Thursday, June 18, 2009

Home Sweet home !!!

This is too much !!! Home as a jail ????? Thats an absolutely ridiculous statement to make.
I was nearly going to fall down from my chair when i heard one of my friends talking about her home.
She has been living away from her family since she completed her HSC.But recently, due to a prolonged illness she had to take a leave for 1-1.5 months and go back to live at home. But since the first day itself, she started complaining about her stay. Its too hot here, there is load shedding, i cant watch TV, i get bored, etc etc etc. I realised the significant change the life style in the city has brought into her perspective. She even went on saying that she feels like being in jail and wants to run away to come back to her hip and happening life in the city.
Hey hey hey . . . hold on. I can imagine the emotional and physical aloofness she might feel at home due to a prolonged stay away. But to call home a jail is preposterous and extremely unthoughtful of her. This even when she doesnt have any life long obligation to stay at home.
I thought about the small trips I get to have to my home since i joined my company. How i crave to get some more time to spend there everytime. I get excited at the prospect and start planning for it quite early. Two-three days before the journey, i start day dreaming about the things i would do at home. My plans change according to the seasons and the changes they bring in the activities at home. This may sound stupid, but this is completely true and the intensity has not decreased even slightly in the last two years and approxiametely 25-26 trips ( thats 1 per month i guess ) i had to home.
True, summer is hot, but with summer come mangoes and a variety of fresh "kairi" and "amba" dishes to eat. There is no TV due to load shedding, but it brings mom, dad, brothers, sisters, cousins, dada-dadi together for a fun game of cards or carrom. Nights are spent sleeping on the terrace. There are pillow fights, ghost stories and star watching. Water tastes sweeter and cooler in summers. .
And about other seasons. . well mine is a place where i get to experience extremes of all the seasons. If summer is 47 deg then winters are 7 deg straight. But no one can imagine the feeling i get when early morning sunrays touch my skin during one of those colder days.. Its exilerating. I can sit hours under the thick shadow of gooseberry tree in the afternoon watching the swirling leaves and small fruits falling when they make a "Tup Tup" sound. What a beautiful sight it makes.
I thought of the numerous afternoons i had spent there, studying.
I remembered the times when my mom and my Aaji would sit in the courtyard after lunch to enjoy the warm weather. If somebody asks me the most memorable memory i have of child hood i would tell this - Aai and Baba reading newspaper, aaji chewing beatle leaf and making a typical sound with her "Adkitta" and me and my brother making a clay fort for the coming Diwali. Thats something which makes me instantly nostalgic. Again there are nights to enjoy hot coffee and sleep under warm "dulai" .

Everything looks green and beautiful when it rains. But at home, i feel the difference when the droplets fall on the big leaves of papaya tree - 4 feet tall. Thats a beauty i am sure no one can imagine. I feel like the entire greenery has accumulated on this one big leaf and its glowing in radiance to show the world its freshness and purity. There is no electric supply at night due to heavy rains sometimes. But i enjoy it tremendously in the candle light when i am inside a cozy blanket and all i can see are the wet drops through the stainglass window. The sounds outside add to the ambience.
These are all insignificant things if someone thinks practically, but somehow i have memories attached to these simple things scattered all through my childhood and teens, and thats what makes my stay at home most memorable everytime i go there. These things have somehow shaped my emotional and physical well being and they cant be erased now. I have not even mentioned the things that make me feel emotionally liberated from all the baggages when i am at home. My home is my paradise. And i think everyone should feel the same about their homes too. Atleast people who are close to my heart. If not, then they dont realise the treasure they are missing in there lives. How can one expect people to be caring and faithful for others if they dont feel any attachment to their homes - which have the most significant physical part in their upbringing.
My friends call me crazy, but if a get a chance, i will settle down at my home - some 30-35 years from now.
But right now i have a lecture to give to my irritated friend - hope she gets at least 10 % out of it.

4 comments:

  1. agreed that "home is paradise"... but I feel that the where there is a crib in need there is a progress...
    Yeah it sounds crazy that people say "home is jail"
    With this blog I remember the scene of the movie Swades where the old jarhead says that we have our culture and traditions that cannot be beaten and Mr.Mohan Bhargav refuses giving a brief explaination about the progress.. I am not very sure that it is relevant with the context here but...
    I see more emotions that are flowing this blog and someone who is really attached to his/her home may share the same feelings but I would like to understand how it will be with the other set of the folks??
    Another aspect to this, with the IT boom in '99 folks and fellowmates got a chance to move to the glamorous cities and enjoy the comforts of that they can avail and here the set of people coming from the cities where they hardly get electric power for 2 nights in a week and I guess it is obvious that set would get blind with the sprakles of the comforts and the lights that you mentioned.
    I respect the outpour of emotions and the "possesive" attitude towards home but I am waiting here for more... Post your discussion what has happened and why your friend said so or what were the comments of your friend after you lecture???

    Waiting right here...

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  2. yaar, kya sahi likha hai....
    emotional kar diya....

    "janani janma bhumich swarga dapi gariyasi"

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  3. I don't agree with you. It is saying like now I am leaving with more versatile and beautiful parents and now I don't want my old parents.

    Sound weired, huh!!!

    You are trying to say the same things that Indian say about India after going to USA.

    Don't you think so?

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  4. My apologies for the late reply but I agree with the comment that Mr. Anonymous has put forth upto a point.
    Definitely with all this IT boom and all, people get blindfolded by the comforts and luxuries of the cities, which is not at all wrong. But that is no reason to start disliking your home. . and if someone is doing so, he definitely needs to get back to his morals. Home is the place because of which you are what yor are . . !!!
    Second point - I am really attached to my home - no doubt, and there are people who being away from home for a long time are not so attached . People become global citizens, and home acquires altogether different reference - again no doubt. But does that make the place where one was born a bad place to live ??
    This is just like saying India is useless after living in US for a long time.
    The point (Even mentioned in Swades) is that - there is no place like home (with all the unique things). And comparing it with the global luxurious cities is not right.
    And finally,
    Apart from the emotional aspects attached to each ones home - i was basically commenting on the pleasures one can experienece even if our home lacks in certain basic infrastuctures and facilities of the big cities. But to my disapointment, some people (including my friend ) dont realise this . . The material comforts away from home still matter a lot rather than the simple and natural things. And i feel that this is a more important point to ponder over and discuss .

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