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Chai on the Veranda is currently in the queue for printing!
After many weeks of updating and editing my blog posts, I was ready to get my manuscript printed. My project manager has just informed me...
Jul 23, 20241 min read
Blog to Book Update
I have finally modified my blog posts and am almost ready for printing. Since my book is for family and friends, I added photos and...
Jan 14, 20241 min read
From Blog to Book
Almost three years ago today, I wrote the first blog post for "Chai on the Veranda." After weeks of researching, watching videos on...
Sep 11, 20232 min read


My Nana: Hakim Imtiazuddin
My Nana, (maternal grandfather) was a Hakim, a doctor of Unani Medicine, and my Dada (paternal grandfather) a lawyer. I never saw any of...
Jun 22, 20233 min read


Wallahs: The Disappearing Vendors
The Hyderabad I knew growing up had changed. Supermarkets, dry cleaners, grocery stores, and bakeries had cropped up everywhere. I saw...
Mar 5, 20233 min read


Muzaffar Seviyan (Sweet Vermicelli)
The term vermicelli is generally used to describe the many variations of thin noodles. In the Indian subcontinent, vermicelli is known as...
Jan 16, 20232 min read


Unforgettable Memories
It is freezing outside, but in the house, fireplaces are lit and the atmosphere is warm and cozy. My children and grandchildren are on...
Dec 25, 20223 min read


A Smoothie Maker, at last!
After weeks of online searches and seeking recommendations from my friends and especially my grandchildren (who are smoothie advocates) I...
Oct 26, 20222 min read
Jane Eyre
“There was no possibility of taking a walk that day. We had been wandering indeed, in the leafless shrubbery an hour in the morning; but...
Sep 28, 20222 min read


Norton Simon Museum
Located on the route of the Rose Parade in Pasadena, CA, the distinctive brown tile exterior of the Norton Simon Museum was conspicuous...
Aug 30, 20222 min read


On Retiring
My friends assured me I would know when I was “ready” to retire. I had worked for 22 years at a private school in California and prior to...
Jul 13, 20225 min read
A Poem (Translated from Urdu)
I was reminded of days gone by A thought floated by There was a time when I was a princess of my house The caring presence of my father...
May 17, 20221 min read


St. George's Grammar School, Hyderabad
"Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere"- Chinese Proverb Leaving home with its familiar sounds and smells and the...
Mar 31, 20225 min read


Abba
He was a slim man of medium height, with grayish hair and a thin mustache. When he went out of the house, which was not very often, he...
Feb 9, 20224 min read


Qawwali: A Night of Sufi Music
Guests began arriving after dinner. The ladies dressed in light, pastel color sarees, the men in formal black sherwanis or white kurta...
Jan 13, 20224 min read


Revisiting Dubai after 26 Years
We left Dubai in December 1990 after having lived there for twenty years. Some of our most memorable days were spent in Dubai. My...
Dec 10, 20212 min read
A Year of Blogging
“Silvery oil tanks gleaming in the morning sun appeared below my window, and long stretches of white sand.” I wrote these lines just over...
Nov 24, 20212 min read


Dubai in the 1970s (A slide show)
Recent pictures of Dubai from my 2016 trip were added to the slide show. (Click the arrow on top right hand to see the full picture,...
Oct 27, 20211 min read


Ice Cream Sundae
A picture can spark your imagination. An image from the colorful and glossy pages of a magazine sets in motion dreams of travel to new...
Sep 30, 20212 min read


A Wedding in the Family
I attended a wedding in California earlier this month. A beautiful event, which reminded me of a wedding years ago. The first family...
Aug 30, 20215 min read
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