Bangalore - my second home

I have spent time away from Chennai,  some on holidays and others for longer periods due  to relocations during my working life.
 First time away from chennai was to Vijayawada to my chitappa's house.That was my high school days.Next was holiday with a friend in her house in Hyderabad(yes this was our idea of holiday!) This was soon after my degree exams. Again in Mumbai for a month on a holiday with a friend(yes in her sister's house!).This followed soon after my Hyderabad trip.

It was then the real time away from home began when I had to go to Ahmedabad as part of a month long induction training in the bank I had joined,.No hostel facility, so stayed with a friend in their house.The friend was actually my dad's friend. See it keeps getting better!

The real breakaway came when I was away and staying in a hostel in Mumbai(Bombay then) as part of a year long training programme of the insurance company that I had joined. This was for a six month period. A more exciting period followed, where we were posted to Jullundur and we had to find our own accomodation. Real challenge and unlimited excitement. We also had our stipend to blow!We spent a glorious six months there and then the posting came to Nagpur.

Our working life began in our quarters the company allotted in Sitabaldi area, Nagpur.It lasted a little over a year and then a change to Pune as I had to relocate due to marriage. A husband and a son later, we moved bag and baggage after over 3 years to Madras. Family was getting incremented  and we wanted to be near our parents for the support package. A daughter and seven years later it was Ajmer that we marched out to. It was a short stint of a year and a half (but many a time it appeared as though our legs had grown roots there and we were there for ever and ever).

A long long stay in Chennai for over 16 years when the kids finished school and went away to different places for their undergrad studies.

And then  a decision to opt for  voluntary retirement  was taken and also decided to move to Bangalore as my son was taking up employment there. Set up house there and spent a relaxed and enjoyable 5 years in Bangalore. No work, did lot of socialising with the other apartment residents. It was a veritable mini India.Yes, IT had done the trick to bring people from every single state in the country.

We did a lot of travel, though a lot of it was to and fro to Chennai. We went to  Hogenakal, Bandipur , Mysore, Belur, Halebid, Sravanabelgola, Sringeri, Udupi, Mangalore, melkote, shivasamudram falls, We did a lot of driving around Bangalore to spots like Ramanagaram, Nandi hills and any number of non tourist places.The weather was a big plus and we made the most of it.Our travel was with an assortment of companions. We  travelled as a family, with  old friends and their families, and also with new friends and their families!

There would be very few areas in bangalore that our i20 car has not set its tyres on. We had our gps to guide us out of many tight spots when we had lost our way totally and did not want to step out into the rain to ask for directions in a language not readily understood by the bangaloreans. We had gone to the big and small malls that were mushrooming across the city and had roaring adventure making in and out of the non standard underground parking lots.(the slopes were deadly and the weird turnings were unimaginable)

I had celebrated festivals and national holidays with a fervour I had not felt all these years. Community life was a new thing for me and I dived into it with full gusto like a new convert.

A year or so earlier we came back to Chennai, but the bangalore establishment was left in tact. I was caught up with other role plays and could not have even a sneak peak to Bangalore.

Finally managed to squeeze in a four day trip last week. The place is being decenly maintained by my friend there, so we were not greeted with cobwebs and cockroaches. Just entering our house after such a long time, brought back lots of emotions.It became a flood and I hurriedly went to my friend's place and had a good session with their kid, who is totally unrecognisable now. He was flat on his back then and I used to egg him to turn over. Now he is ERECT and walking and running around and his mom is casually talking to me when he is running .He is so stable. He talks atleast five different languages that I could make out.His sleeping time used to be a nightmare(his mother has actually forgotten the dog days!) and he used to scream the roof down. Now he is a tiny kid still, but very very manageable and enjoyable.What a change!

Managed to take my friend out for a movie.Yes, we had been planning for it for atleast a couple of years down the road. It was 'Minions. A 3D animation movie. Juniors first movie theatre experience and he was glued to the screen with his 3D glasses. He stayed still for over an hour and that was a big bonus. S also managed to watch his first 3D animation movie. There is a small 60 years difference between S and the kid!

I went to visit a friend and caught up with our life happenings sitting in the shade of a huge jack fruit tree in a temple complex, just off Gandhi bazaar.It was so peaceful and unbelievably quiet just so near a bustling street.

Independence day celebrations had a variety entertainment programme in the evening in our complex. I used to love the Ganpati celebrations there stretching to a little over ten days each year. I was not sure I would be able to be there this time, so I was happy that I could get to meet many of my friends in that programme. I said IT , so you can guess, it is a young crowd with lots of tiny tots and their pitter patter. Kids  in fancy dress and their mothers in gorgeous outfits were a good treat for the eyes. Garbage segregations was the theme, so a very good presentation was got up and a little older kids were eager participants.A welcome community dinner, where the early birds got lots of crisp dosas and the late commers had to be content with very healthy idlis!

We were greedy and wanted to squeeze in a bahubali movie timeout, but that did not happen. But we did manage a lunch in a very authentic and ethnic restaurant. Enjoyed the food there. Our friend's kid was  happy to grab a handful of blue metal( which was strewn and made up for ethnic floor) and started to throw them merrrily. It was then time to leave, but not before a delicious and filling lassi served up in mutkas.

The weather was great, had very good rains on one of the days. We could go out any time of the day and not have the scorching sun, beating down on you.

Time to leave for Chennai. Heavy heart no doubt, but we will come more often.
It is after all my second home. Five years is the longest time I have spent away from chennai.
 So Sayonara Bangalore.