Visit to Kanpur and Lucknow

Both Somu and I left for Kanpur on 30th of November.  I was feeling a bit low for Bittu was also leaving after a months holiday at home and we left the house at two o, clock and he had to leave by six. The occasion was Mikkis marriage in Kanpur. I was shocked at looking at Kanpur. The town looked like a large slum and every where it was so dirty. The roads looked over crowded and narrow and there was a thick smog surrounding the environment. The whole place looked covered with dust. I could hardly find a clean leaf on any tree. The streets  were also very dirty and it looked very filthy. The only nice thing was the Pulses institute that was very neat and had a beautiful greenery around.  What I really liked about this trip was that I could reconnect with so many old friends some after thirty years and some after eleven years. I met Kommi at the wedding and caught up with the Allahabad University  tit bits.  I could find an old friend Ajai and it was a pleasure meeting him. He looked frail and heavily engrossed in Rekki. He has taken retirement and spends his time in rekki only.   I could also speak to Rakesh who is now settled in US. I got his email and would soon write to him. After this I was with Ashima for two days. Ashima had a lovely house with fantastic plants all around. She is now the Divisional manager in the North Eastern railways. I was meeting her after more than ten years . I also met her lovely daughter Ananya. I also attended a wedding  and a Tilak ceremony with her and it was fun to feel very much close to the culture of North. It brought me back to my University days when through Ashima I could get in touch with Shanti Ghildiyal and old friend and I could also contact Rachana who told me Deepali Singh, Loveleen, Mukesh and Surabhi, all in the Indian Administrative services were also in Delhi. I could also get the mobile number of Rajlakshmi Verma, the daughter of Ram Kumar Verma the famous Hindi poet who was our teacher at the Undergarduate level and since she was in charge of the hostels we did many activities with her. I spoke to her today morning and felt very happy. She had a lot of influence on me as a young girl. She made us think out of the box and wanted us to be very dashing and dynamic. I felt very happy that I could connect to so many people from Allahabad days. I did a lot of Chicken saree shopping and returned back to Hyderabad on 5th December.Leaving North was sad, but nothing like home and the beautiful and clean city of Hyderabad. May be in the past thirty years I have become a pukka Hyderabadi. I may have come from North but today i love Hyderabad and its clean and beautiful environment.