Tack! Tack! – It was a soft knock on the door, which woke me up. I looked at the large porcelain clock on the side – it was 7.00 a.m.

‘Twinkle, it’s Mona, can I come in’.

I thought to myself - who the hell is Mona! Oh! My God I suddenly thought – of course it’s my young and lovely sister-in-law, my supposedly husband Nick’s sister. [Nick being a shorter version for his full Indian name Nikesh].

I replied ‘Yeah, come in Mona’.

Mona entered in her soft silk mint coloured pyjamas. She had perfect fair and lovely complexion with
almond shaped light brown eyes and perfect full lips. Her light brown hair lightly tied back. She was seventeen years of age doing her ‘A’ levels and hoping to go onto doing Media or Information Technology studies. She came and stood at the foot of the bed.

‘I am really sorry Bhabhi’.

Bhabhi was an endearing customary way of addressing a brother’s wife.

I said softly –

‘ I do not think I am entitled to be called Bhabhi after yesterday, do you?’

Mona was taken aback by my retort and I immediately felt that it was not her fault, so why was I being so rude. To smooth the atmosphere, I continued -

‘So you call me Twinkle huh. It’s better that way. It kinda takes the heaviness and formality out of the situation and our relationship. We can communicate better if we talk and be like friends. What do you say?

That cheered and relaxed her and she smiled -

‘OK, if that will help to heal some of the pain and sadness my brother has bought you. Yeah, I would like to be friends with you.’

She continued –

‘Actually I think being friends is better than calling you Bhabhi. Bhabhi immediately raises certain boundaries and norms of behaviour, which restricts you from being open to one another. So yeah, I like that’.

‘Listen Mona’, I said quietly, ‘I have not even had enough time to think clearly about yesterdays events. It was too much of a shock. I was bewildered and confused about Nick’s behaviour and what he blurted out.

I gave a heavy sigh and continued -

‘Every emotion you can think of flashed by like a fast non-stop train’.

Mona responded -

‘I can understand your feelings.’

I gave a small laugh and thought how can you understand? Well, because –

1. You’re too young to know what is happening, and,
2. You’re not in my shoes to know what it feels like.

‘Um, why don’t you freshen up and come downstairs for breakfast. Mum, dad, you and me could all do with some energy and support’, Mona carried on.

I just laid on the bed feeling sorry for myself. A voice inside me said ‘Stop it! It’s not your fault. Face up to the scene and be strong’.

Mona was still babbling on when I caught here speech again -

‘Mum and dad where upset and hardly slept’.

I answered –

‘Well, I feel sorry for them actually Mona.’

I then blurted out almost angrily -

‘Didn’t they know about his intentions or wishes? I mean was he forced to marry an Indian girl or what?’

Mona was stunned at this outburst from me. She replied carefully choosing her words -

‘All I can say is that what he did outside the home or what was on his mind was something no one could read or predict. I am sorry Twinkle at the way destiny has struck you.’

I reflected on that last response from Mona. It raised many questions in my mind. I slowly turned onto my back, stared at the ceiling, trying to stop the sudden rush of sadness and tears raising their ugly head in me again. I stammered -

‘Mona, I would like to be on my own know. I will freshen up and be down as soon as I am ready, OK’.

Mona continued to stand and stare at me, finally she turned saying -

‘OK, see you downstairs’.

I heard the soft click of the door closing as she left the bedroom.

I continued staring at the ceiling. I could almost see a diary in the form of a movie being played up there about the past six weeks, which had brought me to this house and family.

The past six weeks in the life of Twinkle Gala now Twinkle Sen –

Week 1

It was scorching hot and a Sunday like all Sundays when my best friend Seema arrived in Rajkot, India and suddenly landed up at my house. It must have been about 3 o’clock in the afternoon. Seema whose family were loaded with money were into tourism. They had a thriving business with offices in India and Europe since they arranged all sorts of sightseeing tours. Seema and I had grown up together living in the same neighbourhood of ‘Kalavad Road’ colony in Rajkot. Seema went to England to do her college years and a degree in Art and Fashion. She had qualified with a good honours degree and was running her own boutique ‘Saffron’ and cloth designing business. She had one elder brother who was married and one younger brother.

I just screamed gleefully with surprise on seeing her -

‘S-E-E-M-A, what are you doing here? No phone call, e-mail or letter and you just arrive like this. It’s not fair. You should have informed us we would have come to collect you’ I carried on hugging her.

Seema grinned saying ‘I wanted to surprise you all that’s all.’

