Meet the New Doctor in Town

Denton, Texas: 

Our Merry Christmas started from December 14 itself, when we touched down the city of Denton, Texas to attend what I call as the crowning of our PhD graduate, Remya. Embarrassed I am to say, but yet admit my ignorance, that I considered it another graduation ceremony and family celebration time. Up until, I got a few minutes with Remya and in between coffee sips, I learnt the backbreaking work that goes behind the study of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). Completing a PhD involves unbeatably sleepless nights of hard work, perseverance and sheer dedication, I deem its double an achievement staying away from family, fighting all odds of depression, standing by your sincerity that might be fiddled a bit owing to some miser politics, surviving and thriving on meager income and fighting some unanticipated health issues makes this day of receiving the doctorate a day etched in time, an immovable milestone and a day of pride!

So, as we sneak in the auditorium of Texas Woman’s University (TWU) and hustle our way to the seats, we hear the call of announcing PhD graduates. I sat awestruck and feel so small hearing the thesis/ dissertation that each student has completed on topics so relevant and much needed. Topics like  - ‘Effectiveness of Video Modeling on Motor Performance for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder’, ‘Fighting for Hope: The Criminalization of Trauma in Justice Involved in Girls’ Lives and stories of Resilience From a Juvenile Prison’, ‘Predictors of Cardiac Arrest in Rapid Response Systems’, ‘Brain Activism following Constraint-Inducement Movement Therapy Using Functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy in Stroke Patients’. 

Hearing such fabulous topics of thesis, my mind raced to surmise that we might not need batman and superman, but a bunch of these PhD Superheroes can turn the world around and make the planet and our lives a much better happy place to live in. “And now”, exclaimed the announcer, and I gathered my thoughts back into the auditorium, “Remya Ammasam Veetil, topic- ‘Polyethylene Glycol Copolymer Nanocarriers: Biocompatibility, Uptake and Intracellular Trafficking in Neurons”. With great pride and adorning her academic regalia, our lady walked up the pedestal (with some butterflies in her stomach) to receive her hood, and Team Remya (us) on the other side, rooted for her with equal pride and excitement. With a vote of thanks from the Chancellor of the TWU and with the University anthem in the backdrop, the young graduates marched out a triumphant march. 

In the lawns outside, Dr. Remya, introduced us to her faculty, her guide/mentor and fellow recipients of the hood. With a few clicks, many congratulations and delicious graduation lunch, we headed home to relax our heels and minds, when Dr. Remya handed over a copy of her dissertation. Though most of it seemed Greek to me, but I was touched upon the acknowledgement page, where she acknowledged her parents and brothers for being her pillars of strength and Sumod, her husband for being the rock support and carrying her through the tumultuous journey in completing the PhD. I second that Dr. Remya, way to go! It'll soon be a payback time, as we now roll our eyes to the next graduation and the next Dr. in line – Sumod Sebastian….

A Jet Lagged Morning

Tirur, Kerala:


Jet lagged morning in Kerala, Mamma, Acha and baby go for a walk and happen to closely admire a butterfly atop a flower.

Baby: Mamma, what is the butterfly doing ?
Mamma: It is drinking nectar, its food from the flower. You see that?

Baby nods. We reach back home, the toddler trots to kitchen and grabs a plate from her grandmother to collect flowers fallen on the ground.

Mamma: Gullu are you collecting flowers for the temple ?
Baby : No Mamma! I am collecting flowers to keep for butterflies, so that they can come to my house and drink nectar.

Mamma zapped ! Baby trots away calling butterflies 'You naughty little butterflies eat your food !'
Mamma and Acha laughing in splits ...

中国古典舞 (Classical Chinese Dance)

18th June 2017, Maryland, USA: 

It was one of those busy working days at office and after we wrapped up our notes, reports and documents, Yu Huan slipped an invitation to traditional Chinese dance recital, of which she was a participant too. My eyes gleamed with joy, as I was unaware of this hidden talent in her. So, Calendar marked and sunday afternoon was booked to witness the Xuejuan Dance Ensemble.

