Prasad Bhavan

Yes, this is the name of the house where I was born, grew up & finally left after marriage. Visiting this house in March 2019 brought tears to my eyes.

The house was razed down as my father and two uncles' families wanted their share of plots after a number of years of my grandfather's death.

There I was standing amidst the huge plot which once upon a time used to be the rose garden. I remember very well cutting and pruning the rose plants during the month of October November with my own hands and seeing them bloom by January.

My memories go down to the time when my grandmother was alive and how she used to sit here on a chair ,when she was getting the house renovated. How she used to instruct the workers for minute details. In fact, I admired her patience and knowledge related to construction work ,which she definitely learnt from my grandfather who excelled in civil engineering. I consider my grandmother the smartest person on this earth. She knew little writing but was fond of reading Hindi newspapers every morning and also a very high level hindi magazine, 'Dharmayug' ,especially subscribed for her and also my magazines like 'Nandan 'and 'Chandamama'. Watching good Hindi movies of Raj Kapoor and Nargis was her weakness and she wouldn't miss any one of them. And the best part was that she would get a ticket reserved for these movies in the ladies' box for the matinee show and watch them all by herself. Remembering her, standing amidst the plot ,could not stop me from crying.

I could see the guava trees in my imagination, which was nowhere now. I had heard that my father had planted them. How I used to climb those trees to the top, more for fun ,and less for consumption of ripe fruits.

The room where my grandfather lived, his Godrej almirah, where he always had a gift for all of his grandchildren,the huge verandah which was enjoyed by all family members in all of the seasons ,was not to be seen now.

And I could bear no more but to leave the place as quickly as possible thinking that one day the same would happen to the house' Nandan Vihar' which we have constructed!!