Mom.. Rest in Peace... :(

On October 2nd at around 4 o clock in the morning, I got a call from India… the call which I was fearing to get one day over the years … ‘Mom is no more’.  I had a birthday wish from her on Sep 30th, had a usual talk in phone on Oct 1st and never even expected that I will hear the most tragic news of my life on October 2nd.  We could reach on time and I could perform the last rites to my mom which I was very much worried about being miles and oceans away.

2015 has been very turbulent year for the family, she was in death beds in the beginning of January, recovered very well in Feb, March and she could stay with me in US for three months and spent two months in India before she passed away. Initially she suffered with Arthritis which blocked her movement totally outside and confined to just four walls of the house and later we figured out she has cardiac complications. The main reason for her health deterioration is mainly because of my absence at home for the past 10 years. Being the only son and no brothers and sisters made it even harder for her after the retirement and her constant wish of me returning back to India never happened at all made it even more worse.

I can undoubtedly say I failed miserably in my duties as a son to take care of her. I was just chasing for money, career, education and all materialistic worldly stuff but never gave the happiness by staying with her even during her death bed situation. I promised her that I will return back after my studies, then said will come back after work experience in abroad, then said will get married and spend some time with my wife in abroad, then said will have my son spend some time in abroad and she referred saying ‘Yes, you will definitely come back when I am in coffin’ and that’s what finally happened.

I very well remember that she was crying in 2005 in airport when I first left home for higher studies and 2015 I was crying in the airport that she is no more. After 10 years, I couldn’t still figure out whether it’s a curse or a blessing that I left my home and searched for fortunes in abroad. I know every expat had to deal with this situation with their beloved ones far away and in my case it was even more since I had no siblings at all. Hats off to my dad who dealt these difficult and turbulent times and completely took care of my mom in all aspects. Had it not been his efforts, I couldn’t have managed to study, work and continued my dreams abroad. In all these situations, not even one time, dad expected me or asked me to come to India to support them and he fought the battle on his own.

There is always one mom in life for everybody and one person who always want the best and right thing for her son/daughter and when I realize that person is not anymore with me hits really hard. Elders in older age can be very demanding, dependent on others but the moment you realize they are not with you anymore can be very challenging and depressive to accept it. Whatever little time we could spend with them in spite of our busy schedule in life are the defining moments and memories to look for when they are no more. Thanks to god who gave the last chance for me to spend time her for three months before she passed away.

I take this opportunity to thank all my friends and relatives who were part of my difficult times. Special thanks to my brother in law: Sriram who took all the responsibilities replacing me as a son and made sure I could see mom’s face one last time before we perform the final rites and rituals. She didn’t want to trouble me in any means, she came to US, went back and then left us. Had she passed away in US, I couldn’t have imagined the efforts to bring her back to India. She died in the place where she belonged to and she died on Oct 2nd which happened to be Mahatma Gandhi's birthday and death anniversary of great South Indian leader Kamaraj. She donated her eyes in the eye bank so those people who don’t have the eyes can get a chance to see the world as her last wish. The guilt of not taking care of her will linger in my life forever and I hope time is the best heal to come out of it. Let her soul rest in peace.

The article which I wrote about Mom's love before 9 years...  Mom's Love

Sathish Kumar S

Ganesh Temple, Flushing, NY

We had a chance to go to Ganesh temple in Flushing, Queens in New York city, was very first of the traditional Hindu temples in USA. While there are so many Hindu temples in New York city, this temple continues to be among the most prominent of them. The temple is constructed using granite and the rituals follow the South Indian tradition. The gopuram, the architecture, the interior decoration is definitely the master piece. My mom felt so happy when she had a chance to circle the Nava graham after really long time. The temple has a Canteen in the basement which one shouldn’t miss out. Definitely a temple to visit during Ganesh Chathurthi celebrations.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Spruce Run, NJ

Recently we had a chance to celebrate Siva Anna’s birthday in Spruce Run recreation Area which is about 45 minutes’ drive from our place. It was bit chilly in the beginning and later sunny as the day progressed. New Jersey has got lot of National Parks and recreation areas and Round Valley is a close one near to Spruce Run. We had pot luck and everybody cooked different varieties of food and it was a feast in the end. We finally cut the cakes for Siva Anna and the kids had a nice time playing in the sand near the beach. Thanks to Siva Anna’s family, Sivaraj Anna’s family and Arun’s family which made our stay in US very memorable and joyful.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

Recently we had a chance to explore Shenandoah region in the state of Virginia for the long Labor Day weekend. It was about 5 hours’ drive from our house to Shenandoah Caverns which is definitely must in that area. It has a mile long guided tour which shows the various facets of the Cave and the illumination with colorful lights adds glamour to it. The temperature inside the Caverns remains 54 F throughout the year. We had a chance to have our lunch at Texas Road House and I must say it was a great ambience and good food to dine out near the highway exits. Thanks to Torsten who motivated me to visit this place when he visited the same last year.

