India Trip

Here is a summary of my notes and thoughts from the four days I spent in India this week.

IPL is the talk of the town (country, maybe). However, as much as I tried to like it, I failed to do so. Not that I got a lot of chances to watch the games. But whatever I watched, turned me off. The commercials were so intrusive that it was a challenge to see the action. I got frustrated and decided that IPL was not for me. It also does not help that I belong to the old school that loves test match Cricket.

Oh, I figured out the rules of traffic in Bangalore. It is really simple. The space that you occupy on the street is your rightful property. It is the duty of others on the street to go around you. It does not matter how you got to your space. It does not matter if you are moving in the right direction or opposite to the rest of the traffic. It does not matter even if you are parked side-on in the middle of the street! The same rules apply to the pedestrians. If you have managed to get on the street, it is the responsibility of the vehicles to find a way around you. Bottom line: I am very sure that my days as a driver in Bangalore are O-V-E-R. I used to be an aggressive driver that knew how to drive/ride in the city. But those days are long gone. Even the fact that I can drive in Manhattan is not sufficient to qualify me now as a driver in Bangalore!!!

What's with the cost of living? I've been away from India for so long that I do not even have an idea of prices in India. I bought two shaving cartridges. Cost me Rs. 212. Let us not even talk about food. My mind (and heart) is still living in those days when my friends and I used to frequent Kamat Yatrinivas. Each entree used to cost about 10 bucks. I do not think I can get a drop of water for 10 bucks now!

Everyone and his brother is talking about buying land and buildings. My Mom tried to tell me that I should buy a house in the next street (30x40 land with a duplex on it) for 95 lakhs. I refused, point blank. I cannot spend that kind of money on that kind of property. Also, I have figured over the last few years that I am no longer a city boy. Plus, the shortage of water in Bangalore scared me. You can have the land and the building you want. But what will you do if you do not get (or buy) enough water?

All said and done, I also discovered phir bhi my dil hai Hindustani (my heart is Indian). There were many magic moments: My son feeling so much at home with his cousins, meeting my folks, playing Cricket with a bunch of 10-yr olds on the street in front of my sister's house, my friend Madhu's Mom feeding me a plate load of Chicken, meeting my old friend Jaggi after 12 years and hugging him in the middle of St Marks Rd, eating Chaat on the streetside with my cousins and uncle, and many more. I go back there for five more days at the end of next week. I am looking forward to some more fun!

14-hour Flight

Yes, indeed. I flew non-stop from Newark, NJ to Bombay last week. And I flew back a different route, this time flying for 13+ hours from Dubai to New York. When I booked those flights, I did not know what to expect. My wife was worried about how my son would handle the 14 hour trip to Bombay. But I figured after these two flights that this is the best way to travel betwen India and the US. I guess the layovers in Europe really used to interrupt the passengers in the middle of their sleep, in both diections. The long flights allow people to sleep through their normal cycles, and wake up a couple of hours before landing. My son proved that theory of mine, by being a happy camper throughout the flight. I am not much of a sleeper, especially in flights. However, I found myself totally fresh when I reached the destination on both occasions.

Oh, I almost forgot. The aircrafts used for these long flights were very new. And they had really nice entertainment options, including an on-demand library of over a hundred movies.

Travel between US and India has gotten so better that I think the world has shrunk a litte more!