MEMORIES OF 2009

2009 has gone. The nice sounding Twenty Ten is here. Another beautiful year has gone. It has left a whole lot of memories. Memories of being with Anurag, Jharna and sweet, cute little Aaria. A wonderful holiday spent with Aaliya, Kunaal , Chaitali and TNN at wonderful Disneyland at Florida. What a wonderful year, what delightful memories! So much of bonding, happiness and togetherness.

I travelled so much. Saw some cities of USA very closely. It was a great experience. I loved the old world charm of Philadelphia. The large vista of Washington DC is quite an eye opener. The openness and vast expanse of space, surrounded by huge buildings housing the various Government offices of the USA, actually depicts the true spirit and culture of this great country. The great Museums, which are open to the public, free of entrance fees is another feature which I thought was really exceptional. What belongs to the world, and the people, should be available to be seen by all free of charge. Meeting old friends in Washington was great, seeing the Science and Aerospace Museum with them was greater!! Walking from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial itself is an experience which cannot be forgotten. The abundant space, the large vistas, the beautiful symmetry is a visual treat.

Florida, is an experience never to be forgotten. For me childhood returned with a vengeance. The holiday was one which I had never even dreamed of in my wildest dreams!! It was Christmas and we were at Disneyland, the ultimate place to be at this glorious time. I was with TNN,Chaitali, Aaliya and Kunaal. Being in Disneyland with children who were loving every moment was pure ecstasy for me.The princesses, the fairies, the fireworks, the lovely castle and "Once upon a Christmas time....those days were one of the most memorable days of my life. It was so very beautiful!!

Kunaal and Aaliya came and spent a fortnight with us in Nashua, before Chaitali joined us. What a lovely time we all had. Aaliya was an angel. She was always wanting to help me. She was such a doll. Kunaal too was at his best behaviour. They both loved being with Aaria, who was happy to play with her cousins.Kunaal and his nana spent a lot of time on the Wii. Nana of course always said that it was good for him, as it gave him enough exercise!!

Seneca in South Carolina, meeting old friends, making new friends at Clemson, was another memorable time.

A quick day trip to New York to renew my passport was another memorable day.The interesting Apple store and the memorable trip to the famous toy shop FAO Schwarz, walking in Central Park, and walking up and down Madison Avenue was truly interesting

America, the land of opportunities, the ultimate destination of most people, was really very beautiful. I loved every day of my life spent there with my little Aaria. Six months with her will be remembered by me always. Her first Diwali, Halloween, Christmas, Lohri, Easter,and most of all her first birthday. How very wonderful are those memories.Spending time with all of Aaria's family was fabulous!

Planning, gift wrapping, shopping, I cannot forget going to the Pheasant Lane mall and never going past "Janie and Jack" without stepping inside to buy something for Aaria. Then something fancy would catch my eye for Aaliya. What fantastic times!!

Every day was brilliant. Thomas the Tank Engine at 12 in the noon was a show never to be missed. It is grand children who can make serious people sit and watch and sing those songs. Those were absolutely ecstatic moments.

Can I forget the Friday night ritual of playing Dominoes? No way. That was the grand finale of a working week, late into the night, and the computerised score keeping by Kunaal!!

After America, it was England. The land of beauty, history, narrow roads,magnificent buildings, all simply there. Oodles and oodles of magnificence!

The numerous trips to Westfield! The lovely, lonely mall of London. There are not too many malls in London , therefore the word lonely. There was immense glamour there at the Village!

My venture into Anne Boleyn's castle at Hever, was another adventure. Travelling by train, getting off at a small unmanned station, walking down to the castle and then stepping into the era of Henry VIIIth and Anne Boleyn. The roads were almost devoid of vehicles, it was really back in time. Gorgeous!

The visit to Kew Gardens and the walk in Shakespeare's and Charles Dickens's London. Fantastic!!

The trip to Cambridge,can never be forgotten. Walking on those very places where walked great men. People who are legends. Newton, Wordsworth, Tennyson, Byron,Nehru, Ramanujan, Rajiv Gandhi, Amartya Sen,Jagdish Chandra Bose, Dr. Manmohan Singh, and so many more. I could not get over the fact that I was traversing those steps where walked those stalwarts before they became famous. Thanks Raj for giving us the opportunity.

Can I forget the numerous trips to Oxford Street and the wonderful sale at Harrods!! Never to be forgotten experiences. Somewhere, sometime I must have belonged to London! I guess it had to be the overdose of Georgette Heyer in my youth. She used to write so extensively of London, describing every lane and every road. I devoured her books, and used to sit with the A to Z map of London when I read those books. I knew those streets like the back of my hand.

Dover and the white cliffs and the long walk over the cliff to see the lighthouse.

The ritualistic trip to Chaitali's office for a lunch at the Shad Thames

The everyday trip to the kids school to pick them up, and the unhappy look of Aaliya if she did not see her papa there. The thrill of seeing them perform at the choir and the school play. Ballet and piano and swimming.

The everyday swimming at the pool where every one hour large waves were created. I, who am terrified of putting my head under water, was being guided by Aaliya, "Nani, hold your breath and put your head under water, nothing will happen." Memories....

Our holiday at Center Parcs-marvelous.

Back to India and rest of the family, my mother, brothers, sisters in law, my Delhi, great time!What a year - remarkable, memorable.

Strange indeed that in a life of one year, while remembering my happiest times, most space has been taken by time spent with my grand kids!!