Generation Game

 Living Within Generations

Its surprising that I feel the urge to write so much only at 42. Maybe my writing skills still need to get better, with me not understanding lots of English and American English words and slangs just yet. I do try to pick them up from NYT or Guardian or just somewhere, no not Google. 

I was telling somebody the other day, 'I think this is the 'golden period' of my life.' And why? Simply because I have good of both the worlds- staying with parents and enjoying a 'single life'. It is a rare thing, with migration for work and so on, to be able to live with your parents, especially when they are both healthy and don't need medical attention. Moreover, being a 40-er you get the best advice from the younger generation and from the older generation, both. 

My favorite moments are those when my father shares with me his experiences of his interaction with his students. He often tells me how a lot of girl students are now stepping out of the village and living and working alone in remote parts of the country. Once he told me that he asked one girl what does she want to become to which she replied an army girl, in combat on the field. He said that as a career option was a big NO to his sister (and maybe to his daughter, too) although I could have gone for the medical role as a nurse on the battlefield, if I were to follow my mother's professional interests, rather than my father's. 

Anyway, the younger generation, especially Gen Z is the MOST GENDER-SENSITIVE I have ever seen. Its not just in my interaction with my nephews and nieces that I have noticed this but also with younger professionals in hospitality industry, luxury and travel, or other professions too. Is it #technology which is making us less resistant to change and more welcoming, accepting and reformed at the same time? Maybe yes.

The other day for a certain wedding preparation, our cook was going ballistic over green peas. Five kilograms of green peas were not to be found in any departmental store around. My cousin arrived and I asked him what to do. He is much younger than me. He replied, "why not order it from Swiggy, it will be here in 20 minutes." There we were, younger generation solving our problems with their ideas, technological ways, e-commerce and 'innovative, design thinking'.

Yet another example: my father, two days ago, was having a problem in his right eye. He said, "last time you took me to the office doctor, the problem was in my left eye but the prescription and the medicines are at home in Cawnpore." 

My reply was, like anybody from my generation, that he should ask mom to pull out the prescription from his cupboard, click the photograph, and send it so we can show it and buy the same medicines at the pharmacist's. We did that and today he was thanking me for finding an easy solution so that he didn't have to visit the doctor again. 

My best moments have been when I find an easy solution to my parents' problems; they have somehow offered me better solace than writing a research paper or a book.

Doesn't everyone WANT to be a solution, instead of a #problem?

Happy New Year to #GenZ !! 

What Is Love?

No, I had NEVER planned it. What? That I will be revisiting my view of love at the age of 42. 

I had probably planned that by the time I am 40 I will be taking care of a set of twins (as my ex-husband was one of the twin brothers, the other brother, Jai Prakash Tiwari, died young in a family feud when he was 7). I had also planned that I will probably be heading a company, possibly my husband's business of rugs, interiors, investments, possibly my own business of yoga, fitness and travel destinations. Kay Sera Sera! Whatever will be will be! Our future is not ours to see!

Aren't women settled by the age of 40 with a family, with homes, with a side-boyfriend (haha) who they have broken up with 5 years ago because he landed up being her son's classmate (whoa). Oh my mind just cooks up the strangest of stories, even in 40s. So, again the same question- what is love?

My first brush with love was when I first read 'Love Story' by Eric Segal. It was said, 'love means NEVER having to say you are sorry.' And that line rang in my mind for the next 2 months over breakfast, lunch, dinner, a subject of discussion with every girl I met in class. Maybe I need to pick up the book again.

Of course a spate of Hindi movies, Hollywood blockbusters (only those released in India, later I got to know that a lot of Hollywood movies are not released in India at all). I was still thinking about the same question. Is it worth a think? is it worth a thought? People said its important to believe in love. I only I had to say that I had been a follower of Lord Krishna and 'love' in that has a totally different meaning. People said you should follow Lord Krishna for the Bhagvad Gita, not for love. I only had to say- but I thought we were talking about love in relationships. Weren't we? Bhagavad Gita, on the other hand, doesn't show love but only 'duties, wars and obligations'. I haven't visited Gita from the perspective of 'love'.

