Feeling at home

Situation 1:
"Rendu chocolate cake please...."
"Packing...?"
"Illa...sapparthuku..."

And the guy at the counter has a friendly smile. I can already make out that I've accidentally spoken in Tamil and he has understood it cos he's Tamil too.

Situation 2:
I'm speaking to the dude I went with to the Aariyas Bakery in Tamil though he's a Malayali. The waiter(in a cool yellow uniform) comes and gives us paper napkins. And, he smiles at me as he hears the conversation. I can make out that he's Tamil(I confirm it with him as I pay the bill).

Situation 3:
I'm in the BPL Gallery paying my mobile bill. I finish paying and come out. There's this guy speaking into his mobile phone in Tamil.

For a change, I smile.

As Kerala is very close to TN, there's a lot of Tamils living here, especially in Kottayam. You can find them everywhere; in hotels, in construction sites, in shops, almost everywhere. I heard Ilaya Thalapathy Vijay's 'Alu Alu Thalu..' song playing in a small tea shop in an equally small village on our way to Thrissur. And, as I've written before, it was a moment of real pride when I saw almost 300 people waiting in queue to get tickets for Suriya's 'Ghajini'.

Three months ago, it was an eerie feeling when I told myself that I had to spend a year in this strange little town called Kottayam in Malaya-land. But now, that eeriness(is there such a word?) has completely vanished.

I feel at home.