April 23rd 2001, the date will be etched in my memory forever. That day my life changed. I had no prescience how my life was going to shape up in the following years, but as the plane touched down at Bangalore International Airport my tummy churned. I had a heavy feeling in my heart and wished I was not here. I was going to miss the summers of Oxford. When the snow melted and white turned to green a sense of joy flooded into the lives of people. Flowers would begin to bloom in the backyard and the air always smelled sweet. After the long harsh dull winter the sun’s warm rays made everything around us glitter. Well I was already missing the barbeque's and the endless games of football followed by ice cream. I missed my friends. I missed everything about England.
As the plane taxied to a halt I looked at mom and dad sitting on either side of me. Both of them had a smile on their face. They seemed as excited as a newlywed couple.
“ Mom when will be go back to England?” I asked. I had tormented her during the nine hour flight with questions about making the journey and she was visibility irritated by now.
“Maybe in a year or two Daniel. Maybe even Grandpa and grandma can visit us next year. Am sure you are going to enjoy here darling” she said.
Well I doubt that, I told myself. I somehow had an uneasy feeling about being here. Life is always unfair to a ten year old. Decisions were just thrust upon us and we had to obey like slaves. We had no choices. I sometimes felt like the house-elf from Harry Potter novels. As we waited for the baggage to arrive, I so wished our suitcases would to be lost. I also wished my dad would hate his job here. Mom to get a terrible flu. No school to accept me. But then, wishes of children are never granted and we have to make do with what we get in our lives. I have to wait another eight more years to be considered an adult. Then I could have my own apartment, choose my own clothes, have a girlfriend and make my own life. Till then I guess my choice is limited to tagging along.
As we stepped out of the airport, I felt the heat tearing into my skin. The decibel levels raised and there were swarms of people waiting near the exit. The stench made me nauseous and the world around me began to spin.
“ Are you all right Daniel? Is it too hot? Maybe you should take off your jacket. You will not need it here,’ my dad said pointing to the jacket. I removed my jacket and tied it around my waist. We got into a waiting taxi which looked worse than grandpa’s old Rover. As the taxi moved the doors rattled and with every gear shift there was a shudder. The seats were brown in color and I was not sure if it was due to dirt or if it was the original color of the seats.
“It will take about 30 minutes to reach your apartment sir,” said the driver to my dad. My dad merely nodded in response.
As we rolled down narrow roads, the ride got bumpier. Big red and white buses spewed out black smoke and they resembled a monster. I had never seen so many cars and motorbikes in my life. There were also numerous 3-wheeled yellow and white buggy shaped vehicles that squeezed between vehicles. They emitted a funny sound and drew the ire of our taxi driver. He constantly spat abuses in his native language and as he did so the spit from his mouth flew out in all directions. The city appeared overloaded with people and I counted up to 5 people on a scooter. We stopped at numerous signals and the moment the light turned red people jumped from all directions in front of vehicles. At the first signal a boy about my age wearing torn clothes knocked at the window and put his hand forward. He stared at me for a minute and then quietly moved on. I could see some people giving him coins while others shooed him away. He did not seem to mind and just went about his business. At first I was confused but then it struck me. He was a beggar! I saw more of them at traffic signals – men limping, women carrying children, disabled and limbless people.
“Mom, why are these people begging?” I asked.
“ They don’t have enough money Dan. They cannot go to work and are homeless.”
“Well I thought India was a big country and there is place for all,” I said.
“There is place for all. It is just that not all people have money. So it is up to us to help the needy,” said mom.
Before I could say something the taxi got off the main road and entered a narrow lane leading to a twin tower building standing at the end of it. The last time I had seen a twin tower was on a school trip to London. As we approached a big red gate we were stopped by a guard. He wore blue colored pants and shirts, had a big moustache and a whistle dangling from his shirt. He peered inside the taxi and exchanged a few words with the driver. As he let us pass he gave a grand salute. I had only seen guards at the Buckingham palace do that and couldn’t help but chuckle. We went around a fountain which had the words “Welcome To Emerald City” below it.
To be continued..
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