Post cards from you know where

welcome flowers by Mum - oil painting by Stefan from his college days

the dining table downstairs - Mum's catcuses are blooming gloriously

the famous hat-stand - whenever you need a hat - any hat - you can be sure to find your choice on this tree! 

a pointilist self-portrait of Stefan - based on a photo I took of him in college
- and the reflection of the  windows looking out over the hills

reading materials of various sorts - and a carrom board itching to be played with...

Tickets to Paradise

We are 18 minutes into a day we have been waiting for all year.  The 16th of May has finally come - and we leave later today for the hills.  For Mussoorie.  For Shanti Kunj.  For what is at very least a small taste of what the Paradise of Eternity has to include.

A quick dekko through my files found these 4 gems from our time at Shanti Kunj in 2008!  We expect to see more of the same this year too!

The view out the living room window at Shanti Kunj.  Everything in perfect silence.  Other than the coffee bubbling in the perculator of course and Mum making happy bustling sounds in the kitchen (assisted by a grand-kid or two or three).

 A view of the sky from the Terrace of Shanti Kunj.  A place of wonderful meals - and jaw dropping sights - like when a Lammergeier flies below us with his huge wingspan...

Looking out from the Dining room - with the friendly toaster ready to eject the next batch of hot toast - only to have the buttered slices rapidly disappear down ravenous throats.

Mum's love for beauty in small spaces and large.  The whole house is crammed with love - and with artifacts which show the love that Mum and Dad have for each other, for us rarely-visiting-Thane-Eichers, and for each person who walks through the door at Shanti Kunj.

At 2.30 PM we leave by taxi from Thane - and are whisked to Mumbai domestic airport for our 5.45 PM flight.  Then a 2 hour flight to New Delhi on Spice (thank you Lord that we did not buy striking Kingfisher or Air India).  Upon arrival (hopefully on time) we then have 3 hours to get to the New Delhi Station and into the AC special which drops us off at Dehra Dun at 5.30 AM.   A quick taxi ride up the hill (complete we expect with at least 1 vomit stop for the kids) and then by 7.30 we should be in the crisp coolness of oak covered leaves, walking down with our freshly hugged Oma and Opa - pinching ourselves to see if this is a dream or reality at last.

On the schedule - meeting a select group of my Woodstock School classmates - we are celebrating 25 years since we graduated on June 25th 1987...  Then camping next week with Stefan, Neeru, Ashish, Anjali and Amira... And lots of reading, sleeping, talking, recording Oma and Opa's stories, sleeping, eating, praying, talking more, puzzles, talking, reading, eating... you get the drift.

Before all of this kicks off - a few hours at Jeevan Sahara Kendra.  Sheba will see patients till 1 PM.  I will bang away at letters and things like that - till we realise that we just cannot do any more work - and we will leave it all behind and head for the hills.  Adios Amigos!

The Fantastic Four

Nine years ago the final member of the Fantastic Four was born.

We celebrated her birthday on Sunday.

What a world of a difference from that dark night in May, when we got onto an State Transport bus and went over to Borivali - to see the newborn Jasper - and try and help out with Nalini who had experienced a very difficult delivery in the small private nursing home Jasper was born in.

On Sunday it was time to think back with wonder over the years that have flown by.  To thank God for the miracle of our four kids - Asha and Enoch from the Eichers - and Nikita and Jasper from the Gabriels.  The 4 have literally grown up together - and we marvel and the beauty of their friendship!

The current game of choice is that old capitalist favourite of course!

To prove that they are indeed growing - the inevitable 'standing-on-our-toes-to-show-that-I-am-taller-than-the-others' takes place.  The end result is that we see pretty much just how tall every one is becoming as they bloom into the early tweens!

Nikita, Jasper, Enoch and Asha - all getting bigger and BIGGER every time we meet!

Whoever invented the 'Birthday Cake' was clearly onto something good.  Our four dug into this pretty chocolate gateau with much delight.

And then there was the serious business of eating Nalini's amazing chicken curry, and prawn curry. 

