Transition

Lots of changes taking place over here. Today is, most likely, my final day in Vijayawada. My placement in this part of the country is finished, and as I write, my bags are (almost) packed and I’m ready to get on a train. Actually the train ticket has not been confirmed, so I’ll be hauling my luggage to the station with all intentions of getting on a train. This should be interesting.

One of my bosses, whose house I've been sharing (living here at first, and eating all my meals here), planned for my departure accordingly, earlier this week:

Sivaji: “Okay, the train, maybe it is not confirmed. But…” – he pauses, inhales; a huge grin spreads across his face – “the biryani, it is confirmed!”

In India, the arrival or departure of a guest is typically the occasion for a huge meal. My departure proved no exception. Yesterday morning, a well-worn steel pot, half the size of a bathtub, sat perched atop the stove. By lunchtime I was devouring its contents: chicken biryani – a rice dish made with garlic, onions, tomatoes, chilies, nutmeg, a whole lot of ghee and oil, and an assortment of other ingredients. It was delicious and I feel enormous still this morning.

I'm not leaving India now: I'm moving to Mumbai. There, I'll move into a studio apartment and begin work at a new organization where I'll stay for five months. I'll write more about this transition in the coming weeks. Off now to finish packing...