Yatra, Zimbly Zouth

My cousin recently hinted that I needed to blog a lot more on my travels than wax eloquent on the state of the nation. S, I'll oblige, quite happily! Work took me to Andhra Pradesh (AP) and Tamil Nadu (TN) last month - yes, yes, I know, *not* the best time. But heat and humidity notwithstanding, it was a very 'warm' visit.

Traveling across India is a fairly unique experience: its at once overwhelming, overcrowded  (for the most part) and at times overbearing. However, what's omnipresent is a sense of genuine hospitality and belonging; right from the humble village lady who offered us a home-cooked meal to the luxury hotel staff who went out of their way to make us comfortable. It didn't matter that I had not visited those regions earlier or that I spoke neither of the local languages...there's a familiarity in the everyday surroundings and happenings: from the ubiquitous chaiwallah to the coconut seller to the barber in his makeshift workspace on the pavement to the utterly unproductive task of a municipal corporation employee sweeping away at a busy street intersection (the Rozgar Yojana on display, if you will) to the numerous street dogs who just know the perfect spot to catch a nap on a hot and dusty afternoon to mothers everywhere hurriedly ferrying their children to the school auto / bus and back home.

Then there's comfort food. As much as I adore my ceviche, injeras, sushi and prosciutto with melon, this I will confess: bad Indian food is still way better than bad food anywhere else. Maybe its the intoxicating aroma of the cooking oil and ghee or the fact that most of us live to eat. Or just the fact that for a vast majority of the population, there is still no substitute to actually cooking a meal from scratch. It unites strangers (picture a roadside dhaba where truckers congregate to break bread after a long day), it brings family together, even provides fodder for budding romance! Even I, who do not normally enjoy a meal of rice, tucked into the Hyderabadi biryani, the bisi bele bhaath and curd rice with gusto on this trip. I suppose, in India, there's comfort in food.

Although we didn't spend much time in either of the metros Hyderabad or Chennai, I liked what little I saw. Hyderabad has a spectacular new airport with a very efficient connector toll road to take you right into the city. For years, most roads in South India have been better than those in other states and the newer highways are built like international roadways. Now if we could only find a way and a reason to clear the filth and garbage at a macro level, our cities would look so much more presentable and would definitely be more 'livable'. Chennai feels like an older city, with a stronger colonial hangover than Hyderabad and quite different from the Rajdhani with its brashness and over-the-top show-and-pomp requirements. In many ways it reminded me of Pune - the traditional stronghold that one senses and sees - mogra gajraas, silk sarees (yes, indeed, even in 40c+ weather), the many old (Anglo) colleges and educational institutions, lots of female drivers on the roads and sadly, horrendous traffic patterns.  Disclaimer: I do not wish to imply that there is any correlation whatsoever between the gender of the driver and the utter lack of traffic structure :-)

I need to write more about my visits to the rural areas in the states...next post on this for sure!