I love that every second person on the street is a walking map quest
I love that the traffic cop round the corner let me off two days in a row for not wearing the helmet after checking the empty contents of my wallet
I love it when my mom cribs about my neighbors not returning her utensils
I love it when mommy makes sure she sends over the every bowl of new dish she tries out to my neighbors
I love it when my mom tells my maid she’s gonna cut her money for the days she doesn’t show up for work
I love it when she makes she adds a Diwali bonus on top of the complete maid's salary at the end of the month
I love that my neighbor’s kid spends more time in my house than his own
I love that everyone on my floor in my apartments is like one big family
I love it that everyone waves back to school kids waving from their school buses
I love it when every second car I ask a lift from stops over readily (even more when the driver is a pretty female)
I love that I can always run next door to ask for curd or salt or sugar with a small bowl in my hand
I love it that I’ve never missed a day of school the days I missed the bus and my dad was on tour thanks to my neighbors
I love that the owner of the house whose window panes we broke the previous day is playing cricket with us the next day
I love it that I have no idea how many friends of mine are Hindus, Muslims, Christians or Sikhs
I love it when I see crowds in the stadium give a rival team a standing ovation during their victory lap after a cricket match
I love it that the poor water vendor makes sure he gives out a free glass of water to the street side beggar
I love when the neighborhood ruffian makes sure he gives extra breathing room for the old lady standing by him in a crowded bus
I love it when a critical accident victim doesn’t always have to depend on the blood bank for a bottle of blood to live
I love it when I see this pony tailed guy with 6 piercings bends down to touch his elderly’s feet at the airport
I love it when the neighborhood toughie stand in a corner and feed stray dogs biscuits when no one’s watching
I love that I don’t need stupid excuses like thanksgiving and Christmas to get together and meet up with my family
I love it that even at 2 in the night standing alone in the middle of a lonely alley I feel at HOME
This post is inspired by all the above and a million other reasons which make India the best country in the world and Delhi the best place to be in the world, Pointy's latest post, all the emotions that come to the surface whenever I listen to 'Ye Jo Des Hai Tera' and the sickness that needs to be classified as the most communicable and fastest spreading one - homesickness.
34 comments:
That was a very touching post and I couldn't agree with you more about India being the best country in the world. Hope you find a cure for your sickness :)
Umm... can i say Bombay is the best city in the world..??
Okok..your blog.. whatever you say. ;)
Hehe. Delhi is nice too.. But me being a complete bombayite, i just can't see any other city (other than Bombay) take the title of being the 'Best city in the world'. ;)
Anyways, really nice post. Had written one with the same title. Will post it up sometime later. And i am also SO hooked to that song these days. Theres always a lump in my throat whenever i hear that song! The lyrics are simply amazing! :)
Awww... you make me wanna cry :(
I'm already down with the homesickness virus, dont make it any worse :(
Okay, can I make some additions?
I love it when I read blog posts about India and how we miss it.
I love it when it makes me smile and cry at the same time.
I love it when I can connect to people all over the world, because I share my Indianness with them. :)
I love it when its X degrees outside and you still feel cold... oops, that's a different movie now, isnt it :D
On a lighter note, Pointy's post was inspired by mine, so to some extent, I can lay claim on yours too? ;)
Really cool! Makes me really senti too :( . I wouldnt definately put down the instances now!I will make comeback later in life.And, the challenge is still on.You can't back out of it NOW!
:p
aww rohan that was really really nice...
I love it when I can still identify with everything you've said, despite having not living in India at all
I think this is universal..(of course, of course, i have no doubt that delhi is still the best :P)
Chin up rohan! watch lotsa cricket, eat some yummy butter chicken and play desi music over and over again =D and yea...CALL YOUR PARENTS to say 'hellooo!'
I think Hari should have read this post before heading WEST...he might have second thoughts then...
@CASA..As I had already mentioned, I had thought of my post even b4 u came up with urs...it was coincidence not inspiration.....so the transitive property holds no good in this case :))
awesome post rohan!
a tribute to being desi!
and without wanting to get into a debate, i'd say i can safely translate all those reasons for my home too!
so its about desi values!
Then go home...why do you continue to stay here?
Thanksgiving and Christmas are not stupid excuses. You could love your country all you want but do not belittle other people's sentiments who do celebrate these days with as much passion as you would...say for Diwali.
Pointy, I was just pulling Rohan's leg, and you had to come to his defense :p
Oh cmon!! I guess I can only look to Totti to back me up on these battles. Hmph!
