People always used to ask me – “Is India a poor nation?”. And my quick response was – “What they show on the tele is only a small percentage of India. India today is way beyond any developed country in terms of technology and infrastructure…”. It is true. Most TV programs (documentaries or news reports) shown abroad portray India as a poor nation and its people starving to death.

Having lived in the UK for the past 5 years I never realised how one gets used to their new found home (mine was UK at the time). It was 31st of December 2008 when we embarked onto the journey back to my motherland… once for all.. never to look back… to start a new Life with my family and friends.

Intense heat welcomed us at the Chatrapati Shivaji Airport in Mumbai as we struggled to find our pre-paid taxi. As it was our last trip, we certainly looked like someone who had squeezed in an entire house into our suitcases.

Our first problem: The Taxi didn’t have a carrier on top to carry our heavy luggage. 😦 “Never mind”, said the taxi driver and started piling them one on top of the other in the boot of the car. The car which looked generations old gave me a suspicious look.

All the way from the airport to our relative’s house, I cursed my luck, the driver and the taxi for not having a carrier. I was only counting minutes until one of the bags gave away and created a big havoc for vehicle following us.

The driver was reckless in his driving… this is how you should drive here sir was his response when I suggested that he drive carefully. Surprisingly we made it home without a scratch. I figured I had to learn a lot about this part of the country and its ways of trade. 🙂