Like so many expats, India is my home but mostly in an emotional sense now. It's where I go back to see family, friends, familiar places; where memories live, as do a whole host of sentimental tugs.
While a large part of the agenda on my annual visits is eat and meet (not in that order, though - the other way round didn't have quite the ring), with generous doses of shopping thrown in, there are a bunch of things I totally love doing.
Here are a few of my favorites:
Cuisine fusion - to a true-blue desi like me nobody cooks like Indians do. While food has always been a religion with us, the growing international flavors only make me crave the fare with fervor enough to put a jihadi to shame. Not being partial by nature, I tasted Baluchi, Chinese, Pizza, well pretty much everything. And sure, my Dahi Kababs were rich with flavor, I actually had some truly amazing Pasta in Delhi.
Watch the top TV serial/ soap - or last an episode or two at any rate. Oh, what emotions those stir, especially amongst the women. For full effect, sit through a 'frothy' discussion - insightful! And heaven forbid you call anyone between the evening hours of 7 and 8. Of course, there are reruns the next day, but a lot of ladies watch those too.
Check out the bestsellers at Connaught Place - You'll know what's moving the folks these days and find the old staples, even if the prints are not collector quality. I actually discovered Robin Sharma on a dusty pavement years ago. It was hundred rupees well spent.
Hit the malls and popular markets - and not just to shop; Malls are the new social milieu. Plus one does need to keep up with the trends. Because in urban India, fashions don't just change anymore. They explode into existence; and just as easily taper off. Keeping up with the Joneses or Jains, as it happens, is a whole new ask.
Binge on street food - who needs restaurants! Well, that's only a rhetoric. The point here is that the neighborhood eats are as good as ever. A vendor next door makes crisp Vadas, another churns out superb moong-dal pakoris. Hot jalebis are a perennial favorite. And I do a happy jig when the fella tells me that the jal-jeera is made from 'pure Bisleri' water.
Cricket - the one source of excitement you can always count on. I was in Delhi a few years back when India won the T20 World Cup. It took all of 15 seconds after the last ball for the fireworks to start in the neighborhood. For a match, mind you, that went right down to the wire.
Read filmy masala and Page 3s - true, there's stuff online too, but nothing like watching the celeb dramas unfold on desi soil. It might not be the Enquirer yet, but the day is not far in the future.
FM Radio surfing - no way you can miss which songs and issues are top of mind for everyone - they will play only 15-20 times a day. Or tune into one of the late-night dial-in shows that dispense advice on what else, matters of the heart. Paraphrasing here, but really, one man's misery is another's bag of chuckles.
Tales of the Maids - out here in the Americas, few can claim the privilege of domestic help. Turns out that things are not all that different there. If you're among the lucky few, the help is regular, even honest. If not, it's wonderful to see how people compete with relish on whose maid woes are the worst.
All this and so much more. Shallow, I know. There is a lot going on in India that is serious and insightful. But another post for that, methinks.
Hang in there, while I rediscover my version of the new, happening India, one layer at a time.