Sweet sojourn

THE WORLD is a fast-shrinking place, where time and distance can hardly be considered as barriers &151; nevertheless, till today the average Chennai family considers that long-awaited visit from its NRI relatives to be a momentous occasion. It is an event which requires careful planning, with great attention being paid to the most minute detail, in order to ensure that the needs of the guests are fully satisfied.

A massive spring-cleaning operation is launched in anticipation of the arrival of the "foreign" visitors. Even the normally lackadaisical servant maid is infected with the general excitement and throws herself into the preparations with zeal. The already over-stocked refrigerator is further stuffed with bottles of mineral water, loaves of bread, peanut butter, eggs and cheese.

The visit is preceded by exchange of numerous phone calls and e- mails. The atmosphere of eager anticipation reaches a crescendo when it is time to leave for the airport. The family car is found inadequate for the occasion and extra transport is hired not only to carry the innumerable aunts, uncles and cousins who form the reception committee, but also to accommodate the outsized luggage, an inevitable fixture on all such occasions.

At the airport, the eager home crowd subjects the travellers to a noisy and affectionate welcome. The visitors, already tired after their long flight, respond in a dazed manner and the entire party troops back home, where the remaining members of the family are waiting to add their quota of welcoming hugs and exclamations of how tall the grandson has grown, and how the grand daughter is the spitting image of a long-gone great aunt.

It takes a few days for them to overcome the jet lag. But the noise, the heat, the smell and the dust continue to affect the visitors, used as they are to a cooler and cleaner environment.

There is a mixed reaction to the changes they see around them. The older generation, that left Chennai in the 1960s and 1970s, still remember the city as it used to be then. They miss the quiet, shady lanes, the old spacious bungalows, the beautiful unpolluted beaches, the broad roads. All these are remembered with a sense of nostalgia, but they are also impressed with the signs of progress &151; the shopping malls, the numerous restaurants, the internet parlors, etc. A few days of rest and they launch into what appears to be the main purpose of their trip &151; to cram years of shopping into a mere fortnight. Every saree shop in town is invaded and the salespeople seem to have an uncanny instinct about the "dollar" potential of these customers and spare no pains in laying out their wares.

From here to the tailors is but a natural progression. The latters' greed is matched only by his customer's optimism in expecting him to get about 50 blouses and 25 salwar kameezes ready in a few days time. He leads them on a merry dance and keeps them in suspense till the day of departure when he suddenly manifests himself, triumphantly laden with the precious cargo.

Meanwhile, the younger ones soon get re-acquainted with each other and enter into all the local activities with interest. Free from any prejudices or pre-conceived notions, they take their new surroundings in their stride. The T.V. offers enjoyable viewing and visits to the local theatres are fun-filled exercises. The inevitable visits to local relatives and temples are endured with patience and politenees.

The short vacation is crammed with numerous outings, with the elders determined that the children should imbibe as much of the traditions of their homeland as possible. A short trip down South is organised and they love the antiquity and ambience of the ancient temples they visit (something we locals take for granted) and marvel at the technique and skill revealed in the work of ancient craftsmen. But all the same, after a long, hot day of sight seeing, they are glad to get back to the comfort of their modern hotel; even here, each dish is carefully chosen to suit their delicate digestive systems.

The Indian sojourn is coming to a close and the guests are all ready for their long journey back home. Fervent promises to keep in touch are exchanged, the suitcases, emptied of their imported goodies, are now loaded with an assorted combination of silk sarees, blouses, Navarathri dolls, jewellery, home made pickles, Tanjore paintings, brass artefacts, etc.

The plane has finally taken off and we come back to a home, suddenly bereft of guests, suitcases, strewn parcels, clothes, accessories and plastic shopping bags. We ponder over the past few action-packed weeks. It is now that we realise that most of the time was spent on travelling, shopping and visiting, and we had hardly spent any `quality' time with our guests.

For the NRIs, a need to cling to their identity is revealed in certain aspects of their lives abroad &151; the conscientious celebration of festivals and the compulsion of the children to undergo training in Carnatic music and classical dance. A trip back home serves as a reminder of their roots and their cultural heritage.

As for those of us settled here, it is an opportunity to renew old ties, rediscover new ways of bonding with those, so close in terms of kinship and so distant in terms of geography.

SUDHA RAGHAVAN

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