And then I read Jesus- love thy neighbor. 

Gautam Buddha struck the chord right by talking about the middle path, not giving too much nor giving in too much, yet being mindful of the actions. He remained silent on the existence of God. 

With so many books read around love, and so many movies watched, why am I still thinking over the important question is the greatest dilemma.

My Changing Favorites

Changing Favorites

As a child people and friends often asked me my favorite things. Especially since I heard Julie Andrews say in The Sound of Music, 'when anything bothers me and I'm feeling unhappy I just try and think of nice things- green meadows, sky is full of stars, raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens...these are a few of my favorite things'.

Since then I often wrote about the things I like and especially my favorite things all the time. But recently I noticed, in the last couple of days, that my favorite things and kinds of people are changing.

My favorite color used to be: Blue.

My favorite cuisine used to be: Lebanese.

My favorite fruit used to be: Apple.

My favorite vegetable used to be: Karela.

My favorite clothing brand used to be: FabIndia.

My favorite movie used to be: Life Is Beautiful and Sholay.

My favorite actor used to be: Nana Patekar. 

My favorite actress used to be: Dimple Kapadia.

My favorite dish used to be: Rajma Chawal.

My favorite pastry used to be: Pineapple.

My favorite sweet used to be: Gems/Smarties (in the UK).

My favorite Indian sweet used to be: Kheer.

My favorite Indian Prime Minister used to be: Jawaharlal Nehru.

My favorite British Prime Minister used to be: Margaret Thatcher.

My favorite American President used to be: John F. Kennedy.

My favorite First Lady used to be: Jacqueline Kennedy.

My favorite Princess used to be: Princess Diana.

My favorite comic character used to be: Archies and Jughead.

My favorite star-kids used to be: Kajol and Abhishek Bachchan.

My favorite singers used to be: Madonna and George Michael.

My favorite dancer used to be: Elvis Presley.

My favorite Mantra/Shloka used to be: Gayatri Mantra.

My favorite religious Text used to be: Bhagvad Gita/Bible.

My favorite travel destination used to be: Great Britain and Europe.

My favorite sport used to be: Lawn Tennis.

My favorite mode of transport used to be: Bicycle.

My favorite country used to be: India.

But due to a whole lot of life events and courses/experiences digitally, it seems my favorites are changing.

For now my favorite movie has become: Nights of Cabiria and Newton (Bollywood); Hellaro (Regional)

My favorite color is: Red.

My favorite cuisine is: Japanese.

I am still deciding on OTHER FAVORITES.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDZA54sTqwQ

The more important song (at the end of the movie):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqof4tlkEp0

A Red Letter Day

 A Special Day

December 18 was a very special day in my life. The previous day Mr. Elon Musk had suspended accounts of journalists doxxing his real-time location or covering him in mainstream newspapers. And today was a point to discuss that. Since journalism and communication have been close to my heart I was curious to know what was the discussion going to be all about. I woke up at around 4 am (IST) to listen-in.

Initially the title of the discussion on #Spaces was 'Suspended Liberal and Conservatives journalists Debate DOX Suspensions' which was constantly being changed and was 'Liberal & Conservative Journalists Debate- Elon's Twitter & Free Speech'. Later it was changed to 'Elon Stepping Down? A New Twitter CEO? - Roundtable'.

Whatever the title, it was worth a listen-in. Led by some of the discussions with @mysteriouskat (Katherine Brodsky), @PKurzin (Pyotr Kurzin), @ScamEconomy (Matt Binder), @tracybeanz (Tracy Beanz), @ChristieSmythe (Christie Smythe), @aasheim (Erik Aasheim), it was great listening to why and journalists were attacked. For a journalist an attack on free speech is often like an attack on their 'physical life'.

