HOMELESS

I envy those
who have a house of their own.
Who can say their feet
rest on what is theirs alone.
Who do not live on sufferance
in strangers' shells,
as my family has all our life
and as I probably will.

A place on the earth untenured,
soil, grass, brick, air,
to know I will never have to move.
To review the seasons from one lair.
When nights come, to lie down in peace.
To know that I may die as I have slept.
That things will not revert to a
stranger’s hand.
That those I love, may keep what I
have kept.

- Vikram Seth

PARENTS

A PLEA FOR ACTION

They came first for the Communists..
but I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews...
but I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for the Unionists...
but I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Unionist.

Then they came for the Catholics...
but I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me...
and by that time...
there was no-one left to speak up for me.

Rev. Martin Niemoller, commenting on events in Germany 1933-1939

SHOES

As Gandhi boarded a train, one of his shoes slipped off and landed on the track. He was unable to retrieve it as the train was moving. To the amazement of his companions, Gandhi calmly took off his other shoe and threw it back along the track to land close to the first. Asked by a fellow passenger why he did so, Gandhi smiled and replied, "The man who finds the shoes lying on the track will now have a pair he can use."

SRI LANKA

Sri Lanka is very similar to India. The people look like Indians. I have made several transits through Colombo, but stayed only for one night at Katunayake and one day at Negombo.













































Negombo did not seem like a developed town. We stayed at the Goldi Sands Hotel and went around the area. The beach was beautiful. We could see only small shops and restaurants. Visited a Catholic Church nearby and spent some time there. It was december and there were Christmas decorations and cribs on the street sides. There must be a sizeable Christian population in Negombo. We had food at a small restaurant and were surprised to know that they accept Indian currency.