learnings

Hospitality and courtesy excel in this particular hotel. It is amazing for an Indian traveller ( as such courtesy is extended only to ‘whites’). This level of courtesy trickles to all levels of the staff. And it is not the annoying type or impersonal. It is just the right amount and warm. I have only read about such hotels in novels. I experienced it for the first time. The staff take note of what we order, our preferences and once again this trickles down to all the levels. For e.g. when I ordered kichidi ( rice and lentils cooked to a soft, gooey mush) thrice in a row, the Front desk enquired if all was well!  When I mentioned my son was not well there was concern expressed not only by her but by whomever we met on our way down to the poolside. The Housekeeping staff to the in dining service all of them enquired of his health. The rooms are well equipped with comfortable beds, plenty of pillows, a lovely writing desk, good wifi service etc. Food is good and a variety of cuis...

  I have come to spend a few days with my son. I see him working from his laptop, interacting with people, taking decisions and listening to music. I am awestruck. Just a couple of decades ago he was the helpless infant on my lap. He was the curious toddler, a wonderful teen (unlike me!) and now a responsible adult. I marvel at how time has flown past. Our rides to school in the north east- in a rickshaw or a car. Our trips to the local Gandhi mela ( Silchar, Assam), picnics, maggi noodles, travels, reading, music, long car drives, eating out, movies.. the list is endless. We have been in the  ‘flow’ ( Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi) and we are grateful.

I have been reading reports of Kashmiri students getting arrested on sedition charges because they cheered for Pakistan in the recent Indo-Pak cricket match. The next day I read reports of students in Thanjavur fasting for UN resolution against Sri Lanka. This is not the first time that some political parties are making mileage over this issue. People from the north east are being targeted/ tortured/ raped/ killed because they are ‘different’. We neglected northeast for years and they remain undeveloped. Now they are venturing out to seek education and jobs. Soft spoken, courteous and silent they move around like ghosts substituting those who have migrated to greener pastures. So much hatred and violence even after being a sovereign republic! But then what is India and what is it to be an Indian?

I lay decomposed and dead, A light guided me into a tunnel My soul soared above the Himalayas And watched Planet earth below My life in the rewind Gorging on junk food Partying on highs Smoking and drying the lungs... Unkind words hurled at kith 'n' kin Indifference wrapped as blanket Cynicism and sarcasm my weapons At work and home Stagnant cesspools I had created Anger, jealousy and violence In my blood and lymph... Dark and viscous my brain had become And into the hell hole I succumbed... I cried and wept and begged for mercy I crawled around in pain Redemption came and I was blessed Just one more life, just one more This time I rushed through the tunnel Into my house, into the hearts of mine own To cleanse the sewage I had created To erase the carbon footprints....