By Geetanjali Sharma
It is way past midnight, and my bedside lamp is still on. My thoughts race while my hands sit still after deleting a packing list on my phone that I had to refer to for our trip last month.
Almost a month since I last wrote for you – stories changed, moods shifted, time passed. For me, a pause from this column was inevitable. With hands full of luggage and a mind focused on calming our baby, travel left me with not much time to rest or write. As I fidget back to this week’s writeup, I realise the calm I have missed. After returning home from a trip, be it a nearby hike, or, weeks of packing, unpacking and exploring, comfort hits different.
Unlike its usual self, Dehra welcomed us with ‘too’ much warmth. The season of summer is just beginning to kick in and our bodies are already feeling the heat. As I lay back after a few days of rest and recovery, my heart slowly takes me back to all the adventures we had miles away. From dealing with the insistent crying of our son at the Vatican Museums or a quick diaper change at a nondescript train station, the scenery around and between the chaos was jaw-dropping.
Yes, challenges had our attention but there was never a moment of dull. Sipping coffee at local street cafés or walking through the streets of what may be an openair museum, history and culture, art and music was in the spirit of each place we visited – so charming that looking at the pictures I find no match to what I have been able to capture otherwise.
I will keep posting pictures and maybe my upcoming writings will have some references to my travels. But the blooming site of a flowing Bougain from our backyard and swinging bamboo trees in the background certainly bring a sense of belonging and comfort, letting me write with a familiar view.
Now, as I conclude this article, sounds of construction material getting unloaded across the street wake up a part of me to feel the views disappearing behind new buildings. It’s about time to build a wiser tomorrow, with more greens and better weather. Though home has always been here, all along nestled away from the city chaos and surrounded by its own paradise, saving it from being lost amongst the multi-storeyed buildings seems to be our next responsibility.
(Geetanjali Sharma is an author and communications specialist. She holds a post-graduate degree in international communication from Macquarie University, Australia.)
