Jai Jai Maharashtra Majha!!

I started wrting this yesterday but was so bored that didnt write anything at all. I sometimes think that I should make a diary of all the things I want to write about in my blog because when I do start wrting i phorget!!

SO let me start with my crazy trip to Sangli. I left for Pune on friday night reached there by flight with my crazy roomie who also works in my ex office. She was in high spirits dunno why.. maybe travelling does that to her. Anyways... was travelling in Kingfisher for the frst time so was sitting and judging them, they are ok except I could really do without the video of the owner going on about how he has personally choosen all the staff..!!!!! After reaching Pune we met up with even more crazier collegue and friend in Pune and crazy roomie's crazier younger brother. Started off for a 5 hour drive to Sangli. I was quite apprehensive about bad roads since it is also the monsoon (like real monsoon not just a pretence!!) in that part of the country but I was quite surprised to see that the highway from Pune to Kolhapur was brilliant and ofcourse after every 45 mins we were paying some kind of toll (that just explains it all!!). We reached Sangli and were suppose to look for the house of the District Judge as our hotel was bang opposite it. So at 4 in the morning we were trying to wake innocent people and ask them for the house of the District Judge. For some strange reason our driver would refuse to follow one person's instructions unless he has stopped atleast five time more and asked some more people... anyways we have been told to look for hotel Jyoti by crazy pune friend and when we reach the hotel it is called Lotus residency????? (hope you get an idea of what I mean when I say crazy!!!). We then tried to catch up on some sleep as the meeting was to begin in a couple of hours time. Reached the venue which was bubbling with a number of lawyers and law students, most local, some from kolhapur and satara. Had a great meeting with a number of people showing keen interest in taking this work forward in their city, towns and villages. A success of sorts in that sense. The bigger achivement in my mind was that we were able to get the young people in the audience to start questioning their own beliefs, assumptions and presumptions that they consider the sacred truth especially on issues like death penalty, prostitution, religious minorities, gender and patriarchy and globalisation. All in all the meeting was fabulous, the food was great, authentic Maharashtrian and the weather.......ooooh don't even get me started on that it was heavenly!! It is the kind of weather where you forget about the worries of the world and just get a couple of friends a backpack and go on treks to sometimes explored and sometimes unexplored terrain!!!

I completely ODed on the food especially the use of peanuts in just about everything...OMG I can't even explain what that did to me.........I just know that atleast for me if there is no penis atleast let there be peanuts (only in the food mind you!!) and the effect will be the same! Also did some shopping, bought typical Maharastrian nose ring the one that is slightly longish and also bought typical Mah toe rings, basically am ready to be Mah bride, come on bring out the guys!!! And bought a whole load of bindis, I know you will be wondering kya pagal hai Delhi main Bindi nahin milti kya?? But FYI the bindi makers in Delhi think that you wear a Bindi only on 2 occaaions either it is you shaadi or someonelse's shaadi get my point??? Good now am waiting for occassion to display mines nose ring!!

While coming back stopped at Chitale Bandhu in Pune to buy loads of Bhakarwadi..tinky you interested?? and at German Bakery to buy some yummy cake. Also had pretty much a fiasco at the Airport as I had an incorrect print out of my ticket and was panicking just a bit that I would be considered a threat and jailed or something but was able to rescue self soon. Will write about airport security in a seperate post. Tada till then!!