Guest post by Adita Divecha, Karan’s mother
Note: If you haven’t already, read The One with the Flight (Part 1) and The One where Karan Goes to a Dentist and Pets a Dog (Part 2)
My husband, Rajiv, had to go to Pune for some work and he suggested that we go along with him. It was to be a day trip. We would go in the morning and come back by evening. Pune (it used to be called Poona earlier) is about four hours by road from Mumbai because of the new express highway which links the two cities. It used to take much longer earlier. Of course this highway has been there for quite a many years but is new to me as I have not been to India for the past eight years.
Anyway, we left early in the morning at 7.30am with Madhavi (Rajiv’s sister), at the wheel. Rajiv was sitting in front and Karan and myself at the back in the car. Karan is used to sitting in a car for long periods as he commutes daily to school in Sharjah from our house in Dubai. So he was very happy, looking out of the window taking in all the scenery. There was a little traffic on the way but not too much and once we were out of Mumbai, it was smooth sailing. We stopped on the way at a McDonalds outlet and Rajiv took Karan to the toilet. Then a little ahead we stopped again at a rest stop (in a small town called Khopoli, i think) and had breakfast. Karan did not want to eat anything there…He had already had his breakfast before leaving home. He ate a few of the biscuits he likes later in the car.
We reached Pune by 12pm and Rajiv met the person he was to meet and finished his work. Again, as Karan needed to go to the toilet we went to the Poona Club where he would be comfortable. Then we went to my cousin sister Padma’s place as she had invited us for lunch. Karan enjoyed himself there as he got to lie down on the sofa in peace (one of his favourite activities…hahaha) and he got his favourite chicken biryani for lunch. Later he had mangoes for dessert. So he was in a very good mood.
We left Pune around 4.30pm after a really great lunch and tea and having a really good time with Padma, chatting about so many things. Karan also was fine on the way but a little whining had started. So I made him listen to his favourite songs on my phone and he calmed down. The whole journey was uneventful but once we entered Mumbai, the traffic jams started. Due to the traffic jam and the incessant honking of the cars, Karan started getting upset and started crying. We had to stop on the way at a hotel so that he could be taken to the toilet. He seemed to feel a little better after that but as he was still whining, the music had to be played again so that he calmed down. We reached home finally at about 9pm after which he had his dinner. Karan went off to sleep very quickly as he was exhausted after his trip.
All in all, it was a very good experience for Karan and he sailed through with flying colours
Devina Divecha's Journals 