It’s almost two years since my mom sent her little ‘boy’ away to the other side of the globe holding back those little drops of tears she was barely able to conceal. Boys will always be boys to moms no matter how much of a man they grow up to be.

Time doesn’t just fly, it propels at sonic speed.

I now have a one and a half year old niece who was non-existent when I left India. We have developed a decent relationship over Skype in this one and a half year. By decent I mean the one where from her point of view, I am a familiar person who is locked inside and makes a magical 2D appearance from the wonder box once every two days. It did take a bit of a hardship from my parents to make her come to terms with the fact that she was put before the box to look up into the screen for a person and not poke and pull off the mouse and keyboard though the latter is remarkably interesting. I hope she doesn’t run away startled when I finally make an appearance out of the wonder box in my full 3D form. Well, I’ve got the chocolates to lure her.

My dear friend who was single and promised to stay so until I return and accompany me for an all India trip is now a father to a sweet little doll. There goes the all India trip!

Another of my dear friend whom many of us go to for relationship advice despite the fact that he was never successful in any relationship (despite many failed attempts) hitherto, is finally in a relationship, an arranged marriage of course.

It must be fun and interesting to see these irresponsible idiots I grew up with for the past ten years, settling into a family.

Then there is this other dear friend with multiple failed relationship attempts and heartbreaks who is suspected to have finally found a girl who said yes to his proposal of love. I’ll have to go check if it’s for real.

And then there are these other dear friends who were born and destined to be single forever with no change whatsoever in their life, who will jump in right away for a late night booze party or an early morning bike drive through the misty Bangalore highways.

I’m going home.

“Big wheels keep on turning

Carry me home to see my kin

Singing songs about the south-land

Sweet home.. Oh sweet home..

Where the skies are so blue

Lord, I’m coming home to you!”