Wednesday, June 13, 2007

And it has been a long holiday

Chennai, Kerela, Bangalore, Mumbai...
I now head to Uttaranchal waiting to make the most of my education, experience and skill (which of course is not much in any case)
Wayanad was beautiful - green - with drops of dew and traces of mist settling on your fingertips each time you decided to mingle with nature.
I saw a tusker - he came out from amongst the bamboo groves to smile for my camera - the forest guide said he was a mad elephant. To me he looked fresh and young, full of energy and strength.
I ate jackfruit, drank lots of chaaya and coffee. Stayed with an Iyer family and learnt to keep my shoes outside the home and sit with my feet together.
A man on the street commented on seeing me giggle and Mridula rebuked him in his language.

Bangalore was hot. I walked the streets of this city that is soooo much like Mumbai - crowded, always in a tearing hurry, hot and with a lot of money, yet with an obvious streak of poverty. Visited the malls, a pub, the Valley School and Maitreyi's home - it reminded me of my Delhi house - the large windows, the big backyard, the open terrace with a jhoola and a double ceiling. Her dad cooked us yummy dinner - soup and rice. There was ice cream at lunch time.

Mumbai is humid. When I sit at the sea face the air makes my face sticky. The sea is dirty, but still a pleasure to watch. Sometimes the water comes up all the way to the bank and splashes up beyond the barrier.

I await the monsoons. Back in the mountains the monsoons await me.