It wasn't just this discussion which I felt detoured me from what I was there for (I was definitely NOT THERE to listen to stories about Elon) but the discussion set me on a roll as I have grown to be fond of #Spaces. It was great to tune into so many journalists on a single platform (Left-Wing journalists). 

In India, I have often faced brickbats for LOTS OF THINGS, so #Spaces just kind of makes me feel I am into this #Space which is mine where I can express and share everything I like and want people to know about me and my life. It is important to have #Spaces because lots of times people assume a lot of things about me and my family members- so for example, it is important to clarify my father is NOT A HITLER, it is important to clarify my mother is NOT SOMEONE I hate, it is important to clarify MY BROTHER and I have not been competed against or discriminated against. It is important to clarify I had a wonderful childhood and I had super-cool #marriages and my ex-husbands were great. It is important to clarify so many things because PEOPLE JUST ASSUME. They assume so much its amazing.

So I was super-excited about doing #Spaces with my father. After a heated discussion with journalists, it was time to get ready for my own #Spaces for which I had been preparing for the longest time. I had given questions to my father a day in advance to gloss over and prepare his answers. Finally he asked me to make him coffee (he always wants it a certain style and will have it no other way) and we began the discussion. While the entire discussion went well I don't know how it ended 20 minutes before. I don't know how it stopped recording in the middle. 

It was the most frank chat with my father I ever had, which he later sent to his students to listen to. We spoke from politics, to society, to his life-plans as a child and how he worked towards what he had always decided to do. This is in contrast to my life where I have not planned it and hasn't moved in the direction I wanted but has actually been a very 'unplanned life' (careers, ambitions, etc.). I guess the discussion got him thinking about a lot of things because long after the discussion was over he kept talking to me about a lot of other things from his childhood which he remembered.

The entire day went in thinking about his life (it was like the #hangover of Spaces). Later that evening he requested me to watch the FIFA World Cup Final. So even though I had no plans and he knows I sleep early at 8 p.m. (IST) while he sleeps at 10 p.m., I just decided to stay up and give him company. There, too, I had placed myself in my duvet so that I sleep off if I am unable to stay up to watch the World Cup. I did begin the match by sleeping but suddenly Messi made a goal and I had to stay up and get out. And then the second goal by Argentina and I again woke up. Since I was cheering for France from the beginning I was saddened to find out that France was not able to put it together as a team and were rather slow in dribbling and other things.

However, the second half was superb where I really liked the way the goalkeeper of the French team (Lloris) managed to stop 4-5 goal attempts by Argentina, and the rest is all story.

I finally made some more coffee for the both of us as we finished the match and I slept off before viewing how Messi got the cup and I think Mbappe got 'The Golden Boot' award.

#Messi #Mbappe #FIFAWorldCup2022 #Journalism #LeftWing #Communication #Chat #Papa #Spaces

Black Beauty

 Black Beauty

Black is the color of Beauty

No, not always shirking duty

Hitting the Divine with a song

Never doing anything wrong

But Black do you ever err?

Despise, distract, differ?

I thought Black is Perfect

Time to circumspect!!

Success

What It Means To Be A Success

I have often struggled with the idea of what it means to be a success. As a kid I was ALWAYS trying to fit in- with peers, family, teachers, staff, workers, helpers, neighbors, etc. Often I underwent a 'fundamental shift/change' in me to conform to those standards. In school it was often a 'very different' culture from what was at home (something I have written about in my diaries). Its as though I was being polished, being made more 'tamed', being set up to be a better person. I picked up whatever little I could. I don't know if I was successful in doing that, however, I received a 'Spirit of Welham' award upon completion of my Grade 12 (for a girl who personified the spirit of the values the school taught). We are after all often the 'product' of our surroundings and I often believe the organization we work for, too, shapes our beliefs and values.

