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The Fence

3/13/2016

2 Comments

 
​My uncle worked for an elite club and moved into a large house in an elite area that he felt better matched his social status. Like other houses in the area, a tall fence ran all around his home.
 
Since his son was my closest school buddy, I goaded my parents to arrive early at the house warming party. I loved the immaculate backyard lawn and played with my friend there while the adults chatted inside. But I soon tired of the confined space, as our home had no fence of the kind. I wanted to venture out; it took all my cousin’s persuasive power to keep me inside. He had been warned not to step out of the fence, as traffic on the road beyond posed a hazard.
Picture
​My uncle was proud of his new mansion and took his guests on a detailed tour. Over dinner everybody spoke of its spacious atrium, elegant design, chic furniture and opulent drapes. My parents politely added to the discussion and spoke of the well-lit rooms upstairs and the attractive view.
 
The last was an unfortunate trigger for my nagging thought from earlier. I turned to my uncle and said I loved his lawn, but it did not have the view our house had. In fact, I added, it had no view at all because of the unsightly high fence.
 
All conversation stopped. My uncle, who had looked pleased with the trend of discussion so far, suddenly had a crestfallen look. My parents were deeply embarrassed by my gaffe.
 
They told me a month later, however, that my uncle had had the fence taken down.
2 Comments
Dipankar Dasgupta link
3/26/2016 00:02:32

Lovely piece. Quite irrationally perhaps, I was reminded of Tagore and of Nandini in Raktakarabi. And the YMCA terrace next to Presidency College. It must have commanded a view. But that was a million years ago. The view could have been romantic in that age.

Reply
Manish
3/27/2016 08:53:30

On a recent visit to Presidency College I took a look at the YMCA terrace you mention: it looked deserted. I felt a pang. The terrace was for me a place of many memories. Thank you for writing and for the compliment. Do please keep reading.

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    Manish Nandy

    Writer, Speaker, Consultant
    Earlier: Diplomat, Executive


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