In which my dad cuts a ribbon

- by Deepa Krishnan

My brother-in-law Satish has set up a new factory near Pune. On Vijayadashami, we all went for the inauguration. It was such a happy day. Satish's parents came from Chennai for the event. My parents also came. We drove to the venue in two SUVs because there were several of us. The factory is very big, so we drove right in.

One section of the shop floor, with our cars parked.

There was lots of lamp lighting and ribbon cutting and tree planting :) Satish's dad cut the first ribbon, announcing a series of inaugurations of various sections of the factory.

My parents inaugurated the machining section. Appa has a lot of experience cutting ribbons at various events, so he did it like a pro!

Dad and mom inaugurating machining section

Here is Satish's dad, checking out one of the steel rings that the factory produces.

We all got a basic understanding of the products, the markets, prices, etc. It was very interesting.

On the outside of the factory, a series of Ashoka trees were planted. I hope they all grow beautifully. I pray for the success of the business. It is such a big venture. We are first-generation entrepreuners!

Lunch was festive, with puri-shrikhand, jeera rice, dal, matki, paneer, various types of deep-fried bajjis/pakodas, koshimbir, chutney, and dahi-rice. I forgot to photograph my plate :) So this is the only photo I have. This is also the only photo I have of Satish's mother. You can see her sitting (behind the handbag), talking to my mom.

We returned to Mumbai by 5:30 pm, a little tired, but very happy. We all missed Aishwarya, who is currently in Lucknow. She would have loved the food :)