We Will Not Be Lost, And We Will Not Lose Each Other- A Story??

Let me share a slice from my growing-up years, which you will love. Festivals were great times; the most looked forward t. More so, if over 50 people are staying and celebrating together under one roof, it’s magical.

Yes, you read it right, over 50 of us, in one large house.

I grew up in a home (image below) with 20 bedrooms. Three grandfathers, their children, and grandchildren,?all staying together. Almost two dozen of us children playing around the large open spaces of the house. I was lucky to have lived my childhood and adolescent life in such a loving and caring environment.

Every day looked like a celebration because either a festival was happening or a special occasion like marriage or birth was being celebrated, or religious rituals were being performed.

We were having this one tradition that on the most important festival days like Dussehra, the entire family will go together around our town to visit the deities and the surrounding fair.

Everywhere, across the town, everyone would recognize and acknowledge our family otherwise also, but there was one thing very special. All the children from our family would look alike.

We children, irrespective of our age and gender, would wear the same pattern and colour lower and upper garments. Just before the festival, the cloth merchant would visit our house with samples of clothes. The elders would decide one each for lower and upper garment.

Now, the tailor would come with his machine, measuring tape, and park himself on the veranda. All the children would queue up for measurement. So, all brothers would get short pants and all sisters would get skirts of the same colour, while the shirts would be of common design.

You can imagine nearly two dozen of us children in the same type, pattern, and colour of dress roaming around the town as one group. It’s funny, right? We got enough laughs coming our way.

But boy, leaving aside the easy manageability and identification which might have prompted our elders to make us wear similar dresses, ???? ???????? ???????? ‘??????’.

It instilled in us ???? ???????? ?????? ???? ????????, ?????? ???????? ???? ???????? ?????? ???????? ???????? ??????????. The similar dress was symbolic of all that was common, mutual, and collective in our family.

It was our identity with the ever joyful and ever celebrating, our home.

It was our connect with all that was ever loving, and ever caring, our family.

Though I left my home to pursue my career, that identity and connection is an indelible part of me.

This quote by Thomas Jefferson aptly expresses my feelings:

“?????? ???????????????? ?????????????? ???? ???? ???????? ???????? ???????? ?????? ???????? ?????????? ?? ???????? ???????????? ???? ???????? ???? ?????? ?????????? ???? ???? ????????????.”

—?—?—?—?—?—?—?—?—?—?—?—?—?—?—?—?—?—?—?—?—?—?—

??Excerpted from my book, ‘?????? ?????????? ????????’ - section 3, 'The Personal Life.'