Pratibha's first dance performance in 3 years.

 Pratibha did her knee surgery a year and a half ago. She'd been carrying an ACL tear for about 4 years leading up to the surgery. I categorically deny that a supremely accurate zinger from me during a dodgeball game had anything to do with the torn ACL. I strongly maintain that my throw only exposed the inherent weakness of the knee. Toward the later stages of the injury she used to randomly dislocate her knee while out and about. Sharp pain for a few hours and a couple of days with us fussing around her. It's possible she enjoyed these short breaks. All through this she continued with her Bharatnatyam classes with Rohini Herur and Laasya School of Dance. That was the one hook that kept her active.

When covid struck and classes stopped is when she seriously considered the surgery and finally did it. I wouldn't lie .. the first couple of months were very difficult. I remember having to carry her to her first couple of sessions of physiotherapy and her hobbling with crutches for the first several weeks. For someone who prides herself on being self made and independent .. it was hard to depend so much on others. Shout out to Sona and Megha for keeping the house running and keeping her spirits up through this phase. Also, big thanks to Josh and co at Select Physical Therapy at Rancho Bernardo for their help.

Progress was slow and steady but all through Pratibha clung on to her dream of continuing her passion for dancing. Frequent meet ups with Anusha Radhakrishnan .. her dance partner who always believed in her and was confident she would make it back helped tremendously to keep her motivated. I was forced to become a believer when her single legged squats started going lower than mine. I was beginning to wonder if my knees needed an evaluation. As she slowly got back to being active she resumed her classes with 1-1 sessions with Rohini. 1-1 progressed to classes with her old group .. and finally a performance at the California center for arts in Escondido.

So proud of her for the progress she's made and the distance she's covered. Not only did she chase down her passion, she stayed happy and cheerful through the journey .. a true life lesson for me.

Achan turns 75 (Feb 10 2022)

 

Achan turned 75 Today. It's a significant milestone and I wish Kinu and I could have been with him to share it. Being the practical minded person he is, I'm sure achan doesn't mind the distance as long as he is in our thoughts. So today, I paused to think about achan, amma and how they molded me.

As the oldest boy in a family of 7, achan has always believed he should be a role model to everyone. That bred discipline and a deep desire to do everything he picks up to the fullest. From my youngest days I was guided by the same outlook. Do things as best I can, or don't. No half measures. As I grew up I noticed the flip side of that coin. They were at peace with life. Finding joy in little things, close friends, badminton, family, spirituality. Things that are always around them. They never looked for fulfillment based on the outcome of whatever they worked hard at. The work itself was the fulfillment. To Quote the Gita : "karmaṇye vedhi karaste ma phaleshu kadachana ma karma phalahetur bhurma te sango stvakarmaṇi". The right is to work. Not for the fruits of work. Do not let the fruits of your work be your motivation, nor assume the outcome is because of the work you did.  Achan and amma are living examples of that philosophy and the real benefit it brings to our own life. By detaching from the outcome, they are free to pursue everything to their fullest ability without thought for whether it will succeed or fail. And they never burn out because the mind is always free from worry. A contended mind .. a continuous feast.

The other thing I learnt from my dad is that life is a lemon and spoon race, not a sprint. We have multiple balls in the air, and a life well lived is one where we can keep all of them up .. not one where we can throw one to touch the sky. Achan hung out with us, went to work, and played badminton every day. He never prioritized one over the other. Yes, I'm sure his family was more important than his sport, but, every day, the family got it's  due, the job got it's due and the sport got it's due. He never let any one take over the other. Now, when I see him in his golden years, I can see the fruits of his balancing act. The job is gone, kinu and I are gone .. but amma and badminton remain. He's just added morning walks into the mix. Life is still worth living. Stuff is still happening around him that he wants to participate in.

While the underlying philosophy to life is shared by both, amma is a totally different person. Cheerfully resilient and ready to face whatever life throws at her. There isn't another who loves life more. And she's had her fair share of challenges. From losing her brother and her father at a young age, to surviving cancer and thriving, to sharing a house with two strong willed people like achan and me. She's done it, and she's done with with gusto. There's a saying from one of the marvel movies. "Compromise where you can .. and where you cannot, don't". I think that defines her to a T. Rock solid principles, and flexible everywhere else. She really is the glue that holds our family together. Filling up all the holes that our rigid, disciplined lifestyle created. Always ready with a joke and a kind word but never tolerating any nonsense.

I look at my two girls and I see so much of achan and amma in them. Megha with amma's sarcastic wit and achan's natural discipline, and Sona with amma's effortless brilliance, going through life on her own terms while still showing she's capable of going for any goal without every stopping to think if she's to succeed or fail .. just like achan. If there is one inheritance I want for them, it's that they inherit their outlook to life.  Live free, live well and live to the fullest. 

America post Trump's election (2017)

My facebook feed is flooded with news of what Trump did or did not do. Why fall behind .. I'm adding my piece to the banter.

Trump supporters voted for Trump because he promised to seal the borders, withdraw Obamacare, stop political correctness, block min wage increases, reduce taxes etc. I do not like a lot of what he does .. specially on immigration, but I'm sure his supporters feel vindicated. It looks like he will keep his promises .. which means he has not changed post election. That deserves respect. He won the election fair and square. Moreover, the republicans now hold the Senate, the House and the Presidency. Clearly they have more support than the democrats. It's their turn to rule. That's what a democracy is all about.

Post election the Democrats keep yelling shrilly about what is wrong with Trump supporters. Meanwhile they have no intention of doing any real soul searching and fixing. Many of us did not vote for Hillary because she kept changing her spots. I had no idea what she stood for and therefore I was ambivalent about her. It felt like she only wanted to be president. Not do anything meaningful. On top of it she kept hiding behind her team. Every time there was an issue, it was always Hillary's team, Hillary's advisors etc .. never Hillary in front.

The Democrats have also rigged the system such that only a party insider can win the nomination. I hate how they touted their super delegates to sideline Bernie. We need to get rid of the super-delegate system. It's not democratic. On top of it party leaders colluded to derail Bernie's campaign. When caught red handed they buried their head in the sand and pretended that is no issue at all. They also played the race card too much and alienated the white middle class. Along with the republicans they've played politics and created an environment where Whites and minorities look at each other with hostility and suspicion. #BlacklivesMatter is a seminal movement that is losing it's way because of the raw hate that flies on both sides. Life is unfair and hard for immigrants and minorities in every country. And it will always be so. To throw out statistics and scare them even more is not the best way forward. There are good people on both sides .. we need to enable their voices and build trust.

I first came here in 2001 and I still remember how welcoming the country felt. A melting pot where people could be whoever they wanted to be and would not be judged by others. There was no caste system or class system. In college, the janitor in my dept expected and received the same courtesy and respect as the professor did. These things are not automatic in the rest of the world and I love America for it. Despite the odd jerk I've encountered since, nothing's changed my opinion of the country. It may have some ups and downs, but it really is the home of the free and it will always be so. Too many of us love it the way it is right now. So Let's be optimistic about the future.

