Well, today is the ninth day as an ‘Outfoscion’ and despite the initial hiccups the transition has been real smooth. It took me a couple of days to let the feeling really sink in and to get adjusted to the relaxed carefree schedule of my self imposed ‘break’ before I join TFI.  The first two days were probably the most demanding in terms of getting ‘acclimatised’. I wake up at seven in the morning and I already have a feeling of not having done anything. Preparing a relaxed breakfast [ as much as I was looking forward to] for some weird reason looked quite  boring.12:00 at noon, I realise there’s no company for lunch. And at about six as I sit before the lappy after a long siesta, the peace seemed to be even more troubling than the incessant honks from the traffic that my ear has got accustomed to from the past three years. But after a couple of days it was as if the sea had calmed down altogether. I could swiftly alter my body cycle to adjust to this ’new phase’ of my life and the days are no more ‘boring’.  Every other day I’m reminded of some job that I’d long left unattended and to see them being closed out one by one by itself gives me  some kind of an achievement…Well, Now is when I guess I best appreciate when people say It’s kinda nice to slow done every once in a while…

Late tomorrow evening I would be off to Pune to attend an informal get-together with other folks who would be joining me for the TFI fellowship. Even before I meet them in person, I’m thoroughly stumped by the diversity that each of them are bringing with them in terms of their past work/study experiences. Excited is just not the word I can use here! And then after the Pune visit, unless my ticket gets confirmed I guess I would be traveling in a unreserved compartment for about 32hours to reach Palakkad[Kerala]. During this break, I initially wanted to tour all around Kerala as I was sure I wouldn’t be getting this opportunity again..But giving it some more thought, I figured I wouldn’t really gain much just roaming around and decided to spend more time with my people out there. Eventually It loomed on me that I should take time out and visit Paruammai . As far back as my memory traces, Paruammai’s been one woman in the whole family who has seen my generation take birth and grow up to what we are today. She moved in as a maid and became a intrinsic part of the family. Overtime as she grew old and moved back to her village - Pallavur with a wish to spend her last days there. It’s been a while that we’ve heard from her and I hope she’s still moving around in the village. She would probably be in her 90s now!! At times I wonder how we as humans just keep moving on and on without taking time out to stop, appreciate and thank those who’ve done so much for us…With a hope that age hasn’t taken a toll on her, I just cant’ wait to see her in person and have a long long chat with her.

Post the Pallavur visit, I plan to head directly to Trivandrum and spend some real good time with my grandmom. Then there’s this Munnar trip saddled along with a friends’ wedding blocked during the last week of march. If things don’t take an wild turn I probably would be back to Hyd by 6th of April. Haven’t as yet figured out what I’d be doing till the end of April. At least for now, the Ladakh or North East plan stays canceled for various constraints. But I’m not really bothered, Will take things as they unfurl…