Not exactly, but it’s been a year since RV. A year that, took me as far away from RV as it did bring me closer.
It started out with grimness – what else, when you are requested to leave a place you love. A lot like being dumped. I tried to start again, but that’s hardly easy when a hundred ties to the past refuse to let you go …when you refuse to let go.
They gave me a new room and a phone but I still wanted my messy First room and tactfully acquired phone chits.
They gave me amazing food (such a winning point after DH ka khaana!) but I still wanted to cook my lousy maggi and eat it with.my.hands. And clear up all evidence of having done so.
They gave me superiority – but I kept harping about equality of students and not wanting the evil Captain badge.
They gave me freedom, love and so many choices… but I still longed for RV.
There was only so much I could sulk and cry – eventually they did lure me out and away from my RV Prejudice. There began a fresh insight into my past. Amazingly enough, I got over RV. I got over that lover who had dumped me and moved on without me – and just like the fresh-lease-of-life movie scene, that longing, pain and pessimism turned into a new core of ideas, values, a way of life, within me.
I began to carry RV with me.
– (Thank you, Mallika and John for repetition of this profound truth.) – because it ceased to be an exclusive set of physical entities and ideas attached to them – for example, Asthachal in the valley, folkie and all the illegal stuff – and transcended to what all those things represent – the beauty of silence and nature, community and experiences that go beyond established rules, respectively.
I dug out the experiences and unearthed just the essence of everything that RV is made of. Stripping all else that has been hiding and changing that essence – and what’s left is unlimited by space and time. If and when an ex – RV-ite finds this dawning realization, I believe that he or she has understood RV. And if he or she can carry that essence and sprinkle it on their conditions, then they have found RV.
I am still terribly attached to the place and people but I’ve found ways to channel RV into everything – twenty minutes of silence every evening, taking turns doing the chores and questioning everything – I have found my RV.
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This piece was published as the first written contribution on The RV Storybook! Aravind, as *ahem* editor called the author a ‘maverick unschooler’ and boy, I llllike the sound of that.
The RV Storybook was conceived out of desire to record and share the beautiful things that RV stands for. Thanks to Atravind, it turned from a dream to a lovely little blog where all people associated with RV can come and rejoice in nostalgia. You can join us our blog or follow us on Facebook. We’re only too happy to share RV with you.
Aditi Parekh 