Camping (2015)

Pratibha, the kids and I love camping. And I love it that parks here provide all sorts of amenities for camping. Showers, flush toilets .. running water at the campsite (sometimes) etc etc . Every time summer rolls around, we head out to the mountains for a weekend or two underneath the stars. The process is tried, tested and stress free. We usually start off with a morning hike and set up camp after the kids are tired. Sona and Megha would go looking for animal tracks and Pratibha would get busy with the camp stove while I setup the tent and supplies. Once the tent is up, there'll be hot tea, some snacks, a book and a hammock ready for me (she prefers a chair). Around sunset the kids come back. We light a fire and kick off grilling. Corn, veggie patties, marshmellows, fish burgers, baked bananas .. just lots of food. Afterwards, when the fire dies down, I lie in the hammock and point out star constellations to the kids .. Alright fine .. most of the time I make up a name .. dad's got to survive. They can sense weakness.

Sometimes though, the wheels fall off. Last summer we camped near lake Cuyamacca. Sites there are hard to get and I usually monitor them year round for openings on a good weekend. One Friday I saw an opening for friday and sat night. I could camp that very night. Some fool had a last minute emergency and must have cancelled. I pounced and roared in triumph. Called up Pratibha and told her to get off work early. She wasn't sure. 

Sonu : "Nikku .. we need to pack, get the kids ready .. can we do it?"

I insisted ..  we've been looking for a campsite here for ages. 

"But we'll get there after dark"

I scoffed at that with utter contempt .. I'd setup a tent so many times, I could do it with a blindfold .. on one leg .. holding babies in both hands. 

"Btw ... any idea why they cancelled"

"who cares ... lets do this"

I rushed out, grabbed the kids from school, and headed home after a quick stop at the grocer. I'm no greenhorn. Last minute is never an issue for a professional like me. I mean .. I have a checklist in a spreadsheet printed and pasted over my bedpost. So I wasn't even nervous. Methodically packed up all the stuff while the kids got ready. 

Tent ... grabbed it and threw it in the car

ice and Ice box .. in the van

grill tools ... in the van

cooking utensils .. in the van

corn, burgers, veggies .. in the van

Paneer .. skip it

Hammock and chairs.. in the van

Toiletries .. in the van

clothes .. in the van

lanterns .. in the van

sleeping bags, jackets, air beds, charcoal, lighter fluid, duraflame log, .. man I was good .. I didn't even need to look at the spreadsheet anymore. Soon as Pratibha got home we headed out. We were halfway there when I asked her to check the weather. Night was going to be in the high 30s Farenheit (2-4 deg centigrade). Still warmer than the ice in Pratibha's eyes. "That explains why the others cancelled" she said coldly. I feigned nonchalance and kept driving. "Those sleeping bags are rated at 32 .. I guess we'll find out how good they are huh" .. I croaked. By the time we got to the campsite it was 9 O clock. I stepped out .. stepped back in .. crawled sorrowfully to the back of the minivan and dug out my thickest jacket. It was freezing. I knew exactly where this was leading. That elder daughter of mine never feels cold. She would insist on setting up the tent and sleeping inside. Pratibha and Megha would curl up in the back of the minivan .. which can take a fullsize mattress once emptied. 

"Anyone want's to go home? .. I can drive while you sleep" I squeaked. 

"No way" .. came 2 full throated roars from the back seat. 

"We just got here" "I haven't even looked at the sky yet" " "We have to explore the woods tomorrow" "And you promised to take me to the lake .. remember"

"Alright .. Alright" I said raising my voice over the cacophony. "I'll setup the tent" 

I could feel the icicles in my lungs by the time I was done with that. To top it all, I had left the tent flap at home. "So much the better" Said Sona "We can see the night sky"I grabbed the lantern and looked whistfully at the Pratibha and Megha cozily cuddled up in the back of the minivan. "Come on .. come on Papa .. it's not even snowing". "Fine .. you polar bear .. I'm coming". She crawled into the sleeping bag, curled up, and was lost in dreams in 5 mins. I tried to curl .. the dratted bag was too small. My face poked out. It was going numb in the cold. I wondered when frostbite strikes. I don't know when I fell asleep. Maybe I just cryo froze and thawed in the morning. That was the coldest I'd ever camped in without heat. Luckily, by morning, things picked up and temperatures returned to normal. Sat night, we were back to our usual camping routine and I still love camping. 

A broken ankle (2015)

I love birthday parties. Kids play a bit and we all go for dinner. Then I stuff myself with birthday cake. In short .. heaven. A few weeks back was my good friend Jatin's son, Arush's birthday. The platoon and I landed at Get Air. I was at my dignified best as Jatin introduced me to his parents and other distinguished guests. Then I turned around and saw paradise. A stadium sized room that was essentially one big trampoline. Basketball hoop in one corner where kids were bouncing and dunking. Track in another corner where kids were having bouncing races. Little platforms from which kids were diving into the trampolines. Trampolines in front of me .. trampolines behind me .. trampolines to the side of me. All calling out to me. I slid over to Jatin. "Exactly how well can your parents see .. like if I bounce in a far corner .. would they recognize me .. I can change my shirt if you want?". A look of sheer joy and ecstasy filled his face. "I got you man, I got your back .. don't worry", He said as he started bounding on the trampolines. His dad walked over with a stern expression. "Oh Papa .. Nishant here wanted to jump. I'm just giving him company" Said Judas as he jumped headfirst into a crowd of kids. I smiled sheepishly at uncle as I let the trampolines take me. A few blissful minutes later I caught Pratibha hopping onto the trampolines. I figured her heart must have filled with pride at the sight of the two of us valiantly upholding the prestige of the seniors in bounce races and dunk contests against gifted toddlers. She must have stepped in to congratulate us on our effort. Or just ever so slightly .. maybe she jumped in to drag me out. I dashed for the exit. I knocked her over and she twisted her ankle. Folks gathered around. She was in pain. The last time I saw that face was 5 years back when she was about to deliver Megha. I was in pain .. in anticipation of the pain I was sure to receive. She gave me a wry smile and a chuckle. Sweetheart .. she had come on to jump as well. She couldn't resist when she saw us jumping.

I helped her off the trampoline while gently reminding her that these activities are certainly not recommended for people of our age. I mean .. who does that right! I was just giving Jatin company. I wasn't really jumping. "Just get the ice pack Nikku", she cut short my speech. In half an hour it was evident from the swelling that it was no ordinary sprain. One ER visit and a snickering X-ray technician later, she's home with an ankle that's broken in two places and a sturdy boot to kick me with if I ever step out of line. We're all fussing over her. Sona's cooking her tea. Megha's washing dishes and I'm going to be toiling around the house for a very long time to make up for what I did. No wonder she's smiling so much these days.

Travelling alone with kids (2014)

Every two years, we take a trip to India to help our kids renew their bonds with grandparents and relatives. It's a time of rest and recreation. Pratibha goes ahead of me. After a period of quiet relaxation at home, I catch a peaceful and uneventful flight to India where well adjusted kids greet me at the airport. A few weeks of relentless eating later, a heavier and reluctant me would head back to San Diego with Pratibha and the kids in tow looking forward to the next trip to India. I never understood why Pratibha palpitates so much when it's time to travel. I chalked it down to inexperience and the lack of the calm collected presence of mind that I am known to possess.

Recently Pratibha was offered a job in a company very close to our house. It'd been 5 years since she worked and it was a great opportunity to jump back into the workplace. We took it. The only downside was that she couldn't take vacation this year. We talked about what to do about our India trip.

Sonu: "Nikku, you think we should cancel the trip?"
Me (Thinking of all the good food back home) : "Cancel .. no way, I can handle traveling with kids"
Sonu (With a look of surprise) : "You can?"
Me : "Of course .. I've handled them for so many years!"
Sonu (even more surprised) " You did?"
Memory is a cruel trickster. When I needed it most, it mercilessly let me down and I forgot all the times I had panicked and gone running to Pratibha during our numerous road trips.
Me (supremely confident) : " You know what, I'm taking the kids, and I'll take my niece along with me for good measure.

