Somewhere Over The Rainbow...

And that day has come when we say goodbye to Mumbai and to India.

It didn't appear to be a difficult decision to begin with. We were looking for such an opportunity for some time now. But as the feeling sinks in, there is an avalanche of emotions - mixed feelings that are hard to describe. 

11 years in Mumbai, 11 eventful years were times of struggle, anxiety, uncertainty yet greatly enjoyable, fulfilling and enriching. We discovered that Mumbai is a fun place to be in if one accepts the city the way it is, if one accepts the positives and negatives, just as they are.

The frenetic pace of the city grew on us, the traffic jams became moments where we could "island" ourselves and rediscover joys of solitude. 

I wonder if we grew in Mumbai or Mumbai "grew" on us. With each passing moment, our fondness for Mumbai increased, and it became home to us with an extensive and elaborate support system that we developed and nurtured over the years.

We created our own nest in the city, an oasis in a concrete jungle. The nest was our labour of love, a painstaking creation over 4 years. And now as we leave the nest, it seems we are leaving a part of ourselves behind. But then, no matter where birds fly during the day, at the end of the day, they fly back to their nest.

But for now, the challenge is to discover what lies beyond the rainbow that we see now! As these thoughts criss-cross my mind, the lyrics of "Over The Rainbow" by Edgar Yipsel "Yip" Harburg come to my mind:

Somewhere over the rainbow

Way up high

And the dreams that you dreamed of

Once in a lullaby...