The Old order changeth yielding place to new...

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And nowhere have I found this to be so true than in the march of time as can be seen in my hometown, Allahabad and indeed in the changing landscapes of cities and towns in India

The Big White House (as named by my niece when she was just about four) is no more, it has fallen victim to changing times. A bungalow (kothi, to be very precise) sitting in majestic splendor amidst 4 acres of land …my earliest memories of the house, my maternal grandparents home –a solid haven, security and shelter away from the confusing world. The Ashok trees fronting it, shading it from the road’s view and that big circular garden, with mehndi bushes forming the barrier and the marigold plants always in bloom. Every season would see the garden resplendent in color with flowers of the season, the crude gate made with crossed branches and oh, it was the favorite playground of all of us cousins much to the despair of the gardener.

My memories are hazy, old photographs help to refresh them –there is a beautiful sepia tinged photo of my grandparents sitting by one side of the house in chairs side by side. I do recall returning to the house at my grandfather’s death - kids who didn’t quite grasp the solemnity of the occasion –all we knew was nanaji/dadaji was no more and we were not to make noise

My maternal grandmother presided over the house and its grounds as it were, in her special chair from the verandah. She had come to the house post the horrors of partition, seen her children married off from that house; lost her husband, my grandfather.

Had someone told me that I would see a part of my own life vanishing before my eyes before I would have thought they were joking, but today I stand testimony to vanishing history…

Memories bittersweet: summer nights were spent sleeping out in the open under the stars in cots (charpoys) covered with mosquito nets. No lights out rules- there were none to switch off; the only thing that stood between us (kids and adults who opted for this) was a 5ft high boundary wall and yes gates –which could be easily jumped over—but those were the days when people thought twice before intruding. How can I forget the gooly-gooly witch—the evil witch who resided in the well that lay towards the front and side of the property. She was used for a long time to scare the youngest member of the family –ostensibly to ensure he did not stray that way, because it was open and dangerous and he had an ever curious mind...

The grounds around the kothi rang to the sounds of merriment from cousins who gathered there every summer and winter holidays, were witness to us playing many games-seven stones, dodge-the-ball, chain, hide and seek, and later cricket, badminton and yes learning to master the bicycle. And, not to forget the time we got chased by an angry buffalo, running desperately away from the curved horns, finally managing to clamber up to the verandah... Today, there is only a pile of rubble left, the spacious grounds have been carved into small plots, row houses have come up and the grand beauty lost...

Relocation Tales

Sometime in the earlier half of this year, my mom was taken unwell (much improved now); subsequent examination/investigations concluded that it would be better if she weren't to live alone anymore. And since she is more comfortable with the city where she has been living since 1983, I decided to move back home.

I moved out in 1995 and have since been living away from home, first in New Delhi and then in Mumbai. It's been a long 16-years away, living independently, my own life, so to speak. Living in a metro, Mumbai, have kind got used to the conveniences and life in the big city, so moving back does entail a lot of adjustment.

Relocation Tales, as the title says, is my slightly whimsical, sometimes sarcastic take on my experiences ever since I returned to my hometown, Allahabad.

The difference between the two cities, Mumbai and Allahabad, could not be more stark. One is the financial capital of the country, the other rests mostly on forgotten glory, even as it is home to Uttar Pradesh High Court or the Allahabad High Court, as it is more commonly known, Anand and Swaraj Bhavans (homes to/of the erstwhile Nehru family) and yes, that once-famed, Oxford of the East, the University of Allahabad.

One is vibrant, ever on the move, never sleeps, the other shuts down by 9Pm, has no night life to speak of, no pubs/discs. One is hectic, people always on the move chasing after dreams, running hither and thither (a purposeful run, mostly for work), the other laid-back, time moves slowly, mostly inhabited by retirees, an army town also, wide roads, greenery. Oh yes, the Judges of the High Court, top businessmen, doctors, professors comprise the creme-d-la-creme.

And, yet lest you think so, this is not a ghost town, it is indeed alive. Alive and living, expanding and growing. Every auto marque you can think has a presence here, from Ford, to Hyundai, Honda, Toyota; goes without saying that Maruti is definitely present. Big names, WestSide, FabIndia, Big Bazaar, Nokia, Sony, Liberty, HP, ICICI, HDFC, StanChart, IndusInd, ING, are there, too. The Old nestles with the new, sometimes in harmony, others not so.

I have to admit I do not recognize my hometown, it has changed and how, the march of progress has put its stamp on the city; I cannot help but rue the loss of open spaces, order and harmony (structural, development, urban planning). Stores, i once knew and frequented are no more, landmarks have changed, none more poignantly so than BN Rama (there is debris of a pulled down building where BN Rama once stood), the corner seems desolate without it.

The Civil Lines I so fondly frequented has changed and indeed expanded beyond recognition. I could easily get lost there :( But, as the wise say, Time marches on, progress whether it seems planned or unplanned will have its sway. All is not lost, however, the city thrives. The numbers of young people out there has certainly increased.

I hope to be able to update this series of the blog frequently, starting off with the day of my return.

To begin, there are some things/aspects of Allahabad life that could be called a standard. The city is controlled in tandem by two deities, Lady Power and Lord Water. The two indeed govern this city hand in hand, side by side. Daily routine, therefore follows their diktats. Precisely at 9.30am (summers) and 10am (winters) Lady Power makes her first exit of the day and Lord Water obediently follows. Sometimes, when she is in a very generous frame of mind, Lady Power bestows her blessings on the city's denizens before 1pm (sometimes, just sometimes :)! ). Lord Water, however, does not return. He blesses the city with his presence again at maybe 2pm (rarely), more often post 4.30pm and fortunately then stays on till night. Of course, it goes without saying, should Lady Power decide to take a break, Lord Water trots off after her dutifully. The city's denizens therefore are a practiced lot when it comes to following a strict routine. Consequently, the level of the conversational volume does tend to be a lil on the higher side, and why not, with all the generators contributing the background music :P

Lady Power and Lord Water (LP &LW) are likely to make repetitive and frequent appearances in my updates and therefore it seems only fair they be introduced here :P

More later, for the now, I take myself off to spend some time with my mom, conversations, exchanges, which undoubtedly will be punctuated by moments when we cover our ears with our hands, since it is Diwali eve and crackers, oh well, it is crackers' time!

On that note, wishing all readers and fellow country folk (and all those who celebrate) a Happy, prosperous Deepawali :-)