When Hometown Beckons...

  •   Wed, Jun 08 2011
  •   By Melissa Nazareth

June 9, 2011

I’ve spent most of my growing years in the gulf. Even if we’d go to Mangalore, it would be a short vacation and so I’ve never entirely been able to appreciate the beauty of this small and scenic place-my hometown Mangalore. But one fine day in December last year, everything changed…

It was an unplanned trip to the native, a quasi vacation of sorts. I had heard (and knew, thanks to a few retained memories of past visits) that life in the native is slow. So I made arrangements to tackle the boredom that would eventually set in- books that I could read for a week, music on my ipod that would see me through the day... I was ready.

We landed safely and I nestled onto the front seat of my aunt’s vehicle. What ensued is an experience so inexplicable. I felt the cool breeze caress my face. I stuck my head an inch further outside the window. The sun had already bid good bye and all I could see were houses and trees standing still like dark shadows. The star spangled night sky blanketed this little heaven on earth and from the red mud wafted a unique fragrance. My mind and body were weary with the journey but my soul felt refreshed.

The next day I woke up to a veritable bedlam of chirping birds. I wondered if they were trying to welcome me. I walked out of the house onto the patio in front of it. The soles of my feet felt the cool and rough cemented floor. My eyes smiled on seeing the greenery all around me. Colourful flowers, leaves of all shapes and sizes, beetle nuts baking away in the intense but merciful morning sunshine, house dogs engrossed in their fake quarrel- an expression of bonding with each other, the house cat lazily sun bathing and purring to her hearts content…A panoramic view of my home town in just one instant, an instant by the way that seemed like an eternity. I could stand there forever.

A moment that seemed like an eternity in contrast to a week that seemed like moment; before I knew it, it was time to leave. I sat in the air craft viewing a slide show of all those beautiful and heavenly moments that I had captured on my camera. I also smiled a smile of satisfaction as I thought of all the moments that I had captured with my eyes (the lens) on to my heart (the film) and yes, I would cherish those frames for the rest of my life.

By Melissa Nazareth
Melissa Nazareth, a resident of Mumbai, is an MBA in marketing and a passionate writer. She has freelanced for brands like Rediff.com.
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Comment on this article

  • vittal Poojary, Padubidri / dubai

    Sun, Jun 12 2011

    It is so true. I also miss my native village so much. Whenever I see the snaps like here, it brings back those childhood memories - playing cricket in the fields, fish hunting in "kedu", bathing in "Kedu" with arthikai, stealing mangoes/cashewfruits from neighbours trees, attending marriages/shraddhas of any community uninvited for the sake of tasty meals, harvesting in the fields, etc. etc. Those days we children never used walk we always used to jump. During exams I used to climb trees and was reading on top of it. It is so sad that our native village is changing so much that our children do not get to experience similar situations. We all miss all those scenarios, because we are far from our villages. Yes, our villages are no less than heaven.

  • Rita Pinto, Hosabettu, Bahrain

    Sat, Jun 11 2011

    Hi Melissa, Beautiful article, really appreciate your art of writing. Keep writing, All the best, God bless

  • Kurt Waschnig, Oldenburg/Germany

    Fri, Jun 10 2011

    Dear Melissa thank you so much for writing this nice article.
    You express yourself in a special way, you are touching the hearts of people, who like Mangalore.
    You live far away from Mangalore and at the end of your visit in Mangalore you say a beautiful sentence "I thought of all the moments that I had captured with my eyes (the lens) on to my heart (the film) and yes, I would cherish those frames for the rest of my life."
    You describe the environment and you say "The next day I woke up to a veritable bedlam of chirping birds."

    I am sure you were greeted by them, please believe in that and think of it when you face pressure.
    You always can return and spending again a nice time in M´lore with your relatives far away from Mumbai.

    M´lore is a special place with friendly and nice inhabitants, very hospitable.
    I just think of Rosario Church, Milagres Church or famous temples ot the Light House Hill-Garden or Kadri Park, Seemanthi Bai Government Museum or I remember just Mangaladevi Temple.
    And I think of beaches and nature.

    Dear Melissa Mangalore is a great place and I look forward to see M´lore again.
    Your narration is for the heart and feelings.
    The photographs you took are nice.

    Mangalore is a charming city and I hope more and more foreigners will come to M´lore and not only pass by on their way to Goa.
    Mangalore offers so much.
    Thank you Melissa.

