some more tika

trayodashi day saw some chhootpoot tika for the family. muwa's relatives, mami's mama, my sanimas and culminating in a grand dinner at yadav maiju's in dilli bazar.. most memorable of course, was muwa going to meet her brother and sister in law for a touching tika.

when muwa learnt that maila raja (nayan raj pandey) could not make it to bagh bajar due to ill health, she decided to go to dilli bajar instead.. mustering courage to climb the four flights of stairs!

chanakhdi was very very surprised to find her amaju in her living room. she kept fondling muwa's cheeks and hands...

...in the process, both sisters in law became overcome with emotion and started sniffling...

soon maila raja joined the group...

... and shared notes about ailments...

then there was an exchange of tika... first the bhai

then the bhai buhari

and bhinaju to sali

a group picture...

their living room had memories of the great gurujus of yore... this one the flamboyant tarka raj pandey...

... this one of maila raja's parents... bhogendra raj pandey and 'guruma'

maila raja as a strapping youth...

muwa also put tika on her other bhai.. kanchha raja, janardan raj pandey

to maila raja's chhora, babuji, binod raj pandey...

and buhari, bidya

finally the tears give way to smiles for nanda amaju...

when it was time to go.. maila raja shared a photo with muwa.. it was their family picture, when more of his siblings and his mother were alive..

back home muwa was ready for tika with her other maiti folks.. like her neice induphupu...

as well as nephew binaya raj pandey later on in the evening

we went to put tika with haandi gaon mama (mami's mama) who's been pretty ill in recent days

... deep blue skies with ankha khaaney white clouds in the sky that afternoon...

our next stop was chahabil at baidu didi's where we found the couple in their kitchen garden...

tika with sanoba and sanima

then we drove towards patan to go to sibu's (sanima) place. we drove past pashupati. this view from the bagmati bridge

then past the entrance to the airport... the 'welcome gate' being redone for visit nepal year 2011!!!

driving through the recently inaugurated stretch of the koteshwore to bhaktapur 6-lane highway... a little bit of 'bidesh' in kathmandu.. except without any of the traffic rules that should have been engrained in our manaspatal

the sky was beginning to change colour.. the cumulous clouds turning golden


sibu and deepak babu (sanoba).. he recently underwent a stent implant.. and a near death experience in the process that has changed his outlook in life!!
sibu and deepakbabu with their rooftop view!!

deepak babu and baba with phulchoki in the background

that evening we went to kalikathan for dinner and tika and some juwa. wen we went there the khaal had already gained momentum.. many were playing...

while a few watched from the sidelines

the departed were there in spirit too... yadav mama

... and his parents...

anju arrived later with her family.. including granddaughter dakshina 'sing sing'

and here is the little one, next to her favourite sitter, grandpa manoj babu

ajita and meeradidi look on...

himani strikes a pose with her glorious mane of hair...

and anu tries the 'how bold are you?' test with her portable fan!!

the elderly guffed along...

...until one of them decided to have some fun with the youngsters

and so the game continued...

with some benefitting more than others!!!

a memorable day, all in all