Home a small four-letter word but with such a deep profound meaning. There is a difference between the term home and flats, apartments, bungalows etc. The rest are what comes in view after a construction site is complete. But that is not home. A flat becomes a home when the people living in it make it. Home embodies tons and tons of emotions and feelings.
I grew up in urban Kolkata and had throughout lived in a flat, which was there as it is in the sense I had not seen the building being constructed, neither had decided how big the windows should be or rather whether I want a window or not. Post marriage life, I lived in a bungalow which was constructed as per there needs. Ma particularly used the phrase that “she literally stood there and got the house made”. Though said I understood this but frankly it never really had an impact me. Fast forward to 20 years when this home had space crunch Suyash and me decided to move out as kids were growing fast and we felt its time they need separate rooms and study areas. And in the 18 months that took my house to be built I got what ma meant. When you build your home from scratch, right from laying of the first brick the feeling is altogether undefinable and incomparable to buying an already built house or a flat you move into.
Every nook and corner of my home has a story attached. Why was what decided, why there is door somewhere and a wall somewhere. Uncountable hours were spent in taking decisions, and we saw the plans getting executed inch by inch. What my home means to me will be bag full of thoughts, feelings, emotions, memories, love, chit chat, petty banter of kids, safe place, warmth, coziness …I mean can I even sum them up all.
Now let me share why am I writing about this today. Harshiv is very possessive about his room. If its messy it should be left that way. After a while I made peace with not going and putting things in order in his room. Only when he leaves for college, we get it cleaned and dusted. Once when he was away in college and Vayun’s air con was not working Vayun slept in Harshiv’s room. And since the staff is instructed not to do anything until Harshiv asks, they left the bed as it is. Oh, when Harshiv came back and he found the messy bed he was so upset. I said what is the big deal you are used to live like this, your college room is worse. He said exactly, in hostel I live in such chaos that coming home and finding a well fitted neat sheet on the bed is what I look forward to. And it struck me for my boy living in a hostel, home means a neat and tidy room. Chaos is okay in the hostel or when he keeps it untidy… but here he wants to come and just breathe in the orderliness. The empty bed, the folded duvet, the neatly laid sheet (among many other things and the fact that he is with us) is what that give him a sense of home to him for now…Happy Birthday my boy…!