We finally received our suitcases – four days after we arrived. The humid weather here prompts you to take at least a couple of showers a day and not having clothes to wear is a real PITA. The wedding we came to attend was a blur, partially due to our jet lag and in part also due to the fact that we simply didn't hae the right clothes to fit into the scene. I looked totally out of place in my flip-flops and four-day old jeans which were starting to walk on their own, if you know what I mean.

The folks at British Airways turned out to be the good guys. I had called them morons before and quite rightly so. The guy who took our information down had told us to call their offices the next day. Delirious from a flight full of screaming kids I couldn't remember what day it was. We flew in on a Saturday and the British Airways offices were of course closed on Sunday. Very sneaky, I thought. But we persisted and kept calling until my wife suggested we call the airport directly and talk to customer service there. We were politely told that their offices were only open on Monday and that too from 9.30 a.m. If we hadn't heard from them by 8 a.m., we were told, then our bags were not there yet. Sigh.

The bags had arrived. British Airways had wrapped them in a plastic bag and sealed it with a tamper-proof lock. I was happy to see that they had taken at least those precautions. But getting the boxes out of Customs was a trip and a half. I must have signed at least six non-descript documents. I was so sick of not having our stuff with us that I didn't bother reading any of it. I was asked by the Customs Agent about what I had in our bags. “Diapers,” I told him. Sure enough when the bags were X-rayed the agent at the machine pointed at the rows of diapers not knowing what to make of them. “Diapers,” I told her. She nodded knowingly and let the bags through.

Apart from the stifling heat, the “power cuts”, the rush of people and the mosquito bites, our 15-month old seems to be doing very well. We are thoroughly enjoying the company of family and friends and the sumptuous and frequent meals. We are off to Bangalore tomorrow for a few days.

More on my impressions of Madras [now, Chennai] in my next post. Some things have changed. Yet, it's mostly the same.

A huge favor to ask of you. Nirali Naik, an 18-month old baby in Chicago is in dire need of a bone marrow transplant from an Indian. I don't have to tell you that the bone marrow registry in the US has abyssmally low number of South Asian registrants.

Nirali happens to be the grand-daughter of Larsen & Toubro's CEO, Mr. A.M. Naik, a close family friend.

I am writing to you to publcize her desperate need for a match. Could you please send this note out to all your email lists and friends? Due to her current condition, please consider this request URGENT.

For more information about Nirali, please visit the following web site dedicated to her.

We finally made it to Madras. The trip was a mixed bag of high decibled toddlers, lost luggage and arguments at Heathrow about what I could and could not carry on board.

One thing is for sure, the security authorities in the US aren't talking the same language as those at Heathrow. What I could take on board in a 20″ suitcase [usually a carry-on until the new rules were hurriedly applied] through the US port of Boston was declined at Heathrow. The rules changed and the security folks there told me that I would have to check in my gear. Gasp! No way man. I couldn't risk that at all. Not the way I have seen baggage handlers toss [no, I really mean this cuz I have seen it with my own eyes] baby strollers.

Anyway, I asked to see a representative of British Airways. She called someone else. Someone she only referred to as the “DM.” The DM arrived and I explained the situation. She was apologetic and convinced the security folks to let me through with my luggage. No sooner had she left the scene when new security folks replaced the ones she had talked to and of course we had to start that dialogue all over again. To make matters worse, a desi at the helm didn't seem to want to help us at all. In fact, he seemed hell-bent on giving us a harder time with our hand carry-on which also included a bag for the baby with diapers and such and another bag holding most of his food.

Traveling has changed dramatically. I am not thrilled by the changes and while the precautions are all valid, it makes for a tiring journey that at one time was really enjoyable. Well, not any more.

To make matters really worse, after we landed in Madras, we couldn't find three of our suitcases. They were stuck in London and still are there. No word about when we will get them. With a wedding to attend and only on chane of underwear [this is a personal post right?] we are biding our time and hoping that by some miracle we'll get the rest of our stuff in the next flight.

More about the morons at Madras airport in my next. I gotta do some laundry now.

For the next two weeks, I'll be in India. I am heading back home where my parents live in Madras [Chennai] and off for a few days to Bangalore to visit my wife's side of the family.

It's been nearly three years since I was last in India. I expect a great many changes. Some I have only read about in the Western media. I am toting my camera gear and am hoping that the folks at the TSA and British Airways don't give me too much grief. I'll let you know how it goes, perhaps even penning a post about how to pack for travel these days.

I'll post images and random thoughts about what I encounter. Follow along as Tiffinbox is transformed, ever so briefly, into a travel blog of sorts.

I already wish this was a longer vacation, but I need to get back to reality [aka. my job].

In a clutch, Congressman Bobby Jindal of Louisiana helps deliver his third baby. Does this feat alone qualify him to run for President?

Carolyn E. Wright is the PhotoAttorney. Read the blog. Protect yourself in myriad ways.

Photoshop Online Video Podcast, tips and techniques by Jan Kabili who ran theunofficialphotoshopweblog

Travel Advice For Photographers

Devi Prakashan is selling a Raja Ravi Varma book on Lulu

Daljit Dhaliwal leads Wide Angle and two documentaries: 1-800-INDIA and Back To School. Check them out on PBS.

Check out SAJAForum.org. I am thrilled to be included as an Editor, though the more accurate title should be Producer.

onDeadline, USA Today's blog is now a must-read for me