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Sunaina Suneja AES class of 1975 sunainasuneja@gmail.com December 30, 2008 I thought I’d oil my rusty writing skills (Jacquie Singh, please note) and try my hand at an end-of-the-year appraisal of 2008 that is soon going to be ‘was’ and share it with all my friends.
It wasn’t a very eventful beginning but I’m not at all unhappy to live through boring times. I’m beginning to enjoy the placidity that they bring with them. I spent March preparing for another trip to the US, and it was only when I was aboard the flight on my way, that I realized that I was returning after just 9 months, the first time that’s happened to me. I set it into motion on the previous trip, as a plan to celebrate Rashida’s and Rajdeep’s Big Five O, at the Grand Canyon, little believing that it would materialize. And when it did, I wove into it a work angle which took me back to Santa Fe (what a beautiful place!) and to the home of Martha and Ray, fellow Indians in a previous incarnation, I’m positive. The Grand Canyon was magnificent and I am delighted I finally got there , a little over 40 years after my father did. Rajdeep was the perfect guide: she’s been there more times than she can count in the past five or six years and hoped she wouldn’t have to again for some time to come. Raghu, how do I thank you for your willingness to drive us there and back??? Rashida for a trunkful of calories we could have well done without but savored nevertheless. And last but not the least, Jihana, who kept us more entertained than she can imagine. Santa Fe was as magical as it was when I left it last year, or perhaps, on second thoughts, a little more so this time…. I stepped out of the museum premises and saw snow flakes falling gently to the ground in mid-April. It was a special moment for me and Martha told me she wished she could have captured my physical reaction to it for me!The next morning all of Santa Fe was covered by a light blanket of snow and it was a beautiful sight. Ray took a lot of photographs with his new camera and me with mine (old one!). School alumni seem to be any and every place I visit and Scottsdale and Santa Fe were no exceptions: Aki Rahman, an old friend, and Paige Grant, a very welcome new one. The Grand Canyon was not the only new place I visited in the US this time, I finally finally finally made it to Boston as well. Once again, school alum to thank for it: Ashok Nimgade who not only welcomed me into his home alongwith my 10th grade buddy, Mary , but also hosted a reunion, cooked a hearty breakfast for us the next day and organized our sightseeing of Boston-in-12 hours. Mary converted it into a walking tour which we both enjoyed immensely, chatting, strolling, taking photographs, lunching on cold water lobster and clam chowder, finally visiting MIT and Harvard. It was fabulous. Washington DC was my final halt and it’s always great to visit with Maya, Alan and Devin. I was tired by then and enjoyed not doing very much before heading back home to the heat and grime of the summer. Actually, my return was exceptionally well-timed: Sumana sent me an email asking me to check out the program at the India Habitat Center to verify if B K S Iyengar was truly giving a talk there. Well, he truly was, and of course we went, with Swamiji who was here as well. For those of you who don’t know who BKS Iyengar is, big mistake, please check his website to learn why he is called the Michaelangelo of Yoga: http://www.bksiyengar.com/ Looking at him that evening and listening to him, made me think back to the time 25 years ago when I had thought I would like to specialize in yoga and used to guide myself (incorrectly, I know now) through asanas with the help of his book when I was discouraged from doing so. It was a lifetime opportunity to hear him and he invited the audience to come to the inauguration of the Yoga Center the next day. Of course we went and Sumana and I entered the yoga hall and we got another lifetime opportunity to talk to The Master himself and I said to him, “Guruji, 25 years to late for me!” and he gave me exceptional hope when he replied, “it’s never too late”. Well, I’m happy to inform you all that I’m part of the Center now, started by Nivedita Joshi who has trained under Guruji himself for a number of years. I’m in the beginners class and for those of you who know I’ve been doing yoga over the years , believe me when I say that I feel like I never did yoga before this. Then came the Monsoon and Mangoes! A self-explanatory time of year during which I had the occasion to go to the Northeast of India! I accompanied Savita Singh of Gandhi Smriti (http://gandhismriti.nic.in/indexb.asp) to Imphal and it was exciting to see that part of the country. The monsoon is a great time to travel in India : it’s so beautiful and green all around. Imphal was too and we took a long drive away from the city to just enjoy the countryside. We flew to Kolkata and that gave me a chance to spend some time with my cousins, Sunny and Shashi , and then with Savita we drove to the Ichamati, our riverine border with Bangladesh. It was quite a trip! This was followed by one more very special highlight of the year, a talk and retreat by/with Thich Nhat Hanh…a blissful experience. We were blessed to have this renowned monk in our midst. Read his books! Beautiful thoughts put so simply. Through the year, I worked on a phulkari embroidery project as income generation to help village women in an area of Punjab. Although it is currently on hold, it has been very gratifying to see the progress the women made in their embroidery skills, and learning the traditional style of doing it. I’m slowly getting into the groove of my mother’s line of One of a Kind garments, but I don’t think I will ever be able to match her in patience! Indigo is now a permanent part of my colorful life and I’m trying to revive the old style of chikan embroidery as well, the first samples are simply extraordinary. As for my beloved khadi, I have begun work on the next collection and I can already see nice shapes developing for Summer 2009. “Responsible Fashion”: did I send you the article written by Meher Castelino? If not, let me know and I will forward it to you. Now that I’m re-reading this, I realize this year has had quite a few wondrous moments so I can say farewell to it with a thumbs up in a parting shot. I’ve concentrated on my activities and experiences and deliberately stayed away from the big events which have touched us all. Having said that, I will end with a prayer for peace To all of you, good health and much happiness in the New Year, Shanti, See previous letters from Sunaina.
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