Of worms and chaff

We recently were put in a position where we had to make a trip to Chennai. I wish this had happened under more happy circumstances. A close family member had taken ill and was admitted to hospital. Thankfully, he recovered, and is now in the phase of a slow but sure recovery. Our flight was long and neck-ache-inducing, but we got through it. Chennai smelled good when we got off the plane. That familiar smell of plantain leaves and dosais wafted through the air. I do not remember Chennai smelling this good. Maybe the new mayor was doing a good job keeping the city clean. It certainly was in Chennai's favor that our port of entry was New Delhi - where Instagram photos of an early morning in the airport looked artistically foggy, but in reality, that was smog - and the fog was clearly the lesser part. Where's the cursed mask when you need it. But not at the Chennai airport - which also looked nicer than when Ange and I left...9 years ago. Visiting the city one spends one's fo