Tuesday, November 08, 2011

There never has been a home


“But is it wrong for a man to make a house, a place where he can return in the evening?” – The Journals of John Cheever

There never has been a home. He thought of it many times. In the cacophony of train compartments. At some airport lounge. On some night journey in a bus. He has not been able to sleep. He gets up in a fit, at some odd hour in the night, and then he cannot return. In the darkness of the night, he stares at the tiny red light on his mobile phone. Sometimes he feels warm breath on his neck. Or a nail digging into his arm. Or a leg plonked on his thigh. But he knows there is nothing.

The other day, he was in this departmental store, picking up some grocery. He felt strange putting garbage poly bags and disinfectant in his shopping trolley. He didn’t know why, but right afterwards, he also picked up biscuits and chewing gum. He didn’t need them. But he picked them any way. There were too many things that didn’t make sense. He didn’t think of them. But there never has been a home. He thought of it many times.

Sometimes he felt life had bypassed him. Sometimes he was not sure of that. Sometimes he felt he was still seeking love. Sometimes he was not sure of that. Earlier, he would mingle around, during the day – talk about food, about someone’s marriage gone kaput, about a film that was being raved about. The nights were different. In the night, he turned into someone else – someone he had no clue about. The nights had always been like this, more or less. The nights were always tough. But now, even days were turning him into someone he had no clue about.

He would wake up in the morning, go to the balcony, look at the cars in the parking, and then turn back to the room. He would read the newspapers without even registering a word. He would drink tea. He would put last night’s socks into the washing machine. He would stare at his shoes. They stared back at him. Finally he would get up and put them inside the shoe rack. He would keep on checking time on the table clock as if he was not sure time was passing. He felt like getting out, and yet when he did, he would long to return back to the room. There was always the comfort of a whisky bottle lying half hidden behind the sofa. He could always hide behind what lay half hidden behind the sofa.

And, more than often, he returned. He would then get up in the night, and find himself resting against a lean pillow. He would have drifted off to sleep like that. His neck would be sore. He would taste loneliness in his mouth.

In the darkness of the night, he again imagined things. But he knew there was nothing. There never has been a home.

17 comments:

Vandana said...

and such is the unbearable lightness of being...

Anonymous said...

There is a little bit of me in what you have written... probably the whole of it, if I dont want to hold myself together!!

shabda said...

i always love your writings-
you are ready to reach out to the divine-or may be already with It

ankahi said...

There never has been a home...

Someone said...

Will there ever be a home?

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Gautam Dhar said...

I read an article from you on Mirza Ghalib as I wandered Gali Qasim Jan in 05 6 yrs ago and just decided to Google you. This is a great write up. More like a mirror.

Garima Obrah said...

Hi Rahul

I write to you on behalf of The Viewspaper (www.theviewspaper.net) which is India's largest youth paper and the 5th largest media company on Facebook.

We are organizing the World's Largest Tweet-A-Thon! and would like to invite you as a panelist for the same.

From American political journalists in the 1950s, to The Economist magazine not so long ago; speculation has run rife about India and whether we will survive as a nation.

Poverty. Corruption. Terrorism. Disease. Currency woes. We’ve got it all, and more. We’ve been written off, doomsdayed, delegitimized – but we keep coming back! What is the root of this appetite for adversity, this solid resilience?

It is our nation’s optimism. No matter how much you bring her down, India feels up!

A first of its kind initiative, the #IFeelUp Tweetathon is a 3-day virtual conference, which delights in the irrepressible state of the nation, in spite of its laundry list of issues. Over 72 hours, we’ll be bringing in 400 panelists for non-stop discussion, and that’s where you come in.

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If you're interested, kindly email us your contact information so that we could provide you with more details about the event.

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Garima Obrah
The Viewspaper

Anonymous said...

After a long time I have read something that connects with the heart.

I wish to visit Kashmir at least once in my life, and I think I may visit again and again....

~Chintan

kartikay said...

a feeling of restlessness seeping in!!

Sathy said...

Duniah matlabi hai?? Jab matlab he nahi raha to Duniah shunya hai.

Sathy said...

Can't comment on John Cheever's mind.

"There were too many things that didn’t make sense. He didn’t think of them. But there never has been a home. He thought of it many times." This was the punch line.

To most of us, there exists a purpose/ purposes which drive a human to live, endear the shortcomings and partake in the joys that come our path.

The purpose could be mundane as being responsible for the family, bringing up our children to face this world, sharing their success and feeling sad for the failures.

Or it could be a blazing Ideal for which we are willing to sacrifice all our comforts and embrace hardships for fruition of the Cause.

A person who has irrevocably, lost links with either family, friends Or cause stares at empty space seeking the meaning of this life.

Either he compromises or he vegetates.

Sad!

Sathy

aasthadabral said...

great writings is the only thing i can write...coz most of the words are already been taken and feelings commented before :-) i just googled as Mr Dhar said in his comment....looking out for the next post

Mirage said...

Hey Rahul....
you write beautifully....made me remember a line...
tumhi se janmuh to shayad mujh panah milay..
...
yeh kalish hai ya kashish ya ek khawbh...some times the yearning of heart have their own reason...and rhyme...we just need to dance to the rythym n flow.....

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