Back to Sinbad Lives!

Sinbad in Singapore—2 Generations Later
by Viknesh Rajasekaran

Viknesh is ten years old and lives in Singapore with his parents. We began corresponding over a year ago through his parents' e-mail. It started when his mother, Mohana, asked permission for Viknesh to use the name "Sinbad" in a story he was writing. At the time, neither of them knew about Sinbad of the Coast Guard. This led to my sending him a copy of the book and one of the plush toys. Here's a copy of his e-mail after receiving them:

Dear Uncle Mike, 

Thank you soooo much for the gift. Such perfect timing! I just returned home from my holiday last night and your airmail arrived early this afternoon. I've already started reading the book. It's so ... FANTASTIC!! -- I just can't put the book down! As for Sinbad, I gave him a big hug and placed him in my showcase, right next to my bed so that I can see him every day and night. I'll take him out daily and give him a nice big hug. He truly deserves it. And so do you. I'm going back to my reading.  

Sincerely,
Viknesh

Viknesh wrote the following poem just for this page.

"My feelings about Sinbad? Can they be expressed in words? Well, I've tried."   

Sinbad

Sinbad is our little hero's name
Neither 'sin' nor 'bad', he's a dog of fame!
'God' spelt backwards
This dog does wonders!
Like bridging us from half a world apart
Simply by doing his part!
Such are his powers, & there's more to see
Sitting by my bedside, even though I'm not at sea!
Inspiring me to look at the brighter side
Assuring me that Uncle Mike is always beside (me)!
So indeed he has become our connection key
Em-'bark'-ed in our hearts for a lifelong journey!

—R Viknesh
14 July 2007

With his parents' help, Viknesh has published one book and is working on a second one.