I was born in a dynamic state called ‘Nagaland’ and it was my abode - my home. Home - where I would come to find my mother cook delicious delicacies, where I was surrounded by my friends, where I always ran away from our two gigantic German Shepard but spoke endlessly to my bunny friend and would spend hours wondering ‘Why doesn't my red nose parrot utter a word?’ also loved every time our dog hunted down our irritating neighbour’s chicken! Home sweet home :-) siggggghhh
As time progressed, I was sealed and parceled to a residential school in India at the age of seven where I went on to spend most of my ‘growing-up’ years amidst the Himalayan ranges, lush Tea gardens, friends and more friends. I never really missed home rather I would miss my hostel - I would miss the endless gossip, miss breaking rules, miss bunking classes. Little did I know that it had become a part of my life, a part so intrinsic only to realize it when it was time to say Adiós! Thereafter, I went on to live in several parts of India either for education or for work. Each destination is still close to me and they were home to me in their own right.
As famous as Mother Teresa who was born in Macedonia yet she adopted Calcutta as her home. As a matter of fact, she never went back to visit her family after she left them at the age of eighteen in the year 1928 or for that matter Body builder, Actor and Politician Arnold Schwarzenegger. He was born in Austria and spent a good twenty one years in Austria but later chose to move to USA and adopted America as his home so much so that he went on to serve as the Governor of California from 2003 - Jan 2011. His love is evident when he said “Everything I have, my career, my success, my family, I owe to America.”
I have a friend who grew up in Bombay and Calcutta (in equal parts) but just like millions and zillions of people around the globe, higher education took him to Germany and now for an assignment in America. While chatting with him the other day, he expressed that he is eagerly waiting to return Home - Germany. He misses the place, the strong european culture, his friends and everything that spells and smells Germany without dismissing his old love Bombay & Calcutta in no particular order.
The Oxford dictionary explains ‘Home’ as ‘the place where one lives in permanently’ but the day and age that we live in today, I wonder can there ever be a place where we could continue to live permanently? A close acquaintance of ours probably in her sixties or seventies (she keeps me guessing her age all the time) have sold their home which has been her abode for years and will be moving to Minneapolis to be closer to her son and grandchildren and is absolutely thrilled to do so. History stands witness that there was never a thing that was permanent or ever will be and the term is only relative.
We hop cities, adopt countries/state as home because of Love. We are emotional social animals and we will do everything possible to be loved. Home does not signify which countries passport you might hold neither does it signify the concrete palace that you may have lived in or the cars parked outside. Home is about people with whom you may want to share your every Milli-second and never regret about any sacrifices that you may have made.
Home is where your heart is!
Amen.
As time progressed, I was sealed and parceled to a residential school in India at the age of seven where I went on to spend most of my ‘growing-up’ years amidst the Himalayan ranges, lush Tea gardens, friends and more friends. I never really missed home rather I would miss my hostel - I would miss the endless gossip, miss breaking rules, miss bunking classes. Little did I know that it had become a part of my life, a part so intrinsic only to realize it when it was time to say Adiós! Thereafter, I went on to live in several parts of India either for education or for work. Each destination is still close to me and they were home to me in their own right.
As famous as Mother Teresa who was born in Macedonia yet she adopted Calcutta as her home. As a matter of fact, she never went back to visit her family after she left them at the age of eighteen in the year 1928 or for that matter Body builder, Actor and Politician Arnold Schwarzenegger. He was born in Austria and spent a good twenty one years in Austria but later chose to move to USA and adopted America as his home so much so that he went on to serve as the Governor of California from 2003 - Jan 2011. His love is evident when he said “Everything I have, my career, my success, my family, I owe to America.”
I have a friend who grew up in Bombay and Calcutta (in equal parts) but just like millions and zillions of people around the globe, higher education took him to Germany and now for an assignment in America. While chatting with him the other day, he expressed that he is eagerly waiting to return Home - Germany. He misses the place, the strong european culture, his friends and everything that spells and smells Germany without dismissing his old love Bombay & Calcutta in no particular order.
The Oxford dictionary explains ‘Home’ as ‘the place where one lives in permanently’ but the day and age that we live in today, I wonder can there ever be a place where we could continue to live permanently? A close acquaintance of ours probably in her sixties or seventies (she keeps me guessing her age all the time) have sold their home which has been her abode for years and will be moving to Minneapolis to be closer to her son and grandchildren and is absolutely thrilled to do so. History stands witness that there was never a thing that was permanent or ever will be and the term is only relative.
We hop cities, adopt countries/state as home because of Love. We are emotional social animals and we will do everything possible to be loved. Home does not signify which countries passport you might hold neither does it signify the concrete palace that you may have lived in or the cars parked outside. Home is about people with whom you may want to share your every Milli-second and never regret about any sacrifices that you may have made.
Home is where your heart is!
Amen.
