The Joy of Family

8/24/2013

What is family? To me, it is those people who love you for who you are, who tell you when you make big mistakes and who stand by you even if you make bigger mistakes.

Any Malayali would attest to this fact, the best way to start a day is with a glass of filter-coffee and idlis. Thanks to my flatmate and her lovely parents, I woke up to a mother telling me that I won’t get my coffee if I don’t get my ass out of bed and brush my teeth. Coffee, 4 idlis, a bath and 2 loads of laundry later, I was all ready to leave for the special meeting commemorating Sensei’s (SGI President Daisaku Ikeda) Gohonzon birthday.

I met Aditya and got some late lunch from Whole Foods. Is it just me, or is their food/salad bar obscenely priced? Anyway, we went in early to secure good seats for the meeting. It was truly phenomenal. Powerful daimoku for an hour, over 50 Gohonzon conferrals, an amazing faith experience, an outstanding fife and drums performance by the Ikeda Youth Ensemble Taiko group, super guidance and emcee-ing all brought to a close with everyone singing ‘Forever Sensei’ supported by the Brass Band. I said this before, and it bears repeating, the SGI community never fails to inspire me.

Oh, and on the note of family, today’s post is dedicated to my naughty nephews Gokul and Pranav and my most adorable niece Gouri, whose babbles in the morning lit up this Ichamma’s (Malayalam for aunt) day! For you three, UMMMAAAA!!

With that and lots of love,

pinne kaanam … kaananam! (Malayalam; Translation: I’ll see you later, I should see you later)

(in honour of all the Malayalam movies I grew up on)