You get a strange feeling when you’re about to leave a place… like you’ll not only miss the moments you cherished but you’ll also miss the person you are right now… because you know you’ll never be this way ever again…
No, I don’t want to get sad and all emo about this. I mean, come on, I am a grown up. Something as simple as this shouldn’t even bother me. But the fact is, unfortunately, it is bothering me! I cannot get over the reality that this is actually my last night at this abode. A place that has seen all versions of me in the last four and a half years. A place that has been my lounge, my style studio and my ultimate destination after all the daily chores, office hours, weekend parties, travel and home trips. A place that has been my bachelor-pad for all these years.
This was my first address when I came to Bangalore in May 2011 and it hadn’t changed since. I clearly remember the day I came here with all of my stuff that was very little for this large studio-esque room. This place welcomed me with open arms. Painted all new in cream and furnished with everything that I needed. From the large bed to the wooden cabinet to the full sized mirror to the bathroom geyser, it was all there!
As I look out of the window on this rainy night I cannot ignore this new building, a residential apartment. When I came here it was just a large piece of barren land. The concrete road besides it wasn’t there either. And the Hotel Royal Orchid wasn’t as loud as it nowadays is with parties every weekend. Anyway enough of the window and its view.
This place has also been a witness to many of my ‘firsts’. Be it my first delivery of an online order or the first parcel from back home or the first month of Ramadan fasting away from home. Staying alone teaches a lot. I never knew I had a flair for shopping. I never knew blogging would interest me so much. I never knew I could manage all the responsibilities that staying alone brings with it. I could have never imagined me reading books or going out on a run. Frankly, I never thought I would last this long in Bangalore. That is a lot of unknowns and this place has been my ‘thinking cave’ through all the thick and thin.
Sure I grew up in my hometown (Indore) but this place has seen me grow on my own. Sure I did all my formal studies back in my hometown but this little nook in Bangalore is where I learnt the most. The memories of this place are immense and etched forever. And I don’t want to sink in the gloominess so I am ending this blog here. But tomorrow as I move to a new place, in Bangalore itself, and lock the door for the last time I am pretty sure a big part of me would crave for the years I have spent in this “fully-furnished studio room with bathroom attached”…
However, as Martin Buber said,
“All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.”
I will start my new journey tomorrow looking forward to the secret destinations 😊