November 4, 2009

Thoughts of Home

Thoughts of home have been haunting me for a few days now. When I say thoughts of home…it is not so much family and friends, it is the thoughts of Bangalore.

The memories of places that I used to frequent, the streets, the people, the markets, the language, the monsoon rains, the restaurants, the food…I can go on and on.

I am visiting Bangalore after 3 years in April and though I am really excited about the visit I am more nervous. I don’t want to witness what I have heard; I don’t want to experience what the others did. I have foolish false hopes of going back to the place and see it like the way I left it. Okay a little change is alright, the changes are okay in the hotspots of the city. But the residential areas still have the town feel right? Oh I so hope it does! I have spoken to A so much about the way things were when we grew up, I have described every single thing in so much detail that with me the poor kid is also going to be in for a shock!

Like for example one of our favorite games that we play is “Tarkari maro aata” (Vegetable selling game). She comes around with a basket of plastic fruits and vegetables and pretends to be a street seller. These guys still come on the roads right?? One of my favorite ones would go screaming “Kotambri, Puddina Karben soppu” with a style that nobody can match! And what about “Kaali bottle shisha paepaaaaar” ?

The other game we play with her is auto game. We take turns pretending to be the auto driver and the other says something like “Barthira Jayanagara”! She is so excited about autos now and is waiting to ride in one.

We have given her descriptions of all our favorite eating joints. And all the heart wishes for is not any of those fancy restaurants that existed then or any of the many new ones that have cropped up now. Okay I am curious to go to those too but not until I go to all the old timer places first and eat the authentic stuff. Maybe I will do a post someday with my list of must eat places when I go to Bangalore.

I last visited Bangalore in March 2007, but with a 3 month old baby, I could not do much. I flew out without stepping on MG Road, it was so bad!!! When I hear about the changes that have happened to that street I so regret not having gone there last time.

So with all these thoughts in my head for the past few days, I have been trying to feel at home by making Canteen style Yellow Pulav, Set dose with Sagu. It is not the same, especially because you don’t get it by just saying the name. Well I should not be complaining so much when there are restaurants here that make “Do-sas”.