On a holiday – adventure to round off 2017 – I was exhausted and jaded and ready for the year to be over and done with – until I arrived back in Bangalore, home for so long, and so long ago. I wondered at the changes, and reflected on the astonishing changes I noticed in myself, was it just the feeling of connection, the flavoured spicy air that rolled over you from lighted homes, or was it just nostalgia for the golden ears of our youth?
- Youth and age – the huge majority of people everywhere are young, some of them ridiculously young.
- Families are multigenerational and the oldies are overwhelmingly info and travel savvy – they are caring for grandkids, taking up new hobbies and engaging in social activism on an unprecedented scale.
- The repeated urgings to return to India, not the slightly hostile- why did you come here? The assurances that the hindu supremacy is not a mindset , its expediency.
- The terrible traffic and the significant lack of road rage despite ridiculous travel times.
- There are still vendors coming to your door – veggies and fresh fish that’s cut and cleaned at your gate.
- The home help – so that we don’t have to spend our lives cleaning and polishing.
- Startups are everywhere, and so is investment money for new ventures. Jobs are for the losers.
- Good internet speeds – but then it’s not hard to beat the fifth world NBN, but there are glitches to activate your phone card.
- No birds but crows in the city – that is a loss. The building boom continues apace.
- The terrible air quality – still a haze in the sky despite 4 days of rain.
Some good some bad some surprises!
This was a break from the HImalayan theme!