Love letter to London

London is a city which welcomes everyone with open arms. I too had a lovely time when I visited this wondrous city. So this love letter encompasses the endearing time I had when I last visited. Do post in your comments the city which you love the most and why.

Dear LONDON, 

Pune 

23.08.25 

What is it about you that allures everyone? Is it the sky touching skyscrapers/ underground tube/beautiful gardens/ people from different races/ art scene? I don't know about others. I can share my feelings about you. I can express what I love about you.

I want to be with you again. I miss being in you. I miss the unpredictable weather. There were times when I got drenched because of your unpredictable cool self. Still, I didn't loathe you. I fell in love with you more.

The cool, light-headed people who reside in you want me to come back and settle for good.

I want to bathe in the warm, beautiful afternoon sunshine while lying splayed on the grass in Regent’s Park.

I want to take countless trips on the tube with no destination in mind.

I want to wander in your art galleries, both contemporary and modern and drown in the artwork as if there is no tomorrow.

I want to study Sargent's paintings. Let me forget about time for once and get lost in his brilliant master strokes.

I want to watch plays at the theatre and get mesmerised by actors, their dialogues, raw talent and their English vocabulary.

I want to learn your accent and show it off to my friends back home. we Indians were ruled by your country, yet there is something about you which attracts us to you.

I want to visit Kensington Palace, wander in the garden, and watch Princess Diana's statue from different angles of the ‘cradle walk' at the Sunken Garden.

I want to watch the ducks swim at the palace lake, and then I will walk slowly back to the tube station to come again another day.

I want to eat a bagel with clotted cream from GAIL 's bakery near Wimbledon and nowhere else.

I want to dine at the Wahaca restaurant at Paddington station and collect the chilli seeds proudly while paying the exorbitant bill.

I want to drink English breakfast tea in the cosy cafes while waiting to watch a play at West End.

I want to do all the things which I did when I visited you last time.

I want to do it the same way as I experienced it last time.

I want to do it all without missing a beat. 

I want to feel the same love for you as I did last time.

Love you, London🥰 bye! C you soon.      

Of temple,Tailors and Timeless Ties

 

‘A gentle meditation on the sacred bond between a person and their hometown. Where rituals ,memories and belonging interwine to create a sense of wholeness’

Hometown has a special place in everyone’s heart. It is the place where we were born, spent most of our childhood, and perhaps received our education too. It is a place that has nurtured and shaped us as children. Unknown to us, it nourishes our soul as well. A major part of who we are today is because of the environment and surroundings in which we grew up. Therefore, my hometown in Karnataka holds a very special place in my heart.

What is it about our hometown—apart from our parents, siblings, and cousins—that attracts us to it ? Each of us, whenever we visit our hometown, have a list of must-do activities that we simply have to follow. This list of “must-do’s” and “must-have’s” generally originates from what we miss the most about our native place in our day-to-day life. Since a significant part of our lives was spent there, I believe we always want to carry a piece of it with us, wherever we are living now. Therefore, according to me, this must-do and must-have list is nothing but our craving for a part of our home and hometown which is missing in our present life.

For example, whenever I visit my beautiful, serene hometown, I have a set of routines that I must follow, come what may. My visit always begins with a stop at my dad’s and uncle’s textile stores, followed by visits to the pilgrimage places—the Krishna Temple nestled in this small, quaint town, and right opposite it, the Anantheshwar Temple. Both temples are ancient and sacred, showcasing beautiful stone-carved architecture. It gives me immense peace and solitude when I fold my hands in prayer and perform the pradakshina. I still remember my childhood days when I used to run while doing pradakshina to escape from the heat scorching my feet on a hot sunny afternoon.

Between the Krishna Temple and my dad’s store, it is customary for me to stop by a few local shops and vendors. One of them is a small supermarket called Sampoorna, located near the Krishna Temple. The local delicacies I miss and cherish are usually found here are of good quality and is value for money. From local sweets to savouries and snacks, everything can be found here.

My next stop is the local vegetable vendor. I love hounding his small shack for turmeric leaves, colocasia leaves, ready-made moodo (hand-woven cups made from special leaves ,used to steam idlis), maddi (an underground tuber belonging to the colocasia family), and much more. Only when I have bought everything to my heart’s content do I return home—my dad’s house.

A couple of days later, when I find time, it is customary and almost mandatory to visit the tailor. Sometimes I feel it’s more for the heart’s satisfaction than necessity. It is said that a good tailor is a lifelong companion—and it’s true in my case. Even after living away from home for over two decades, I still get my salwar suits stitched by him. I never had the heart or courage to look for a new tailor in my current city.

This way, I have my own list of things that I must do and adhere to during my yearly visits. Only when I have checked off each and every item from my list and filled my heart with contentment am I able to return to my own current house in peace.

The above-mentioned routine is something I have followed every single year. It is a discipline that I have adhered to during all my visits. But this year, I found myself wondering—why do I visit the same shops for the same things and follow the same routine each and every year?

Since childhood, we follow a certain lifestyle, have a particular diet pattern, and are surrounded by familiar sights and sounds. All these become ingrained in our lives without our conscious awareness. These daily activities unknowingly become a part of who we are. Therefore, whenever we settle in a new place for good, time and again we seek the same environment, food, and activities that once nourished us. Indulging in these soul-fulfilling activities, even for a few days, rejuvenates us deeply. And then we go back to our new lives feeling fulfilled and satisfied—carrying a small part of our dear home and hometown with us.

Each time, we eagerly wait for the next visit—to relive those same moments and follow the same comforting routine again.

I hope this post has nourished the reader’s soul and brought back fond memories of your own hometown. Do write in the comments what you love and miss the most about your hometown.