Please click here for Part 1 and here for Part 2
Australia!
Australia!
Here we come!!
I had heard so much about this country. The biggest attraction lies in its natural beauty, so beautiful, that words are simply not enough to describe its awesome beauty.
This was a Sydney based job, that suited someone like Chandran, who was looking to further a great career. However it also meant a lot of travelling , which he did not mind, and which of course bothered me a little.
So off we hopped like two love stung Kangaroos to Australia.We settled in a beautiful beach house given to us by the company( for it was a senior post) in Sydney suburbs. The place given to us was stunning with its beautiful view of the sea. The house was designed with spacious balconies opening out from the living room and from all the 3 bedrooms, giving us spectacular views of the sea The last time I saw something like that house was in the movie " Salaam Namaste".
I remember how the movie brought back all the memories of my life in Australia, especially that house, though it did not really look the same, it was small compared to our house, but the style, the big bay windows facing the sea, etc., really had me gushing out emotionally, like a broken dam, with thoughts of the most beautiful moments in my life. Oh, why and how did things change so fast?
I had no answer.
I had no answer.
Coming here was like a second honeymoon for us. Soon we were comfortably settled, and were getting used to the Ozy lifestyle, their slang, their mannerism, their laid back attitude.
Sydney, Australia's Olympic city, set on the beautiful Sydney Harbor, was a city where surprisingly people and events moved pretty fast, that, sometimes made me wonder, whether there really was a city in a country as laid back as Australia, I was absolutely stunned. Its all embracing character, history, superb waterways and heart-stopping buildings, and the extremely jolly and helpful people, made this city a perfect place to settle down. It didn't take us long to feel totally at home here.
To think we were in the suburb, yet not very far from all the fun, and excitement of the city life. I simply loved our house very much, the 24 hours sound of the waves, the beauty of the waves, going to bed with the sound of the tranquil and soothing waves lulling us to sleep and waking up everyday to a spectacular sunrise. Can life be any better, I was blessed in every way, and I was grateful and very happy.
Whenever Chandran got a break from his various assignments we were off exploring the city with all its wonderful sights. We traveled through the Harbor Bridge for a spectacular tour of the Blue Mountains, we saw the famous Three Sisters rock formation, and while we were there,.. I remember I started feeling giddy, and almost fainted.
Chandran got worried, we were having such a wonderful time when I suddenly felt strange, he insisted we return back home immediately, although I felt better after a little while, but still he would not listen. Soon this giddiness became a regular feature with me, and when we consulted the doctor, we were told, we should be prepared to welcome a child into our lives.
I was thrilled, so was Chandran, he celebrated it by treating me to a candle light dinner, cooked specially by him and the table set by the windows overlooking the beautiful sea. He was very good in baking, and he had baked an upside down pineapple cake for me. He was a man with many talents.
He was the one who taught me how to dance, initially I was kind of nervous and shy, but soon I caught on with the steps for he was such a patient teacher. I started to enjoy moving and flowing gracefully with the music. We often put on the music and danced together, and let all our weariness leave us, it was sheer bliss.
He was the one who taught me how to dance, initially I was kind of nervous and shy, but soon I caught on with the steps for he was such a patient teacher. I started to enjoy moving and flowing gracefully with the music. We often put on the music and danced together, and let all our weariness leave us, it was sheer bliss.
That day too he put on my favorite music, the cool breeze wafting through the open windows, the music and the soothing breeze, transporting us to another world as we danced and danced, till I felt so tired I could dance no more..... it was most memorable evening of my life.
We soon found out that I was having twins. That really frightened me, how will I be able to look after twins was a question which kept bothering me a lot. But Chandran was not worried at all. He said if God has given us twins he would also give us the ability to look after them. His patience and his constant guidance saw me through my delivery, and soon we had two screaming babies in our hands.
Two healthy babies were enough to keep me fully occupied, and soon they grew up to be healthy boys, old enough for school. Four years later I was once again pregnant, and this time I really prayed for a girl, for the first time itself I was a little disappointed I did not have girls, at least one could have been a girl . So this time, I was eagerly looking forward to having a girl child. When the doctor asked me whether I would like to know the sex of the child, I said no, for I was sure it was going to be girl. I had already selected the name, and waited with lots of hope and enthusiasm
However, this time too we had a boy, and he looked at me so cutely, that I forgot that I wanted a girl. It was a sheer joy to be a mother again......girl or boy suddenly seemed irrelevant to me.
Thought this is your story. Isn't it? :) waiting to read more...:)
ReplyDeleteThanks Latha.