So it was arranged. I'll take the kids .. and my 14 year old niece .. to India for a month while Pratibha settles into her workplace. Word spread like fire. Folks from all over southern California came to see me and wish me luck. I enjoyed the attention thickly refusing to wonder why they looked so sympathetic.

The big day arrived. Pratibha had a happy grin pasted on her face that I couldn't, for the life of me, wipe off. The only time it faded slightly was to put on a face of sarcastic incredulity when I packed Megha's change of clothes. "Only 3?" she asked. I ignored her. One for Singapore, and 2 for emergencies .. I'm a pro ..  I travel light. My usually happy and cheerful kids, who always prefer hanging out with me as opposed to their mom, suddenly abandoned my charming company and clung to their mom like leeches. Ignoring that last minute warning,  I headed out into the wide world with a 4 year old, an 8 year old and a 14 year old for a 42 hr trip, halfway around the globe, to India.

The first flight was to Japan. "The joys of traveling with kids" I thought to myself as my kids and I were led into the airplane ahead of everyone else.
In the past I had looked on with envy as folks in the bassinet row stretched out their legs while I sat cramped several rows behind them. "The joys of traveling with kids" I thought to myself and I stretched myself out to avail of the extra legroom in the bassinet seats I had carefully requested ahead of the flight.

Fiddling with Megha's remote and asking the air hostess for candies to deal with ear aches during takeoffs were minor details. I knew we were going to have a blast. " these moms ... they make mountains out of molehills ... all it takes is an even temperament and some planning" I thought to myself as I dozed off.

Midway through the flight the air hostess woke me up for food. Sona, being vegetarian, got her food ahead of Megha. A fight erupted right away. Sona smacked Megha's hand as she reached for Sona's dessert. Megha pushed Sona's tray with all her might. CRASH .... I now knew why Pratibha never requests bassinet seats. Regular seats have a seat in front of the tray table for support and it's pretty hard for a child to push the tray off it when the mom's got the aisle seat. These ones, require a fair bit of finesse to keep balanced on that miserable excuse of a saucer they call the tray table. I apologized profusely to the horrified air hostess who came running with napkins and set about cleaning Megha's clothes. The first 'emergency' change of clothes was done in the first couple of hours. I started to get a little worried but I didn't show it. After a terrible 45 mins scolding and cajoling, the kids settled down again. I was tired, I'd lost my appetite. I decided to skip the meal and go back to sleep.

I was woken up by an incessant crying. Megha had a tummy ache. I asked her if she needed to use the restroom. She declined. Being the loving and considerate father, I unbuckled her seatbelt and picked her up. She nestled against my chest and settled down. I looked around at the other moms in triumph .. that's when she threw up all over me. The moms looked at me with pity. The poor air hostess came running with more napkins. The second change of clothes were done with. I wanted to cry. I had never missed Pratibha more in my entire life.

Since I had soiled clothes with me in my backpack, I took the remaining changes of clothes and distributed them between Sona and Megha's  backpacks. I then showed Megha the paper bag provided in airplanes to throw up in. " Megha .. if you have this kind of tummy ache again .. please throw up in the bag .. ok?" she nodded to acknowledge she understood. We settled down again. I dared not sleep. A gazillion years later, we landed in Tokyo. We were 10 hours into a 42 hour trip. I asked my niece to keep an eye on the kids as I went to get a bottle of water and a tablet for Megha's motion sickness. When I came back, Megha was throwing up into her backpack. " What are you doing?" I yelled in panic. " Throwing up into the bag .. dint you ask me to do that?" She replied.

The less said about the rest of the trip, the better. Suffice to say, I lost a significant sum in Singapore getting our clothes washed and dried, and I gained a healthy respect for women who travel alone with kids.

Megha's Desk

Sunday is my favorite day of the week. It's badminton day. Every Sunday morning at 8:30, Sona and I head out to her 3 hour badminton camp. Sona gets a workout. And I get an audience that is forced to relive, in painful detail, my glorious badminton days, as I persistently, and unsolicitedly, remind them how insignificant their effort is compared to what I had to do when I was a kid. But destiny played a cruel trick on me last Sunday. I overslept. Sona woke up at 6 .. and let me sleep. Megha woke up at 7 .. and let me sleep. And the unkindest cut of all .. Sonu woke up at 7:30 .. and let me sleep. Just to save a few kids she doesn't even know very well .. in a badminton camp far far away. I woke up at 9 .. sprang out of bed with all the enthusiasm of a voluntary coach .. saw the time .. and and gave out a yell of shock and sorrow.

Sona and Megha blew into the room. "Get ready Papa, we're cleaning the house today". Double blow to the solar plexus. I looked around groggily. To my untrained eye, the house looked pretty clean. In my early years of marriage I might even have mentioned that. But I'm a fast learner. I dint have it in me. "Down in a min, I yelled while sprinting down the stairs to gain more brownie points".

Cleanup at home is fairly simple. Sona and Megha go first picking up the small stuff and Sonu follows with the vacuum. I add the muscle .. to move the big stuff that Sona and Megha cannot handle. Usually I manage to talk Pratibha out of moving the big stuff so I do .. umm .. nothing. But I am a good motivational speaker while they work. Once Vacuuming is done Sonu goes around rearranging every item in the house. If left to ourselves, Sona, Megha and I would utilize this time to pick up all the small stuff and bring them back out. Unfortunately, Sonu is enlightened. So she usually sends us out on trivial pursuits like getting groceries, or washing the car. By the time we come back inside, the house is spotless and glistening. All in all, except for the fact that I'll have to massage Sonu's back at the end of the day, Clean up isn't really that much of a big deal. Honestly, I don't understand why Sonu finds it so difficult. I could do this everyday.

Sona Megha and I spent a happy morning idling around the master bedroom. Just as cleanup was done, I heard 'that' tone outside our bedroom door.

Sonu "Are you going to do something about that desk?"
Me   "What desk?"
Sonu "The desk you bought for Megha last November?"
Me  "What about the desk?"
Sonu "It's sitting in the garage .. it needs to be assembled"

There's a reason that desk was still in the garage. The instruction manual for assembly was bigger than some of my engineering textbooks. Moreover, if memory served me right, it had taken all my physical strength to slide that box off my car to the garage wall. How in the world was I going to get it upstairs and into Megha's room, not to mention assemble it. I looked at Pratibha. Behind every successful man is an angry woman. One look at her face and I knew I was capable of doing it. I broke open the box and moved the pieces upstairs in batches. Then I opened the instruction manual and started weeping. 50 pages of instructions. Each one more complicated than the other. Sonu, bless her, is a much kinder soul than I am. She offered to help. Two hours later, I was done. Four hours later the desk was done. I did do some of the heavy lifting and putting things in place OK. It wasn't all her. Anyway .. I think I owe her a dinner. 

Yellowstone Road Trip(Summer 2013)

Last summer I broached the topic of a true road trip to Pratibha. Predictably, she turned me down. So I tried again, and again. I knew I would win, I was an experienced hand. That's how I won her hand a long time ago. Moreover, I had two 'puny poppinjays' for backup. Finally, after an entire summer of cajoling, she relented. Of course, after that, I let her take care of the rest of the details. I mean that's why she's reluctant right!

