Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Nostalgia in the Hills
Last Saturday, we set out to visit Manju and Siddarth Kak, who have a 150 year old house in Ranikhet, about 50 kms from Bhowali, called Hawa Ghar (the house of wind). The first time I visited their home was in 1992, when Mahesh, Kabir, Kanchi (the trusted cook and Kabir minder) and I drove form...
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Sunday, June 28, 2009
Under the Fig Tree
Among the many new developments in the mountain home is the fig tree. My brother in law, Jasbir, says it’s the fifth tree he’s planted and it’s the first one that has bloomed. The rest just died. I love figs. My first exposure to fresh figs was when I lived in Italy. Around April every year, the...
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Friday, June 26, 2009
Bees in the Mountains
It’s here – the first box of bees. Here in their mountain home, my sister Saroj and brother in law, Jasbir, have got their first box of bees. This is the result of a discussion we have here over many years. They start with “we could also.....”. But, this is how it is. Being on holiday, in the...
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Wednesday, June 24, 2009
A Day in the Mountains
So, what do we do all day in the mountains? We hang out, as the current vocabulary goes. The sun comes up around 5.30 AM. We keep the curtains open, especially the part that covers the screens to keep out the insects. This lets the cool air through. The temperature is about 20 degrees at night, so...
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Tuesday, June 23, 2009
The Road Trip
It’s a trip I have been waiting for – for months - to my sister and brother in laws home in Bhowali, in the state of Uttarakhand, about 10 kilometres from well known hill station of Nainital. Circumstances led to it being cancelled many times. This time I was determined. My deadlines were done, the...
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Monday, June 15, 2009
Less is More
On June 7, there was an Opinion piece in the New York Times by Pico Iyer called Happy Days: The Joy of Less, which struck a chord with me. Iyer writes about the life he chose – in a small place in Japan - over living in Manhattan. It’s true he gets to travel – for his writing – but also remains...
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Monday, June 8, 2009
Break a leg, get shot at
Ten years ago, on November 29, 1999, I broke my leg in Chiang Mai, Thailand, while attending a meeting. It was mid-day, I was in search of the Internet cafe (this was before the days of wireless) I had been at the night before. In short, I wasn’t looking where I was going. There was a cut in the...
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Wednesday, June 3, 2009
In Singapore
I am in Singapore for a meeting, living in a hotel in Chinatown. It’s quiet and active. Today is my third day and so far I have located (on the first day) a divine tea shop with many kinds of tea, teapots, glasses and cups, strainers etc. I got some of all. I spotted and salivated over antique...
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Saturday, May 23, 2009
How to discover your own Refuge
Earier this week, I was looking for reading that our Sangha could discus at the Saturday meeting. I came upon this dharma talk by Thich Nhat Hanh on 11 July, 2005 in Plum Village, France. The talk resonated with me. I often feel overwhelmed by everything around me and I could relate to what Thay was...
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Thursday, May 21, 2009
Sunflower Surprise
Last Monday, I left the home at 6.30 AM headed north on National Highway 1 which runs through my home state – Haryana - to visit telecentres called CSCs – Community Service Centres – run by local entrepreneurs. About two hours into the journey, outside urban limits, vast open spaces appeared. In...
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