Sunday 12 October 2014

More Indian than you think

Last year on Dussehra, my wife invited her ex-colleague, working in a Global News Corporation, for lunch. The middle aged business editor lived in Bandra west, while we lived two stations down, at Santacruz. As decided he was too come around 1 pm for lunch, so i called him to given directions but instead he replied he will be there on time, using Google maps. I was pleasantly surprised, as my present residence is in a crowded area and often my relatives need detailed directions, to reach. However, around half an hour, after the call ended, our guest landed at our door step.
Lunch was not something special, but what we Indians eat on Dussehra day, lentils, mashed potato, roti, rice and Shrikhand for desserts. Our guest, eat all with curiosity and did not mind eating somethings directly from the bowl, as we do many times at our homes. The London manners of new cutlery for every food item were not seen in our guest, he quite adjusted to our living. As for the taste he liked the food a lot and especially the home made shrikhand.
After tea our guest announced that he wanted to go and see the burning of Ravan, near Khar masjid and he and my wife again following Google maps, reached the place where the effigy was to burn. Later i was told that he enjoyed the sounds of Nashik dhol, people playing with gulal and the crowds spirit gathering at the burning area. Overall it was a very different kind of an experience, completely unexpected from an born and brought up in Londoner.  


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