happy Indian Independence Day yo!

(Detail of a truck somewhere in West Bengal.)

It sure is great! And yes, this is a smidge early by my clock, but it's Indian Independence Day somewhere in the world - like, in India!

The trucks were beautiful, and after a few hours of seeing countless painted trucks and buses out the window, all of a sudden painting trucks with flowers and cows and little scenic views of lakes seemed a perfectly everyday - in fact, noble - thing to do. Why don't we all do that? (Because then West Bengal wouldn't be quite as special, that's why.)

This is one of the ways in which I don't quite feel fully readjusted yet - a little part of me keeps expecting to see a peacock or a painted truck, or hear those multi-tone traffic horns or Rajan's mobile phone ring - but I'm wondering if maybe that little part of me doesn't want to be fully readjusted and she's just holding out.