Dear Bangalore,
It appears that it is time for me to finally leave you and go back to the land of my birth. It's been nearly 6 years - count them - since I first set foot on your soil and entered a new realm.
From the time I arrived, I was immediately caught up in the craziness and zaniness that is the Devaraj family. One of my first memories - other than being scared of Shonali. ha! - is of Anthony Appa setting a full glass of Old Monk in front of me and ordering me to drink. From that moment on, there was no turning back. It's been a wonderfully crazy conglomeration of birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, births, christenings, graduations, and parties just because. I'm so lucky to have been a part of it. And to have been a part of so many other great families as well. I never had just one home in Bangalore - I had one in Chamarajpet, in Viveknagar, in Jayanagar, in Ulsoor, and one at Bangalore University for a while. Between all of those, it's a wonder I ever even stayed in my own house.
From trying my hand at teaching the youngsters at Binny Mills, GKBMS, and Kengeri all those years ago to eventually attempting to restore some order at the Boys' Home, it's been one adventure after another. Trying to learn Kannada, brushing up on my Hindi, pretending to understand less Tamil than I do, and not even attempting Telugu, and eventually just speaking in a hodge-podge of all of the above with a bit of English and a lot of hand gestures thrown in for good measure. I'm sure those boys all had themselves some nice entertainment. As much as he harassed me, I actually think I'm going to miss the crazy face of that crazy superintendent. I still intend to run the place one day. Mark my words.
Bangalore, you've been nice enough to share me to other parts of India, too: Hampi, Gokarna, Goa, Mysore, Coorg, Mahaballipuram, Kolkata, Kerala, Rajasthan, Agra...I've been able to cross many places off my list, and each place holds its own unique memories. There are still more to go: Leh, Manali, Sikkim, the Seven Sisters, Amritsar...I'll be back to see you guys one of these days.
You've fed me well, too. Chilly pork from Pecos. Shawarma and tandoor from Empire. Mini meals and chana bhathura from Shiv Sagar. Steamed chicken momos from Taste of Tibet. Chicken ghee roast at Coast to Coast. And of course biryani and kebabs from Nandhini. It's amazing I managed to not put on weight until my last week. I should weigh well more than I currently do at this point.
And you brought me a boy.
The only thing you weren't able to bring me was a completed Metro...
Now I must go so that I can try to make myself a bit smarter. Once I finish my course, we can chat about my eventual return.
Until then, stay a bit cloudy, a bit crazy, a bit fat, and a bit drunk. Just the way I like you.
With all of my love,
Veena
[I tried getting it to transliterate that into Kannada, but it wasn't showing up properly. bummer]
It appears that it is time for me to finally leave you and go back to the land of my birth. It's been nearly 6 years - count them - since I first set foot on your soil and entered a new realm.
From the time I arrived, I was immediately caught up in the craziness and zaniness that is the Devaraj family. One of my first memories - other than being scared of Shonali. ha! - is of Anthony Appa setting a full glass of Old Monk in front of me and ordering me to drink. From that moment on, there was no turning back. It's been a wonderfully crazy conglomeration of birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, births, christenings, graduations, and parties just because. I'm so lucky to have been a part of it. And to have been a part of so many other great families as well. I never had just one home in Bangalore - I had one in Chamarajpet, in Viveknagar, in Jayanagar, in Ulsoor, and one at Bangalore University for a while. Between all of those, it's a wonder I ever even stayed in my own house.
From trying my hand at teaching the youngsters at Binny Mills, GKBMS, and Kengeri all those years ago to eventually attempting to restore some order at the Boys' Home, it's been one adventure after another. Trying to learn Kannada, brushing up on my Hindi, pretending to understand less Tamil than I do, and not even attempting Telugu, and eventually just speaking in a hodge-podge of all of the above with a bit of English and a lot of hand gestures thrown in for good measure. I'm sure those boys all had themselves some nice entertainment. As much as he harassed me, I actually think I'm going to miss the crazy face of that crazy superintendent. I still intend to run the place one day. Mark my words.
Bangalore, you've been nice enough to share me to other parts of India, too: Hampi, Gokarna, Goa, Mysore, Coorg, Mahaballipuram, Kolkata, Kerala, Rajasthan, Agra...I've been able to cross many places off my list, and each place holds its own unique memories. There are still more to go: Leh, Manali, Sikkim, the Seven Sisters, Amritsar...I'll be back to see you guys one of these days.
You've fed me well, too. Chilly pork from Pecos. Shawarma and tandoor from Empire. Mini meals and chana bhathura from Shiv Sagar. Steamed chicken momos from Taste of Tibet. Chicken ghee roast at Coast to Coast. And of course biryani and kebabs from Nandhini. It's amazing I managed to not put on weight until my last week. I should weigh well more than I currently do at this point.
And you brought me a boy.
The only thing you weren't able to bring me was a completed Metro...
Now I must go so that I can try to make myself a bit smarter. Once I finish my course, we can chat about my eventual return.
Until then, stay a bit cloudy, a bit crazy, a bit fat, and a bit drunk. Just the way I like you.
With all of my love,
Veena
[I tried getting it to transliterate that into Kannada, but it wasn't showing up properly. bummer]
xx
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