Vacationing at home!

The two and a half months spent here in India is like ambrosia to my soul (me? over exaggerating?? Nah!!!!!!!). I think that is why I hate so much to come back from Japan. Someone
said that even if you are used to being alone, when you have company and friends around you for a while, it takes time to adjust to solitude again. I feel coming home is such a delicious treat to
my soul, going back to a land of yet-to-be-made friends is a bit daunting.

A quick summary of all that I've been upto in the last few weeks. I was swept of my feet when I
landed here by the amount of things that had to be done. A (very) energetic 4 year old who loved
attention, Mummy kept on her feet by our constant demands and of course Akka who needed special care in her ninth month of pregnancy. Dad was relieved to hand over taking care of Surya to me. I am really thankful for those special days we two had because I got to spend a lot of time
pampering, cuddling and spoiling Surya perfectly to my heart's content! (For the record, I am the youngest on my Mom's side of the family - so I have not had a fair chance at learning about how to handle kids younger than me. This time, it was a whole new, bewildering but thoroughly
enjoyable experience with Surya! At least now I know how to handle Sanath!!).

Akka had to stay after the pregnancy for a few more days in the hospital - which meant that Dad
and I took care of home while amma and Machan took care of akka. It was bit of a tense time - but Surya left no time for me to think as I had to make sure each day of his stay without his mother was so wonderful that he would not miss his parents. We had SO much fun! Blowing bubbles with the Jap bubble solution, eating many chocolates (didn't I say I spoilt him then?!) playing Mario (you won't believe how good the kid is at the game!) and teaching him to play games and ringtones on my cellphone - and not to forget giving him baths! We used to have loud water battles with those little toys you get to squeeze out water at someone. It was fun! Apart from that, I did take care of home and whatever was needed for the hospital along with evening visits to see Akka. Then akka came home - and I got to meet Pavi, Sushi and Radhiks! It was bliss supreme :-)))))))).The laughs and stories we shared were gems to treasure for the rest of my life. In between was Surya's unforgettable dance performance at his school here on Independence day! He took the lead with a little tri-colour flag in his hand - he wowed the audience and floored us all with his brilliant dance moves.

Thilak decided all of a sudden to come to India. So off I went on a whirlwind tour (literally)
of South Tamil Nadu. First Tuticorin, then to Rameshwaram on a tour cum temple visit with
Thilak's maternal relatives. To round off the list, I visited Sushindram, Vembar and Aachi's
place along with Thilak's relatives the weekend I left! Phew!

Our visit to Rameshwaram was spectacular - I loved standing on Pamban bridge - one side is of
course the railway tracks that run in the middle of the Bay of Bengal and the other where
Rameshwaram and Dhanushkodi can be seen. The winds there are so strong they have to be felt to be believed - strong, fierce, proud, daring people to stand and feel their fury! I think Thilak and I enjoyed this part the best. For me, it reminded me of my home of 1 month in Yokohoma which I will not be going back to now. Despite all my fears of global warming and tsunamis ( :-p ), I loved the sea breezes - both in Japan and in India. Watching the sun rise over the sea the
morning we were there, I felt reverence for a place that had felt and born the footprints of one
of the greatest, perfect Divine Men that we have known. I remember stepping into the cool water, marvelling at the clearness of the water, the gentleness with which the waves caress and ripple around my ankles as I lifted my hands and prayed.

It was after a long time, Thilak, Shree and I were all together at home in Tuty. So we had quiet
fun together, enjoying each other's company immensely.

I came back to B'lore a day before Sanath's naming ceremony and had the pleasure of spending some quality time at home (with a few hiccups neverthless) with Mom, Dad, Machan, Akka, Surya, Sanath and Thilak all at once (sort of the same like at Tuty. The naming ceremony was a huge success - and I was the unofficial photographer of the event. And no need to say, I am a proper shutterbug!! Praveena anni, Mukunthan anna, Rajan anna, Raji akka, Ravi anna, Dad's relatives all made it an event to remember (I am looking forward to Rajan anna's visit to Japan in Jan when I might actually get to meet him!). I got meet some of my cousins too on the Dad's side - Vijayaarunachalam chithappa, Kalpana chithi, Rani athai, Ezhil, Nirubha anni and Ashok anna (anna and anni spent a whole day later with us - and it was fun! I must say I liked anni a lot - she came across as a very sincere person with a big heart!).

Thilak left that weekend ( I half contemplated going back with him - and then thought - why waste a precious 180 day ticket [evil grin here!!]). So I stayed back.

I think this part of the stay was the best part because I got to volunteer for PPM and met
Acharya Herme at the H. Chancery. It was a wonderful time to remember.

Then off to Tuty again - it was SO hot that it took a lot of juices, coconut water and plenty of
time under a fan to keep my body cool!! Even then mosquitoes were a torture!! I lived with a
constant layer of Odomos on me (PS : the new gel is awesome and smells pleasant compared to the old paste!:-)). Atahi and I had a good time talking and we spent most of the time at home.
My return to B'lore was followed by a week long cold (I had stomach pain the time before that - I
was worried I couldn't work for Sanath's naming ceremony with the aweful ache - but we did manage to do a good job despite everything!). I had a day's trip to Atheetha Ashram at the peak of my cold - but returning home to Swamiji did me wonders and a few hours there put me back on the road to recovery. Initially it was planned that I would spend at least a week there - but regretably, Maaji put it off as impossible this time at the last minute. Though I was initially disappointed, Mom more than made up for it suggesting a fast at home with silence for 5 days. I made it to 4 days - and this brief rest has done wonders for my soul.

I am back to slogging at my Japanese today. We had a quiet celebration at home for Dasara
yesterday (Vijayadasami) and the day before (Saraswati puja). And this is the end of my rather
long narration!! Actually, when I look back on my old posts, as I go through them, I see that
they contain a rather accurate details of all that I felt and did back then. Who knows - maybe
two to ten years from now, when I look back through this post, I will relive in my memory again
all the wonderful events this vacation has been a sum of to me!!