Rohan, my hands are itching to reply to Mr.Anon here, but I think I should ask for your permission first ;)
Rohan, my hands are itching too, to reply to Mr. Anon here. But i guess i shall do that after Casa gets permission from you and she writes something. ;)
Confession corner: That's very easil the most emotionally draining post that i've written for a while. Its very arare that ideas keep popping up in my mind faster than I could type, Idndia does have that habit of doing that to me. Also one other person person who i havent mentioned on the blog was also responsible for the post because he mentioned Delhi as being a soul less city (I am sure he has his own reasons )and that post actually was a result of my trying to think of how much more wrong he could be :)
@aditi Thnx, hopefully we all agree on that
@medha It has always been and will be Delhi for me (but you can take Bombay as long as we agree upon india being the best country) :)
@Casablanca You wouldnt be the first one who almost cried over this post :), I'll let the Anu Maliks of the blogosphere to decide between yourself as to wh inspired who ;)
@totti Forget the challenge man, I am more than overjoyed that this blog connected with you :)
@mahima Thnx (u get zillion brownie points for backing up the delhi bit), great tips will do
@Pointy Its never too late to head home man I think (oping Hari = Harikrishna)
@Khizzy Beautifully put, i couldnt have said it any better :)
@Anonymous Well there are reasons beyond my control that I dont think necessary to explain to someone who doesnt even take pride in his/her name let alone his/her country
@anonymous I hope you understand that I have seen both festivals being celebrated in both countries and am better placed than you to compare the two. I have actually seen countless number of college going kids here cribbing that have to go back and 'bear' a weekend with their parents just because its thanksgiving. I know i am painting a broad picture and there may be exceptions. Also please accept my apologies for calling the thannksgiving and Christmas stupid, that was definitely not in the right spirit of the two festivals
@Casablanca hahahah u wage a lone battle for a lost cause :) (totti for support is laughable indeed)
@medha and casa
You are welcome to reply to Anon's comments, make sure that whatever you say is civil because this is no prankster just getting his/her kicks out of this. However a healthy debate is always appreciated.
Awww! This post makes me soo senti though I am sitting at home right now. :-)
i think anon should just go suck on an egg, instead of being a wuss and posting anonymously.
thanks for the pearl of wisdom anon. now kindly f.o.
Rohan & others,
Ohh.. dont cry people.
*passes a handkerchief*
Rohan,
Yes read that post too about Delhi being a soulless city, and I believe that such things could happen in other cities too. You cant let that be the identity of the city.
Also apologies for this comment, which might be really long.
Pointy, Totti,
Okay, no wars, no battles, no Anu Maliks. I'll live with fairytales for the time being ;)
Anonymous,
Firstly, I respect your anonymity - its your choice.
Secondly, life isnt about absolutes. The reason a person chooses to stay in a particular city or country, is a complex mix of decisions and considerations. Just because you then miss your previous country or city, doesnt mean you hate this place. It doesnt mean that you have to leave and go. There is no utopia in this world (none that I have seen)... and we have the right to take an objective or subjective view of our environment.
There is something called 'belonging', which is a very strong emotion among Indians atleast. Right or wrong, I dont know. But just because you might not understand this emotion, you dont have to mock it.
As for the festivities, they are definitely not stupid (I guess Rohan has also apologised for that). But what is weird is when you mean an excuse for a family reunion. In India atleast, we dont have to wait for festivities to have a family gathering... I guess the family ties are much stronger there, that's all. Again no right no wrong... just cultures and their differences. And our right to choose a bit of both worlds.
Ok i wont say anything more. Casa has put in everything beautifully. Exactly my feelings and what i wanted to say. :)
Very moving post!
I have only been in India once for a couple of weeks, but i can agree with a lot you say. People respect each other more, helping each other out, not always, but generally more then i have ever expirienced here (Germany).
I am trying hard to make my come-back to India and stay for a while!
Beautiful....that's the way I feel too about India. I've never lived in Delhi but I feel the same way about the city I grew up in. Loved it!
@janani Thnx celebrate the fact that you are never too far from home then :)
@mahi I hope anon gets your point, he/she (ok ok he if u insist) gets ur point, couldnt miss it even if he/she wanted to :)
@Casablanca You jumped the gun, who said I was crying :)
An dyou needed permission from me to write that bit, its just a collection of very true facts :), thanks for echoing my sentiments nonetheless
@Medha Happy you think likewise
@jemgal Danke schon (damn how can I get the umlaut on that 'o' :) ), I am sure you will not regret ur decision whenever you decide to drop by India again :)
@M Thnk u, I am sure you identify with a lot of things said in that post which are more quitessentially Indian rather than indicative of any particular city I guess :)
This is the first time, i have gone through all the comments.It is like strong current flowing all around.I have goosebumps! may be it is the song too!! Words of wisdom, pointless points(just pointy)!!
@totti Its weird but I have to tell you that I could feel that current even as as I sat typing out the first few lines on this post
Actually I feel really good reading all this, since I made up my mind to work back in India.. happily for ever...:))
A good post Rohan! Really moving one.
@Susu I shall catch you in a bylane of India playing cricket (or football :) ) sometime soon ;)
@Jinguchakka Thnx and something tells me you are still around in States :)
Yes, very touching post indeed. I miss India sooo much :-( It's that indescribable feeling of 'belonging' (borrowed from Casa's explanation) even if it is just for the "atmosphere". There's a 'pull' we feel for our 'being home' whereever we may be in the world. (I wonder if 'everyone' who leaves India feels that way, but I know I am certainly not alone)
I feel the world is my home... why just India?
@harshi thanks and of course you are certainly not alone in thinking that ways
@conman Guess coz home is where your heart is :)
yes, :-)) I am still here.
@Docs Dope Thnx a lot man, shall be back to Swades all in the right time I guess
@Jinguchakka Thought so, I hope you will appreciate being home a lot more after this brief dash away from it
u seem to be homesick...catch the next flight to India :)
I agree Rohan. That is what ties us all together, the quintessential Indian-ness. And I love it. Thanks for this brilliant post. Read it again and it made me feel warm inside. Yet again!
@Swathi Trust me I cant wait for that too :)
@M Thnx again
Though always a mumbaiyya - this post touched my heart! I miss it so much!
@shareen Thnk u hoping you get to be back in your 'happy place' soon enough and keep visiting
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