I took a week off from work. Our final destination was Yellowstone National Park. But we planned to stop at different places on the way so that we never drive more than 5-6 hours at one go. That meant a lot of stops, but I dint have a choice. When Sona and Megha sit in a car, the first 4 hours are all about games and jokes, and fun. Every minute after that is a dental extraction. First they turn on each other which I don't mind so much (though it drives Pratibha crazy). After that, they unite and turn on me.

Megha: "Are we there yet."
Sona: "When do we stop."
Megha: " Can I use the restroom."
Sona: "I'm hungry."
Megha: "I think we're out of gas."
Sona: "Did you know the risk of diabetes increases 25% if you sit for too long?"
Megha: "We're going the wrong way."
Sona: "Did you know that enzymes that breakdown fat drop by 90% when you sit for too long?"
Megha : "We have a flat tyre"
Sona: "Did you know HDL cholesterol levels drop if you sit for too long?"
Megha: "How much longer papa"
Sona: " Do you know electrical activity in the legs shut down if you sit for too long.
Megha: "The sun is on my face"
Sona: "Do you know we can get deep vein thrombosis if we sit for too long?"
Megha: "can we have curd-rice now"

I try not to get to this point, and that's why I cap my drives at 5 hours.

The trip was fantastic. The kid were great. Sonu planned every detail. And I faked knowing every detail so well, sometimes I believed it too. Now where are the car keys? A pearl of wisdom from an experienced hand .. there's no greater joy in life than knowing that you can get through an entire road trip without worrying about diapers.

Sona wrote about it to her grandparents and so I'm going to just paste her trip report here.



Dear Achachan and Ammamma,
                        How are you? I hope ammamma has some more yummy treats plus ice cream with her. I wrote about our trip to Yellowstone and I'm having papa mail it out to you.

   A few days back we came home from an awesome road trip! Let me tell you a little bit about it. We rented a big red SUV. Ganesh uncle kept skittles and M&Ms in the SUV for megha and me. It was supposed to be a surprise but I already knew. When papa opened the car I was looking for anything special and I spotted them. Megha had the skittles and I had the M&Ms ..  yum.

First we went to Las Vegas. Las Vegas had outstanding lights. When we got to our hotel, 'Circus Circus', it was awesome! It had cozy bouncy beds and a great view. We ate dinner (puris), we took a bath, and we looked out the window and we went to sleep. We spent one night at circus circus.

  When I woke, papa was carrying me toward the car. I was tired, so I think I took a nap. We drove and drove toward Bryce canyon. I woke up close to sunrise. That was beautiful. The mountains were shining. Mama was taking picture after picture after picture. On the way to Bryce Canyon we drove through a canyon. I've never seen canyons like that before. There was canyon walls on all sides and a little tiny stream at the bottom. Little Megha was sad that the stream was on my side of the window and she couldn't see it.

   It was a really long drive. At the entrance to Bryce we saw a sign that said tunnels ahead and I was surprised. They turned out to be naturally made arches formed by water flowing through rocks. Bryce Canyon was worth it. You should have been there ... It was amazing! We went on a little hike called sunrise point hike. The hike was so 'natury'. I loved it. We got close to the walls of the cliffs. They were funny shapes and one was hollow. I thought of jumping into it but I did not because I was not close enough and there could be all sorts of bugs in there.  After the hike we drove to different viewing points. Little Megha slept off. My favourite viewpoint was the natural bridge. It looked a bit like the tunnels we drove under, except it had a big flat top that I thought was good for walking on, but I said no way.

  From Bryce we drove to an Indian restaurant in Salt Lake City. I ate chocolate dosa .. yummy. Little Megha ate idly and she mixed ketchup in her chutney and ate that too .. ewwww.  Then we drove to a hotel in the same city. They had Wall-e on TV. I watched that and then I slept.

 The next morning, when I woke up, we were already in the car. We were driving towards Grand Teton National park. we ate breakfast at a place with a beautiful view. It was a turnout beside the road and it had three rocks. Two were big and one was small and I think papa and I sat on the big ones and Megha sat on the small one. First we brushed our teeth and then we ate idli. After that we kept driving and Snake River came into view. Snake river was really pretty. Trees were on the side and there were beaver dams here and there. We stopped and there was a little isthmus that we walked towards. To cross over , mama and I tried to balance on rocks but we couldn't and we wet our feet. We skipped some stones on the water but mama could not. Papa was the best. The restroom there was primitive (Stinky with no running water). After that we continued to Grand Teton. Before Grand Teton we passed though the city of Jackson. The area around Jackson is called Jackson Hole. Jackson Hole had just grass and there were mountains far away. Mama and papa stopped to photograph some bisons. I took some pictures too.

Finally, after another long, long, but enjoyable, drive we reached Grand Teton National Park. When we reached Grand Teton we had fried rice for lunch. I didn't eat much because there were too many vegetables. After that we went on a ranger led hike. I was with the ranger most of the time. The ranger talked about Grand Teton and Swan Lake. He said that there are no sharp rocks allowed in the park where we were hiking (Actually he was kidding .. he meant that long long ago .. glaciers had rounded off all the rocks in that area and so you wont find any sharp rocks unless someone puts them there). He also said that Swan Lake is a crater lake and there were only three swans ( I only saw two). There were different types of pine trees that he talked about and beetles were destroying trees. He showed scratch marks where bears had scratched at the trees to get the rough stuff inside. He also showed us a beaver dam and chewed up trees from beaver activity. I liked the hike because he was funny and he would play nice songs on the radio and we guessed who the artist was. I didn't guess any because I didn't know any of them. After the hike we went to our tent cabin and Megha and I explored the woods next to it. We played cooking but we lost our ziplocs. Next time I am going to hold on to them even when I am asleep ... mmmm .. actually not. But I'll be more careful. In the evening we ate some mac and cheese. Then we made a campfire and toasted marshmallows. After that we went to Colter Bay amphitheater to watch meteors. I got to peek through a real powerful telescope and saw two big stars that were orbiting each other.

When I woke up the next day we were on our way to Yellowstone. We spent three days there. I woke up when we were near our first geyser. Almost all geysers had this stinky smell. It smelt like rotten eggs. It comes from hydrogen sulphide that geyers release. I dont like the smell. This geyser was shooting out bursts of hot water but they were pretty small. Like someone was switching a tap on and off. There was a lot of steam though. There was this boardwalk and we walked on it. We saw lots more geysers. Of those, only a few were erupting. We saw a funny sign. It was was talking about the danger of going of the boardwalk and possibly stepping on a geyser. It said 'You don't know. You might be stepping on a geyser even if you don't see one below your feet.' and had a funny picture to go with it. The picture was of a boy stepping on a geyser and his hat was flying off. The mom was holding her cheeks and pointing at him. One of the geysers was a little hole in the ground with a feather in it. Water was going in it and coming out. The feather was going in and out with the water. The ground looked like it was moving too. Bulging out when the water went in and going back in when the water came out. All the water from the geysers was emptying into a big lake with little islands in it. Some of them looked like volcanoes. But I would never touch them because those were really geysers. Yikes!

