Tour de la Parish

Have you ever been left mesmerized by the simplicity and serenity of an Indian village ? Well, I am, every time I take a jaunt out of the sprint, we live in every day.

No, no, no, I love the city-life ! I mean, I enjoy the race of time, the range of choices we get to make, the independence, the fusion of the Indian and the western life-styles ,the malls and the coffee-days and everything. The post is not about City Vs Village.

To take a trip down the country side and live its life for a day, believe me, is truly soothing.

Had been to this village , in Tirunelveli , yesterday and I was amazed by the hospitality and the spontaneity , the folks had . Can you believe it when I say to keep the front doors closed , at any time of the day, in a house, in this town, is purely uncustomary ? Every one knows every one else in town. You ask for an address and they guide you right through the entrance of that place you have been looking for.

Kindness comes for free of cost and, okay, sometimes they can get quite nosy , I mean, to walk along and smile at people, who appear confident that you know them and answer their questions, pretending you have just met them last, a while ago is, well, not a feel-good thing.

Eight out of ten people you meet are more than likely, in every sense, to stand in front of you, after having defiantly put to you, the most difficult question of all time. “Tell me who I am” . Wait, they aren’t really tough. They throw a tricky hint to help you. “Your mom comes to meet me, every time she visits her mother” .

They initially give you a courteous look (I am sure they are more curious inside), which slowly turns rebellious and the more your smile so stupidly, totally clueless on what to answer, the stronger their looks are. But you choose out at the end, with no option, saying, “I am sure I have seen you, but I am just not getting the name “ and yes, continuing to smile ever so stupidly. I think it has got to do something with their prestigious stand , they getting recognized by outsiders.

And you know what the most intense experience is ? The kisses that are thrown all over your face by people you have not seen before.

This part is, appreciatively restricted to the female community. You do nothing but keep smiling (they thankfully don’t seem to be expecting you to return the kisses) because you do not want to give them a feeling that you dislike it which might upset the person, who has proudly taken the opportunity to introduce you to the bunch of the country’s own natives.

And when it’s time to bid Good byes, they leave you with a feeling that keeps you wondering if you had been there for so long a time and memories, you are sure, you will smile at.

It’s overwhelming. That’s the positive way of looking at it. It’s cheeky. That’s the factual part about it .

But to go there and to live the earthiest flavor of life is worth a day in any person's life who belongs to generation-Y !