Anshu + Marriage + Orissa + ...............................

While coming back from Anshu's wedding, we took a flight from Bhuvneshwer. Flight was at 10:40 AM. Now reaching airport is a pain as it takes 6-7 hours from Sambhalpur . We got a cab and started by 12:30. Punit was not in best of his health and his tummy was responding back to his gulping of countless samosas on the way to sambhalpur. Me and Ravi decided to sit next to driver alternatively, to keep him awake. I sat next to our man and exhausted all my possible list of topics to talk to him. last line of every answer would be "this is a maoist area". Though, We did not have any intention to scare maoists :-) , we were concerned for their problems. It was most boring journey, I was trying to keep myself awake and managed till early morning. Whole trip was like a flashback in my mind " train to jhasguda, playing cards, eating countless samosas, then playing again, sleeping, typical train journey, way to sambhalpur, anshu his family all rituals, a short trip to hirakund dam, dancing in the baraat, sudeepta and a loads of other things.

Morning their was a road strike and it was important for us to reach airport before 7 and we reached without any untoward incident. One thing we all wondered is the list of people not requiring security check. This list had a name of Robert Vadera. I do not understand who the hell he is to have that privilege. Ravi captured it well.

One incident I can't forget. I ordered water and the waiter got butter to our room. We had a good laugh over it. Many short stories of that trip in my mind, Some other time.

We were very careful in not calling him Anshu. Once, one of my friend called up Pankaj Lal. His dad picked up and this guy said" Uncle, Lal se baat karni hai" and uncle replied " Beta humare yahan sab lal hi hain kiss lal se baat karni hai :-)"

Ravi had a different perception of Orissa. He had seen a lot of oriyya workers in Surat textile mills. So he thought of Orissa as a very very backward place. while it is not that backward as the perception of Indians are. Only thing i can say is that we think in extremes most of the times. I would say that people migrate for better opportunities but it does not mean that they do not have opportunity at home at all. It is a choice they make and they pay a price for it.