Writer-At-Large – The 2025 Indian-American Documentary – Final Part

Continued from Part I

HERE

JULY

My son sent me pictures of the Harvard university library from his visit to Boston and I lamented to him that it’s the right place for me, and then got back to my life here in ATL. After all, I had to wash all our Indian clothes in the kitchen sink and dry them outside as it’s peak summer! I saw a girl dressed up as Shiva in an event and I immediately paparazzied my favorite God. The boys went to a soccer game and it’s apparently big deal, and you can’t imagine how little I care LOL. I attended a fabulous bridal shower and, along with my mother-in-law, cleaned out the garden of beautiful veggies from my aunt’s backyard. Thanks, aunty, for leaving town for a few weeks 😉

AUGUST

I attended a birthday party of my friends in the Meditteranean theme and suffice to say, I haven’t seen so much Lapis lazuli decor (that deep-blue gemstone color) at one place. I saw a bunch of babies together and went nuts for their cuteness. Our dog had to sit in our prayers, so I put the tilak (red dot) on his forehead too. I attended a wedding and our granddaughter (yes by marriage, I’m now one) visited us! Wherever I went, even at the airport, I saw Ganesha, and knew I will be just fine. And I attended an event where my friend performed a dance recital, and I was stumped at the grace at which the ladies moved.

SEPTEMBER

My son rushed the field at a college football game, and I waited until I got a call from him that he was ok. Why wouldn’t he not be, he scolded me. I went into a gaming room in Downtown Atlanta. My son attended homecoming dance and asked for a date using poster art. I went to India and visited Vizag, Vijayawada and Chennai. In Vizag, I saw a camel and a horse on the beach, and laughed to myself at the audacity of those gentleman asking me to take a ride on those poor animals. I can almost carry those animals instead of the other way round, are you kidding? I met so many new and old Vijayawada (my people) friends and celebrated my grandma’s 90th with my entire family.

OCTOBER

I continued my trip in Vijayawada and got my mom’s new book signed by her. I saw my cousin’s room where he was studying and went back to my own old days of learning in my 20’s, when I wrote notes and stuck them to walls. My son destroyed the inner demons by burning a paper cut out of the 10-headed demon Ravana for the festival of Dusshera for Sunday school and attended Lil Tecca’s concert that weekend. He completed his Boy Scouts project to become an Eagle, the highest rank in scouting. Kids in India and here celebrated Halloween in their own style. I attended a fabulous wedding at the Utopic nature center of Serenbe in the south of Georgia for a weekend. I attended a pooja where women prayed for their husbands’ well-being. Poor Yogi had to have surgery for his ear infection.

NOVEMBER

When I asked my sons to send me a picture of them at the Aquarium, a whale pic is what I got. We went to the Pittsburgh vs. Georgia Tech college football game and the next day I lost my hearing capabilities (temporarily). We loaded a lost dog into our car and for a few minutes Yogi had some fabulous company before the mom came to pick her up. She had seen our post on the community channel. At a hotel lobby, I met the eyes of a newlywed, glowing with happiness, and it thrilled me beyond words. For my birthday, I attended a full weekend of lectures on my GOAT’s (Adi Sankara’s) work and immersed myself in Advaita. We attended my friend’s housewarming ceremony where they smashed an ash gourd to ward off evil. And I didn’t need Thanksgiving to arrive to start binge eating LOL.

DECEMBER

My friends sent me a picture of them playing in the snow, and I somehow could feel the fun in my bones. I went to a place where a young Armenian girl was having her baby shower and it was so nice to see the theme and all the food. We attended a murder mystery play by an Indian American group. I attended a Moth storytelling event and had a mesmerizing time. We went to Egypt and saw giant pyramids about 5000 years old, art work of daily life of Egyptians in the temples from North to South around the country, along with cute outfits for belly dancers in the local markets.

Thank you for being here and around!!!

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The Indian American Life