Michigan trip

These are a few of my favourite snaps from the Michigan trip along Lake superior.
It was a stunning drive along side a frozen lake superior.

Some snaps from the Whitney summit

From left to right Myself, Phil,Rick, Marc



L to R - Me,Rick,Marc,Deb


L to R - Rick, Me, Marc and Chris

I couldn't bring myself to write this note last week. On April 14th it was one year since Mohan died. I remember crying myself out that day last year.Santosh had come to me and had said 'Be strong'. I had said 'Bullshit!! - he is dead,nothing will change that'. I don't know why i replied that, but for some reason I was really very angry with the rules of life and could not come to terms with it.

Like Appu once said 'Death is a great leveller in life',it changes perspectives drastically.True.

I sometimes think of all the long philosophical conversations we used to have,his dreams, his plans and force a desolate smirk. Fate played its final card.

The mere mortals,that we are,injected with all sort of emotions,ideas,ideals,thoughts are left behind to conjure up different connotations and evoke an emotion and dwell in that.

Miss you,My friend!

Thank you Mr.Rembrandt?

I step out of my Apartment house with key in hand - all ready to scramble, Mahesh is waiting outside in the car with others,we are already late to the movie.

The minute i step out i just freeze in my tracks! I see this man in a golden helmet staring right at me! Something seems very vaguely familiar about him. I immediately scan my insanely crazy junkyard of facts in my brain trying to figure him out. The scan pops out with the result - Rembrandt! I am stunned. I am seeing the world famous painting of 'The man with the golden helmet' by Rembrandt right outside my door.I exclaim 'That's a Rembrandt!' This old lady who is trying to open her door turns around and says 'What did you say?'. I exclaim again 'That's a Rembrandt you have,where did you get it from?'.

She goes 'Oh! Is it, I don't know, I purchased it for the frame, I am throwing the picture away!' . I am left reeling. I touch the painting and realize its a print. But still its a Rembrandt - its art - you don't throw away art even if it's print.

Then i explain her about the painting and Rembrandt. She has never heard about Rembrandt. I sigh! But looking at my enthusiasm about the painting print she asks me 'Do you want it?'. Pat comes my answer 'Yes, of course! I cannot let you throw away something like that'. She says 'okay! I will let you have it once i take the frame'. I say 'Thank you!'.

Now after all this and being the curious kind, I just cannot help asking 'Why do you need just the frame?'.

She says 'Oh! I am a painter' . Now that's what you call a double whammy! My jaw drops! I just don't know what to say. A series of thoughts agonisingly goes through my head trying to make some sense,' a painter, does not know Rembrandt,but needs the frame, i never knew that the person in front of my house was a painter...'

I blurt out 'Oh! What kind do you paint?' She says 'Oil and water both,mostly landscapes and flowers and miscellaneous things'. Now being an admirer of Art,my curiousity just gets the better of me and i ask ' Can i see them?'. She thinks about it a bit and says 'Oh! Sure'. But i know i am running late for the movie and i immediately say ' I am sorry ,but i am running for a movie right now,can i come back later some other time?'. She says 'Oh ok! Fine!'. I run off.

Okay! Long story so far,but it's not concluded.

Days pass.I don't know how am i going to knock on her door and ask for that Rembrandt print and ask to see her paintings.I forget about it.

Fast forward to present.

I wake up today,sunday morning,11 AM,i brew a cup of hot filter coffee(yup the old fashioned way) and sit to work,lots pending.I hear a knock on my door and go to check who it is, its Ruchi, our neighbour,she is looking for her kid who normally keeps running around. I say he is not in our house.As chance would have had it,this lady is again entering her house and she turns around and says 'Hey! I have that painting print kept aside for you,would you like to see my paintings'. I have a hot cup of coffee ready inside waiting to be savoured,but i think heck 'Yeah,sure'.

I go into a very neatly kept house,there is a painting of lilies right near the front door. I admire it. Then she takes me to the living room with lots of painting. I am simply amazed,most of them are land scapes - mountains,sun,beaches,moon,houses.Then she takes me to her working room ,there is a half finished painting and it looks beautiful already.

Being the art lover, I started asking about her and her paintings. We were talking about the philosophy behind her paintings and i mentioned that 'I am really in awe of your paintings,I am always amazed by human talent and feel inspired when i see talent like yours that shows what humans can do, you know - i used to paint and draw quite a bit as a kid,mostly water colours, and somehow it dwindled as i grew up,maybe due to different interests and lack of time and somehow i am not sure i will ever have time to get back to it,though i would like to get back to it'

She looked at me. 'You look very young. How old are you?', I said 'I am 27'. She -'Hmm, Do you know how old i am?' . I said 'U look probably around 65+'. She gives out a wonderful laugh and says 'Oh dear! Do i look so young,thank you! But,I am 86 years old'. I am stunned, I just cannot believe that the human being in front of me is 86 years. She continued 'I started painting at the age of 80- I sowed for a living for 50 years'. I was in a dizzy, I just did not know what to say. She continued 'Don't ever give up on anything,as long as you have life in you , you can do whatever you want to do,don't ever give up!'.My heart just soared looking at her, I felt so much love for her and life at that moment when she said that.

Then she showed snaps of her family,her grandchildren. I finally got up and said ' You know ,i think i got up on the right side of the bed today, I am extremely privileged and honored to know you,thank you for sharing all this with me,you have no idea how much you have inspired me!'

She took out the Rembrandt painting and offered it to me.Then she noticed the painting print had scratched off a bit in the corners, she offered to paint that portion for me and give it to me later.

I got up to go and then i remembered i never asked for her name. I asked her 'Can i know your name'.She laughed and took out a pad and scribbled her name and gave it to me. It said 'Wilma K Farmer'. She never asked mine.I guess it did not matter.

I had mixed emotions and thoughts when i stepped out of her house.


Post script: I got to know that 'The man with the golden helmet' which was long thought to be painted by rembrandt was later discovered to be not his at all. Right now that painting stands painted under the name 'Anonymous'. Life's funny isn't it.

I sometimes wish i can find people who see the world a lot like i do!

Standing at the top of contiguous USA!!