And the wheels roll down.

Day 1: IGI touchdown – Check;
Day 2: PVR Saket Anupam Market – Check.

“The minute you land in India, you get this overwhelming blast of shit smell right up your nose.” - Russell Peters

I could never understand my fascination with the IGI Airport. Watching crowds of people appearing from the gate, brimming with pride, flashing their chests branded with international labels – a dazzling emanation from their glowing faces.
There had always been an indescribable overwhelming articulation that I’ve shared with every other person exiting from that gate, until I saw myself stepping out of it; a moment which is unlike any other, to be honest. Could be because it was the first time I went through the experience of returning from a foreign land, back to my old hut. And yes, the “invisible crown of glory”; sans the shift from a place where people offer politeness and generous “sorry” at practically the most unneeded causes, to a place where the immigration authority eye you because you didn’t fill up a form, it’s always a welcoming pleasure to return to the place that hatched you.
While walking through the corridor connecting the airbus to the immigration counter, I was bathing in an obvious sense of momentous pride. Frankly, I couldn’t get my head around the reasons for it, but walking down the immigration booth held a charm in itself.
Driving through the lanes that you may or may not have missed in the last 7 months is definitely nostalgic. However, it gets worse when the 7 month stay in a foreign land gets the better of you.
Contextually, it was Cardiff v/s Delhi. There are certain things that people just get used to living in the UK. And I’m not talking about the usual cleanliness, or the ‘spick and spank’ labeled roads, or even the deliberate impersonation of the western accent, but tiny things yet all the more worth consideration.
So on the first day I touched Delhi, I went to the local Malviya Nagar market to get myself a new number. As it turns out, I needed an ID along with it; apparently SIM cards aren’t free here. Having taken my passport, a couple of passport sized passports along and 200 bucks in my pocket (which is nearly 2.85 pounds), I merrily went to the market to firstly get my passport Xeroxed. Being conditioned to shopping in a land where the retailer hands over the change regardless of whatever denomination you present him with, it only dawned on me that a Xerox, which would cost me 2 bucks, is not feasible if I’m carrying two hundreds. Yes, it isn’t feasible. Reason – change has always remained a problem in Delhi.
A shopkeeper will not entertain you if all you want is a service of a couple of grains, while you’ve built a castle in your pockets. And what happened was the long walk back to the pavilion.
(By the way, parents: Your children may have spent 21 years in their homeland, but seriously, you expect your children to remember which switch connects to the light and which one to the fan after they’ve spent 7 months abroad? They wouldn’t have had separate geysers over there, nor were they accustomed to air conditioners, so don’t frown if you notice your expected picture perfect Indianness shackled along the edges.)
However, it wasn’t all sad, to say the least. A stroll through the Malviya Nagar market, Gol Chakar (a roundabout/starting point from the buses), Khirki Village, leading to PVR Saket Anupam Market was a sweet cherry on a bitter cake. PVR Saket, known primarily because of its movie theatre, along with the range of restaurants, music stations and ice cream parlours, was a treat to revisit. School kids rampaged the spot, to feed themselves with a breather after ending their board examination stint; couples hung out at the far end of the Bennigan’s lane, some holding hands in secrecy, the others looking for the perfect time to squeeze in a smooch; while the rest, like me, sauntering aimlessly.
Recuperating from jet lags, adjusting the stomach to a proper home cooked meal and the unending dog-barks seemed to be the flavours that I hoped would only get lost in time. But as they say, certain things are just meant to be unleashed into the air. Blah.