Manjula appeared behind my cycle as well as in our hearts on what would have been her 50th birthday.
We celebrated with 100 children at Kaliyuvamane
Today I brought her home.
We cycled through the countryside, along the national highway, through the suburbs and on my cycle route around Chamundi Hill.
Stopping to chat as people wondered what it was all about.
It’s about our love and her kindness
… and now we’re back home at Manjula’s Garden
Manjula once told me that she wished to be reincarnated as a tree
This book reminded me of that
So if you ever see me talking to a tree….
You know.
What’sapp between Ani and I
Sowbaghya is in charge, looking after the house and menagerie while I’m away.
So here, from a few years ago, are the two beauties together
STOP PRESS CHECK THE VIDEO
Manjula’s Mysore is now the name of the new business. and we’ve already done a few things…
A fun day of activities for forty young visually impaired women on what would have been Manjula’s 49th birthday. Please Check the video created by Faizan.
We’ll always do something on her birthday
Created a garden in the park opposite.
A holiday in Kannur for our extended team
Reopened mysore bed and breakfast and mycycle tours. This month the MCC : Mysore City Corporation issued a business licence and so we’ve officially welcomed our first guests.
The new business has allowed Stephen to get a business visa, to continue to stay in India. So far he’s not been able to get an OCI (overseas citizen of india) and most importantly it’s another way to celebrate MAnjula
Manjula’s Mysore is a three year project to do good as MAnjula would have wanted
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.
New park benches are sponsored by Netflix linked to Ricky Gervais’s series, in association with a charity tackling mental health issues.
They’ve placed them in different locations in the U.K.
An insightful series dealing with his reactions after the death of his wife. It helped me and it resonates with so many of the impacts of the loss.
We’ve done it too
Manjula’s Mysore had previously installed benches in a museum garden and the park opposite our house.
Manjula wished to be reincarnated as a tree as it protected and supported people. I was keen to develop projects that reflected Manjula’s open heart, and kindness. Manjula’s Mysore, our new company, aims to reflect that approach and so Manjula continues to give
The reason why Kaveri has featured so much in the postings is that Manjula’s Mysore (MM) is considering her for an educational scholarship.
We wish to identify a young girl with the potential and to provide opportunities that weren’t available to Manjula.
Meetings held by Kanchana and Sowbaghya with her family, the holiday in Kannur, given by Manjula’s Mysore, and the school holiday activities organised by Stephen has provided ample opportunity to get to know Kaveri.
There are many similarities between Kaveri and Manjula’s early childhood. I’ll not detail them out of respect for Kaveri and her family’s privacy.
We’ve now met all Kaveri’s family and the MM director’s with Stephen’s support consider her eligible for an education scholarship.
We’re now looking into what that will mean in practice with a view to finding an English medium school for Kaveri for the next academic year in 2023.
Footnote
Kanchana is a social worker here in Mysore, Stephen qualified as a social worker in the U.K. in the early 80s. He’s since worked managing grant and developing community projects and partnerships for trusts, government and multi-national corporations.
Stephen is Manjula’s husband.
The Directors of Manjula’s Mysore are Tanuja and Satish friends of Manjula who were instrumental in supporting and remembering her after she died.
Sowbhaghya and Sarvesh have helped as part of our wider team.
Today’s cherishable sad and sweet memories are the times Manjula and I spent together.
Here
The writer Didion coined the term ‘vortex’ in her book ‘a year of magical thinking’ about the year after her husband died.
It helpfully describes when one is ambushed by trigger memories of good times spent together.
But I wasn’t ambushed, as I fully expected it.
These are sad and tearful yet happy treasured moments in central London. I know it so well yet it now has an other dimension.
At Christmas I gave myself a wonderful gift
It was such a characterful portrait of beautiful Manjula. The enigmatic artist knows MAnjula, connected and found her spirit.
I just had to have another.
I may seem greedy but I just can’t get enough of MAnjula (you may have worked that out) and especially how Priyanka brings out many facets of my beautiful wife.
There’s even more significant detail to explore in this one.
P was guided by a photograph from shortly after we were engaged in 2015
Now where can I hang her?
Me and MYCycle 