Bangalore

After all the trips back and forth were over, I was to travel to Bangalore, the silicon valley of India. It was my 3rd trip, but I have vague memories of my last 2 trips, decade back.

Either way, it was special on several fronts. To start with I was going to meet a person, with whom I've been chatting for a long time. All the but the face was missing in that image developed, with suspense around. Next, I was going to going to stay at my best friends place. It was a long pending invitation and wish.

En-route, I took train from Chennai to Bangalore, after a very long time. It nostalgic. While I've spent years of man-hours in Indian Railways, it was very different to take a 6 hour trip. Walking thro' the crowd in the even-buzzing Central Station brought back all the memories of different trips and mainly running and catching the train. I thought, Central Station for one is one of those places, which is part of almost everybody's( in Chennai at least ) life, but less thought about. Given that, it has seen me from my childhood to till date, was an amazing feeling.

Knocking the door of my friend, early of next morning and opening was my friends long wish - fulfilled :) Weather was wonderful, compared to Chennai and even Delhi. Being in a friends place, where we all got almost nothing to do and to push the day slowly, was a completely different feeling. More so, for my parents.

We all were pampered by the wonderful hospitality of AsHa and I was trying to grapple from where I have to come to what ! As the mysterious feeling of 'something to happen', was sinking in, rest of the plan was going on.

Went to few places around. Did lot of shopping and as the events unfolded - I found my significant other!

The feeling was almost like an action movie, where in the character is being thrown or made run at mach speed, comes to a total stop with a whooshing sound and is looking back to see its all moving without any gravitational force.

Subsequent meetings and conversations were all sinking in me slowly but steadily while reminding me that there has been a change in my life and that's what is in front of me. Tuk, tuk, tuk - wake up, wake up.

When I realized that I have to return back to Chennai, I still wasn't in-sync with my surroundings, was lagging behind. While I was part of several other meetings and conversations and even while travelling back to Chennai, one lingering thought was about this part of me being in a new place, with a different feeling all together. There is no better way to describe it, as I still can't, now.

Then as now, I started to wonder about the phrase "Life is beautiful".