‘Come in, where is your baggage.’ I asked

‘In the taxi’ Seema replied.

‘Right, Rishi, Mrudul’ I yelled at my brothers who were upstairs -

They came rushing down yelling back as if ready for a wrestling match

‘What do you want know big sister than stopped on seeing Seema. Both spoke at the same time –

‘Is this you Seema? You have changed, Become a phoren huh!’ they teased

I butted in saying ‘Please get her bags from the taxi and bring them in.’

So off they went, while I turned to Seema and said –

‘Mum and dad are out shopping. They will be surprised at seeing you here so unexpectedly. It’s great to see you and how is everyone in England.’

‘Oh! Just fine. I needed a break and I thought I did come and see you all, have a mini holiday and tell you my news at the same time. Where is your sister Ruthvi’

I said ‘Ruthvi has gone to camp at Maha Baleshwar Hill satition for the summer vacation with her school. Now tell me what news have you come to give. I must say it must be the most expensive news ever’

Seema started to figit nerveously

‘What news is this?’ I questioned again

‘I am getting married in a six weeks.’ Seema answered finally

‘Congrats’ I said excitedly ‘I wish I could afford to come. I am sure it will be a huge celebration.’

Seema announced -

‘I have come to invite you and take you back with me. I mean you are my best mate. I have friends in England but no one; I repeat no one is close to me as you are. I want you to be my bridesmaid at the wedding. I told mum and dad about my wishes and they sent me to get you saying you can have a few days break as well. So here I am.’

‘Gosh’ I sat down bewildered ‘I don’t know Seema if I can or if my parents will let me. I mean I want to do an MBA so that I can get a good job and help my dad for a few years financially until Rishi is in a proper job.’

‘You can do your MBA in England Twinkle. Lots of students come to England to pursue their studies.’ Seema explained.

‘Yeah, I know.’ I answered her saying ‘ But either these people have lots of money to pay for the fees and other expenses or they are sponsored by Gujarat Government. I have applied for a scholarship to the Government but I have not heard yet. I am hoping to though, as I will need to prepare for GMAT. I know I do not need to do TOEFL test as I have studied in medium English.’

‘What’s GMAT and TOEFL. Sorry I do not understand this business terms. In fact never heard of them before’ Seema said

I explained ‘GMAT or Graduate Management Admissions Tests is something all overseas students need to pass to do an MBA. Whereas TOEFL or Talking Of English as a Foreign Language is a test which people who have not studied in English have to take.’

‘Right, OK. Glad I am not doing anymore studies.’ Seema chuckled.

Seema stated ‘I will arrange for your fees, interest free with dad and you can pay back after your MBA, when you get a good job. ‘

I could not believe what I was hearing. Wow! I thought Seema was giving me another hope in case I did not get the Gujarat government sponsorship and I spoke my thoughts aloud

‘It’s a wonderful hope you are giving me Seema. I would be forever grateful to you and your family.’

‘So get ready. Once your parents are home we will explain the situation and get your visas sorted.’

I said ‘Hum, convincing my parents will be a hard job. They would worry about sending me so far way, alone and what would the rest of the family say? Well, I will have to live it to you Seema to convince them.’

‘Oh! Don’t worry. I will convince them. God! I am whacked. I am going to sleep. Wake me when Bharat-kaka and Parul-kaki are back.’

With that Seema flopped down on the diwan and fell fast asleep. I could see that Seema was so excited, in love, over the moon so to say. I looked at Seema whom I had not seen for nearly four years. We kept in touch of course my e-mail or an occasional telephone call. She had changed in appearance compared to when she was in India. Her skin was a lot fairer, short-layered light brown hair with auburn streaks in them and light make up. Dressed in knee length shorts and T-shirt one could tell by just looking at her that she was not from India. The tell tell signs being the shorts which girls hardly wore in India and the style of hair which was different, the way she walked and talked, in fact the way she carried herself had changed considerably.

By the time my parents arrived Seema was in a deep sleep on the diwan and I did not want to wake her so I let her sleep until she herself could wake up on her on when she has had sufficient rest. My parents were surprised as I was on seeing her and I explained the story so far. They said they would talk to her once she was awake.

‘In the meantime’ my mum said ‘Let’s make a meal. She will be hungry when she wakes up.’

So we made a simple meal of spicy pasta, chilli paneer and chips, to be followed by mango ice cream for dessert.

By the time Seema awoke it was 8 o’clock in the evening. She quickly got refreshed. The weather had cooled a bit and there was a cool breeze floating in when we all sat down for a meal.

