INDIRA LAISRAM

When Lolo told me we were going for the British Motorcycle Rally, I was all charged up. I thought he was going to do a Schumacher on his Triumph and I had mustered my guts to play the best handyman. My layman opinion of a rally is you have a starting point and everyone races to the finish; the one who comes first wins the race. But the British Motorcycle Rally held at Castlemaine near Melbourne put to rest all my speculations about a rally. I was disappointed and relieved at the same time. As I found out, this is a rally where all motorbike owners of British brand motorcyles assemble at one main point and have a fun time unwinding from life routine. So, we began our journey on Saturday by meeting with Lolo's friends at Whittlesea, 30 mins from where we live. About 10 of his bosom friends met up - they have been doing this since age 18 - and we drove all the way to Castlemaine, the main assembly point. It took us four hours to reach our destination. We stopped at four points for

In three weeks, two of my stories have seen the light of print in India. That makes me a happy person. I don't feel so useless after four months of lived treats - meeting people, dining, wining and travelling. Another activity-filled weekend. Tomorrow, Lolo's dad celebrates his 80th bday and we are invited to cocktails and nibbles as the invite says. There will be people of all ages and a lot of drinking and fun. Quite a contrast to the cultural lunch party I have on Sunday. I realise now, cultural get-togethers are all about treading the fine line. There is so much of egos involved when people of the same community flock together. There is always the one or two odd one out whose egos are the size of a multiplex. The "I am bigger than you" syndrome is rife. So instead of letting the hair down, there is always the tension of doing what is appropriate in terms of manners and addressing the seniors. Despite being in foreign shores, they are still caught in the trappings