We continue to be overwhelmed by the warmth, generosity and hospitality of our friends that we visit, and people we meet along the way. Two and a half years ago I had come to Bangalore to help set up an R&D office. The first two employees- the R&D Head and HR Head are still there, and have grown the business and operations substantially, and now are bringing on commercial activity. Our friends, Sambit and Uday, have welcomed us into Bangalore, and made us feel so at home.
Tonight we enjoyed the most delicious Indian home cooked meal made with much care by Sambit’s wife Shravani, with our friends and their beautiful families. It’s a treat to be able to learn and experience life as a local, and their hospitality has extended to our chance to stay with them, and partake in daily life. We’ve learned through their children’s perspective what growing up is like; their special interest with swimming, karate, school, and spending time to hear their thoughts and field their questions. What a treat to experience culture through the children of your friends, as well as your friends.
Sambit told us to prepare for a long, fun evening with he and Uday’s families. Not only did we get the chance to catch up on life as locals & expatriates, but we also experienced the most amazing festival that evening… completely unplanned. During the late evening, as we were sleeping, we heard fireworks going off. Looking outside the window, there was a spray of fire that exploded across the sky. Soon, the streets were filled with the melodic rhythm of beating drums and horns. Chariots and colorful flashing floats pulled by tractors flooded the streets, and a man with a tall piece of bamboo began to move aside electrical wires for the enshrined religious deities to move effortlessly through the streets. A truck loaded with megawatts of speaker power screamed out Indian songs, and young Indian men followed in a mosh pit behind, dancing and jyrating. While the festivities went on until 4:30 that morning, and we got next to no sleep, we had a blast standing out on the balcony at Sambit’s house, soaking it all in. 