My dad asked ‘So how is Vipin and Nina.’

Seema answered ‘Oh! Fine. They have sent a letter for you. I will give it to you afterwards.’

‘So you are getting married in six weeks?’ my mum prodded

‘Aha, has Twinkle updated you.’ Seema asked.

‘Yes she has. But what is this about Twinkle coming to England with you, the fees for her MBA etc?’

Seema explained everything ending with -

‘This is a golden opportunity for Twinkle to pursue her dream. You know life is a little bit better for women in England compared to here. There are more choices for them to earn and study. In the long run if Twinkle is successful it will benefit the whole family.’

My dad spoke ‘It’s all very well, but will the rest of your family agree to have Twinkle.’

Seema replied ‘Why would they? I mean once Twinkle got into a university, the university will provide accommodation and even help her to find work. Overseas students are allowed to work fifteen hours a week by UK law, so she will be able to pay for her living. That lives the fees, if she gets the scholarship fine, otherwise we will be able to help.’

Finally my parents agreed on a promise that –

1. I would ring or e-mail them every week.
2. Keep in touch with a far away cousin who lived in Liverpool somewhere
3. Send them photos from time to time
4. Not bring shame or embarrassment to them and the list was endless...

I thought ‘Don’t they just love me too much’. But then again so did I.

My brother Rishi spoke ‘You have changed from what you were here.’

Seema said ‘Really how?’

Rishi said ‘Your accent in English is different. Your hair, clothes, the way you walk, your personality is more confident.’

‘Yeah, you have changed Seema’ I said ‘Do you remember when we used to go to school together in our St. Nirmala Convent School Medium English logos on our starched, stiff blue and white uniforms? The medium English school logos were showed off to emphasise we were special. ‘

Seema replied ‘Oh! Yes and our coconut and ambla oiled hair which were tightly tied into braided plaits with big white ribbons. We must have looked real geeks. Oh! And what fun we had when we used to sneak off having pani puris and ice creams at the stalls near the school at lunch times teasing all the boys going past.’

I continued ‘And when the nuns and teachers caught us we were canned for it. But it was worth the pain for all the pleasures and laughs we had.’

Mrudul butted in ‘Do you miss all that fun? Do you miss India?’

Seema replied ‘At first I missed everything a lot. But once I got into the system I started to look at life in England in a different way. I discovered that girls had more choices and freedom to do what they liked. We could earn money without being looked on cheaply by other workers. In fact we were respected for working. We could travel anywhere in the country comfortably in safety and alone. Although you still had to be street and life wise because you do face racism and violence from certain sections of the society. But these things you pick up as you live and get to know the country and its people.’

Seema turned to me saying ‘You still have not changed much in the way you look. You know once we get to England your hair is going to be chopped. I will take you to my hairdresser to have it styled and cut to suit you and the way you do your makeup and the colours you use will have to change.’

I laughed saying ‘Look at her she is already bossing me around.’

Seema teased ‘Well I don’t want to go around with a desi aunt look alike, instead of a friend you know. The way most girls in India dress and look is really outdated. No you will need to change your self a bit to fit in.’

I laughed ‘Yeah Sure.’

Seema turned to Rishi and Mrudul ‘Hey! guys so what line are you both thinking off? We have a businesswoman in the family already? So I hope you two are going to do something different. We can’t have a clash of two business minds in the family can we?’

Rishi grinned saying ‘I would like to be a doctor. But once again that would cost a lot, so we will have to see if I can get a sponsor or a scholarship.’

Mrudul laughed ‘I have not seriously thought of what to do. May be a pilot or engineering.’

Seema gushed ‘ Oh! How traditional. No thoughts about being a computer programmer or even a chef huh!’

Rishi retorted ‘We have to be traditional Seema even if we want to try new things. Life here is not as advanced as in UK and we get one chance in a lifetime to do something worthwhile whereby we can build a career and a relatively comfortable lives for our families.’

Seema smiled amused ‘Hey! guys do not look sad, I am just joking. I am sure if you have determination you will find a way to get there. Besides if Twinkle dear is doing well for herself in England she would able to help.’

Rishi scowled ‘Yeah! So glad you are so understanding.’

Seema clipped him on the ear saying ‘Do not be so sarcastic. ‘Can’t take a joke HUH!’

Mrudul butted in ‘Speaking of unusual careers guess what Ruthvi wants to be but will not be allowed to be, absolutely NOT.’

Seema exclaimed ‘What could that be that it’s a NO NO already.’

