Tiny Guest

I was in the middle of our weekly meeting, when my phone rang. It was Vasundra calling from home. I disconnected thinking that I would call up after the meeting. The phone ran again. What could be so urgent, I wondered. I picked up the phone to hear a super excited voice. "Manna and I rescued a baby squirrel from monkeys", she was shouting. What, where is she now, monkeys, when did this happen - a flurry of questions came rushing to my mind. "She is with us, you come home quickly", and she disconnected leaving me stranded. Ever since the first time I met Vasundra, her love for animals always get across. She already has got two cats in the home which she adopted from an animal shelter. She had also rescued a baby langur from dogs back in her village where she is doing her research. So this was not the first time I was hearing such things. Even then I was pretty excited to know whats going on. So after the meeting was over, I headed straight home.

As I drove in, Vasu rushed out to greet me, excitement all over her face. She couldn't get me upstairs fast enough. In the meantime, she told me the whole story. In the evening she and her sister, Manna, were at the balcony when they saw a couple of big monkeys playing with something. They realized it was a baby squirrel that they had picked up from somewhere. Immediately they went down armed with a stick and some stones for the rescue operation. They were scared of the big monkeys but somehow they managed to get the tiny baby from them and brought her home.

Upstairs, Vasu showed me the baby. They had wrapped her in cotton. I couldn't believe how small the baby was. She barely filled my palm. She looked so fragile that I was afraid to hold her, lest she gets crushed. She was a bit nervous and disoriented probably looking for her mom. I picked her up and put her on my T-shirt and pretty soon she was moving all over me. I was in love with the little chap - she was just so cute. When she got around to my neck, i was a bit nervous. It was a little creepy to feel her webbings (a bit like a lizard) move over my skin.


Here I would like to bring in the fact, that the elder of our two cats, Sarso had taken a particular fascination to the little squirrel. For the entire duration, not once did I see her eyes wander off anywhere else. She was transfixed. The squirrel had her complete and undivided attention. Nothing I assume, not even an aeroplane crashing into our gates, could have taken her eyes off it. She was constantly trying to get close to it. When I had it raised in my hands, she climbed on the table, ready to be airborne. Now we considered the possibility that may be she was just curious towards the little guest. May be she was excited to have a new friend in the house and just wanted to play with her. After all Sarso had never shown any inclination to eat anything at all apart from her imported cat-food. May be we should leave her and see how she acts. Then again may be not, sorry kitty, we don't want to take the chance of the little squirrel ending up in your tummy.

Warning: Dont try this at home :) Relax - the cat is being held safely.

Amidst all the excitement, Manna and I got photographed in various poses with the squirrel. I also got on a mission to practice my new-found photography skills and use my macro lens. The squirrel formed a most interesting and fascinating subject for me and I couldn't put my camera down. Vasu, meanwhile was making arrangements to feed the baby. She got some milk in a bowl, dipped a piece of cotton and squeezed drop by drop in her mouth. Apparently the squirrel didn't mind the taste of buffalo's milk and fed to contentment. Like all babies, fed stomach translated to a peaceful sleep. Next we got a basket and Vasu turned it into a best possible nest for the squirrel. She got some leaves, twigs, branches, cotton and rags, and scattered it inside. Then we placed the baby squirrel inside and covered the top.






So immediate things being taken care of, it was time to think about what next. Can we keep her as pet ? None of us would have minded that but we realized we wouldn't have much clue as to how to go about it and I doubted if there would be much help available on internet on raising squirrels. I am not sure if I have ever heard about a pet squirrel. Besides it would translate to a life of captivity for the poor baby and her best chance of survival lay with her mother. Vasu was certain that the squirrels nest was on a tree in our immediate neighbourhood and was planning to return it to her nest. But I had a lot of questions going around in my mind. How can we be sure its the right nest ? How do we get her up there ? Will her mother be there ? How will she react ?

Before going off to sleep, I kept the basket near the bed. Then off we went to sleep with vague plans about the next day. I could not have been sleeping for more than an hour when a loud crash woke me up. Immediately my reflexes kicked in and I jumped off the bed, aware of what was happening even before I tried to comprehend it. Yes, it was Sarso who just couldn't keep away. We had committed the mistake of assuming that Sarso wouldn't realize that the squirrel was inside the basket. To my horror, the basket was rolling sideways on the floor, its covering gone and Sarso was searching keenly. I shooed her away and picked up the basket fearing the worst. I started looking for the baby but couldn't find her. I frantically searched through the leaves and twigs but no sign of her. To my great relief I finally located her. She had managed to get herself wrapped completely in cotton, so much so, that if I hadn't been looking, it would have been impossible for me to know that something was alive in that cotton ball. Now I knew the damn cat isn't going to leave her alone, so I picked up the basket and left it in the other room with Manna.


