Blessings come down

This morning was special. I had invited a few friends and family to a restaurant in Richmond Hill.

My book launch lunch at Saravana Bhavan went off very well. Deval went to bring the Naimpallys and I took the kids to the restaurant. As we neared the place, we realised that the video camera had been left home!! Ashray graciously accepted the responsibility for forgetting and Deval went back to get it after dropping our first guests to the venue. This is the advantage of being ahead of time, we had 30 minutes to spare. ( ahem ahem).

The kids helped me set up my little display: a cotton bedspread on a table was covered with Pappa's photo , the large Shantadurga picture that Kshitij had sent years ago, Amma's picture that I had 'borrowed' from Vikha and the roots from which I come: Shama, Shashank, Advita with us at Hiranandani, from the Karnad blog, kids with Maams,( maternal uncle = maam: Shashank and Kshitij) Kaaveri with Vikha ( people commented on how much we look alike, sisters after all), Kamlesh and Kaaveri. I could not get Shilpa off her Facebook posting due to technical difficulties but she was with us in spirit.

There was also a picture of me with Ajja at the door of Shantikunj ( we must have some Naigaum folks, else what's the point?). Naigaum is the slice of Mumbai where I was raised.

The small blue idol of Lord Ganesh that I had bought in Vasai in 1997 and had taken with me into OR when Ashray was born as well as my tiny bronze Goddess Saraswati ( who is revered as the Goddess of Learning) from the bylanes of Saigon. ( I have bought many such small statuettes of Brahma, (the creator), Lakshmi ( the Goddess of prosperity) and Lord Ganesh from Saigon. "Indian Buddha", the vendors used to call out on Le Loi Street. So many years ago, yet the memories are fresh as ever.

The first flowers, red carnations, from Sudha Pachchi, I placed at Pappa's photograph: This was quite fitting, as he was the first person to always say to me: "you write well, keep at it." As the guests arrived, the conversation got richer and finally at 12.15 or so, Somshekhar maam and Sudha pachchi released the book. Somshekar maam was my Pappa's math professor in Ruparel College in Mumbai long ago and is also my mother's cousin. Sudha pachchi is a gifted musician and poet herself as well as a KARNAD ( what a wonderful combination, it does not get better than that).

We had packed the books into individual brown bags with a red ribbon strung through the top. And many friendships were made anew: Leah got together with Disha, and friends; Deeksha hit it off with Ms. Hyles, Cheryl and Akka found common connections. Shaila met with Sonja and Helen after a long time. York University days were relived in a flash. Ahhh, the fragrance of Tim's at the entrance of TEL building!!

The food, friends and laughter ( cannot manage an alliteration every time, folks. I have to take a break sometime) were wonderful. There was the beauty of togetherness, and the celebration of a milestone that was a long time coming. 20 years of writing, 8 years of dreaming, 2 years of planning.

Late this evening, as the kids played basketball with friends in the front yard, I lit candles and arranged the flowers in vases. Jagjit Singh reminded me :

Apni marzi se kahaan apney safar ke hum hain?

Rukh hawaaon ka jidhar ka hai, udhar ke hum hain

The house is resplendent with the fragrance of friends who went their way at 3 pm. The memories of this day will linger long after my roses have dried (I save petals of roses from special occasions, hang them upside down and save the dried petals in glass jars!!)

As I stood there, watching all the people who made this day special, some in the physical environs, some in the cardiac; I was very mindful that all this is not a GIVEN. I am grateful that I was chosen to receive these blessings. I was chosen to be the one to fulfil this part of my destiny. It was decided by the Soul of the Universe that its energy should flow through me to become this day. For this and more, I am thankful.

My mind goes to the Maid of the Mist where I stood three summers ago holding my mother's hand. As I looked up from the tiny boat being tossed about under the force of the gushing cataract, I could see the sun shining down. Rainbows danced about in the spray and I was drenched. As I stood there laughing, I remembered that 3 years before that (2002), I was standing at the ledge high above when I had prayed for Amma to recover and I had said silently to the Universe as I watched with fascination the ceaseless pouring of the Niagara and the glorious rainbows: You can make this happen, then how hard is it to cure my mother? And that hurdle had been removed. In 2005, I had been given the chance to ride the rapids with my mother, the survivor. And there we were, on the Maid.

Blessings do come down,, friends. All I had to do is send the prayers up first.

Stay well