Jahnvi Sikarwar

Hometowns- a word that reflects comforts, warmth, and you. A town is a place which holds countless happy memories of our childhood and youth, from children playing gully cricket with your friends to pados ki aunty gossiping around, everyone stays as a vast family. It is that place where you don’t need to put effort to fit in or feel out of place, just apnapan. It’s that place where you know everything and everyone in and out. Those late-night walks to nearby ice-cream shops after a tiring day never make you feel unsafe. It’s not just a town or a village; it’s a thriving community composed of all those nosy yet lovable neighbors of your colony, which you may never want to leave as it’s your comfort zone, your home.

However, there comes a day where we have to move ahead in life to achieve our goals or have a better future; we all have to leave past our homes to build a sustainable future. Something is comforting about being known and knowing, but there is something intensely thrilling about heading into the unknown and trust falling into the arms of the universe. Leaving those town gullies to city roads is a difficult task but is needful at least for some.

When I shifted to Mumbai city from my native town, it was dreadful, but later on, after some months of living and adapting to a new way of living, I realized that home isn’t a place, but a feeling, and moving away from “home” will teach you this in a million ways. Moving away from home will serve you a new life and convert you in many ways, a catalyst for massive growth. Moving to a new city can be exciting, scary, and for some, a lead to fulfill their dream or a unique experience of life, but the town from where you belong will never leave your heart. You never notice that your town has one type of smell until you step out and live in another city for a while, and that smell will always be in you whether you reach any height of your life.

One day I’ve to leave this town

Town, where I played and learned lessons

Town, where neighbors like family are always around,

roads and skies make me feel safe here,

making my grief disappear.

One day I’ve to leave this town

To fulfill my dream,

And leaving this soil

Just another place to visit around

No matter how far I go,

Or how long I am gone

This town will always have a breath of home.