Post retirement when I bought an apartment in Vasant Vihar it was to be near my family. During the early seventies I would sometimes accompany my maternal uncle and aunt, the Vederahs, for construction of our house in the D block, Vasant Vihar. Having lost everything during partition including the double storey house in Trunk Bazar, Sialkot, this was the first one being constructed by my ‘nanka’. My mother had lost her father when she was barely two and had been brought up my maternal uncle (mama) who was sixteen years her senior. My grandmother who lived with him (her elder son) also considered him to be the head of the family. As a child I would think of Vasant Vihar D block house to be our family home.
It is here that my sister and I studied for civil services. The address was shown as our permanent residence in the multitude of forms we had to fill while applying for jobs, passports etc. My father being in Punjab police would be frequently transferred. He too had lost his house in Lahore and had not built any till the 1990s. Staying in Vasant Vihar thus came very naturally to us and it has been our holiday retreat since the 1970s when the colony itself was in the nascent stages of development. Watching ‘Chitrahar’ on television in the lobby with my grandmother on her lounge bed, mami sitting in her chair, all of us on the staircase with house-hold help including the dhobi, is an unforgettable memory. It also symbolized the feeling of community, equality and harmony.
While I shifted here during early 2018 for family ties, abundant greenery has been a bonus and a blessing for me. I love Vasant Vihar for the multitude of parks that I walk through every evening. Well-kept with seasonal flowers that bloom to full and exotic beauty during springs, evenings here are the best part of my day. I watch children playing, youngsters busy in work outs and the elderly strolling around. Vasant Vihar gardens are the reflection of the society we live in with all ages amply represented. Innocent laughter of kids and the ‘thak-thak’ of an elderly stick mingle together joyously.
The green and peaceful surroundings of Vasant Vihar inspire me to think creatively and enrich me with wonderful ideas for my writings.
I am keenly aware that I should do my bit to conserve the greenery and reduce pollution. Wonder how and would love any suggestion for my contribution for this cause. Till then I look forward to my meaningful walks and recollection of a childhood that was lovingly nourished by my late mama and mami. And my ‘nani’ whose blessings in an uncorrupted Punjabi I cherished while massaging her legs during the languid afternoons of a sleepy Vasant Vihar!
So good to read your piece on our beloved D block.