Contemplating Hyderabad

News from Hyderabad"It's v unfortunate but pl don't worry" was the email we received from our friend Santha John from Hyderabad which is how we had learned about the terrorist attacks in her city. It's insanely selfish to be relived that the violence occurred the week before we arrived and foolish to think that last week's bombings don't cancel out the possibility of something happening while we are there.Our decision to visit Hyderabad came as a result of getting to know Mary Ann Marino who had spent the better part a year volunteering at The Hyderabad Children's Aid Society and (we learned later) had adopted a child there. Mary Ann made friends wherever she went, and went on to connect those friends to each other in the most loving and enthusiastic way imaginable. When Mary Ann got sick while she was in Hyderabad, it was her friend Santha who cared for her and accompanied her back to Boston for treatment for a brain tumor. We were lucky enough to meet Santha and her brother George (a brilliant artist - among his many talents - who lives in Belmont), forming yet another link in the chain of friendships created by Mary Ann.Mary Ann's remission ended this past summer, disrupting her plans to return to India to continue the work she had begun at the Home. As we planned out trip here and her symptoms grew progressively worse we promised that we would visit Hyderabad and the Home. The chance to get to see Santha and meet some of her family was an offer we were thrilled to accept. When Mary Ann died last month that vast, worldwide network of friends renewed its connection, but this time with the sad news that the world had lost a shining star.Sitting here on a houseboat in the peaceful broad canals of the Backwaters, the silence is punctuated only by the gentle chugging of the boat's engine, the sound of washing being slapped against shoreline stones, the shrill cry of seabirds wheeling overhead, and the occasional blast of music broadcast from villages and other boats we pass. It's difficult in this place (but at the same time too easy) to imagine the horror of the attack in Hyderabad. We worry about our friends there. And of course we question the wisdom of going. But then I remember that this kind of violence against innocent people can (and does) happen everywhere in the world and life is a crapshoot. People who spend their lives being afraid risk missing out on all sorts of marvelous experiences. Plus, if we stop traveling then the terrorists win.We'll be cautious and avoid crowded popular tourist places and shopping malls. We will send photos and posts from Hyderabad. Meanwhile, I urge you to take a few minutes to call up a friend and express some gratitude for having him or her in your life.