Biju Patnaik Conference Hall, Biju Patnaik University, Biju Patnaik Airport, Biju Patnaik Chhaka (cross roads), numerous Government schemes under Biju Patnaik's name and now talk about renaming the Kalinga Stadium as Biju Patnaik Stadium. Why not rename Odisha as "Biju Kingdom" as the fitting finale !!!
My stay of little less than 3 weeks was filled with fun and many fun filled anecdotes. A lady who I used to address as APA (elder sister) now insists on being addressed as DIDI (as they address elder sister in Hindi). "APA, NA KADALI CHOPA (Banana peel), MOTE DIDI DAAKE (call me Didi)" - she retorted back as I addressed her as APA. I got the message loud and clear. Ekta Kapoor's serials are ckearly having their effect.
Another elderly gentleman whom I have been addressing as MAUSA since time immemorial now insists on being addressed as Uncle instead ever since he switched his attire from Lungi to Shorts. No issues. But the habit of scratching his private parts in public hasn't ceased - be it in Lungi or in Shorts.
When I loaded some Airtel minutes to my local mobile (as cellphones are called here), I was asked to speak out my phone no. Speaking "96688" as nine - six-six-eight-eight" is often frowned upon and not properly understood. You need to pronounce 66 as "Double 6", 88 as "double 8" and so on. Being out of touch with the milieu for a while, it took me a while to figure this out.
Quoting my friend Kulamani Babu, eminent writer R K Laxman sited this reason for him to stay back in India when he had the option to settle abroad - "Where on earth you will find so many wide varieties of characters to write about !!!" He wasn't far from the truth. No place under sun can match India in the richness of flora, fauna, chaos and characters to write about. Often chaos and disorder brings the fun and frolic out of life rather than orderly tidiness.
Last Saturday when I visited the Modern Book Depot bookstore, they ran out of copies of couple of books I was looking for. The owner took my number and called me twice to let me know about those books back in stock. A very prompt and pleasing response by the store owner. The signs of arrogance I saw in him in the 1980s is now passe. It yet reinforces my view that competition is always good for the consumers, monopoly being equally bad.
What's the similarities between a vacation, a consulting assignment and life ? All have a start date and an end date. Like all good things in life a vacation has to come to an end. Before vacation one is rejuvenated and filled with energy. Towards the end of the trip one is jaded, somewhat depressed. There is always an inherently internal wish you had a few more days to spent. Three, four or five weeks, however long you stay it is never enough.
In the wee hours of the trip it's always the endless cycle of last minute shopping, meeting friends and relatives, run errands, packing, weighing, repacking and re-weighing of luggages. Now the time has arrived to bid adieu to my motherland. Good Bye India. See you later.
Very well written as always. Enjoyable read.
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