We had taken our little Papaya (the Nano car) for its first spin (our friend Shibin driving since it has been 2 decades since I drove shift) - and after the meal wondered if it had enough power to drive back three very stuffed adults - and two well fed kids!

The long and short of just another one of the all-too-short meet-ups with the Gabriels is that we once again understand the amazing joy of friendship.   What a thrill it is to be with people who are so precious to us.  And how glad we are that our kids are laying a foundation of what we hope and pray will be a life-time of joy together as the Fantastic Four!

Nano Day

The Eichers have a new family member today.

No, it isn't a flesh-n-blood child - though we are always open to what God wants for us.

Rather its a new steed - a bright orange Nano car.

Its so new that we haven't christened her yet.

We just picked it up from the showroom - and had a dear friend of ours - Devraj drive it home.  I have not driven for over 20 years - and so need to do some serious practice (though my license is still valid!).

Before taking it home we did have a spin behind our old home in Happy Valley. It was a joy to take this little baby and have her move around smoothly.  I will need some more practice to be sure - esp. when going up hills and parking - but the first impressions are that this car is perfect for Thane.  Its tiny (on the outside - not too bad inside) - it turns on a 1 rupee coin (and we all know how small those are getting these days) - it has a fuel efficiency of at least 20 kms to the litre (they say 25 but we all know that real life is different from ads).

Above all, its a miracle car for us as a family - the result of lots of significant gifts from different friends which have been pooled together to get over the hump and have a 'four-wheeler.'

Four years ago I wrote about the Nano.  The car has not turned the world upside down as some thought it might.  Political problems and higher prices meant that it has gone well past the Rs. 100,000/- price tag it was aimed at.  But it remains a marvelous piece of 'frugal engineering' (The Economist has some ideas about that here) and we think that it really is value for money.

Welcome orange friend!

Picture perfect

The past looks us in the face through photos.

And we look at the faces of the past too.  Look and scan the fresh looks.  Peer into eyes and expressions frozen and transported into the present.

We try to read forward the histories that each person will be living through.

And compare ourselves.  With our past selves.  With our parents as we cross the ages that they were when the photos were taken.

The East is red...

The view outside our kitchen window - 30 mins ago on a hot lazy Saturday in May.

Note the two kids looking down from the 3rd floor window grill in the building opposite us.

Beauty can be found in urban spaces too (though it takes more filtering out of the ugliness of our great sad cities).

3 little men

Asha and Enoch are part of a cloud of 9 cousins spread over the Eicher and Rajan families.  Males are seriously under-represented - with the newest addition - our dear Amira - being another wonderful girl!

But our 3 little men are there - filling a 1/3 quota of sorts - and blossoming just as well as the lovely little ladies!

Here are a few milestones from oldest to youngest:

Enoch's standard 3 class at Vasant Vihar School - there are 10 other such classes in his standard - and over 7000 students in the school!   Enoch is in the top row 7th from left.  This is the first photo I have ever scanned!

 Enoch finished class 3 and now is about to enter 4th standard in June.  His teacher was very happy with him - and told me that 'you don't have to worry at all.'   The good thing is that we have not been doing so.  The only cryptic thing on his report card was the statement - 'should read more books to expand his vocabulary.'  This is most probably a computer generated random statement - since it also appeared on Asha's report card.  I would wager that Asha and Enoch read more books than the next 3 readers in their class put together.  The two are virtually insatiable bookworms (currently devouring Enid Bliytons).

Up in Delhi town we have this latest step forward in life by cousin Ashish (who we are gearing up to see in Mussoorie in 10 days and counting down!).



The statement he made to Stefan was 'Look Daddy!"  At the ripe young age of 43, how I wish my teeth were falling out because there were others coming in behind them!

Meanwhile across the oceans - on the other side of the globe young Shofar is growing too!

How is this for a smile!  I think I don't need a light in this room if this picture is on my monitor!

Congrats 3 little men - for the great joys to us that you are.  We hope you will all get to meet one day!  Till then - keep growing.