Please note I was attending with Ina, (guest from Australia) she wasn’t dancing.
Trad dance with Ina
Category: our story
Past Birthdays
This year we celebrated Manjula’s with an event for forty young women. Have you seen the wonderful video by Faizan.
Well it’s time for a team gathering again to celebrate MAnjula.
Teeny profile
Our local Karnataka media showed interest in young visually impaired women cycling on the fun day organised by Manjula’s Mysore.
Prajavani
Kannada Prabha
This is important recognition for our young team who gave a great opportunity to the young women and returned two weeks later to give rides to the young women who missed out.
Here’s our press release and announcement about ManjulasMysore
Bhaj to share
In my new world I sometimes find myself in places or read things I wish I could share with Manjula Vellada
So I share with you.
I’m reading about ’Kabir’ in Incarnations by Sunil Khilnani . I quote from page 90 about Bhakti and Sufi movements that “both embraced the idea of a personal relationship with God. Priests or mullahs didn’t matter, precise ritual didn’t matter; caste didn’t mattter.” which remind me of the question she once raised with me: “if God is in everyone, why do we need Temples?”
That’s my thinking MAnjula and reflects our home — where caste wasn’t recognised and we were all equal.
My Manjula’s birthday
On the 21st August 2022 it was Manjula’s Birthday.
After we were engaged, in 2015, I worked to ensure all her IDs were in order.
That involved her deciding which of the two dates were her actual birthday. She decided that the 21st August was most likely. That year she switched from previously not recognising her birthday to full on celebration.
Since then we’d always do something special, go out for the day, sometimes for lunch and in the evening have a meal for our friends.
Here’s a video compilation of some of the videos she made for me in the last few years of her life. Thanks to Faizan.
For those who met her you’ll recognise her wonderful character shining through. If you’re one of the many new friends to Manjula you’ll feel her warm, shining love as we all continue to do.
We continue to celebrate since losing her three years ago.
So what did we do this year?
We relaunched our business Manjula’s Mysore (previously that was just our domain name) and its new logo but that doesn’t really count. So what did we do?
Knock Knock
I’ll often joke to our guests that there might be a knock at the door….
Well there was for…,
Jony, Sue, Chris and Ruth
It wasn’t the secret police but a return visit from me.
Jony kindly put me up after passing through WOMAD on my tour of the south west that included Dorset, Trowbridge, Kingsclere and Bath.
…
I was also hanging out with other critical friends in Kingsclere.
At the home of Stephen who edits
After Dorset I was
At Ruth’s in Bath and reading from her latest book of poems, all about India….
I think I’ll export some to India
…..
Thank you all for you care and kindness
I’m so happy to have created something special with MAnjula which continues to grow our wonderful family.
Check out the next posting to see how we continue to celebrate Manjula and continue to grow our family.
Wo no Mud
I very nearly didn’t go to the WOMAD festival this year. I’m glad I did otherwise I would have missed meeting members of our Mysore family.
I camped with my friends who I’ve known for years but unusually this time I bumped into so many others…..
Lots of guests of Mysore Bed and Breakfast who have become friends and now officially part of our family. I’m missing photographs of Mike and Sue who were at our wedding, and Stephen of bicycles and bees, and friends from behind the bar.
It cheered me up no end.
It tells you a lot about the wonderful, friendly, easy-going people that visit us and make up our warm caring community.
It was exceptional and a real tonic, thank you…. Ruth, Alan, Gill, Don, Paul, Lisa, Oliver, Emma, Lucy, Liz, Mike, Sue, Stephen, Paul and Ros while not to forgetting the bar crew and our usual WOMAD gang. Phew!
Oh and there was also music, drink, wooden spoon carving (more later) food and great vibes…… which I would otherwise have missed.
There was no rain so no MUD (there have been challenging muddy years), the weather was great.
I just missed my star, the last time she was with me.
Can we find her?
Isn’t she pretty?
Stolen
… in Mount Pleasant Vancouver. Please pass this information on to help locate her. there’s a reward of cash or a free cycle tour and accommodation in Mysore, flight not included. 🤭
I’d planned to bring her back to London and then onto India after she was given to me by my son while holidaying in Canada in July 2022.
There’s more of our history here.
She’s distinctive with her yellow frame, white wheels and pretend leather saddle. She has a single front rim brake.
I’ve now flown back but can arrange to pick her up or have her transported when we find her.
My son Oliver Farrell is the proprietor of ‘Feel Good Everyday’ near the railway (train) station in Vancouver and can be contacted there or online. Please email me at sfindia@gmail.com
We’ve listed details here
Manufactured by Regal Bicycles in Toronto, she was known as ‘Count’ over ten years ago as a single gear fixie but now she has the addition of three speed gears and coaster brake and so we named her Trixie
I lead city Mcycle tours and host Mysore Bed and Breakfast in South India.
My experience was otherwise very positive in Canada.
Canada Cares
Drivers keep to the lane and stop for pedestrians at zebra crossings and side roads.
Considerate Canadians helping out.
That’s nice.
Postscript
While I was out and preparing this posting someone came round (or maybe overnight) and stole Trixie, my new friend. So not all Canadians are good apples.
Managing grief
The lifelong friend becomes more manageable through diversion and building more around the grief bubble
Two new friends and an older one have made the biggest difference.
Me and MYCycle 