Apologies for the lateness of this letter which is due to my being away for the best part of 5 weeks. I would like to dedicate this to Hitesh , Nikhil and Arjun who coped admirably whilst I was away and did not make me feel at all guilty for abandoning them for so long whilst I relaxed and recharged my batteries. Thank you and I am so proud of all of you!

2006 seems to be a year in which for various reasons, I’ve spent a lot time apart from my children and husband. As a mother you always think that the family revolves around you and nothing can function in your absence. How wrong could I have been ! They actually seem to be doing better without me!  

January started off in our usual hectic manner with work taking over my life (weekends and all!) Hitesh being busy with Badminton coaching and all the children’s sports commitments. Arjun started the year off in style by being crowned the U15 Hertfordshire badminton winner. No mean feat when there are so many excellent players in the county including some national players. But then Arjun is a fighter and never gives up!.

Arjun also went to Disneyland Paris (for a Design and Technology trip!) How they managed to get this to be an educational trip I’m not sure but he had a great time 

At half -term Arjun went skiing to Italy from school and had another fabulous time. Nikhil was unable to go as he was in his GCSE year. Not being able to juggle with dates to go as a family, Hitesh and I decided that the kids were capable of looking after themselves and we went with Bena and Vipul in March to Sestriere, home of the recent winter Olympics. I bought a brand new ski outfit (about time as the kids would say) and on the first day there bought a brand new pair of skis and boots as well. So I was raring to go, was really confident and probably skied the best ever. The kids remain to be convinced as they haven’t seen me but Hitesh was definitely impressed upon my ability not to balk at the black runs but to take them head on. The accommodation was fantastic and it helped being in a catered hotel so did not have to worry about cooking in the evenings.

This year my nephew Raju ,was going to get married and in April over the Easter weekend it was his lagnotri. His in-laws and bride to be flew in from Detroit to London for this occasion and we had a small ceremony in a hall which Hitesh compered. It was a lovely to meet them – the whole family is so friendly and by the end of the weekend , it was like we’d known each other all our lives.

Prior to this, in early March , Raju had had a lucky escape when he had an accident on his way from Yorkshire to London and had to be hospitalised. Luckily he came out relatively unscathed – Somebody was definitely watching over him!.

May was the month of the wedding in Detroit and unfortunately the boys were not able to come due to exams (Nikhil with GCSE’s ), wanted Hitesh to oversee the boys and so again I abandoned ship and went by myself to Toronto and Detroit. Toronto was the cheap flight – over £200 cheaper and plus it was Seiya’s university town from her year abroad so she was keen to show us around.. Toronto to Detroit is a short drive (well 5 hours) and quite scenic. A lot of us went to Toronto (13 to be precise, including Ba and Kaka) and had a fantastic time – seeing Niagara Falls , visiting Upi and Elena who made a wonderful dinner for all of us, eating out at restaurants (the first for Ba!) and not to forget the wedding- The wedding in Detroit was a wonderful wonderful affair – the bride’s side could not have been more hospitable – each event was topped by the next event and we had 3 days of a fun filled weekend , with a peaceful puja, a superb sangeet sandhya and the most wonderful wedding ceremony I have ever attended.  Even I was in tears in the end and I was from the groom’s side.! But then I do get weepy! It was such a shame that the boys and Hitesh were unable to come – they would have loved it!

Still there was the wedding reception in London in June to look forward to. Yes another celebration and an excuse to accumulate yet more airmiles. So again, Monica’s family travelled half way round the world for a long weekend and we had another celebration with dinner and raas garba. Arjun had a school trip (WW1 poetry trip) that same week and came back late just before the festivities were about to end!  

A final celebration was also held in Baltimore in September  (Raju’s home town)  but we were unable to attend .  

Nikhil was in the middle of his GCSE’s during all these festivities, but that did not deter him from enjoying the June celebrations. Any excuse to get out of revision. Following his exams, he went on a week’s holiday to Spain with his friends and had a wonderful time. Following this he worked for a couple of weeks in a friend’s jeweller’s shop and really enjoyed the experience.

Early on in the year we were saddened to hear of a close friend’s sudden death ; Mukesh was a fun loving, energetic, social person who lived life to the full and it was a real shock to hear of his untimely death- In July a beautiful picnic was organised by his family in his memory 

We hadn’t had a family holiday for some time and the kids had finally agreed to come on a week’s holiday – we decided to go to Italy in August before Nikhil got his results – Lake Garda and had everything booked and were looking forward to going. Unfortunately, a couple of days prior to us flying off there was a terrorist bomb plot uncovered – long and short of it was chaos at the airports and our flight was cancelled the day before we were about to leave. I was distraught and angry at yet again becoming a victim to these faceless cowards. So no family holiday this year!

