Post Valentine's

A Sait named Ismail

travelled many a mile

a lovely lady to meet in a farm

impressed her no end with his charm

this Sait with his million dollar smile.

Now husband of 30 years Ismail Sait

still walks in a slow steady gait

totally sincere at his work

not one to ever shirk

thoroughness being his trait.

He surely is a straight Sait

not one to get into dire strait

sits up all night

to get it all right

that’s the state of his fate. Even looks great in a portrait !

He does not have a big 'pate'

But sits at the edge of his plate

Enjoys all kind of foods

Which elate his moods

That's a trait of a true Sait.

Reaching to God-willing a ripe old age

not fumbling at any stage

still shows a lot of compassion

Movies and not fashion is his passion

But beware for you can get him into a rage!

Music is his love in life

But never does he neglect his wife

still full of drive
works hard to strive
That's a thin slice of his life.



This attempt at some limericks I made for my husband who's always there for me.
His gentle touch, his warm hugs are what make me go on in life.

A milestone to remember

It is our wedding anniversary. We have been married thirty years.

Celebrating a wedding anniversary, particularly a milestone one like this one would not be complete without a proper gift. I have not given many gifts to IS. Even if I did I don't remember many significant ones. I am feeling physically tired and cannot go out looking for gifts ... the materialistic kind. Is there something more special I can do as a gift, more so a gift to remember.

Whatever time has exposed our partnership to .... ups and downs, various kinds of feelings, sometimes warm, sometimes friction or irritation, a few times indifferent!, I am still proud to say that we have held  it together.  In addition to our marriage and raising a family my husband and I have worked together as a team, and despite the impediments, we have soared.

I thought I would do a painting and use some of my humble artistic talent to create a gift for him .... the gift of creativity for me being very precious.

Tsuru or Crane in Japanese symbolises longevity and fidelity. These qualities are a perfect sign of a committed marriage that transcends many ages.

So here's my painting.

"Tsuru"

My life is full of love and appreciation for my true match in this life and beyond.

Happy anniversary to my best friend and true love.

  

The Great Sea-Scape

After a number of half-hearted attempts, we finally managed to take this trip last weekend to the Musandam peninsula, Oman.  Four and a half years in Dubai (for me) and this was our first serious outing by road.  Not only over-night, but international!

A car drive of under 4 hours via Ras Al Khaimah (including the UAE-Oman border visa formalities) Friday morning and we reached Khasab, Musandam’s principal town (built by the Portuguese early 17th century).

Fairly good road, the Oman leg of it winding up and down and around (and over!) stark mountains on one side, with the Persian Gulf on the other, the way to Khasab along the coast was quite thrilling.  The Hajjar mountains appear arid and inhospitable, yet oddly attractive, their treeless ruggedness highlighted even more by the blue waters of the seas around.  The amount of quarrying on the way was however quite a put-off.

But we were quite unprepared for our hotel, which sits on a cliff overlooking the clear waters of the passages of Hormuz.  On this cusp of land facing northwards towards Iran you have the Persian Gulf on the left, the Strait of Hormuz in front, and the coastal fjords of Musandam on the right, stretching eastwards towards the Gulf of Oman.

The highlight of our trip was the traditional Omani Dhow cruise the same afternoon.  Comfortable low seating helped us work off our lunch as the boat sailed out. Inhaling sea breeze and absorbing the blue around, the sunlight played its part, highlighting the landscape which became breath-taking with the light and shadow as dusk approached.

Quite an experience.  Dubbed the "Norway of Arabia" because of its fjords, Musandam has some of the most scenic panoramas in the Arabian Peninsula, with a number of khors (creeks); and our dhow explored the largest of them, 'Khor as-Sham'.

 Crystal  clear waters encircled by massive naturally carved rock walls(mainly limestone), colourful aquatic life and a pod of 7 playful wild dolphins, showing off their skill in the water and even racing our boat.

We anchored at the well-known ‘Telegraph Island’, a station along the old telegraph cable that linked London to Iraq's southern city of Basra and onwards to Bombay. IS even enjoyed a short swim in the clear water.

On the way back we could see a number of speedboats racing across the sea-corridor connecting Oman to the Iranian coast (50 kms. away), and heard from our guide about the smuggling of traditional goods like zaffran, livestock, etc. from there, with consumer goods being taken in on the return.

The next morning we went into the town (which was quite deserted) and saw the Khasab Fort and Museum. We returned home that same evening wanting to do this trip again.

The Rugged Hajar Mountains

The drive along the coast,once you cross the UAE border

The Dhow ready for the Cruise

The shimmering waters

Azure Blue waters against the rugged mountains

Omani captain of our Boat

A shoal of fish

The sunlight creates magic

Dolphins who entertained us on some part of our cruise.
They responded to our claps and whistles and even raced with our boat.

Inside the Khasab fort

Watch tower of the fort

Small windows,keep the heat away

Decorations on the Boat

Fronds of the Date Palm provide some shade

Clean beaches

Seagulls on the shore

A Sad Demise

Sharief, our devoted cook, passed away most unexpectedly last Thursday, leaving us very shocked and saddened.

Belonged to a village near Cuttack, Orissa, had his wife and family there (5 daughters and a son), and some property, but in ’95, at the age of nearly 50 (though he didn’t look it), came to Chennai to look for a job so he could pay off his debts and get his daughters married. We were lucky that a friend referred him to us.

When he joined us fifteen years ago he couldn't cook too much, but made amazing rotis so I knew he had potential and could be trained.  Over time he picked up quite a repertoire and could bake, make pizzas, and do an Indianized version of Chinese.  Of course on any given day a lot depended on his mood!

Straight-forward, God-fearing, honest to the core, he was very fond of my girls, Bade Saab or Sona Baba he called A. The two would always have him in splits, try to say a few words in English .... “What's up? Nothing much!”  He would miss his daughters …

Had a way with animals.  Our dogs in Chennai really loved him … and feared him at the same time!

After we shifted to Dubai, since it wasn’t possible for him to accompany us we moved him to Delhi 2 years ago to work for my mother (‘Nanima’ he’d call her). I could only convince him to go there on the understanding that when we returned to India (Inshallah!), he’d come back to us.

He was quite hale and hearty, and would say that no illness could ever touch him. He had some niggling health issues, which we tried to resolve through regular health checks.  But during his annual leave home from Delhi this time he fell ill, apparently a urinary infection, which on further investigation needed him to undergo surgery. Next thing we knew, in matter of days he was gone.  We’re still to get the full story.

During this visit he had fixed to get his third daughter married, and was only waiting to go home to arrange this.

Life is so unpredictable.  At least his last days were with his family.

Sharief had this way of acknowledging his blessings with an “Allah Mian, tera lakh lakh shukr hai’; we will truly miss him, and for our time with him we feel the same way.

“Tell your friend that in his death, a part of you dies and goes with him. Wherever he goes, you also go. He will not be alone.”  ― Jiddu Krishnamurti