Finding roots in a far-away land

Sigh. I have so much to tell from my long weekend and the road trip across the MidWest. And the sooner I put it down in writing, the sooner I will be able to shed the load because its definitely overwhelming in every sense of the term.

Route : Northern VA- Columbus OH- Chicago, IL- Pittsburgh PA- Northern VA

Headnote 1 : This is the first time I got such a wonderful peek into the MidWest. It is beautiful, it is scenic and the people are warm, welcoming and so down-to-earth.
Headnote 2 : I usually try not to be vernacular-specific in my posts so that everyone can understand and appreciate. So fair warning, there is a lot of Kannada-related mentions in this post- they're unavoidable and very much warranted, given the nature of the sentiments. Also fair warning- this is a loooooong post so put your feet up, pull out some popcorn and enjoy the ride.

On that note, lets go.

This was a last minute decision, to go on this trip. As always, those are the best kind. Taking an additional day off, we set off first to Columbus.

Columbus, OH :
A delightful pit-stop at a friend's place where conversations were warm and welcoming, company was entertaining and evening walks were a welcome change of scenery. A brisk walk in a new community is always enjoyable- new sights, new sounds, new smells and ever-pleasing.

One thing I did note though-this particular neighborhood didnt have fences between homes. As I walked, in one house a mastiff came running out from the yard onto the sidewalk menacingly. I let out a scream that could've brought the entire neighborhood out to enquire what was wrong. There was probably an electric fence or something(how should I know?) because it stopped right at the invisible demarc and barked some more. Alright, thus scared, I continued along with the walk.

Next stop

Chicago, IL :











The first day of our stay in Chicago was spent going around this enchanting Mid-West city. There is always an air of something interesting happening, and an interesting sight for eye candy out here. We went on the architectural riverboat cruise and took a ride up Sears Tower. Then we roamed around the city, soaking in the brilliant blue sky and the warm sunny weather that had been bestowed upon us. As I sat on a bench at Navy Pier, it was calming to watch the sails pass by, the little lighthouse over the horizon, the calm azure water with its sparkles..there was serenity right there.










The next few days were spent at the World Kannada Conference. Its an event that brings Kannadigas all over the US together over the Labor Day weekend every 2 years. This year it was at Chicago. Its one of those events where one gets to hear Kannada spoken everywhere around, almost like being back home. Dignitaries from the literary, film and political worlds all converge to mingle, to entertain, to be entertained, to muse, to dress and to impress. There are fashion shows, Kannada Idols to be chosen, Youth Forum, Women's forum, literary sessions, Meravanige(which is the Kannada term for procession where very district of Karnataka is showcased by all the kannada sanghas of North America)...the list is endless. Its one big festival where bisibelebath, kharabath, vangibath, mysore pak and mosranna flows limitlessly, run-ins with celebrities are oh-so-casual and one dresses up in one's finest, twice a day.

Our saga of run-ins began the previous evening, where on our cruise, we ran into none other than Yedi(short for B S Yediyurappa, Karnataka's CM :P). After a short guftagoo with him, for the next 2 days we had wonderful run-ins with C.Ashwath, Vatal Nagraj, Ramesh Arvind, Jayamala, Upendra and Mukyamantri Chandru. I found Upendra exceedingly down-to-earth, warm and approachable. He has an air of humility and honesty that is hard to miss.

The literary sessions consisted of a Q&A session with S L Byrappa, talks by Chandrashekar Kambar and Gurulinga Kapse, book/cd releases, book reviews and other such thought-provoking discussions. What a great congregation of brilliant minds! I was almost ashamed that I was so out of touch with Kannada literature.

Guru Kiran night was grand, as always, featuring singer Nandita, Ramesh Arvind and a host of others. That went on well past midnight of Saturday. The Meravanige on Saturday morning was wonderfully executed. There was a long chain of Kannada Sanghas of the US where each group had a display of the essence of Karnataka- whether it was Kodagunaadu, or North Kanara or even showcasing our tribal dance forms.

There were bursts of some wonderful humour with Haasya Loka with humorists such as Prof Krishne Gowda. Stomach achingly funny!

Yuva Raaga had a entertaining music show of talents of the youth here in the US who have an amazing appreciation for Kannada. Sunday's most fitting end to the entire event was "Kannadave Sathya" by C. Ashwath and his team. The show began with Aswath asking the entire audience gathered in the main hall of the Convention Center(which was packed to capacity) to stand up for his opening song, which was the state anthem of Karnataka, penned by Kuvempu- 'Jaya bharata jananiya tanujaate'. This was moving and touching and it warranted singing along. The evening continued on with gems by the legend such as 'Elladaru iru, entaadaru iru, endendu nee kannadavagiru' and 'Raayaru bandaru maavana manege' and 'Kodagana koli nungitta tangi' and so many many more.

At the end of 3 nights, I was overwhelmed with being back in touch with Kannadatva. For 3 days I was entertained by stalwarts of whom I have read so much about and seen on TV, that which would have taken me months to get the same kind of exposure back home. As I left the venue on Sunday night, my heart was filled with gratitude, my mind was filled with enough cud to chew on for the next few months, my parched throat was quenched with all the love and oneness that came along with being amongst like-minded people and thus I was satiated. SO totally worth it. I am on a high right now as I write this out.

It was a long drive back home in every sense of the word. I found the countryside around the MidWest entirely charming strewn with luscious corn fields, red barns and open spaces. I present some of the scenery that kept me entertained all through the drives.










We stopped for a couple of hours, since it was on the way, at..

Pittsburgh, PA :

A quick dekho at Tirupathi Thimmappa, a quick stop for tamarind/curd rice topped with boondi at the temple cafeteria and we set off...for a another stint of driving for the last lap, homeward bound.

It is said 'home is where the heart is' and what that means is not your physical dhak-dhak beating heart. Its your soul and my soul right now is telling me 'Kannadave satya, kannadave nitya'. Yes, undoubtedly. That will always be home.

Footnote : My next post will definitely have to be about two small miracles that I was a subject to while I was at the windy city. Stand by for details...