In the morning, we were excited to find the baby squirrel awake and squeaking. She seemed much more relaxed and energetic now. We were her playground now and she was happily roaming all over us. This time we kept Sarso away, and the smaller cat which had so far remained passive, showed more interest in the squirrel. We were sure she was too small to be of any danger, and she was also not as swift in her movements as the bigger cat, so we felt in control as she checked the baby out with wide curious eyes. And the baby squirrel also seemed to be greatly interested in the cat. Instead of being afraid, she was actually moving towards her, checking her out. Does she think its her mommy or just trying to make a friend.


I also took opportunity of the morning sunlight to click a few more photographs, before it was time to try to return the baby. Vasu and I took the squirrel out, while Manna stayed back to keep the cats in control. I wasn't sure how exactly we were going to do this but I just decided to take Vasu's lead, all the while hoping that this doesn't require any of us climbing a tree. So off we went, Vasu with the baby in her hands and myself armed with the camera. Vasu pointed to the tree towards a small nest hidden partially in the leaves, at a considerable height from the ground. Neelu didi, our neighbour, was also standing outside near the tree.


Now the events that transpired when we got to the base of the tree, happened at such a fast pace that I have hard time believing that any of it really happened. Although we human, who take such pride in our superior intelligence, would refuse to acknowledge this, but it seemed the little baby with a brain the size of a peanut, had complete understanding of the entire plot that was unfolding right then. She was seated calmly in Vasu's hands till we reached the tree, at which point she gave a shrill squeak. In an instant, we saw an adult squirrel rushing down from the nest towards us at a lightening pace, yet maintaining such elegance and balance, as only a squirrel can, hopping from one branch to another, as though flying. As she reached the base, the baby squirrel jumped out of Vasu's hands towards the tree, or may be Vasu herself put it there, as I said things happened so fast. The mother immediately greeted her baby with a hug, curled her and then proceeded to lift her up completely off the ground in her own tiny hands. Then for an instant, I swear she looked directly at us, the baby in her hands, as if saying thank you for bringing my baby back. Then the next moment she was gone, disappeared between the leaves towards her nest.






All of this wouldn't have taken more than a few seconds. We were really overwhelmed. I couldn't believe that all of this had really happened but fortunately I had managed to click my camera at the right moment. The hurry in which the mother had appeared, as if she had been waiting all night for her baby. The ease with which she had lifted up the baby and carried her to the top. We were speechless for joy and the satisfaction of knowing that we had done a kind act. Neelu didi was quite overwhelmed as well, telling us that the mother squirrel would be really blessing us. We came back and shared the story and photograph with Manna and my parents. Everyone was really happy about the whole thing.

Possibly a whole month had passed, since this entire thing happened. Yet I have been unable to get it out of my mind. Ofcourse I am happy that the mother and her baby got reunited, but in a way I am also sad that the baby left. It was such a great feeling, to have a tiny life in your hands, to realize that life doesn't only come in the shape of two hands and two feet without a tail, a fact all of us so often forget. Life in any form is as miraculous whether it be a human baby emerging from a womb or a chicken hatching out of an egg. I often find myself thinking about the baby squirrel and her mother. I wonder if they remember us. I also amuse myself with the idea that one day they will pay us a visit, get us a nut may be. Ya I know, too filmy. But what the hell. I take the liberty of running my imagination lose. As any pet owner will tell you, humans are not the only ones with emotions. An animal can love you unconditionally. And animals have memory too, so its possible that the little squirrel still remembers me and possibly it watches from its nest high up in the trees.....

A Morning of planting trees

Sunday morning 9 am - Odds are you would normally find me in my bed sound asleep with no intention of waking up for atleast a couple more hours. Instead I am awake since 6 in the morning, outside the comfort of my bed, my finger nails tucked with mud, a khurpi in one hand and a young sapling in another. And I am loving every moment of this time away from my bed, my heart filled with a unique happiness and satisfaction...