ReplyDeleteWhere are you heading for?? I'm enjoying the simplicity of life that I see in the picture.
ReplyDeleteI myself don't know, for thoughts and ideas keep changing, lets see how things develop. Thanks Anil.
DeleteAnil you mean the picture, it was taken in Evora Portugal, some 5 years ago. That is the Chapel Of Bones, and we were waiting for it open. Thanks.
DeleteYou have twins!! Wow!! You must write about them, their initial years and growing up years ... twins fascinate me a lot! :P
ReplyDeleteWonderful to know a bit more about you! Looking forward to more! :)
Shilpa the person in the story is not me, it is a story based on the experiences of certain people, and certain bits and parts of me too.
ReplyDeleteHowever, if you want to know more about my life then you must read, "How I Met My Husband", when you have the time.
Lovely story, i love the way the plot is progressing...
ReplyDeleteI am glad you like the way the story is moving . Thank you.
Deletefir kya hua :)
ReplyDeleteaustralia is indeed beautiful, I so want to go back and just live there
Bikram's
Thanks Bikram. Maybe some day you may do that.
DeleteYour last 2 post were quite relaxing and refreshing
ReplyDeleteThanks jahid for stopping by.
DeleteNice and romantic. I initially thought it was your story, but I knew you have a daughter :) Is this your fiction or a real story Ramaji? Whatever, it is so romantic..Waiting for next part!
ReplyDeleteIt is part fiction, part real, and is conceived from the experiences of some people known to me, and some are my own experiences also.
ReplyDeleteWould you believe I was just thinking of you. Thanks for liking the story so far.
after a long time reading something which is tooo impressive...as u mentioned even i ve heard some of those incidents thgh my frndz...
ReplyDeleteYeah, it has been a long time. Thanks for stopping by Nisha.
DeleteInitially I thought it was your story... Maybe its a story with what you have noticed around you! Excellent narration....
ReplyDeleteThanks Harikrishna. My story was written a few months back, maybe it would interest you, for I am also a Tambhram, an Iyengar. The blog title is " How I Met my Husband", written in 5/ 6 parts.
DeleteSure will read it :)
DeleteWelcome to my blogs Ashwini.
ReplyDeleteI always wanted to see Australia, but since those attacks on Inians, I lost the desire..
ReplyDeleteThanks Renu. I am sure that such attacks are not only in Australia, it is everywhere.
DeleteNice.I had a trip through Australia.
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by. Welcome to this space!
ReplyDeleteRama, you just spun the story with so much of authenticity, I began to be with the characters virtually, great narration!
ReplyDeleteThank you padmaja, I always love to hear from you.
DeleteI almost thought it was your story. Narrating it in a way that it almost sounds true is a skill. Waiting for the next part
ReplyDeleteHi Insignia,
ReplyDeletewelcome to my blogs. Thanks for the compliment. It feels so good.
A lovely read, including the previous one too!The places described came back to life before my eyes as I have seen some of these lovely places, the Sydney harbor, the Blue Mountains etc! Await the next part, Rama:)
ReplyDeleteThanks Rahul. I am glad the story rekindled pleasant memories of Australia.
ReplyDeletelike many others, i too felt that you are narrating your own story....anyways, a lovely post and beautifully narrated.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
Hi Irfan, hearing from you after a long time.
ReplyDeleteThanks Irfan, for your kind words of appreciation.
Hello Rama,
ReplyDeleteGreetings and good wishes.
An interesting story told with great skill. I always liked the way the Australian's spoke English. It started with watching Abba movie which was shot during their Australian concert telling the story of a reporter who tries very hard to get an interview with the Abba team.
I enjoyed reading this part of the story.
Somehow I got involved in FB and I find less time with my blog.Are you in the FB. If so can you send me a request?
Wish you all the best,
Joseph
Thanks Joseph.
ReplyDeleteYou cannot let your blogger friends down like this, do start blogging too.
Beautiful narration, i virtually travelled through sydney.
ReplyDeletethe header pic of monterey is classic, it must be having a story behind it too. what is that? looks like a pounder
ReplyDeleteThanks Asha. That is actually a small box with the light house as its lid. Actually I didn't know it was a box, I just recently found out and, it looked so pretty inside, that I had to take a picture of it and when the picture came out so well, I thought it would look good as a header picture.
Deletetransporting us to another world as we danced and danced, till I felt so tired I could dance no more....... what can be better than this :-)
ReplyDeletebeautifully narrated
ReplyDeleteTwins! Only now I find out how big your family is, rama:) God blessed you!
ReplyDelete