Rewind

I had promised my friend(s) that I would soon put up a blog post. Here’s for you people 😉

Thanks for being ever patient, for the humiliation, for being stubborn, and for the constant nagging. You never know what works for me. I never know what would work but please continue with the same zeal as you have been. At least this way, I do end up writing one way or the other. And it does more good to me than to you. I cannot, however, promise how soon I will put up a detailed post for you about my stay in India this time but with your constant motivation and rebukes, I am sure it will see the light of day soon.

First things first, it was lovely meeting you all after all these years. And it feels good to come back to the city and still find you guys there. And a little cherry on top, those of you who were not in the city had to be in the city because of work from home conditions. And a few of you just happened to be there on a given day or made sure you were there. Either way, know that you all are amazing and made my stay memorable. Thank you for being so considerate to drive me around, I would have loathed taking an Ola/Uber and for having to go and eat at places that would suit me which was basically any café that would serve non-spicy food :P

Important Update: I discovered towards the end of my stay that Sagar Ratna is the other place that my tongue and stomach approved of or that place that serves soya chaap in sector 8 inner market. So, yay!

As someone who was away from home for a very long time, I was slightly apprehensive of the things, and I guess somewhere you all were too for me, about me. My parents had told me outrightly to not be vocal or argumentative with my opinions and views, few of you had also cautioned me about not judging India or Chandigarh and to just see and observe and digest the changes with a pinch of salt. But frankly speaking, it was not all that big of a change or not that bad.

Personally, it was a big transition to not return to the same house where I had grown up. I missed the quiet campus, the independent duplex house where you could not even hear the noises from neighbors; feeding the squirrels, birds and peacocks, and cats alike. I missed not having a lawn to walk and sit in, not having to go up and down the house, not being able to see the side of Kasauli Hills where the TV tower is situated, not being able to walk on the terrace and stare at stars and admiring the guava and laburnum trees behind the house on a full moon’s night. I was now in an apartment in a block that had 7 other houses. I did not have access to a lawn, but I had the luxury of enjoying the best view from the balcony. Kasauli Hills are still visible on a clear day, but it is the other side now. And I was surrounded by the cacophony of sounds the entire day. From the barking dogs to the funny noises of vendors, of this annoying autorickshaw that was campaigning for “Vote for Heera”, of kids playing in the park in front of my house, of having to wave at neighbors as soon as I came in any of the balconies. I was previously used to seeing very few people to none at all at times and here I was greeting them up, down, and everywhere around. And all my neighbors were so welcoming and chatty which I had not really experienced before.

Chandigarh, on the other hand, has grown over the past few years. The markets were more crowded, so were the roads. The shops had more packaged and frozen food which I had not seen before. I saw candies and chocolates from across the globe (Yep, there was Lindt and Haribo which I thought was confined to Germany), whereas it was a task to find Hajmola candies, the green and pink ones in a normal confectionery shop. Sector 17 is still the same AND I spent hours at The English Book Shop hoarding stationery, art supplies, and books <3

Most of the food chains are exactly where they were but there were a lot of newer ones too. There are far too many cool cafes, and I am sure there are way more than what I saw. Why do we have 2 sets of traffic lights at the roundabout though? It takes the charm away from them. And the autos, green and yellow, were an eyesore. Believe you me, it reminded me of Delhi and it is not a pleasant thought. But there were more e-bike stations too. There weren’t any previously. There were far too many beggars now on the lights which were both heartbreaking and unpleasant. I guess a lot of people migrated back to cities after the lockdown and they might earn by begging in a city than being in a village?

The museum at sector 10 was such a disappointment. I proudly took a friend to show the artifacts from Indus Valley Civilization, I was in fact so boastful about it the entire time to only find that they have been moved to nobody knows where! On the other hand, Rose Garden, Leisure Valley and Bougainvillea Garden were thriving and looked greener. I chose not to visit Elante but I could not go to the lake, unfortunately. I hope it is still the same.

My alma mater at Sector 8 looked the same. It has been very long since I last stepped inside the school, if my memory serves me right it was in 2012 that I was there. Most of the teachers who taught me were still there although a few had even moved elsewhere or had retired but it was a pleasure to see them all on such short notice. Although my friend(s) might not have had the same experience of school days as I did, I do agree I was amongst the students who had more privileges just because I performed better academically, and I feel a bit sad about how different our memories are about school days in general but then again it is precisely because of this school that we met and have been meeting. But more than anything else it was the warmth and affection and kind words that made my day.

Food was in abundance. It is a blessing to have fertile land and a climate that supports the crops throughout the year. What a delight it was to eat seasonal fruits and vegetables, a luxury as per my current living arrangements. I could easily buy medicine without having a prescription or just go see a doctor without having to wait days or even hours. The language was comprehensible, I did not have to pay attention at any point in time. In general, I was communicating more because it was easy to explain and/or bargain. I must mention, I was not used to the geyser system of bathing anymore or having to wait before the water is warm, haha.

You might find it funny or even absurd. These might not mean anything to you but apparently, it was a lot for me to observe and share. And undoubtedly my heart is always in two places. Or to put blatantly “ Dhobi ka kutta, na ghar ka na ghat ka.”