He tried to teach my parents to swim, but he never gotthem to go beyond wading up to their knees at the beach andmaking ludicrous round motions with their arms, which, if theywere practising the breast-stroke, made them look as if theywere walking through a jungle, spreading the tall grass aheadof them, or, if it […]
I was named after a swimming pool. Quite...
I was named after a swimming pool. Quite peculiarconsidering my parents never took to water. One of myfather’s earliest business contacts was Francis Adirubasamy. Hebecame a good friend of the family. I called him Mamaji,mama being the Tamil word for uncle and ji being a suffixused in India to indicate respect and affection. When he […]
Within a couple of days I could stand, e...
Within a couple of days I could stand, even make two, threesteps, despite nausea, dizziness and general weakness. Bloodtests revealed that I was anemic, and that my level of sodiumwas very high and my potassium low. My body retained fluidsand my legs swelled up tremendously. I looked as if I hadbeen grafted with a pair […]
That pain is like an axe that chops at m...
That pain is like an axe that chops at my heart. The doctors and nurses at the hospital in Mexico wereincredibly kind to me. And the patients, too. Victims of canceror car accidents, once they heard my story, they hobbled andwheeled over to see me, they and their families, though noneof them spoke English and […]
Mecca,Varanasi, Jerusalem and Paris. I h...
Mecca,Varanasi, Jerusalem and Paris. I have nothing to say of my working life, only that a tie is anoose, and inverted though it is, it will hang a man nonethelessif he’s not careful. I love Canada. I miss the heat of India, the food, the houselizards on the walls, the musicals on the silver screen, […]
There are two-toed sloths and there are ...
There are two-toed sloths and there are three-toed sloths,the case being determined by the forepaws of the animals,since all sloths have three claws on their hind paws. I had thegreat luck one summer of studying the three-toed sloth in situin the equatorial jungles of Brazil. It is a highly intriguingcreature. Its only real habit is […]
“I say, Berta, thought you were going to
“I say, Berta, thought you were going to do some work for that Mr. Howe of the Federal Service. Did it fall through?” “Haven’t heard much more about it, Harv,” Roberta answered her brother, as she poured maple syrup over a serving of piping hot pancakes. Her mother came in at that moment with a […]
The three-toed sloth is not well informe...
The three-toed sloth is not well informed about the outsideworld. On a scale of 2 to 10, where 2 represents unusualdullness and 10 extreme acuity, Beebe (1926) gave the sloth’ssenses of taste, touch, sight and hearing a rating of 2, and itssense of smell a rating of 3. If you come upon a sleepingthree-toed […]
I was at the Indian Coffee House, on Neh...
I was at the Indian Coffee House, on Nehru Street. It’sone big room with green walls and a high ceiling. Fanswhirl above you to keep the warm, humid air moving. Theplace is furnished to capacity with identical square tables,each with its complement of four chairs. You sit where youcan, with whoever is at a table. […]
What other bright ideas do you have for ...
What other bright ideas do you have for your life?” I askedmyself. Well, I still had a little money and I was still feelingrestless. I got up and walked out of the post office toexplore the south of India. I would have liked to say, “I’m a doctor,” to those whoasked me what I did, […]