29,30 and 31st Dec.

29th
Venita visited Gurugram, Met relations and children. She gave prasad of Ramkatha to all. Pilku reached London yesterday in the evening.
30th
Tarun/Sangita came. They informed about engagement of Abhay, their younger son. The engagement is on 19th Jan. They invited to attend the function.
Attended an interactive Session on “CORONARY HEART DISEASE – The Heart App” by Dr. Rajeev Rathi at CSOI in the evening. It was interesting  session. Silku also joined in.
31st
Venita's youngest uncle's family came. The uncle had died a couple of years back.
On the eve of 2019, we wish all a happy new year.
Quotable Quotes :"Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, 'It will be happier."Alfred Lord Tennyson

24,25,26 27 and 28th Dec.

24th
Pliku arrived in the morning. We wished to have a birthday get-together for him with all relations and friends. But it could not materialise. It is postponed to 26th August next year when I will be 80. It will then be celebration for 50 and 80 together. We will plan it out well in advance.
25th
Christmas is celebrated today. Amolikaa and Abhishree celebrated Christmas and exchanged gifts. Talked to them and Ruchi too.Wished Merry Christmas to our friends Richard and Janet in Winchester.
Pilku went to Mumbai in the afternoon for some meetings. He will also look up Gillo there.
26th 
Pilku stayed back at Mumbai. He visited Gillo and lunched. He met some friends too.
27th
He returned from Mumbai in the evening. His travel agent could not postpone departure by a couple of days though he desired to stay back at Delhi for some meetings.. He said he would come to Delhi again before June.
28th
Pilku left for London in the forenoon. His BA flight was scheduled to leave by 11 am. We accompanied him to the airport.
Quotable Quotes :"Trust your instincts, some fears also elaborate soul truth "

21,22,and 23rd Dec.

21st
Due to disruption of Gatwick airport operation by drones, Pilku is unable to start for Delhi today. Drones are supposedly being flown by some environmentalist who wants no.of flights to reduce to prevent pollution, according to some . Police however could not locate him. They have decided to shoot them down as a tactical measure from 22nd if the menace continues. Pilku will now leave from Heathrow on Sunday, the 23rd and be here on 24th.
22nd
Venita returned VV after over 20 days. She had to stay at Vikaspuri due to Ramkatha and arrangements for it.
23rd
Another photo of Pilku's 50th birthday,received from London today, is given below :

Pilku left London today by Qatar Airways for Delhi in the afternoon. He will land at Delhi tomorrow at 8.25 am.
Quotable Quotes :" Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant." Robert Louis Stevenson

20th Dec

20th

Pilku is 50 today,his golden birth anniversary. It is an important threshold of life. He was born on 20.12.1968 at 05.58 hours at Kanpur,UP,India. According to the Indian calendar, it was Thursday, Shuklapaksh, Pratipada of Paush, Samvat 2025 . Venita is at Vikaspuri and I am at VV. She  distributed sweets at Vikaspuri. She visited temple to pray for his long, happy and healthy life. We talked to him at his house in London.
                 Pilku's photo taken today in London

Arun,his maternal uncle, wished us on his birthday. Sunanda/Arun are coming to Delhi to attend engagement ceremony of Sangita/Tarun's son, Abhay on 19th Jan, 2019. He will stay in Ruch/Pilku's flat along with us. Pilku bought the flat for our conveniences. People say that it was unique gesture by him and rare too. Venita donated to the Institute of otherwise able children at Fatehpur for distributing sweets among the inmates on the day.                                                                                  With family and friends
                                             

Quotable Quotes : A birthday special :"Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you! "Dr. Seuss

17,18 and 19th Dec.

17th
Four of us met to discuss installation of an elevator in our block of flats with the architect. Proposed to see the elevators fitted in nearby Poorti  Apartments and thereafter meet again for a decision.
18th
Saw the elevators and informed others to follow-up as I was to go to our VV flat today. We will meet again shortly.
Drove to VV in the afternoon.
19th
After a long stay for over 12 days at Vikaspuri, returned VV on 18th. Venita may come back after a day or two. She has to settle bills relating to Ramkatha from 8 to 16th Dec.: the bills for purchase of prasad, hiring charges for tent and decorations, gifts to Panditji and his team at the time of their departure from the society, purchase of flowers and other misc. items. People contributed liberally.
Quotable Quotes :"Don't trade RESPECT for attention"

14,15.16th Dec.

14th
Panditji spoke on Bharat Milap chapter of  the Rmkatha today.
15th
The discourse mainly dealt on Ram 's meeting with Shabri.
Anita/Pramod and Sunita joined in. They did not stay for Langar. Silku could not come due to preoccupation.
16th
The ;pravachan gave details of Lanka dahan by Hanuman, killing of Ravan, Ram's return to Ayodhya and Rajyabhishek. A havan was organized at the end followed by Langar in which about 350 people took Puri-sabji and halua prasad.
Babloo/Neha and Akshat came in the evening at the end of the Langar. They were under the mistaken impression that Langar would start after 5.30 pm.
Quotable Quotes :"When you talk, you are repeating what you know. But if you listen you may learn something new." Dalai Lama

11,12,and 13th Dec.

