If you visit your native place after being away from it for quite a while, you seem or at least perceived to be a stranger in your own land. When I visit my parents I have certain similar experience. We used to stay inside the campus of B.I.T Sindri (a renowned government college of Jharkhand which provides residence to Professors here) throughout my childhood and also after becoming a young girl. I hardly bothered to know where I stayed, what is B.I.T etc. I focussed only on my studies as I was obsessed with marks and getting top ranks in school. Soon after finishing school, I moved to Coimbatore for my Engineering as there was the college I got after qualifying in AIEEE. In short, I hardly know about the place. When a kid, I never wanted to travel or go for vacations outside my home as I did not like travelling. I am glad the attitude has changed and I really don't mind travelling now. In fact I like spending vacations visiting different places and I enjoy them heartfully.
Sindri is different from B.I.T Sindri. Sindri was once a very chirpy and joyous place. It happened to be the bubbly market place always filled with people shopping many different things. It had very lively residential areas too.
It had F.C.I (Fertilizer Corporation of India) and had provided good paying jobs to many. People had actually a very healthy life-style here. But for no certain reason (or at least I do not know) F.C.I shut down (not sure if some parts of it is still operational) and many people lost their jobs. Many did move to other cities and few preferred staying here as it can be a very peaceful place for elder citizens.
My dad retired from the post of gazetted Professor and insted of settling at the permanent home that he has built, he preferred staying at Sindri. Sindri is close to B.I.T Sindri campus.
Reason being he is closely attached to his profession and wants to continue his job as Visiting Professor. I would count this as an almost free service done by him as I really do not find the returns on his time investment justifiable. I understand that he wants to keep doing something productive to keep him busy. I do not want to write about my dad in this blog, but I am amazed to see his passion, vigour even now. He said me once ' No matter what you do, if you don't do with full concentration, it shows you don't concentrate on any activity you do'. I will not forget this. I want to ask him someday how did he plan his career and his savings so well. I feel proud to be his daughter and then to be the most loved kid too and my siblings know that. :)
Ahh, did I forget mentioning that my mom has been his strength always.
Today I visited Sindri market and found the place relatively, extremely dull from what it used to be. The shopkeepers are more than funny but I enjoy when people use few english words and repeat them as much as they can.
'Ekdum DECENT kapda ha'; 'Bahut SOBER ha';
People have an entirely different style of communication. It may sound rough to many but I completely understand and accept it. In Bangalore, I see that since people are busy with their own schedules, there's not much interaction among neighbours. But what I see in my own home is even more astonishing. I don't know who are our neighbours and have not seen them either. But I am to blame here. I get up late and then prefer to stay in my chilled air conditioned room than to go out anywhere in hot Sun. At evening, I go out but still there are not many people around. My mom says that there are neighbours and they do interact but I certainly understand that it would be very rare. It can be due to the fact that parents are most of the time away from this place visiting my brother, sisters or me. Sindri market has lost its charm and now I even doubt if will remain for as many years in future as it has been in past. Ahh! but this should not be confused with people here. I could see Scorpio and other big cars in the market.
This place has been close to my heart as it has some very great temples I alway visit when here. It has my Alma mater School. It disturbs me to think that after me and my younger sister would get married, parents would leave this place or may be sooner than that. That is obvious as they can't stay
alone for a long time.
Oops! I did hear someone saying for an old man that he is dependant. That disturbed me. I thought when parents raise their kids, do kids pay. In fact I was dependant on my dad till I was 21. My parents would never be dependant on any of his kids as dad will always get his pension. I feel little uncomfortable that I have been both financially dependant on him in past and now for my future partner. They think about my future more than I do it myself. I can't pay them back in anyways. However I can carry it forward. hehehe!!!!
