Page 52 - Khabar Magazine (February 2020)

Reflections

NANDINI PATWARDHAN, who grew up in a Mumbai
chawl, now lives in a spacious American home. But
her search for abundance is complicated—and even
its meaning changes over time. The key, she thinks,
is to be thoughtful, open-minded, and intentional.
Here’s a excerpt from Train Friends, a book of essays
she co-wrote with Ranjani Rao.

Carol, one of my closest friends, lives in a smallish use more energy for heating and cooling, more
older house. Although the house has newer vinyl chemicals for the picture-perfect yards and gardens.
siding, everything else about the house spells o-l-d. Second, they are built on land “reclaimed” from killing
The floors are wood—not the polished kind but the old-growth trees—sland that was the domain of deer
well-worn ones that show scuff marks, dust and yes, and foxes and rabbits. In fact, when we first moved in,
scratch lines from when furniture must have been it was not uncommon to see an occasional lone lost
dragged many, many times. The plumbing fixtures are deer loping around in the far woods and wild rabbits
quaint-looking rather than the sleek shiny ones that scampering under the dense under-bush.
are more common these days. The heating system Some of my ambivalence comes from knowing that
is one that uses hot water run through pipes—the the large-living lifestyle exacts its toll in other forms as
registers stand about 20 inches tall along the walls and well. When each member of the family has a room of
make tapping and gurgling sounds as the system goes his or her own (sometimes a room for each activity like
through its cycles. exercising, watching TV, using the computer), it robs the
What a contrast this is from my house and those of family of the feeling of closeness—not just the need to
many of the people that I know. Yes, I am a somewhat rub elbows and share space, but also of a closeness of
ambivalent owner of one of those new, larger homes spirit, a desire to talk to each other, gauge each other’s
that have sprouted up in many suburban locations. mood, find out what’s going on in each other’s lives,
Such homes are called McMansions. The term describes and simply work harder to get along.
a particular style that, as its name suggests, is both large As someone who grew up in a Mumbai chawl, I
like a mansion and relatively cheap and ubiquitous have certainly traveled a long distance in terms of
like McDonald’s fast food restaurants. The term has a “lifestyle.” Considering my own changing attitudes and
pejorative connotation because the homes are seen choices, my take on the issue is not as harsh as the
to be characterized by traditional features without an critical definition of McMansions. If anything, I feel that
understanding of those styles’ underlying logic and my current abode is but one stop in my life journey.
purpose. Also, the homes are generally considered to Before we moved to our current home, like Carol we,
have a negative impact on the environment. too, owned an older house. Over the years we ended up
Each time I return from Carol’s house to my spending ever larger amounts of money on its upkeep.
neighborhood, I feel a mixture of emotions. I feel a One year it was the roof, another year a new exterior
vague embarrassment about living in a neighborhood paint job. The windows were quirky—each winter we
that is marked by wastefulness—for the larger homes had to install new insulation and each summer we had
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50 • FEBRUARY• 2020 KHABAR MAGAZINE