Prose 18 : A Step Closer To God's Own Country

 A Step Closer To God's Own Country

                                                     - T ABRAHAM

    It is seen that where we live is somewhere very far away from where we belong to. The place where we live is the place where we have moved for different purposes which is mainly because of our job location and for educational purposes. The place where we belong to is in short referred to as our 'native' and we find our roots there. So, the thing we are going to focus is upon one's native place or the place where one belongs to. Here, I am going to describe about the place which is one step closer to the state of Kerala but it is in Tamil Nadu and this is where I belong to but I live in Chennai. In this space I am going to bring you to the district of Kanyakumari and also we would be seeing some my insights after the fourth visit to my native last year in 2023.

Nagercoil Town Railway Station, 2023

    So, the time when you step upon the soil of Kanyakumari from Chennai you feel freshness surrounding you which brings in the dead spirit inside you back to life. I am living in the heart of the Tamil Nadu for almost 19 years and 13 days amongst the smoke and fog that surrounds me all the time. The life at the heart of any place is like the human heart continuously pumping the life blood to sustain the human life, the movement in Chennai is like this heart which keeps on functioning to live rather than just to survive. The time I was born I was in this air of rapid movement which is an ever going condition which may make one tired and weary due to the excess of pollution one can witness and it has somehow hindered my breathing process.

    The pollution and the exceeding heat of Chennai is it's specialty and the only reason for one to live here is just because we live here for years. When moving back in time a few decades ago, grandfather was transferred to Chennai and he was transferred to the Madras Medical College to serve as the assistant professor for English to teach the M.B.B.S students of that time who had a course paper in English back then. The time came when everything was moving ahead but the place we lived was not to move and to remain constant. The time came when my first cry was heard in the year 2005 and till now the place has not changed much. My first visit to my native place took place at a time when I was not aware of what was happening around me so the 'four' visits which I am going to describe are the one's when I became aware of my surroundings and the time when I reached a stage where I can recollect things from my memory.

    The visits starts from the year 2011, as it was my first visit to my grandparent's who were living there. The first time visit was very similar to stepping into a new place but with a feeling of closeness and belongingness. During the first visit we went to the Kanyakumari sea shore where for the first time I witnessed the sea shells in the sea shore and have collected a few and brought them to my home at Chennai and then we visited the exhibition which happens there every year and finally the main purpose for our visit was to attend one of our relative's wedding. The day of departure was something that was inevitable and which was always quite hard as we turn back to our daily routine at Chennai. The time when we boarded the train and came back home the feeling of weariness and fatigue starts to surround inevitably.

    My second visit was in the year 2014, and this time we were not being welcomed heartily because many of my other relatives were also there at my grandparent's house and it was quite a burden for them to receive us as one among the addition to the crowd which was already present there. Our visit was limited to the yearly exhibition alone and to a few all time favourite shops of my family. This year was quite a tragic year in my family history as my grandfather living with us in Chennai was of ill health after we came back to Chennai. In a month after we came home his health was deteriorating and he passed away on this very same year.

    Then, about my third visit and this was the time which can be referred to as a year filled with a lot of happiness and riches waiting for us. My third visit was on the year 2019 and it was a year wherein many of the important choices were to be taken as I was facing my boards this year. This time the crowd at my grandparent's house was quite less and we were welcomed with a warm welcome and this was the time when I felt I stepped into the paradise for the third time even though our visits were after a longer duration of time.

    A stressful and gloomy year was waiting for the whole world in the year 2020 and it was the time when I wanted to opt in for the Biology- Computer Science or the pure science stream offered at my school but was forcefully incorporated into the Biology- Mathematics stream which was very stressful with the Mathematics being the greatest burden which made me dislike the stream and also dislike the idea of joining B.E . or B.Tech and I did not want to pursue science further because of the improper methodology used to teach Mathematics and Physics at my school. The years passed and I was in the year 2023 and this was my fourth visit to my native after the post-pandemic period. This time we visited my other set of grandparents who are ever loving and caring and would like to welcome us even if they have quite a huge crowd at their place. This time we visited a variety of places and since I also switched my stream even though I was compelled to take up Mathematics and Physics during my 12th grade I was able to convince all of my family members about my decision to change my stream so I felt very light-hearted and fresh when I came to my native this time.

    We visited quite significant places and we also had a nice time. During all these four visits I felt rejuvenated, refreshed and a new spirit coming inside me when I land in the railway station just like how Miss Elizabeth Bennet feels her spirits to have calmed down when she was at Pemberley. The place where one belongs to, is a place where nature has made you and it makes one feel close to the nature and especially this place is very special as it is very near to the state of Kerala so this place is one step closer to but not inside 'God's own country'.