After this I went to the visitor center and picked up my worksheet to become a junior ranger at Yellowstone National Park. Then we drove to a place where we had breakfast. It was a beautiful lake with a stick in the middle. There were a hundred million ladybugs there. Megha was scared of them. I was scared of stepping on them. Luckily I didn't. Phew! After that drove to a little forest. Mama gave us a little tube and we played in the forest. Then we went and had lunch at a restaurant. After lunch we went for a scenic boat ride and it was really long. I wanted water. But then I got a stamp on my ranger workbook since it was a ranger led activity. After the boat ride we had yummy ice creams. I had an ice cream sandwich, Megha and papa had bars. Then we drove to Norris canyon where there were plenty of Bison. The Bisons were big and some had little tiny babies. Some were rolling on the sand. I took pictures again. A long time ago bison were almost extinct. Yellowstone protected the last herd of twenty five free roaming bison. The twenty five Bison had babies and they had more babies and now the herd is more than four thousand. We saw more wildlife than just Bison. We saw Pronghorns. They have white poopoops (bums). They are the fastest land animals in north america. A long time ago, they were hunted by cheetahs, but now cheetahs are extinct in north America and pronghorns rule. I also saw a coyote hunt and eat a hare. Papa called out coyote. I was like where's the coyote, and then I saw it. It was eating a hare.

That was our first day. From there, we went to the hotel. The hotel was cool. It had bouncy beds and it had a tv and we watched science movies. We ordered dinner from a Thai restaurant. when it came, I wanted to eat all my steamed rice noodles, but papa stopped me. It tasted exactly like rice and when I took my first bite I knew I would finish more than half. The next day we had breakfast at the hotel. I had a yummy bagel and a yummy muffin and some chocolate milk. Megha had the same thing, except without the chocolate milk and a different type of muffin.

We then went to see old faithful. But we went on a round-trip ranger led hike around geyser basin first. The ranger led hike showed us a lot of geysers. I had two favorites. One was Anemone geyser and the other was old faithful of course! You should have seen anemone geyser. At least the ending. That's when the geyser sucks up all the water. That was funny. We made our way back to old faithful at 11 O clock to see it erupt. But old faithful was late. I found a friend who was the same age as me. We played as we waited. I played with Megha's new friend too. We played being different things and we were geysers, caterpillars, butterflies, bunnies, froggies and lots of other stuff that I don't remember. Finally old faithful erupted and I took a lot of pictures. Papa liked my pictures. Megha took a picture too. After this we took lots of pictures in a shady spot. I dropped the camera .. at least it didn't break. But papa didn't let me hold the camera after that. He would only give it to me when I wanted to take a picture. I was sad. We went to another ranger led program. But it was not a hike or anything. The ranger explained how different animals move and let us move like they do.

From old faithful we went to the lower geyser basin. I took a few more pictures. We saw mudpots. They were like gooey geysers .. blackie black. Like the ones in dora the explorer, except they dont shoot out pink goo and they dont look like volcanoes. We only saw one in the upper geyser basin that shooting out. Lower geyser basin had some of the largest geyser pools I had ever seen. Water flowed out of them. One of these streams looked like it had potty on the outside. It was actually bacteria. Papa tells me that before this bacteria was discovered scientists did not believe that life could exist at these hot temperatures. From lower geyser basin we went to Norris Geyser but it started raining. We ran into a bookstore. Megha got a viewer and I got a new book .. ' who pooped in the park'. It tells about different kinds of poop and their significance. It also shows animal tracks. The rain turned into hail but we made a dash for the car. I picked up a hailstone and broke it open. There was just ice, ice and more ice.

We drove back to the hotel. That was one of the best times of the day. Papa took us to the hotel pool. I couldn't see underwater without my goggles. Mama got me my goggles. I refused to go on the water slide. Megha did too. We had pizza for dinner. I didn't like the vegetables, but papa made me eat them. The pizza tasted different with the vegetables. it was OK.

The next day I had the same things for breakfast and I completed my workbook. We went to mammoth hot springs. There were so many steps but I ran up them. Poor megha got tired and had to be carried by papa. we were playing train. Megha was the engine and I was the backup engine. So when so was carried by papa, I got to be the engine. Even Mammoth had bacteria in some of the springs. One such section was called artists palette. It was lovely. After mammoth we went to the visitor center. We had to get some kind of map and we also had to turn in my worksheet and get my Yellowstone Junior Ranger patch. The ranger made me promise that I would go to yellowstone again. He made me promise that I would tell everyone how important the earth is, how we can save it and why we should save it. I felt like he was on my side too because I want to save the earth. I said OK and got my patch.

After mammoth and lunch we went to see Norris Geyser and steamboat geyser. They were both cool. Norris geyser basin had a geyser with colorful steam and also a really colorful geyser. Steamboat geyser was really big and it looked dangerous. It is the tallest geyser in the world, three times as tall as old faithful. It erupts to roughly five hundred feet. But we dint get to see that. After steamboat we went on a hike. It ended in a waterfall with a rainbow at the bottom of it. It was pretty tiring but at the end it was worth it. From here we went to artists paintpots. I don't know why they call it that because it dint look anything like paintpots. Artists paintpots had lots of stairs too and we went up so we can see it better. I saw mudpots. After this we went back to the hotel and watched some TV.

The next day I had a whole bagel, a muffin (same kind but I took some blueberries for Megha) and milk and an apple. I couldn't finish it. We then drove to an airport to get our car checked. We thought it would need fixing but it didn't. Then we went to salt lake city again. En route we had lunch at a very nice place. I had mac and cheese .. again. It was not the usual but I still liked it. Megha too. The was a fire outside the restaurant. But it was not accidentally started. It was a decoration. There was water and sand .. so it was kind of like a beach. I couldn't finish the mac and cheese and so we boxed it and went on the salt lake city. We went to the same hotel again and we were on the second floor this time. When we got there we watched some more TV. After that I had the rest of my mac and cheese. I had a tummy ache and mama gave me medicine. I used the restroom and went to sleep. When I woke up I was feeling a lot better but I was hungry. So I had some yummy french toast at Burger King. I also had a mint. Papa got a magnet from Salt lake city to stick on the fridge. When we go to Zion it was so hot. Papa brought some smoothies and I couldn't finish mine. We took a shuttle to a river walk. When I got there I found a beautiful smooth rock. When we got to the water, papa made me stick my head into a waterfall. It was dark and slimy .. kind of .. and when I got out I played mud pies with my sister and I walked on my hands while kicking my feet. After we got off, we found a tree trunk, sat and had lunch. Then we climbed on the shuttle, got back to the car. We went to a hotel, took a bath, got right out and we went to see musical fountains at las vegas. Before the musical fountains, we went to a beautiful garden. When we got back out we took a picture with spongebob. The musical fountains to a long time to dance and it was really hot. But when they finally danced it was beautiful. My favourite part was when it shot up almost as high as the Eiffel tower. When it ended we went back to the garden where it was nice and cool. There were these blowers that blew hot air and made it nice and cool. We went to an Indian restaurant for dinner. I had cone dosa and papa had a big bowl of soup. We went back to the car and got out of there and came right back to our house.

The road trip was great! I've never seen geysers before. I played very well with little megha. I told her stories, we made silly jokes. I wish I could go to Yellowstone again and I wish you could be with me next time.

love you
Sona
 

A badminton Team Tourney (May 2011)

A couple of months back, Clarence mentioned a Corporate badminton championship in the Bay Area. Usually I don't play tournaments because, thanks to my dodgy shoulder, I have to play a notch below my best and that puts me at a lousy level where I cant compete in A division and B division players cannot read my strokes. In this case I was intrigued for two reasons. The Bay Area is the mecca for badminton in the USA and I was sure I could meet up with a few of my old National level colleagues. Also, it being a team championship, I wasn't going to win anything single handed. Others had to win their matches too. So the guilt wasn't there. After a bit of begging and pleading with Pratibha, I readied for the trip.