Next day we had a chance to explore Skyline drive of around 65 miles in Shenandoah national park which was simply breathtaking. There are four entrances to this national park: Front Royal, Thornton Gap, Swift Run, and Rockfish Gap. We did the drive from Swift Run to Front Royal on a nice sunny day. The panoramic view of the chain of mountains from the Skyline drive was phenomenal and awesome. There are so many parking spots in the skyline drive where one could get a clear view and can take photographs.   We had our lunch in Mexican Restaurant and I must say Mexican Cuisine has lot of varieties and bit similar to Indian one. All in all, it was a weekend to remember.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Crystal Golf Resort, Hamburg, NJ

Recently we had our team outing in Crystal Springs Resort in Hamburg, NJ not the Hamburg in Northern Germany but in NJ. Most of the cities in North America have the names from Europe and got to show the amount of European settlements in North America. We had a cooking competition in the morning, split in to four teams and every team should make an appetizer, main course which will be tasted by the Chef and will decide the winning team at the end. The allotted time for cooking is 45 minutes. We had an international team with team members from India, Russia, Germany, Taiwan and Ecuador.

My colleague Sergej said in the brainstorming session that even if we lose never mind but let’s try something innovative. We decided to cook Go Cheese with Strawberry sauce with it. In addition to that we made Chicken, Shrimps and mushroom. It was so much fun wearing Chef Aprons, cooking gloves and it’s a perfect team building exercise. The results were based on the tastiness of the food, cleanliness, team work and presentation of the food. In the end our team emerged as winners and we were presented with a bottle of wine from California and 100$ gift card from Chinese restaurant. I think Go Cheese with Strawberry sauce did the trick for us.

Followed by this cooking competition was a nice buffet and we chilled around in the golf playing area for some time. Then comes an interesting sport ‘Soccer Golf’: hitting the ball with the leg but placing the Soccer ball inside the big Golf hole. We never noted down the points and we just played for fun by placing the ball inside the hole. The weather stayed absolutely fine and it was a perfect day for Soccer cum Golf. It was so much fun to drive the Golf cart between the flag sticks holes and drinking beer in between. All in all it was a day to remember and thanks to Werum for sponsoring such a team building event.

Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

During the Independence day long weekend, we had a chance to catch up with my MBA classmate from Germany: Andreas and his family in Lake Hopatcong, NJ which was quite near to our house. Andreas born to German mother, grew up in United States did his Bachelor’s and Master’s in Germany is a perfect mix of American- German culture. We had a nice barbeque near the lake and my dad who was in US during that time had a chance to experience American dinner and he thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Andreas and myself always shared a nice and long friendship for quite some time: Good old times during our student's life, attending his marriage in Hamburg, visiting him in Switzerland, holidays in Florida, now catching up in his home town. Thanks to his motivation that I even thought of exploring US. Anish and Victoria had a great time playing with each other. Andreas never disappointed me with his share of drinks right from our student days. Thanks to Gudrun, Myrna, Benjamin and Andreas who did all the preparations and made an evening to remember. 

Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S

Belmar Beach, NJ

Recently we had a chance to go to Belmar Beach which is about an hour’s drive from our house. There are three beaches in the close vicinity: Belmar Beach, Avon by the sea and The Bradley beach. It is located in Monmouth County, New Jersey. New Jersey has got an excellent coast line and there are quite a number of beaches with good board walk and a good sight of Atlantic Ocean to be visited during summer: Sandy Hook, Point Pleasant, Belmar and Atlantic City. I would rate Point Pleasant as No.1, Sandy Hook the next followed by Belmar and Atlantic City as the last one. We tried our tent for the first time in Belmar Beach as an experiment and it worked out really well. The water was bit chilly and we couldn’t take bath. Thanks to Arun and Saranaya who accompanied us and Oviya and Anish had a nice time in the beach by building some castles and temples near the shore.

Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S

Camping, Branchville, NJ

Recently we had a chance to do camping in Harmony Ridge in Branchville which is about 35 miles from our house. We were very skeptical about the insects, with kids inside the tent but honestly it turned out be wonderful adventure in the end. We could set up the tent before the sun set on Saturday evening and started the grilling, drinking activities. Thanks to the electrical socket nearby, this solved most of our necessary needs. Adding flavor to the evening was the campfire. Thanks to my wife who involved a lot in all the planning activities and was very instrumental for making it happen.

We played beach volley ball after a long time and it was really so much fun. Harmony Ridge camping ground was pretty decent with swimming pool, small lake, beach volleyball etc. The weather stayed absolutely fine and it was an adventurous weekend to remember for. We all had a chance to play Dumb charades as the last action before we winded up. Thanks to Siva’s, Arun’s family and Krishna who gave a great company and enlightened the event.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Guruvaayoorappan temple, Morganville, NJ

Recently we had a chance to go to Guruvaayoorappan temple in Morganville, NJ. Even though it’s called as Guruvaayoorappan temple, there are so many other deities in this temple. The Gopuram in this temple is a real striking pose and the architecture is phenomenal, just to give an idea of the amount of Indian diaspora in the state of New Jersey to build such a marvel in foreign land. There are so many temples in New Jersey and it just makes you feel so homely. It was a nice get together with Kamlesh, Rekha, Kamlesh’s father and mother and was a day to remember!

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Hot Air Balloon Festival, Phillipsburg, NJ

Recently we had a chance to go to Hot Air Balloon Festival in Phillipsburg, in Warren County of New Jersey. The event is two events in one – balloon festival and a country fair and a great adventure for the entire family. The launching of hot air balloons was really colorful and picturesque. Besides the hot air balloons, there were so many small rides for the kids and all the kids had a terrific time with those. The weather stayed absolutely fine for the whole day. All in all a day to remember. Thanks to Siva's and Arun's family for their presence and made it even more memorable.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (Akshardham), Robbinsville, NJ

Recently we had a chance to go to Shri Swaminarayan Mandir (Akshardham) in Robbinsville, NJ with the whole family. It is planned to be spread over 162 acres, making it the largest Hindu temple in the world in terms of acreage. The final construction is planned to be completed by 2017. The whole temple is constructed with white marbles and definitely a master piece for Indian art, culture, tradition in the area of NJ. Just to show the amount of Indian diaspora living in New Jersey to build such a shrine. Looking forward for the completion of this temple and I am sure it’s a definite place to be in New Jersey. I can be a real hero to my mom if I take her to temples :)

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Round Valley, NJ

Recently we had a chance to do picnicking in Round Valley Reservoir in NJ. The reservoir is named after the naturally formed circular valley surrounded by Cushetunk Mountain. We reached the park so late at around 12.30 and by that time the park was closed and it was so disappointing that we couldn’t enter the park after all the preparations done by Anita for grilling. Finally we decided to give away the stuff to our friends who already entered the park in the morning. Adding fuel to the fire, the mobile signal was so weak and we couldn’t reach any one of them. 

I walked the whole park for about an hour and finally reached the entrance once again. My good friend Sivaraj was waiting in the entrance and thanks to his politeness, patience and persistence with the authorities, it worked well for us and finally the authorities let us go inside the park. It was gala time with our good friends and family by performing grilling near the lake and swimming with Anish. Thanks to Sivaraj’s, Siva’s and Vikram’s family for making this happen. It was a day to remember.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

One World Observatory - World Trade Centre

Recently we had a chance to explore the newly opened Freedom tower also called as ‘One World Observatory’. This tower has been built as remembrance of twin towers which was destructed on Sep 11 2001 and that’s why called as ‘One World’ tower. This tower is so easily accessible from World Trade Centre path station and the newly built pathway from the station to the tower is simply fascinating. There are 102 floors in this tower and the top observatory deck gives the panoramic view of the whole city of New York. Appa totally enjoyed this top of the tower view. Out of Empire State, Rockefeller centre and one world tower, Rockefeller centre is the stand out for me with nice view of the New York City. 

