Ain't No Place like Home Land

Being someone who was born and brought up in Kerala, I was never a big fan of the home land nostalgia which has a prominent place in the Malayali pop culture. Having spent 23 years of my life here, I never realized I had taken a lot of things for granted. It took me a short span of stay in Mumbai to finally see what everyone else saw in God's Own Country. I remember travelling in a train on my first home coming and gazing at the scenic beauty all around. The evening sun shone golden upon the expanse of lakes and paddy fields lined with coconut trees. I remember feeling awestruck by the beauty of the view and thinking "This is why people love touring in Kerala! It's pleasant greenery all around."

I am in Kerala for my short Diwali break of 5 days and the peace of mind I have been experiencing since I landed here is unparalleled. I'm pretty sure, had I been from some other state, I would have said the same about that state but the point is the mental happiness I am experiencing since I moved away from the limitless city of Mumbai. It's only 6.30 in the evening now and the beautiful little town of Alappuzha is already retreating into their homes. 

Home land nostalgia for me is not strictly about the cuisine, the natural beauty or the language of my place. It's more about the slow and comfortable lives people lead here. It's not a longing to be with family or to be at home. It's about the familiarity and comfort that I no longer have in Mumbai. It's about the feeling of belonging and the yearning for a home. 

I tell myself that life in Mumbai is more of survival than living. Every day when I wake up, I prepare myself mentally to survive another long and arduous day at office which sometimes goes on till later than midnight. The concept of day and night does not have much significance as far as the work culture of Mumbai is concerned. I get less than 4 hours on any given weekday to sit and relax inside our apartment, which should be ideally called a miniature version of an apartment because that's how tiny it is. 

They say Mumbai is all about "Work hard and party harder!". That is not a healthy way to live, when you really think about it. The only time I felt like I was breathing and enjoying life in Mumbai was when I was at an art gallery in Kala Ghoda with a friend. I realized how long it had been since I wrote something or did something creative. Mumbai has been nothing short of turbulence for me. Maybe that's why I always plan and wait for trips to outside of Mumbai.  I really do hope my days in Mumbai get better.

And as I write this, I am hit by the realization that by this time tomorrow, I will be back in Mumbai. So let me forget that inevitable sadness by eating some hot parippuvadas Amma has prepared for us.