Wanderlust

I yearn to be on the road again. In the words of J.R.R.Tolkien,

Roads go ever ever on,
Over rock and under tree,
By caves where never sun has shone,
By streams that never find the sea.

The following are my lines,Tolkien is of course a master.

I yearn for leave to leave this land,

I yearn for a peace that never was mine.

I yearn for the sea, the breeze, the sand,

I yearn for some tranquil lonely time.

Thane to International Airport

The journey from my home to the airport was eventful to say the least of things. You don’t really factor in a major traffic jam at Powai and fervently pray that your dad sitting beside doesn’t suddenly start on your inability to ever be on time.  But just then the driver sneaks out in one rapid stroke of maniacal madness and you are bounding out to the airport just in time for your flight. Then it rains!

Dad waved a good bye and a good luck, and I secretly believed he must have a mumbled an atheist prayer. And I was off. To be honest the moment I entered the airport I was terribly disoriented about where to go and all that cheery confidence of the solo trip was waning.  A few creepy thoughts of biting more than I could chew did stream in, but then I sighted a gorgeous Kingfisher air- hostess and I knew everything would be fine!
I had to clear the immigrations check. A few fiddly questions about why you want to leave your beautiful country followed. And then I was off. Hang on! I didn’t tell you about checking in my baggage, did I? I check in my baggage – a brown bag. Then off I go to immigrations. Over the speakers comes an announcement – there’s a brown bag at one of the counters lying unclaimed. Now I belong to that tribe of people who feel whatever evil has to befall on this earth, will unfold upon me. So I suffered a few moments of panic about that bag.
I even had a chat with a Thai flight attendant about the bag. He gave me the look of a sage who had seen many such lost souls and told me that everything would be alright.

As I waited for the flight to board, I lounged around the airport checking out a smoking hot firang with short pants and a Lakshmi printed T-shirt reading Shantaram. I was ready at last to leave Indian terra firma.