Day 16

We got up quite early this morning and had a number of family members arrive from various part of the country to see us off. Sarb, Pavan and I are taking off from Delhi so we were the first to set off. Parmy, Iran and Mom are returning at different times over the next few days.

Family gather to say goodbye

Seeing us off

Leaving was as bad as I’d expected it to be. I really hate the time that you spend from the moment you get up and start packing to the point where you actually drive away from home. This occasion was made even more difficult because of the tears that family members shed. No one knows what will change the next time you meet; I think we all selfishly grieve for what we will miss from the presence of others. It’s not the first time we’ve gone through this experience, we’ve gone through it many times in the past, starting with my Dad’s older brother leaving the village in the early 1950’s followed shortly by my father. I wonder whether they thought that almost six decades on, the descendents of their parents would shed tears when leaving each other. We are a big family, five branches in all spread out across the world, yet we all seem to have a bond that ties us together and this place plays seems to play its part.

Pavan and Sarb

Heading for Delhi

After leaving home we travelled for seven hours by car and arrived at our hotel in Delhi. After going out for something to eat we came back to prepare to fly back to the UK tomorrow. Over the next few weeks I promise to add some more thoughts and pictures that I’ve not been able to share due to issues of time. I’ve been amazed by how much we’ve managed to do in such a short period of time. I hope you’ve all enjoyed sharing our journey with us.