As is usual with any of my endeavors, I had my pre-event meeting with Mr Murphy. I took off on a hike a weekend before the tourney to a Desert called Anza Borrego. Out in Asia deserts invoke images of camels and Sand Dunes. Apparently the memo never reached North America. Out here it's huge boulders, steep slopes, and did I mention the cactus? Steep slopes and cactus do not make a good pair. If you walk into a cactus on a steep slope you have two options. Jerk back in pain, lose balance, because of the slope, and fall on the cactus behind you. Or bite your lip and get cut in two places .. the lip and the leg where the cactus poked you. Having tried both options several times, I assure you the second options is better (the same way a punch on the nose is better than a kick in the nuts). Thanks to that misadventure, I had badly cut up hands and legs a week before the tourney.

Clarence had trouble of his own. Our star women's player was having a baby and another star men's player went down with a fractured foot. A third one wasn't sure he'd be able to make it. Finally, With plenty of begging and pleading, scolding and whining, seven from our office in San Diego started for San Jose in a rented Van with three more joining use from our office in Santa Clara. The tourney was from 9AM - 9PM on Sunday. However, assuming we get knocked out in the first couple of rounds, we figured we'll get out by 5-6 in the evening and still make it back to San Diego by a little after midnight.

We reached San Jose at close to 3 in the afternoon and met up with the folks in Santa Clara at 4:30 for a practice session. The courts were lovely. I don't remember the last time I saw 18 hova courts dedicated to badminton at one place. Wait .. I remember .. I've never seen that before. Maybe I was distracted by all this, but I soon realised I couldn't see the shuttle. All I could see when I look ahead was the court in front of mine and then the court in front of that and so on. It was like standing in one of the changing rooms in a mall with mirrors all around you. After an hour and a half of disorientation, we gave up and left for what we really came for. If San Jose is the mecca for badminton, it is also the Vatican for Asian food. Juanning, who is from Santa Clara told us of a nice dig for Schezwan Chinese food (that's the spicy version .. Cantonese is for Wusses). We agreed to go there and Juanning took off for the place right away. The poor guy had never heard of Indian Standard time. He ended up waiting for a good hour before we joined him. The food was lovely tasty and spicy. We tucked in and tucked in some more, and then some more and then finally a bit more. I wanted more .. but even the cavities in my teeth were full. The mind was willing but the body wasn't up to it. So I regretfully got up. After a meal like that, sleep wasn't an issue and before I knew it it was Sunday morning.

The way a team championship works is, between teams, there will be 5 matches. Three men's doubles, a mixed doubles and a women's doubles. No team member can play more than one match in a tie. For each tie, teams would hand out the names of their first second and third men's doubles as well as their women's and mixed doubles ahead of time. This would be compared with the name list from the opponents. The first men's doubles team would play the first men's doubles from the opposition, the second men's doubles team would play the second team from the opposition and so on. The team that wins 3 matches first, wins the tie.

Our pool had 4 teams including us. Our goal was to finish the league stage in the top two of our pool so we qualify for A division playoffs. After that, we dint expect to go much further. Me included, we had 5 strong men's doubles players, two reasonably good men's doubles players, and a reasonably good women player. That being so, we had two options to win 3 games. Leaving me, we could pair the remaining 4 men's into two strong doubles teams, and have me pair with one of the two decent players to make another strong doubles team. the other option was to pair one strong doubles player with the decent women's player and play a decent mixed doubles. That way we would have one really strong men's doubles with me and another reasonably strong doubles. The remaining two ties would always be as good as lost. We would choose our suit based on the opponents. If we felt their women were weak, we would place a strong player for mixed doubles and have two strong men's doubles too. This would also gives us a chance against teams with an A level player (just hope he pairs up against me in the drawing). If the opponents had a strong women's player, we wouldn't chance it with our mixed doubled. Instead, we would pair me with the weaker player and hope I can cover for him.

I think there's something to be said for going in with no expectations. Things went surprisingly smoothly for us throughout the tourney. We had our fair share of trouble with one of our players stubbing his toe and another two cramping badly after the semi finals, but I always ended up playing the opponents best player and somehow squeaking through. A couple of our mixed doubles were really close. Our women's doubles also won a game for us. Before we knew it we were in the finals and getting a royal drubbing. And that's when I realised why Mr Murphy hadn't poked his nose yet. It was close to midnight. We were still in San Jose, we hadn't had dinner, we were dog tired, and we had a 7 hour drive ahead of us to San Diego. Still happy and tired is way better and unhappy and fresh. So Mr Murphy .. you miscalculated. We collected our trophies and left for San Diego with happy memories and huge grins on our faces. I don't remember the last time I felt happy after losing in a finals. It feels good to be an Amateur.

A trip to India (Aug 2010)

Pratibha sometimes gets into a phase of home sickness where all she can talk about is India. Things came to a point this year where she started talking nostalgically about flies and the garbage. So I thought it would be a good time for a wake up call and I offered her a trip to India. Negotiations went on in full swing and I failed miserably in my attempt to restrict their trip to 3 weeks (in which case I could join them too). Instead, she got my cousin and her two kids for company towards India and she took off to for a full 3 months with a promise that she'll come back on her own. In return I'll take care of our move to a bigger apartment and the job of getting it ready before they arrive.

The day after she landed she woke up to a couple of unfamiliar faces next to her. Then, enlightened, she ran to get cream to put on the faces of our mosquito-bitten, puffed up kids. Megha, true to self, refused to climb down from her hip in an unfamiliar environment. By mid-afternoon Pratibha couldn't figure out if her back hurt more from carrying Megha or her head from Sona's constant whining. Sona, you see, is daddy's girl. She hadn't come to terms with the fact that she wasn't going to see me for 3 months. And then, that evening, there was a power cut that scared the living daylights of Sona. By the end of the first week, Pratibha's bubble hadn't just burst, it had exploded spectacularly into a billion pieces. Meanwhile, with the last box moved, I was stretched out in the balcony of our new apartment catching up with some long forgotten books. I had just come back from badminton. Lemonade next to me, songs on the laptop, cool breeze, lazy life. In the back of my mind I was debating whether to catch the late night show of "Inception", a new movie that was out that weekend, or to just hit the sack early. Somehow, from halfway round the globe, Pratibha sensed this. She picked up the phone and called me.

"Nikku, you get on a airplane and come down"
"But Sonu ... we had a deal"
"Deal's off"
"I need to renew my passport"
"Renew it"
"I have no money"
"I'll send it"
"I'm planning a hike to Yosemite"
"Nikku GET OVER HERE"

Suddenly the tables were turned. Sona settled down as soon as she heard I was coming. Megha got used to the new faces around her and started playing. I, meanwhile, was stretched thin. My hikes got cancelled, work in office got hurried as I tried to meet deadlines before I left and to top it all, my application for a passport renewal got delayed in the consulate. After much wheeling and dealing and a last minute trip to San Francisco to get my passport, here I am at the airport waiting for my flight. The fact of the matter is I'm happy. There's nothing logical about feelings. I look forward to holding my babies and my wife. To seeing my parents and my sister after two and a half years. To seeing my brother's kids for the first time. I'm glad she forced me to buy those tickets. Creature comforts are well and good, but they cannot replace a family.

