Twenty years…
They have not been a cakewalk. We had to work hard to make our marriage work… but then anything of any value takes time, effort and commitment. Pretty proud of how we turned out to be 🙂
Category: Chronicles
46
Since I turned 40 in 2008, I had decided to do one new thing each year – something new that I had not done in past 39 years of my life. I could mostly keep that promise to myself and have perhaps done more in past 6 years than I did in last two decades. I parasailed, achieved a life long dream of publishing Ammi’s works online, had a fling with English Theatre which i intend to continue and went to Serengeti , Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro which was an amazing experience.
I never decide when the year starts as to what new thing I’d do during the year, but this year things fell in place and I learnt Urdu script which enhanced my understanding of the language many folds. Am glad I took out time, struggled, but learnt the script, this learning though, will be an ongoing process.
The year is going to be challenging; with Aasim leaving the town for higher studies, but I am looking forward to him going out and exploring the world. He will finally get the wings that he so deserves.
Woke up on my 46th birthday to delicious cupcakes that Tarique baked for me. Thank you sweetheart. I love it when you make things for me <3 The day was spent lazing around, with no specific agenda except to eat good food and we did do that – Pari treated us to lovely liver Pâté, and Bianca to awesome cookies when we went to pick up the Parsi dinner of Dhansak and Kebabs.
And yes, I did dress up for the evening
As 2013 comes to an end
The year started and just whizzed by, not even giving me a few moments to pause and ponder. What did I do new this year? Nothing remarkable…. started several things and left them midway…
Lost one of my best friends to cancer and there is nothing and no one to fill that void. Miss you so much, Old Man, and I am sure I am not the only one. Atul, you meant much more to me than I ever admitted.
It is still difficult for me to believe that Atul is no longer going to be a comforting online presence; even as I struggle to accept that he is not there, another friend, who was just getting close after several years of not being in communication had a fatal fall. You were a beautiful person, Kavita I wish we had more time to know you closely. I will always miss that friendship that never blossomed completely.
Just after Christmas, I got one more blow. A man who was larger than life itself passed away. A well wisher, and an extremely talented actor, Farouque Saheb was one of the most down to earth person I have ever interacted with. I will miss his occasional phone calls and messages…
Life has its own ways… and while I am alive, I must live my life to its fullest and on my own terms. People who are gone would not wish any less, I am sure, because each one of them lived their life on their own terms.
2013 also saw Aasim turn 16, an important milestone in his life; he gave his IGCSE this year and is growing up to become a fine man. I feel proud to be his mother. Next year he will be away from home, staying in a hostel for continuation of his education. Though as parents we feel we have equipped him to be on his own, somewhere there is a string that tugs… I guess that will always be there. It’s an emotional bond and I wish it stays that way.
Things changed a bit on work front, we have a talented and much stronger team and a few products to be proud of. SANIsoft is embarking on new growth path and we are determined to take it to new heights.
I don’t know what 2014 will bring, as I write this I remember a very old and beloved friend who loved to say and sing Que Sera Sera… whatever will be will be, the future’s not ours to see.
Farooque Shaikh : As I knew him.
Some people are larger than life. Farooque Saheb was one of them. This morning I woke up to the news of his passing away and for a few minutes, it just did not sink in… It was not as if we talked or messaged on daily basis a phone call once in a year, a few messages exchanged was enough. When it came to greetings on festive occasions, more often than not I found myself replying to his greetings, and he beat me to it again, just a few days back on Christmas eve.
He was a celebrity,and one does not expect them to take initiative in maintaining relationships, and yet he was a man who took efforts to maintain relationships.
I still remember, like it happened yesterday, when a few years ago I received a handwritten letter from him asking for Dr. Zarina Sani’s book (which was not in publication) and our subsequent phone calls. It was his encouragement that made me start the Devanagari transcriptions of that Ammi’s works so that it can reach a wider audience. I will forever be indebted to him for that little push which I needed at that time; when I did not believe I would be able to take up such a big task. He not only encouraged me to start the work, he took active interest in knowing what stage the work is in. When I published “Ekkyavan” on http://zarinasani.org, he wanted to have it in print, for his collection.
Farouque Saheb you will be missed and always remembered fondly. I see yet another vacuum in my life that can never be filled.
Aasim’s farewell address
Aasim finished his IGCSE exams yesterday and is looking forward to the long break (during which he has planned many activities).
He gave an impromptu farewell speech as the class valedictorian. A speech that makes me very proud.
Happy 16th Aasim
It was a busy day for Aasim on his 16th birthday. He had two IGCSE exams (Maths and French), so I took this cake to his school with some snacks for Aasim and his friends.
Dad’s fall and the hospital he was admitted to.
it was a regular Monday morning chaos till the time I received a call from Mom saying that Dad has fallen down the stairs and is not responding. Thing went from crazy chaos to urgency suddenly and we rushed, 10kms away, where they live.
As we were driving, Tarique called Dr. Anup Marar, Director, Orange City Hospital and requested him to send an ambulance. The ambulance was already there when we reached my parents place.
We reached and discovered that dad had regained consciousness though he could not recall what led to his fall. He seemed fine but was still taken to the hospital where he was immediately admitted in Critical Care Unit (because he still could not recall a lot of things that led to his fall) The doctors decided to keep him under observation overnight.
While I was there, attending him, I got to see a lot of things, and i was really impressed. This was not the first time that i was dealing with a CCU team, I have had not so good experiences in the past – essentially because the place is always abuzz with activity and CCU staff is always stressed out. However, at Orange City Hospital, i realised that the team at CCU never transferred their stress to the (already stressed) relatives of patients. The entire staff of young Doctors and Nurses was full of energy, positive attitude and was extremely patient with the relatives. My dad was not critical, but i witnessed them being extremely supportive with the patients and relatives of extremely critical patients too. I observed and was also very impressed with the cleanliness and other protocols being kept.
Dad was discharged after almost 30 hours of being there, and i brought him home with relief and assurance that if there is a real emergency, this is one hospital on which I can totally depend.
15 years of motherhood
One of the best thing that has happened to me has been motherhood. I so vividly remember the day Aasim was born, it seems it all happend just yesterday. As a child came to us with clever one liners and sometimes very weird questions (he still does sometimes) and some of the things that he said and did I have documented in my journal. It has been 15 years and our son has been the best any parent could hope for. May you get happiness
As he turns 46 this day
In 2002, when Tarique turned 36, he wrote about counting milestones of age in decades at 6, 16, 26 and 36. So I thought on his 46th birthday I should document the last four decades, his 6th, 16th, 26th and 36th year in pictures. The photos are not of great quality, but then this post is not about quality of photographs -it is about quality of life 🙂
At 6, his naughtiest best.
At 16. After he lost his mother, he decided to study medicine.
At 26. Photo taken at Alibag beach.
On his 26th birthday I was with him, we had finalized the plans of our marriage that day. I wish I had taken his picture that day, I did not -but he did take several of mine.
At 36. The three of us.
And today, at 46, he still is that 6 year old at heart. Happy Birthday, Love.
One.
The year was 1991, early June. We wanted to feel alive, what better way than go hang-gliding? He would pick me up at 4.30 AM and we would ride on his bike to the outskirts of the city to this adventure camp where we learnt hang-gliding. Years have passed us by but every time I think of those days, I still get goose pimples – and hang gliding was just one of the things we did.
Fly
to touch the clouds
feel the deep blue sky.
Fly
and find the world beneath
conquered.
Fly
and discover
the power of wings:
Your Wings!!
Fly
to tame the wild wind
feel the power
and be one!!