Friday 21 January 2011

Fly on.....Fly on.....I Am With You.......



.....I burst with pride at seeing you go
but I hide from you my loneliness and 
secretly scream 'please don't go'
Fly on my sweet, fly on
I will be here when you come home
I will hide my pain just for you,
For you to make it through
What you have to do
                              - L.M.Owens
... 
When my brother and I were growing up, we often heard our parents say how their lives revolved around us. I did not give much thought to that until that particular day five years ago when I left my home to settle in England.

It was a bright September morning.  Around 8am, the taxi arrived to take me to the airport. There was a buzz in the street, the usual morning buzz – people going to work, children going to school, the 'sabziwaala' with his trolley of vegetables, joggers returning from the park. It was just like any other morning. But the only difference was that, on that particular day, I was leaving home to go to a place thousands of miles away; from where I could only speak to my parents over telephone; from where I could not  return back at the end of  the day. I was leaving home to start a new life.

As the driver was loading my luggage in the taxi, reality struck me – The time had come for parting. I was teary. My parents’ eyes were misty. Bhaiyya was helping the driver load my luggage in the taxi. Few years ago, on a day like this, he had left home to pursue his career. It was my turn today. I sought my Parents’ blessings and gave them a tight hug and stepped into the taxi. I had requested that they do not come to the airport to see me off.

As the taxi reached the far end of the road from my home, I turned back to look at my parents. They were still standing outside the gate waving at me. To me they seemed a bit lonely (though they had each others’company). Perhaps they were sad that their nest had become empty. 

Indeed, for years my parents' lives had been revolving around their children's. They were always teaching me and Bhaiyya to be independent. The early lessons were in polishing our shoes, tying our shoe laces, packing our school bags, lunches. This was followed by learning to ride a bicycle, running minor errands for the house, helping Amma in the household chores. Further, their lessons enabled us to make appropriate career choices and more importantly face the challenges of LIFE. Thinking of all this, I wanted to get off the taxi and come back to my Papa and Amma but I had to gather myself. I had to be practical and move on. I am sure Papa’s and Amma’s hearts ached too to see their baby girl leave but they had to let me fly and face the real world.

My parents’ lives still revolve around Bhaiyya’s and my life. As much excited as Bhaiyya and I  are when we experience new things, they are excited for us too. They are always looking forward to listening to the stories that me and Bhaiyya have to tell about our daily lives. They still do feel the emptiness in their nest but they know that their children will return to the nest every now and then.

It is that time of the year again when I fly back to my parents’ nest. I am going to India on Thursday to spend good three weeks with my parents. YAY!!!!!!!!

25 comments:

  1. Wow... this post had such a 'feel-good' ending :)

    Have the best of your time in India!! Have fun!!

    India's the best :)

    Sending my warm regards to you,
    Sukanya

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  2. OMG what a senti post AH..and how true ! I could see myself in your place when I left home for studies and then because of marriage,sigh!!

    Parents are the strongest support system one could even have in life..they stay with us in no matter what and no matter where and how !!

    Thank God for he creates species called PARENTS :)

    Have a great time and enjoy a LOT with them :)

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  3. @Sukanya: Thank you so much. I Cant wait to get home. Yes yes India is the best. once agin, thank you. Have a good day.[ p.s.hope you made it to the yoga clas ok this week without getting into 'wrong' roads and without having to take people in the 'rear' seats of your car!]

    @Nu: I know, it must be the same situation in most of the houses. Parents preprae their children all through their childhood to take a flight one day in the real world. Glad, you identified with the post. Yes, parents always love us no matter what we do and where we are. Thank you. Yes, I am looking forward to having loads of fun and quality time. Have a good day.

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  4. What a touching post AH... Loved every word of it.... :)
    Have a wonderful trip gal... :)

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  5. welcome India... rather welcome home.... its really great feeling spending holidays with parents.... and for parents there is nothing better than kids coming home.....HAVE A GR8 TIME N ENJOY UR TRIP.....:)

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  6. Your post reminds me of my first day of hostel.My mom had tears in her eyes.Even though I was gutted I did not show my emotions.But their mere presence,may be not physically,is more than enough.
    Loved your post as usual AH.Have a lovely stay with your family.Must be excited isn't it?

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  7. @Tan: thank you. sure, will have fun.

    @Irfan: Thank you. true, my parents are also waiting to see me.

    @Yasha: yes, every one of us would have experienced this. Yeah I am very excited. Thank you sooooooo much. Take care

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  8. WOWOWOWWOWOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

    TAKE ME WITH YOUUuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.. YEs this article reminds me of that long drive from chandigarh to Delhi , i also came alone cause i knew parents at airport woll make it difficult ...

