A year older, a year wiser (I hope :-))

Another birthday here and is almost over. Another year gone by. Alot has happened this year, many experiences to learn from, good and bad ... all are the part and parcel of life. I do hope I am a year wiser ...

My sister-in-law's parents had invited us over for lunch. Her mom makes the most amazing food. After lunch, R, her brother and I went to see this temple which is in their neighborhood. I have been wanting to visit it for quite some time now. It is not operational and its in a dangerous condition. There is a school surrounding it and many homes. The school administration got a wall constructed around it so that children could not go there and get themselves injured. We requested one of the families living there to go to their rooftop and take some pictures. They were a bit reluctant but then allowed us. I also asked the woman who lived there about the temple. So, according to her, this is the brief history:

This temple was being constructed when the partition took place in 1947, so it was never used. When Hindu Extremists demolished the Babri Mosque, Muslims in Pakistan started demolishing temples in Pakistan. This is one of the only few left behind (luck or whatever reason it was). The relationship between the two neighboring countries can only be termed as a tit for tat relationship, which has taken countless lives and has brought to dust many beautiful architectural monuments on both sides ... a very sad state of affairs. Why can't we just live and let live?

Anyways, I have to head back and complete my homework. I had a good birthday today. I also thought about all the blessings I have and I am grateful to God for them. A cherry on the cake was an email from my Stanford course instructor acknowledging our efforts ... what a nice birthday gift :)