Thursday, November 1, 2007

Of Sea Changes and a Glorious Visit to the Sea

Long break because there are so many changes in my life right now that I could not decide where to start and how to end. But for the soothing visit to Mumbai and Tarkarli I would surely have had a nervous breakdown!
We went to Mumbai in the Garib Rath Express and I recommend this train strongly. The seats are a millimeter or so less than that of the Rajdhani Express and there is no pantry car however they serve a mean egg biryani (Rs 30) and the veg thali is also good, you have to pay Rs 25 for your bedding. In spite of this the fare comes to half of that of Rajdhani Express and it takes the same amount of time too.
It was great to just be with my brother in law's family, to see our children spend some quality time together, to see the two brothers (the Mr and my BIL) go off together for a boys' day out and exchanging notes with my sister inlaw regarding how to deal with the Mr and how to manage the children and generally about life. My little unfriendly one took hardly a moment to adjust to this calm and love filled atmosphere.
On the very next day we set off for our sea expedition. The Konkan Kanya Express was a little late but the children did not show any sign of exhaustion or impatience, inference- my babies are born travellers! The mite calmly settled down to the second night of sleeping on a train in two days. The elder one is a pro but i was not so sure of the little one. The Upma -shira the next morning was heavenly. From Kudal station Tarkarli village is an hour's ride on an auto. We proceeded to loll on three unspoilt and unique beaches over the next three days. We saw dolphins early in the morning in the Deobagh beach which is also the point where the Karli river meets the sea and is therefore an unusually calm and serene beach. The last day was spent splashing about on the bhogwa beach a refreshing and soul stirring experience. We also managed to squeeze in the fort -Sindhudurg in the middle of the sea that has a unique Shivaji temple and an astounding view of the sea.
We returned to Mumbai to find that the Goddess Durga had arrived in all her finery. We went through the routine of anjali and bhog. We visited the Shivaji Park puja the grandest one in Mumbai I think and spent a reflective moment at the Dadar Choupatti.
Unfortunately the trip ended on a sombre note with my sister in laws father passing away in Bihar after a prolonged fight with that painful disease cancer.
Back to Delhi and the Mr's transfer order was out and he is off to Bangalore for a four year project and we will join him in a couple of months with al the turmoil of a transfer, but I am looking forward to this change in our lives.
And wonder of wonders, my teaching career has also started! I bagged a one month teaching assignment at my ex college with the help of my ex prof. In fact I am filling in for her as she has taken off for a month due to health reasons. The job is perfect because I am here for only a month or so and would have been unable to take up a longer assignment. It is as if a supirior force were carefully planning my life. I have felt like this many times before and am sure that a fairy godmother kind of being is watching over me and throwing the right kind of opportunities at me at the right moment.
For the time being I am planning furiously for my classes and for the new life ahead of me and loving every moment of it. Thank you God

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