Home...

Every time I hear a plane fly overhead, i think of home. the Mumbai airport, the overview of the slums, the coast line, the waters, the buildings which are stacked up and near to each other like matchsticks, all these images are conjured up by my mind.
Daddy sitting on the chair with specs on his nose bridge..V looking outside the window talking to kaki. Bobo doing nothing but sniffing up dad's feet. Perfumed agarbatti smell from our devakudd. Cawing crows and whispering trees from the kitchen window. Kaki's shouts and kids yelling around. Agnihotra dhoop and mosquitoes.These are my home memories, which I left behind when I got married and came away to Andheri.
It was hard for me to sleep and wake up in a strange bed, next to a strange person, though my husband. I kept telling him daily, I want to go back home to Vasai. I wont be able to live here like this continuously. I felt like I have left behind a part of me in Vasai, which refused to come away to Andheri with me. I kept calling dad and V,I cried so many nights thinking of them, missing them. I missed hugging dad. I missed sleeping with my leg strewn across either Bobo or V. I missed squabbling with V over petty things. I missed my dad's constant reminiscence of things.When referring to B1, I used to say, Satyu's house, to my friends, to V and dad. They used to get amused. It took some time. All that I couldn't believe i would do, I did.
But, I lived. I lived in Andheri..
I started calling B1 , my home. I started sleeping well. I retained all Vasai memories and unknowingly started forging new memories.
Baba sitting and watching tv, sometimes dozing off,his puja time with him in his purple towel and constantly sniffing his nose into his other white one. Aai muttering something to herself and making breakfast for everyone, the early morning gondhal with leelabai and aparna and aai baba,saurabh calling to me in the window,tejas beeping his loud horn and revving up his bike,maithu calling me to ask me if i am home,manu calling me to accompany her someplace,my daily walks,my routine bitching session with M & M, the temple behind with its constant pujas and bells and what not. The annoying kids in the afternoon, mayuri at 7 pm, those lazy sunday afternoons with sanket and gauri for lunch,a very pregnant gauri, athaan, sanket looking for his clothes everywhere in the house, searching for that one particular tshirt which he cant locate, aai getting ready in her bedroom to go out.
Unknowingly, I kept amassing these memories in Andheri.
We came away here, leaving all these things behind us. I thought I would not be able to live. I spent crying each nite, till some time, asking Satyu to take me back home. Every day, i thought I wont be able to live. I could not sleep well.
Now there were memories of two parts of my life, I had to contend with, Vasai and Andheri.
Unknowingly now, I have started amassing memories of Auckland as well.
It took me some time and its still taking me some time to come to terms with my memories. I realize one important thing.. All these people who form a part of my life and who arent with me now, are forming their memories as well, right at this moment. And just cause we aren't there to be an actual part of their memory will not exclude me from being a part of them.
When I return home, I promise we will all congeal these memories to make absolutely new ones.
I used to think home was Vasai, then got married and them home was Andheri. Now we decided to come away here and now home is here. But they say , home is where the heart is. My heart is in Vasai and in Andheri..So where exactly is home.!!
Well, for now, I will let love lead the way..
I realize, that wherever we are, we are always meant to be there..
Cheers to that!!!