Eucalyptus
was a buzz word those days. Every fool and his Chacha was busy planting
eucalyptus. So was I!
We
had bought a piece of land near Chandigarh and were also building a house
there. I had been married only a few years and that was when my wife decided to
deliver a bouncing baby!
Both
of us had been living in a tent. It was the middle of a North Indian winter. No
place for a baby.
On
a trip to Delhi, I saw a caravan parked by the roadside. A man was washing and
cleaning it. I drove over to see it. The man cleaning it was wearing Air Force
overalls.
I
pulled over and stuck up a conversation with the gentleman. I said I had
stopped by to see this beautiful contraption.
“What
are you going to do with it?’’
“I
don’t know!’’ said the Squadron Leader.
“You
want to sell it? I asked.
A
big smile split his face and he said yes!
I
drove home to the farm from Delhi with the caravan! My daughter would have a
home, well, of sorts. I continued to stay in the tent.
Malvika
spent the first 8 months of her baby-hood in the caravan. Warm, dry,
comfortable with Mother by her side. The caravan has two bench seats and an
attached toilet. We could not have asked for anything better. The house was
complete and we all moved in. The caravan was a comfortable place to sit in
during the day.
Malvika
grew up and went to Sanawar. Then onto Windsor University in Canada.
The
only one who continued to make full use of the caravan was my octogenarian
mother. After her bath she would go to the caravan for her breakfast, come rain
or sunshine. She spent the whole day there. After her lunch she would have her
siesta in the caravan. It was only when it started to get dark that she would
come indoors.
Malvika
had got a job and moved to Delhi. My mother passed into the Happy Hunting
Ground in the sky. The caravan just stood around. It was of great emotional
value and lovely memories.
Then
came Corona and everyone’s life went topsy-turvy. Malvika had to work from
home. She packed her apartment in Delhi and came back to be with us.
Malvika is highly organised, she continued to work a 9-to-5 day. The caravan became her office. She moved into the garden and had it painted a bright yellow with polka dots. The interior was done up with colourful cushions.
Thanks to Malvika the caravan had a new lease on life.
