I’m Home after a long long time. I always get this feeling that I’m into a time machine traveling at least 15 years back whenever I come home. One of the reasons is that, the place that is my hometown is small town nearby Amravati in Maharashtra, called Akola.
Don’t get me wrong. I love it from the bottom of my heart. But life as I’ve known it since the last one and a half year working in Pune and Mumbai, completely shifts gears whenever I am in Akola. It’s like sitting in a time capsule. I always have this awkward feeling of weightlessness and I feel like I’m not really in the place that I have lived for 22 years of my life. It’s like I’m floating in some dreamy world where I just have to sit and watch.
Ok, I know a lot may of you (d teeny weeny number 😉 who read dis) might think I’m having some kinda psychological problem. But no that’s not it. Ok lemme explain. I met two of my very good friends today who within the span of 8 months have both gotten married. Meeting them today was like meeting two strangers. Why? Well for starters, they have completely given up on whatever traces of a career that they had and given in to all the practices of their “Sasural ke reeti rivaaj”. One of them even has to take a ghoonghat at all points in time, at her place. That means she has to invariably wear a sari all the time. Not that I am against any customs followed in any community, but it just seems so normal for her to follow everything that her husband or parents in-law tell her, without even thinking twice. It kinda makes my head spin. Of course I’m happy for both of them, but…….
One more reason why I’m feeling weird is because the kind of people that I have been interacting with for the past 19 months is completely opposite to the people that I met today. Everyone is so career oriented. We talk about stuff ranging from CAT, GMAT, MBA, International MBA, onsite opportunities, Clients, Coding, Latest technologies, future, buying a house, car loans, bank balance…. Phew. Marriage is almost never on the cards. Yes most of these people also come from small towns but somewhere we have all carved a niche for ourselves, our own special place under d sun, a place which is very far from the limits of our small hometowns.
But then sitting there I also realized that these people are not unhappy, because even they have their special place, and think that this was what they were born to do. Maybe, maybe, even I want that at some level. Yes I’m a girl, and we dream about perfect weddings, the perfect dress, but most importantly the perfect GUY. And yes I want to be successful, yes I want to earn money, yes I want a nice house, a car a great job, but isn’t all this useless if I do not have anyone to share it with.
So let’s see what’s in store for me……. Feeling sleepy now……. YAWN!!!!!!!! J
P.S: All my relatives and especially Mom if u r reading this, don’t get too surprised or excited 😉
Fumes and Fragrance 
I totally get the time travel thing. I’ve been to Akola. My hometown is Bhilai (about 4 hrs away from Akola) which as a matter of factly is also a very small town. Where everyone seems to know everybody. Every time you go to a market there would be familiar faces saying Hi-Bye to you. It sounds good when you are visiting for a few days but irritates when you are living there. I like being left alone at times. 🙂 And neighboring aunties all hoarded up on me when I came back from on-site trip. Go figure! Some friends who never moved out of the place, I can not talk to them on the same plane anymore. There’s a different view point to everything.
And I love reading your blog for this very reason. Same diabolical questions on career and marriage, on which I ponder my mind a lot too. Sigh, some of us guys too want a perfect girl for a perfect wedding you know! Perfect wedding as in not dressing up and pomp and show, but I want to really KNOW the girl am marrying, and should be REALLY happy about it. And I want a girl who s capable of making her own decisions, is passionate about her career (among other things), and speaks her mind. Its sad when some of my friends speak about marriage as a means to SETTLE DOWN. It should be a means to move ahead with double pace, now that you’ve got the power of two.
But then comes the million dollar question, wo ladki hai kahaan??? lolz
Hi Aniket,
Thanks for all the good words. It feels great to get such good comments from someone who dosen’t even know me.
Well to be honest to you. I haven’t really kaept a track of ur blog, one reason being i couldn’t figure out which one was ur blog on Yamini’s huge list.
But i will surely go thru it as and when i find time ( i know i know, sounds extremely cliched, but…. dats d truth 😉 )
Anywyas, i’m happy dat i can find commong ground with you in terms of my thought process, coz i really didnt think anyone would agree with me on anything that i write.
Thanks again……
🙂
i am very proud of u my dear. i think u verywell know how u want to live yr life getting along with yr dreams and personal life. as u r writing that i should
not excite or surprise by reading this but i was very much happy and pleased
to know that my daughter is progressing on right track so as i say always keep faith on god and be faith with yr job and personal life shree jamanaji and shrijibava will do all fine my dear. my good wishes and ashirvad are always with u.
Well to get to interact with like minded people who you don’t even know, that’s the real fun of blogging. 🙂
And I know, you’ve not been keeping track of my blog. 🙂 No issues there. You can come by at your own liesure. Thankfully, (touchwood) I’ve got some regular readers now. So am not complaining.
And to save you the trouble of searching the link is: http://www.foolishnessofthings.blogspot.com
PS: Your mom posted a comment as “Your Mom” lolz. Thats so sweet of her.
I filter my posts and then give my mom to read. 🙂
She is doesn’t touch the comp.
Oh, most would agree with what you write, just ask around. 🙂
Hi Amrita, I am Ashwini and I am also from Akola!!! I couldnt believe my eyes when I read Akola of all the places that you could have potentially hailed from. But, good job, says one Akolaite to another…..