The feeling of being a nomad, has lived with me for years now. It often feels that people take the simplest things for granted. Since I was a child, the concept of airports has thrilled me immensely. Be it, the mundane annual trip from Muscat to Kolkata every year during summer holidays. The whole process of making lists and shopping for everyone in the family, packing, the duty free shop at Seeb International Airport, aircraft take off and landing, the stale food of Biman Bangladesh airlines, and later Royal Brunei airlines, the delays – was all a part of the excitement.
With the days however, things changed. It has been almost 2 years I have not stepped out of India. My passport must have caught some rust by now. It now has become normal that no one will stand behind those aluminum bars at any airport. Even if they do, they are probably people who do not even matter that much. It has been ages since I last saw my father. My house in Muscat will soon reduce into just a memory. Moreover, I am not to complain.
There are pros and cons of being shifted to a foreign country at just 3 months of age, and returning when 17. Pros being an exposure to the outside of our country, and the so-called ‘better life’ with air-conditioned washrooms. Muscat has taught me a lot, apart from the Malayalam and Arabic. Unlike the other countries in the Middle East, Muscat is the calm, serene tourist destination where nothing even remotely exciting happened.
Cons being disconnected with the country of my origin. Knowing nothing there – the people, the food, friends, games, movies, Shah Rukh Khan until I got back in 2004. Only after that did I watch Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. Yes, that was what I wrote. I get the glances whenever this is mentioned. Sometimes it feels like I missed out a lot more. The cousins all grew up – I was never there for a Diwali, Rakhi, Durga Puja, Bhai Phota.
Kolkata has always fascinated me. It has a certain mystery to it, something I have not been able to decipher what exactly, but no matter where I go, the heart feels most content there. No possible explanation to that. Baba says, it’s the ‘मिटटी (earth) calling’. A rather nice and poetic thought. Only that I wish I had more there. Somebody to be there at the aluminum railing at Netaji Subhas Chandra Airport.
Some place to call home.