Walking on the lane we come across several houses which are very distinguished in colour, size and appearance. Some are simple in its own way while few can be a way prettier to even label it as a house. But one thing that is universal between these houses is that each house is a home for someone. We all at some point in our life or mostly many times have found materialistic things to have larger place in our life for e.g. some find the house itself as their home. For me home could be anything or everything. It usually depends on what situation I am in and what things or instances remind me of home or makes me feel at home. I came across this simple poem realized that many of my thoughts coincide with what Edgar Albert West has tried to portray in his poem.

 

 

HOME

 

The road to laughter beckons  me,

The road to all that's best;
The home road where I nightly see
The castle of my rest;
The path where all is fine and fair,
And little children run,
For love and joy are waiting there
As soon as day is done.

There is no rich reward of fame
That can compare with this:
At home I wear an honest name,
My lips are fit to kiss.
At home I'm always brave and strong,
And with the setting sun
They find no trace of shame or wrong
In anything I've done.

There shine the eyes that only see
The good I've tried to do;
They think me what I'd like to be;
They know that I am true.
And whether I have lost my fight
Or whether I have won,
I find a faith that I've been right
As soon as day is done.

 

-By Edgar. A. West

 

 

 

 

  Here the poet talks about his memory of home, a place where he could laugh, cry and rest. Just like every other person his family is the most essential part for him to feel at home. But he also talks about the way he is being respected in his family.

Lately I had been observing the houses around my area. I must agree that people take in a lot of effort  so that their house stands out and has become a part of what they are. I saw this one pretty house which had red flowers around its compound which complimented the colour of the house. Just beside it was a house under construction where the construction workers were busy with their work. What I observed was though they were building houses for others they too had created a tiny house for themselves. The scenario made me wonder “Do they really have a house of their own?” If we think logically for almost a year they are at the construction place building and toiling to build a house for someone else. I assume that many might have a home of their own but how often they might be visiting it. I had a lot of questions in my head which i thought of figuring out myself by going and interviewing few of these people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The summer in Bangalore is becoming hotter and hotter day by day. I wonder how these people can bear such harsh stokes of sun. I pass them almost every day and each time I observe them and their daily chores. What I had noticed was they had made a tiny arrangement for cooking; they had created a small brick stove which was surprisingly made to fulfil 5 members stomach. I also saw a tiny bargain for washing as well as drying clothes. I was taken aback every day by the ingenious arrangement of things around the construction place. It’s ironic how while constructing a house for others they themselves had managed to create a home for themselves. One sunny afternoon i started out almost just an hour or so before the lunch break of the construction workers.I went near the construction place and I spotted two men working at the first floor. One was quite young and the other man looked like he was in his middle age. I started conversing with them in our local language.

 

 

 

 

Me: Excuse Me Sir! Do you have a minute? I wanted to talk to you people about your work.

(Both of them came down immediately after they saw me. I explained them about my project and my intention behind interviewing them. I was surprised because they looked quite excited after hearing the word ‘interview’. )

 

Middle aged man: Ask whatever you want Tanggi (sister in Kannada).

 

Me: So what are your names?

 

Young Man: My name is Mallikarjun.

 

Middle aged man: I am Chattrapati.

 

Me: Ok! So how long have you been working?

 

Chattrapati: I have been working since 13 years.

 

Mallikarjun: I started 6 years back.

 

Me: So my question is what does home mean to you?

 

Chattrapati: (very spontaneously) Home for me is Devalaya (Temple).

 

Me: Why would you describe it as Temple?

 

Chattrapati: I worship my religion in the same way I worship my home because as we follow our religion and try to retain it in the same way I work for my home and the people who stay there.

 

I was taken aback by his answers as I was expecting him to answer as every other person has or had answered to me. I asked the same question to the other person.

 

Mallikarjun: For me home is where my family is.

 

Me: So do you have a home of your own or do you stay in rented place?

 

Chattrapati: We both have our own homes in our village but here we have rented a place for ourselves.

 

Me: What are your views about having a rented place and a home which is owned?

 

Mallikarjun: Having a home which is owned empowers you. The society looks down upon the ones who are unable to afford

to have a home for themselves. You get the strength to talk to anyone when you own something.

 

Somehow I could relate to what he said as I know a couple who have been staying in a rented place for quite a few years and I always hear my elder giving advices to them about how important it is to have a house for oneself in this world.

As i could not waste their precious time I asked them, what are the things that they have it right here which reminds them of their home?

 

Mallikarjun: I have got a pair of pant and a shirt which reminds me of my home.

 

Me: why does that remind you of your home?

 

Mallikarjun: This was a gift from my mother.

 

Chattrapati: I have mosquito net which reminds me of my place as we never sleep without it back home and I still do the same here.

 

I thanked them for their time and asked them if we could take some photographs. They themselves volunteered to pose for photographs. I thanked them once again for working and toiling so hard because of which we are able to call our houses our home.

 

 

While heading back home what occurred to me is that we all need a physical structure to protect us or maybe to shun away the other world but deep in our consciousness we all consider that one thing whether be it our family, being in solitude or a materialistic thing to be our home which itself is in the physical form. We all have different perspective and notion to what home is but the feeling towards it is almost similar in the entire universe. As it is said, “ home is where the heart is”.