2 October 2022

Arrived at the Dead Sea

Finally arrived at the Dead Sea well past midnight. Of course, we cannot see the Sea in the dark. This is the view right now. If you see the dim lights at the very end, that is West Bank on the other side of the Sea. And the very dim lights on the top (you need to zoom in) is Jerusalem.

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2 October 2022

Warm welcome in Amman!

Mahmoud and I became great friends during my last trip to Amman. He took me around his country and guided me with a lot of history and geography lessons.

“You have to promise to come back and bring your family back next time!”, were his parting words when we bid good bye last time.
“I definitely will”, I had promised him.
“You will meet my family and have dinner with us”, he had graciously invited.
“Indeed!!”

After that we have kept up on Whatsapp and occasional phone calls.

He was the first person there at the airport waiting for us when we finally came out of the customs area.

He was clearly overjoyed to see us!

He pronounces my name the Arabic way – almost like “Rajab”. He explained to Sharmila the good times we had last time when we went around in our adventures.

“Rajab is not my friend. He is my brother,” he explained to her.

“My family has been talking about you for the last whole week. They have been waiting eagerly! You have to have dinner with us tomorrow.”

“We will do so!”, I assured him as we sped away in the dark from the airport for our over an hour ride to the Dead Sea.

Always very reassuring to get a great welcome in a foreign country!

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30 September 2022

First trip after starting to empty nest

I had gone to Jordan for the first time in my life about four months back. I saw only a small portion of the country – but whatever I saw was incredibly beautiful. (You can read the whole journey here

Going back there with Sharmila this time. Hoping to see a lot more of the country. Right now, we have Dead Sea, Wadi Al-Mujib, Aqaba, Wadi Rum, Petra and Amman in our plans.

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28 September 2022

Again, what does that level of precision get us?

Why thirteen thousand nine hundred AND TEN dollars? As long as it is the maximum fine (assuming it is an egregious violation), why not throw in another meagre ninety dollars (meagre relative to the absolute value) and call it fourteen thousand even???

I just don’t get the utility of this level of precision. I was half afraid there will be a “Local taxes extra” after this.

I can almost imagine, in a court of law, somebody getting indicted and counting all those $1000 bills and suddenly going “You got change?” 🙂

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25 September 2022

Cold start to the morning

I am going to stop asking the baristas to make me a nice cup of cappuccino. This is the third time in two weeks that my way of talking got in the way and I landed up with an iced cappuccino.

Whoever has iced cappuccino?

To be fair, every time, they have quickly corrected the mistake and made some great cappuccino for me.

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8 September 2022

How these folks became my friends to begin with

This time I met a dozen of my St. Xavier’s School (SXS) classmates in three different settings. All that within the 2 days that I was in India!! There is an interesting story about how they almost never became my friends to begin with. This involves Father Wautier – the best principal I have ever had in my life, my own dad and my brother.

In 1971 December, SXS had admission test scheduled on one Friday, Saturday and Sunday over a weekend. My father, having figured that all kids will be interviewed first before results would be declared, went to visit his mom in Debipur village on Friday. Came back on Saturday and took me for tests on Sunday. Only to be told that all seats had been filled up.

My dad was terribly crestfallen. It was his dream that I would go to SXS. I do not think he ever forgave himself for that.

I went to Benachity Junior High School (next door to SXS on Mirabai road) instead. Every December thereafter, my dad would take my report card to Fr. Wautier and plead “e bochhoro first hoyecche. ebaar-e niye nin”. (This year too he has stood first – you have to take him now). But Fr. Wautier always sent him back.

Fast forward to 1976 December. My brother now had to go to school. Dad took him to interview in SXS. No points for guessing which day he took him there of the three day options. I remember being in the room with the whole family when Fr. Wautier interviewed my brother. I distinctly remember he asking him to narrate a poem.

For some reason, my brother froze up. Fr. Wautier was incredibly warm and comforting and gave him some encouragement. And like summer tempest came out “Baa Baa Black Sheep” from my brother’s mouth like he was waiting to throw those words up all his life.

On Monday, results were out. My brother was in.

Dec 12, my results came out.

Dec 13, my dad went on his annual pilgrimage to Fr Wautier.

Same old “e bochhoro first hoyecche. ebaar-e niye nin”

Fr. Wautier: “Congratulations, Mr. Roy. But there is no vacancy”.

To hear my dad say it, he pleaded a couple of times. With no result. And then he put down his trump card…

“But his brother got thru this time”

Fr. Wautier was nonplussed. “His brother? What is his name?”

“Chiradeep. Chiradeep Roy.”

Fr. Wautier went to those metal folder racks, fished out some paperwork and asked my dad if that kid whose papers he was holding was my brother.

“Yes, father. They are five years apart”

“Bring Rajib’s report card tomorrow. He will be in our school from January”.

My father, well prepared as he was, promptly fished out my report card from his pocket.

A few signatures and some admission money later, I became part of these guys!!!

Never got a chance to say good bye to my friends in Benachity Junior High School 🙁

Had it not been for my brother…

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