Family- Noun

“Person 1:- Hey, Tanvvi where are you from?
Tanvvi:- So, um I moved to Pune after my 10 grade, since then I have been here and their Person 1:- What about your family?
Tanvvi:- I don’t stay with my family, They keep visiting me from Jalgaon.”

I would get a little sad with these answers but it was one journey. Owing to the above conversation “we four” along with my younger brother and my parents took a trip together to Amritsar and Dharamshala. Even though since covid we four have been together, this trip felt different. There was this sense of different joy and suspense. My brother had already put together a list of restaurants and cafes which we had to visit. There was no negotiation.
We explored the city in a completely different way this time, it was not in a car, it was in one of those “e-rickshaws” that were driven like a snake. While riding my brother would purposely move and pretend to fall on me and tell me “kya didi aap mera wajan bhi nahi sambhal sakte ” and we would just laugh it off.

All four of us had our moments during this trip. By moments I mean, realizing how some things never change. From being kids to adults. From being young parents to old Parents.

Starting from me, The unreal experience of doing Seva at the golden temple and eating the hot halwa just gave me the feeling of drinking from a small water body in the mountains. Being present during the prayers with those unknown faces but having the same faith and pure energy. I remember feeling the same when as a kid going to Vaishno Devi and just chanting “Jai Mata Di” with random strangers.

For my mom, I am guessing it was that moment when she stood up for my brother. Last I remember she was like when we were just little kids.

For my dad I am again guessing is getting us food from this very famous Dhaba with his “jugado” skills in just 15-20 mins, even though the waiting was one and a half hours. Last I remember he was like that, when we had registered for this mind control course in Jalgaon, just getting the tickets in 15- 20 mins even at that time.

For my brother it was when he had tasted Chole bhature in Delhi, I could just see from his face how happy he was. The last I remember him feeling the same way was when he had cheesecake.

I remember when we went to Singapore before covid it was similar to a trip,
For my mom, it was about having fun with all four of us together.
For my dad, it was experiencing the whole universal studio and going on a cruise even though he was in a wheelchair.
For my brother, it was trying the different cuisines and a break after his 10 grade.

We went to the partition museum and I saw my dad curiously finding the village of my grandmom, he started talking to random strangers it was such an emotional moment for them to finally get to know where his mom came from and there I saw my mom she is there holding his hand and comforting him.

But there is one thing common in both these trips – One specific moment all of us shared was when we saw a 7D movie and we just looked at each other and were like Singapore.

Sometime back Varada had come to see me and we went for dinner with my parents and Varada said Tanvvi you having such high expectations of love is very normal yar, She said look at your parents that is just pure love. I don’t know if my family was me seeing me observing them, but it was just like how we make each other happy with the smallest things we do for each other.

On this trip we all felt present, I had completely taken off from work similar for Papa. The whole trip he boasted how he is happy that his phone is ringing less on this trip but was ringing on the cruise in Singapore. We would just be like “okay”.

Once Amritsar was over we took a road trip to Dharamshala, those 6 hours of drive felt like the longest 6 hours of my life. I fell sick and had the worst stomach infection and at every stop we made, my father would give me ice cream. I would eagerly wait for the next stop because I got an Ice cream. It was like completing a milestone, while the drive we went to four more different temples, and I told my papa “kya papa goa ke age main app hume mandir ghuma rahe hu”, and he would be like “koe nahi beta ice cream khelaoga darshan ke baad”.

Even though Amristar was hot and chaotic, even though I fell sick, even though we had arguments. It all felt okay. It felt light.

But….
Finally, the day of coming back to Pune came and the next day while we were still unpacking our memories, Papa asked us, the kids, to come to sit with them, they wanted to share something. It was not at all what I was expecting. Mom had to get operated on her knee. I was like but didn’t the doctor say it was okay, medicines will make her good? But because I and my brother were so excited about the trip they didn’t tell us before the trip. How much do they love us? that they are ready to bear the pain just to see us happy. It felt the same again: Being in college away from family when dad met with an accident, and mom had surgery.

While we were just processing the news that mom would get operated on, Just one day after we reached Pune. Papa called from the hospital saying, beta mom has to get operated on tomorrow itself. It just happened too fast in a snap like a click, click, click. Waiting for mom to come out of OT was the worst feeling, I never want to experience that. Once she was out and conscious, I climbed onto my mom’s bed and just was lying next to her. I realized how much that touch, and how much that hug means.
And again ” It all felt okay. It felt light.”