Mrudul continued ‘Well, she wanted to be actress and we all said no. I mean Bollywood is a men jungle preying on young innocent girls. You need real good contacts do make it with a clean bill. You know what I mean.’

Seema answered ‘Yeah! So now what? She is still young to make choices.’

Parul kaki spoke with a giggle ‘ She is dazzled by the glamour and brightness of Bollywood. So now she has chosen another line, which seems just as glamorous to her - an airhostess. We have not said anything, I mean an air hostess – its just like being a high class waitress.’

Seema informed ‘Parul kaki being an airhostess is a skilful job so is being an actress. But I can understand your fears about Bollywood, but not about a career as an airhostess. I mean an airhostess has to learn languages and other skills. Besides they travel the world and meet many important people.’

Bharat kaka walked in from the balcony looking at his watch ‘Right everyone, it’s past twelve, go to sleep you have to wake early for tomorrows journey to Gondal.’

We got up grudgingly and trotted off to the bedrooms to sleep.

Next day was Monday and my dad said he would arrange for the visas, he knew someone who could have them done within a day. In the meantime Seema wanted to go on a mini pilgrimage to Gondal and Junagadh. We decided to hire a matador and leave next day for Gondal and on Wednesday to Junagadh. Thursday we would prepare for our journey to England via Bombay.

Tuesday morning around 9 o’clock we left for Gondal. Gondal was very near to Rajkot, about one hours drive. Gondal has some great sightseeing features as well as being a holy pilgrimage place known as one of the shakti piths. Maharajah Bhagwat Sinhji built Gondal in 1875 AD for his son Yuvraj Bhojraji. It boosts of a Riverside Palace, which is set in lawns and gardens beside the main river in Gondal appropriately called ‘Gondali’. There are two rooms laid aside as sitting areas. One room was furnished in typical British colonial style with chandeliers, antique wooden furniture and sofas. The second room had the traditional Indian room decoration of beadwork, brassware and paintings. There were seats on the terraces and galleries overlooking either the river or the garden. It was the most beautiful building, which we visited. Another palace we visited was the 17th-century Naulakha Palace, which is full of stone carvings with exquisite balconies surrounding a fabulous pillared courtyard. It had beautifully carved arches, and a unique spiral staircase. The large hall had stuffed panthers, gilt wooden furniture, and antique mirrors.

Thereafter we made our way to the Bhuvaneshwari Ayurvedic Pharmacy, which makes traditional herbal medicines according to ancient principles and is also one of the temples, which Seema wanted to visit. She also wanted to buy some ayurvedic medicines like karela pills, supposed to be good for cleansing the blood circulation and other remedies. The other temples we went to were the Ashapura Goddess’s temple and Shri Ramanath Dham, just outside Gondal which had a most peaceful and serene atmospheres I had ever come across.

Next we visited the Swaminarayan Temple. A pink coloured architecture, a small museum with some great wall murals of the various Swamis who preached this faith.

The Sangram Sinhji High School was the Eton of Gondal, with some fantastic Gothic architecture and Italian marble floors. There were still some old European laboratory equipments and an antique clock tower with and intricate wooden ceilings. Seema wanted to visit the school, as it was the school her mum had attend as a child.

‘You know there is a ghost in this school’ Seema informed.

‘Mrudul laughed ‘No really. Do you believe in that rubbish.’

Seema continued ‘No, I do not think it is rubbish. My mum says that each year this ghost takes a life of one student.’

Riishi exclaimed ‘Well let’s find out. We will ask one of the teachers or students.’

They all walked around admiring the architecture when they spotted a lady sitting near some toilets. They started to make their way towards her when a student stopped them midway.

‘Where are you going’ the student asked

Seema pointed ‘Towards that lady near the toilets over there.’

The student turned to look at the spot where Seema was pointing. The student explained ‘Did you see the notice just behind you which says those toilets have been shut. No matter what you happen to see down there do not go without the permission of the head teacher,and that alone.’

We all looked astonished because we all failed to see the notice, so we turned to the student and asked ‘Why’

The student said ‘What you see is a chudel, a dead woman from centuries ago who is haunting that area. Every year this chudel takes a life one of at least one person. Those toilets were used to be for girls. No one knew when or how but one of the toilets would shut suddenly and the chudel would not let go of the person who was inside. The person would scream and shout until the poor girl would collapse and die or die later through fever. On many occasions people tried to break the door down but they were not able to do so. She is that powerful. They tried exorcism the area, but she will not leave. So until a way is found to get rid of her presence, they have sealed the area. Outsiders do not know this so this notice was put up which you missed.’

