The scents and scenes of ‘home’
The author reflects on the evolving nature of 'home' through personal experiences of travel between Jamshedpur and Kerala. The piece highlights how improved air connectivity has changed the journey while noting the environmental changes to the Kerala coastline.
Why it matters
It captures the shifting cultural and physical landscape of India, reflecting on how modernization impacts personal connections to one's roots.
Ever since I moved from Kerala to Jamshedpur when it was part of Bihar, I have noticed my Keralite colleagues in the hospital getting excited on the approach of summer holidays. After booking tickets, they would beamingly tell me, “ Natti povunnu ”, and to other colleagues, “ Desh ja rahe hain .” I would understand it as “going home”, while the others would wonder, “Kerala is within India. Why does she say desh , country?’
The article is a personal essay focused on nostalgia and environmental observation without political or ideological framing.
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