So long Dad

Its hard to believe you're gone.
We'll never see you again
poring over the daily newspaper
ruminating over little printed words
dull and lifeless to most eyes,
but lively and tireless companions
you conversed with
over your morning cup of tea
resting in the aluminum framed easy chair
maroon window blinds drawn
to let in the morning light.
Or over your usually late breakfast -
that awaited you patiently for hours.

We'll never hear your sprightly voice
recalling a little known incident from the past,
or arguing until tempers frayed
as you held on unwavering
to notions unacceptable to the rest of us
until the final verdict was delivered thus -
"Thats how I am !!"
and that was that.

No more phone calls made religiously
to tell you all is well
and life is as usual.
No change of jobs, no illnesses, no cause for worry.
No more inquiring about your health,
no feeling of despair as on each passing day
your strength ebbed away.

I wish you well Dad
rest in peace.
Your memories remain,
and we will strive to keep these alive
even through the passage of time.
Thank you for all you've done and been to us.
where ever you may be, in what ever form,
Be assured - your life mattered, and you did your part.

illesha's ears

"My ears hurt!", illesha complained
"time to see the doctor", Mom ordained.
"Lets go now!". illesha can hardly wait.
she loves the candy the doctor offers as bait.
Doctor looks at illesha's ears.
"hmm... never seen anything like this
I've been practising for years .."
he begins to extract her ear wax
there's a lump ...
then it is a dump.
which grows into a mound
of yellow sticky mess on the ground.
doctor- "there's more to be found!"
soon its a mountain
and at last, he 's done.
Doc says "Do you feel better ?"
"ya ! and much lighter"

illesha's 7th birthday

On the 7th birthday of Illesha
she had a birthday bash-a
she'd invited julianne, Ashu and joshua
Ashu was skittish
and Julianne the 4 year old, impish
Josh was a little brash
while Esha was her usual snobbish.
After some games and balderdash
They were all famished.
Babita the mom said - "Go wash
and get ready to replenish!"
Table was laid and Mom served with flourish.
Josh looked at his plate with relish
and spoke like a true south Indian with polish
"potato mash - aa ?"
"Nope. said Mom. Pasta made in a rush-a."
Later in the evening, the cake was out.
But, where were the 7 candles
tiny and garish
Dad bought the previous day ?
"Julianne hid them! Esha cried in anguish.
"No. didn't do" said Julianne, eyes with tears awash.
confusion ensued. Did the candles vanish ?
Search was on - nothing was spared
pillow covers, trunks nor trash.
amidst the chaos, Mom, in a haste to finish
gave in to her instinct to demolish
and carved up the cake. Gosh!
Esha - "who cut the cake ?"

nostalgia

Music springs from the letter "y"
of the old fishpond toy.
I think of the small hotel room
Ashu jumping on the bouncy bed
the cold april air of Denver
and melting snowflakes as winter ends.
Of open spaces so vast
that a strange calm was cast.
no voices were heard
and no humans stirred.
only by the distant sounds
of rubber on the highway
punctuated by an occasional horn
was the silence torn.
The room smelt of indian spices
and steaming buttered chapatties
- familiar smells and tastes
that we consumed with longing
and washed down with tropicana juice.
I'd picked up the toy at K-mart
to keep ashu busy
in the room during the day.

recession

what can I say ? what can I write ?
but that things do'nt look too bright ?
rightsized, downsized or redeployed
or still employed with pride?
looking out for a raise ?
stick to what you've got I'd advise.
I hope the next quarter
brings news a lot better.
and the next year ?
I'd like a grand bonus
that ends the slowness !

bay area

I've been in the bay area for more than a month now (visiting for work) and have had
a chance to go around during the weekends.
We've (me and another colleague) been to the Monterrey bay , Santa cruz beach,
Yosemite national park and the half moon bay. An hour long cruise from pier 39 took us under the golden gate bridge and near alcatraz islands and back.
We drove to SFO to get a view of the golden gate bridge at night last week. From one vista point we could see the lit up bridge and the lights of the city illuminating the dark waters beyond.
Enjoy the pics !

kodai trip

Visited kodai a few weeks ago in the end of March. The weather was just right (17 -25 c) - and we managed to get there before the seasonal rush. We got there in the morning (tuticorin leaves B'lore at night and gets there early morning). Kodai road is a sleepy little station where we got off and took a cab to kodaikanal. The 80 km drive took 2.5 hrs (most of it was uphill) early in the morning was a refreshing break from the monotony of my regular office commute in the smoke filled city. Kodai is situated 2100m above sealevel in the Palani hills. We took a break before the climb to get some breakfast and sat back to enjoy the ride. As we got closer to the top, the air got chill and we caught brief glimpses of the morning sun through the canopy of leaves above and a panoramic view of the hills. The driver pointed out various places of interest (museum, waterfalls with no water in them!, coffee plantations).
The hotel gave us a pretty good 360 degree view of the sorrounding hills too (see pics). We did some sightseeing the first two days - coakers walk is definitely worth the 'walk' with 1km of breathtaking scenery of the hills and the greenery below. We also went boating on Kodai lake - the lake is spread over 24 hectares and the promenade that skirts the lake is around 4kms. The kids (I've 2 daughters) had a good time when we rented bikes and cycled around the lake. It was the first time in many years me and my wife had cycled ! Some of the villas on the lake front really looked like the houses we've always dreamt of owning.
On the 4th and last day, we took a long walk on the mountains, taking the steep road up from the hotel and were pleasantly surprised by the peace and the quiet of the village atmosphere, disturbed only occasionally by the rumble of a passing truck or motorcycle. The hill was dotted with quaint little cottages on one side leaning over the edge and by the terraced vegetable fields and wilderness on the other side. We spotted some interesting varieties of wild roses on the edge of the road. As we climbed down, the sun was setting in the hills far below and we sat down to watch it disappear in a hue of fiery orange. We retired with aching legs but a renewed spirit that night, and got ready early next morning to leave.
On the whole, it was a good trip, the dull menu in the hotel's restaurant and the lack of any good restaurants in the area were a pain to cope with, but could'nt spoil the goodness of the fresh air and the great sights we got to see. We returned with a bag of home made choclates, some hand made clothes for the kids and plenty of pics.