Bombay, India
April 5th- 11th , 2007

I had planned this trip for about a month. I have 2 days of Easter break, and I have taken 3 days off from school, to be able to go to India. I figured I haven’t visited my family since a year, my brother and his family would be in Bombay at that time as well, so I could meet with them too (They live in Kuala Lumpur). Besides I have yet to meet my 2.5 month old nephew Keshav, so even if this trip is only for 5 days it would be worth it - And it was.

My first day in Bombay, I spent almost all day at home. It was a full house, what with my mom, my brothers family, my sister in laws mother and I - all 7 of us in one apartment and all of them had just arrived the night before. So the day was filled with excitement catching up with all, and of course seeing Keshav (who is so adorable) and my niece Anchal. (Photo 1: Keshav and Anchal) In the evening my friend Vrinda stopped by. After dinner Vrinda, her husband Kartik and I went to a movie: Namastey London. An 11pm to 2am show. The movie sucked, but I still had a good time. There is something about watching Bollywood movies with my friends - regardless of how pathetic they are we always end up having a good time. Vrinda, do you remember Jo bole so nihaal.. :) ?

The next day, I had a haircut appointment. I can’t tell you all how much I was looking forward to this haircut. One thing I am paranoid about, is having a haircut. The only place that I have been happy with a haircut has been at Juice or Bi Blunt, both in Bombay. I usually avoid a cut (except for occasional trims) until I get to India. As always, I was thrilled with my new cut. It looks so different from my typical straight hair. I now have lots of layers and have still managed to keep it long. I think it looks great.

That evening, I had an engagement party to attend. My cousin Ajay was getting engaged to his girlfriend Ami. Yes, in India we have engagement parties. We have parties for everything, and it is always a big affair. This one had about 300 people attend. I enjoyed the party but hated the drive to the reception hall. It took us 2.5hrs to drive one way from my house to this place. With 7 of us, decked up in Saris and formal wear and cramped in an SUV. How I hate the traffic in Bombay. It just seems to be getting worse each year. Anyways once we got there; it was really nice to be able to meet most of my relatives and family friends. Typically in my short visits to India, it is hard to get to meet everyone; hence these types of events are great for me. In one evening I met people who I probably would not have met for a long time. (Photo 2: Me, with the engaged couple; my cousin Ajay and his fiance Ami)

On Sunday, I stayed at home all day. My brother left for Malaysia that evening. (Photo 3: My brother Shreelal and sis in law Hema) On Monday, I traveled to Bandra (a suburb in Bombay) to shop. There are 2 stores there that I like. It is not too far from where I live (only about 10km) however it typically takes 45min to an hour to get there. The shopping trip makes it worthwhile. I bought some summer clothes as I will need it in Europe now that spring is here. On the way back home, I stopped by to visit my uncle’s family and cousins. That evening I caught up with my friends in a coffee shop.

My friends are really something else. We have known each other since 1988, our first year at Sydenham College (FYJC). While three of them live in Bombay, they are so caught up in their lives that they do not have time to meet each other. Yet when I get to Bombay, we somehow manage to have a reunion. All these girls have computers but are plain lazy to write emails. (Ok they may have other reasons, but personally I think it is all excuses). In any case, in spite of not being in touch for a year at a time, it is amazing how we can just pick up things from where we left off the previous year. I have so many fond memories of my college days at Sydenham. It is amazing to see the changes in each of us since the college days:

There is Vrinda, who hasn’t actually changed much. She looks more and more gorgeous each time I see her. I guess hobnobbing with the Bollywood stars and models rubs off. She works in Event management and has managed shows like the Filmfare awards and Miss India, Fashion shows etc..

Then there is Radhika. A girl who did a complete turnaround from her first year of college to now. She was “Miss Popular” in college. Gorgeous, friendly, loud and spunky she definitely caught everyone’s attention in college. Now she acts so mature – well I guess she would after all she is a lawyer by profession.

And Sunita: who actually has changed a lot too over the years. She is the shy and quiet one (or that’s what it seems in the beginning) but once you get to know her, she has a sharp wit and a great sense of humor. I used to tease her when she got her first job that she would not last there for more than 6 months. I have to eat my words – it has been 10 years, and she is still with the same company handling real estate work.

These are the girls I met in Bombay. (Photo 5: With Sunita, Vrinda and Radhi). The rest of the group consists of : Usha who lives in Surat India and Monica who lives in Hong Kong. Shiraz is another friend who lives in Bombay but I haven’t been able to meet her as often. I don’t want to get started with my “Sydenham days” stories – If I start it will take me a long time to complete this blog. All I can say is that they were the best years of my life.

Tuesday, the entire day just flew by. I had crammed in so many appointments that day, it took all day to finish. A dentists appointment (Going to a Doctor in India is so much cheaper), followed by all the girlie grooming appointments (facial, manicure, pedicure, hair coloring) by the time I returned home it was 7pm. I still had to pack for my trip back to Germany. I had to leave for the airport at 4am the following day. So that night, I packed and then spent my last night at home with my mother, Hema; my sister in law and my niece Anchal and nephew Keshav.