Being a NRI and visiting India at least once a year I always have mixed feelings about this mysterious country - my motherland India.
As the plane touches down in my hometown airport my heart usually pounds with joy as is the case with everyone else's. As I wind through the serpentine line at the immigration area inside the airport the excitement begins to wane, unless I am a first class or a business class passenger when you are allowed to deboard the plane on priority.
Once cleared at the belt the longish wait for the luggage to arrive is the most enduring part. Sometimes I calculate the time I have spent at the belt is half way across or sometimes even more than the time taken to fly down here and then heave a sigh of helpless sigh.
The site of arrival of pieces of my luggage instantly rejuvenates me up to no limits.
As I pick them up and put them on the trolley a slight delay again due to winding through the cluster of people awaiting their luggage is a bit of hindrance to my excitement.
Now in the car to go to my sweet home the excitement mounts but cuts short in spurts as traffic waxes and wanes.
The final moment of excitement arrives when you ting the bell of our home and the door opens and the near and dear hug us with warmth, love and affection.
Now this happens in every country. So what's special here in motherland.
The diversity that exists in culture, caste, religion, language but all bound together by an invisible thread of Indianess. These diverse people in the form of our friends when they come calling on us as soon as they learn that we are at home. Their warmth of friendship and love is a treat to our heart. Their excitement on meeting us after a long time is something to cherish for life time. These bundles of joy wrapped in love and affection is one major difference in India. The unseen thread of Indian consciousness that binds us all Indians across diversities is something special to India. Possibly this why India, though ravaged by wars and attacks by foreign elements, still continues to be a force to reckon with. The mysterious thing about India is it does not need any advertising. It just stands as silent as a tree that grows and grows both upwards (externally) and inwards (at conscious level).