Room Number 203

It had been quite the day checking into a hotel in Indiranagar on the main street(the wealthy area of Bangalore) with great location and reviews and then I found a big bug on the bed. That was an immediate check out and I just wanted to stay somewhere peaceful, quiet, and immaculate…not like a high rated hotel with an average cleaning job…somewhere that was not the Four Seasons, but it was so clean you could smell the bleach in the room and you could eat off the floors(tough find in India, but….Room 203).  

And then I found my lovely hotel with Room 203, It was just like the doors had opened to heaven when I went in that room. It is so impossible to find a hotel in India that checks all my boxes… 


The bed, the lighting, the bathroom, the stained glass, and just so tasteful and well decorated. I guess he said  his construction company specialized in interior decoration. I just melted into that bed as it was like a big cloud puff. This ended up being my safe place…whenever I came back into Bangalore and I needed peace, quiet, to unwind, sleep and be spoiled by Prakash. He would fluff my pillows, put on soothing music on You tube, bring me chai, and brought me his wife’s homemade meals.  

The next day, I checked out at 1pm, which the owner approved. I was very sad to leave the room, but they were also fully booked for the rest of the weekend. My new google search was “Punjabi restaurants” near me. I have the North Indian obsession going so I found a small dive Punjabi family-owned restaurant. They were literally just a family in the back cutting vegetables, making parathas, and stirring these big pots ( videos are so much better than my words).  

The girl sitting across from me is wearing the traditional school uniform(hair braided, suit jacket, plaid, everything clean bleached white, name of the school, and just looked like a scholar or valedictorian.  

It was her, her brother, and her mother and father that owned the small business. They had me try some Sweet lassi, which was definitely sweet. I had ghee rice and an Egg thali meal, which was good but I was not totally satisfied. I missed the mark on something. I really wish I had friends to eat with all the time who could just order and we could all share-really the best way to eat Indian food.  

I love these family owned small restaurants-these are the people I like to give business to rather than big corporations that goes for everywhere not just India.  

As I started walking, I was getting ready for the rain as  I could see the sky change. The neighborhood was so full of color-bright pinks, yellows, light blues, and green-all very traditional homes-just loved walking around there. 

Went back to hotel and spent sometime with Prakash’s daughter. Prakash is part of the 5 person family from Nepal that lives there to stay and work at the hotel. He is literally the kindest soul. He is one of those people I do not think he even has the capability to get angry with someone. He is always positive -a ray of light.  

I am practicing my Hindi with his daughter who carries around a strange blonde barbie doll. She says she only has one doll, but she would like more. She wears braids and a pink barbie shirt and pajama pants. She says  that she loves school and she loves to throw parties. She likes funny cartoons and Bollywood movies. Kids are always the best to learn from because they speak so slowly and clearly.  

Time was passing by and I was waiting for my friend to call….I had been sitting there for a couple hours. Prakesh gave me a cup of chai that then went into a second cup of Chai. I felt bad just sitting and waiting in the restaurant. The owner came in and saw me. I thought, “Oh this is embarrassing me waiting in the restaurant and I am still there.”  

The LIGHT continues Staff to Room to Owner 

He said, “Oh I thought you left. I am so happy I wanted to speak with you.” Please come to my office. I am going to my vacation home, but I have sometime…. 

I am bit confused as I thought this business man would think I was a train wreck after arriving late at night looking exhausted and annoyed from the opposite side of town.  

He said that he read over my website(Prakash shared his website with me) and he sees that we have similar mentalities worrying about people and wanting change in the world. He shared with me that he wrote a book on Global Anti Terrorism (REVISIT) and he as another book called Black and White on Amazon. One is about how to find peace without war and the other is a cultural analysis of India.  

I live for these moments to meet people like him(married with kids not a romantic thing). Two human beings joining together to think about what we can do to improve or change things in an active way. He was a real businessman( construction, hotels, healthcare). He even created a piece of jewelry to deter perverts or bad men from bothering women! This man was  a true entrepeneaur and he was soooo humble. He wanted my feedback, my advice, and my help to make a campaign about GAT and spread awareness.

  

THE LIGHT 

We had such a great conversation and I could have kept talking, but I knew he was late for leaving on his trip. He also asked if I wanted to meet his family and I said, “ I would definitely love that another time.” I know when people are busy and I have learned I guess through trauma to always cater to people’s time and schedule. We will leave it for another day. I watched him pull away with his family from the glass window restaurant on the second floor. His son, daughter, wife, and sister. Just after they left it was my time for departure, Pravkash helped with my bags and put them into another car to go to another place-craziness Yes I am aware. His daughter is upstairs waiving through the window at me-another sweet family and place I have to revisit. There is so many how can one woman keep up… 

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