Then came college and I was trying to fit in, albeit a different culture from what I had grown up as a schoolgirl. I was always very careful about attendance as a college graduate and my father oversaw all my grades. He even asked me at the end of every week how much I had studied in every subject (History, Political Science, Economics). Thanks to him I managed to improve my grades in my graduating years (1997-2000). However, suddenly after completing graduation I wanted to work and be a professional instead of continuing my studies. 

NDTV (New Delhi Television Limited) is one place where I can say I was not trying to fit in but I was completely my true Self, without any inhibitions- a place where I feel I had simply a new growth, grooming, new lifestyle, with complete joy, satisfaction, contentment, fulfilment and intellectual and personal growth. Yet I wanted to study further and decided to take up a degree in Cardiff University (https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/) for furthering my education and maybe become more informed in the process. As I struggled to get the degree I failed in writing my dissertation, which did make me feel like an utter failure, yet I feel I 'succeeded' in a lot of ways. There was so much more to the whole 'cultural paradigm' that was entirely new to me. For example, I NEVER touched a pizza until I studied in Cardiff. I usually only stuck to Dal-Roti-Sabzi. 

After coming back and getting into teaching, I actually started mulling over what it means to be a success. It means different things to different people, based on what meanings you attach to definitions around empowerment. For example, my sister-in-law had a very different childhood where her mother never taught her how to cook from a very young age (unlike mine); yet she appreciates when I offer to cook a vegetable or make tea. I still find that more fulfilling than writing a research paper or a column for a newspaper/website. 

Success is about finding your own little voice, a dollop of 'daily growth', meeting a minute-little 'daily target' and chugging along, if not racing like a 'bullet train'. I have had my brushes with success and failures, and for every failure there has been a 'silver lining'; which never made me feel like a failure as such.

Today, as I write this, I get news of my grandfather's demise. A person I was very close to- one with whom I always discussed my personal and professional aspirations. He once jokingly said, 'Navodita, you are a girl who can never find a boy who will match your intellectual and personality.' He always had faith in me and showed me off to others in his group of friends as though I were a BIG ACHIEVER. He rarely mulled over my failures, dismissing any such discussion in the family circle, saying, 'she's made of different stuff, not like the others.'

As I write new definitions of success, I might be missing one more deadline, yet I FEEL SUCCESSFUL.

- Adios Nana!! (forever in my heart)

Standing Tall Like The Himalayas (A Movie Review)

 #Movie_Uunchai

Bollywood has always made me go bonkers (in a good sense)! Even when I watched a simple film like #MainePyarKiya by Sooraj Barjatya back in the school days on a Diwali night. While others often commented on why Barjatya films were different without much style and aplomb, I often found Barjatya's films not just a family entertainment but also sending out a lesson or a teaching to mull over.

This Barjatya film I was refusing to go for initially (as 'movies' stopped ringing a bell for a long time since 2008) was indeed a family entertainer which goes on to depict- where there's a will, there's a way. Lot of firsts- I got to know that another Tara has a birthdate of May 10 (other than my childhood friend Tara Roy). Tarachand Barjatya, the late grandfather of Sooraj Barjatya was born on May 10, 1914. Dates have ALWAYS been important to me. 

While movies in the past under the same banner (Mahaveer Jain Films) have usually depicted Marwari or Rajasthani families and cultures, this one took me very close to my own culture as it celebrated the UP-ism of Kanpur and Gorakhpur. In some ways it even made me like and fall back in love with my own native being, my hometown Kanpur and in general the multiple hues of being a UP-ite. From Banaras ka pan popularised by Amitabh Bachchanji in the song 'Khaike Paan Banaraswala', there's a dialogue about Kanpur paan when caring Amitabhji (as depicted by his character) chooses to buy a paan for everybody else as they are travelling by car from Kanpur to Lucknow.

The most interesting part was that Danny Denzongpa, who usually plays the 'bad guy' and has played a 'good character' only in five films (Baby, Boss, China Gate, Khuda Gawah and Asoka) is seen again in a special appearance as one of the four friends who can't live without each other. The movie is essentially about friendships and how four male friends never give up on each other, even encouraging Amitabh to complete the trek to the Everest base camp as he struggles with his health issues on the way.

