Distant Lands

Thousands of miles away from home...at a place I call my home away from home, it feels good to be able to pen my thoughts after all this while.

India, my land - just as my plane touched down, I felt the same tingle I always feel! Home at last, I thought. Away from all the stress, the routine, the phone calls, the emails, and the dirty politics - hah! what a relief.

The first sight of my parents waiting eagerly just for a sight of me, rather us - the warm hugs, the tears of joy, everything subsided as soon as the car entered the traffic. The honks, the traffic, the abuses between the drivers - everything felt nostalgic for the first 24 hours. The intrusive neighbours came unannounced and hugged me saying they were so glad to see me :-)

The mosquitoes sang their welcome too, but I must admit that they have kept my little one occupied - she runs after them, trying to chase them from biting her!

The sights, the sounds, the smells - everything felt wonderful for the first few hours. Wasn't this what I always missed, I thought. As soon as I reached home, I ran up the stairs to the terrace and sat on my favourite spot on the water tank under coconut tree sipping my mom's filter coffee! Heaven - I thought. I didn't want anything more...

My excitement did not last more than a day - I still love everything around me, and would never want to leave here. But, I realized with each passing day, that I miss home - my home!

It hurts to think sometimes how your own kin become distant - and how your own world becomes different even from those who you thought you would always share it with.

The other day, as the car stood at a traffic light the sight of a very poor woman feeding her little child shook me - it was a very touching sight. The love I saw in her eyes as if her's was the most beautiful child in the world, and the same look of contentment in the child's eyes as he fed from her told me only one thing - it was the same everywhere. There was nothing different in the basic things of life -love knew no geaographical boundaries. It was universal.

The hunger I saw, the anger, the pain - everything I believe is universal. There are no geographical boundaries, no language, no barriers.

The truth that hit me was simple and straight - there is no running away from any of it - ever. It is your's for keeps...no matter where you go. There is no running away from it. Period. You carry your world with you, wherever you go...

Like they say every man to his own...