Why am I all smiles you ask?? And I shall definitely tell you. Am going home.
What's so great about home, you ask. Aaha. You see, I am going to my home in India.
For those of us...who carry two homes in their hearts...the non-residents...the non-reliables...the F-1's...the H-1's...the ones that are constantly berated for having left their their motherlands...but whose achievements are synonymous with the achievements of India...for those people...the greatest journeys are the ones...that lead us to home...
So what if I am flying China airlines..and not spending the dollars on Air India. Dollars messed up now days any ways. BTW, when I told my dad, that I was flying China Airlines, I had to repeat it three times. My mom was sure that I wouldn't even reach home. The hijacking in China did not help matters either. I hope the Tibetians haven't been taking lessons from LeT or some one!!!!!
Anyways, I will surely let you know about my experience in China Airlines. I am certainly looking forward to it.
I always imagined going back to India as a rather special occasion. For me it happens once in 1 or 2 years. For others, it is as rare as a solar eclipse. Going back to Delhi from Roorkee (a 4 hour ride in Shatabdi) every weekend didn't really have the same effect. For my current trip, my thoughts are well captured by this song...specially since it's saawan ka mahina in India right now..!!!!
Now, I don't literally want some thing like that. Like what happened to my uncle while coming to US. He came here in the 70s, the first person from his family to do so. He says he counted 86 people, who had come to see him off at the airport. Complete with the dhols and nagadas...LOL!!! But ya, it feels nice to imagine.
Do I really miss India?? I always wonder if we ever really miss a place. For example, people asked me if I would miss college after graduation. Frankly speaking, I don't think I do. Because for me...a place is associated with the people I met there and spent time with. If my parents were here..if my friends were here...then the same memories..the same magic gets re-created here. May be for me...not for every one I am sure.
As I sit here...planning for my current trip...I am going through some of the memories from my previous trip....
I think Javed Akhtar (if I am not mistaken) sums it up pretty nicely...
yeh jo des hai tera...swades hai tera...tujhe hai pukara...
yeh woh bandhan hai..jo kabhi toot nahi sakta...
P.S. ~ as nostalgic as I am...I will be back in 3 weeks...I am not doing a Mohan Bhargav here...though meeting a Gayatri Joshi wouldn't be all that bad..!!! he he..!!!
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