As the movie begins with a group of people heading out for a trek to the base camp, along with actress Parineeti Chopra leading the way, Amitabh goes into a flashback mode reminiscing the events that propelled them all to take up this journey- in remembrance of their deceased friend, Danny. How other characters- Boman Irani, his 'jealous wife' (jealous at Sarika travelling along with the men on this trek), Anupam Kher, Nina Gupta's daughter and son-in-law- make up the whole plot and keep us glued to our seats is worth a mention.

Last film I saw by the same director was 'Prem Ratan Dhan Payo' which was also a family entertainer and was full of the rich cultural heritage Barjatya often visualizes. While I thought that the film 'Uunchai' would be metaphorical (in terms of showcasing success and power) it was about nature and Mount Everest standing tall at such high altitudes to attract awe and commanding us to 'never give up'. It reminded me of a song from my school song book 'Surdhanu' which I still have (I strangely enough have lot of possessions from my high school)- 'Khada Himalaya Bata Raha Hai Daro Na Aandhi Paani Mein, Khade Raho Apne Path Par Sab Kathinai Toofani Mein'.

हिमालय की ऊँचाई से सीखना है 

रुक रुक कर उठना है 

झुक झुक कर खड़े होना है 

विनम्र रहकर आगे बढ़ना है 

देख इस पर्वत को हम 

खो जाते हैं कहीं गुम 

वाह आकार ! वाह नम !

हैं नहीं हम किसी से कम। 

A Wedding So Sombre

 It was my brother's wedding. Although I am a supporter of court marriages, my brother always wanted to have a grand function and he was getting married to a girl from West Bengal. So it was going to be a traditional Uttar Pradesh-cum-Bengali wedding ceremony. We were all very excited and the dates and venue was decided.

As we reached Kolkata (my third visit ever), Nibedita (the bride) and her mother were waiting to welcome us. We had almost a trolley full of luggage, so they requested their helpers to assist us in getting the luggage loaded onto the taxis that waited for us outside the railway station.

The drive to the hotel where our stay was arranged was an hour away from the station. Hotel Monotel (http://www.monotel.com/) was situated at Bidhan Nagar in Salt Lake, opposite Indian Institute of Hotel Management and tall building of 'Eco Centre, Ambuja Neotia'. As we checked in, I was overjoyed to find out I had an entire room to myself. This meant I could have my own privacy and carry on with my own activities (mainly the online FTII course which would go on till July 14). 

As we went to their restaurant for lunch I was really excited to find some scrumptious Chinese and Singaporean cuisine there. Post-lunch we rested and went to meet my brother Dhruv, who was down with flu. We made our plans for the next few days uptil the wedding with him, Nibedita and her mother.

In the evening we stepped out for a stroll and dinner at a cafe. I figured Salt Lake was an IT hub with various Chinese companies also having their offices in the vicinity. There were lots of eateries around with people even sipping hot tea/coffee with piping hot pakoras. It felt nostalgic to see yellow taxis still plying the roads.

As we prepared for the big day, we got our act together ahead of Janeu, a traditional sacred thread ceremony so necessary for all Hindu Brahmin boys. By the River Ganga, at a Kali Temple, Dhruv, Mama, Papa and I were present along with two pundits to tie the sacred yellow thread around my brother, Dhruv.

We made a lot of videos and clicked photographs as the Hindu priests chanted mantras and shlokas to make my brother ready for the wedding ceremony for which this sacred thread ceremony is essential. We remembered how our other male cousins- Utkarsh, Shikhar, Manu and Vaibhav had their sacred thread ceremony when they were still young (around 7- 8 years old). 

