Curry, papadam and blast

Enjoy guys! It's story and picture time again. After already receiving more than 18.840 readers i wanna hit the 20.000 b4 the end of this year :D
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There i go! White summer dress, little jeans jacket on top. Nice pink chappels. On my way to the first and the best restaurant in Mumbai before Ranjit will take me with him on a sailingtrip! The smell of spices, incense sticks and everything else which makes India-India, are making sure that all my sences are tickled. I landed again in heaven manifested on earth, with food, colours and smells. Finally! I missed it so much.

‘What would you like to order madamme?’
Does this man realise what he is asking… I m back after less than one year! I m making curries at home, to somewhat temper my homesickness. I m still convinced that your culinary arts is magistral. As resembling a starving troglodyte with water in the mouth who is not able to control the situation I reply:

‘Please plain rice, 2 butter naan, unday aur mutter ka salan (curry eggs with peas), biryani, turka daal, malika masoor daal, aloo ka bhurta (spicy patato), bangon gosht (lamb with aubergine) and some kadoo ghost (lamb with pumpkin)’.

‘Are you sure madamme…’

Yes, absolutely positive. I don’t care if I’m going to explode. I don’t care if I need to run to your loo immediately. I don’t care if I need to digest everything the upcoming 4 days. I had visions of this meal, I had dishes calling my name long before I landed and the only thing I want to do now, is let India come into my mouth so I can finally say ‘YES I M BACK!’.

‘My pleasure madamme…’

This was the ideal situation. Now reality.

That’s another kind of cake. As much as possible I tried to withdraw of all the news. Only my direct line to Mumbai is open. The cable out of my wall which makes sure news is spit into my living room 24h/7 days a week is used to the minimum. Why this procedure you may wonder?

1) Fact: news is almost always suffused with a fabulous sauce of sensation in which blood splashes, loud bangings, smoke and fire scoring much higher when the camera totally zoomed in, instead of giving a total picture. I seriously wonder for a couple of years already, who is feeding who with news? What’s news actually, when people outside the attacked country know better what’s going on, than the people on the news-spot… make you think he!
2)I remember myself sitting in front of tv, totally hypnotised by two airplanes flying into two buildings in NY. Only after a couple of days I was able to detach myself from mass hysteria. I currently refuse to join the mass which (if I don’t) will let me loose control over my own ability to think again!
3)What happened has happened. Simple as that. The whole nation is focussing on this area (exactly what those men want next to striking everybody into fear, but that’s not contributing to what I mean here). With the knowledge that most of these kind of attacks will only repeat themselves 2 or 3 month later SOMEWHERE ELSE, I don’t need to worry…

Of course i receive many phonecalls and questions. Continiously I reply with: yes I still come. Or Yes I still go, no matter what. My urge to this country is much bigger than the fear those bounch of sick souls are trying sow. India is big. Has so much to offer and is so much more beautiful and more powerful than this! I didn’t think a single second to cancel the whole thing. But I m convinced I would have done it with every other country. My longing is to big. I have to, as almost sended. Tears popped into my eyes by the thought that i may not be able to arrive for whatever reason. With tears on my face I drove my car on Dutch highways. ‘No, no, no, that’s not allowed to happen, I have to go back!’ That realisation struck my mind like lightening. What is going on with me? What is that powerful force? How on earth is a country that powerfull that it has such a grip on me that I have to….

While driving i realise that these why-questions make everything stop. The why-question is making me crazy. Why is fatal, because i will never get an answer and everything will be kept on his place, will be stucked and will not ever move again. Literally and figurative my body gets cramped. I really hope people will start realising this instead of operating out of fear or incapacity. That you can apply this on every area in your life so you can be free in a world which is stucked. So you can enjoy and continue with a smile on your face.
It doesn’t mean that i m cold or cool. That nothing strikes me. It doesn’t mean that I don’t experience intense sadness the moment I loose someone special or see that my loved ones are hurt deeply. I can fill up oceans with tears. I can cry as a wolf in the forest. And I can shake houses when I m really mad (although no-one believes it when they see my ever smiling face!)

In the meantime I m convinced that there are no mistakes in life. This opinion is making it all easier for me in times I need to surrender just as much to the forces of life as I do when all is positive. Even in windy times, there is something beautiful to see. I will always see later into the process, when I m not stuck anymore, why things happened the way they happened. I always got my answers and I can only say I m happy with the process!
Enjoy, love, laughter, dance, connect, live and go with the flow. Don’t ask questions to live. Don’t ask questions when live is giving you something. Don’t fight to the undeniable-forces on whatever corner of your life they show up. For that reason I still say frankly ‘Yes’ on the question ‘are you still coming to India?’

Finnair changed my ticket forehanded. Instead of flying to Mumbai, I now arrive in Delhi. Dutch government advices Dutchies not to go to Mumbai. Obviously I need to be in Delhi. I should have listened to my gutt when I bought the LP month’ ago. I only have bought the South one, but time enough, I shop b4 I take my flight.

I arrive on the 7th early morning and really looking forward to meet my Delhi friends! After rocking Chennai and Mahabs (which will be done later with Yanna, Megha, Venky, an HP Collegue Raghu and perhaps Hemant) Delhi will sweep me of my feet!!! Depending on all circumstances I will leave by train on the 15 from Delhi to Chennai-Mahabs!!!!
On the 26 from Chennai to Mumbai!

Ranjit, I reply-d on your mail. Would love to sail, catch up etc on the 27 as we both are travelling in the meantime.

My Indian number will be operational up from Sunday morning. You can reach me on: 00919717103047.

Gautam, I received your message. I will reply on it later today or tomorrow. We definitely should meet to discuss business b4 you leave!
Harish!! Happy with your mothers hospitality. Also your message I will reply onto later today or tomorrow.

Rest of Delhi inhabitants (hihihihi) where are the good places to dance/to meet.

For those who stay in Holland. Enjoy the stories, enjoy the Christmas cookies etc.

Loads of love and kisses!