Bloor village friends

In August 2019, we went for a tour of the Humber river, with a society which commemorates Simcoe. Last August (2024) I met some friends around Bloor village- and shared some talks on everyday life, spirituality over coffee and pastries. Bloor village area of Toronto, near the High Park, has been a thinking place for many years. Here at Baka café, we have dissected many nuances.

This way of reflecting, editing was first introduced to me by my Nana ji (maternal grandfather) whose anniversary is today (passed March 6,1983- Pratap Chowk, Delhi, India).

Letters 

Earlier Perspectives: 2012 

Remembering Grandfathers | Prashant Bhatt’s notes

One interesting way to take a life-story interview is to ask the person about his grandfather. My grandfather was one of the first persons who taught me how to write notes, editing letters I used to send to him in the 1970s when he was in Moscow

Bloor Adaptation 2025: Belonging and Becoming- A child remembers his mother on her 100th birth anniversary

          In a remembrance (which can be adapted into a letter) a friend of Bloor told of his mother’s 100th birthday a few days ago. Born on Feb 21, 1925, the rich panorama of her life came alive at Baka. It gave a window into life in Ontario in that period, what it was like growing up between the two great wars. Then in the fifties and sixties she raised a family of four children- three boys and a girl, after their father left. His reconciliation and rebuilding his relationship with his father and how the mixed feelings, family dynamics affect each of the siblings in their own ways to this day were a rich lesson in Belonging and Becoming.

The Art of the Letter: Dahra, Tripoli discussions -a society waking up after 42 years of dictatorship

Some earlier adaptations and growth we had in the art of the letter were the “Mediterranean Everyday History Society project”.

We used to meet after a church service in Dahra and have discussion over coffee and cake. This made us interrogate layers of the society coming out of 42 years of dictatorship (Gaddafi regime-1969-2011) and the aspirations of the common people, the way long term diaspora viewed these changes and how life has evolved for the local and expatriate long term workers here.

Letter to Loved One who has passed away: Remembering Sunja- the matriarch of Baek family of Korean-Japanese histories

Each relationship has its own flavour and nuances.

When I thought of writing a letter to my Nanaji (maternal grandfather) I started including book summaries from my library. The home library was a gift of my parents, refined by my grandfather and uncles.

Last evening, went through pages of “Pachinko” by Min Jin Lee gifted to me by Abha Mausiji (Dr.Abha Nawani nee Uniyal), Mausaji and Family on a recent visit to India (Dec 2024). As I summarized some points in the book, I wrote about the trajectory of the life of Sunja, the matriarchal figure of the Baek family, who connects all four generations.

Exercises: Points for reflection

1- Did you have a mentor, who helped you think beyond the box

2- How does the art of the letter survive in today’s world of short messages

3- Write a life-story passage, remembering your grandparents, the way life was then.

4- Describe a friend in your current life, to a loved one who has passed away

5-Summarize a book character to a loved one who has passed away.