Almost everyday our lunch and dinner was arranged at Monotel's ground floor restaurant. Soon all other guests arrived and festivities began with much aplomb and fervour. While Sheetal Bhabhi seemed to have great knowledge and interest in rituals, Manu-Kuntal as a 'never-to-part' couple remained quiet and sobre, while Shweta-Nitin always stayed very active, sleeping late and waking up early.

I remained drowned in my FTII Film Appreciation course, occasionally peeping out to find out what's going on. I felt lucky my mother did not drag me into all the wedding festivities, something that didn't interest me much.

As the 'festive' days drew closer, we all decided what we were going to wear and I stacked up my wardrobe with loads of tissues, lipstick, lacto calamine, cleansing milk, nailpaints and Lakme 9-to-5 foundation. 

It was a three-day affair with Haldi on the first day, Aiborobhat on the second day and the Bengali wedding on the third day. I, as the sister of the bridegroom, had to first anoint Dhruv's face with haldi and touch different parts of his body with haldi taken on a leaf. I then took this to the bride's house where her haldi was being held. Aiborobhat was meant to be a bachelor feast for the boy and the girl. All the relatives were invited where the bride/bridegroom was offered a huge plate of food with the fish-head in it. Everyone ate the feast after the bride/bridegroom was fed. Finally came July 10, the wedding day. 

My brother likes vintage cars, so he decided to mount a vintage car to make his grand entry at the wedding venue. As he reached Hotel Tangerine, we were served starters and food while the bride was called to be seated next to him at the mandap. Dhruv was given a 'topor' (white-crowned headgear) to wear throughout the wedding. The bride looked beautiful with a colorful face and a crown like tiara on her head. She was lifted by several of her uncles and moved around the bridegroom. Later they garlanded each other followed by taking the seven rounds around the fire (feras). This was followed by Sindoor and Mangal Sutra ceremonies. Finally at Hotel Monotel there was a ceremony called 'Baashor' (which I missed as it was my bedtime) where the bride's friends spend time knowing the bridegroom's friends/cousins and the night is spent in fun, joy, games and merriment. 

Finally it was time for us to travel back to our hometown, Kanpur along with the bride. While my parents and brother, along with Nibedita were in one compartment, I was in the other compartment with cousins, uncle and aunt (Mama-Mami). I had bought a cake for Utkarsh's birthday celebration in the train. The morning that Nibedita reached the house, there was 'parchhan' (where the bride dips her hands in red-colored water or 'alta' and makes an impression of the full palm on the walls of the house).

On reaching Kanpur, everyone got ready for the celebration there. Reception was on July 15 and before that guests were invited for Katha, pooja and other engagements. At the reception Nibedita sang lovely songs and we all clicked photographs.

I left for Delhi soon after while Nibedita and Dhruv stayed behind to meet and greet other family friends and relatives.

A Flight In the Clouds

 It was the most beautiful experience I ever had- a flight in the clouds. My flight from Delhi to Mumbai via Indigo Airlines was one full of adventure, awe and delight. I was flying for a business trip and that too all alone, without any colleagues. Last business trip I had made was when I was working with NDTV and was travelling to Simla for a weather report on unusually heavy snowfall. At that time I was with a cameraperson and the OB van. This time I was alone to be present at a conference by Economic Times.

I was getting butterflies as I had done my flight bookings, hotel bookings and airport parking booking for the first time on my own. So far my brother had been booking my travel tickets. It was a challenge for me to also reach everywhere on time so I may attend an ongoing webinar which I did not want to miss. As I drove down to the Indira Gandhi International Airport (domestic terminal) I was very nervous, frightful and excited at the same time.

I parked my car where the parking officer was very kind and guided me to the terminal departure gate. As I headed towards Indigo Airline kiosk, I was told that if there's no check-in baggage I could directly proceed to security and wait at the gate for departure. He gave me a slip which I kept very securely in my sling bag. I ensured that I carried light luggage and don't face problems carrying it around. While the security-check guards and ladies were very polite, I quickly found my departure gate and waited there with my webinar login. Today's class was with Mr. Sabu Cyril, the legendary art designer for films.

