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US 0, India -$46. Game Still On

The monitor in front of me spat out the time. "12:15 AM". A thousand thoughts whirred in my head as the jet tipped its wing to the left, then banked right, before swooping down to drop its wheels on the hard tarmac below. As the plane rapidly decelerated, the stewardess began the announcement she must have made a thousand times before. I paid no attention to the drone of her voice. I was lost in thought. Life had come a full circle in eighteen years. We were back where we began. India is home once again. Except that this time, it is Bangalore. A city none of us had ever lived in. And a place where we did not speak the local language.

Bangalore has been a regular stop for me for several years. But a city responds to you a whole lot differently when you start living there. Thirty minutes into becoming a returning resident, I was reminded to dispel those romantic notions of living in India that I had childishly entertained.
No sooner I entered our nice rented apartment, I emptied out my pockets onto the sorry looking coffee table in the living room. “You may want to keep your wallet and phone in the bedroom drawer”, reminded Shanthi. Aha! I should have known this. Maids. Newspaper man. Milkman. Grocery delivery boy. Driver. Building security. Laundry guy. Vegetable vendor. All and more almost unfailingly have ready access to your home! And to some of your cherished possessions too. Why tempt them with toys like an iphone?

It took me a whole day to realize that my lack of caution combined with my failing memory caused a small loss. I had bought 4 bottles of booze at the glitzy duty-free store at Bangalore Airport. And while I was unloading my bags at my apartment, I forgot the booze bags near the elevator. By the time I remembered, it was too late – I am sure a few inebriated souls are thanking me for being so generous.

I have been in India all of five days. And I have so many stories to tell, it can fill a paperback. But I will keep it short this time. My next blog is about our trip to the tailors….and more. Till then, it is bye bye from the guy from “Namma Bengaluru”

Comments

Unknown said…
Hey Naresh

Sorry for your loss..........the booze!! One person's loss is another person's gain.

It is going to be a whole learning process for you. I am sure Shanthi has done a lot already and will get you going very quickly. Waiting to read about your tailor experience. Enjoy all your experiences. Luv to Shanthi and Dushyanth.
UR said…
Hi Naresh:
You are funny and informative.

Our retirement balloon is slowly losing air!!

Keep them coming! can't wait for the next episode!

Hello to Shanthi & Love to Dushyanth.
Tarale Seena said…
What happened? 3 post wonder? Are Deve Gowda's evil children trying to silence you? Is BJP sending over their henchmen to your place now?
How're the differences in "democracies" treating you?
Come on, already.
Neetha said…
So true how we romanticize the idea of returning to India based on our 2-week, giddy, filled with restaurant-shopping-relative hopping trips,where the flaws barely make it to our peripheral vision... once you are back for good, reality smacks you in the butt real hard... yes Naresh, even I had a hard time making sure I put away my valuables .. odd, that's one of the first things you forget... that honesty is not a virtue of us Indians...

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