Calcutta and more

2 weeks ago I did the unthinkable. I left Chetan for three whole days, four whole nights and went to Calcutta. It was such a strange and exhilirating thing to do. It was the kind of thing I would have not thought twice about pre-marriage and it just felt wonderful to do something purely for my sake. The trip turned out to be great for all of us and I came back with the knowledge that perhaps a mother leaving her child to the care of his father and going travelling somewhere just for pure pleasure had probably never been done before in our patriarchal-dominated land.

While I was gone, it seems that Chetan was on his best behaviour. He was so good infact that some of our relatives didn't even recognize him to be the same person. Samir was able to discipline him in 2 or 3 important areas which I had been trying to work on for months. I was humbled by this but also thankful.

Now a few weeks later, things have never looked more rosy with Chetan. He still misbehaves but nowhere near how he used to before. His eating habits have improved by almost 70%, I tell you no lie. It's amazing to see the difference in him. I thank God daily when I see him eating. I am ever so mindful of the prayers that were put into making him eat. I am thankful to God for answering those prayers. I pray that he keeps eating and becomes a strong and healthy boy.

Here is what I loved about my trip to Calcutta:

1. I got to travel alone and hence I got to sleep and eat and do whatever else I wanted at my whim. This is impossible to do when Chetan is around. In fact, when I travel with Chetan- I rarely am able to sleep at all as I cannot fit him and me on the same berth at night.

2. I was fascinated with the train I took- it was the cleanest train I had ever taken. The service was lovely, the bathrooms were always sparkling. It started and reached its destination on time and it didn't stop at even one stop all the way from Calcutta to Kanpur. I still can't believe that such a train exists.

3. I was so gratified to share in Leona's special day. To be able to see her get married, to help her out with the wedding details, to get to know her family- it was so worth it for me to be there. I thank God for the friendship that I have with her.

4.Though I couldn't visit any places in Calcutta or do any shopping there, I loved the fact that I could visit a new city, a new state and get an overall feeling of how that city breathes and lives everyday.

5. I picked up a great book while I was at Leona's. The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar was so intriguing that I read it in its entirety during my train trip back to Kanpur. I could relate to this book totally. It is about two strong women- a middle class woman and her maid and their separate but intertwining life. Every Indian middle-class woman who has a maid should read this book. It convicted me on several points .