Come to think of it, I have always hated travelling by share autos. Right from my college days when the share autos started becoming popular, it was never my preferred mode of transport since it meant sitting squeezed next to strangers. Later on, with the introduction of those white Tata Magic share autos, there was a lot more space, the vehicles themselves were in a much better condition and the rides were much more better. The few times I travelled so far were only during off-peak hours.

The last week saw me taking these share autos from Vani Mahal to T. Nagar bus stand at 6 in the evening. With autos coming every two minutes and charging only Rs. 10 for the travel, this is a great commuting option for shopping in T. Nagar without parking woes.

However, the problem arises only when 10th person wants to board the share auto. This is when everyone in the middle compartment which can accommodate only 6 persons has to move and get crushed and give space to that person. The situation further worsened during yesterday’s ride when eleventh person wanted to board the auto too!!!

I was the lone soul asking the tenth and eleventh persons why they wanted to board the share auto when it was already full and why they couldn’t wait for another two-three minutes more to board the next auto. Neither the passengers nor the driver opened their mouth leaving me wondering whom I was talking to.

I, for one, am done with travelling by share autos during peak hours.

At 11 in the night, that too after a long, tiring day and the alarm already set for the ungodly hour of 4 in the morning, I know that I should already be fast asleep. But, when the reason you have to wake up early is to catch a morning flight to Madras,  how will the excitement evenet you sleep?!

School holidays. A break from routine. December season. Family. Friends. Relatives. Children fully lost in the company and world of their own friends. Yummy, tasty food made by my mother. Driving my car – did I tell you I am tired of running to the bus stop to catch the public transport bus to school every morning?. The impending Margazhi kuLuru. Shopping at Cotton Street, Max, Pantaloons, Westside, Lifestyle and the one and only Saravana Stores. Kapaleswarar kovil visit. The very joy of being in Madras!

Oh the visits to pediatrician, ophthalmologist, dentist – Forget about the cost, do you know how difficult it is to see a specialist in Singapore? – I really hate how the Madras trips have become synonymous with all the routine doctor visits,  but the comfort of visiting your family physician is a different thing anyway.

To say that I am excited is an understatement! Here’s hoping that the next one month gets filled with loads and loads of happy memories! Madras, here I come!

Me: Are you going to India for vacation?
X: No.
Me: Will you go during June holidays?
X: No, it will be too hot there. There will be power cuts and my child isn’t used to power cuts!

It is conversations like these that always reminds me how even after moving away from India, my views and wishes have just not changed and how my husband and I continue to let our children remain strongly rooted in our Indian values, culture and lifestyle and want them to be exposed to what others perceive as ‘hardships’ in a developing country like ours. Strangely, these others are people from our very own country. These are the people who have not just lost themselves in the comforts offered by a developed nation and are absolutely enjoying it, but they don’t even want to expose their children to the current status in our country.

I will not deny that I am not enjoying all the comforts from clean drinking water which you can drink straight from the tap to uninterrupted power supply to high-speed uninterrupted Internet (How essential has this become!). Yes, the city is super clean at all times. But, in the larger scheme of life, these just don’t matter. It is the people who surround us who make our life what it is. It doesn’t matter whether there is a power failure or not when you have the strength and support of your family and friends with you and you are in the comfort zone in your own native.

Before you start reminding me that I also don’t stay in my country anymore, yes, I don’t stay there now. Work, career, studies and marriage have brought so many of us away from our country. But, my heart remains deep-rooted in India or, to be precise, in Madras and I, for one, will never really miss these comforts of a developed nation which are still a luxury in our own country, if and when I move back to India for good.