: “If you live away from the
place of your identity then you live a life of refugee.”
My friend said once. He is correct in many
aspects. It’s has been more than twelve years since I left Assam. Most of the
time there is paucity of time to spend enough time in home during my home
visit. I have missed most of the Bihu,
Uruka bhoj, marriage and other moment of crisis where my presence in Guwahati
is required. In many places my family is
the only family who can speak in Assamese in the city. Even if you live amongst
friend and family it’s a kind of emptiness within.
“Once you start to live in a place,
you start developing roots “the other day my friend said in a contradictory
statement
That’s also true...
I lived in Dehradun from 2007to 2012. The city had nostalgia of my youth hood. The atmosphere at that time
resembled much that of Guwahati in 90s. The landscape, simplicity of locals
suited my temperament. Besides developing
professional skills and propagating in my profession out here I was acquainted
with the rules of the jungle with end number of visit to Rajaji National Park
and sometime Corbett national Park.
Developed lots and lot of friends and well-wisher and almost in a time
where the feeling was as such that I belong here I shifted to Meerut. (And in the meanwhile my much elongated
journey as a bachelor also finished in Dehradun only.)
2012 to 2018 I was in Meerut.
I was little bit apprehensive
in the beginning, but gradually roots developed here too. Abu lane, Begam pull, shoprix mall gradually
got incorporated in our daily lingo. Street food or Moglai dishes, Fish market
came handy and also the proximity to Delhi was the very helpful while
connecting to the main land. There were occasional news of gunshot, here and
there or lifting of chain /car here and there in the news paper, there were
history of riots. Only once I was shocked by such news when owner of a pharmacy
which I frequented was shot dead by some miscreant. No such thing bothered us during those six
years.
In personal front..both of my
child Pratysh and Pokhi were borne here
As far as professional
achievement was concerned, out here also I was lucky... my seniors supported me
, juniors believed me, support staff
gave me faith overall teamwork was awesome during numerous milestone
(Infection control , NABL, NABH , others ) we covered together .
With my students too I had
their faith, in my personal moment of crisis like when my son was sick,
everyone stood beside me like a rock.
Shifting is a big physical
and mental stress. With every year things I have acquired has compounded ..and
this time it is with two kids its been a Herculean task ..
Just in a time when I began
to have my roots entangled in Meerut...I shifted again...this time to
Bharatpur, Rajasthan …
Rolling stone? Destiny …. Don’t know
But life continues, like a
river flows
