On my last trip to my home country India, I felt the strongest pull to stay back and just forget the fact that I even belonged any place else!
I'm sure most of us have heard/read/watched the famous "Roots" by Alex Haley. I read this book during my college days, and I was at that time very touched with everything that Kunta Kinte goes through! That was when I was so inspired to find my own roots!
Right after my 12th standard, I made a trip to my ancestral home in a village in India, along with 10 of my other cousins!. We made a big deal reaching there, staying there, and having fun every single day. An old aunt of my mother stayed there at that time, and was about 90 years of age. But, she was so strong and independent that she cooked and cleaned for herself (and us!) even at that age!
So, one fine afternoon, I sat down with her while she lay on the ground on her white sari acting as a mat. I asked her if she could re-collect all the details about my ancestors, and surprisingly she went back about 6 generations and I still recall how her eyes lit up just talking about the good old days...she went on with the details for a couple of hours, and was unstoppable :-) I kept scribbling all that I could, as fast as I could to keep up with her...
It was almost evening by then, and she sat up with tears in her eyes, and held me close and said "Thanks to you, I lived my life all over again just in the last two hours - God bless you my child"... She then went upstairs and brought out some very very old pictures of her as a child :-)
What I did with those notes later was a shame - I did nothing! But, even today when I recollect the happiness and the joy in my great aunt's eyes at the time she so fondly spoke of the grandeur, the pomp, and the splendour of the good old days - better days she had seen and lived, it seems like it is all worth it!
Some day - I will compile it and for all I know surprise myself by just going back to where I belong!
My song for this day -
http://youtube.com/watch?v=hAlD6zehT5E
Life - a mysterious journey....
No comments:
Post a Comment