Hello there!
Unlike last year, I will refrain from giving you a happy, sunlit version of our family life. No more Walt Disney or a Bollywood "Happily lived ever after" ending. Instead, I have decided to press charges against my boys. Taran and Roshan have abused their power in such disturbing ways that they rightly deserve to be punished.
Firstly, complicity or conspiracy with each other: Often, the boys conspire with each other to present their case in front of us in a way that it only benefits them. And then they collaborate to obstruct any investigation. A case in point....
Roshan: "Mom, I got a B- in ....."
Me, looking incredulous: "Huh?"
Roshan, incredulous that I had an incredulous look: "Do you have any idea how hard my teacher grades? Just ask Taran." (Clearly, offense is the best defense)
Taran, making an "innocent" entry into the room: "Mom, it is not Roshan's fault. The highest grade in this class tends to be a B+, so a B- is very good. You should congratulate Roshan."
Secondly, guilty of abuse of power: Both boys know how much we all dote on them, and this year, in particular, they took full advantage of that. Several times, when I picked them up from school, they entered the car like angels with such charming smiles, gentle manner, and one fine day I was even showered with "You are the best, mom." I was sure I was dreaming or was this heaven on earth? However, the euphoria of "I am blessed with such adorable sons" was overridden by an email receipt of a BBB jersey and those latest Nike shoes. Needless to say, Heaven came crashing down.
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| Celebrating Diwali |
Ritesh continues to work at Tech Mahindra. When he is not traveling on work, he often works from home. Late morning, he checks in with "What's for lunch?" When the response does not sound appetizing enough he magically generates a lunch meeting, and then proceeds with his power nap.
His achievement this year - Ritesh has broken prior records of fitness. He has mastered the hand-eye coordination and has strengthened his right index finger.... he exercises it almost 24x7 to swipe the screen on his phone. So dedicated is he, that he has been honored by the Guinness World Records for "most swipes per minute."
Meanwhile, I continue to wear several hats - most notably that of a meditation coach, mindfulness teacher, Reiki Master and Past life regression coach (check out my practice, iReikiNow), a volunteer (hospital, school, and a temple), and a driver (regularly clock 500 miles/ week on my Honda Odyssey). Some of these car rides are filled with "Yippee! I got my mild natured son back today." and some with "Uggh! He has a mood swing AGAIN!" Honda has taken note of this inconsistency in teenage behavior. Last heard, the company is now eyeing to feature me in their commercial titled "Regardless of the vibes your children give you, we will consistently give you great mileage."
On the brighter side, here are our top 10 highlights from 2019:
1. Chess: Roshan won 2nd place at the PanAmerican Youth Championship in Ecuador this summer. Both, Taran and Roshan were 11th-grade co-champions at the state level and stood in the top 10 at the National level. Along with their classmates, they helped place their school Newark Academy 1st at the Nationals. We are immensely grateful to their coaches and all those who supported them during their chess careers. Both boys now regularly teach private lessons and at summer camps, so please holler if anyone needs a lesson in person or online.
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| At Chess Nationals in Florida |
2. Tennis: In March, as part of their school's tennis program, Taran & Roshan traveled to Nevada for a tennis camp. This summer, Taran won tennis tournaments, both, as a singles, and doubles player.
3. Cultural and language immersion trip: Taran and Roshan went to Spain for an exchange program. They stayed with their host family for two weeks. The advantages of this program are many - from stepping out of your comfort zone to learning a language and culture in its most authentic way, its benefits are immense. But I shuddered at the thought of my children in their host family settings. I prayed for their host families..... those families did not know what they had signed up for. I now give them distance Reiki for recovery from trauma.
4. Trip to Europe: But I must admit, I also rejoiced when the boys decided to go for their immersion program. 19 days of freedom sounded so enchanting that Ritesh and I took off to Europe. We visited London, Budapest, Leipzig, Dresden, and Prague.
In London, while Ritesh worked, I explored the beautiful English gardens, museums and monuments. My favorite - St. Paul's Cathedral and it's stunning art pieces especially "The Light of the World".
Budapest's Danube river cruise and walking across the Szechenyi Chain Bridge was fun. Our visit to the Basilica of St. Stephen was rewarding for both of us on a different level. I prayed; he took a catnap.
Leipzig's Nikolaikirche, with its palm like pillars and cream colored pews, was both, a place of beauty and worship. Thomaskirche, the church where Johann Sebastian Bach worked as a cantor until his death, and where his remains lie buried was fascinating.
Dresden's art and architecture is so stunning, it is nicknamed "Florence on the Elbe". I spent six hours in the Royal Palace and its many museums (The Green Vault and the New Green Vault are a must).
Prague's Old Town Square had the city's most notable sights and buildings. Prominent among these were the Tyn Church, Prague Orloj or the Astronomical Clock and St. Nicholas Church, where we attended a Bach and Vivaldi concert. Ritesh paid homage to the maestros by dozing off. His excuse - "Isn't this a testament to Bach and Vivaldi? Their music is so relaxing."
5. Cricket: We were lucky to get tickets to the India Vs New Zealand match in the World Cup. Unfortunately, the match got rained out but the atmosphere in the stadium was electrifying. Ritesh and I bumped into old friends and made new ones. Sitting next to Sudhir Chaudhary, (India's biggest cricketing fan. He is featured in "Beyond All Boundaries", a documentary on Netflix) hearing his story and observing the adulation that he receives from cricketers and fans was an eye-opener.
