Duniya Hai Gol!

Do you remember the days when elders meeting someone for the first time used to quiz them, asking questions like "where do you come from? Where do you live? Oh, you come from XYZ place? Do you know Mr. ABC who used to live in that area? Oh! How do you know them? I see, he/she is related to my brother's wife's cousin's neighbour....."

Times have changed. We do not know our next neighbours, leave alone make such connections with strangers. Really? To my amazement, I found they have not. What elders did through chat in earlier days, social media do for us these days.

How else would I have discovered during my visit to Chennai this time that an ILite friend of mine, Sudha Kailas and I were connected through two different sets of relatives? On one hand she is distantly connected to the bridegroom and me to the bride at the wedding I attended. On the other, I discovered (thanks to FB), that she is a very close childhood friend of my nephew's wife! Let's call her "N".

So it was that we sprung a surprise on N yesterday when I went to meet her. Sudha came along with me and I let her go in first. She entered the house and went to the kitchen where my N was. I was rather puzzled at the quiet "hi" which issued from the kitchen.....but that was just momentary. Slowly that "hi" became a very vociferous one and was followed by hugs and excitement all around!

How the next couple of hours passed needs no elaboration. Suffice to say I enjoyed sitting there and seeing these two reminisce about common neighbours, childhood 'masti', the khadoos lady staying next door who did not like kids and the like. What's more, both of them stay in the same area where my cousin, with whom I was put up, lives. So many other ILites also live in and around the same area including our very own "bearded but not at all feared" Super Moderator as well as Chitvish. So now I have all the more reason to go more frequently to Chennai - still so many friends to meet.

Had the pleasure of meeting Varloo, RK Gurbani, Padmini and Sai Sakthi for the first time. Went shopping with Varloo, had a meet with Sritas, RK Gurbani, Kanthaeikon and Sudha in a nearby park, had a long tete-a-tete with Riya Kathir; spent the day at Chitvish's place, enjoyed a meal cooked by her followed by some masti at the Marina beach. Spent an afternoon with Cheeniya sir and his delightful family, had dosas and some phenomenal coffee at their place.

All in all it was a wonderful visit. Am still trying to get used to the idea that I am back home. :-D

 

Kamalji, you are absolutely right - thanks to IL, I have been really blessed with some wonderful friends. But PLEASE Kamalji, don't go giving IL ideas about charging for membership!!!!! Grrrrr.............

 

Dear Padmaja,

Glad to know you enjoyed the meet vicariously. Next time you come to Bangalore, we can have an IL meetup and you can get to meet a lot of ILites in person. :-D

 

Absolutely Ammulu. :-D

 

Yes Neetu, the recent meet was just the first of the weeklong meets. :-D