Zion Narrows

A few weeks back Renga asked me my plans for the July 4th long weekend. Pratibha and the kids, being in India, my plans were to sleep, eat, sleep, eat and to catch a few more winks wherever else I could. It was a good plan but he offered me something even better. A road trip to Utah. My vision of a road trip is curling up in the back of a car with loads of healthy snacks like chips and soda and only stirring when it's time to use the restroom. At the end of the trip I'll reluctantly get out to take in what is usually spectacular views, pose for a few pictures, and reclaim my rightful place among the snack boxes. So I jumped at the offer and, that friday, I took off early from work to join Ranga, his wife Vijaya, Ram, Karthik, Raju and Satya in a 7 seater on an eventful trip that took us through three state lines.

The first sign of trouble was when I realised that the car was bone dry. Not even a diet coke or a carrot stick. I knew then that these fellows had no idea of what a road trip should be. So I asked Ranga to fill me in on schedule. "We should reach George Town close to midnight. But we'll have to wake up early tommorrow. If we start at 6 we can reach Zion by 7 and get started with the Narrows by 8. I plan to do atleast 8 miles in the water. That should take the whole day. After that we'll drive to bryce canyon. Assuming we reach there by 10, we should have adequete time to have dinner and sleep. There are some good hikes in Bryce too. We'll ask the information centre and after that we'll settle on a couple. The next day we'll be back in Zion to do the "Angel's Landing" hike. And the back to San Diego" . My jaw dropped, I was feeling giddy and I'm not talking about giddy with joy. This was a hiking trip in road trip clothing. What was I going to do. On the road, however, I soon forgot my worries. The group was especially cheerful and the banter was entertaining. We talked about marriage (where, at 5 years and two kids, I was the grandfather and absolute authority), music (that I knew nothing about), food (that I knew everything about),badminton (oh! the poor fools, they little knew what they were getting into when they brought that up) and so much more. I was particularly proud of my performance when we discussed music. The argument was about which Tamil music director was better, Rehman or Ilayaraja. I picked Rehman and argued his case strongly and convincingly never letting on that I knew as little about Rehman's music as I knew about Ilayaraja's.

We reached Georgetown close to midnight but we had to modify our plans. The Soccer world up quarter finals was in the morning and everyone wanted to catch atleast the first half of one particular game. I dont think I've ever loved Germany and Argentina more than I did then. So, the next morning, at 11, I found myself at the trail head of another hot summer hike wondering what I did wrong in my previous life to end up repeatedly going through this torture. The first mile was like any other hike I had done before. Thin narrow winding path behind, thin narrow winding path ahead. Very beautiful views all around. I plodded on behind the group at my snail pace taking in the views and drinking copious amounts of water. After the first mile, however, things took a dramatic change for the better.

The "Zion Narrows" refers to the slot canyon forge by 'virgin river' in Zion national park. After the first mile, the entire hike is in the water as the river extends to both walls of the canyon. It's a unique experience that even a whiner like me couldnt help but enjoy it. The water is usually upto to the knees, often upto the waist and sometimes chest high. The water was cold. The day was hot. The group was fun. I had a blast. We must have done a total of 6 miles in the water and it must have taken us about 7 hours. There was no Parag or Nachiket or Pavan with me to pick up the pace. All of us were snails. I love snails.

Corte Madera (Nov 2009)

A few days back I got a mail from Nachiket gauging interest in a short hike. Nachiket is one of those supermen hikers and the lowest end of his 'short hike' just about intersects with the highest end of my 'killer record length hike'. Normally I would have run for dear life after seeing such an email but I really wanted to do a hike. I had been active and about and all that recently. I could feel the stamina coursing through my veins. The problem was that whenever I hear or see the name Nachiket I remember Prajakt's story of black mountain. Prajakt did black mountain with Nachiket. He did his best. Ran up, ran down. Stopped very little. Almost lost his lungs with all that heavy breathing. And he still had to suffer the humiliation of having Nachiket go up and down, get tired waiting, and then go up and down again before Prajakt could get back. Suddenly I had one of my brilliant ideas. I responded with interest after adding a few more slowpokes like me in the list and, after much wrangling and bargaining, we pulled Nachiket down to a reasonable altitude 7 miler called Corte Madera.

The night before the hike I did my last check. Water - check. Snacks - check. Spare shirt - check. Sunscreen - check. Electrolyte - check. whistle - check. compass - check. I was totally, completely, supremely prepared. I had thought of every minor detail. I had even gone to the extent of freezing my water overnight so that I could have cold water during a hot hike. I was a pro.

The morning of the hike I was up early and rushed to the starting point. That's where I had my first jolt. My two snails had backed out. They had pitilessly left me to the wolves. As our car approached the trail head I nervously eyed Nachiket and Parag (another superhuman).
"I .. er .. um .. if it's OK with you guys, I'll take it a little slow. You know .. um .. my .. er .. knees are not what they used to be and all that"
"Sure .. no problem", said Nachiket. "Hope you got your poncho."
"A .. what .. oh! .. that .. um .. no. "
A poncho is used to protect from rain. I remembered that all my hikes had been nice hot summer hikes. A winter hike is probably a different beast. Why! .. oh why! do I get myself into these scrapes. We got out of the car and the cold hit me. It was single digit degrees above zero degree centigrade and I had a thin sweatshirt. I glanced over towards Parag and Nachiket and smiled. They dint seem to be taking it much better. A poncho is just plastic. It stops water, not the cold. We had a small discussion and decided that it was OK to carry on since it should get warmer as the day progressed. We started off and I realised I could comfortably keep pace with Parag and Nachiket. The cold had frozen my joints. I felt no pain. It was a liberating feeling. "Maybe these winter hikes are not such a big deal", I thought to myself as my mojo slowly returned. I even dared to strike up a conversation with Nachiket on the intricacies of pro level hiking. I was looking for an opening to start off on my badminton glory days but he dint take the bait. I think he had been warned. We were at this stalemate when the hail started. It killed us. There was no respite. The temperature dropped to below zero. The ice melted into little streams and drenched our feet. It melted on my cap, backpack, sweatshirt and drenched all of that too. Soon I was a shivering shaking mess. Meanwhile, that block of ice that I had labouriously frozen in the freezer last night stayed the same. Like a fool I was lugging along 2 kg of ice and had no water to drink. So much for preparation. Comfortably ensconced in their ponchos, Nachiket and Parag looked at me with pity. We reached some sort of a plateau. "This is the peak" I begged .. but they plodded on. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, we reached the true peak. I spent exactly 30 seconds there. Then this chilly cold wind also started. I shot down the mountain and reached the car in record time. Parag and Nachiket were awestruck by my stamina. They had never seen anyone climb down so fast. It was a good half hour before the shivering abated and I could start the car. We wasted no time in rushing off to soup plantation for hot soup and more hot soup. Note to self: The next time I have a brilliant idea, get the largest stick I can find and beat myself on the head hard and long until that, and future brilliant ideas, don't dare come anywhere near me again.

Meghana (Nov 2009)

Sometime in Feb of 2009 Pratibha missed her period again. It was exciting for us. Sona is a very sweet girl and we were ready for the next one. A doctor's visit confirmed our hopes and we started planning to welcome the newest addition to our family. Sona was firm that she wanted twins. One boy and one girl. She would call them googoo and gaagaa. Much to Pratibha's relief, the old man above did not listen to Sona and instead, by the fifth month, we came to know that we would be having a girl. Sona took this setback in her stride. She said she'll call the baby googoogaagaa.