As the class went on lot of people went past and several flight announcements were made- to Ladakh, Srinagar, Patna and Lucknow. I asked a question at the webinar about the use of Artificial Intelligence in Indian films and soon the webinar ended. I walked uptil the gate and the flight to Ahmedabad was boarding. Soon our gate was opened and I took the bus to the aircraft. Our aircraft had been changed in the morning so my seat was changed from 27E to 28E.

The moment I entered the aircraft the aeroplane looked beautiful from inside as thin cloud-like smoke appeared on the ceiling of the aircraft as we all boarded. There was also some room freshener which had been sprayed. This gave it the feel that thin clouds were floating inside leaving behind a light, dewey smell. The aircraft was perfectly lit. As I walked uptil my seat I realised there was no luggage carrier above my seat as it was close to the emergency exit. So I put my cabin baggage in the overhead carrier behind my seat. I was also told by Fariji, the air-hostess, to put my sling bag in the overhead carrier for take-off and landing.

As the plane did push-back and took off, Fariji sat on the chair at the emergency exit so my fears were allayed and we had a smooth take-off into the sky. Once afloat in the clouds, Captain Amit Singh gave us a 'good feel' by rocking the plane from top to bottom and shaking it from side to side like a toy-plane.

Soon the serving trays were moving around and I requested the air-hostess to prepare my Poha. She immediately pulled out a box of Chiwda, put some hot water in it and asked me to open it for eating only after 5 minutes. The Meal of the Moment (MOM) Bhujia was delicious, too. As I finished my meal, it was time to land and Fariji again sat at the chair on the emergency exit. We had a smooth landing and I almost got late for my evening webinar. I hurriedly took a Meru cab and checked into Sahara Star close to the airport. This was the venue for the ET event as well.

As I headed to my room I realised it was the most beautiful room I had ever seen. The room number was my roll number in school- 4091. After entering there were steps which made the beds feel like they were on a landing. The twin beds faced the window which opened onto the buildings on the other side. There were lampshades on either side of each bed. At one corner of the room was a glass study-table with a table-lamp that lit up the entire place in a gorgeous yellow light. The study-table too faced the windows. They were actually window walls which I kept open throughout my stay for two days.

As soon as I checked in I felt famished and ordered some Vada-Pav, so quintessentially Maharashtrian. I gulped it down with a cup of coffee as I attended the ongoing webinar. Since I was tired with the day's travel I immediately went to bed to be ready for the conference the next day. 

On June 30 I attended the conference, about which I have written later, and went back to my room for an eventful day the next morning. On July 1 I checked out and reached the airport well in advance so I could attend my webinar from there. 

As I attended the webinar I comfortably took down notes that Mr. Indrajit Neogi gave on sound design in films. As the webinar ended it was time to board the flight. I took some pictures of Chhatrapati Shivaji Mumbai Airport (Terminal 2) since it left me mesmerized with its architectural pieces sculpted on walls. Even the entry was more organized with every airline having a separate entry. Like last time I smoothly sailed past security and waited at the gate. On board the aircraft, I had pre-booked some Veg Biryani which I relished. Upon landing I looked for a place to sit at the arrival as I had a webinar to attend.

I found a corner and requested airport security to allow me to wait there for some time. As the webinar began I relaxed a little before hitting the road for terminal 2 parking and picking up my car from the parking lot. I had already paid online for it so there was no problem in taking my car away. As I drove I listened in to the webinar and stopped by on the way when I pulled over to ask a question.

As I saw 'Gaur Atulyam' written from far at the top of my building I heaved a sigh of relief and picked up some milk and bread for the next day. I felt indebted to God for giving me the BEST PHYGITAL experience on this tour for work.

It seems I want to repeat this experience again to be able to better understand my country, its culture, its achievements and delicacies. It was the most enriching Maharashtrian experience I ever had.

#ETBWS #AmchiMumbai #Indigo #AirTravel #Clouds #Sun