Laal Salaam!

I'm back from my first trip to Nepal. I say first because it seems like there will be many more.

So much happened in the past week. My decision to go on the trip came out of my habit of throwing myself outside my comfort zone. This time it was way out, and I literally escaped by flying back home three days before I was supposed to be back by bus/train with the group.

The discomfort came from several things. The whole idea of going with a group who had an agenda of their own was a bad idea. I forgot that I don't work well in groups, especially when I'm not in control. I had been thinking of my trip to Ayodhya with a friend last year who had also gone with a particular task in mind, and we worked well together. She interviewed people, while I filmed them. I assumed that this time would be the same. But it really wasn't. Firstly, I was uninformed about the working of the CPN (Maoist) Party that we were going to be working with, so I couldn't really participate too much. Secondly, the group I was with had certain expectations of me that I didn't want to live up to - and being obliged to do something really puts me off. Another reason was that my association with the group gradually made me uncomfortable. They all belong to the same university and student political organization. Initially it was fun being associated with both the university and political party, but later on, as I better understood their ideas and opinions, I felt very uneasy being a part of the group.

The worst part was being in Kathmandu (which is really awesome) and not being able to look around or shop! The people I was with were so keen on using every second of the day "purposefully", giving us not enough time to even sleep. Whatever.

Lets talk about the good stuff. I met a friend who was my junior in college, and now lives there. It was quite an experience meeting her. Here, in Delhi, she was very reserved and almost felt out of place. When I met her in Nepal, she was so different - confident, comfortable, in her element. She reminded me of the change that I saw in myself when I came back to Delhi this time. I guess this means that Delhi is where I'm meant to be.

Another thing she made me think about was parents. My friend's parents are very involved in the politics of Nepal. Now she too works for the same political party. When I asked her whether she joined the party out of compulsion or choice, she said that her parents didn't force her to join, but wanted her to understand and support their work - and that she herself knew from a very young age that she has to work for the same cause. I was surprised to see such wisdom in her - this girl who looks not a day more than sixteen, and yet is so sure of herself. Her's was not the naive confidence that comes with youth, but the awareness of reality that has been forced on her from the day she was born.

The highlight of the trip for me was the evening when we all went to me friend's aunt's house. We sat in a circle on the floor with ingredients for Buff Momos (dumplings with buffalo meat stuffing). There was no electricity, so candles were lit. Work was delegated and we started churning out Momos at the speed of light. One set was sent to be steamed, while the second set was prepared. First round of sizzling, delicious Momos with a tasty tomato chutney arrived, while the second set of Momos were sent off to the steamer, and work of the third round started. I have no idea how many I ate - not just for dinner that night, but leftover ones that were fried for breakfast the next morning. It was a fantasy come true for a Momo lover like me :) And just the idea of the whole family sitting together and making dinner was so cool.

Another cool thing that I missed out on was the Newari tradition of drinking alcohol. My friend's Uncle was about to bring out the wine after the heavenly Momo dinner, just when we all had to leave for an interview!

I will probably go back to Nepal in later posts, but for now enough about Nepal.

Many of you know about the recent Delhi bloggers' meet that was left incomplete in my mind. I seriously request a reenactment - with the same food, drinks, people (those who couldn't make it that day will be welcome :)), and most importantly the same weather! Raising T has agreed to give it a shot, but will take about ten days to prepare. Any more volunteers?

I feel like quite the traitor enjoying myself in Delhi, while all the bloggers in America feel alienated. Daisy, let's plan an imaginary bloggers' meet, where we all sit in our homes and take pictures posing with imaginary bloggers, and then photoshop them to make our very own Desis in America Bloggers' meet! What do you say?? I need a break? Hmm...I thought so..