Delhi Chalo!

We were to land in Chennai and from there, we planned to spend a few days in Bangalore and then on to Pune, where we would await news of Ramu's posting. However, on landing in Chennai, we found his posting order waiting – he had to report asap in Delhi, where he would be Chief Auditor - Commercial [Northern Region].

I still wanted to spend the few days in Bangalore with Appa, but Ramu was worried that I should not further delay the finalisation of my report on the Cooperatives, which had stagnated at the data analysis stage itself for these two years. Now that we knew we would be in Delhi, he was also anxious that we should go there together and soon so that I could avail myself of the possibility of joining Prodipto Roy in a new project that he had told one of my thesis committee, Prof. F. about in response to the latter's query whether he knew of any post that I might be considered for if I were to land in Delhi. If I delayed, the post that they had discussed as being just my cup of tea might be snatched by someone else.

So I reluctantly shortened my visit to the two days that Ramu too spent in Bangalore and we went to Pune together.

Gopala had taken a flat off the centre of town. No sooner had we landed than Sivaram, who had replaced Gabbar Singh as the household Jeeves, fell sick with chicken pox! So Seetha , my sister-in-law [who had come on a short visit], and I had to do all the household work from cooking thrice a day to sweeping and swabbing. Interesting that neither did I ask Ramu to help out, nor did he offer to help, though in the USA he had pitched in to do his share of housework chores and cooking, Now he behaved like the other men, reading, chatting and so on! I believe this was a common experience with many couples who returned after a few years from the west those days, but perhaps the new generation has a different story to tell.
Unfortunately all the travel had taken its toll on me and I had a terrible cold and congestion. I treated this with some Tylenol that I had carried on our return trip. Not that it helped much! But I had no time to fret about this, as we had to semd our household effects to Delhi by train. As the Poona establishment was being closed down, due to Gopala deciding to try his own USA job, there was that too to be finalised.
Soon after reaching Poona, I contacted Iravati Karve, ready to finish the analysis and report on the Cooperatives Study, only to find that the data, processed to a little extent only, was with one of the staff who was just then on an office trip, She would be back only after some weeks; and I could not wait for her return.

I promised Iravati Karve to come down on my first vacation and finish the data analysis while in town, and the report soon thereafter from Delhi.