Return to my Roots

May 30, 2007

I have just about returned from a trip to my paternal hometown. Located in Surat, and abundant in a Parsi populace i had never seen, the trip was an amazing boon to get away from the hectic office life, and meet up family members i hadn't met in a very long time.

The trip started with an hours flight to Baroda, and then about 3-4 hrs on the highway. I was sorely missing my earplugs because Born to be Wild was jumping around to get played. A nice little lunch on the dhaba enroute could be termed as "interesting". This was on a friday evening. And then came the Saturday where i realized i had a pretty big family :)

A day before my cousin's wedding (obviously that was the reason i had gone on this trip), there was this "small" family gathering. Now consider this as a mathematical problem. My paternal grandmother had six other siblings, each of whom had atleast 4 kids each (one of them being my daddy dearest), and this genration having a couple of kids each as well. Now also throw in their spouses and their close relatives. Seemingly a hash of sorts, with me totaly oblivious to the fact of whose-who. Everytime my dad got up to meet somebody i would be having this bewildered expression on my face, thinking, now who the deuce is this. Then i would get introduced and i would be like - aah i see - as if i had attained all knowledge and obtained Nirvana.

The best part about all this being that all the people knew me quite well - "yes, i had seen you when you were so small. I dont think you would remember me !"
I mean, doesnt my obviously bamboozled face tell you that already ...

In all this melee my younger sister was probably even more perplexed than i was. We being Delhites, rarely manage to make it to the west coast. And thus our interactions with all other distant cousins was neglibible.

Well the outcome of all this being - when we reached back home after a hectic and eventful day, we sat down and re-created our family tree chart. From top to bottom and left to right we identified all there was know about my roots and the various connections.

Well the next day went more smoothly now. But wonders never cease. You always end up coming across relatives not present in your tree chart !!
Overall it was an "enriching" experience, to meet up old relatives and attend my sister's wedding. Had a great time, lots of fun, saw some really old pics of my family, and went back to my roots. More importantly, i turned back a non-vegetarian. There was no way i could stop myself from not having Parsi non-veg cuisines - "sali-marghi", "bhaji-dana-nu-gos", "machi-patiao", "kheema patis", and on and on. My mooth still drools.
This being a marriage there were obviously good looking chicks around (i mean girls this time - not the non-veg item on my dish). My cousin obviously asked me to let him know in case i was interested in any one !!

And as weddings go, you always end up being asked the question - so are you the next in line ?
Oh well old grannies, meet me in the funeral parlour, i'll put the same question to you :)