India Trip..Part I

A trip across the oceans to meet your family is always an exciting and a much needed/most looking forward vacation for people who study/work in the US.As its been a while since i made a trip home, I had a chance to visit home on the occasion of my Dad's 60th bday celebrations. I didnt really know the importance of the function unil the day of the event.This event is considered bigger than one's marriage. So it was done very traditional, some of which i had forgotten and had a chance to observe and learn the customs again.

So it was not only a reunion with my family, but a reunion of all our relatives who showed up for the function. The function was a huge success and everything was planned to perfection by my parents and some of our close relatives. Though my participation was there, it was minimal and more organizational work than physical. I was impressed with the research that my parents did on fixing up the venues, the caterers and the other usual suspects.

I met a lot of my close relatives and as usual have to take in their comments/take on life in general. I had a mixture of comments such as i have put on weight/lost weight/look different/same compared to my last visit/get married soon/should come back and settle in india/should stay in US..etc..I cant blame them because they really dont know what kind of a person i have become since my move to US, but the fact is that, they cared for me and want to share their opinion. My usual and typical response is to acknowledge and smile it off..

One thing i observed during my stay in chennai was, the general public hasnt yet mastered the fashion compared to cities like mumbai or delhi or bangalore. Only people who live in "those popular" areas seem to have a great fashion sense. Others have been how they were since my last visit. There have been some flyovers constructed which has greatly eased the traffic conditions, the cost has increased, people are spending more money and at the same time, there has been shortage of water/power etc..However one thing that surprised me was the weather..it was awesome almost in the 70's everyday i am staying here, though couple of days i was hampered because of heavy rains staying at home and just didnt know what to do.

I met some of my friends from US who also had come over to visit their respective family. So using them as an excuse, had a chance to explore some of the restaurants/places in and around chennai. Travel is a hassle as most of my friends live in different places. However i did have a chance to ride motorcycle and also after constant pressure my dad's car. I was surprised and impressed with myself that i could drive and able to navigate in our traffic conditions.

So far, i had a chance to visit a beach, watch a movie in Satyam theatre, ate in couple of good restaurants, travel in train/bus as well as got drenched in rains!!!.. Till now the ride has been excellent....except that I realized i missed my grandpa the most who had been one of my sole advisor in the past...