Being here is almost like time stopped
At 6 am, my grandmother's sister speed walks next door to share her thoughts on the front-page newspaper article.
The sounds of the TV at 12, 4, and 8 pm play the familiar jingles of her favourite serials
Brisk evening walks to meet the neighbours, greeting the elders in the eveneing (your greetings being returned with blessings and invitations to their home for chai) were still a daily occurence
Gujrati thali's are all-you-can-eat, the waiter pours more and more dal onto your plate till you are immobile with contentment
2 GB of data doesn't feel like enough, but is in fact the exact right amount
The man from the eyeglass shop who delivered your first pair of spectacles to your grandparens' house still goes the extra mile and visits two different locations to find the exact shade of pure hazel for your coloured contact lenses
My grandmother continues to fry bananas; a delicacy I pretend to hate on principle but genuinely love
But there are some changes
Now, I'm adult enough to place the order at Little Italy
Aiyer and co. who specialized in vegetable puffs diversified to paneer puffs
Biryani is no longer Rs. 35
Plantain chips from A1 chips are as difficult to find as bigfoot
My grandmother's sari collection now overflows out of two cupboards
My grandfather is no longer here, but I glance at his smiling portrait and feel his presence
My favourite cousin doesn't fight with me over food
My grandmother's hand trembles when she pats my hand, she breathes harder with changes in altitude, her medicine routine consists of 7 steps instead of two, her gait isn't as smooth, her face is extra-lined and her hair is white as snow
Yet, she still pats my hand reassuringly when I tell her about my dreams, my aspirations, my goals; my insecurities, my fears
And I realize as time passes, as the world changes, as our bodies change and minds evolve - her love is timeless, her love is all encompassing, and her love is eternal
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