Nethra

The apple of my eye was born August 11th 2002 at 11:30 AM. She was born at Basant Sahney Maternity & Nursing home, in Marredpally, Secunderabad. Here's a look at what she looked like as an infant. She's 49 days old in the picture above.

Like most infants, Nethra loved being ferried in her stroller. It also served as a means to calm her down when she was out of sorts.

Everyone tells me my baby resembles her father (yours truly). If ever I was in doubt, this picture takes the doubt away - in this picture, she looks like a carbon copy of me when I was an infant. October 2002.

With her mother, in December 2002. Mom was #1 by a huge margin in those days.


The little doll with her parents. At Nagarjuna Sagar Dam, in December 2002.

In February 2003, Nethra went through with the tonsuring ritual. As is our family custom, we were over at Pandharpur, near Sholapur in Maharashtra for her first 'mundan'.

Cooling off with some music playing in the background. Nethra, Summer 2003. The Ketchup Song was Nethra's favorite.

June 2003. Nethra in her walker - she'd reach amazing speeds in this rather unsafe contraption.

Nethra with her parents, on board a Lufthansa flight to Chicago.

The little lady again, this time on her first birthday! Doesn't she look like a little angel? Getting her to pose for a picture used to be a challenge in those days; either she wouldn't sit still for an instant or she was in one her off-color moods. This picture was taken at our apartment at The Conservatory, Mason, OH. We had been in the United States less than a month at this point and had celebrated her first birthday early, before leaving India about a month earlier as well.

Nethra is pleased to chew on a straw at a Subway restaurant in the Smokies. This was probably her introduction to the cola 'thing'.


This one is with her dad, at the Pier in Chicago.

At Silver Sands State Park in Milford, CT, Feb 2004.

Another year gone by. It is now August 2004 and here's Nethra again, this picture was taken on the day we celebrated her second birthday at Deepesh's townhouse in NJ.

With her mom, at Planting Fields.

Here's what Nethra's second birthday cake looked like. Elmo was her favorite cartoon and toy character during this stage.
Standing outside the hospital room in Bridgeport Hospital, the day her brother was born.

What Nethra's loved most was playing at Chucky Cheese's. Mention Chucky and she would light up! No, she wasn't too interested in Chucky's pizza though. I kinda like this pic...

Waiting for her dad to step out so they could go for a walk in the snow...

On her Barbie tricycle.


OK, I'll let you decide. Which is the spider and who is it's prey? At the Central Park Childrens' zoo.

Nethra at The Silver Sands State Park in Milford, CT. She loved the sand, sea shells, the ambience, the seagulls, the lot. It was tough to get her to approach the water though! Nethra, all through her life has been a very cautious child. Which means for the most part, she has been extremely well behaved. The one thing she could do better is eat!

Just to reinforce the way her name is spelt. N - e - t - h - r - a.
Roughly transalated, it means, 'sweetest angel'. Oh, you're looking for the Sanskrit equivalent and not my own? In that case, her name means, "Eye" or "Leader".

Nethra and some of her sunglasses. As you can probably tell, she had a thing for them. The hats didn't stay on for too long though. The sunglasses didn't last too long either.

Nethra in her Pattu Pavadai. Not really in the mood for pictures as you can see. "When can we go Ka, daddy?" Getting dressed up means going out for the little one - a photo shoot isn't on her mind.

Nethra rides a Harley Softtail...
Yeah, kids' rides have always been on Nethra's most favored list. Look at the smile she's wearing in this picture!

Back home in Hyderabad after being away two years. Yeah, it's good to be home! Home Sweeeet Home!

July 2005, Fancy Dress at Bhavishya, Nethra's Montessori School in Marredpally. Here she is, dressed as a honey bee. "I'm a little honey bee, honey bee, honey bee; I'm a li'l honey bee, just look at me! buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!" There sure is a lot of honey in there!




My caption for this picture is, did someone just turn the lights on?
Nethra in Hampi, a village in northern Karnataka, on the banks of the Tungabhadra River, located within the ruins of Vijayanagara, the former capital of the Vijayanagara empire.

Nethra and her buddy from school, Anirudh, a.k.a. Bunnyrudh. Don't miss the watch she's wearing. She'd sort of learned to tell the time by looking at the smaller hand and matching it against the nearest numeral.
At home, in her traditional finery...

At Jungle Hut Resort in Masinagudi, in the Nilgiris foothills. This place is, in my mind, the closest one can get to heaven while still alive and kicking. Our heavenly li'l cottage had this sit-out, where this picture was taken.

Nethra on her 4th birthday, at the Sailing Club.

And here's another buddy, Mahir! One she refers to as a 'home friend'. Does that take you back to your growing years? At Dhola Ri Dhani.


Nethra with 'Torque', our German Shepherd Dog. I can't remember what brought her mood on. This picture is meant to be an illustruative example of her volatility.



Here's Nethra with her 'Amma'. Diwali 2006.

November 2006 at a Hyderabad Chick-Inn restaurant. KFC, anyone?

Pongal, January 2007.

Here's a special 'home friend'. Nethra with Anumita at Suryalanka Beach.

March 2007. My little angel is growing up. Seems like she was this tiny little bundle until just recently...but in reality, she's close to five. "How much longer to my birthday, daddy?" Birthdays are important events in a child's life and Nethra can't wait for the next one to arrive. I wish they wouldn't grow up so quick! If you have infants/toddlers, here's some advice from one parent to another: Enjoy your children while they're young, they grow up all too fast. Speaking of advice, my li'l leonine daughter is now giving me advice, so much for her being just four and a half! Are you eating well, daddy?


April 2007, just a regular photo-op for the picture of the month.


June 2007. Back to school! And she loves it, happy to see her friends and teachers once again, after the two month summer vacation.


July 2007, at her grand aunt's birthday party at Celebrity Club.

Nethra, on her 5th birthday. August 11th 2007.

Nethra gets a little help to cut her Birthday cake.
L to R: Vipassana, Siddhanth, Nethra, Dhriti & Nirvan.

On Diwali, 2007. All dressed up in her pretty ghagra chholi.

Nethra in a pensive mood at the site where Nagarjuna University once stood. Nov 2007.

Nethra at the confluence of a river and the Bay of Bengal, Suryalanka Beach, in December 2007.

My little girl at her aunt's wedding in Bangalore, oops, Bengaluru. Or was it Bendakuluru?

17th June 2008. A new beginning. Nethra all dressed in her new uniform up for her first day at a 'big school'. She's started Grade I at
DRS International School, some 20km away near Kompally.