Recently, I’ve caught myself feeling nostalgic lots. For issues but in addition for locations I have been & experiences I’ve had. I discover myself protecting my favourite objects shut by – a ceramic sculpture of my cat, a pearl necklace I acquired from my mother’s closet, polaroid footage from the wet months.
All my life, I’ve all the time felt like I used to be a city-dweller solely, however the final yr or so I have been feeling very disjointed about dwelling in an condominium like I wish to develop greens & take walks within the solar. Goa journeys carry some respite – I discover myself savoring each a part of farm life – from cooking, to overseeing the animals; I do not even thoughts the lengthy stroll to the closest grocery store.
These pictures have been taken again within the village just a few years in the past – I spent most of my childhood summers there & acquired fairly acquainted with the facades of all of the close by houses, most of which have been constructed within the late nineteenth or early twentieth century, and lots of of them have been unoccupied ever since I can keep in mind (which is the higher a part of three a long time). A few of them are in states of decay even – most undergo from collapsed roofs, which find yourself being the weakest a part of the house (terracotta tiles held up by picket rafters). The partitions are sturdy – they are not constructed with cinderblocks or mud bricks, however laterite stone lower into the form of bricks.
Within the final decade or so, issues have been altering considerably quickly although – there are loads of new houses being constructed, both in beforehand open areas or over demolished older Indo Portuguese villas. The brand new houses are all generic & extraordinarily ugly, however that is the price of improvement I assume. The villas are attractive however aren’t too sensible to remain in & the price of restoring or sustaining an previous residence will be fairly excessive – they have been all constructed earlier than electrical energy & working water.
The home from these pictures was all the time a favourite due to the distinctive resting lions on the gate posts – it wasn’t too removed from my ancestral residence & the sight of it was comforting even when I would by no means met the household that after lived there .
However on one journey again residence in 2019, we noticed indicators of an impending demolition & bricks to assist a recent development. I would carried one good costume on the journey, so one afternoon I dressed up a bit & begged mother to take pictures by the gate. A number of months later, the house (& gate) have been torn down & although I have never been again since January, I am positive the brand new development is coming alongside in full swing. I am very glad I’ve these, despite the fact that they’re simply barely useless outfit pictures on the floor, they remind me of good issues.
The lesson I take away is that issues will all the time change, & loads of that change is out of our management. What we will do is savor the experiences we’re having within the second, & benefit from the reminiscences sooner or later. x