‘Oh! My God’ I said. ‘You saved us from that chudel, thank you.’

‘See’ I prodded Mrudul ‘There are Ghosts and some sort of life in another realm.’

Mrudul went all-quiet and seemed bewildered by what he saw and heard.

‘All right’ I said ‘Lets get something to eat before going home. The stuffed Gondalia chillies are a must and the pakoras along with the dahi bhel puris.’

Seema licked her lips ‘Sounds really mouth-watering. Lets go.’

We returned to Rajkot that night. At night my father told us that luckily my visas as a student visitor had arrived. Now, I knew for sure I was going to go to England. Next day we were going to visit Junagadh as planned. We left early at 6 o’clock in the morning as the journey was of about three hours.
Junagadh is a city, which has for centuries been a place for pilgrimage. Full of greenery and hills where a famous holy saints had lived. In Junagadh we were going to visit Girnar, the famous five-peak mountain with ten thousand steps is known as the hilltop temple city. At the foot of the hill is a rock, with an inscription of Asoka, dating to around 2nd century B.C. This inscription is of great historical importance. It is the most sacred place for Hindus and Jains. Seema had made a vow to visit the Bhavnath temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, which was at the foot of the Girnar. Once we got there Seema fulfilled her vows and we decided to climb as many steps as we could till it was lunchtime. We would rest up there and make our way down around 4 o’clock for our return journey to Rajkot. By lunchtime we had managed to climb around 4400 steps to reach the temple of Niminath, the most sacred temple for the followers of Jainism. Nearby was a cave known as ‘Rajumalti’ where a saint of the same name had mediated vigorously. Near by was a cool stream named ‘Gomukhi ganga’ where we all had a quick dip to cool ourselves down. We all had a great time and at the end of the day were exhausted but at peace.
On the Friday we left by first class accommodation for Mumbai around noon. Seema wanted to travel by train so that she could see the scenery, people and relax. The train journey was an overnight journey arriving at Mumbai on Saturday morning. Saturday we were booked at one of the hotels in Mumbai near the Mumbai International Airport called ‘The Jal’. From here we were going to depart for England on Monday to get to Heathrow for early morning arrival the next day. The hotel was five minutes from the airport. On booking in at the hotel we were warmly greeted with huge smiles by beautiful girls in saris. The hotel smelled full of jasmine and marigolds, which was abundant in Mumbai.

On Sunday we went out for sightseeing, shopping and generally had a fun day in Mumbai. I wanted to enjoy my last day on Indian soil before I embarked on my adventurous journey and life in England. I wanted to saviour each and every moment of this day. Mumbai was full masses of people and heaving traffic full of rickshaws, taxis, buses, cycles, scooters, lorries and of course the rich people’s cars - the ambassadors and the marutis amongst the wandering of the scared cows and abandoned dogs and cats. Mumbai the economic powerhouse housing one of the world’s biggest film industry churning out around eight hundred films per year known as ‘Bollywood’ in the West. With a population of around 19 million people the city seemed to be bursting at the seams. It had one of the biggest slums in Asia called ‘Dharavai Joperpadi’, yet the city still managed to carry on. A city full of contrasts, glamour alongside the hardship of the poor of which there are millions trying to exist and make a livelihood, the cottage industries making pappadoms to large corporate companies ranging from textiles, computing to petro-chemicals. To see such a sight can be a culture shock for many non-Indians and it was for Seema who now had some of the English way of lifestyle and views. I could see the distress on her face every time our taxi stopped near traffic lights on our sightseeing tour and beggars came to beg. She sighed and said sadly -

‘How much can you give and to how many. Looking at this people it would be a huge job for an ordinary citizen alone to make their lives better. The initiative has to come from the government.’

I replied -

‘Seema now that you have been away to a country where poverty is relatively hardly seen this looks shocking to you. But the government is trying to help and it is going to be years before any changes will be seen. There are a lot of gang wars, crime, corruption and beauracratic obstacles, it makes changes very difficult to implement. But with the new youth and hopefully more literacy programmes new generations will start to make their impact and change India for the better. A lot of other cities have improved, it just seems Mumbai is at a standstill because of the immensity of the population and its complicated needs.’

To cheer Seema up I said enthusiastically -

‘Seema lets look at the beautiful aspects of this city and not forget the hard work of all those people who has helped to build this great city, huh?’ Look we have arrived at the Gateway of India.’