I have a mail from Selva (coordinator AID Delhi) to thanks for these happy moments. A week earlier Selva sent an email on AID mailing list stating that Kalpavriksha is organizing a tree plantation drive on the coming Sunday at a park in Mayur Vihar. Prof Rao from Kalpavriksha had requested AID volunteers to participate in the drive and since Selva was out of station he wanted someone to lead the drive.   

As soon as i saw the mail, I literally jumped at the opportunity of doing something as wonderful as planting trees. I wasn't so sure of leading anything, but I was determined to help in the drive in whatever way I could. I immediately wrote back to Selva and thankfully it turned out that leading only meant calling up Prof Rao to find out the details of the drive and passing on the information to all the interested AID volunteers and making sure the interested parties remain in sync. Prof Rao intimated me about the venue (Sahyog Apartments, Mayur Vihar) and his plans to start early in the morning since the weather had been keeping really hot for a few days. We also decided that since we were planning to plant around 100 saplings we didnt need more than 12-15 volunteers including the local residents who were more than willing to lend a helping hand.  I passed on the information to the interested volunteers and also invited an environmentalist friend who I knew would surely join.

Everything set, I couldnt wait for the Sunday to arrive. Ofcourse I had to get up at 6 to make sure that I had enough time to get ready, arm myself with a khurpi, pick up my friend and reach Mayur Vihar at the designated time of 8 am. We ended up 5 minutes early and were really surprised to find Prof Rao already there along with a couple of volunteers from Kritikal Solutions, Noida. After introduction Prof Rao told us about the park behind the apartments and his plans to plant 140 saplings in the semi-wilderness (his terminology for the badly maintained DDA park). He also told us that since the boundaries of the park were broken at a few places, his choice of species had been limited to those which would not be eaten by the goats, compared to the bio-diversity he would have ideally liked to plant there. So we would be planting begonia, sheesham, amaltas and kanakchampa along with few other shrub species. We also talked about the lovely weather and the rains for the last two days which would have made the soil humid and loose and ideal for the saplings. Things were shaping up to be perfect. 

Meanwhile, other volunteers kept pouring in. There were 6 volunteers from Kritkal Solutions, few residents from Sahyog apartments, Shivani from Noida who also brought her parents along and a young couple from Daryaganj. In all we formed the perfect number that was required for the job. Each of us picked up a sapling in both hands and made our way towards the park. On first look the park seemed quite small barely 20 feet wide, but the rectangular piece made up with its length stretching really long, with a few rectangular offshoots in between. Prof Rao believed that this was a great place to develop an excellent bio-diversity plantation. It was semi-wilderness indeed, with uncut grass and wild shrubs, but the wilderness added to the place. Unfortunately, lots of plastic and wrappers had also found their way from the neighbouring apartments. 

We started planting trees in a straight line from the beginning of the park gradually moving deeper towards the other end. Since the volunteers outnumbered the khurpis, pretty soon we had small teams, with one member digging a pit and the other planting the sapling and refilling the pit with soil. The rains had made the soil loose and much easier to dig and plant. Still it was fairly laborious work for the likes of me and the other software professionals, and the elderly residents who formed the majority of the group. The saplings which had already been grown for 2-3 years in a nursery, weighed atleast 3-4 kg with the soil wrapped around their roots. Carrying them further and further into the park started getting tougher and tougher on the tiring forearm and shoulders. Yet, I am sure that no one present there minded the work a least bit. I could feel so much energy all around me and everyone was eager to plant as many saplings as they can. Not once did I saw anyone sitting idle or resting. Everyone was totally engrossed in their work, deriving the same satisfaction as I was. It was so heartening to also see a 5 year old kid planting a tree with her mom. Meanwhile we also drew enquiries from the few passers by, who also expressed their happiness to see their parks being planted with trees. 

So we finished with the trees, and were done with the shrubs a short while after. Everyone had enjoyed the experience so much that all of us were disappointed that there were no more saplings to be planted. Our hands were covered in mud, shoulders sore and clothes soiled, yet it had been a most satisfying day. We were really feeling grateful for the opportunity. On the way back, we tried to collect as much plastic as we could from the park. I guess we all shared this concern which was finally voice by someone regarding the subsequent care of the planted saplings. Prof Rao assured us that since the saplings were already a couple of years old, they should be able to thrive on their own if left undisturbed. However, he had talked to a gardner to water the trees periodically. 