6. Meeting with Dhoni: We were so fortunate to meet with cricketing legend, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Here are the details of our conversation with him.
7. Hosting Spanish guests: We loved hosting Anton and Hector, Taran and Roshan's exchange/ immersion program guests. Both these boys fit into our family like they were always a part of it. Taking them shopping, mini-golf, NYC, or arranging a soccer match for them.... each experience was fun and rewarding. It was hard to say goodbye when the two weeks ended so I asked their parents if we could live up to the "exchange". We could send Taran and Roshan and keep their boys. So raw was the trauma they had experienced that they responded with a resounding "No". But we are glad to remain in touch with our Spanish guests and their family.
8. Hosting friends and family: Ritesh, my parents and I enjoyed visiting family in Virginia Beach. Summer and Fall were all about hosting friends and family from California, Canada, India and New York. It was filled with love, laughter and a milestone. My one-year-old nephew took his first steps in our home. Yay! Celebrating my niece's birthday at Six Flags and hitting balls at Topgolf with my cousin was the perfect way to seal the summer.
9. New Year in Cancun: We enjoyed Cancun's balmy weather with friends from Atlanta. Mornings were spent lazing on the beach and evenings were meant for board games. The kids creamed the adults in "Taboo" and "Hit or Miss". We also kayaked, snorkeled and went fishing (caught a barracuda and a king mackerel). Roshan steered the boat smoothly during the deep-sea fishing expedition, while Ritesh experienced deep sleep and woke up just in time to pose with the catch.
10. Doing what matters most: Once again, this year, Taran and Roshan volunteered at The Albrook School as camp counselors - 70 hours well spent. A special shout out to both boys for making time every day to spend with their grandparents, for eagerly being their grandfathers' "tech-support" and discussing cricket statistics with him, for those innumerable cups of "adrak wali chai" (ginger tea) and "bhelpuri" you have made for all of us, and for bringing so much joy in our life. May you keep doing what matters most.
We wrap this letter with a toast to the human spirit, especially to two strangers I met in Dresden.
1. Firas, an engineering student, who, on realizing that I was new to Germany, enthusiastically approached me to check if I needed any help and proceeded to share his life stories with me. He was originally from Yemen and had travelled to Germany just a few months ago to study.
2. An Afghani guard at the Royal Palace, who had immigrated recently to Germany. When I asked him if he liked Germany, he responded cheerfully "Yes, there is no dust here."
Thank you, both, for teaching me kindness, gratitude, and simplicity.
Wishing you all a happy, healthy, and peaceful 2020.
Be simple, be happy!
Ritesh, Nidhi, Taran and Roshan
(Update: Since Nidhi wrote this newsletter, the grandparents voted against the punishment calling the charges "defective" and "bogus").
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| At Old Town Square in Prague |
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| India Vs New Zealand, Cricket World Cup |
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| With Dhoni, the legend 🙏🙏🙏 |
7. Hosting Spanish guests: We loved hosting Anton and Hector, Taran and Roshan's exchange/ immersion program guests. Both these boys fit into our family like they were always a part of it. Taking them shopping, mini-golf, NYC, or arranging a soccer match for them.... each experience was fun and rewarding. It was hard to say goodbye when the two weeks ended so I asked their parents if we could live up to the "exchange". We could send Taran and Roshan and keep their boys. So raw was the trauma they had experienced that they responded with a resounding "No". But we are glad to remain in touch with our Spanish guests and their family.
8. Hosting friends and family: Ritesh, my parents and I enjoyed visiting family in Virginia Beach. Summer and Fall were all about hosting friends and family from California, Canada, India and New York. It was filled with love, laughter and a milestone. My one-year-old nephew took his first steps in our home. Yay! Celebrating my niece's birthday at Six Flags and hitting balls at Topgolf with my cousin was the perfect way to seal the summer.
9. New Year in Cancun: We enjoyed Cancun's balmy weather with friends from Atlanta. Mornings were spent lazing on the beach and evenings were meant for board games. The kids creamed the adults in "Taboo" and "Hit or Miss". We also kayaked, snorkeled and went fishing (caught a barracuda and a king mackerel). Roshan steered the boat smoothly during the deep-sea fishing expedition, while Ritesh experienced deep sleep and woke up just in time to pose with the catch.
10. Doing what matters most: Once again, this year, Taran and Roshan volunteered at The Albrook School as camp counselors - 70 hours well spent. A special shout out to both boys for making time every day to spend with their grandparents, for eagerly being their grandfathers' "tech-support" and discussing cricket statistics with him, for those innumerable cups of "adrak wali chai" (ginger tea) and "bhelpuri" you have made for all of us, and for bringing so much joy in our life. May you keep doing what matters most.
We wrap this letter with a toast to the human spirit, especially to two strangers I met in Dresden.
1. Firas, an engineering student, who, on realizing that I was new to Germany, enthusiastically approached me to check if I needed any help and proceeded to share his life stories with me. He was originally from Yemen and had travelled to Germany just a few months ago to study.
2. An Afghani guard at the Royal Palace, who had immigrated recently to Germany. When I asked him if he liked Germany, he responded cheerfully "Yes, there is no dust here."
Thank you, both, for teaching me kindness, gratitude, and simplicity.
Wishing you all a happy, healthy, and peaceful 2020.
Be simple, be happy!
Ritesh, Nidhi, Taran and Roshan
(Update: Since Nidhi wrote this newsletter, the grandparents voted against the punishment calling the charges "defective" and "bogus").
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p.s. your be simple be happy was an immediate connect with my life outlook