    Best regards



    Kurt Waschnig Oldenburg Germany









  • stanislaus, dubai/kundapur

    Fri, Jun 10 2011

    HI melisa ur beautifull article is reminds me  wilfis song (kitlo sobit ho saunsaar sundar sundar sobit hantli shera sundar sundar sheraa bhitar ek sher sobit amche manglur)really thanks for this article.

  • Tony, Mangalore/Sydney

    Thu, Jun 09 2011

    Reading the article, brought back quite a few nostalgic memories of my own childhood when I grew up on the family farm. I simply love nature and its settings, and that`s why I always visit Mangalore, especially my family farm, practically every year, all the way from down under, to escape from the hustle and bustle and busy life of the city of Sydney, and to enjoy and experience the serenity and tranquility. The setting and the atomsphere of the place is great, which is surrounded by fields and open spaces, streams, bushes and mini-forests, valleys, and a large river flowing along, close by, to add to the beauty. Majority of the present generation, like the writer, have grown up in the city and in the glamour surrounding it, and sadly know very little of the village and interior life and the beauty of it!

  • chittaranjan, DOHA,QATAR

    Thu, Jun 09 2011

    Hey Melissa. very nice article. and the perfect snaps and the wordings. realy it is touching. good work.

  • Henry Antony,

    Thu, Jun 09 2011

    Melissa, While reading I felt that I am already in Mangalore,beautiful
    and natural pictures, well said this is next to heaven my native which I am proud of,keep your good work, God bless you

  • ashenoy, mangloor

    Thu, Jun 09 2011

    Melissa, very well said. All sums of as "mangalore is next to heaven". Real nature and real life here indeed. London, Paris,Rome but mangalore will always be home to come to.

  • Sankalakariya Sunny, Kirem/ Bahrain

    Thu, Jun 09 2011

    Tu tho badi mast likhti hai..!Mumbai se aaya mera dost..? wah wah..! Keep writing Mellu..all the best...!

  • shammy,

    Thu, Jun 09 2011

    Dear Melissa,
    it's correct what u wrote...Even i miss my Mangalore too much...when i saw the doggi,catooo,aracunuts,flowers all reminded me of my days with my parents...i just went back to my memories & really it was wonderful...Here in this gulf we can earn money.....but everyday we have to suffer..no time,,,,no peace,,,no greenery,no fresh weather everyday dusty weather...eat dust to earn money ...this has become the life of Kwt........i miss every body in India...Not Even one year is passed nw oly i am fedup

  • Francis J. Saldanha, Moodubelle / Bahrain

    Thu, Jun 09 2011

    Hi Melissa... I really enjoyed the article you took me through the journey via very beautiful narration and pictures... at the same time very informative too... Am sure you must be enjoying your holidays in Bahrain now !!!

  • Soumya, Mangalore/Kuwait

    Thu, Jun 09 2011

    nice article melissa,,

    yes heaven on earth is our land "Mangalore" and im just waiting for my short vacation which is plnd :)

  • Roger, Roger Gonsalves

    Thu, Jun 09 2011

    Very Well said... g8 to have people like u to put back old memory.. and keeping us informed.. in dubai too.. keep up the good work
    Roger_Gonsalves@emarat.ae

  • Ronald Mathias, Mangalore / Bahrain

    Thu, Jun 09 2011

    Dear Melissa, very nice article. Keep writing...All the best for you.
    Ronald/Lavina Mathias & Fly. BAHRAIN

  • Melissa Nazareth, Mumbai

    Thu, Jun 09 2011

    yup it is...

  • eva, kirem

    Thu, Jun 09 2011

    Yes, our mangalore so beautiful and then I wonder why some of us try to migrate to canada, newzyland etc. while they attain retirement age!

  • Clement, Bahrain/ Moodbidiri

    Thu, Jun 09 2011

    Dear Melissa
    good article and very well said. the beauty of our place is amezing. no matter our home town is home town. all you mentioned we are all missing. Good one and all the best Take care

  • Joylan , mumbai

    Thu, Jun 09 2011

    I have similar experience when i visit manglore... it is beautiful

  • ancil, mangalore/bahrain

    Thu, Jun 09 2011

    Hai Melissa, i really appreciate your article.. Its just not an article but a true fact which every person feels once he is right back to his mother land from gulf.


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