It hits you as soon you get off the plane... the heat that the A/c desperately tries to cool down. A sweet looking lady with a smile, big red bindi and a chandan dash stamps our passports as Suprabhatham plays mildly on a player on her counter.
As we walk out the airport, we see happy familiar faces. My nose picks up sweat, sandalwood, urine and jasmine all at the same time. My older one giggles at a paid public toilet remembering a comical scene from a Tamil movie we recently watched. Little one is thrilled to ride in the front seat with Thatha.
I point out the dilapidated building which was the RTO where i got my learning license. We pass the IIT campus where I spent two glorious years of my life and the street down which a good friend lived. My eyes search for the building that used to be the Adyar NIIT center. My dad asks, 'do you remember this temple?' Of course, that's where we did the pooja for my kinetic honda. i see bus stops where i've spent countless hours waiting for 47s, 29s and 5s. New stores and construction take the places of old familiar spots. Ramprasad Hotel is now Zon...something multi cuisine. Rukmini bakery is still there! My home...Happy Home... the jasmine creeper, the new car, the clothes lines on the balcony. my room... posters of Anil Kumble and fido dido replaced with my daughters' pictures.
As i sip a cup of amma's filter coffee, appa brings back Sambhar Vadai from Rambhavan. Now the welcome is complete...
