Guess who is visiting from India?

My home these days is filled with people. Typical scenes you would instantly notice at home now are hot tea/coffee brewing multiple times during the day, and never ending gossips replacing the usual quite and tv volume. It feels like a mini India. Indian politics and cricket conversations happen to be the main theme of conversations. Any ideas why? You all may have already guessed it, Mom dear is here :). She and her questions keep me smiling all day. I wish I could trap this time and then travel back whenever I want.

I have been busy just absorbing all the gossips, energy that I haven’t really had the time to write. But then its one of those things, you visit your blog to read your blogging world’s friends posts and there you find a comment sitting starring at you. One of your blogging friend pings you to ask how you have been and why not writing? Thanks Neeraja for still wanting to read my posts.

So over the long weekend we drove 900 miles to visit this one place. Place is not important, what’s important is the journey to get there. Mommy was sitting in the front passenger seat and I was driving. Our conversations were hilarious or so I think, would love to know what you all think:

Ma: “Slow slow slow” what is wrong with this people. Areyyy, look how fast that truck wala is driving, are there no rules here?

Me: Ma, shhh they are driving at 60 miles/hr and that’s the speed limit here. Truck wala is driving perfectly fine. Calm down now

Ma: What! you think we don’t drive at 60 kms in India, we do that ok. And if truck wala is driving properly why are you not, look at your speed must be really high, that lights wala police will come and catch you, you see now. And why drive so close to the truck, go to that first lane and drive there, see no cars there.

Me: Ma I cant magically just change lanes no? I need to watch the traffic. And 60 miles/hr is more than 60 kms. Anywho why are you paying attention to the traffic, look at the beautiful scenery around, see the lake, the trees.

Ma: Yeah yeah, that only I am seeing since last 2 hours, when will we get to that place you told us. Same road you are driving since last 2 hours. Have you missed a turn or something and why is that women not talking (by women she meant the gps)

Me: We are on the freeway, the roads would all look the same only Ma. And the women talks when there road is about to change. If we have to keep going straight why should she tell us again and again?

Ma: And why does she have this weird accent. Can she translate, like hindi or something? “Kuch der main aap right le lo, 400th Exit”

Me: Hahhahaha, hindi eh? Ok I will let the Garmin company know hahahah. (We then took exit onto an internal scenic road and Ma saw a deer)

Ma: Look look, deer (totally excited). Stop stop lets take some photos, I need to tell everyone I saw a deer. Arey stop no. Poor deer she has no forest only left maybe so she is coming on the road.

Me: I cannot stop Ma, there is traffic behind, we can’t take pictures like this and you can still tell everyone why do you need photo for that. All this land is protected, its national forest Ma. Deer’s have enough land, in fact they are nuisance sometimes. This deer may simply be crossing the road.

Ma: How did they build this road? When did they build? We are climbing uphill but see how the slope is not at all steep, no? How do they do this? In India, I went to Matheran, full time I was praying in that ghat. I thought this is it, if the driver does one mistake I am making it to heaven today.

Me: It’s engineering Ma. They apply everything they learn here.

Ma: Ok ok, now change this CD, no other songs you have this only you are playing. And while you do that let me read some pothi (holy book)

Me: Yes sir!

And while I changed the CD I smiled, will photos really trap all these memories I thought?

I find nothing

I keep looking.....

….wandering

….thinking

…wishing

…hoping

….holding

….snatching

But find nothing.

Memories are fading and I am trying to hold on..

And I stop writing, just like that. I stopped visiting the site as well. It was like I shut myself down completely. Is this a phase everyone goes through while blogging? Then what brings us all back to writing, is it knowing there will always be some reader out there in this vast web universe who would read and relate, an unknown friend. Maybe yes, or maybe throwing my thoughts out there makes me calm. How many times do you find or meet people who are ready to listen, not say anything, not argue, not suggest, just listen. Blog is one such person.

It has been raining for past few days, reminding me of Mumbai rains almost every day. Sometimes when I am at a traffic light, I just close my eyes and try to remember. Remember the smell of wet mud, remember the cool breeze, remember the chai wala pouring cutting chai. I remember people running out of the station holding newspaper, bags over their head trying to escape the rain. But Mumbai rains, when they poured they just poured. Remember taking a rikshaw home, hard plastic tied to the rikshaw doors which never really stayed in place and didn’t provide any protection from the rain. Remember standing at the door of the train, droplets of wind and rain touching my face. Remember listening to the rain as I slept. I still remember..

But the memories are fading and I am trying to hold on…

Where o where will the new year take me?

January is the most exciting time of the year (new year begins and such), but trust me it vanishes in no time. By the time I think of resolutions its already March and then I wonder if its even worth coming up with any resolutions at all. So each year I basically think of re-living the year as I did last year, but guess what nothing stays the same.