The gateway of India is an arch originally built to commemorate the visit of George 5th and Queen Mary in 1911, and it was from here after the Indian independence the last British regiment departed in 1948. Today it is one of the main tourist spot, a favourite meeting place for locals in the evening. Food, gift peddlers, photographers, snake charmers, monkey dances and balloon sellers all give an exciting buzz full of entertainment. Next, we visit the Malibar Hill area, which is one of the elite areas and from here wonderful views of the city and Arabian Sea can be seen. We go to see the ‘Mani Bhavan’, a small museum dedicated to the life and works of Mahatma Ghandi followed by a visit to the Prince of Wales museum to see the extensive collection of beautiful 18th and 19th Century miniature paintings, also housing the elegantly carved ivory artworks and the rich and fabulous collection of Nepalese and Tibetan art.

We went to do some shopping for Seema and the evening was upon us. We decided to go to Marine Drive which looks absolutely fabulous at night and is sometimes called the ‘Queen’s necklace’. Marine Drive is a long road, built at the edge of the Arabian Sea and where most of the airline offices and top hotels are to be found. We went to Chowappty the beach area full of fortune tellers, families out with their children, the boat and pony trips, the merry-go-rounds, the whole area was full of buzzing excitement, noise and the smell from the stalls upon stalls of various fast foods was making me hungry. We bought some bhelpuri – a delicious snack of crisp noodles, spiced vegetables, puffed fried rice, tamarind and coriander chutney topped with chopped onions and chillies. We returned to our hotel at midnight, exhausted but full of memories of things we had done that day.

On Monday we just stayed and rested at the hotel and prepared for the flight to England. Deep down I had butterflies in my stomach and was feeling sad about the future and what I would feel once I got to England without my immediate family. I rang my folks in Rajkot to say goodbye. My mum was crying and missing me already and my dad was also a bit shaky whilst speaking to me, but I think he was trying to be brave. My brothers and sisters were sad and I was already missing our little squabbles and arguments.

After checking in with the immigration airport, we were told to wait in the airport lounge near gate number eleven from where we board our flight G108. Soon a team of the flight crew all looking smart and immaculate marched past us towards the plane. I gazed at them in awe, these superior people who would transport us safely from India to England. More passengers joined us in the lounge, which was soon full up. Announcement on the intercom told us to get ready for boarding the flight and suddenly all the passengers rose all at once with their hand luggage and frantically began elbowing their way to the plane doors.

“Come on Seema!” I said excitedly.

“Be cool Twinkle, this is not a race you know. What’s the rush? I find this really funny! I mean it’s not as if the first person on the plane will get the best seat. We all have tickets with numbers and the plane will not take off without us as we have already checked in. These People are plain crazy I tell you! Seema lectured.

“Fine.” I said trying to play down my excitement. It was the first time in my life I was flying and I wanted to behave just like these people so that I could feel and see what flying was about. But, I was with the much travelled Seema so I had to follow what she was telling me.

When we finally stood up to join the rest of the passengers towards the trickling end of the queue I felt that sudden rush of adrenalin and excitement again with a bit of nervousness that I had to take deep breaths to calm myself. It was my first time travel on a plane and not a bus or a car or a cycle or a bike or a rickshaw or a train or a taxi or an anything but a plane! With all these thoughts flying in my mind I clumsily bumped into the beautiful airhostess greeting the passengers at the entrance to the plane. I stumbled and almost fell when Seema caught me, hissing between her teeth

‘Calm down Twinkle and watch where your are going.’

‘Sorry! Sorry!’ I raised my arms and tried to laugh off the whole embarrassing episode.

After finding our seats we settled in with Seema showing me how to belt up saying

’You have to do this every time the plane takes off or lands.’

Soon the plane was moving,picking up the momentum, now it was going at a supersonic speed and soon we were off the ground. The airhostess in charge of our section went through the emergency drill. As soon as she finished the plane suddenly picked up momentum going very fast and we were off the ground making our way up into the clouds. I looked out of the window with tears in my eyes saying goodbye to mother India, as I did not know when I would return or under what circumstances. My emotions were so mixed up. One moment I was exhilarated and happy thinking of my studies, career and opportunities that would open up, and, the next minute I was nervous and tearful of failure, rejection or any thing bad. Once we were in the air for a couple of minutes the sign for ‘put your belt on’ went off and every one relaxed. I did too, feeling a lot calmer. I was now feeling tired and sleepy and once a gain a poem formed in my mind

A new sight
A new life
You will be your family’s light
Leading their lives to a new height

Oh yes! I will lead my family to a better life and I dozed off.