I would like to introduce a few individuals who Swati, my wife and I have come to know as friends after living for almost a year and half in California.
Navdeep, Kamal and Angad Dhanjals:
Swati, when in India had a colleague, Amit Relan. Amit and Parminder Relan were our first couple friends in Mumbai. Navdeep is Parminder Relan’s first cousin.
Before Swati and I moved to the US, I had made two prior trips to the US. Parminder did ask me to ring Navdeep up. I didn’t really have any use for him back then, so I never bothered. But when we moved to the US, we were expecting Stavya, my son, and we needed advice. Navdeep and Kamal had just had Angad and the memory was fresh on all the soon to be parent topics.
What Navdeep did, we did.
Navdeep picked a doctor from Los Olivos Women’s Medical Group, we picked a doctor from Los Olivos.
Navdeep picked Doctor Borirson, we wanted her too but she was out. We picked Doctor Conwell.
Navdeep picked Good Samaritan Hospital, we did too
Navedeep took Birthing classes, we did too.
Navdeep bought a Graco travel system, we did too.
Navdeep, Kamal and Angad Dhanjals:
[left to right: Swati, Stavya, Kamal, Angad, Navdeep © Atit Shah]
Swati, when in India had a colleague, Amit Relan. Amit and Parminder Relan were our first couple friends in Mumbai. Navdeep is Parminder Relan’s first cousin.
Before Swati and I moved to the US, I had made two prior trips to the US. Parminder did ask me to ring Navdeep up. I didn’t really have any use for him back then, so I never bothered. But when we moved to the US, we were expecting Stavya, my son, and we needed advice. Navdeep and Kamal had just had Angad and the memory was fresh on all the soon to be parent topics.
What Navdeep did, we did.
Navdeep picked a doctor from Los Olivos Women’s Medical Group, we picked a doctor from Los Olivos.
Navdeep picked Doctor Borirson, we wanted her too but she was out. We picked Doctor Conwell.
Navdeep picked Good Samaritan Hospital, we did too
Navedeep took Birthing classes, we did too.
Navdeep bought a Graco travel system, we did too.
Damn, we made so many mistakes.
Navdeep upgraded his car seat to a Safety First Reversible car seat, we are planning too.
At this, I would only say, some people just don’t learn from their mistakes.
Raman, Nidhi and Avi Bindlish:
We know each other through a common friend, Minaxi and Rajat. They had Avi sometime after we had Stavya.
Our relationship is opposite to that of Navdeep and Kamal.
Raman, Nidhi would ask us those soon to be parent questions and would do the opposite.
We told them Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Gatos, they went to Palo Alto Medical Center in Cupertino.
We told them Graco travel system, they got a Safety First.
We told them about Birthing classes, they chose an afternoon snooze.
Deepak, Sakshi and Advait Agrawal:
We have a park adjoining to our apartments. This is where we took Stavya to enjoy a few swings.
We saw this couple who had a boy of almost the same age as Stavya, lord as our holy witness knows how hard we tried to avoid them and discouraged all attempt of communication and befriending.
We failed and after a few dinner meetings made a 3 day road trip to Lake Tahoe.
After that trip, neither one of us has brought up an idea for another road trip.
Aparna and Anupam Tiwari:
They are our up-stair neighbors and the reason why our house is so stuffy and every corner smells of Indian Spices.
Raman, Nidhi and Avi Bindlish:
[left to right: Nidhi, Stavya, Avi, Raman © Atit Shah]
We know each other through a common friend, Minaxi and Rajat. They had Avi sometime after we had Stavya.
Our relationship is opposite to that of Navdeep and Kamal.
Raman, Nidhi would ask us those soon to be parent questions and would do the opposite.
We told them Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Gatos, they went to Palo Alto Medical Center in Cupertino.
We told them Graco travel system, they got a Safety First.
We told them about Birthing classes, they chose an afternoon snooze.
Deepak, Sakshi and Advait Agrawal:
[left to right: Advait, Sakshi, Deepak © Atit Shah]
We have a park adjoining to our apartments. This is where we took Stavya to enjoy a few swings.
We saw this couple who had a boy of almost the same age as Stavya, lord as our holy witness knows how hard we tried to avoid them and discouraged all attempt of communication and befriending.
We failed and after a few dinner meetings made a 3 day road trip to Lake Tahoe.
After that trip, neither one of us has brought up an idea for another road trip.
Aparna and Anupam Tiwari:
[left to right: Aparna, Swati, Stavya, Anupam © Atit Shah]
They are our up-stair neighbors and the reason why our house is so stuffy and every corner smells of Indian Spices.
They apparently have strong olfactory senses. Aparna and Anupam moved in after us and befriend us by knocking one day and complementing for good smelling Indian food that was being made. Indian tendencies made us invite them over for a dinner one day.
After that every time they smell something good they just knock and ask what is being cooked and how it tastes?
When someone asks “how it tastes”, you just can’t say yum, perfect, thank you for asking and close the door on them. You have to invite them in and give them a taste.
One day we decided to trick them. We sealed our house, cooked in the dark and hoped they would think we are out. But then there was this knock again. We knew it was them. They were pretty persistent on the knocking. We finally gave up and opened the door.
This time she didn’t ask her usual question on what is being cooked and how it tastes, instead she offered us a large bowl and said, I think you have burnt your dinner; you should not cook in the dark. Here have some biryani.
Minaxi and Rajat Aggarwal:
Minaxi is Swati’s friend from school and is married to Rajat.
Minaxi and Rajat Aggarwal:
Minaxi is Swati’s friend from school and is married to Rajat.
They were out of touch for almost 10 good happy years until united by Facebook and US.
When you are in a foreign country, you know so few people that you tend to forget the reason for wanting to be out of touch with a few.
She has always been the center of my insults and mockery but for some reason when the time comes to pen down a few words in her honor, I am all lost for words. It’s probably because I feel I owe her for all the creative thinking she putting in, in celebrating Stavya’s first birthday.
There are a few more worth mentioning but as you see I am out of insults. In time they will be here.
