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Abbas K. Sutarwala, September, 2025
“Teach only Love for that is what you are.”
– A Course in Miracles
Overview
Many retirees visit or live in foreign lands. They go there to be close to their children and grand-children. During week-days, most of their family members are busy at work or in school leaving the retirees alone without any work or familiar pastimes. I have been visiting Portland, Oregon, USA, almost yearly, since 2016, for a few weeks, sometimes months, to be with my son and his family. There my wife and I found an interesting socialising ritual to add more joy to our stay! I am describing the same below.
India @ Portland
We, retirees, men and women, meet daily at a park. We sit on benches, do gup-shup, have tea and biscuits, and enjoy camaraderie. Sometimes, there is music, singing, jokes, a tutorial on a specific topic, etc. The time is 10:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. but everyone is free to come and go at will. Participants volunteer to bring the tea and biscuits each day; all slots are taken up!
All are Indians, from different regions and culture. Of course, discussion on politics is a “no-no”. Usually, about 25 people meet on the benches. An occasional pot-luck lunch increases the gathering to 75!
The atmosphere is joyous and uplifting. Everyone mingles with everyone with smiles and kindness. It is a good “social tonic” for people “out of their familiar territory”!
I am attaching a photo of the group taken, when I was there, on September 4, 2025. The only young person you see, in the front row, is my daughter, Anjum, who was visiting me and I took her to meet my “friends” 😊
How this started
One man can make a difference and every man must try!
– John F. Kennedy
About 9 years back, I was visiting my son, Anees. Very close to Anees’s home is a beautiful park which my wife and I would go daily for walks and entertaining my grand-son, about 3 years old. There, in 2017, I met Shamsher Singh, a very friendly person. He stayed in Portland for long periods. He and a good friend of his, met daily there, from 10:30 to noon. I joined them occasionally. Soon two other couples joined. Daily, Shamsher Singh and his wife would get tea in a thermos for all of us! Some of us started bringing biscuits and we found it a very enjoyable pastime! Shamsher Singh formed a WhatsApp group with the name of “India @ Portland”.
The small group of about 10 has now blossomed to about 75!
I feel I socialise more in Portland than in Pune where I live!
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