EMPTY ROADS AND SOARING KITES

It always astounds me when there are no traffic bottlenecks in Hyderabad city. On normal days there is always a reason for the bottleneck. And the worst ones are created for the VIPs, including Mana CM. 

Anyways all that was taken care of this entire week with everything being a cool ride and reaching destinations on time or before time. Thanks to everyone who was travelling in crowded buses  to their home towns for this festival of the new alignment of the sun. 

All the favourite tea shops, bajji bandis, jilebi makers, vegetable vendors, bangle sellers had gone to Andhra Pradesh for the festival. The road leading to Kukatpally was a delight to drive on. In fact every road, every fly over, all junctions looked new, freshly paved and well behaved. Even as I write about it, it is time for us prepare ourselves to be back in the jam. 

On Pongal day we were invited by Gopalaswami and his wife Ranjani for lunch. They live in Vietnam and G is the most soft spoken IIM graduates I have met to date. And his wife Ranjani is a well read and well informed person and was discussing the study group she is part of. Of course my next trip abroad will probably be to Vietnam. 

So M and I drove to Maredpally, after a small stop at Mamta Sweet Shop at the Penderghast Road, for the traditional Jalebis and fafdas. We were in luck and I snatched at the last 200 gms of jilebis and some fafdas and freshly made patras, made of colocosia leaves and besan ka atta. Just steamed, but so delicious because of the tadka. 

It also astounds me when journalist colleagues discuss manjas and patangs with an ease. For having lived in Gujarat for 22 years, I certainly believed that only Gujaratis made their own manjas, went to their terraces, flew kites, shouted 'kaipo che' and then eat fafdas, jalebis and undhiyu. That perception changed a little this time. Apparently this time around, people could buy terrace space at the Ahmedabad Pols for Rs 30,000 for an hour. Expensive kite flying, but Ahmedabad has changed. As has Hyderabad. 

We reached in time for lunch at Indu and Hari's beautiful home, all lived in with sun kissed rooms and blooming plants. Artefacts collected from their visits together were tastefully placed and two entire balconies were dedicated to potted plants. The steps leading to the terrace were wooden and warmed by the sun. 

A few other IIM friends had joined in and earlier tried to fly kites but with it being a still couple of hours, there was no rise and they had already come down. I got so involved in the catching up that I did not get on to the terrace at all. 

While it is always a delight to meet new people, it shocks me sometimes that I do not know so many people. And such nice people. 

The lunch was sumptuous with all kinds of delicacies and though one had over eaten, there was a sense of well being. That happens when you meet good people. 

Marghai Utsavam programmea are off the TV now, but all the programmea are available on You Tube. I don't know if any of ever watched Shetland. It ran for two seasons and simply went off the air. Now they have reached Season 7 and that too is available on You Tube. Useful channel, must say. 

The winter days are slowly coming to an end but the sight outside my window continues to charm me no end. There is always a slight breeze, and the disrant palm is always swaying and during a time of the day, there are white butterflies busy doing what they do. Unfailing charm.