    Oh I am so glad for you yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy makes me also excited ... I know you wrote on mine i shud go but i cant till a few months starting a new project and quiet busy in that no leave for the next two months we have been told :)

    but hey you go and click lots of pics .. and have lots nad lots of funnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn from my side tooo :)

    and take care
    all the best

    Bikram's

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  9. Hey have a great vacation, get pampered silly and hog on all those yummy goodies.

    Loved this post of yours.

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  10. Yes yes, I made it well before time and took the right turn :) Thanks for asking :)

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  11. I have just the right song for the moment,
    its by Chris Daughtry titled 'Home'
    I'm staring out into the night, trying to hide the pain
    I'm going to the place where love
    And feeling good don't ever cost a thing
    And the pain you feel's a different kind of pain

    Well, I'm going home, back to the place where I belong
    And where your love has always been enough for me
    I'm not running from, no, I think you got me all wrong
    I don't regret this life I chose for me
    But these places and these faces are getting old
    So I'm going home, well I'm going home


    Have a fabulous holiday with parents. It's homecoming.

    :)
    Cheers,
    Blasphemous Aesthete

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  12. Aww its so nostalgic I mean everyone who has lived in hostel must have felt this...when they part away from their parents for the first time its such a senti moment of life...I am living in hostel since quite long and had similar feelings as you described and I really miss my home and my parents...
    BTW nice blog liked it.

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  13. Me to wanna go back to India.
    But wat 2 do..I am stuck-out here
    Atleast you enjoy.
    And thanks for sharing the poem.

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  14. Welcome back, home. Have loads of fun. Be good to your parents, yourself, your brother, your everyone - live every moment as long as it lasts! =)


    PS: Too many people returning to their native place this month? Nice, that is!

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  15. Hopped over here from Bikki's blog. I can so understand what you are saying here. I love going to India too, and I try to visit as often as I can :-)

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  16. You touched my heart strings. Homeward Ho!

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  17. One cannot even imagine the deep seated pain which parents feel when children fly off...It has to be experienced to be felt.I was lost when my only son went to hostel...Now we look forward to his visits every semester..thats the only hope.
    Have great time dear.

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  18. welcome home
    have a good time.

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  19. @Bikram: hope your new project keeps you occupied and diverts your mind. yes, I will click loads of snaps and will try and put some of them here. Will have loads of fun Bikram. Thank you.

    @Purba: Thank you. That is the plan- to get pampered and hog.

    @Sukanya: :)

    @Anshul: Thank you for that poem. It is apt!Thank you

    @Rolling Stone: Welcome to my blog. yes it is a very very emotional moment when we leave home. Hope you get to visit home soon. Thank you very much.

    @Neeha: I can understand your position. new place, new people - culture shock. Hope you get to go home soon. Thank you

    @Arijit: Thank you :) sure sure I will be a good girl. Thank you sooooo much. India is that nice- perhaps thats y lot of them are returning.

    @Writerzblock:Welcome to my blog. Bikram wrote on a similar topic didnt he?? I viist India once every year around same time.

    @Anu: Hi, how are you? Thank you

    @Alka: I see. Your son muct be thinking just like how I think. I am sure he misses you and your husband. Thank you.

    @Sm: Thank youuu..

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  20. This was such a touching post full of nostalgia and affection. I've been through this and could connect to what you wrote. Welcome to India, AH. Enjoy your stay here and bring back and relive all those fond memories. Take care dost. :)

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  21. I know, most of us have experienced this. Yes, I am sooo...looking forward to my trip.

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  22. Ditto with my parents!
    I feel selfish sometimes when I take all the love and attention and don't return them equally many a times. How unconditional their love is!

    Loved your post. It made me remember my parents.
    :)

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  23. Hi,
    I have just found your blog today through a circuitious route and have read 3 posts. I have decided not to read any more!

    Why? Because it's not every day that I find a blog so good and I feel like I should ration these posts, to read one a day.

    I am going to share it on my blog if you don't mind.

    I think the topics you choose are simple and even though you don't say anything that we haven't really heard or thought before, the fact that you say it, say it so nicely, it touches every reader's heart and that's what makes me want to cherish your blog and save each post to read again and again.

    Many thanks for this post especialy. It made me think of my parents and almost made me cry. It reminds me of a post I did a while ago from Heathrow airport while traveling to India, but I don't want to spam. :-)

    Warm regards,
    Sunil

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  24. hello S, true Parents' love is so unconditional.

    hello Sunil, Thank you sooooooooo much for your kind words. Yes, you may share this post in your blog. I shall spend some time reading your posts.

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  25. It is making me want to cry now, remembering my Papa waving at me in the train station after my wedding as we were leaving for America.

    Alas that was the last time I saw my Papa. I only returned a few years back for his final send off...

    Life moves on, but never the same.

    Appreciate the post.

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