It looked as if a bright yellow galaxy of stars had fallen on the dark surface of earth. These scintillating golden specks of light, however, felt far more alive. Slowly you could make out the roads, the cars and the houses.
‘Beautiful’, I almost gasped.
‘Is it?’, remarked the wide-eyed Bengali girl as she leaned towards me. The airplane window afforded only a mere slice of the full view, thanks to the wings obstructing a fair bit of it. I shuffled quite a bit so that she could catch a glimpse of what I saw. Just to fill the silence, I stated the obvious, ‘Bombay is truly beautiful at night’. She merely smiled sweetly in agreement. I guess it was the thought that she would be meeting her hubby in Bangalore soon; that was running at the back of her mind. Just like it was the thought of me finally getting to see my family after a year; was running at the back of my mind.
You are home, now - once that realisation hits you, every second passes in a crawl. The sights, the sounds and the people around you have suddenly changed. Changed to something you instinctively recognize. An environment to which you were organically a part of. An environment that’s no longer sterile or alien. But one into which you can blend yourself in and be liberated. Yes, it’s like you were pickled and back alive again. I’m already loving this feeling.
Five hours later, I’m home. Yes, this time it is my permanent residence in Kerala. And this time, I’m showered with love and tendered with longing by everyone. After a modest amount of chit-chat, I’ve been advised to take rest. It must have been a tiring journey - they say. Couldn’t agree more, but worth every bit. I change to something more comfortable - like the super comfy lungi.
I lie back on my good old bed and wondering if I’m yet to dream or am I already in one? That I must say, was the best sleep I’ve had in months ;)
[PS: Regardless of the date of posting, I left for India on 17th Dec, 2005. I had reached London on 13th Dec, 2004. So an year had passed. Actually, there was no break in between. So this time, I took a month off. Well, Happy new to year to everybody :) ]
