Gratitude Gifts and Letters

Dear Ajeetha Ma’am,

Thank you so much for hosting us in Baroda. You were so proactive in reaching out to find out about our plans and guided us for rest of the Gujarat trip. We lost track of time listening to your travel tales. The Vidya Dairy visit was really an eye opener. It was wonderful to see what goes on behind the scenes of a product that we see every day and consume without giving it much thought. We really loved Baroda and hope to come back soon. We hope you enjoy the ‘Himalayan Lust’ as much you have enjoyed the Himalayas all these years.

Regards,

Hari and Priya

Himalayan Lust – Sadhguru

 

Dear Parth and Meera,

Thank you Parth and Meera for hosting us at Rajkot. We enjoyed the Uttarayan Festival and Kathiawadi meals at your home. In fact the only Gujarati meal we had in our two week Gujarat trip.

Parth – It was fun catching up on the old stories as well as talk about the times ahead. I was so happy to see you have grown up to be a talented, dedicated and ambitious professional and a responsible young man (from my ‘chhota bhai’ image).

We were so impressed with Meera making a huge feast for all of us single handedly without being stuck in the kitchen all day. You guys make a wonderful couple. So happy for you both.

Regards,

Priya and Hari

 

Dear Chithi and Chithapa,

Thank you so much for hosting us at Bangalore for over a week. We so needed that one week break to ward off of our tiredness from the trip and recharge ourselves for the next part of the trip.

Thank you for the really generous Diwali Gift and the Diwali snacks (and for collecting our mail. ) Tempted by the Halwa we tasted , we got it from both Tirunelveli and Madurai. Your spare Salwar Kameez even got me into the the very strict Guruvayur temple. We cannot thank you enough and will not try to do it 🙂 We can only say thank you for putting up with us. We will surely trouble you more in the years to come !!

Regards,

Priya and Hari

P.S:  I know you never finished reading these books online. So here is a physical copy. Hope you enjoy it.

Conversations with God

Autobiography of a yogi

 

Dear Kunal,

It was really great to catch up with you after all these years. You, Vishal and your wives were all very welcoming hosts. You pampered us with great food and even surrendered your own room to give us a good night’s sleep. And I should also thank you for the wonderful paan. 😉

It was great to talk about our Century days and good to know how you have made progress ever since. We also had some active conversations, touching on so many topics, that we didn’t know how the evening passed.

Thank you so much for everything. It is always so great to be welcomed at a friendly home after having travelled for a long stretch.

Over our conversation, we know that you are very interested in human psychology and we mentioned a few books to you. We hope you enjoy this small gift and that it helps you in your career ahead.

Freaknomics  or Predictably Irrational

 

Dear Chithapa,

No moment is a dull moment when we wind up at your home during any trip to Chennai. But this time you made it so complete! Bajji, potato halwa, palgova, chow chow halwa, appalam, pulav and plenty of things. And can we forget Priya’s addiction to Athai’s urgai? At no other place throughout India 360 did we binge more than at your home.

And of course, we called your place our home for more than a week. I can tell you how much it helped to be at Mylapore and commute everywhere from the centre of the city. Even my morning walks to the beach just a stone’s throw away were refreshing. Oh, and did we say how easy commuting was? No trains, no buses. Just taking your two-wheeler and being at our destination as soon as we could.

Thank you for everything. It was a wonderful time at your home.

We have a small gift for you as we know that you are fond of good stories. I hope you like the compelling story in this book.

Motorcycle Diaries

 

Dear Inder Sir,

Our two days at your home were truly magical as we were in the shadow of some of the most famous Himalayan peaks, including your favourite Trishul 😉 Your family was wonderful with us and we felt as if we were part of it. There were moments of fun and laughter as Ananya was at her best and funniest. And there were touching moments as we saw that the HMI Oct 2012 batch photo is a centre-piece in your living room.

It was fascinating to see Anandji working for the prosperity of local women and that he has created an actively working organisation around it. They are producing so many wonderful things everyday. We are sure that his work will reach great heights benefiting all of Kumaon.

We have so many beautiful memories from our two days there that we badly want to share those moments with you. I hope you really love these captured moments.

प्रिय ‌‌‍इंदर सरजी,

हिमालय के मशहूर छोटियो‍ं, खास करके आपकी मनपसंद छोटी, त्रिशूल, की गोद में बसे आपके घर में  बिताए हमारे दो दिन तो समझिए जैसे जादू भरे थे ;-)। आपके परिवार ने हमें अपने घर में ही नहीं पर अपने दिल में भी जगह दे दी, मानो जैसे हम भी आपके प्यारे परिवार का हिस्सा ही हों।

 

Dear Riken Bhai,

We came to your office not knowing anything about how a diamond factory works. But thanks to you and Gaurav, we know a lot about the story of a diamond from its raw uncut form to the beautiful form it has on my engagement ring.

It is due to your warm welcome and support that we came to know so much about an industry that not many know about. Especially how technologically advanced it is and how much risk is taken to shape one diamond.

We really thank you for hosting us, showing us what your craft looks like and then treating us to a sumptuous lunch.

 

Dear Minal,

It was great to see you after so many years. I was happy to see you and your family doing so well, both in health and prosperity. Your Kalyani hospital is a landmark all over Murud and we were proud and honoured to be there for a morning.

Your Parathas and tea were simply delicious and they tasted and felt great after we had travelled for so many hours. It was great to hear about your children and we had some good conversation with your husband too.

We want to thank you for hosting us for the morning and we wish you, your family and your career a great success.

 

Dear Chitthi Paati,

Your pongal’s taste is still fresh on our tongues. And so are the memories of the four days we spent at Madurai. It was great to see you after so many years. We relived so many memories right from my childhood.

Your home was the ideal place for us to explore all of Madurai. We knew that we could roam all day and come back to your home and feel refreshed. And you made sure that we felt great with all your pampering.

Used to cooking for just yourself, it is not easy to prepare food for three persons, but you managed it very well. We appreciate that.

Thank you for hosting us and making our stay at Madurai great.