2022 Week 43 Update

This week’s quote from Walter Whitman, the American poet, essayist and journalist tells us to always keep our faces towards the sunshine and shadows will fall behind. What this means is that when things are bad, we tend to go into despair and feel that our world is ending. At this point, our future looks grim and we don’t see a way out. In such a case, we can continue to wallow in our misery and see life as a dead-end or we can turn our face and life towards the light and let the shadows of the past fall behind us with a sense of optimism and positivity, look at the glass as half full as opposed to being half empty.

In the last week, Singapore reported about 50,000 cases of COVID-19 and also confirmed four cases of the BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 Omicron subvariants, all of which were imported. First detected in Nigeria in July, the BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 subvariants are sub-lineages of the Omicron variant BA.5. The strains have since been detected in more than 50 countries. I am waiting for when I can become eligible to get the new Bivalent Moderna Spikevax Vaccine as a booster shot and hopefully can get it by the end of the year or early next year.

BB & GG are busy with their lives and school and there are days when I barely see them. We are all tense about GG’s university application and I keep praying that she gets into the university of her choice.

That’s all from my side this week. Take care and talk soon!

In My Hands Today…

Hot Tea Across India – Rishad Saam Mehta

On Rishad Saam Mehta’s journeys — and as a travel writer and all-round road-trip junkie, he’s been on many — there’s a particular thing he noticed. There’s not a highway, road or dirt track in India where you can’t find a cup of chai whenever you want it.

And with those cuppas come encounters and incidents that make travelling in India a fascinating adventure. In this riveting book, which includes stories of honey- and saffron-infused tea shared with a shepherd in Kashmir, and a strong brew that revives the author after almost getting lynched by an irate mob in Kerala, Rishad takes you across the length and breadth of India, from Manali to Munnar, from the Rann of Kutch to Khajuraho, with a wonderful combination of wit, sensitivity and insight.

Instagram Interludes

Now that things are more or less back to normal, we’re all excited to travel again. A trip we are all looking forward to is our India trip sometime next year before BB enlists for his National Service and GG starts university. So in honour of that upcoming trip, here are some photos while in flight.

Somewhere before Bengaluru
Early Morning Sunrise above the Bay of Bengal
Mumbai from the Air
A lit-up Mumbai – See the spakling Queen’s Necklace
Singapore looming as we prepare to land

In My Hands Today…

Raya : Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagara – Srinivas Reddy

In 1509 Krishnadevaraya, a prince from humble origins, ascended the throne of Vijayanagara. The empire he inherited was weak from two messy dynastic succession, and ambitious enemy kings loomed large on all sides – a haughty king of Orissa in the east, five upstart Deccan Sultans to the North, revolting Tamil rajas in the South and enterprising Portuguese soldiers from the West.

But Krishnadevaraya quickly rose to the challenge, and in the course of his remarkable twenty-year reign, he changed history forever. He won every single battle he fought and unified the whole of South India under his banner. Krishnadevaraya is remembered today as one of India’s greatest kings, not only because of his successes on the battlefield or the dazzling splendour of his empire, but because he was India’s first truly global leader.

He had to confront very modern problems, such as building international alliances and negotiating overseas trade deals, while grappling with the challenges of globalism and multiculturalism. The Deccan of his time was a cosmopolitan place where Hindus and Muslims, North Indians and South Indians, Persians and Portuguese, all intermingled as they made their lives and fortunes. This cultural dynamism also inspired Krishnadevaraya to look back at India’s past and reflect on her histories and traditions.

As a philosopher-king who was also a celebrated poet in his own right, he presided over an Indian Renaissance, when ancient texts and traditions were reinvigorated and infused with a fresh and modern vitality. Five hundred years after krishnadevaraya’s death, he is still remembered and loved as a compassionate and wise king, one who is immortalised in films and folk tales, poems and Ballads.

This fascinating and riveting book is meticulously researched and beautifully written. Based on Portuguese and Persian chronicles, as well as many overlooked Telugu literary sources, Raya is the definitive biography of one of the world’s greatest leaders.

Poem: Happy Birthday

Birthdays are always special and when we were younger, we used to wait months for our birthdays. Now as I grow older, birthdays are not as much anticipated as before, but the charm of a birthday will always be there.

This poem was written last month just before GG & BB’s birthday and is inspired by a meditation I did on my birthday.

Happy Birthday

It’s your special day today, it’s the start of a new year
it’s the day you took your first breath, lets the bells ring and cheer

Today is your birthday, you were born on this day
There is a reason for your birth, so write your life’s screenplay

Let us celebrate you today and appreciate your life’s canvas
The things you’ve done, that you still have in store, your life purpose

Each day brings with it a new opportunity
To do something good, to accomplish more and not live aimlessly

There is none else like you, you are unique and special
So surround yourself with your loved ones, and make this day blissful

Do today what you love and what makes you happy and celebrate you
Give yourself credit for your accomplishments and bid disappointments a huge adieu

Today on your birthday, may life bless you with gratitude, optimism and happiness
Count your days with smiles and dream big, every day of life being a bonus

May blessings, love and joy flow into your life forever
May all your dream come true, and your heart sets aflutter

Remember there will never be another you because you are you
Unique and special, loved and joyful, may you live a life that is fruitful

Happy Birthday and remember to live each moment to the fullest
This is your day so enjoy the attention and get fussed