Oh ! I did not give too many details about my friend who arrived from Delhi laden with gifts for all of us, not that the ladies from America were wanting in that department. In fact this is one of the occasions I was inundated with gifts and it was not as if I was celebrating a birthday. Saris, all kinds of delectable nuts, a little painting, perfume and what have you, it was very overwhelming . So Vi arrives with her handsome son in tow and there are bear hugs all around and incessant chatter.
A small digression here, the others had an occasion to go to the local market, while I was at home. I heard about the 'charansparsh' incident much later, the search was on for 'chawanprash' due to the combination of jet lag and ingestion of 'paan'. Pronounced "charansparsh" by the person searching for it, there was unabated laughter all around.( "Charansparsh" means literally bowing low to touch some one's feet ).
We had an occasion to shop for saris, an event no girl in her right mind will miss. Managed to get the right colors and blouses made in record time too!
And then the party for about 20 people give or take two or three . All the arrangements had been made , do note here that all the invitees were meeting each other for the very first time.Our other friend from Bangalore (the sixth color of the canvas) was to arrive that evening and come straight to the venue.Which he did and I must say he is a gentleman of the highest order. The seventh person of our group was to arrive from Dubai the next day due to work commitments. So the party begins, laughter and non-stop talking, food and drinks poetry and a bit of yelling,bonhomie all around, some with families and others just by themselves,all in all a heady mix of wonderful people having a good time and enjoying every moment of it. AND then right in the middle of the merry proceedings in walks our friend from Dubai. Quite unexpected in a bright yellow shirt and more than welcome, we sure were glad he arrived early to give the final touches to the rainbow.
At some point of time I withdrew myself from the fun and watched as if from a distance and the view was spectacular. Amazing how so many people practically unknown to each other came together that night creating a lasting bond.
The people who came in from abroad wanted to travel by a local train, the hero from Bangalore rose to the occasion and they had ride in a 'stuffed to the gills' compartment of a Mumbai local. I did not accompany them there either due to other considerations, but when they returned I heard that apart from the train ride there was also an auto rickshaw ride , well not exactly a ride but a drive.Yeah my friends actually drove an auto rickshaw with hero having made some sort of pact with the driver of the said automobile. I haven't had the opportunity and I have lived here for forty years, well better luck next time I hope.
We had an occasion to see a village, a television shoot and had an unforgettable drive in the middle of the night to the Gateway Of India via the sea link. That shall require another post. I wanted to write about this experience in two posts, but will continue tomorrow.
Yes, there were some differences of opinion, but on the whole it was an occasion which brought us close together, and have made us lifelong friends. It gave me an opportunity to meet people from different cultures, and strenghtened my belief that everywhere people are essentially the same, emotions,thoughts may differ but we come from the same source and can live very easily with amity and love , just a small effort can go a long way.
A small digression here, the others had an occasion to go to the local market, while I was at home. I heard about the 'charansparsh' incident much later, the search was on for 'chawanprash' due to the combination of jet lag and ingestion of 'paan'. Pronounced "charansparsh" by the person searching for it, there was unabated laughter all around.( "Charansparsh" means literally bowing low to touch some one's feet ).
We had an occasion to shop for saris, an event no girl in her right mind will miss. Managed to get the right colors and blouses made in record time too!
And then the party for about 20 people give or take two or three . All the arrangements had been made , do note here that all the invitees were meeting each other for the very first time.Our other friend from Bangalore (the sixth color of the canvas) was to arrive that evening and come straight to the venue.Which he did and I must say he is a gentleman of the highest order. The seventh person of our group was to arrive from Dubai the next day due to work commitments. So the party begins, laughter and non-stop talking, food and drinks poetry and a bit of yelling,bonhomie all around, some with families and others just by themselves,all in all a heady mix of wonderful people having a good time and enjoying every moment of it. AND then right in the middle of the merry proceedings in walks our friend from Dubai. Quite unexpected in a bright yellow shirt and more than welcome, we sure were glad he arrived early to give the final touches to the rainbow.
At some point of time I withdrew myself from the fun and watched as if from a distance and the view was spectacular. Amazing how so many people practically unknown to each other came together that night creating a lasting bond.
The people who came in from abroad wanted to travel by a local train, the hero from Bangalore rose to the occasion and they had ride in a 'stuffed to the gills' compartment of a Mumbai local. I did not accompany them there either due to other considerations, but when they returned I heard that apart from the train ride there was also an auto rickshaw ride , well not exactly a ride but a drive.Yeah my friends actually drove an auto rickshaw with hero having made some sort of pact with the driver of the said automobile. I haven't had the opportunity and I have lived here for forty years, well better luck next time I hope.
We had an occasion to see a village, a television shoot and had an unforgettable drive in the middle of the night to the Gateway Of India via the sea link. That shall require another post. I wanted to write about this experience in two posts, but will continue tomorrow.
Yes, there were some differences of opinion, but on the whole it was an occasion which brought us close together, and have made us lifelong friends. It gave me an opportunity to meet people from different cultures, and strenghtened my belief that everywhere people are essentially the same, emotions,thoughts may differ but we come from the same source and can live very easily with amity and love , just a small effort can go a long way.
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