My visit to India (a badly needed break) after some 6 months of stay in barcelona shall fetch mixed feelings throughout my life. Never before I felt the heart of india beating so loud (there is a slight possiblity that it was actually my heart :P), I could hear everything around me and none of the sounds was soothing. The Radio Mirchi in the bus, together with the crazy traffic, the shouting-screaming children and feriwallas....India looked like so much oozing with population, heat, sweat and dust for a moment.
Needless to say, as always the last feeling that I have is of awe. So much confusion, so much jostling with people, still everyhting looks effectively pacified...the same as it was. Each city that i visited after 6 months has to its credit accumulated some new developments, be it delhi metro, more facilities, airport renovation, new one coming up in Greater Noida. Jaipur looked even more taken care of. Well-maintained roads, newer buildings, more development plans n schemes. Everything in India seems to be flowing at its regular controlled pace. Each new place that you visit in India leaves in you an intrepid desire to explore more.India is indubitably vast and beautiful.
As the auto managed its way through the rough street to my house, I could hear some lively chanting of females-ladies sangeet, another girl was getting married i think. Listening to the news makes me believe that time is at a standstill here in this land. Everything is moving but nothing has effectively changed. News span everything but old dirty politics, life/infrastructure toll due to floods/famines(depending on the season), accompalishments (no doubt!), bollywood gossips, business icons, bribery/corruption...any flavor in its brute form is vital here in my homeland at all times.
How can I put a full stop to my experience without mentioning a note on the Aataa. Aata is always the favorite question of everyone. In one real incident that took place in the evening when i was surrounded by three neighborhood aunts together with my mom (what a grill that was). So when the third aunty just popped in, after having asked her curious petty questions about my life in spain, she asked "Beta, aata milta hai wahan?". Please note that the two other aunts whose time of popping in was earlier than this one had already asked the same question. I smiled and nodded yet again, resolutely shutting out the temptation of rather banging my head. Is this the manifestation of the so-called (legitimately?) warm indian society? The sound of the evening prayers at the nearby temple with loud drums and bells beckoning God for blessings and arousing an emotional tirade in the god-loving (or god-fearing?) religious people is an everyday affair.
Aaataa...Aataa..Aaataa... I dare not tell them that I have stopped eating chapatis. Aahh...chapaties after a long time. Me at home...at ease (at peace?). BTW, am still not out of it...can you comment if the attaa query is a perennial concern by everyone around you also?
These are the two parchaayies (Nonu and Tanu). This post is a tribute to the simple ways in which kids spread joy, laughter and smiles to cherish all-through your life. Nonu sang a beautiful song (sang it like a bhajan though: P) for me too (I shall share it soon).