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Chennai Open 2015

I had a chance to go to Aircel Chennai Open 2015 for the second time with my cousins when I was in India and first time in 2013. This tournament has been so successful over the years and it completed its 20th anniversary in 2015. Adding to the flavor, it’s the only Master’s tennis tournament in India. Chennai Open has seen many celebrities like Nadal, Federer over the years. Wawrinka from Swiss emerged as winners in Singles edition and unfortunately Leander Paes pairing with Klaasen from South Africa lost in the doubles finals. It was so nice to watch the flood light matches in a well-built architectural stadium. My cousin sister's house is so close to the stadium and we took lot of breaks and stuffed ourselves between the matches ;) A day to remember!

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Strawberry picking, Alstede farms, Chester, NJ

On a sunny day, we decided to go to Alstede farms in Chester which is about 30 minutes’ drive from our house. During this time of the year (May), it’s famous for strawberry picking. Appa and Anish thoroughly enjoyed the strawberry picking and picked quite lot of fresh strawberries. After picking from the farm, one has to weigh and pay for the picked strawberries. The tractor drive from the farm to the entrance is worth taking and one gets a sightseeing of the complete Alstede farms. Definitely a place to visit when the weather is good.

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Thalankuppam Pier, Chennai

Thalankuppam is a small fishing hamlet to the north of Chennai, near Ennore. The place’s claim to fame because of the climax of the Tamil movie ‘Kakka Kakka’. It was a good drive from Avadi to this pier since there were so many by passes and much improved roads. It would have been a long drive from Avadi to Ennore before some years. Appa accompanied me to this place and he was so afraid to climb up the pier. It’s a lovely stroll on the pier on a sunny morning with blue skies and Bay of Bengal gushing to the pier. Definitely a place to be if it’s maintained properly. 

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Chennai vs Kolkata IPL 2015

Recently I had a chance to go to MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk, Chennai with my dadafter a long time to watch an IPL match between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). It was a low scoring thriller and in the end CSK snatched the victory from KKR by just two runs. It’s always a pleasant sight to watch a cricket match in Chepauk with the fans supporting the local team and chil mild breeze from Marina beach towards the open stands. Unfortunately, some stands were closed since Tamil Nadu Cricket Association didn’t get proper approvals from local body authorities before building those stands. 

Irony is spectators were sitting in those stands for many years and nothing happened during those times. Because of that they increased the minimum price of IPL ticket from Rs. 500 to Rs.1500 to compensate for those stands. Ultimately, the fans and Cricket are the losers. All in all was a wonderful evening spent with my dad for a cricket match and the best team won which is none other than our Chennai Super Kings  Chennai Super Kings ku whistle podu…. ;)

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Indian Super League 2014

It took so long for me to write an article about Indian Super League. I had a chance to go to Nehru Stadium, Chennai to watch an ISL football match between Chennaiyin FC vs Mumbai City FC with my dad in November. Hope this league attracts young footballers in India and produces some world class players so that India can have strong presence in World Football in the coming years. It’s always good that a sport other than Cricket gets importance and significant in India. It was a clear domination from Chennai against Mumbai on that particular day and the score line 5-1 for Chennai answers everything. Chennai went all the way to the semifinals of the first edition and Atletico de Kolkata emerged as winners. Definitely the league to watch out for in the coming years in Asia. 

Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S

High Point, New Jersey

Recently we had a chance to go to High Point, NJ hour’s drive from our place. It is the highest elevation in the state of New Jersey at 1,803 feet. At the peak is the High Point monument built as a war memorial. It was a perfect sunny weather after a long winter and perfect day to spend our fifth marriage anniversary in High Point. Thanks to our good friend Siva and his family who made the day even more pleasant and enjoyable. A day to remember!

Cheers,

Sathish Kumar S

Hershey's Chocolate World, PA

Recently we had a chance to go Hershey Chocolate World in Hershey, Pennsylvania which is about 2.5 hours drive from NJ. It’s a perfect place for the kids with virtual tour of the chocolate factory, 4d film about Hershey, create your own candy bar, Hershey trolley works. Hershey's Chocolate World is located off of Hersheypark Drive, in Hershey, PA, and is in an entertainment complex which also includes Hersheypark, Hersheypark Stadium, Hersheypark Arena, Hershey Museum, and Giant Center. It’s definitely a place to hang out for a day with kids.

Cheers,
Sathish Kumar S