Mundane Musings

It’s raining! Yippee it’s raining. I am prancing about, jumping with joy. Because it is raining. I could keep repeating this sentence for the whole of today and still not tire of it. It’s raining! Whoop! I love the rain. I never did for a long time in the past, but now I do. I love the rain. In Chennai, that too. For the uninitiated let me explain the previous sentence. When, if you look outside your window and see a large body of muddy water creeping up to the doorway of your house, bringing with it debris of all kinds – half eaten, faded film posters, twigs and leaves, excreta, sewage and insects then you’d agree that it is not at all nice when it rains in Chennai. When all you can see through the haze of the rain is a cluster of grimy buildings, painted in garish yellow or 'jaal' (eye-blinding) pink years ago, instead of lush greenery, then yes, it is Chennai we are talking of. If you are one of those unfortunates who is stranded mid-way from any de...

What makes a place special when we visit it? It's people? Culture? Landscapes and scenic beauty? Food? Certain special experiences? Or if we are lucky, all of it? This question was on loop in my mind, as I got the fabulous opportunity to tour a part of Western Europe in May. As an Indian I am happy to say that all of the above reasons are available right here, in India. Whether it is experiencing the 'athithi devo' mentality of shy locals or the rich cultural heritage of almost all states of India, or the myriad scenic places just waiting to be explored or the unparalleled gastronomic experiences that are centuries old. We even have hot air ballooning, river rafting, trekking trails...you get my drift. And I am digressing. This blog is about my trip to Europe and an Indian's perspective of it. In spite of all the reasons I have stated above, I must confess that Europe had always appealed to me. I have always wanted to visit the snowy Alpine slopes of Switzerland,...