Journey through past

Early morning I got inside the city hopper from Norwich International Airport to cross English Channel. As I took the first step the rush of chill made me nostalgic, how soon this city had crept up beneath my skin. I sighed and made way inside.

As I settled by the window, I recollected a familiar face on Heathrow digging cold fingers deep in black tuxedo alone for almost the first time in foreign land. The first bus journey from Heathrow to Norwich. My little Angel who helped me through my first visit. My first encounter with rabbits scurrying through grasses near my accommodation. A class of 17 with 13 nationalities, my first consultancy client, exams, public presentations, London trips late night parties, Buckingham Palace, London Underground, Everything just brushed past me as the flight took me in air to rest on the familiar face who had accompanied me to the airport!

I felt ripped apart heart and soul going to each, soul called for home and heart rested on that face. My eyesight got blurred as we crossed the English Channel. I was still gathering myself when captain announced arrival at Amsterdam.

As I got down the hopper I felt hollow, incomplete and torn!

Back 2 India!

1.40 am I drag my huge suitcase to reach Chancellor's Drive, its dark, quiet and cold, Michelle's with me!

As I reach the stop Sheetal appears from the fog, "All Set" She asks and I smirk. Whole year I was filled with this burning desire to be back to my homeland, united with my family but today when I am on my way I feel warm with 5 degree celsius... Its strange!

I inquire of my other two pals Salil and Nikki who were supposed to be back from London to see us off. They must be on the way, but sadly won't be here to say 'byes' before I leave. 'Byes' it won't be easy the city, university, people, and this cold all had crept under my skin over the year they were a part of me now. It felt like I was going back to home away from another home, weird!

Bus no. 727 arrived, my heart jumped I was going back, hey!

The driver helped me and Michelle with our bags as we bade bye to Sheetal; Salil and Nikki weren't around I wished her Merry Christmas in advance, squeezed her hand and stepped in the bus. Joy and sorrow filled me at the same time as I thought of my friends at Norwich and my folks in India, from corner of eye I saw two familiar images running out of fog towards the bus, smile crossed my face...

I stepped down as I saw Salil and Nikki they'd made to see us off, we had loud cheering and Merry Christmases exchanged and stream of byes loud enough for the bus driver to shoo us!

Filled with joy we embarked on 727 to heathrow, Back to India!

Bus Route 727

Everytime I see Bus Route 727 standing near the chancellors drive,I can see myself emerging out of this bus green jumper, black trousers, two overloaded suitcases and the confused looks!

Haha, feels like yesterday, but whenever I see this bus I feel a bond with it, feels like this is the bus that transported me here and will take me back feels like it's a thread that binds me with my roots back in India...

Times flew by and its almost time to go back. I've booked my tickets and the ties with the bus are getting thicker....

Monsoons!

Comes may last week and heart starts singing to the tunes of rains, and eyes look for slightest clue for the arrival of much awaited monsoon! Singing cuckoo, red flame bright dazzling, dried up trees, cracking waste lands, and scorching heat all sum up to the anticipation...

And the wait ends up with the sweet shower from heavens today as the sun settled down in the west, the clouds made there way in a close huddle roaring and soaring into the sky with lightnings marking the arrival of the MONSOON! Hurray!!!

Miss Sunshine!

It was an unusually bright sunny morning of September as I sat in BEST bus on my way to the office pouring over my One night at call center by Chetan Bhagat. I was reading how life was taking over the hero as his ex-girlfriend gave him news of her marriage, the sun was shining bright so I digged in my backpack to get hold of my glares. As I cleansed the lens with cloth I looked merrily at the sun shinning brightly out of my window, inhaling a lungful of fresh air I closed my eyes.

Bus stopped and I opened my eyes and there she was bright, pure, serene... bathed with sunshine... wet hair locks over her face few just enjoying there time on her lips... pearly water drops shining on her forehead through her hair black, wet, bright... There she was Miss Sunshine...

Bus moved but her image found solace in my heart deep within... Since then whenever my bus would pass the place my eyes would search for her, I did see her lot of times after that but the first time was something that appealed me and then she was truly Miss Sunshine!

Overprotective Mumbaikar

We were having our usual talks in our office when one of my colleague said that we mumbaikars are overprotective, and trigered a thought train for me. I born mumbaikar has always been protective about everything around me, be it my toys when I was kid, my books, parents, sibblings, anything and everything that centered me. But then this is me just one odd mumbaikar out of inumerable ones out there and can I represent a mass so huge?

More I thought of it it occured, why not? I may represent this mass maybe a fraction of it will share my views afterall we mumbaikars have all been through the same ups and downs since several years be it 1993 blasts followed by bloody riots, or 26th July flood deluge we've all walked through this together handholding each other. So here I am one Mumbaikar out of innumerable out there claiming yes we mumbaikars are more protective to some extent.

We have grown to become a bit more protective over years with all the turmoil we've been and being going through in this fast city ticking with the second hand of the clock.