Kadmanivasi. My Blog. Geeta Ramani

“ People have two deaths, the first at the end of their lives. The second, at the end of the memory of their lives.” Raghu Karnad, ' Farthest Field' A chance remark by my grand daughter sparked off this trilogy.  Here's part I. For my defense, I say only this : "Just write the truth! But truths are many, and that is the problem. Memory is treacherous, as distinct from history as emotion." Cohen, Roger,  'The Girl from Human Street.'  “Naani”, asked my five year old granddaughter, in all her worldly wisdom, “Where are my Great Grandparents?  Do you think they love me?” As I prepared to answer her inquisitive queries, my mind wandered, to my Great Grandparents! Who indeed were they! What a profound chord her innocent words had touched! What did I know of my  great grandfather, who had lived and died before I came into this world! Kachapeshwar Iyer was my great grandfather's name. Eshwar for short. I know for sure. My grandfather carried his name i...

March 23rd, 2020. The day we would begin our annual holiday to spend time with our grandchildren. Eager and ecstatic beyond measure, we were very well prepared this time, having learned a few lessons from our earlier visits. But by the end of February, we started hearing rumblings and by the second week of March, we had to make an informed decision, of either postponing or cancelling this much awaited visit. The corona virus had hit the Earth, and unlike the tsunami of 2011 or the deluge of 2015, its extent was not known. Much like a foreign invasion, we got to hear of its coming  from the TV. The origin and spread of the COVID 19 Corona virus, by now, has been  well documented. Pandemic in nature, it has already claimed an unprecedented number of lives, with hundreds and thousands infected. The recovery rate is encouraging . A possible step to check its march, lies in one hopeful action, a lockdown with social distancing. The poor bear the brunt of it, the elderly are mos...