A House With A Courtyard

When the home is not a place but a family, the house is also not just a brick-and-mortar but another member of it. Where the drawing and the dining rooms are the elderlies, taking care of all the guests and comforting them with all the love and warmth, the bedroom was the love which locked plenty of secrets inside. It was like a safe in an already secured house, keeping sound a lot of things unsaid. The bedroom was the epitome of ‘haya,’ reflecting modesty and decency while keeping the needs satiated.

The kitchen was the mother who was akin to ‘Annapurna’, fulfilling the most basic need of each member of the house – hunger. The mother knew what would suit everybody the best and, thus, served accordingly. The kitchen was surely the favourite of elders and youngsters alike, for it combined nutrition and flavours to serve them with sumptuous meals and healthful snacks. This was the fuel, which kept the clan running with a purpose through the day until the night when the doors would open their arms to receive each and all back. Each room fit like a glove, as did each member of the family and life seemed to be fine when the question arose where the grandma is.

There she is, in the courtyard! Yes, she is the courtyard. She is just not there these days; the beloved granny has gone missing from the house. This was the place for soaking up the sun, playing in the wee hours, sitting together of the clan, enjoying sunrises and sunsets, feeding the sparrows and talking to them for hours, taking in the freshness the plants gifted every morning, reading the newspaper and letting the spices out to dry. She has been replaced by a part-time nanny, the balcony. The nanny tries so hard to cover up for our beloved grandma, but no matter how much efforts she puts in, she will still be a cheap copy of her. The nanny doesn’t greet the guests the way grandma did, leading them to the entrance while giving a glimpse of the ‘muggu’ decorated at the main gate. She doesn’t even let the ladies from the neighbourhood flock together while bidding adieu to their family members and, then, feeling relaxed for the rest of the day. The grandma breathed in the traditions and talked about the customs; the nanny will take a long time to learn.

While all other family members continue to run in the mad race of life, there is no courtyard now, standing still, waiting for them to stop and enjoy the sweet nothings of life. The nucleus of the house, shady, airy, close to nature, giving the peace of sleeping under a tree or taking in the sunlight during the winters and letting the fresh air inside the rooms has just been forgotten in the urban living.  Sadly, grandma is not even missed.

Image via YouTube

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