My new best friend and gang leader (she’s promised that I can join) has returned home today.
Fond farewell
Tag: Mysore
It’s the final countdown
Kaveri leaves for home on Saturday so we fitted in a few more activities.
But what is it all about and who is Kaveri?
Rebel three
Eating a lot
But still not enoughD
She’s too thin and her grandmother worries.
We’ve already established a few goody rituals. Stopping for Pani Puri or rice bhath on the street or an ice cream at our usual cafe or as today the whole lot plus roti, dhal and fruit salad back at my house.
She will often ask for a parcel (take out) of what’s leftover her her teenage auntie back at her grandmothers.
A generous foreigner is too good an opportunity to miss and it is summer camp.
She isn’t greedy but is keen to share her good fortune.
Rebel Two
She lives in Hinkal on the other side of Mysore but I get to see her some weekends and during the school summer holiday, when she visits her grandmother, who lives opposite our house.
We’re in the midst of school holidays so she’s here everyday for a few weeks and I’ve introduced ta – ra ta -ra….
We’ve already had walking Lucie, cycling single and tandem, many trips to the cafe, the infamous holiday, games on and off screen, trips to various institutions namely the vets and dentist, outings in the Ambassador, storytelling, shopping for birthday present clothes more and more….
There’s a serious reason for all this related to MAnjula.
Rebellious
meet Kaveri
over the next few weeks I’ll post an evolving introduction to one of our new friends.
I can hear her now. Her bossy tone wafting over — from her grandmother’s home — on the other side of the park outside our house .
She’s already featured on a few entries on meandmycycle, most notably this month when she joined the ‘Manjula’s Mysore” outing to Kerala. Check here
We began making connections some time ago
So come and say hello to Kaveri…
Rebel Number One, ….an earlier posting saw Kaveri :
⁃ stuffing herself (under her grandmother’s encouragement we’re trying to feed her up, she is very skinny),
⁃ completing her “How to draw almost Everything for Kids’ sourcebook
⁃ playing in the park
and of course she was part of the Madness in Kerala
So why am I introducing you to Kaveri? …. bear with me, you’ll see.
Rebel One
Cause to be determined
A fond farewell
Sadly one person was missing
But we all reminisced and felt her hug and presence in our hearts
Kaveri and Rhadika
On an action filled day.
Went rounding with Stephen uncle, for a drive around the base of Chamundi Hill, playing in the park (for one of them anyway) , a stop for pani puri
before the grand finale (which wasn’t) ginormous Ice creams.
The ice creams were too much for the girls and they couldn’t finish. Each cost almost a daily wage.
Wrong impression.
At her grandmother’s place Kaveri showed me her school work.
She has exams over the next two days and her English is improving.
I really enjoyed my time with Kaveri and Rhadika
Eleven plus an Englishman and a dog go mad in Kerala
On MAnjula’s death anniversary, we came up with a great idea to celebrate her— even more — by going on holiday to one of her favourite places.
Kannur is where Manjula and I first went on holiday together after our engagement in 2015.
It’ll be a great adventure with MAnjula giggling from the antics of the loosely formed team.
It’s a challenge, anywhere, to bring together fragments of four families with two additions of an Englishman and his dog but this is India. It’ll be OK.
It’s a great way to thank Sowbaghya, Tanuja and Satish for the help they’ve been in so many ways, including setting up the new business.
It’s also an opportunity to spend fun time with Kaveri and her young auntie Rhadika.
We’ve got the go ahead from Kaveri’s mum, Satish has worked it out with the school and Jo will definitely have completed her term.
So we’re good to go…
Wonderful
So which amazing place is going to host this motley crew?
The days after, three years ago
Doing my duty…
When one suffers such loss that forms a trauma and it’s aftermath, it’s an extra challenge to focus on the positive.
It’s especially difficult at anniversary time. There’s a preoccupation with the loss, the guilt, a blaming.
In this month there’s also helpful reminders of good, our wedding ceremonies.
Some might wonder why I follow so ‘religiously’ the traditions. It’s simply my love and devotion for MAnjula.
The day afterwards brings out memories of when she was laid to rest on her bed, outside our house with the tell tale symbols of the smouldering wood informing the neighbourhood what was happening. Next we’d go to the industrial shed-oven aka crematorium and before that a puja by the side led by Manjula’s brother.
A kindly neighbour brought Bhagavad Gita to help emphasise our duty not to become too attached to our loved ones and to help their soul spirit move onto another body.
Here’s me doing precisely that…..
Do follow the link and check the video at the end where I’m at one of the most significant places on Srirangaptnam; visited on every cycle tour over the past ten years.
Me and MYCycle 