Love and longing: Home is where the heart is

For the past few years, my parents have been dividing their time between two continents where their children reside. Half the year spent in Canada and the other half in India. So when they are here, they call up the family far away almost every day to enquire about their well being. When they are in Canada, they never forget to enquire about my daily grind.

Some days I feel they are a divided lot. They are not living in entirety, that feeling of missing something somewhere is their constant companion. A sense of worry engulfs them and makes them nostalgic no matter in which part of the world they stay. After all it’s not easy to be on the move all the time. To be on a constant move, packing and unpacking seems to me necessary evils of this time. And the words of Robert Frost echo in my mind: “The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep.”

In Punjab, someone from almost every family in Doaba has boarded a flight abroad. A husband, a brother, a sister, a professional and many more. People have ventured out in search of greener pastures, lucrative jobs, matrimonial alliances or sundry pursuits. It’s an enthralling world out there that is not ensconced in the narrow domains that keeps on calling out people. Such is the charm and charisma that it’s easy to get uprooted and settle there. But then with a promise of a good life, which no doubt comes at the price of persistence and hard work, the calling comes easy. The comforts are more, the system is transparent and supportive and the daily grind is none but yes work ethics are upheld and if you earn dollars you are made to slog for it.

Some days I wonder if the youth is ready to work as hard in faraway lands why not put the same amount of effort here and settle in the motherland itself? But then life everywhere comes with limitations and if you can make it work in another part of the world, there is no harm trying. It’s an era of globalisation that has opened avenues and life cannot be lived in a box anymore.

I came across colleagues who went, saw yet came back forsaking everything for that warmth that eluded them. When a friend invited me over for coffee recently, I was taken aback to learn that some members from the family who despite being citizens of a foreign country are living in Punjab. So I just blurted out, “How come?” A place that is teeming with ILETS and TOEFL centres and where everyone takes the first opportunity to fly out, it was endearing to learn that for the love and the longing of staying with their near and dear ones, people come back.

Back home, the dilemma persists and my parents come prepared with the knowledge that the house will be dusty and some things may be dysfunctional. They make changes and don’t mind the extra effort of putting things in order. Home is where the heart is but they don’t mind leaving behind their cocoon of comfort.

SUCH IS THE CHARM AND CHARISMA THAT IT’S EASY TO GET UPROOTED AND SETTLE THERE. BUT THEN WITH A PROMISE OF A GOOD LIFE, WHICH NO DOUBT COMES AT THE PRICE OF PERSISTENCE AND HARD WORK, THE CALLING COMES EASY