Another reason for our mounting excitement was our daughter, Akshara, as it was the first time we were taking her to a live dance show and how curious we were to see our little one’s reaction!

And soon we were there, parked our car and trotted up the staircases to only enter a packed auditorium. As we scuttled our way to the seats, the lights dimmed. Curtains drawn aside. Silence. Music played. And, we witnessed an enchanting rendition to Zhuo Ma – a famous Tibetan traditional song. The costume, expression and grace was mesmerizing and transported us to the Zhang highlands in Tibet.

The next piece called, ‘Auspicious Clouds’, was a classical dance based on Han and Tang dynasties. The dancers were in an alluring sync as the music cascaded down. Beautiful hues of blues and white covered the stage, and just as we were bewitched by that serenity, the classical Chinese fan dancers breezed on the stage. Amidst the group we saw a recognizable smile (all dancers look very similar with the same costume and make up) , yaayy that’s Yu! So happy we were to see her sway in rhythm.

The ‘Divine Serendipity’, ‘Incense’ and ‘Dunhuang Classical Dance’ were equally enthralling. The colorful costumes, the perfect lighting, and the dancers fondling in perfect rhythm to the melodious tune from the Konghou (Chinese harp) or Pipa (a pear shaped stringed musical instrument), hypnotically carried us along.

In ‘Arirang’s’ melody we saw beautiful maidens dreaming of their wedding and future. Even their beautiful purple gowns flowing in music did not miss the cadence!  ohh how serene it all was and the maidens effortlessly took us with them into their world of dreams.

‘Mamma can we go now!’ whispered little Akshara. 2 hours over, and my little toddler’s patience held good all this while, with her little ‘wows’ and ‘applauds’ here and there! Not bad…  

And as we prodded our way out through a still packed auditorium, my mind couldn’t stop thinking over the fact that all this while the dances I have witnessed be it the classical Indian dance, the Tanoura dance of the middle east, the hip-hop of the west, all have beats to it. And dancers counted these beats to change their moves. But here is a music that had just no beat! It was a pure melody of the harp and pipa cascading down, and the dancers in perfect sync, swayed to the right moves and all together at the right time!

My train of thoughts came to a full stop when we got to witness another performance at the parking lot and this time the performer was little Akshara :) who voiced her Chinese music and imitated the dancers convincing us that she is one. And yes, we applauded an equally convincing applaud, wrapped her in our arms and then in the car seat to head to our next destination. 

Zaijian (bye) until then….

Akshara Turns Three...

Three years back, we unfurled the most precious gift-  Akshara ! And, each day ever since, she gives us reasons to smile, laugh and live more gratefully.

I didn’t believe in an angel until I saw you.

I didn’t believe in creation until I saw you,

I didn’t believe in boundless joy until I saw you,

I didn’t believe in miracles, until I saw you…

and now that I have you,

I wonder, how I lived those many years without you…   <3

Role Reversal

What is role-reversal? As you grew up, he made you believe, ‘Give it a shot, you have it in YOU. Do Not Quit!’ Years down the line, when he grew skeptical of his flair, you could hold that candle and make him believe, ‘ Dad, you have it in YOU! Give it a shot’

Acha’s small piece in the Hindu newspaper (8^th November 2016), and my BIG happiness as this is a modest start into his unexplored prowess at writing….

Heaven on Earth, welcome to Kashmir!

Soaring high in the sky, Indian Airlines, IC 825 rips apart the dense blanket of clouds and emerges into what I believe a fairy tale land! Snow clad mountains, gushing streams of crystal clear cascades, blossoming green meadows, left a city bird like me bewildered. But seldom was I aware that it was just a sneak peak to what the world calls the paradise on earth, Kashmir.

Our plane disembarked on the soil of Kashmir and we were flown down not to any hotel or a lodge but into a hut. Hut #19 was ours for the remaining seven days. According to an ancient belief, the place where the valley endures today was once a huge lake and was home to a very detestable demon. Sage Kashyap drained away most of the lake and the demon was crushed to death. With the passage of time, the dried area of the lake came to be inhabited and thus from the sage Kashyap’s name this place was baptized to be called Kashmir.

