so, i am out of town, again...and have just this laptop that has no pictures and no music, save iris by Goo Goo Dolls. one of songs thats closest to my heart... so its all right. while life for an indian in India is all about fitting into the frame of " the perfect life", with the million bucks career in a famous MNC, a gorgeous spouse with an even more high paying job and then kids that get medals at school and grow up to become doctors. there are times, when while travelling through the normal, you see the not so normal. it seems to me, that most of the life happens and passes by us when we are just too busy trying to live it in our own definition of the perfect. which is basically what i am doing right now.

the fact about life is, if you find your boat, even stormy seas having a calming effect. and that was a totally random thought. so, to cut all the introspective crap out.. well i noticed something about the cities. when we meet a person, we form our first impression about that person. this first impression is usually a combination of both their and our personalitites. just like that, every city makes a first impression and if we just become a bit more patient and observant, then a rather precise one. i mean, all cities have roads and buildings and city centres and all that. yet they are all different.these are some of my first impressions:

Pune: student haven. it seems like one large extended campus. everything else that doesnt fit into a university setting is a mere means to an end. you feel like you have suddenly been transported into an area with strikingly young demographics. the roads, the houses, everything is same. but what strikes you is the whole education feel thats in the air. everyones learning something.

Delhi: i think even if someone didnt know, he would know that New Delhi is the capital city of India. its well planned and its got these odd, government looking buildings. i havent visited Delhi in quite some time. but there is a distinct air of conmanship around it. you just become a bit more alert in Delhi. and if you dont get duped after being there for 4 odd days, then you are probably lucky. its funny, scary and at the same time, a bit tiring. but Delhi is a great looking city.

Bombay: rush hour is not so much a time period but the basic setting in which Bombay thrives. its ALWAYS rush hour. it seems that even on a leisurely day, the people have problem with slowing down. there is an urgency in the way they move. my first memory of Mumbai was actually rather unpleasant. i was a kid, caught in a rush hour ( of the rush hour city) crowd, by body caught between a sea of people, dangling somewhere between the local and the platform. i was petrified and screamed to no end. eventually i got into the local and did make it in one piece, but as a result, hated Mumbai right down to my guts. i get claustrophobic in places like Mumbai that must have basically invented claustrophobia! till i actually got a chance to stay there for two months, a few years ago. one thing about Mumbai that i would say is, it makes a terrible first impression, but manages to change that, and more in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th. that city has a life of its own, and so when Mumbaikars rave about its larger than life status, not all of them are raving out of vanity.

Nagpur: great roads. great sights. great lakes. weird language. friends. no more comments!