Nikhil got his results and by his own admission could have done better had he actually worked for these exams – He got 4A*s, 6As and 1C. I was more disappointed with the C in English Literature than he was – He thinks it sounds quite cool

September was back at school – Nikhil looking very dashing in his suit , has embarked on his A level course taking Maths, Further Maths, Physics and IT.. Arjun has started his GCSE year and is working a lot more diligently than his brother. September was also the month of the annual Middlesex county tournament and this time both brothers were in the under 17 category. Both were on opposite sides of the draw and I therefore had visions of an all Shah’s  final but Arjun’s opponent in the semi-final (the guy who is his nemesis as Arjun just cannot seem to ever get the better of him) had other ideas. Not only that but then he proceeded to also defeat Nikhil in the final which was a shock result as Nikhil was the favourite. I hadn’t gone to watch this time and my ego tells me this is why they lost!

Earlier in the year I had been persuaded to join the Sansaar committee (a charity aiming to promote the learning of the Gujarati language through fun and music). In October Sansaar held it’s first ever children’s Raas Garba, which was a resounding success. A lot of effort had gone into the planning of this event including some late night meetings but the end result was worth it. November saw the revamp of their first production, Geet Gamat with again, sell out audiences and rave reviews.  

Nikhil turned 17 in October and was promptly rewarded with a car – It was either this or a motorbike and I don’t think my nerves can stand him going around on a bike. Hitesh takes him driving regularly and he also has driving lessons from an instructor, so it won’t be long before he’s chauffering me around! He passed his theory test recently so only a few months to go now.

Work had been pretty hectic throughout the year and my vision seemed to be deteriorating fast. A trip to the opticians in the summer, sent me straight to Moorfields in July who basically advised that I have these floaters but no retina detachment. – Nothing to worry about but no explanation as to why the vision in the left eye had worsened so rapidly.

We decided that a rest and relaxation holiday was what was required and so Manjula, Bena and Manjula’s friend Rama and I decided to go to India., mainly to an ashram. – I planned on 5 weeks, 3 weeks at the ashram and 2 in Mumbai. I was little sceptical initially and the thought of waking up at 5 am was not particularly enticing. However, it was a fabulous 3 weeks – a massage every day loosened up all my tense neck muscles, yoga was energising, the steam and mud treatments made my skin glow, the magnet therapy and accupuncture relieved me of all my other pains. Food was a little bland – no salt , one meal a day with fruit in the evening no breakfast but lots of juices, and lots of fruits and madafs (coconut water)  to see us through.

We met lots and lots of interesting people from all walks of life who were happy to share whatever knowledge they had with us. Particular mention must be made of Divyesh and Urmi, a young couple from Mumbai who practically adopted us, and on our return to Mumbai took us out sightseeing, to restaurants and shopping. Divyesh an optician, also recommended the eye specialist in Mumbai and supplied me with new pairs of glasses. 

The 3 weeks in the ashram flew by and we were sorry to leave but vowed to return with our husbands. We then spent 2 weeks in Mumbai – mostly at my mama’s with my cousins and their families 

First going to an eye hospital where I was told the reason for my poor vision in the left eye was due to a cataract (it’s in its early stages, but why hadn’t Moorfields picked this up) ; In Mumbai did quite a bit of shopping , thanks to Urmi who had the patience to take us to so many different places, spent time with  Seiya and Birju at their apartment  – fabulous and you wouldn’t know you were in Mumbai ; Seiya is looking really well and has been doing yoga courses -Birju is working really hard but enjoying it all Also took Kaka, Ba and Mama to Seiya’s for the day -they really enjoyed this especially sitting by the pool , Kaka sipping water.

We also had a wedding in Mumbai – pretty similar to the ones here – organised chaos . Also went to see Indian films, Gujarati  play with my cousins and ate out at delicious vegetarian restaurants.

Meanwhile on the other side of the world , Hitesh was juggling work / badminton coaching/ county team manager/ chauffering the kids to sports or parties and trying to cook for them. They all coped admirably and Hitesh especially deserves a medal for all his efforts.

Nikhil and Arjun continue to play squash for the men’s team and are doing great, constantly confounding and leaving their opponents speechless with their skill, agility, precision and control along with a balanced attitude of winning humbly and losing graciously.

They both took part in a Badminton tournament recently at Harrow Leisure centre at which they made a clean sweep of the trophies – Nikhil winning the under 19 singles, Arjun winning the under 17 singles and both winning the under 19 doubles.

As mentioned Arjun won the under 15 Herts singles badminton title early on in the year; he has also reached the semi-finals of U18 singles , quarter finals of the U18 doubles and recently came in the finals of the Herts U18 mixed doubles tournament losing to a nationally ranked player. 

Nikhil is doing his silver Duke of Edinburgh award; Arjun recently completed his Bronze award.

They both continue to represent the school in cricket, and tennis. They also go regularly to Shishukunj, where they now have a lot of handling responsibilities. 

Hitesh continues to play golf regularly, coach and manage the under 15 Herts team as well as other  badminton coaching, and chauffer the kids everywhere (though it won’t be long now before Nikhil can drive us everywhere! ) and in between carry on with the business.

I hope 2006 has been equally successful for all of you  – Live life to the full, don’t have any regrets and remember to regularly tell those close to you how much you love them and care for them.

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I also pray that 2007 will be a peaceful and happy one for all of us and that all your aspirations and dreams come to fruition.