Summer holiday 2

Thpe second was an education on the state of the building industry. A house promised for delivery on June  29 was already three months behind schedule with the holder taking a rather la cski dal attitude to its completion . He was eager however forme to sign the papers taking over the house on the promise that he would complete the balance work promptly and well. If only I could believe him! On a deeper examination I found three issues bedeviling him and indeed any developer in India -- corruption through regulation ( every step required a clerks signature which offered an opportunity for graft,) a contracted labour force with little or no interest in quality work or adherence to deadlines ( monsoon and harvest seasons saw a rapid desertion by them to their villages) and demanding clients who were half architects and half builders - or at least thought so-- much to the chagrin of the real ones! Caught in these winds the builder was often at a loss and could never finish his projects on time.

Summer holiday 3

The third part of the visit was partly tragic in that so many of my friends and family 

were suffering losses of their own. A cousin  had cancer, another a stroke, an aunt was bedridden, another had dementia. All the ills that human flesh is heir to. It was difficult to visit any of them without spending the better part of the visit bewailing the human condition and talking About the medical profession. Still there were some who had weathered life's storms and looked at the future with neither fear nor anxiety.but only a very few .

I never realized that just as I was surprised by many of them in their sicknesses, they too were taken aback in mine- the fact that I could not walk even modestly long distances, that I tired easily, that I carried a wheelchair--all this came I am sure as a shock.

But i confess the real joy was in meeting the youngsters in the family and talking to them about their dreams. One was leaving for vanatua, another to Singapore for a legal career, a third was taking time off to study environmental law in Taiwan. One boy in the family wanted a career in multi media while his sister was torn between fashion design and commerce.such a wide range and so many choices  tobemade!  And worse none of the parents had the foggiest idea about these new professions!

And my little grandson- oh he said he wants to be a doctor!

Summer holiday 1

Summer holiday

Readers of my columns would have missed my presence for the last four weeks. At least I hope so. As imentioned a few seeks ago I was taking a break to visit my home country to spend time with my twenty month old grandson, take over my rebuilt house from the builder and meeting family and friend. But this brief interlude turned out to be both joyful and enlightening- more so than I had expected.

Of these the first was an unmitigated joy. Seven years ago when my doctors had subtly suggested that I " get my affair in order "', I had in a short space of three months sold my two cars, bought one that my wife felt comfortable driving , sold my sprawling house and bought an apartment, Put my financial affairs in order, written my will, i felt I was ready. But then came my grandson and turned my life upside down. Now I was desperate for any cure that would prolong the time I had with him! So this part of the visit was indeed satisfying. even in the month we were there nikhil grew by leaps and bounds and expanded his vocabulary by over 100 words- he now recognized computer, umbrella, rain, and was confidently putting expressions together- like spicy nice for a plate of and telling his father " I think so" and"mama out market". Dada and dadi were his biggest suckers - all he had to say was "please" and " thank you". He used the ipad like a pro and the computer was no challenge either.remote controlled cars and trucks were a particular joy. It was great to see my son gently disciplining him when he became too rambunctious - my son would tuck him up in his arms to be carried to a silent corner for few minutes. "Time out". En route my grandson would plaintively say " no need, no need" as if he understood the reason for the punishment and would not do it again.