Pratibha's pregnancy moved along quickly. Like any other pregnant woman, she suddenly became extra religious and superstitious and, not satisfied with doing poojas and prayers at home, she started attending group prayers (also called kitty parties) with her friends. One day she and Sona were at one such party .. er .. prayer. The apartment in question had its balcony opposite to ours. All of a sudden fire alarms went off in the building that had my apartment in it. The women got onto the balcony and watched with interest as fire trucks and firemen swarmed the building. They cracked jokes about careless people and commented on how eventful the day was turning out to be. It was jolly good fun until they saw a firefighter on the balcony of Pratibha's apartment. That's when they realised where the fire had stared. One burnt kitchen later, we moved to a new apartment.

By the start of the ninth month Pratibha's mother had joined us to help out with the first few months and my responsibilities diminished. Sona was born a month early, but this one seemed to be in no hurry to get out. She was due out on Nov 2. She let us all go to a pumpkin patch on Oct 24th. She let us all go trick or treating on Oct 31st. She even let me go for a game of Badminton on Nov 1st (Now that had Pratibha nervous as, a long time ago, my mom went into labor with me when my dad had stepped out in similar fashion for a game of badminton). If Pratibha had gone into labor I would have suffered a fate worse than Judas, but all was well, and I got away with some freezing looks and tart words.

The night of Nov 1st I had some work in office and I got back at 2 in the morning. At 3 pratibha woke me up saying she was in labor. I din't panic, I was no hack at this. I had read all the books. I had even taken a 1 hour birthing class. I was ready. At the end of this they'll be falling at my feet asking for directions.
"Whats the time between contractions?" I asked trying to sound like one of the doctors in those ubiquitous hospital TV shows
"7 Min's" she replied
"why did you wait so long before telling me" I screamed in panic.
" You came in at 2. I thought I should give you an hour worth of sleep" She said in a voice dripping with sarcasm
"uh .. hmm .. er .. yeah .. thank you"

These wives have turned the trick of throwing it right back at you into a fine art. At 5:30 contractions reached a spacing of 5 Min's. Pratibha's mom had been goading me to take her to the hospital since 3 and finally I obliged. I took her over, they checked her, told us she wasn't even dilated, and sent us back. Now in addition to a wife in labor, I had a livid mother in law. "How could they send you back". "Why cant they admit her" "This never happens in India". I did the most logical thing. "er .. mom .. I got some stuff to do in office .. probably half an hours worth of work. I'll be right back" And I took off. I got home when she had cooled down. At 10:30 I took pratibha back to the hospital. we hung around the grounds, walked a little bit, and when the pain became unbearable, we went in. It's very easy to differentiate the first time and second time mothers. The first time mothers want to experience every aspect of the pregnancy, including the pain. They think that without that the event is not 'complete'. The second time mothers just want to get it over with. This time, as soon as she got admitted, Pratibha asked for the epidural (the injection that kills the pain). It was a long labor. Extended all the way till 6:00 in the evening. Luckily they had monday night football on TV. So I managed. Finally the doctor came in and talked to us about a C section. She said the baby is too big for Pratibha's frame and a normal delivery might not be a good idea. We agreed and, after a delay while we waited for the room to be free, she was rolled into the operating room at 7:30. By 7:45 we had our baby. It would be a another 4 days before she comes home and sees her big sister for the first time (No kids in the ward because of flu fears). That was the toughest four days of Sona's life. She cried every night. But now Megha is home for her sister to love and play with. Googoogaagaa .. we all love you.

What ails Indian sports

I was paging through random blogs when I came across this post. http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/randomaccess/entry/we-are-a-useless-sporting . To hear a fellow Indian say that we are somehow inferior to foreigners. That really hurt. But that got me thinking. What ails sports in India?

Having once played top level badminton, I can assure you that there's very little more that I, or many of my mates, could have done in terms of effort. I have seen players from other countries play and there is very little that differentiates them from us. After coming to USA I realise that elite athletes here don't work any harder than us in training. So where does the difference come from? To understand that, take the following analogy. Consider two kids. One from one of the proper metros in India, say Bombay. The other from some less developed town, say Kohima. Both decide from a young age that they want to make it to the IITs. Let us even that the chap from Kohima is smarter and works harder. What are his chances of beating the guy from Bombay? The guy from Bombay has an entire system at his fingertips. People ahead of him have excelled and shown the path to success. People around him are currently doing research and figuring out ways to make him better. What chance does the guy from Kohima stand. If he makes it to the top 1000 in the entrance he should be applauded. Not treated as a loser. Similarly, for any Indian sportsman, just to make it to Olympics, is an incredible achievement. He would have overcome tremendous odds and made huge sacrifices to get there We should not speak lightly of his achievements. Obviously I'm not talking about the ones born with the proverbial silver spoon and who trained in foreign countries.

So what is the problem with sports in India. The glaring one is the lack of a sporting culture among the general population. The orientation toward that needs to start at schools. But we have our limitations. We are a developing country. First lets get all our kids to go to school. Then we can focus on improving the school environment. So that's a far away goal for now.

What else can we do? It is laughable to say that the government doesn't help. Why should the government develop sports in India. What return is there on that investment? Is that how it is done all over the world? Few people realise this, but India does have an excellent structure to nurture sporting talent. Sports authority of India have set up sports camps in numerous states. Kids come it at roughly ten years of age. Assuming they pass a few physical tests, they are housed, fed, trained and given an education, all at government cost. If they make it to the national team, they often get a job in the public sector. Unfortunately, like everything else in India, this structure is rooted in corruption. Bureaucracy eats away most of the funds. Camps get cancelled, gear does not arrive, coaches run from pillar to post to get basic facilities allotted. Even so, the skeleton is in place for a sport to grow. Then why doesn't it?


To understand that we need to look no further than that malaise that has spread to all walks of life in India .. political goons. In every sport in India, these scoundrels are kings. All they do is sit with a begging bowl in front of the government. Government funds are just a means for politicians to pay off their goons with taxpayers money. Once the funds are allotted they fall upon it like rabid dogs. They go on tours all over the world. Umpiring workshops, fact finding missions, booze parties etc etc. And when the last penny is spent, they pick up their begging bowl and sit again. These monsters actively ensure that sport does not grow in India. That is in their interest. If the sport grows, money flows in. And once it becomes a business, businessmen with a nose for profit will step in. Then the sport will become professional and organised and there will be no place for these goons. These guys know that and they will never let that happen. Cricket somehow managed to slip through their fingers. So Cricket is the lucky one. It isn't the one killing all other sports.


Is there a solution to this mess? Yes, but it's going to take some time. As I mentioned before, our biggest problem is that we, as a nation, don't care too much about sports. Each sport needs love and attention. Be it tennis, badminton, squash, we need people who are willing to nurture the game, grow it from the grassroots. People who will stand up and question injustice. And that cannot be just one or two people, it needs to be a movement. To that end, we need to start Amateur leagues in cities. Leagues for people of all ages and skill levels. Not just for champion sportsmen. Leagues that are outside this corrupt system of ours. Small clubs, weekend matches, a season ending playoff and a rolling trophy. Once there is a critical mass of enthusiasts the corruption in our present system will come down by itself. And it will happen. One day these leeches bleeding my beloved badminton dry will wake up to a sport so huge it is crushing them under its weight.


And oh! my friend who wrote that blog .. please don't call us inferior. We are what we think we are. We have survived thousands of years and thousands of invaders in this land we call home. We drove out Alexander, we drove out the Moguls, we drove out Genghis Khan and finally we drove out the British. If we were inferior, we would have been a footnote in history, not the second most populous nation in the world.