Chapter 21: In Which Our Protagonist Details his Semi-Eventful First Week in Tollygunge

Much the same yet quite different:

Guruji and Guruma have a new house (right next to their old house). After chronic flooding and finally a partially collapsed ceiling Guruji and Guruma have moved into a different building on the campus of Sangeet Research Academy. Its bigger and all, but everyone including myself has a lot of nostalgic sentiments for their previous abode. Ultimately however, the advantages can be easily surmised from my description of said previous abode.

I have encountered a small miracle upon arrival in the form of "All-Out," a little tchotchke (definitely had to google that spelling) that you plug into the wall which magically makes the mosquito hoards decide your home is a distasteful place. They used to descend en masse around 4:00 -unless you closed the windows- but I've only been bitten once and that was when I had the thing unplugged.

Jet-Lag is Good:

My body has been inclined to get up at about 5:30 to 6:00 since my arrival which was my goal when I was planning my trip. I've been able to get a fair amount of yoga and singing practice in before breakfast.

Shantiniketan:

I'm planning a day-trip with Babia (G and G's son) to Shantiniketan the home of India's first Nobel Laureate (1918 for literature), Rabindranath Tagore. He is a giant cultural figure in India (he gave Gandhi the title of Mohatma for example) and especially here in the region of Bengal where he was from.

Rain:

And lots of it strangely. Very unseasonal and super inconvenient for Guruji and Guruma since their annual charity picnic had to be postponed for two weeks. I'm sure it will be just as much of a success despite the hassle of rescheduling. (For certain types -who shall remain nameless- who were a little stressed about singing Indian music -for actual Indian people in India- at this picnic there was a certain degree of relief that the chance for two more weeks of practice).