.....By a single wave of the wand he breathed life into the musicians, controlling their performance, guiding their flow and presenting a complete picture of team work. Subtle swings to create lilting melodies.... sweeping waves to unleash overwhelming vibrations......excited movements to consolidate the efforts of multiple players into one beautiful story.....it was pure magic. Lost in a distant world of harmonious accord, we were aboard an euphoric flight, rising slowly on the crest of a mesmerizing wave that soared with every passing moment..........until the climactic crescendo of sixty instruments playing under one magic wand, culminating in an experience of unparalleled ecstasy..... The crowd went into a frenzy of applause that rose to a deafening thunder lasting for several minutes, reverberating within the walls of the hall and etching a memory in every listener's mind that would forever stay engraved in gold.....
We were witnessing History in the making.......
When Zubin Mehta, the world renowned Conductor, comes together with the extremely talented Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and they present the 6th Symphony of Tchaikovsky on the stage of a Center that was gifted to the King of Thailand on his 60th birth anniversary by the Government of Japan, reputed for its world class acoustics: Thailand Cultural Center, the result cannot be anything short of Magic.....pure, hypnotic, marvelous magic......
Cheers!
Babi
dear sachi,
hope ur are in good health.tomorrow is 1st August & hope you remember our old good old days.Ramesh has already reminded me
and asked me to remind you.Incidentally tomorrow is also
Internatioal friendship day.
You can Write to me at drspdas@yahoo.com
With love,
sarada.
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