Dream Home

Write about your dream home.

What is a dream home ?

Stepping into a luxury resort ?

Or

Where you find yourself in peace and calm and feel safe. Where you want to return from your day of toil. Where you find your identity and security. Where you find yourself with your worries, turmoil and also laughter.

At one time I dreamt of a picture postcard house beautifully decorated filled with ethnic stuff, spic and span and kind of gorgeous. But then I realised the practical aspects of maintaining such a house. How much time and effort will be required to keep the house tidy, in order and just the same as it has been bought. Maintenance meant expense and manpower – both in the course of my life somewhere lost priority.

What took over is the need for a space which I could call my own. Where I am me. A little disorderly. A little spread out. A little, shall we say, improper. Where everything is not where it should be. But again a little disturbed. A little disoriented. Just like me.

It may sound strange but if we are to be honest with ourselves our house should reflect our true selves – not the made up one.

Such a place is where I stay now and have been staying for the past almost two decades. These flats were constructed in 1989. Their structure is old and requires constant upkeep. Also this is an extended part of the city – an erstwhile village which was later urbanized. It used to be a low lying area. So during the rainy season the flats used to get submerged under water. Even now in the ground floor flats there is the problem of seepage entering from the ground.

In spite of all these issues, this is my cocoon of comfort. Though it’s a regular tussle with dust and pollution nevertheless it’s where I like to burrow in. It’s important for me to find myself in the place where I live because I am extremely housebound to the point of being reclusive at times.

Having said that my flat has a totally lived in look. You may find  newspapers, books , mobiles and laptop strewn on the bed. Kaali snoozing in the living room. Aroma of food being cooked filtering through. But my friends say it’s cozy. And that’s exactly what I want it to be – a very private den filled with warmth, care and concern.

Mind you it has all the amenities. A small garden right outside next to the balcony so that in summers when the big windows are open I only see greenery around. The tall champa trees spread out their canopy so as to make the inside cooler than the temperature outside. It is also a saviour because I am not at ease under any artificial cooling system. But in winters though the flat is sun facing yet the interiors get cold.

I love my small balcony sitting where I admire the sky. As you all know I have the birds and the bees as my regular neighbours along with my canine friends who have their specific visiting hours. I love the spring breeze sashaying in and the autumn leaves carpeting the streets. The rains bring worries of seepage and leakage but life is like that. A little unruly. A little indisciplined. A little bothersome. Yet so enjoyable.

So this is a safe haven where I am myself having a chat over chai with you guys.

Cheerio!!

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