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My trusted pair of dark blue Old Navy chappals passed away over the weekend. I’d had them since the summer of 2003, borrowed in a moment of desperation from Anshuman Bagharia and never returned. They were good to me. They got me through that I.S. summer, through many house shifts and job searches, from Ohio to Boston to Bombay, Bangalore, London and Colombo. They ran from Armington to Kauke Hall and Gault Library, strolled down Beacon Street and Comm Ave, creaked under the weight of lifting cartons while unpacking in Shrewsbury and Brookline, and in their latter years, though battered and thinning, stood their ground when the Bangalore monsoons lashed across my balcony. They were the oldest piece of footwear I've owned. Thanks for all the memories. RIP.Be good up there in chappal heaven.

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