Last year was full of new things:

-Working at 2 different companies, learning 2 completely different roles (nope and they did not suck)

-Travelling to India (first time after 2 years- what amazing experience I tell ya)

-Volunteering

-Revisiting art

Not bad eh?

So about this whole visiting India thing, I did not put too much thought or ask too many people about experiences of visiting India. I wanted to experience it all first hand. What I did think about all the time was eating Pani Puri, yes, what else?

As you all know from my previous post as soon as I landed I had my cousin's engagement to attend. Imagine attending a family function without even having time to go to the parlor. No kidding! I was kinda apprehensive about meeting (the mob) so many relatives in one place, yes my family and their friends can easily fit into an auditorium. So I reach on Saturday night and Sunday is the engagement. I dont sleep ofcourse, which means dark circles around my eyes. I look in the mirror and go ufff now what. Maa dear has done some planning so saree and stuff is ready. I get ready and we head to the engagement.

As soon as I step in the hall, its like this whole world starring at me. Aunts, Uncles, Grandma, Cousins, Uncles uncle, Aunts sisters Bahu, Masi's friends first cousin. OMG, the entire freaking world is there. I try to stay calm on the surface put a fake smile and count till 20 or maybe 50 in both ascending and descending order.

One aunt comes straight running at me (no really, it was running at me) and hugs me as if she had planned she would crush my bones the moment she saw me. My soul lets out a small wail, but I smile.

Aunt: "oh my gawd, you havent changed at all, no weight gain, you must be going to gym and all that no?"

Me: smiling ...trying to speak but would i get a chance?

Aunt: "yeah poor child (with almost fake tears in her eyes) no servants there, you must be doing everything, dishes, laundry, cooking, cleaning, something they say farming like...aa..

Me: Lawn mowing

Aunt: Yeah yeah that only, all that you must be doing, no doubt you are not gaining any weight. Have you seen XYZ's daugters, first cousins wife?

Me: Huh? Actually auntiji, I just got here last night, and I really cant tell who you are talking about.

Aunt: Now come on, dont act like a foreign return, you know her very well. And dont tell me about just landed last night and all, during dandia who stayed up all night. That time you never spoke of jetlag haa?

Me: Errr.. yeah oh (smiling) no no I am fine

Aunt: Oye idhar aao (calling the waiter) grabbing about 5 kababs and handing me one. You look so pale, come on eat now, these are very nice.

Me: (not wanting to eat, nor wanting to stay there) o so nice of you, i think Ma is calling me, i need to get there before she comes here. I'll just be back ok.

Aunt: (not listening and enjoying the kababas, starts talking to some other aunt)

Folks that's just one interaction, there were several more on similar lines. In one hour I felt drained and wondered why they dont allow us to carry guns, even darts would be fine.

I'll add some more of these horror stories over the weekend...

Rural India- love it

I visited Goa recently, it still remains one of my fav destinations in India. Goa has too many childhood memories attached and each time I visit Goa it rekindles those memories. I managed to click some pictures inspite of the crazy schedule of visiting 100 temples with Ma dear (I can't wait to tell you all about it). But for now let the pictures tell the tale:

Mumbai- 2.5 years later

Different people told me different experiences upon visiting India- sounds, smells, food, pollution, population and so on. Well, for me 2.5 yrs later Mumbai still looks and feels the same. As soon as the plane landed I had thousands of thoughts flying through my brain, the 18 hrs travel exhaustion was completely replaced by enthusiam. Mumbai welcomed me with familiar smells and sounds. The smell of several kinds of foods, oils, smell of burning plastic, high humidity and of sounds- loads of people all talking at the same time, cars honking, hawkers calling, birds screeching….its all just the same…its home.

I walked out of the airport and saw atleast 200 people waiting there to receive someone. I smiled to myself. Meeting parents was a complete different experience, usually I would walk to them and touch their feet but as soon as I saw them, I ran and hugged them.

What has changed?
-Traffic has grown a thousand fold. Distances have remained the same but the travel time has immensely increased inspite of all the multiple flyovers and road widening done. Average time: Dadar to Chembur 2 hours. No kidding.

-The traffic and pollution seems to take a toll on the common man. Walking around, in newly constructed malls, I find more people snap at each other. Annoyed.

-Driving has gone crazy. It’s like a crazy car race, with the one who can dodge multiple vehicles and people wins. People simply cross the highways and roads without looking on either side. Btw, I actually saw 2 people on a bike carrying a goat.

So today I wanted to cross off riding my two-wheeler and I did, I had to relearn some basics.

