The first pilgrimage

From left: Auntie Bimla (my dad's younger sister); Rishi (Usha's son); Bobson (cousin); Avtar (Usha's husband); Usha (cousin); Bindi (wife of Nanak, who wasn't there, holding their daughter Leah); Nikki (Bobson's wife - they have twins who weren't there); and, standing at the front, Ryan (Nanak and Bindi's son)

It turns out even more people want to get on to the blog (see Uncle Avtar's comment). A couple of months ago (yes, it's been that long), we went out to Heston/Southall, in west London, to visit my Auntie Bimla and her family. The explanation of who's who may be a bit confusing but if anything defines the branches of an Indian family tree, it's confusion. (Bear in mind that my dad has six other siblings and my mum has three brothers, not to mention more cousins than you know what to do with.)

When I arrived in London in 1997, the first place I lived was in Southall with this auntie and her kids. And a few years before me, my brother Sunil stayed with them for a while, too. They have always been good to both of us and they were pretty damn kind to Kirin and Johanna, too. Among the many gifts offered to our son, was a passport holder - it appears my son is more posh than I am.

Not only will we be forever grateful, but my auntie is one of the best cooks of Indian food (along with Auntie Nirmala, my mum and my sister Neena, and the Jogia women) and makes the best tandoori chicken you will find anywhere, and a pretty good biryani, too.