Our final reward for the day was a brief talk by Prof Rao on various enviromental issues and various projects in which Kalpavriksha is involved. He talked about the numerous trees that are being cut each day for building more roads and buildings. 35000 trees were uprooted in the very first phase of Delhi Metro-rail construction, and surely an equal number would have been cut in each subsequent phase. The law requires than an equal number of trees are planted else where, but companies often work around this law by providing false figures and bribing officials. By their own admission, the forest officials maintain that there is no land left around Delhi for planting trees, yet more and more trees are being uprooted daily. I am sure there is no need to stress the importance of trees for us, so am I to believe that even if replantation does take place, a tree planted in the outskirts replaces the benefits of a tree in my locality. The need for procuring more and more land would keep growing, but where do I stop. He cited the example of the UP link road just in front of us which was already a four lane road but it had been decided to extend it to six lanes. This would mean uprooting numerous trees on the banks of Yamuna for extending a road which barely sees congestion except for a couple of rush hours each day. 

He also talked about the declining bio-diversity and bird population in Delhi. Even though DDA and MCD plant trees, for some reason they mainly stick to a few species like Ashoka and Palm trees instead of fruit trees like Jamun, guava etc which are very bird friendly. The number of bird species in Delhi is rapidly declining from around 250 to just a handful, simply because they arent enough number of fruit trees for them to eat and make their nests in. He also showed us how MCD was strangulating the trees existing on pavements by covering them with concrete. Kalpavriksha had obtained a ruling from court making it necessary to leave sufficient uncovered area around trees but its another task to get it followed everywhere. Kalpavriksha is also fightining cases against deforestation due to mining around Delhi, trees cut for roads and metro construction. Often the legal battle results in failure but every favorable verdict keeps them going on. Unfortunately, they are being forced to fight increasing number of battles in courtrooms rather than out in the open. However, Kalpavriksha do run projects in and around Delhi to study bio-diversity and tree population.  

All this information served to re-emphasize the fact that all of us already know. Each day we are losing more and more plants and animal species to development. Yet somehow we need to strike a balance between development and conservation. Not out of sense of charity, not to ensure survival of other species but to ensure our own survival too. Its so obvious that our survival depends on survival of other life too, that all of us are weaved together in this intricate web of life. Just other day I received a mail stating the fact that children growing up in area without trees are 40% more prone to ailments like asthma. Yet we keep ignoring the obvious, hoping that things would turn up right somehow. There are some of us who choose to turn a blind eye to the environmental concerns that uncontrolled development is bringing down on us. There are others who are worried but clueless what they can do. Well you can start by planting trees and plants in your neighbourhood, community parks, in your backyard, even in small pots in your house. I can assure its a most satisfying experience to get your hands dirty in mud. Others would say that I havent cut a single tree in my life, its the stupid MCD and government. Yet its you who adds to the demand of more roads, more buildings, more raw material that ultimately lead to trees being cut. Everytime you walk down to the market instead of driving, everytime you car-pool, take a bus, avoid an unnecessary trip to the shopping mall, decide not to buy that dress we dont really need - you save a tree. Could it get easier than this. Is it enough - probably no - but surely we all need to make a start.  Better soon for our own good. 

Acceptence and Agreement

Not written by me - picked up from http://my-insights.blogspot.com/2006/12/acceptence-and-agreement.html because I liked the thought.

I have observed that accepting a person is different from agreeing with that person. Acceptance is of the person and agreement/disagreement is of thoughts. A lot of times in relationships when one disagrees with someone then that person often takes this disagreement as non-acceptance (rejection). Leading to a feeling of unease or even sometimes a feeling of hostility.

Also at times if one agrees with something someone is expressing then that is generally taken as acceptance of that person by the person who has been agreed with.

I have discovered that if one is able to maintain a distinction between Acceptance and Agreement and also keeps indicating this difference in relationships then life becomes a lot easier.

Waking up in someone else's bed

Inspite of the slightly dodgy title, I have no intention of writing anything remotely romantic or spicy, so this would be a good time to realign your expectations. Its just that after sleeping over at a friend's place this Saturday, it came to me how much I enjoyed waking up to a new surrounding than the familiar view of my own room. I don't think its not the most natural thing to feel this way. I am sure most of my friends and relatives go to a lot of pains to make sure they get back home at night. I know a few people who swear that they cant go to sleep anywhere instead of their own bed. I have had friends who have stubbornly insisted on driving 25 km to home at 1 or 2 in the night instead of staying over. And no I don't snore so thats definitely not an explanation. I guess most people are like birds - they want to get back to their nest after dark but then may be birds do that because they don't really have an option of staying over in a motel or at a relatives'.

