A huge favor to ask of you. Nirali Naik, an 18-month old baby in Chicago is in dire need of a bone marrow transplant from an Indian. I don't have to tell you that the bone marrow registry in the US has abyssmally low number of South Asian registrants.

Nirali happens to be the grand-daughter of Larsen & Toubro's CEO, Mr. A.M. Naik, a close family friend.

I am writing to you to publcize her desperate need for a match. Could you please send this note out to all your email lists and friends? Due to her current condition, please consider this request URGENT.

For more information about Nirali, please visit the following web site dedicated to her.

We finally made it to Madras. The trip was a mixed bag of high decibled toddlers, lost luggage and arguments at Heathrow about what I could and could not carry on board.

One thing is for sure, the security authorities in the US aren't talking the same language as those at Heathrow. What I could take on board in a 20″ suitcase [usually a carry-on until the new rules were hurriedly applied] through the US port of Boston was declined at Heathrow. The rules changed and the security folks there told me that I would have to check in my gear. Gasp! No way man. I couldn't risk that at all. Not the way I have seen baggage handlers toss [no, I really mean this cuz I have seen it with my own eyes] baby strollers.

Anyway, I asked to see a representative of British Airways. She called someone else. Someone she only referred to as the “DM.” The DM arrived and I explained the situation. She was apologetic and convinced the security folks to let me through with my luggage. No sooner had she left the scene when new security folks replaced the ones she had talked to and of course we had to start that dialogue all over again. To make matters worse, a desi at the helm didn't seem to want to help us at all. In fact, he seemed hell-bent on giving us a harder time with our hand carry-on which also included a bag for the baby with diapers and such and another bag holding most of his food.

Traveling has changed dramatically. I am not thrilled by the changes and while the precautions are all valid, it makes for a tiring journey that at one time was really enjoyable. Well, not any more.

To make matters really worse, after we landed in Madras, we couldn't find three of our suitcases. They were stuck in London and still are there. No word about when we will get them. With a wedding to attend and only on chane of underwear [this is a personal post right?] we are biding our time and hoping that by some miracle we'll get the rest of our stuff in the next flight.

More about the morons at Madras airport in my next. I gotta do some laundry now.

For the next two weeks, I'll be in India. I am heading back home where my parents live in Madras [Chennai] and off for a few days to Bangalore to visit my wife's side of the family.

It's been nearly three years since I was last in India. I expect a great many changes. Some I have only read about in the Western media. I am toting my camera gear and am hoping that the folks at the TSA and British Airways don't give me too much grief. I'll let you know how it goes, perhaps even penning a post about how to pack for travel these days.

I'll post images and random thoughts about what I encounter. Follow along as Tiffinbox is transformed, ever so briefly, into a travel blog of sorts.

I already wish this was a longer vacation, but I need to get back to reality [aka. my job].

I have been very slow to post anything this whole week. Rohan, who turned 11-months old caught some sort of nasty virus and had a fever off-n-on-off-n-on. Sleep was at an all time premium. But I managed to make some changes to my Pipal Productions website. Take a look.

I promise to be back in full-form after a short trip to the left coast.

See below for the number one reason for not posting here as often as I have [grin]. My wife and I are now very proud and happy parents of a healthy baby boy. Rohan arrived on April 24, weighing in at 7.1 lbs. He is pretty tall at 21.5 inches.

Every day is a new day, full of activities. Nothing else matters now. Will try and post here as often as I can, but my fatherly duties simply take precedence.