India Trip Report.

Four weeks in India was hectic as usual. Apart from the usual Madras and Kumbakonam trips, managed to go to Hyderabad for a weekend to see Utbt and family after three loooong years. The highlight of the trip was Ro, Utbt and me walking around Charminar in the middle of the night thanks to the Ramzan night market. What an awesome experience! A stomach bug which caused havoc to my system a day back could nt stop me from eating pani puri at Kailash Parbat and the yummy biscuits from Karachi Bakery! Ashu and Antu had a blast with Utbt's girls and it was so heart warming to see the foursome together having fun! In less than two days, they managed a pajama party, movie night, camping (in the hall!), swimming, building legos, reading, visiting park, shopping and million other little things. Talk about time management! Thanks Ro for taking time to meet us and it was lovely to see Ayaan and Tarana too. (Happy? I mentioned you first! :) When in Madras, Ashu did nothing except taking over a room and setting camp there with her Kobo. (See pic.) She would come out only during meal times!

Did nothing new in Madras this time except visiting the Vandaloor Zoo and Dakshin Chitra. And a fabulous puppet display near Kanchipuram organized by the Kanchi trust. And the Phoenix Mall, if you insist! And visiting friends and family too! Stayed a night in Pondicherry at a resort before proceeding to Kumbakonam and I enjoyed my first trip to Pondi. Visited the ashram, Auroville, a few temples, the beach, etc... While Hd and the in laws left from Kmu the next day and Hd to Zurich the day after, the kids and I stayed on in Kmu for one more week before doing the same. It was a week of doing nothing for me and it was pure bliss, as usual. I dont know what I will do if I don't get to recharge my batteries like that once a year or so. Long live Mothers!

The kids did nt want to leave the house and were busy with a cat and two kittens outside our house and all their friends and cousins from the colony who come after school to play with them. My parents were so thrilled about the Kallanai dam opening its gates and water flowing into Kaveri and Kollidam that we went all the way there to see it on Aug 5th. The kids hated road trips there and had to be dragged out! "I dont know why Thatha is so excited that theres water in Kaveri! Are nt rivers supposed to have water?!!", asked Ashu! Poor girl! Thatha and Paati, of course, were over the moon and were photographing like crazy! The girls found a bouncy castle and a few rides on the other side of the dam and were quite happy! I just wanted to get back so that we can buy the Ashoka Halwa at Thiruvaiyaru before the shop (Aandavar Halwa Shop) runs out of it! It was devamirtham, if you must know! :) The next day, Antu said that she had a dream that Kaveri came and asked her to come and see her and when she went, there were crocodiles in the river! Im still analyzing that one! :)

A trip to Swamimalai Temple and an Aandaal Kalayanam at my Aunts house rounded off the trip nicely. Not to mention Ashu falling down and majorly scraping both her knees! The scar will remind her of this trip for a long, long time! I had long chats about many, many things with my grandma cuddling to her in bed and wished I were a kid! She is 98 now and according to Antu she is going to die soon because shes almost 100! I know teaching this kid math was bound to come back and bite my behind! When it was time to leave Kmu, Antu started bawling that she wanted my mom to come too! Ashu blinked many times and declared that she hated me! I guess everyone has their own coping mechanisms! I had the halwa handy! My dad accompanied us to Madras. Antu bored me to death by telling awful slug jokes from Panruti to Vikravandi and the horrible, horrible roads paled in comparison!

Loaded with boxes from Krishna Sweets, more kurtas than I need, a million children's books, home made pickles and bakshanams and a vague memory of watching Mariyaan at Thyagaraja theatre, we came back to Zurich with a heavy heart last Wednesday. I have been walking around with a lump in my throat ever since! Where the hell did I keep that dabba of halwa? *blinks back tears*