11th
Panditji spoke on Dhanush yagya and Sita swayamber. There was a big audience today.
12th
Pravachan mainly related to Ram Vivah. It was also Vivah Panchmi today. Ram married Sita on this day, it is believed. People danced and sang. At this moment everyone joined in celebration.
Pravachan of 11 and 12 will be uploaded in YouTube within a day or two.
Tent could not accommodate the big audience of over 250. The spill-over heard it standing outside.
13th
Panditji spoke on Ram Vanvas and Ram's discourse with  Kewat (boatman). At the end people looked sad. Yesterday they were hilarious after discourse on Ram Vivah.
Quotable Quotes :"The beginning is always the hardest." www.thesunsetlotus.com

6.7,8,9 and 10th Dec.

6th
Left for Vikaspuri in the evening to assist Venita in management of the Ramkatha from 8 to 16th Dec.in the premises of the society temple there.
7th
All the arrangements for Ramkatha have been made by Venita with the help of others of the society.
Fogging of the area of Ramkatha including the temple of the society is arranged.
8th
Puja started with Venita and me at 8 am followed by Kalash Yatra 11.30 am and Katha 2 to 5.30 pm. Katha Vachak explained the importance of Katha on the day one. Venita with kalash on her head led a procession with colourfully dressed-up ladies in the premises of the society.
Babloo,Neha and Akshat joined in during the day.
9th
Discourse concentrated mainly on Shiva Parvati marriage. Two children were dressed up like Shiva and Parvati. They garlanded each other as part of a staged marriage ceremony.
To prevent mosquitoes, fogging was done in tent, around and in the temple.
10th
Discourse was mainly on Ramjanmotsav.
Over 150 people attended each day. All of them were treated with packets of delicious prasad with different items each day. Panditji's team  and others, in all about 25 people including  ourselves, took early dinner together. 
All of us clapped,sang devotional songs to the tune of a variety of musical instruments. Occasionally groups of ladies danced too. The temple,pandal and the flat in which Panditji's team is treated are decorated with leaves and flowers. As it was birthday of Ram today, Venita had told tent house manager to hang good number of colourful balloons too.  An infant acted as Ram and was carried by his mother. Like a doll it was going with a smile to the laps of all the ladies and children.
There is festive atmosphere in the society.
Sunita and Mrs Prasad joined in during the day.
Quotable Quotes  :"Sometimes people don't change they just remove their mask." 

3,4 and 5th Dec.

3rd
Routine cheque of her eyes was done in the afternoon at Centre for Sight. Doctor said that the cataract in her left eye was small. We could wait for some more time for it to mature for operation. He will again check it after four weeks. Venita told him that she was having poor vision in her left eye due to it.(Cataract had been removed from the right eye about a year back). He advised another refraction test for change of power of specks, if required. But change thereof was not recommended by the technician. Instead she got her specks cleaned in the shop of the Centre for Sight. Venita did not appear to be satisfied with her vision even after that. We decided to wait till her next test after 4 weeks.
Venita went to Vikaspuri in the evening to tie-up arrangements for Ram Katha beginning 8th Dec.
4th
A number of mails/phone calls were received for SCBA elections on 12th Dec. As the same are falling during the period of Ram Katha,I wonder if I can cast my vote. I am interested in voting for a couple of candidates.
5th
In the Supreme court in the afternoon.
Quotable Quotes :"Language of your expression is more valuable than the language in which you talk. "Poet Amigo Johnny

1 and 2nd Dec.

1st (Saturday)
Babloo was born today. He is 47. On 1st December, 1971, Wednesday, Chaturdashi of the month of Marg Shirsh, Shuklapksh, Samvat 2028, he was born at 09.02 hours in Dhubri civil hospital, Assam. Venita prayed wishing him long and healthy life. She distributed sweets to all . We called him in the morning and wished him happy birthday. Later we had dinner with him, Neha, daughter-in-law and Akshat, grandson to celebrate the day. 
These days not many people turn up on invitation. They have become highly individualistic. They prefer to spend time with themselves. The life is complex, competitive and hard. They are engrossed in social media, lost in tunes and phones. Social interactions are far and few.
                                           After the dinner

2nd( Sunday)
Venita is quite preoccupied in organizing Ramkatha beginning 8th Dec. for a week. at Vikaspuri. She will go back there after her eye test on Monday.
My father's knowledge of Ramayan was deep. He recited it quite often and related to our day-today-life. Ramkatha, organized by us, is dedicated to his memory.
Quotable Quotes :"It isn't the mountains ahead to climb that wear you down. It's the pebble in your shoe." Muhammad Ali