|
| Happy version 1 |
| Saturday, December 05, 2009 |
Let me sneak in a post before Saturday comes on me with full force, with it numerous chores, and work that needs to be done.
So here is the happy version of India Trip, ignoring all the stuff from the previous post.
One month before the India trip, I was pretty busy with stuff here, work, gmat and what not. Whenever I talked to Mom, she would go, "Counting days, waiting for you to come home.. " My Dad was usual, only talked business, asked about our itenerary and if he should send someone to the airport to help with Customs. As I mentioned in my earlier posts, we were in total hurry-burry going to India.Just put a bunch of clothes in one suitcase and all the gift items in another. And packing done.
First night at home, nostalgic. Since we had a tight schedule, only 5 days in Chennai before the whirlwind of a schedule started for BIL's wedding, every day we went out shopping for one thing or the other. It was hot, even when we traveled everywhere in the car, we got dead tired. Chennai traffic is just mind boggling. But it was nice to see so many flyovers, and exits to different places, instead of roundanas. We did some people watching, saw people in full hand shirts and trousers, making DH wonder just how they managed to wear that. Of course, it was just a matter of time before we got accustomed to the weather. We saw girls hiding their face and head with duppatta behind the guy, probably escaping for a date? ;--) We saw the crowded bus stands and the buses. No change there.
We went for my eye check-up, and it was cute to see saree clad teenage girls, walking here and there in the Clinic. How thin they were! There were as many staff as there were patients if not more. Some 4 girls attended to me, asking me to go from one room to another.
The driver was a good guy. We heard his daily story and were ashtonished. He had two boys 5 and 7. He lived somewhere out of the city past Tamabaram. He wakes up at 4, to get ready, pack his own lunch and catches the train into the city at around 5, picks up the car and then comes home to pick us up. We felt so bad to ask him to drop us at a friend's place for dinner. It was almost 10 by the time we were done, and felt guilty for having had him stay so long. After dropping us he had to drop the car, then take the train home. And he said "My boys wont eat until I am home" :--( Last day we saw him, DH tried to give him some money and he refused politely. He said they were contractors and were not supposed to take money from clients.
There was an incident at Globus which I found amusing. We parked inside and DH and I after spending some time there, wanted to go to Woodlands to see something else. We told the driver we will just walk, since we got a nice spot here for the car. Car parking is a big problem apparently. I know only now. We went out, and immediately the security noticed us leaving and wanted us to take the car out as well! Wow, such sincerity. I thought it was a valid point, why would he let customers of all of Panagal Park park in Globus parking lot? But immediately two or three driver including ours got together, to fight with the security! While the security was talking, our driver told us to just go, and that he will take care of the security!
I bought a lot of salwars. In fact I bought so many, I started feeling guilty. Remember my post on minimalism? And I found everything super expensive!! Mom, Dad, DH and I sat in some local hotel to have two coffee and two juice. DH and I were shocked to see it cost 70odd rupees!
Mom made us her specialty food day after day. Amma's food is the besht! I realized she can cook awesome food, only my Dad doesnt let her, on account of eating healthy. Dad's job every day morning was to squeeze fresh juice. One days it was Orange, another day it was grapes, another day Cucumber. Whenever we sat watching TV he would bring a plate of cut apples for us to eat. Dad is a health freak. Both of us were struggling with the jetlag. I was sleeping whenever I could, but DH was so bent on getting rid of jetlag, he didnt sleep in the day and he couldnt sleep in the night.
I went to a local parlour to get some mehendi and get a hair cut. It was a dingy place, with no current for sometime. The lady had beautiful hair though. She applied mehendi so fast, and it was so beautiful. The complex were this parlour was was were I used come to get greeting cards and small gifts for friends, and also to browse internet, in those days. It looked small now. And I felt like an alien. I must have driven in those roads with my Scooty like a million times, parked in front of probably all the stores. Very nostalgic.
Even walking I felt was a challenge in those roads now. I have to look down to make sure I dont step into potholes, or dung, and I have to keep looking front and back to make sure I dont get hit by a bus or scooter or even a cow!
DH and I once went to get groceries in Reliance Fresh, we walked on the market road, we stopped to buy some kadalai mittai. You know the shops were they have butter biscuits and stuff in those glass jars. I went to the place where my library was, the library which helped me dwell in books with the Famous Fives, Find outers, Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, graduate to Sidney Sheldon, Jeffery Archer,Ken Follet, John Grisham, all of Michael Crichton, also some Mills and Boons to see what it was all about, and many more.
It was bummer I was not in Chennai on any Sunday I was there to go the Sunday mass and meet people. One of the many things I wanted to do and couldnt. We did go to the Church one evening, we met some folks.
We squeezed in a trip to Velankanni for one day. My thatha and paati had also come. I saw them in their second childhood it was soo cute. My brother and I are their only grand children, my Mom being the only child. I felt so bad for not having called them more often when I was in the US. Meeting them after getting married, I found the conversations between them so cute and funny. Thatha would run here and there to do something and paati would be asking me where he was, and scolding him. Thatha would come and again scold her for getting flustered. Too cute. I wanted to go to Thanjavur to see them, but no time :--(
Almost forgot, Deepavali at home! Kids in the apartments kept coming home to give all those yummy treats. So much to eat! We went shopping, we packedsome snacks to eat, and gave some to our driver too. DH and I were just eating and eating and eating. After deliberating, finally got some crackers to burst for old times sake. It was super! Apparently there was a rule in India to not burst crackers after 10PM in the night. We went down at 9:30 and burst crackers! Sangu chakkaram, busvaanam, kambi mathaappu, lakshmi vedi..
I am not yet done. All the wedding galatta yet to come.
What I realized from this trip is, when I say I miss India, I miss those days in India. I miss those times in India. I miss those memories of India. I can never get those back. |
posted by SK @ 7:36 AM  |
|
| 2 Comments: |
-
Awww Yeskay. This is so beautiful. I got goosebumps reading it:)
Here is a question. Why don't you just go back home?
-
Mr Bodhi,
India trip ku waiting-a? :--)
ANd didnt you read my prev post?
Plans to Return are definitely there, I have to gain some tolerance to some things and when the time is right.
|
| |
| << Home |
| |
|
|
|
|
Awww Yeskay. This is so beautiful. I got goosebumps reading it:)
Here is a question. Why don't you just go back home?