But me, I just love spending my night away from home. I seem to get a deeper sleep in an unfamiliar bed. I have fewer incidents of waking up to a bad dream. I invariably sleep less and wake up more refreshed. I like it even better when I wake up. As my eyes open and my brain reconcile to different surrounding, I feel a sense of adventure. Something that doesn't happen everyday. I dearly love the different way in which the morning light fills the room. The different noises that filter through - sometimes its the heavy traffic on the road, sometimes the over enthusiastic maid going about her morning chores, news headlines from the TV, even someone putting on Bhajans or romantic Ghazals on CD player. I feel good getting up, folding my bedding in case I am in mood, or leaving it for my poor friend who had sheltered me.

Till a couple of years back my favorite night haunt used to be a friends place, who was my batchmate in college. As it turned out his rented place was quite near to my office but I don't think that really mattered. He lived on the first floor of a decently sized house with his younger brother, who happened to be working in my office and another friend who was in his office. There was also another common friend who lived on the second floor of the house with his two sisters. This friend also happened to be our batchmate in college, worked for the same company as me, and used to live downstairs before his sisters moved into the same city.

Well amidst all this confusion the point I am trying to make is that I was related to the house in more ways than once and felt quite comfortable with everyone there . Infact I am not even sure whom I started visiting initally, my first batchmate or the second one who was also my peer at office. But pretty soon, I was in more endearing terms with my batchmate's colleague, who I hadn't known earlier but who shared my interest in ghazals and classical music. Pretty soon I was staying over atleast once a week. I would get there after work and would usually be the last. We would sit in the living room in front of TV, call the one living upstairs, and chat for hours. Our favorite source of entertainment was to listen to the one living upstairs talk about his numerous encounters with his female colleagues and his boss. The encounters were no different than what happens with everyone in a day's work, but his take on the whole thing and his detailed narration of all the events, supplemented with thousands of circumstantial evidences, made the stories a must hear for everyone. I used to sleep in the living room initially but then I had started putting my bedding in my new friend's room, because we loved talking and hearing to latest collection of Ghazals as we slept.

Often I was the last one to wake up, but that too would be quite early compared to my usual routine. The first thing I used to do was to to get to my favorite part of the house - the huge balcony. I loved that balcony, I had spent countless hours sitting on the narrow ledge looking at the few trees that were planted below, observing the people as they passed on rickshaws, cars, buses or simply on foot. It was a fairly busy road and even early in the morning there would be a fair amount of traffic. Usually I hate traffic, but looking at it from above was different. I was not a part of it, stuck in it. Rather I was just an observer sitting on the ledge just like that crow sitting on a branch of the nearby tree. Even on that narrow ledge I managed to sit comfortably enough with my legs stretched out together in front of me, my weight balanced a little bit away from the 20 feet fall. It used to make my friends nervous but then they got used to it. My friend used to make tea for me, this was something he never missed, and I never offered to do it instead, even once. He would take a chair and we will sip the tea in early morning sun. If it was a weekday, we will all go to office one by one, otherwise I would stay a little longer, sometimes even till lunch.

They shifted to their own apartments, which is quite far away now, closer to their new office. The new place is quite far away from all the hustle bustle of a city, but I still continue to go over once in a while. I like the quiet surroundings but I miss the balcony. Its very small and there isn't anything to see below. Now their place wasn't the only one that I used to sleep around. Their is another batchmate and now colleague who didn't mind letting me stay at his place whenever we had to go for an early morning cricket practice. "Didn't mind", I have chosen my words carefully, for I don't think he was ever excited at my visit. But then he never gets excited at anything. He is the most simple person you are ever likely to meet. I am avoiding the term boring even when to most people he would seem that, but I used to feel comfortable with him. We never talked much and it never seemed necessary. His rented two room apartment reflected his simplicity. There was no furniture of any kind, no show-pieces - I am sure he could have easily left the house unlocked coz there wasn't anything to steal. He only had what he needed - and all he needed was a pair of clothes, a bedding, one pair of old shoes, few kitchen items. TV was the only thing valuable in the house which otherwise looked like an empty apartment. I actually liked the emptiness, there was so much space to move around. We could have easily played cricket inside with all the space and nothing to break. I don't remember if we ever did. There were a lot of books though, stacked one on top of other and he used to read a lot. There was a huge terrace in front of the rooms that I really liked. I paced to and fro, for hours, talking on phone to someone or simply gazed at the stars. In the morning we used to get up at 5 in the morning, when it was still dark and make our way towards the stadium. Those were the few times I saw the sun rising and each of them is a wonderful memory.

