I had always dreamed that my visit back to India would be something of a MEMORY to be cherished for ever. In fact, it is becoming something like that. It was a horrible thing that I declared that I was bringing in gold at the customs desk at the airport: actually, I was bringing less than100 grams of gold - but did not have the gumption to walk through the green channel. And so, I walked up to one of the customs inspectors and told him I had some gold. Oh well, I paid up ... but after "adjustments" ... and in the end, it was so typical, that I finally believed that I was in "Mera Bharat Mahaan" :-)
Nishrin was waiting outside with a lovely bouquet of flowers. I tasted my first "wada-pav", and then we took an airport taxi to go home. The taxi ride from the airport in the heat of the day knocked me hard but I was smiling from ear to ear when I finally met my children at Hakim's Aalim salon at Yari Road, Versova.
The long ride home, the meeting of the watch-men and the other staff inside our housing colony, meeting with the kids playing gully-cricket inside the compound, and the final click and turn of the lock on the house door and the breathing in of the home atmosphere can really work wonders on a tired body, and it was no different for me.
I have had an amazing range of encounters with people in the last six days - and almost every one I have met have reacted with pleasant surprise/shock. Some looked at me with disbelief, and a few even asked me if there had been some problem and why I was back so soon after leaving the country. I saw concern and affection in their eyes, and happiness too, on seeing me. A few patients called too, to ask if I would be available to consult, and I had to, unfortunately, say no, I would not.
The food and the eats have been exhilarating. All the gastronomic experiences have been unforgettable. At least, I hope that the urge to eat the various foods has been quietened for the next several months!
Nishrin was waiting outside with a lovely bouquet of flowers. I tasted my first "wada-pav", and then we took an airport taxi to go home. The taxi ride from the airport in the heat of the day knocked me hard but I was smiling from ear to ear when I finally met my children at Hakim's Aalim salon at Yari Road, Versova.
The long ride home, the meeting of the watch-men and the other staff inside our housing colony, meeting with the kids playing gully-cricket inside the compound, and the final click and turn of the lock on the house door and the breathing in of the home atmosphere can really work wonders on a tired body, and it was no different for me.
I have had an amazing range of encounters with people in the last six days - and almost every one I have met have reacted with pleasant surprise/shock. Some looked at me with disbelief, and a few even asked me if there had been some problem and why I was back so soon after leaving the country. I saw concern and affection in their eyes, and happiness too, on seeing me. A few patients called too, to ask if I would be available to consult, and I had to, unfortunately, say no, I would not.
The food and the eats have been exhilarating. All the gastronomic experiences have been unforgettable. At least, I hope that the urge to eat the various foods has been quietened for the next several months!
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