The Click-Happy Traveller - Part II

I'd actually started writing this around a month back - before leaving India. I made a quick trip to Mumbai via Pune over the weekend - end of June. Downpour and all, it was fun - the travelling part of the journey (something rare considering that I was travelling alone) :

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The beautiful Lonavala valley never ceases to amaze me. As far as I can remember, they have remained the same, only giving some way to the recently built Mumbai-Pune expressway, but the beauty still is intact! My this trip to Mumbai happened at the lovely months of monsoon - thats when the valley is at its best. I stood up at the door of the sleeper compartment and breathed-in the weather. A feeling of A-ha, truly!

Lonavala Valley

The curvy Train

In the train I was treated to the companionship of an assorted mix of travellers. There was this struggling software guy who was still trying to get a foothold into a well-established IT services company. There was this middle-aged North-Indian, almost avuncular, but still unconvincing in his preachings (you know, the usual crap to youngsters about being something in life and bragging about their sons/daughters/relatives being in some sundry prestigious posts). There was a young guy in his 30s, seemingly clueless but uncannily observant of the happenings inside.

Light at the end of the tunnel :-)

But the most unforgettable part was a 2 feet tall hurricane, (actually a small kindergarten kid) who was hell-bent upon destroying my shirt and breaking my spectacles! (don't ask me why, I've got no clue) He was in no mood to listen to his mother's instructions/scoldings/shouts but it seemed he had arrived on earth with the sole aim of scandalizing an innocent, unsuspecting train-traveller. That just happened to be yours truly, shucks! (pls see picture below to see how a human-hurricane looks like)

After almost an hour of trying to escape his assaults, I decided to apply my challenged brain for a while. So there I myself became a small child with him, started playing and shouting and tugging at his shirt the same way as he was doing mine, but of course with much less aggression. The people around me thought I'd lost it, but it was fun. I mean, for once a while, its fun to forget that formal you and become the wild 5 year old!

Hurricanes come in small sizes? Here's one....

Seems with children you can't hope to apply your wits, but then you'd be amazed the way they manage to outwit you... Quite a paradox!

The Two-feet-monster (TFM) was quite an unexplainable creature. Here's why:

Disclaimer: I'm not exactly of the appearance that scares off innocent looking children... And I'm not the kind that mothers use as a weapon saying 'So jaa beta warna woh 6 feet lamba chasme waala ladka aa jaayega!'. In fact I love kids - only the harmless kind... But this kid WAS different. I'm being conservatively judging when I call the kiddo a hurricane!

Shabbily translated from English and sundry gobbleydock...

Me: @Q$#@%^@ Chhu mantarr (hideaously moving a magazine in front of my face and then removing it)
TFM: Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa NAAAAAAAAAAAA YIEEEYAAAAAAAAAAAAA !!
Me: Stop crying baccha, look here's a chocolate!
TFM: (Gleaming eyes and all) hmmmm.... (ha ha, I just hoodwinked this guy!)

And then I handed over the piece to him (first mistake)

TFM: (After having smoothly consumed the treat) YIEEEYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! (for crying out loud...)
Me: totally perplexed... what the hell did i do wrong?

After some time TFM decided that no one was paying much attention to him and his mother was sitting and reading some crap housewife magazine, so he was quiet again. (but that was just the lull before the storm)

TFM's Mom: Oh he is missing his papa na... that's why he was crying...
Me: (big big 2nd mistake) So beta, tell me who do you like more? Papa or ma?

That did it! After my innocent and supposedly good-humored inquiry to the child, he started his howling session and did not stop for half an hour! TFM's mom looks at me with a glare that would kill, half-accusing me of creating a rift between her and her husband... and half-blaming me of disturbing the 'shaaant' child...

Me: Sorry aunty, I was just trying to....
TFM's mom: Grrrrrr....!!


Ok, but this misadventure apart, the trip was largely nice and giving nostalgic feelings at times while passing thru the Pune route, the Lonavla valley and then back to Mumbai, the familiar crowded surroundings, the Mumbai air which I had got used to quite some time back.

Mulund Skyline

Back in Mumbai, its notable how Mulund, a quiet shy suburb has transformed itself. But inspite of giving way to swanky malls (Nirmal Lifestyle and R-Mall) and sky-kissing apartments, it has retained its green demenour. The horizon displays beautiful mountains which are always dipped in clowds during monsoon. There are some odd factories around a few of which have already closed down - and given way to newer construction projects... The good part is - the environment is being given due attention as well. I like that.

Next post.... about life in Deutscheland.