Last week I found out that my husband's cousin was recently named Canada's High Commissioner for India.
Joseph Caron has been a rising star in the Canadian foreign service for some time, and so his latest appointment is not a surprise, but it seemed somehow serindipidous to me. Everything I am reading, watching, hearing seems to have an India connection to me lately, and some (however small) connection to my mom's story.
So, is 2009 the year for a trip to India? It would allow me to do a bit of research through old court records that might help document and prove my mother's incredible story. Some of that information will likely be housed (if it still exists) in New Delhi, where the High Commission is located... But I am not convinced a trip is in the cards, or even necessary right now.
My mother was (like many survivors of traumatic abuse) obsessed with proof. Perhaps it comes from the extraordinariness of the events, the fact that she had been an amnesiac for so many years, or the fact that she was disbelieved so heartily as a small child.
As a reader (and editor) I am not convinced that reams of proof does the story any good. As I have alluded to before, it's one of the struggles I have as I work with this material. Balancing my mom's need to exorcise various demons, with my desire to make the story accessible and a good read (thereby ensuring a larger audience).
Also, another reality hits in 2009; my official job search begins. My next paying gig will almost certainly dictate that this trip is not going to happen in the short or medium term.
That said, my mother wanted her ashes scattered on the holy Ganges river, and so there a trip to India in the future (for me or another member of our family). If I am lucky, and if it's me, perhaps I'll get there while there is a family connection in the capital.
Born in India under British rule, Barbara became a celebrated romance novelist. She discovered her life’s purpose in her final years: to tell the story of the Indian servants who saved her life. 
