India trip March 2023 - Leaving Georgia

 Jet, set and go. Leaving today on a short trip to India which is going to be a long travel spanning across the seven seas, thirteen rivers spread across multiple continents. Only few hours left before I leave and miles to go before I reach my final destination of Bhubaneswar, Odisha in India 🇮🇳.

This journey is going to be unique, the shortest of the 16 trips I have made so far to India from Coke Land. I am flying at a time when summer is at the doorsteps in Odisha, my home back home. Though I am fully equipped with a paraphernalia of Covid masks, unlike last couple of my visits to India this time no RT-PCR test documents nor mandatory Covid tests. While standing close to the sea on a beach we bear the brunt of the wave when it hits us and relax a bit when we get some breathing time while waiting for the next wave to barge in. Similarly after withstanding series of Covid waves, never knowing when another one will hit, I am going to sneak in between them by making a short trip to my Motherland. It should work fine for me, as I am not planning to do a whole lot of traveling, restricting myself only to Bhubaneswar, the city I grew up with and like one's first love is always close to my heart.

Weather this time of the year may not exactly salubrious, but not too bad either, as lot of times you don't have much of a choice when you embark on a journey on a short notice.
Apart from cricket, arguably it's the weather which unites India at this time of the year. Barring a handful of places on higher altitude like Srinagar, Simla, Bangalore etc, from Ahmedabad to Agartala, Chandigarh to Chennai it is invariably neither too hot, nor too cold this time of the year.

Spring is in the air. Mango trees will be full of BAULA (flowers), a few might be sprouting tiny green fruits. This is the peak season for raw Jackfruit, one of my favorite vegetables available fresh and plentiful. We rarely buy it as most traditional home owners in Bhubaneswar have Jackfruit trees in their compound hanging like tummies of Sumo wrestlers from the tree trunks, producing enough to gift others. The canned Jackfruit imported from Thailand we get here in USA tastes no where closer to the freshly plucked ones in Bhubaneswar.

In life the feeling of apprehensive curiosity in anticipation of an event is much more pleasant than the event itself. Right now I am having the same feeling. It is going to be 17th journey from Coke Land to my Motherland India during more than quarter of a century my stay in USA 🇺🇸. People usually go out of there home on vacation. We Persons of Indian  origin go home on vacation. My friends in America find it a bit odd that we visit our homes on vacation, when they travel away from home for the same. Yet there is so much fun homecoming when you are away from home.

Upon arriving in India, the initial days of jet lag and reverse cultural shock gives way to a lot of attention from friends and relatives, a la an infrequent guest is treated more cordially than a regular one. The shorter the trip, more attention you get. Even if I try not to, I invariably eat like a Pig whatever comes my way, shit like a Bull and end up writing a lot of bullshit blogs. Time is short and finite, engagements are many - way too many things to do, so much food to sample.

Looking forward to this short and sweet trip which will challenge my sweet tooth as I intend on splurging on an array of my favorite Odia sweets which includes but not limited to, CHHENA JHILLI, CHHENA PODA, PAHALA RASAGOLA, RABIDI all very typical of Odisha. The other stuff I love are Cuttack Mixture, freshly baked Naans, numerous Street foods, AVADA, the temple food and much more which I don't get here in the USA. I have made a solemn promise to myself not to touch any Pizza, KFC, Subway, visit Burger King or McDonalds. I found a 2 rupees freshly fried Street side Bara to a Rs.200 burger at a Mall. I don't have plans to visit any Mall in Bhubaneswar having seen the two biggest Malls in America - the Mall of Minneapolis and King of Prussia Mall in Philadelphia. I firmly believe in - Be Roman in Rome, eat Indian in India. Dear Motherland, here I come.