Return To The Land Of Machis

Two years of Hyderabad – my life was a riot there. I was enjoying in every possible. I felt that my life was like a donut – creamy, sweet, fluffy, yum, exotic and appealing, with a large hole in the middle.

I don’t know how things conspired for me for situations to turn against me; it was all in the wink of an eye, that I was to leave Hyderabad, with all my dear ones there. I must confess that I did shed some tears, that I was leaving a city that taught me what life was. But I had forced promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and those were the miles that I had already covered, and I was going in reverse.

Back to Chennai, the land where I grew up, lived my like a demi-God, in and around Madras Christian College and St. Joseph’s Hr. Sec. School. This demanded an entire change of perspectives – my idea of a road-ride was no longer Banjara Hills, but NH-45. Shopping meant Spencer Plaza and Burma Bazaar and not City Center or GVK. My one-stop movie place is Satyam and not Prasad’s . No more go-karts and no more scenic drive to the airport. No more late-night hangouts and sleepover at my friends’ places. MAD-HYD is distant to me now and so is Google Hyd.

Even then, it feels great to get back to Chennai – no place like home they say. It feels great to dine as a family, and to be back irritating my brother. My friends, who were in school, are now proud employees of multi-nationals. The wave of nostalgia that sweeps my when I get to Koyambedu CMBT, or Chennai Central or East Tambaram, cannot be cached in words. The joy of showing the true colors of my gluttony in a roadside joint in here can never be close to the 7-star buffets.

All this said and done, I miss Hyderabad too. Every branded attire that I wear, the fact that I can understand Hindi movies, pub etiquette, American accent, spiked-up hair, sport shoes, five-star dining, all the things that I have at my home now from Hyderabad, and all the photographs that I have, will continue to remind me of the days that I know for a fact that I will never get back. Hyderabad is not nostalgic for me – it is a class apart, a life apart. If I have to take names to thank, the list can go on, but I wish to conclude with one - God.

I am in a place where I belong to, I am (100 – pi)% happy, with the pi being the Hyderabad factor. It is small when compared to 100 but it is still infinite and special. No one knows how I can compensate for that missing piece in its entirety. Hyderabad was like being in a romantic relationship - heavenly days, treasured moments and a few bittersweet memories. But what to do… I guess I was born single, and born to be single. (Only in this respect, not anything beyond that… )

A Day with my dad!!!

It was Saturday, the twenty-first of July...the long-awaited day had come. My dad was coming to see me in Hyderabad, for the first time. It was seven in the morning. I could not comprehend if time was moving slow or fast. getting into the most proximal auto that I could find, I rushed to the Nampally Hyderabad Deccan, almost an hour before Charminar Express's scheduled arrival time.
Thanks to one of the most resilient attitudes of Indian Railways: 'Never be on Time'. The train arrived twenty minutes late. As the steps of the compartment were caressing the platform, I saw the familiar white-shirt-clad man step out of S8. It was my dad!!!
My joy knew no bounds at that time. I stepped out of the station as proud as a stag! I felt like I was at home after a long, long time. After gulping a quick breakfast, we first went to my new house in Mehdipatnam and I got some eatables which I deem as earthly elixirs.
And then we went to the ChaCha Nehru Park in Masab Tank where we were to spend the next four hours. The rest of Google was in i-max watching harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. But I was with my own Albus Dumbledore. We spent hours talking on things that meant a lot to me.
And for lunch, we strolled through Masab Tank and finally found a hotel. My dad, as usual, had a plate of south Indian meals. And then we headed for Hyderabad Central, the famed and fabled shopping mall of Hyderabad. Though we did nothing useful, we did nothing useless either.
All these were going on and though I am a physics student, I failed to recognize that time was moving. It was time to drop my dad in the railway station. I went with him to the station. I remembered seeing the station in the morning but the things were so different. The day seemed to have moved so fast.
The same train, approaching in the same direction, but triggering a different set of emotions. I knew that what was a reality till then, was going to charge my synapses and become fond memories. (Sometimes it is good to have philosophies. They comfort you when you've answered 1+1=3!!)
My dad got into the train and the train got into linear motion. And the train left the place, and I left the place with steps measured, with memories to treasure, memories to cherish and memories that will never perish!!