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| My first trip to india after a year's stay in the United States - by Divya Rajan |  Back to Reading Lounge |
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| Life is funny at times, really. It was the same people, the same locale, the same 'mad rush to get out or get in' and the same noise of confused happiness, when I landed in the port of Bombay. Yet everything seemed different, strikingly different as I viewed the whole atmosphere through the corners of my eyes. The jostling and the awkward, wayward pushing raised the level of adrenaline in my tired body as I muttered almost loudly, "Hey, what the heck, you're not the only one who's gotta get home and rest". I saw the dirt in the collars of the airport personnel and winced to myself. I smelt the all-familiar, but long-forgotten smell of dust in the air and as I strode across the immigration counters, I was appalled by the zillions of people waiting to receive their 'all-important bandhu NRIs'. It was actually embarrassing and I was not a little ashamed by the very evident leers of the local Romeos. As days passed, I hoped the feeling of mild aversion would subside, but the ever-crowded streets, the sight of people defecating along the rail tracks, heaps of garbage strewn around near the municipal trucks, not to talk of the enormous amounts of vehicle discharge, only worsened my already changed attitude. And I wondered for the umpteenth time whether it was the same 'me'. And whether I'd suddenly grown an extra-large malignant tumour of Ego. Where was the quiet modesty that I was so proud of?! Where had it disappeared? How conveniently had I forgotten the raw taste of smoked and spiced 'makka' (or corn), the flavor of 'paav bhaji' and the warm openness of the neighboring aunties who'd leave their chores just to lend a helping hand to my sick granny as though nothing else mattered! How on earth did the memory of listening to the long-winded tales from the nearby Nana wipe itself off? Whatever the external conditions, there is much to look forward to, too here! A visit to the local Dandiya Raas will prove this beyond any doubt! The oneness and the warm, open feeling will strike you long and hard. The embrace is too soothing to ignore. And at the end of it all, it's not the texture of the mattress you slept on, or even the accent with which you spoke English that matters. The only eternal matter is love and that's what you lavishly slurp on here! About the Author - in her words : "I am a 26 year old woman with a mad passion for writing. I literally live in the world of words; reading or writing most of the time. I love playing with them, rearranging and inducting new ones for better effect and sharing my experiences and other fiction with a wide audience. Iam an Indian by birth but based in Ohio, a beautiful state in the United States." | |
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