In the initial years of my office, I became friends with a new colleague. Besides from the fact that he looked as thin as I do, we had little in common. He kept everything organized at home, was sincere at his work, always looking for ways to help others, always bought gifts for everyone when he visited home and was popular with everyone at work and home. And I don't think he ever played any sport or went traveling in his life. But we did share a common interest and, most of the times, taste of movies and were perfect company for each other. Since we saw the night show most of the time, and he lived alone, I used to stay back at his place after the movie. For a bachelors place, his house was always too clean and organized. Coming back from the movie, we would talk and watch TV till late in the night. He was always worried about making me feel comfortable. He would try to get me to change into his pajamas, would take out new bedsheets, and worry about whether it was too cold or hot in the room. I always tried to convince him that I didn't need much to get comfortable. I always slept in my jeans. In the morning he would try to make a breakfast, but I was fresh out of college and not used to having breakfast in those days. We spent a lot of time together, saw uncountable movies, shared a few secrets, sought advice on problems. I am not sure if we were good friends at that time. Looking back, I think he was too nice to be my friend really. Not that I was the worst person on earth, but I was more concerned about immediate fun than long term plans. Like a responsible son, he got married at an age, when I wasn't sure if it was even legal. Seeing him with his wife at the wedding, the thought of child marriage kept coming in my mind, but before long he had a lovely baby girl of his own. Needless to say, he got too busy, and since our world were a lot different now, we hardly met any more.

So it was a pleasant surprise to bump into him at office after a long time. We started to talk and he told me that his wife and kid were away for a week. We decided to meet in the weekend and I ended up driving towards his home on Saturday night after a dinner with another friend. Even with the wife missing, his home was as clean and tidy. No scattered newspapers, no sign of any shoes, nothing on the table, all bedsheets and blankets folded tidily - it was difficult to imagine that someone actually lived there. On a typical day, on my bed you would found atleast following items - a pillow, bedsheet or blanket or quilt or all of them, my laptop, internet modem, my office bag, 4-5 books, couple of CDs, few clothes, a bottle of water, some eatables and a few other things I am expecting to be useful in near future. He had a rocking chair in his living room and I was quick to plant myself on it. To and fro, I went, and we talked. We talked about his family, about office, about colleagues, about gossips. We talked about my marriage plans, when you are single at 30, it would be a wonder if anyone doesn't raise the subject of your marriage. He tried his best to convince me the virtues of a married life, but by now I am an expert at fending off all such arguments. Now as I remember, I am amazed that we didn't talk about cricket. What sort of Indians are we - but then he never had an iota of interest in sports of any kind. Before I realized, it was 2 in the morning. Its not an unusual thing for me to be awake at that time, but he is an early sleeper, and so we shifted to the bedroom. He took out a pair of shorts for me, but I felt too lazy to change. He put a new blanket for me but the room was already too warm.

As I opened my eyes in the morning, I realized that I was not in my own bed. I had drifted to sleep rather quickly at night, and had an undisturbed sleep. I felt fresh. I checked the time on my mobile, it was only 8, but I didn't feel like sleeping anymore. The other side of bed was already empty. I got up and went to the living room to find him reading the newspaper. I borrowed some pages and again occupied the rocking chair - I think I will get one for my room as well. I was also just in time to see the first ball of the India - Australia match being bowled. We saw Indian bowlers getting hammered all over the park but I was the only one whose hurt was getting broken into pieces. Not able to take it anymore, I suggested we go to a nearby place for a South Indian breakfast. He wanted to take the car, but I was feeling energetic and somehow convinced him to walk instead. Mind you it isn't as easy to convince people to walk nowadays. The Dosa was lovely and I couldn't stop myself from ordering a plate of Idli, so by the end I was so full that I was glad we were walking. We had booked movie tickets for the afternoon show. When it was finally time to say good-bye, I felt happy about the day. It was nice to revive an old friendship but I also knew that pretty soon his family would be back and he would be too busy again.