The postman slipped it below the door this morning. A Christmas card so small, he must have been embarrassed to hand-deliver it and hope for the festive baksheesh. I knew it was coming. It is the only Christmas card I get in the post. From Toronto in Canada. By Par Avion. WhatsApp has taken over the postman’s job. But some people still like to write letters and send greeting cards through the post. Uncle Ivan is one of them. The Christmas card was from him. Posted in Toronto on the afternoon of December 23rd, at 3.07 pm. In green and red, the Christmas colours. A red ribbon was tied around a green pinecone. As festive as it can be. It took five days to reach me. Which is pretty good. Last time, his card came to me a week after the New Year. Uncle Ivan is a friend of my father’s. He migrated to Canada in the Nineties. From where he wrote the occasional letter till my father
passed away. Uncle Ivan then began corresponding with my brother. They both loved Country Music and had much to share.
After my brother passed away, Uncle Ivan transferred his affection for the family to me. I have met him once only. In the late Eighties in Cochin where he was living then. He is a thoughtful man. Full of old-world courtesies. A footnote in the card, written in a small neat hand, the words tiny and closely spaced, says he turned 90 last June. And that his daughter lost her husband on December 2. With a tragedy like this at home, somebody else might have forgotten to keep their Christmas
tradition with me. But not good old Uncle Ivan. They don’t come like him anymore.
About Mark Manuel
The above thoughts/content has been proudly copied from the wall of Sir Mark Manuel. Being interviewing almost every role model of this country and going stronger each day. Mark Manuel is a respected Mumbai editor, writer, and columnist.
With over three decades of journalism in leading publications. This includes the Free Press Journal, Times, Dainik Bhaskar, Mid-Day, and Afternoon. He is famous for his brilliant pen interviews. He himself is a TEDx speaker.
Further
His interviews have featured in several leading media houses. They include the Hindustan Times, Huffington Post, BBC, and Network 18. Almost every famous person has been interviewed by him in the country from Mother Teresa to Muhammad Ali. His first book is just out. It’s titled Moryaa Re! It is a crime thriller that is perhaps the country’s first police procedural. He began his career covering crime. And in a tribute to his experience and knowledge of this beat.
Several distinguished officers of the Mumbai Police and its Crime Branch collaborated with him to make this book possible. Amitabh Bachchan wrote the forward in a statement of friendship for Mark Manuel and admiration for his work.
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