[I remember those long ago days when we used to write letters to our near and dear ones regularly. Over the years there have been lot of changes in life. These are the days of the internet and we have stopped writing letters. Last year I started writing to my mother and my Doddamma (my father’s elder brother’s wife) She lives with her son and family. My cousin’s wife shows her my mails. My mother lives with my brother and my sister-in-law shows her my mails. My Doddamma is 86 and is not able to go out. My Amma and Doddamma enjoy the mails and the photos. The internet has really changed our lives, it helps us to keep some contact with our friends and relatives, if we want to😊. I am editing a few lines before posting in Slice of Life because it would be difficult to understand without knowing the details. I am also adding links to certain topics of interest.]
26-03-18
Dear Doddamma and Amma,
I was very happy to spend three days with you amma. Doddamma, on the 22nd, my flight from Hyderabad left at 7.10 and I was in Mangalore by 8.30. Kuvara and Aravinda had come to the airport. On our way back we had breakfast in a hotel in Padubidri. It is a good hotel. We have had breakfast there many times earlier too. After returning Aravinda went to college. For lunch I made boiled rice conji and tomato rasam.
That evening we went to End point for a walk. We like going there. It is called Endpoint because one end of Manipal ends there. If we go down we reach the banks of the river Swarna. On both sides of the road to End point trees are coming up. They are mostly Jamun trees with purple coloured fruits.
There is a jackfruit tree in our back yard. This year there are a lot of fruits. We will be using them at their different stages. We will also share with our neighbours and others.
We are getting papaya too. They are tasty. The white star-apple tree in the front has also started giving fruits this year. My husband’s cousin gave us the plant a few years ago. The fruits are very tasty.
On the 23rd evening, Aravinda had his German class, Kuvara went to a music concert. There is an open-air stage next to Manipal lake. The two singers sang folk songs and devotional songs. It was very good and the audience enjoyed themselves.
I had my book club meeting so I could not go for the concert. We started this club in 2009 and meet once a month. We talk about books and it is great fun. We talk about the books we have read. Once, we all read the same book and that was a different experience.
I am stitching two shirts for Advaith and some frocks for Kavya. I am enjoying the stitching. While stitching I listen to Bananje Govindacharya’s pravachana (lectures). I like all his lectures. At present I am listening to his talk on The Gita. Other than his vast knowledge and the simple language in which he speaks I like the way he gets so involved in the stories. We can hear the emotion in his voice and that makes everything so personal. I am glad all his talks are in YouTube.
Yesterday we had been to Maikuri to see mava ( my father-in-law). He is fine. I told him you had asked me to convey to him your namaskaras. He too remembered that you had gone to Neerchal school for some days. (my doddamma and my father-in-law are related) According to the English calendar today is his birthday. He is 93. But mava follows the Hindu calendar and his birthday comes later. Till last year we used to offer pujas at home for Lord Shiva and Ganapati. Last year we went Madhur temple. It is tiring for him to sit for the homa and puje.
( Prayers offered to Lord Shiva by priests, this was in 2013)
( Homa for Lord Ganapati)
There we came to know that my husband’s cousin, Gopala had suffered brain haemorrhage more than a month ago and was in the hospital. On our way back we went to see him. His right side is paralysed and it was really very sad to see him like that. They will go to their home in three days. They have engaged a male home nurse to look after Gopala. We never know what will happen to us. I think every day we have to thank God for our good health. We reached home by 6.15.
Today evening Aravinda had his German classes. We dropped him there and went to our Cooperative society shop where we buy groceries. Now they are selling millets too. I got pearl millets and barnyard millets. I am thinking of making payasam (dessert made using coconut milk and jaggery)tomorrow from the barnyard millets, they look like like ragi (finger millets) but white in colour.
We are all fine here. I talk to Gayatri almost everyday. She sends videos and photos of Advaith and Kavya.
With love,
Lakshmi
Hindu calendar – Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_calendar
Hindu calendar is a collective term for the various lunisolar calendars traditionally used in India. They adopt a similar underlying concept for timekeeping, but differ in their relative emphasis to moon cycle or the sun cycle and the names of months and when they consider the New Year to start. Of the various regional calendars, the most studied and known Hindu calendars are the Vikrami calendar …
Madhur Temple – Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madhur_Temple
Madhur temple was originally Madarantheswara (Shiva) Temple and as the lore goes, an old women called Madaru from local Tulu Moger Community discovered an “Udbhava Murthy” (a statue that was not made by a human) of shiva linga.
Bannanje Govindacharya – Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bannanje_Govindacharya
PadmaShri Shri Bannanje Govindacharya, is a great and rare Sanskrit scholar, well-versed in Veda Bhashya, Upanishad Bhashya, Mahabharata, Puranas and Ramayana.
Homa (ritual) – Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homa_(ritual)
Letter from Home-10 (Slice of Life)
Mukhamani 
Comments are welcome :)