The loneliness of an ‘unmanned’ City Beautiful

Chandigarh is a city of displaced people who have taken years to strike their roots here before they could call it a home. But this process is far from easy. I am talking of the year 2000 when I came to the city to join my first job. I had lived here earlier as a hosteller in PU but hadn’t strayed far beyond the 5-km radius of the campus.

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This time staying at a PG, that too in a posh area of Sector 32, was quite demanding – I had to reorient, adapt and assimilate in this visibly unmanned city. I was the first one to arrive at my PG, precisely a hall at the back of a one-canal house. Other roommates were to reach in a week or so. The owners, an old couple, were quite business-like in attitude and far from friendly.

A deserted house in a deserted street and a vacant room opening into a silent backyard with a lawn and a mango tree. The moment I set foot in this house, a wave of cold indifference hit me. The bubbling enthusiasm of my first job flew out of window. To make matters worse, a big rat would frequent the room, nibbling at something throughout the night. I would give up the pretensions to sleep and pick up ‘Gone with the Wind’, the hefty classic I still like.

My days were spent at work and evenings were filled with reading sessions. Sitting under the mango tree with a novel in hand, the characters would keep me company. Reading became my survival tool and taught me to spend time with myself. Having conquered those loneliest moments in the city, I have never felt lonely thereafter.

Navdeep Kahol, Chandigarh