I, NoMad

There is a secret tragedy in my life. Well, not really a secret or a tragedy, but a rather strange circumstance in which I continue to find myself year after year. It sounds simple but believe you me, the experience is not so easy to deal with. Before the curious cats among you scratch my throat, allow me to elaborate:

"I AM A NOMAD."

No wait.....!!! Hear me out before you call 100 or 101.
I am now 21 and eligible to legally drink and drive(i.e. die). Over these 21 years I have lived in 7 different towns at 15 residences and been in 7 schools, 2 coaching institutes, 1 college and 1 university. That's means, on an average, I've lived about 3 years in a town, stayed 1 and 1/2 years in a house or residence and studied just 3 years in each school.

Incredible though it sounds, this is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Now, describing these remarkable, adventurous, crazy, 21 years will take another 21 years probably.(...or another post.) But I'd prefer to discourse on the effect this nomadic life had, on my thinking and behaviour.

Anger: It's easy not to be offended by anything anyone says, because, you know, that fella is gonna be there for the rest of his life saying things to people. You are movin out in a matter of months. Why bother getting offended, then arguing, possibly fighting, probably recieving a permanent scar on your face which has to be seen by many other people from many other places.
Love: It ain't gonna be permanent. That's guaranteed. So go ga-ga over girls easily and then snap out of it just as fast. Besides, relationships turn sour with time and proximity. So its better to enjoy the sweeter part of many different relationships than the hot and sour part of a single one, ain't it?
Friends: They are like Hide and Seek biscuits. Delicious - you'll love them. Addictive - you can never let go and like the name suggests, they hide(in the remote corners of the country) and you seek(in the remotest websites and communities on the www realm).
Language: Learn fast or.... learn fast. No options. And try to think in that language. Though it delays your dialogue, it really helps in..... well, showing that you are "a newcomer and could you please talk a little slower". There's just one thing to remember. You may have written Hindi for 5 years and read 'Premchand ki kahaniyan'. But talking hindi is truly a whole new ballgame.
People: You learn to accept everyone. Right from the smiling mine worker(who is showering coal dust all over your feet as he drinks his chai next to you) to the misguided motorist(in the city traffic who believes a silencer is an unnecessary payload on his aerodynamically designed bike which, God Forbid, cannot go below 60 kmph or it'll explode!!!). Seriously, you almost feel like they are a part of your imagination. Here one second and poof.... gone the next. Just like that bloody motorist.
Ethics and morality: In Rome, do what Romans do. Whether it's setting your friend's assignment on fire because he's the only one in the class to do it or chasing eagles' shadows on the ground no matter how stupid it looks or sounds just because all your friends do it during lunch break.
Sport: It definitely has to be the one thing that can be found everywhere in India. No, not cricket. No, not football or badminton either. Nope, chess boards also are rarely found. Yes...?? What was that? Yesssss...... Cycling. It can be done in any weather(Horrifying Hyderabadi Heat or Relentless Jamnagar Rainstorm) on any road(Rain filled mudpath or concrete flyover). If you don't have a cycle, borrow your friend's or the mess workers(ya, I did that twice) or your junior's or steal your neighbour's or your kid cousin's...... the sources are truly endless..... all you have to do is bend your conscience and the occasional barb wire a li'l.... that's all.

Here's a list of all the places I've lived in:
1. Vizag - Opp BHPV Main Gate, Abode of Deepthi and the Buffalos
2. Vizag - Doctor Scorpion's House
3. Vizag - City Towers, The castle with a sewage moat.
4. Vizag - Divya Shakti, between the Divine Superpowers.
5. Jamnagar - Above Hell's Kitchen, beside Raja Jam Saheb's Palace
6. Jamnagar - Reliance Greens
7. Hyderabad - Base Camp 112
8. Hyderabad - 2130 to 0330 Slumber House
9. Hyderabad - The 2 Month House
10. ISM Dhanbad - Room 252 Opal, Halfway house
11. Vijayawada - Summer Sauna Resort
12. ISM Dhanbad - Room 33 Opal, With attached bathroom
13. ISM Dhanbad - Room 133 Diamond, With failing Quartz alarms.
14. ISM Dhanbad - Room 262 Topaz, The Riot Residence
15. ISM Dhanbad - Room 110 Emerald, With the Mango Menace
16. Kakinada - Temporary terminal

Err.... by the look on your faces, it is obvious to me that an detailed post on these 16 locations is required ASAP. So, I shall endeavor to do so in my next post. Until then, let patience be your virtue, silence be your dialogue and isokronos.blogspot.com be your destination.

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