MANOJ AND GIRIJA

 

Manoj and Girija are settled in Australia.  We are good friends. They had visited us a couple of months ago. We keep in touch.

We were much moved, when they had extended an invitation to us to visit Australia and spend a few weeks with them in February 2026. We had accepted the invitation.

Unfortunately our own pre-occupations  prevented us from going ahead.  As we maintained an excellent relationship we wrote to them to explain why we could not make it.

Dear Manoj, 

When you were here on 22.10.2025, you had invited us to visit Australia. You had told us we could do that during February 2026 and you would host us for two weeks happily. You had a look at our passports as well. You found that they were overdue for renewal. If you hadn't pointed it out we would never have taken it up. And you know there would be considerable impediments for the renewal after it has  lapsed.

Any case the visit didn't take off for exterior reasons, we must say. Ardent believers in God, we feel it was God's will. 

We are happy that you had extended us an invitation that none of our own kin would ever even think of.

Grateful to you for that.

However, in the current context, we are finding it extremely difficult to set off on a journey away from Trivandrum as we are heavily loaded with responsibilities that require our presence here itself for at least an year or more.

Any case, we are thankful  for the invitation  you had extended with love and affection.

God bless you for that.

We still remember our days together at Singapore. We cherish that. It brought us closer. You both were magnificent. We just couldn't believe people totally unrelated and unacquainted till then would shower so much of care, love and affection upon us like you did.

Life is like that. It leads you through unchartered territories often. But we, at the end discover, it was love that had taken us forth together.

We wish you all happy days ahead. 

We pray the almighty looks after you all through in the future. We praise God for raising you up like He did.

We'll be happy if our relationship of love and affection remains for ever.

Let me close with an image embedded in my mind. It would never be erased from there.

On the day of our departure from Singapore, you both had to report for your duties leaving us at your residence.

In a week's time we had learned how to move around in Singapore on our own. 

We left your residence in the afternoon, and took a taxi to Changi airport.

As we got down at the airport, we could see Girija waiting there. She had come straight from her office to see us off. Though we met only at Singapore, we had felt as if she had been our affectionate  sister from birth during our stay there.

It was a surprise. We conversed for a few moments. Then it was time for us to report. We bid good bye.

But before we parted I saw her hugging Chechy with love and Chechy responding with equal affection. It lasted for a few minutes. Tears were rolling down from the eyes of both of them unabashedly. It was relentless. 

I could sense the strong bond they had established with each other during our short visit.

We parted.

Grateful to you both for the ceaseless outpouring of love, care and affection

Love

Chettan and Chechy