my India trip

out of the airport into the smells of India,
the welcome hugs of mother and grand-mother,
a taxi ride to the guest-house,
and a father's hug and a grand-mother's, and a brother-in-law's and sister's,
morning - the precious sunshine and breeze,
an Indian breakfast and walking to Spencer's,
and looking around and feeling India,
vibrant India, colour-filled India, dynamic India,

attending the 1st of 3 receptions for my brother-in-law and sister,
and enjoying the love of relatives and the admiration of some,

and sunrise on the seashore with cousins the next morning,
and breakfast at Woody's and juice at Fruitshop,
and meeting a college friend after 5 years and being called "genius"!
and visiting dear relatives and playing with wax with my baby cousin sister,

and Christmas the next morning!
and service at Kirk,
an inspiring sermon and meeting my mother's college friends,
and to the dear Franklins for Christmas lunch,
and Biriyani ! and Biriyani !
and satisfied burps,
and a heated discussion with cousins,
and bursting crackers with them,
flower-pots, change-chakrams and hydrogen bombs,
BANG!
and rediscovering simple joys and boyish pleasures,

and rushing to the bus-station,
with its gutters and goats,
and women vomiting and men washing up,
and a cancelled bus and two tired grand-mothers,
that's what my first three days back in India were all about

and Coimbatore! and Coimbatore!
and Home Sweet Home! and Home Sweet Home!
and meeting friends and visiting Coimbatore's first shopping mall,
and watching Test cricket on TV,
and attending a friend's reception,
and Biriyani ! and Biriyani !
and meeting other school friends for coffee,
and natural conversation and raucous laughter,

and more cricket on TV,
and Chicken Casserole for lunch,
and enjoying being with family,
and visiting the factory,
and attending the 2nd of 3 receptions for my brother-in-law and sister,

and easy socialising and warm conversation,
and attending another friend's reception,
and meeting old school teachers,
and my old Principal ! and my old Principal !
and meeting my school friends again,
and more natural conversation and more raucous laughter,
that's what my first few days back in Coimbatore were all about


and a bit of reading but only a bit,
and meeting my childhood friends for a pre-New Year beer,
and taking a trip to a waterfall with my sister's friends,
and car-games and raw mango,
and ellandhe vadai,
and rather forward cows,
and gushing waterfalls and playing in the water,
fun at its cleanest and lots of laughter,

and New Year midnight service at Church,
and hot soup after service and meeting more old friends,
and joining other friends at their New Year house party,
and talking and talking and talking and eventually sleeping,

and New Year's day ! and New Year's day !
and the best Biriyani for lunch ! my grand-mother's Biriyani !
and going with family to rural Anaikatti,
and a rare glimpse of village life and tribal people,
and tender-coconut water and small but clean homes,
and travelling in a Jeep up and down impossible terrain,
Oh rural India, oh rural India!

and meeting my sister's friends from Bangalore,
and visiting a friend's farm with 11 childhood friends,
with cows and hen and coconut trees,
beer and Biriyani for lunch,
and burps for dessert,
the 3rd of 3 receptions for my brother-in-law and sister,
and seeing dear, dear relatives and friends, so many of them!
and everyong asking when I'd get married,
and thinking why I'd only ever marry a girl from India,
that's what my last few days in Coimbatore were all about

and buying gifts for UK friends,
and final dinners with friends,
and rapid catch-ups with some other friends,
and just about catching the flight to Bombay,
and reaching Bombay and struggling with Hindi,
and staying with my friend and his wife,
and witty conversation and a delicious dinner,

and a trip to Pune,
to meet an old friend for the first time,
and being in Pune for 3 hours,
and starting back to Bombay, getting back after 4 hours,

and waking next morning and preparing for my talk,
and getting to IIT just in time,
and somehow delivering the talk clearly,
and answering most questions comprehensively,
and tired by the end of it but SO satisfied!

and meeting my friend and his wife for dinner,
and talking about school, the stories keep coming,
and coming and coming for the next 5 hours,
and waking up 4 hours later and rushing to the airport,
and getting on the Coimbatore flight and settling down,
and smiling to myself and thanking God for his blessings,
good friends, good family, good brains, good opportunities,
a good holiday with good sunshine and good food, especially the curries,
but in the final analysis, more than anything else,
thanking the Lord my God for a beautiful country :)