-About 100 people will be walking in the middle of the road and you have to dodge them, not to mention the cats, dogs even some lazy pigeons who obviously think they own the road

-If you run into someone pretend as if the other person is at fault. “Dikhta nahi kya, thik se chalo na” and move on after some bickering

-Don’t worry if you meet a neighbor, acquaintance, friend or anyone who talks to you. Just park in the middle of the road and starting talking. If someone honks just indicate them to drive ahead “Bhaiya thoda baju se nikal jao”

-Btw, helmet fine is Rs 500, so unless you have enough time on hand to start a discussion about Mumbai Police bravery with the cop don’t try to leave without a helmet.

-Catch up on all missed opportunities to honk. In US, I fear that honking may scare the person ahead who may eventually drive in reverse and damage my car. Here you can honk at leisure, at people, animals, or simply at no one.

-And you really don’t need to travel all the way to Disneyland or any other park, simply ride through the potholes. You will find about 10 on each street.

That’s the tale of bike riding. More stuff coming up.

Mom's Enthusiasm

Seriously its like one week more and I get on the flight to India. I am lucky to work in one of the tallest buildings in Seattle, with big glass windows. Today as I stood looking out at the sky, the sun peeked out (trust me it’s a very rare event these days) and lit up the whole city. The fall colors glittered, ice clad Mt Rainier looked like a huge diamond and just then an airplane flew across the sky, reminding me of soon…soon the journey begins. Each passing day is making Mom dear excited. For those who have followed this blog know the special bond I share with Mom. For those who haven’t you are in for some story now. So yesterday as usual I call Mom, nothing special, just the routine evening call, what I did get however is a pulse of her intense enthusiasm. That women sure does know how to live and breathe each moment as it goes. This is how the call went:

Me: (Ma picks up the phone in half a ring) Hello Ma, what are you doing?

Ma: (speaks instantly and rather breathlessly) Ha ya, I have been waiting for your call. I wanted to share some news, there is a change in our itinerary, see we travel on the 5th , but before that you need to attend a function and that reduces one day, so we should actually travel on the 4th or wait may be even 3rd. Yeah 3rd would give us more time.

Me: Ma, maaa, maaaaaaaa will you slow down please. I am not following you. What’s this about, which itinerary, who decided, where are we going?

Ma: Uffff, see you don’t have time no? So we only decided where to go and we only created the itinerary. But then this function came up, so we decided we should change the itinerary. Did I tell you about this function?

Me: Who is we? And where are we going? Whose function? No you haven’t told me about the function yet, neither about this so called itinerary or where we will go. Please don’t tell me you created itinerary for travel within Mumbai (trying to lighten the mood and curb the excitement a bit)

Ma: Me means see there is me, your dad, your brother, (some far off) aunt then there is another aunt, uncle..and some more people. We all decided. We all are going no that's why.Last Sunday we all met to decide the itinerary. What Mumbai? You think there is time for that…see on 5th we must go or rather on 4th, I need to call your aunt to finalize. Oh and the function yeah your cousin is getting engaged…so there is that. She wants you to come stay at her place one day before the engagement and then another day gone. Bai (our maid) Baiiii clean there, don’t you see that spot, clear there first.

Me: Maaa why are you talking to Bai now? What M is getting engaged? This is hugeeeeeeee. I am so excited. I have to go shopping with her for her engagement, yeah and I will go stay at her place. Ma I can’t believe it, this is such great news. Why didn’t you tell me earlier?

Ma: Wait now, I have 100 things on my mind and you want me to remember and tell you each one. Girls na, any event you tell them all they think of is shopping. Where is time for that, but who will think that and then you ask why make itinerary. And we’ll see about staying at her place. After years you are coming and you want to go here and there. Stay at home first.

Me: But Maaa...

Ma: No maaa, nothing doing. You must have become skinny I know, first you come here rest and eat properly. At the function everyone will say you look thin and I don’t want that.

Me: Ma I am not skinny,I don't know who told you that or why you feel that way. And how will I become fat in 2 days and 1 day at M’s place isn’t a big deal, please Maa

Ma: What you girls want to do…do. Don’t ask me….Bai where are you going now, ok come in the evening

Me: Ma about this itinerary thing, can you wait till I reach and then we’ll decide?

Ma: Now listen girl, nothing doing, there are several changes to be made in the itinerary, I don’t even know by time you reach whether your aunts and me will come to any conclusion.

Me (laughing noiselessly): Ok ok Ma you decide, now you better hurry and call aunt

Ma: Yeah yeah, look at the time, you just ask me so many things and then time just flies….now I have 100 things to do…ok call tomorrow….Bai o Bai (and her voice fades as she keep the phone)

It has been years since my Mom stopped me from going for sleepover at my sister’s place and when she yelled at me (ofcourse fake yelling) I simply loved it. I couldn’t really reduce her enthusiasm even by a bit and wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Btw, I still don’t know what the itinerary’s for.