Life from the 15th floor

After spending 40 days as the 15th floor residents of a high rise building in Gurgaon, I am now known only as Navya's mom. All the kids of the building know me and acknowledge me as Navya's mother. No one knows Rupal or Mrs. Bansal as some would've called me in Punjabi Bagh. Now there is only one identity. Possibly because the settling in these environs has come out of a comfort niche created for Navya. The space that Navya has carved in the sandy playgrounds, zig zaging around all the other kids has led us to settle in. She has become the cause and effect of this move from Punjabi Bagh to Gurgaon and also the happiest settler.

Never did I know that winds blow so fast and that bees love the higher floors and that dogs have separate litter zones even in India. I didn't know people actually worked from 8 to 8 and that playing kids can make so much noise to reach you on the 15th floor. I didn't know how scary rain looked and how pretty the gardens looked post the rain. I hadn't seen the broad, well-lit skyline of the city looking like jewels but only noticed the smoggy Delhi sky. I hadn't experienced walking on the wet grounds after dinner and the constant highs and lows in an elevator.

But I do know that I love to see my daughter on the swing. I love to see my husband play baddy. I love the late night walks we take holding hands. I love to sneak a kiss while the elevator crawls to the 15th. I love that my family is feeling like a family again.

Knock Wood!