Bangalore is the same as it was a year ago. Namma Metro work still occupies most of the city's major roadways, and now sports an additional layer of cinema posters and advertisements. Traffic hasn't gotten any better, though I can't say with any level of certainty that it's gotten worse either.
The visit back home was near-perfect - time with family, a week-long escape to the countryside, meeting friends over weekends, some decent birding, and the great food and drink (read masala dosa and filter kaapi). The trip to Surathkal I so badly wanted will have to wait for next year, but that apart, there are few things I would have changed about this visit.
Having arrived questioning
whether home would feel the same as it used to a year ago, I’m now preparing to
leave, thankful that those qualms were unwarranted, and wishing I could stay
for another month. To me, this has been more than a holiday; it has been an
affirmation of my sense of belonging to the place I call home.
