Moving then and now

I have moved many times in the past as part of a family of five girls and one son, I was the youngest and my brother a little older than me. My father was Controller of Defence Accounts and was transferred frequently—I remember his telling us that on one transfer, as he was getting down from the train, he was given orders of transfer to another place! Travel was only by train as there were no planes. As children, we had great fun. However, for my sisters, particularly, changing schools, new uniforms, proved difficult.

I remember when we were travelling in two adjacent compartments, my mother tried to make the money go a long way. She carried many things with which we could make some food in the compartment to feed her ever-hungry kids. She had a little kettle to boil hot water over a small stove to make tea or coffee.

I compare this with the days of anxiety that I had while shifting my stuff from Thiruvananthapuram to Bengaluru a year ago. We had lived in Kerala for 40-50 years or more. Our house was spacious enough for conducting many family get-togethers, as my mother stayed with me after my father passed away. There was space to accommodate many relatives. Some of their stuff was left with us when they shifted from India to settle abroad. So, when I had to move, the plan we had was to make was to securely pack and load everything by experienced loaders into two huge trucks from a moving company that would travel to Bengaluru, which they would do in less than a day and a half. They would unload it for us at our premises, unwind (open) everything and make it easy for us to arrange as wanted.

Believe me, even for those who are experienced, strong, sturdy and tough, this was a herculean task. The two Godrej Almiras were very heavy and a lot of the boxes containing god pictures had to be handled carefully. Even many boxes with clothes were not light at all. There were heaps of books which could not be thrown away— stuffed into heavy boxes. Did I mention winter clothes—also heavy—which we had used in Delhi winters and abroad. And what about vessels needed for us to make food for us and many guests. You have to grant that it was a huge job that required patience, experience and a great sense of responsibility.

The movers did it fast, with great care, and what’s more, they did it with a smile. We, in the house, are still working hard to “unpack” the stuff.