Travel Back!

Oct 13 2013,

Dusherra!

Today I booked a ticket for India! Home! Enough said, isn't it? This would be my first visit back home after shifting here. You bet, I am ecstatic! Strangely, I wasn't so much excited as I am right now just by the thought of going home. It has been just ten months that I am here, was never going to return so soon, but then all of a sudden, had this feeling - need to be there, need to go, and I just booked the ticket! Yeah, was so much apprehensive before booking it, firstly because was using a friend's card, then, wasn't sure will I do it properly, as everyone knows how careless I am!

I am still not sure, whether I am doing it right or not, whether I should really go or not, yeah, the money matters, but sometimes I guess, some things hold much more meaning and it is better to let some things go. If it has to happen, it will happen. No superstitions or something, I believe that at a certain point all pieces fall in their respective places, it is just that we have to keep on hanging till that time. 

Going with the instincts is what I have always done, some decisions were a failure, but then, I took its complete responsibility and have no regrets! A proper plan was never my thing anyway! Maybe this is the real reason for the excitement! An unplanned decision!

Yes, I went back in time in a sec! I still remember that moment, that last day! My youngest cousins had visited me to say the final goodbye. While in the car, there were some normal talks with long pauses, quick phone calls to Aatya and Kaka, quick instructions by me for Aai Baba, and loads and loads of detailed directions from them! The reaching at the airport, parking, unloading the luggage on the trolley, all the final silent looks before entering the airport, a call from Mami, check-in, luggage scanning, security, just went by and I was at the terminal waiting for the Mumbai flight. Yes, exchange of text messages, calls were keeping me company and in no time I reached Mumbai, and here the real wait started after reaching the international terminal! Oh boy, what an amazing place it is! I roamed there, had dinner and waited. I did mention that I was texting and calling throughout, right? Made some final goodbye calls to my girls and again waited! Informed Aai Baba that I have boarded the flight, and, just when I was about to switch my phone off, I receive a call from a dear friend! We had talked just a couple of hours earlier, and still she called. She leaves early for job in the morning and so I never expected her to be awake till such a late hour and anyway we had talked just a couple of hours before! Everyone was so worried! And knowing that it would be my first ever flight, leave aside the fact of 'alone'! And I reached here, just like that. I came here! Looking back, it was all good! No trouble as such, if you neglect the jet lag, and the boredom of traveling by four flights over two days, everything was pretty good! I was so glad that an airport pick-up was properly arranged and that my roommate had kept the dinner ready. It is really way too many miles and actually across the seven oceans! Sometimes I wonder, how did I do that?

And I am about to travel back the same miles, to the place where I truly belong! I am more than eager to meet my cousins, relatives, friends, professors, neighbors, my Activa, Civil Lines, Dharampeth, Buldi, oh yes, the Pulapalikadacha area, all the regular Pani Puri wala's, Haldiram, Corn Hub, Dinshaw's, Futala, Nagpur, Mumbai, whoever, whatever I have been in contact with, whichever situation's memories attached with, I want to relive them! It is an assurance of nothing has changed, the surety of things getting alright!

Technically speaking, many things have changed, I have changed, circumstances have changed, even economy has changed, but things beyond explanation have not changed!

Undoubtedly, I am going to miss my friends here. In such a little time they have become a habit! 

The difference in the two travels is that now I know I belong here too! Dual identity eh? And it is the place to which I would always come back, because this is home now. The place to which I am going is my inspiration, or the energy booster, but this is the place I would always look forward to come back!

Can't wait to board that flight, a seat which says mine to a place with all the likes!