Chennai Beats

Just a month ago, I was leading this atypical suburban life in the US with my husband and our two daughters. As every American resident, I would pride on my independence and proudly state to my Indian friends about managing it all. Of course, the cookie cutter lifestyle can often dilute the unexpected in life. Needless to say, with two young kids I didn't care for such frivolity. So when my girls and I landed in Chennai, I looked forward to our vacation with some trepidation.

As I stepped out of the airport into the musty Chennai air, I felt an all too familiar stirring. The climate, the roads, the traffic had not changed much but I had undergone a sea change. My cynicism and judgmental tone precluded over the joy of being in my own home turf. The planner and routine seeker in me felt at a loss. Ironically my girls seemed to be holding up well. My older one was in awe of the changed surroundings and the younger one was blissfully unaware of the same.

The first week was the toughest on all of us especially my mother as she had to deal with my inexplicable demands. First on the list was finding a suitable school for my older one, and then came the ordeal of keeping my twin minions busy and lastly the task of satisfying the overzealous me. And to think I was the hapless mother. It was the slow hand of fate that dealt me the final blow.Slowly but surely I realized that the whole point of the vacation was to go with the flow. I had to enjoy the unexpected once again in my life. After days of cajoling, I finally warmed up to my city and the joys
it offered.

I am now seeing Chennai through the lens of my three year old daughter. The abundance of creativity and exposure to culture is unparalleled.  As she begins to take baby steps in learning Bharatanatyam, and getting a grip on Tamil, I am astounded at the opportunities the city can present to a toddler. She can dabble with theater, music, dance, sketching all in a day’s work. Of course the interaction with other kids on a daily basis is a learning experience in itself. As watch her personality bloom, I can’t help but wonder at the vitality of this city and its people.

As for me, it feels like I never left this city. While a number of new chains have spruced up the decor, my all time favorite hangouts still retain the same old world charm. Hobnobbing between plush cafes, multi-cuisine themed restaurants, destination stores; my concept of luxury travel has undergone a
metamorphosis. From the very expensive hangouts to the simple pleasures in life, my city has it all.
Add to this a dose of spirituality and culture; you get a well rounded experience. Living the life with
my family and friends I hope to take in this city in all its splendor and charms.

The great Indian saga

Traveling solo with baby and tot

So a few years ago I had this demystifying transatlantic flight experience with my baby. And  I was convinced that i had unravelled the haplessness of a for lone mother but little did I know what the future would augur for me and my growing family. What if I had to undertake a similar journey with a toddler and a baby In tow. Sometimes the hypothesis meets reality and the unfathomable happens. And thus began my saga to repeat history,  part 2 in the making. The punchline being buy one trouble get the other one free!!!!!!

As the d day advanced, my mind was in over drive. I was a virtual machine making checklists in the zillion. Baby check, toddler check, mother check mate. The bags kept piling and my lists kept growing. On final count I had 8 bags, one stroller, 2 kids and a zapped brain. Ironically there was no time for self pity, I still had a routine to keep up and a journey to strategize to the minutest detail. The day of reckoning finally arrived and I uttered the battle cry. The first pit stop was encouraging. The Babbage check in proceeded without much ado except for the sympathetic inquiry from the ground staff. I was already being touted as the brave heart.

My husband on the other hand was on a mission of his own. He was already scanning through people to find a potential ally for my impending journey. We were both expecting some tamil Mami to take pity on us when we found a young woman also braving the odds with a small bundle in tow. By default we decided to stick with each other through thick and thin. As our husbands bid goodbye we strode in for the security check. It was quite the scene wading through the sea of people with my myriad accompaniments. And to my surprise I  was sidelined for a full pat down check. My past experience had taught me one valuable experience- never be shy to ask for help. Without a pause I  turned around, and passed my unsuspecting baby to the equally unsuspecting security guards. And that my friends summed up my whole experience. It didn't matter how rude or insensitive the authorities/flight staff were to me, my hands could only handle so much. So my baby was invariably handed over much to every one's chagrin.

The first half of my journey to London was a whirlwind. I was a woman in control. Handing over the iPad to my older one, I focused on the baby. She seemed content in her cot seat aka bouncer. In between her intermittent sleeps and feeds, I was a tired out woman. Again past experience has taught be to be over prepared and thick skinned. Just when I expecting a smooth ride, I was handed over my first shocking news. There wasn't going to be a cart as promised. But hey I was prepared for all eventualities or so I thought!

The next part was nothing like I had imagined. The security check at London literally knocked the wind out of me. I was asked to strip all my accessories and taste the baby food. I felt like i was in shawshank prison.  I so regretted making the solo flight. My temper flew and the ground staff just compounded my misery. Folding and unfolding the double stroller, I had to collect all my sundry and soothe my jet lagged babies. If not for my friend, I would probably haven broken down. We made our way through the multitude gates,  and took the Air Tran to the final gate. As we sat down waiting for the penultimate flight, we gave each other a triumphant look. We had made it past the most difficult leg of the journey.

The final leg was a total contrast from the previous leg to London. Surrounded by caring Indian flight staff, I was in good hands. In fact the entire front row was occupied by mother's traveling alone. And all the young ones were girls!!!! As I glanced at my sleeping beauties, I couldn't help sighing at my good fortune. When we disembarked the flight, help was waiting around the corner. My bags and stroller were taken from me. And all I had to do was keep a watch on my babies. There were no lines, no security checks. The only blip in my happiness was the one delayed luggage. But all in all it felt felt like home. And I made made it solo with my angels.