A lot had changed in my time away. In truth, I had only the haziest idea of what Tony Blair's 'cool Britannia' entailed, could name no current chart-topping band beyond the Spice Girls, and was woefully behind on the plots of every TV soap. Football teams which were also rans including Blackburn Rovers, can you believe had enjoyed a miraculous resurrection. I couldn't even venture a firm opinion about pub opening hours, or the likely cost of a hamburger. I still can't.
Still, I waxed lyrical to my begrudging family about the joys of reliable power supply, clean air, the heaths, and Britain's fabled National Health Service. Anuradha was not convinced. Alas, her scepticism deepened when in our first month back, we suffered two power cuts. The papers were full of stories about diseases from leukemia to asthma which were on the rise as a result of pollution or reckless bespoiling of the environment. The autumn proved much too wet and mucky for regular trips to the park. And the family doctor system is so over-stretched that a routine appointment at our local surgery involves a wait of up to a week.It makes even me a little homesick for south Delhi.