My first venture was visiting Chashme-shahi, the royal spring that was laid by Shah Jahan in 1632 A.D. With water fountains and many flower beds, this place is increasingly becoming a tourist destination, but what had me captivated was the fact that allaying the fear of terror menace or a violent unrest, this place showed me a much more gratifying façade. I could hear the serene gush of waters from the spring, on one end I could perceive the sound of the holy hymns in the air recited by the children of a madrassa and on the other end I saw boys merrily playing and one of them not conscious of his trousers slipping off! There were women enjoying their chats as much as men engaged in their business talks. Far off I also witnessed men and women settling down for their dinner after their evening namaaz, with folded legs they seated themselves on ground. After taking god’s name, “bismillah” they started taking their dinner with utmost respect.

Out of the many tourist attraction places in Kashmir we have the Shankaracharya Temple, the oldest shrine in Kashmir dedicated to lord Shiva. It was constructed by Raja Gopadatya in 371 B.C. and is a prominent religious place for Hindus. Apart from giving a panoramic view of the famous Dal Lake it is of great archaeological importance too. Together with this is a prominent place of worship for the Muslims, the The Hazrathalbal Shrine, which is situated on the left bank of the famous Dal Lake in Srinagar. Its reverence is anchored in the love and respect for Prophet Mohammad, who’s Moi-e-Muqqadas, (the sacred hair) is preserved here. Thus sad to note that with the presence of such sanctified religious places and its rooted beliefs, peace is still a mirage in Kashmir.

Before heading towards our next destination, let me confess that I am not much an admirer of botanical gardens but this place had already stepped in, in shattering my myths about this city. The Shalimar Garden built by Emperor Jahangir for his beloved wife, Nurjahan, or The Nishat Garden that Queen Nur Jahan's brother, Asif Khan, laid in 1633 A.D. situated on the banks of the Dal Lake in the backdrop of the Zabarwan hills had me spell bound. Hands down, I believe that Kashmir is called the valley of flowers because flowers just sprout out of the earth like weeds do. We did study during our school days that rose is a shrub but my eyes popped out when I saw this shrub as tall as 6 feet, and roses in a plethora of beautiful colors. In our cities, I know the pain we take in nurturing that one flower pot in our balcony, and get excited when we witness at least a lone flower blooming out. The soil of Kashmir is so blessed that we witness sheets of flowers everywhere. Also, with places like Pari Mahal, the famous Dal Lake, Jama Masjid the unadorned beauty of this city refuses to cease. (But the space for this article is nearing a finish, thus my inability to incorporate these sites.).

Kashmir has something to offer to all, if you are into adventure sports, skiing, sledging, hang gliding at Gulmarg beckons you and if you enjoy shopping, you shall be treated with Kashmiri handmade carpets and Pashmina shawls that are famous world over and also wall hangings with naqqashi work. But nothing beats the divine feeling of stepping out of your accommodation early in the morning, sit for a rendezvous with the valley, with the backdrop of Takht-e-Suleiman mountains and a slight dip in the temperature, sip through the Kashmiri tea, Qahwah.  It is a warming tea with cinnamon, cardamom, saffron, crushed almonds, walnuts and is served with sugar or honey along with Kashmiri roses adding great aroma, and let me tell you greater warmth lies in sharing it with someone special too!  

What makes a place beautiful apart from its’ valley, mountains, cascades or monuments are its inhabitants. The natives of Kashmir are untouched by the feigned glitz of our sophisticated metropolitans. They are believers of hard work, vouch for a simple living and hospitality is what defines them. The saddest part is that this picture is changing, changing for the worse. With mass unemployed youth, political instability, un-kept promises, misuse of rights bestowed, trampling of the innocent by the ones under unaccountable power, is ripping apart this dale into shreds. Yes! Kashmir is burning but its beauty still stays unrivaled, so much so that even words fall short in defining its exquisiteness. The great Mughal Emepror, Jahangir rightly espoused about Kashmir, “Agar Firdaus Ba-Ru-I-Zamin Ast, Hamin Ast -U-Hamin Ast.” (If there is heaven on earth, it is here, it is here.)

So, are your travelling bags out and your next destination decided?