The Best Corner of the World, Our Home

Ever since she came into my life, she has harbored a simple, ordinary dream: to have a house of her own. Ironically, in the Indian context, it is often said that a woman never truly has her own home. While staying with her father, she is considered a temporary part of a family, destined for an unforeseen future elsewhere. Later, at her husband’s place, she is often reminded that she hails from a different family.

Through it all, she has been a wonderful wife, a loving mother to our two children, and has always strived to be a good daughter, sister, and daughter-in-law. Touch wood—she is a true blessing and an inseparable part of my life. Gifting her this house was always one of the major ambitions of my life.

We recently completed a year here, watching numerous sunsets, airplanes landing and taking off on the horizon, and the clouds changing shapes by the moment. The beauty of our balcony is that it offers views of both sunrise and sunset, making us feel connected with nature and the Almighty every single day.

Living in a skyscraper at such a height has its own unique charm. During our initial days here, however, she was terrified to look at the people passing by far below.

“I am too scared to stand near the railing,” she would often say when I invited her to join me for some peaceful time watching the skies.

“Relax! Don’t worry," I would pacify her. "You should stop looking down and start looking up at the clouds.”

Weeks passed, and so did a few months. Today, she has stopped looking down at the things that once scared her and held her back from enjoying the amazing views. She has learned to adore the heaven that hides between the clouds and has stopped worrying about everything that lies below her feet. It’s only when you stop looking down that you realize there are much more beautiful things above.

Our new house in Pune has truly become a place where we enlighten ourselves to the higher purpose of our lives. For the rest of the world, this is just our new house—but for her, this is finally a place she calls her home. Our home.