My Home Away form Home

Gujarat is Gandhi's Native Place

It's been exactly a week and a day, since I arrived in Gujarat University. The tropical heat is simply too much for a Himalayan man like me. I sweat like a fat pig and people in the town laugh at me. I laugh at them back and they laugh again.  I know they wanted to talk to me, but my Hindi & Gujarati and their English is a great barrier in between.

I have come to know that the Gujarati people are by far the friendliest and honest of Indians. One  of my class mates  also  told  me  that Gujarati People are most enterprising and hard working  people.  They have a  unique way of smiling which makes you feel at ease  and  home.  I get not only laughed at but they also smile at me. Smiling to a stranger, (I guess) is perhaps a basic code of conduct in Gujarti culture, because a fast moving bikers' and autowalas' have all the time at the

ir disposal to smile at me and ask me "you Nepal, Tibet, Korea, China Rangoon?" When I tell them that I am "Bhutan" it again brings abrupt end to our conversation.

I am now very comfortable in my class too, because I got very good friends there. Even though most of them do not speak English, their body language says "Queenza you are most welcome here" Many of my friends, I know are very young but they seem all matured just like me (a father of 3) As much as I wanted to take good things from Gujarat, there are also friends who also o wanted to take something from me; -some of them said they wanted to learn English from me!

Even though a gate keeper at the entrance salutes me for my Asst. Collector's Post, I am the most melancholic and miserable in my room. I still do not have a bed to sleep and a toilet to pee and rest. The absence of a fan in my room makes me more home sick. It's even more saddening thing when I have to do my assignment on the floor only to suffer stomach upset later. The shortage of running water is yet anther predicament.  I  have made  numerous pleas  to the authorities, but have come to know that it's a Government procurement procedure that is delaying things.