Salaam Bombay - a brief, bittersweet ode

Certain Uncertainties

Taxes are probably the second greatest certainty in life – death being the most certain – so, I am sure attending the 2014 IFA Congress in Bombay was quite an important event for humanity. But I would like to write about things less certain. Like traffic rules, and sleep in Bombay.

Haider

I was in Bombay for 10 days, 8 of which I spent in a hotel and a fair part of the remaining 2 were consumed by sleep. So I could hardly spend any time with my family and friends.  On Saturday, before I had to leave for the airport, my parents and I watched Haider at a cinema which is only about 7 kilometres away from home. But the traffic on the way back was so bad - the movie ended at 19:00 and we arrived home only at 21:00 - that gave us a scare that I might not make it to the airport in time. But the movie was so good that it was worth running that risk! 

From Stockholm

Stockholm Syndrome

I am generally very fond of summers, but this year has been exceptionally good, thanks to the number of windows in my apartment. The attic is my bedroom and it has two slant roof windows, one facing east and the other west. And I never draw the curtains. So, I was filled with childlike enthusiasm on the eve of the summer solstice this year. I had had a rather long day at work, but could not sleep – I was very curious to see when the last ray of the Sun disappears. It was at about 00:40. My curiosity about how long it would be before sunrise got the better of my sleep. The first sunrays appeared at about 03:15. I could finally get some sleep, but only for about two hours. The adrenalin kept me in good spirits the next day nonetheless.

The trouble however is that adrenalin takes you only so far. I sleep so little during the summers that by August, I tend to get cranky. Last year, I suffered a minor burnout and slept over 120 hours in the first week of my holidays! Somehow, I still do not draw the curtains, and Joline actually wears a sleeping mask when she sleeps over.

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Finally at Maria’s

My friend Maria had invited me to visit her since 2010, when I first arrived in Europe, but I did not have enough money to make the trip. Four year since, I finally have enough time and some money to travel. So here I am in Stockholm.

Mishti

Early this morning I woke up with a feeling that it was going to rain. It may seem odd to people from this part of the world, but I woke up with a smile. The feeling was exacerbated as I stepped out of the building on my way to work. The skies were clear – usually a rarity here – as they had been for several weeks now. But I had a feeling that it was going to rain. And it made me smile.