Though I had cancelled a few last day appointments to be with my mother, I was at a family friend's house till 11 pm assuaging the anxiety of another mother who had sent her son to Paris for his master's degree. I couldn't snap myself out of the conversation we had on marriage and why/how I choose to be single. Let's keep that for another time.
My mother had to call me once and remind me that I had a morning flight to catch and that I must hit the sack soon :). We never show our affection at home and there are no hugs when you walk-in the door after 15 months and there are no good-byes when you leave. Even my 7 year old nephew didn't give me a proper good-bye. But my mom ensure that I get to taste all her delicacies and my favorite dishes during my stay. My father was so busy when we grew up that he would never know which grade we studied in and the history continues...today he had no clue when I was flying back to Paris and we had a short phone call as I was preparing to leave.
Leaving the house after having mom's filter coffee, stopping by Warren road Ganesha for a short prayer and breaking a coconut, calling grand mother on the way to the airport and getting a friend to drop me at the airport are all what makes Chennai my home.
I have often asked the question what makes India and Indians special? Well, I asked my fellow Indian passenger at Mumbai airport if I could borrow his phone to call my mother. Without hesitation or a second thought he offered me his phone. During my conversation with him, I found out that pre-paid option with Vodafone doesn't need 5000 Rs deposit and I could do chotta recharge (say 50 rs) and continue to receive SMS for free and make calls at a nominal charge. It was mandatory that make a short call every few months to India to keep the card active. So, let's learn this option and say goodbye to expensive Matrix (Matricks!) and rip-off Vodafone post-paid connections.
Sukanth Rallapatti on Friday said, "if it happens again we cannot call it luck anymore". Yes, I was again bumped to business class on the return journey to Paris and this time it was less dramatic and I was not asked to deplane. :)
Btw, two years ago when I travelled on Jet Airways to the US, I had a horrible experience both ways and I even wrote about it and got canned response from their Marketing team. Not sure if I should call this upgradation an atonement for bad service then? You get back your dues in life! (http://whaterhole.blogspot.in/2012/08/on-flight-of-lies-from-newark-to-chennai.html)
For the first time ever, I didn't feel I was missing Chennai, though Chennai comes immediately after my mother in terms of my love quotient. After 15 trips and 15 months of stay, Paris feels like a second home. I was going to see a good friend on the evening of my return and I was going to visit the Indian quarters on Sunday and hand over packages that I brought for my friends from their loved ones. I also was looking forward going back to work and giving away little trinkets I got for my colleagues including copies of The Hindu and TOI newspapers (Chennai edition) for my dear friend David. For David, who is planning to move to India with his family, it is now a choice between Chennai Super Kings vs. Kolkata Knight Riders. And I'm trying to influence him to go to Chennai. Let's see!
Btw, I'm met two Gujarati guys in Mumbai Airport and we became well acquainted on the flight journey and the train journey back to Gare du Nord. We have already made plans for khakhra meet next Sunday. He says he has 30 member Gujju team and now this Chennaiites will join them to spread our Indianess in Paris. Jai Ho!
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