A change in the course of the river
Tonight the mother decided to make the children happy by telling her own bed time story. Sometimes these stories are figments of her imagination, built in her head and then spun out into words and sometimes they are real incidents. Today she wanted to tell one of her own stories. The story of a girl who reacted to changes, quite crazily !
She remembered the day when her father came home one day, when she was around 14 years, to say that they might get transferred to another city. It was like a big shock to her. All her life she had been growing up in that city, studying in that same school, with the same set of colony friends....was that World going to turn upside down ? She cried and cried and said she never wanted to leave that city. But then the transfer did not happen and she felt at ease again.
End of tenth class. Eleventh class in a new school, new friends. She did not miss her old school of 10 years and adapted well to the change and formed a wonderful new circle of friends.
End of Eleventh class. Beginning of twelfth. On the first day of the new academic year, came a shock to her....she was being moved to another section. She cried and cried at the entrance to her old class, much to her own embarassment and got lots of warm hugs from her friends. But after a month she was okay, when she made some new friends.
She left to another small town for her college studies, missed her family terribly, was quite homesick the first few months, cribbed about the college in the first year and then started loving it. She felt sad when she had to leave it.
A new city for work, new friends, new colleagues. She felt quite unsettled in the beginning and then made her own new circle of friends at the workplace.
The train journey right after the wedding. She started choking when the train began to leave the platform and her parents and brother became miniatures in the background. The tears blurred her eyes and she could not stop crying for the next fifteen minutes. She had been away from home already for seven years, her husband was not new to her...but still lot of things had changed and there was again the fear of the "NEW".
New life, new house and ofcourse what followed were tiny new beings. Each phase of the life brings in lots of changes. Each time the river takes a turn in it's course, there is the feeling of apprehension, excitement, nervousness. But I think what matters finally is the people who are around you. When you find people that you are comfortable with, everything else becomes a little insignificant.
After being in one house for nearly 9 years now, we are moving into another place. I have a close friend from my stay here, made some nice acquaintances and the children have made some wonderful friends. Sooraj has grown up with all his friends here...starting from sitting on mommies laps and watching everything, riding tricycles, playing board games, riding bicycles and now street cricket and football ! He will miss all these and we are hoping the children can make some wonderful friends there too.
As for me, no....I am not teary now ! But yes definitely nostalgic. I am looking forward to this new change in our life with lot of excitement and hoping it would be a very enriching experience.
#posted by [ ranjani.sathish ]
Hi ranjani,
Nice blog. We have all been thru such changes. Good luck with ur living in the new flat.Hope you are settled in the new place. Do write to me when u are at leisure.
Gayathri
Posted by
Gayathri |
4:47 PM
Hi Ranjani
Nice one. I actually envy some of these army folks who have been in multiple states growing up. It must have been tough but so exciting too in a way. Am happy for the change you are going to face in the new place and that you will get to experience something different. Really hope kids find a lot of friends here too.
Been so long since we got in touch.
Noon
Posted by
noon |
3:03 AM
Ranjini, Lovely blog that you have. I particularly enjoyed this post. Those feelings of apprehension when confronted with change - you've described them so beautifully. Now I know what makes you a master (or am I supposed to say mistress??) storyteller...
Posted by
Meera |
7:13 PM
Meera, it is really nice to see you here and thanks for that warm compliment !
I just now hopped on to your blog and found that there are so many interesting articles that you have written !! I am going to read them in leisure soon.
Posted by
ranjani.sathish |
8:55 PM
Ranjani, you have a nice blog. I totally agree that you are a master storyteller... I also agree that moving is difficult. Hope you guys are settled and enjoying your new place.
Posted by
Subhashree |
3:17 PM
Thank you subashree for your warm words !!Yes, we are still in the process of settling down. I know it is not a big deal, compared to people who move across continents - such major changes in every aspect. But yes, it takes a little while to adjust to the new environment.
Posted by
ranjani.sathish |
9:39 AM