The year 2024 brought about a sea change in our lives.
When I say sea change, I mean it in the literal sense. My sailor husband, after
having contemplated quitting the sea for quite some time, finally decided to do
so in the month of July as he returned from one of his voyages. He hadn’t
intended it to be his last (second or third last definitely) but then he had an
epiphany and in that moment of realization, he felt it was now or never and
thus started our foray into the world of semi-retirement.
Due to his flourishing sea career spanning almost three long decades, he had a plethora of shore job opportunities coming his way, but he was determined not to spend another night awake for work even if it meant bidding adieu to several tempting offers. Money was not the driving force anymore, only some intellectual stimulation and a feeling of being worthwhile and therefore, training prospective sea cadets seemed the most appropriate way of giving it back to the seafaring community.
That sorted, now the pressing question was where to spend the sunset years of our lives. Even though we had a large and beautiful apartment nestled in the loveliest residential condominium yet there was a feeling of unrest owing to the growing problem of pollution in the NCR region. This again had been on our radar for the last two years when our son graduated from school and left for college. We often discussed that there was nothing holding us back in NCR any further and we must take the plunge but finding the right place to move seemed to be a challenge.
Growing up in the hills, I have a special place for
them but however much I love the hills, the thought of going bone cold in the
winters was petrifying. Goa is our all-time love as we love the culture and
also my sailor husband wanted to be able to be close to the sea, but then
again, there was nothing for hubby dear to do there which would enable him to
have peaceful nights. All those who know us well were aware of this constant
dilemma which would at times take a backseat when we thought of the comfort
zone in which we were living. Then again in a few days, reality would bite when
smog would envelop the area and GRAP 4 would be in place.
Eventually one of our friends told us about an opening
in the quaint village of Karjat in Maharasthra. Strategically located in the
Western Ghats, it provided a perfect combination of hills and close proximity
to the sea, along with a wonderful college to work in. Much to the shock of our
friends and family, in the short span of just a week, we decided to make the
big move cause if we contemplated any longer, we would definitely have
chickened out.
With just one month in hand to wind up everything,
catch up with our family and friends, serve our one month notice at work and
mentally prepare ourselves, we had an overloaded schedule.
The concern of meeting all our friends before leaving
was quickly solved as we both had our upcoming birthday, so it was the perfect
opportunity to throw a party and meet them all together. So along with other
things, the party planning also jumped in! With one friend providing his
farmhouse as the venue and another providing a list of caterers to choose from,
it wasn’t too tough to plan but since we’re not into active party hosting, it
wasn’t quite a perfectly done affair. Thankfully, we’ve chosen our friends well
and none of them, despite their fancy lifestyles and experience at hosting soirees, is snooty. For this, we absolutely love them!
Birthday party done, my nieces arrived from New
Zealand, the very next morning. This was the first time they had come to spend
a couple of days with us alone. Naturally the excitement at my end was
palpable. Despite the crazy schedule, we had decided to give them ample time as
it was a rare opportunity and now, knowing that we were moving to a village, it
was even more important for me to make the max out of this visit of theirs. We
had fun together and created some lovely memories.
Time was ticking by, and we had much left to
accomplish. The biggest challenge was the task of segregation - what to
discard, what to leave behind an what to take. Three separate lists and nothing
going easy. It is heart wrenching to part with things you have painstakingly put
together over the years, but we reminded ourselves that all these are just
materialistic things and what matters most is always intangible. This was the
motivating force, and we distributed things left, right and center trying to
ensure they reached the right people who would appreciate their value by using
them.
Being avid readers, the three of us had accumulated
several books. Despite giving away bags full of books, time and again, we would
somehow again end up with truckloads. It was time to yet again part with them
and this time, it was almost our entire stock that we had to give away. That
was the most hurtful!
Next was the search for a place to live in Karjat.
Staying in Greater Noida, we were accustomed to having a real estate at every
hundred meters but that was not the case in Karjat. I spent tiresome hours
trying to catch hold of some agent but came up empty handed. So, I decided to
explore on my own over the internet. The next challenge was to find a 3bhk.
After extensive search, I found out that 3 bhk wasn’t a thing in Karjat. Most
of the apartments were 1RK or 1bhk. After getting to know this, 2bhk also
started to seem a luxury and so the hunt for 2bhk started. Next, I found out
that modular kitchen is not a concept in Karjat. They just give you a slab/ countertop
just like in the old days. Compromising over the size of the house was one
thing but giving up the convenience of a proper modular kitchen was another.
Eventually after much search, I found just the right society, but the problem
was finding someone who had an apartment there and was looking for a
prospective tenant.
With our tight timeline, going to Karjat and exploring
the place ourselves was not possible. Thankfully, we were able to connect with
a young energetic boy, who agreed to visit the place and act as an agent for
us. My joy knew no bounds when we were finally able to get a 2bhk with a
modular kitchen!
Moving from a lavish 4bhk+study to a tiny 2bhk (Mumbai
size), we had to take along bare minimum. Technically, we could take almost
nothing and what we could, had to be done very mindfully. My meticulous husband
found, took out the floor plan of the apartment, measured everything that we
were planning to take along and tried to visualize where we would place which
piece of furniture. This again was a cumbersome process, but it gave us confidence
that we would be able to fit in the things we were planning to take.
During this time, there was so much else also going on
that it is difficult to explain and put on paper. My husband’s changed
residential status, our son’s semester break visit, a quick trip to Dehradun as
it was the first time in all these years that my sister and I along with our
respective spouses and kids, were able to be with our parents. Even though it
was just for a couple of hours, we had to do this. Then we had our very
adorable cousin who flew all the way from Singapore to spend a day with us
before we moved and a visit from my mother-in-law whom we wished to have home
before we left.
Apart from this, the emotional weight of leaving
behind some friends who never thought you would leave and the students who were
so attached that one could never have imagined the extent of their sorrow until
it was witnessed live on the last day at school.
Finally, the year 2025 kicked in and just a week was
left for the big move!
With frosty weather outside and molten hearts inside,
we loaded the truck and the following day, left for Karjat. The plan was to
drive for three days and cover a distance of 1600 kms.
They say, the journey of a thousand miles begins with
a single step, and so our journey of precisely 994.194 miles began on the 8th
of January 2025.
What life has in store, whether this decision turns
out to be as desired or will it be a rotten mistake, that only time will tell.
As of now, we have decided to live in the moment. Let’s take each day as it
comes!
