It
happened 3 years ago. In a small and absolutely beautiful village called
Ratnagiri in Maharashtra.
We
were visiting the house of India’s freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak- the
‘Bal’ of the famous ‘Lal Bal Pal’ trio- which was being renovated for public
exhibition.
As I
moved about the place, I had a feeling of redolence but couldn’t put my finger
on it. Taking the confused feel with me, I moved on.
Cut
to present.
I
went to my grandparents’ home for a week, thanks to a completed degree and
delayed date of joining on the job.
It
is then that the old feel came back to me.
The
air was the same.
As
weird as it may sound, I could make an absolute connect.
The
ceiling fan-the kind which one wouldn’t normally find in today’s time- has a
huge box for a regulator that sticks out the wall. It has now become smooth and
edge-less from being in use for many decades.
My
grandfather’s desk is decorated impeccably with his glasses, medicine, some
documents, a diary and a pen arranged in exactly the same manner at any time of
day since last 18 years when he retired.
There
is an old radio set- decorated by a hand-woven and beautifully embroidered
patch of cloth- whose print has come off with all the years of use.
The
beds, or the ‘khaat’, I’m sure are a rare possession in any delhi household
today. But they are being proudly used and by personal experience I admit, they
are better than any bed!
The
various calendars - with images of Hindu Gods and Goddesses covering almost the
entire area on it - irrespective of their years, adorn the walls of the entire
house.
These
and many other things are not only reminiscent of my childhood but also drive
home an important conclusion.
Never
let any experience die in you. Always keep the feelings as well as the feel
alive. Always.
You
never know... what connects where and when.
This
home is an integral part of me, as that ‘house’ will be too from now on.
You
don’t necessarily have to play a major part in somebody’s life to make them an
integral part of yours.
Sometimes,
it’s the feeling of being connected- like with my grandparents’ home.
Other
times it’s the FEEL of being connected- like with Late Bal Gangadhar Tilak’s
house.
