Before Kaveri returns to school.
I’m so pleased these are now such an important part of my family here in India.
Last few days
Category: Manjula still with me
Metamorphosis footnote
In India nothing ever seems to go to plan.
Delivered yesterday, there’s one or two places that need attention: bodywork, internals, indicators etc. but it’s over 89% there which is good.
So …. Sowbaghya, Antoinette and I went to the Lalith Mahal for a little celebration …
Samuella whose team did the work seems quite busy renovating other ambassadors.
He’s been working in them all his life.
Sowbaghya, with the support of Vasanth and Satish was leading from our end, the problem solving project manager.
Next morning Sowbaghya had arranged for us to take the car for Ganesh puja and the nearby Temple.
Unfortunately the battery was flat. As I said, nothing quite goes to plan.
So, a day later, the deed was done.
Metamorphosis Seven
The beauty arrives
Manjula’s Car rises again.
I bought it for her ten years ago.
Satish and I had searched Karnataka and eventually found it in Mandya District (near Srirangapatnam).
We needed it, as due to her health Manjula couldn’t safely and comfortably continue to ride pillion on my two wheelers.
We joked that not unlike the Bollywood movie — ‘Driving Miss Daisy” there was a chauffeur ( in our case a white old, not a black guy) and not an aged white woman as passenger but a brown ageless Indian beauty — my MAnjula.
It’s arrived at our house now….
Five years ago
A light wavered.
It didn’t go out as she’s very much with me.
Today on the fifth anniversary of losing her —- physically yes —- but not in any other way.
We remember Manjula
A meal is prepared including all her favourite things.
We offer it to her and by praying to her God we help her spirit find her way to the next incarnation.
A wonderful woman
In so many ways.
She could beat the Brit with her fast thinking humour.
This month I don’t rely just on my memory as I’m being constantly reminded by the smart phone photos of what happened five years ago when MAnjula had had enough.
This image (thanks for creating it Punith) popped up. As with everything, a story goes with it. …
Occasionally we’d have guests who’d arrive a bit fed-up. Maybe tired from the daily onslaught of travel or messed up by the consistent inconsistencies of this unpredictable land.
Manjula and I would realise (using secret signals) that we had someone who was ‘glass half full’ and then we’d turn up the jokey banter ‘smelling salts’ to help bring them round.
In due course when we were over full (when I’d lose my bedroom due to too many guests) it became known as ‘full full’. In time MAnjula used the term to reflect our happy life together.
It was ‘full full’ just too short.
A third friend.
Lucie and Billet-Doux have taken to walking with me in our park at ten each eve.
A new friend has appeared. After a few false starts and falling over I’ve now managed to photograph her.
She calls out. A sort of sophisticated cheeping sound and flits closeby seemingly sitting intentionally in locations on our route.
Or I’m assuming the best and maybe she wary of the ginger hunter by our side.
The metamorphosis begins…
Vasanth and Sowbaghya are helping liaise with Sam whose team have taken on the job.
He couldn’t quite understand why I wished to preserve the number plate, as it is.
Probably no one else did either.
It’s now a piece of artistic memory in the upstairs lounge.
Ok some might say it’s just extra tat but it is part of our story.
Grief gravy
For those in it, who’ve met that new lifelong friend or just want to know a bit more, there’s tons of my reactions and reflections on this site.
I’ve also found this ted talk which is good
.
Thank you MAnjula
Guests become friends
We would often say how lucky we are to have found each other and shared our home with a constant stream of new friends arriving at our door.
We had visitors yesterday.
A lovely family who first came to stay with us ten years ago with their young daughters.
What a lovely surprise.
B C Shetty and Mamatha
Dhrithi and Diya
Dhrithi and Diya have now grown to be strong clever young women, a real credit to their parents and themselves. At ages 15 and 17 they’ve been home schooled.
Fantastic and a great example how the women in India are seriously getting their act together.
Wonderful positive shared memories of MAnjula and our friends
The family are from Karkala and work full time for their NGO Kadike Trust and promote udupisaree
In August 2013
Two more Godfather cards were given out.
Me and MYCycle 