Welcome to Volume 9 of Mango Smiles! Ideas for this issue have been swirling around in my head for quite some time (one whole year, actually), but getting down to business has taken some time ... and I apologize! It is harder to make the newsletter without the direct inspiration of the kids and the library being right there with me.

I want to thank everyone for staying in touch since we left Calcutta to set up house in Nara temporarily. It has been great receiving your letters, phone calls, cards, and emails. We are missing our life in Calcutta a lot but also enjoying Japan. Wishing all the Msmiles readers a very happy New Year. Let's all think about ways we can bring about PEACE from right where we are!

I haven't made Mango Smiles since leaving India so this has become a bit of a hodge podge version. You will read about the trip to Japan Ruby Spiegel and her mother, Deb took in June With our home in Nara as their base, they went by Shinkansen (Japanese bullet train) to see and experience as much of Japan as they possibly could in 2 weeks! Ruby has been interviewed about the trip and she left a lot of her sketches for me to include. I hope you enjoy hearing and learning about Japan as much as they enjoyed being here! Some info. by yours truly are also a big part of this one, and there are also plenty of other interesting tidbits for all our readers from people like you - so enjoy and let me know how you liked this one. Please send in your contributions so I will be able to start the next issue right away.

- Maura Hurley (Adult Editor)

Go to:

Front cover
Mango Bite: An interview with Ruby Spiegel by Hia Mookherjee
Peace Crane Story
Mustard Seed - Japan Projects and News
Mehandi: Mini Chaterjee's cultural corner
Book Review by Jijo Raychoudhuri
The (Japanese) Public Bath by Ruby Spiegel
PEN-PAL Connections
Letter (from Mayumi)
Virtual Library by Pradeep Parekh
HAIKU for peace and people and the planet
Back cover