Last week has been hectic. Time for continuous relentless travel. But it has also been ever so rewarding. While research was my reason to travel, what I received in return fills me with gratitude and joy.

A friend traveled straight from her work to meet me and as we talked we realized how much we miss each other and we parted on a happy note of a promise of more meetings with more friends. Maya, can’t thank you enough.

My quiet aunt who is a devotee and does not look beyond her home, keeping the treasures, the family property in tact for her children and visiting temples, donned her investigative hat as she joined me in my search for research. Valliamma, you are the best.

My sister and her husband who willing joined me in my trips to the unknown and helped me gather some valuable information as I am just about beginning with my field work were fantastic. I loved how much my sister and her husband talked to each other, needling one another, sharing anecdotes, they were the best of friends to each other, what a beautiful relationship you share! Bindu chechi and Ravi chetan,you are superb.

Then there is my dear Sofi. How does one describe walking into a home for the first time and feeling as if one belonged here. Sofi is a terrific ball of energy, ever enthusiastic, always positive and looking out for innovative ways to channel her stupendous energy to benefit those around her.As the day unwound, apart from devouring delicious food cooked by my friend in earthen ware! yeah! really! she has a dozen beautifully stacked earthen ware at home, I was lucky to be introduced to different individuals in the vicinity in the hope of collecting some valuable information. It was a collective effort at research, truly!

I thought I could have stayed over, when Sofi expressed the same. We sat together talking and joking and reliving past, discussing how life has changed all of us for better or worse.

I looked at the home so lovingly built by this wonderful girl and her loving husband and closed my eyes in prayer for their happiness and well being.

But of course, there are 2 kind souls whose sincerity I am at cross with sometimes, my dearest amma and achan, who do sometimes forget I am not a kid any more.

And amma was smart enough to get me to clean some grass, plant some yam, pick some greens in her efforts to keep me engaged and shed some weight.

Faraway in Auroville, my darling daughter picked up some skills in Film making while keeping a track of my day, it suddenly seemed to me that all is good, and that I should be able to do a good job at my research.

I have always wondered at the kindness of the universe, her ability to bring right people into my life at the right time, this week just sort of reaffirmed my faith.

Life is indeed beautiful. And I for sure have put on a few happy pounds….