16 Oct 84 My son, Marish, I received both of your letters. Thanks for remembering my birthday. You know, I will be forty next year. You see, your mother has slowly become elder. By next December, you will be only 11 years old. When I was 11 years of age, I could never imagine that one day I will be of 40 years of age. Very slowly, day after day, year after year, these forty years have passed - work and more work, study and more study, after all this somebody has a chance to become an elder. After one becomes an elder, one realises that still more work remains to be done - lots of work we have not yet been able to understand. To become more elder we have to work more. If we don’t work, perhaps we may not enjoy being elder. Without work our thinking won’t become deeper and mature , we will remain ignorant. How ignorant an elder will look if he talks like a child. Isn’t’ it ? Punnu, Mahatma Buddha’s week was celebrated here. Lamas came from different places and performed religious dances. An exhibition on Mahatma Buddha opened at Lalit Kala Akademi and is still going on. Paintings on Mahatma Buddha have come from countries where Buddha religion is practised. These countries are Nepal, Bhutan, Burma, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, Vietnam , Korea, Mangolia and many others. You remember, we had gone to Taxila where there were many sculptures of Buddha. We had a poster of Buddha sculpture which I had fixed on the door. Many scholars on Buddhism have also come to talk about their religion. Do you know, Mahatma Buddha was a follower of middle path to achieve Nirvana. Is there anything written about Mahatma Buddha in you books Study it carefully. When I will come to meet you on 28th October we will talk further about it. Is it OK ? Love , your Ma Gogi Saroj Pal