It’s unbelievable. I’ve been in India for about a month now and I have posted almost nothing. I was too busy being happy, I guess, except for the days that the violent outside world (Peshawar, Nigeria, Paris, even my own Belgium) intruded into my bubble of bliss. Is it ethical to feel happiness when so many are hurting? But I can’t help it. My heart, in the parlance of Michael A. Singer’s “The Untethered Soul” has opened and refuses to close. I have my lovely friend Neelam Dutt to thank for it (she gave me the book).
I had a great time with my friend Anjali Puri at her hospitable Delhi home and then whisked her off to Bhopal. Here she is sampling itar in the Chowk bazaar:
Possibly at the end of her stay she may have understood why I am so crazy about this place.
Last week I went to see off my husband in Mumbai and spent another few wonderful days with the first Indian person I ever met, Minakshi Lakshmanan. I have known her for close to 44 years and whenever we get together, no matter how much time has elapsed, nothing has changed between us. It feels as if we, ourselves, have not changed since our Perugia days. This is what I mean when I say: I may be 60 but in my heart I’m still 16.
Am I gushing? Definitely. May I never stop. I want to be thankful for all the presents life throws into my lap on a daily basis, like this gift of Makara Sankranti sweets from my (borrowed) driver, Vijay:
Impromptu family visits:
and the flowers (“a permanent bouquet” as she put it) from my niece Zeenat:
The first seeds sprouting:
The yeasty smell of the bread I’m making. (Sorry, can’t send you that.)
The list goes on and on.
It can’t last forever, I know. One of these days, maybe as soon as later today, I’ll have to come back to earth. I hope the landing will be soft. But if it isn’t, I will have this post to remind me of some of the joys I tasted. May you all be equally blessed.
Elisabeth Khan's Blog 
What a beautiful post about your exquisite joys! May all these and more be yours for years to come! Good to be reading you once again 🙂
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Writenlive, thank you for your heartwarming comment and for being among my many blessings.
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I am fortunate to have found you and your blog. You are warm hearted with extra ordinary sensitivity.
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Geniet ervan! Ben benieuwd naar dat boek.
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Dank je, lieve zus! Dat boek is warm aanbevolen. Ik ben ook dankbaar dat wij zo’n goede vriendinnen zijn.
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You certainly make India sound as the most loving and exquisite place… I must try harder to find some of that in Kerala. Although today, sitting near the beach in the shade of whispering palm trees is pretty close to bliss.
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Dear Lieve, I am blessed with the most loving in-laws that a person could wish for. That is one factor. The other one is that I am in the process of training myself to enjoy the good things in life and let the bad experiences run off me (like water off a duck’s back, as we say) as much as possible. It seems hard but the Mark Singer book I mentioned has been a great help. As a westerner who values privacy, I used to sometimes experience even the “excessive” love and concern (read, interference) of my husband’s family as a kind of burden, but I’m learning how to handle that, too.
By the way, I have been thinking of you a lot lately, as I was on a quest for ground bean coffee, finding nothing but the instant kind even in the best supermarket in town. Then I found some in Café Coffee Day here (they had 4 packets, two were mixed with chicory); in FabIndia in Mumbai (but not in the Bhopal branch); and finally, the salesgirl in the latter told me to go to a bakery called “Fantasy,” which I hope to explore later today. It’s true you find what you need in unexpected places, LOL!
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Ah yes, coffee… Being a good European, I can only start the day with a caffeine fix and I brought a supply of Douwe Egberts ground coffee with me. But the supply is dwindling and I am going to have to explore the shops soon, but fear it may be in vain. As so far I have not been able to find good tea in India, I worry the same may be true about coffee… I need to find a touristy shop for good Darjeeling, and I have come across one at some stage, but cannot remember where… It certainly wasn’t in any of my regular shopping haunts. Some things are essential to life and my jar of Nescafe Gold and locally bought Darjeeling tea (with only 10% Darjeeling in it…) are poor substitutes for the real thing.
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B’ful feelings , I can relate with them 🙂
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Thank you, Bani!
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