Its not very often that i find myself at home in a new city so quickly. I always assumed that was because of my own need to familiarise, but now i'm having different thoughts. Of late, acclamitising has become easy enough. All i have to do is walk into a Cafe Coffee day or a Barrista Coffee bar or even one of the multiplexes around and i'm back in known territory. Its insane that places have become so standardised that once i'm inside, it makes no difference whether i'm on nungambakaam high road or vijay char rasta!
Same colors, similar furnishing, menu cards and prices, people all dressed the same way - honestly, one cannot expect bright, cotton tie-dyed clothes here, desi prints and all of that .Everyone around are in levi's. Ghagra's and mirrorwork seem to be for tourists only.
Globalisation and whatnot.. Its the era of MNC's, glass boxes and Panner tikka pizza. Its already happened everywhere , i guess its old news but this is me speaking from a sudden exposure to this reality. Language and conversation are still almost the only reminders that i'm not in home ground.
This though, is only one half of the story. There is apparently another side to this city - literally- the Older sections of ahmedabad where you can still find traiditonal pols (houses) and a lot of local attractions (and if you know me you would know i'm not talking tourism). Hopefully that should help make me feel like i'm actually seeing new places.
Then again, some people (read: my father) take comfort in the fact that cities have become so modernised that you get everything you need here, just as you would do, at home. I'm not complaining much about that either really :D it makes life simpler if i can depend on continuing my breakfast routines and "thair sadam" lunches. I guess i'm not the kind to rough it out for four whole months.. i need assurances of some kind, some measure of familiarity, but the romantic that i am, i must confess i expect a lot more local flavor.
As long as i still take that early morning walk to drink some chai or late night walks to get some vada pao, i'm keeping myself happy with thoughts of being in a new environment, while i can still have the familiar comforts of honey cornflakes, nescafe and radio mirchi during the day :D
Hoping for a lot more.
Post script - do most people have such conflicting thoughts or is it just me? :)
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