Back to the Past

The Arrival

10th July 2012

It was 10years ago that I last crossed the threshold I crossed about half an our ago. The home where my grandpa lives, my native, my ancestral house, in a way. As a matter of fact it was a decade ago that I had visited this city last. And by my perception of the city, the little I had on my way back from the railway station and some while the train was entering the city, I could see, quiet a lot has changed. At-least private business sector has been doing good it seems. New shops, and hospitals by the bulk, and the old ones having had a complete make-over to keep pace with the changing scenario. On a certain level, the city looks changed, but the moment you turn your attention to the people, that make up the city, one is compelled to think, maybe, nothing has actually. There is still no traffic sense, even on the main roads. Cars still flaunt the flags of political parties or unions instead of a Vehicle registration number plate. And the most vivid indicator, the government hasn't moved on a reasonable pace. The drains are still open as they were, roads are still the same width as they were, and people still encroach upon public property, and declare it their own as they used to.

My home. Unchanged. Not a single feature, not even a brick has moved, or been replaced. The same old steel angle framed, corrugated GI sheeted gate, the same old garage, the grape wine has disappeared though, but the crotans are still the same, only larger. The cooler body, a mass of rusting iron sheet, has been there on the porch since over a decade, and so has the sofa. The steel mesh, on the external entrance door, which once used to prevent insects invading the house while allowing fresh air in, now permits an entire human through, without resistance. It has evidently lived its life. The living room hasn't changed in the slightest, except the television. The feel of the room remains the same. Exploring the rest of the house, gave a similar impression, nothing has changed, just the deterioration that is inevitable with time. The marks of time are evident in each and every corner, each and every wall, and feature of the old house. Roots of plants have penetrated from terrace to the lower floor and are developing further in the undisturbed settings. Exploring, I climb up the stairs, to the terrace, and I notice a stark difference, the house seemed smaller. Why? Maybe because, I had grown up, become larger, or because I had just grown accustomed to seeing larger, or maybe the surroundings had outgrown my house. I'm not sure which is the real reason, but the feeling remains. Coming back down, I am greeted by my distant cousins who were evidently sleeping while I entered the house, and had a good tour of it. No surprise some thieves had also noticed the booty, but didn't find anything worth though, also thanks to the sleeping cousin.

And the rest of the day passed in a mundane existence. Nothing to do, just lying about here and there, escorted by the ever so faithful mosquitoes. In the evening, my aunt called up my Grandpa, and they had a talk, apparently after long. And then after came the guy who gives my grandpa massage, and while that was going on, in some stupid un-for-seen way the topic of the marriage of those of our generation came up, and even more stupidly it came to me! I was like, "Damn the starts! Didn't thy have any other topic to talk about". By luckily it didn't last much. And I was superbly relieved to know it had ended.

Day 1

11th July 2012

The night passed completing the novel I had started when I was half way through my journey. Obviously the mosquitoes never let me feel lonely.  I didn’t feel tired in the slightest until I was done with novel. And then, suddenly, it gushed from all the directions, fatigue, and I fell asleep. The only hindrance then, was the electricity not wanting to serve me, mosquitoes not wanting to let me feel lonely, and the un-comfortable temperature. Perfect recipe for "not being able to sleep in spite of being almost dead due to fatigue". That gave me a lot of time to reflect on the other things that I had missed. My old man, he was completely the same. Considering the prosperity he's been bestowed with, the way he lives is still the same, no change in the slightest. There was a time when he was healthier, at that time, the inconveniences he's surrounded himself with seemed tolerable, but now, they most certainly don't. When I come to think of it, such vast sums of money, and still, living like a below lower middle class is just being miser, and for what? I agree to not showing off, but there's a minimum required level of services and utilities that one needs in order to live gracefully and modestly. That would include, a good water supply system, a modest amount of manageable furniture, a decent kitchen, with a refrigerator, and electricity supply, a means of avoiding insect and human infestation of the property, at-least the building that you reside in. Unfortunately none of this is available in our house. And now considering the occupant being a lone elderly person of 90, this is highly unsettling. I'm going to design a new house for this plot. Much smaller compared to this one, but more manageable and secure.

With the thoughts flowing, the time too passed like anything. And when electricity did come back, it was time to wake up. And well, I was up for a new surprise which came like after an hour since I woke up.  I was quietly lost in my computer, when my cousin yelled, "There's a snake in the kitchen". Day 2, and this was some real surprise. And after some efforts we were able to scare it away and direct it a bit on its way out. I so very much wanted to catch it, but didn't have the proper tools. So I let it go. And then after the lunch, a visit to the Juvenile Court with my Grandpa, for a case that’s been going on since the past 14 years! I was literally falling asleep in the advocate's cabin. Then after buying some groceries, we were back home.