Packing Memories, Leaving Hearts Behind

The day finally arrived, the one we had been silently dreading. Sijee, Saldy, and Salome packed up their lives and moved lock, stock, and barrel to Kerala. After they left, a strange silence filled the air, and with it came a flood of memories almost 16 to 17 years’ worth rushing through my mind like an old movie on loop.

I still remember the early days. Back then, I had a humble sedan. Despite being six of us, we always managed to fit comfortably. Salome and Shourya would squeeze in between Sijee and Leena, while I drove with Saldy beside me. If memory serves me right, our first trip together was to Tikuji-ni-Wadi Water Park. Though Saldy and I knew each other, we hardly interacted  until that trip. Something shifted, and that’s where our real journey together began.

Almost every weekend became our ritual. We’d head to the malls, drop the kids in the play zones, and the four of us would roam around like carefree college students. After lunch in the food court, we’d either end up at our place or theirs no planning needed, just instinctive companionship.

Our first proper holiday together was to Club Mahindra thanks to Saldy, who introduced us to it. We eventually became members ourselves. There were so many trips after that to Goa, Himachal, Kerala. I remember us pleading with co-passengers on trains to swap seats so we could all sit together. Eventually, we wised up and started booking our tickets to Kottayam just to make sure we’d be seated in a row.

Our first overseas adventure took us to Singapore and Malaysia along with our parents. In 2024, for our silver wedding anniversary, Sijee and Saldy accompanied Leena and me to Thailand, a trip made special only by their presence. How I wish Divya and Niranjan could have joined us. I’ll never forget the joy of having Sijee, Saldy, and Salome by our side during Achan and Amma’s golden jubilee celebration, one of the most important days of our lives.

With time, our little gang expanded. Divya, Niranjan, and Manya joined the tribe. My old car now somehow held nine of us just barely for the trip to Golden Resort in Ghodbunder. Niranjan, though initially reluctant, agreed to come with us on a long trip to Tarkarli, and that turned into one of the most memorable experiences.

We weren’t always lucky with travel. Twice we boarded trains without confirmed tickets and ended up sitting on the floor all night. But even that became a memory we now laugh about the kind of madness only true friends can share.

Festivals became our collective celebration. Onam and Vishu Sadhyas at our home. Christmas and Easter at Saldy’s. Dussehra lunch at Niranjan’s. Midnight birthday surprises became a tradition. Salome and Shourya often celebrated their birthdays together. Post-society redevelopment meetings often ended in impromptu dinners without any excuse to be together.

Then came COVID. Life slowed down, but our bond didn’t. Sijee, Leena, and Divya became our essential shopping squad. Leena and Sijee never missed a sale in Mumbai, not even while returning from Matheran, when they spontaneously got off at Viviana Mall just to catch one. During lockdown, Niranjan and Saldy’s families, being in the same building, stuck together, while the rest of us longed to meet. Still, we found sneaky dinners at each other's homes, breaking the monotony with love and laughter. When the second wave hit, we all returned to our hometowns. That was probably the last time the three families travelled together.

And who can forget the "costliest" Republic Day trip to the national park? Free entry turned into a knee ligament surgery for Niranjan when he jumped from a tree, bringing out the inner child in him.

I have a digital photo frame at home. Photos of us the three families cycle through every day. So many

captured moments. We even named our WhatsApp group “Free Flying Birds.” I don’t even recall how the name came about, but it stuck. And rightly so. We truly were free flying birds spontaneous, adventurous, inseparable. If I ever stitch those memories together, we’d have a full-fledged web series: Free Flying Birds.

We were the first to move out of Mahindra Colony, with redevelopment on the horizon. Slowly, one by one, everyone moved out. But the bond remained. When any of us shifted homes, we were all there helping, lifting, setting up. Kids grew up and started forging their own paths. Shourya chose finance; Salome and Manya went into medicine. They drifted, but not apart. Childhood friendships held firm.

We always knew this day would come that one day, because of education, jobs, or life, we’d be living in different cities. But knowing it doesn’t make it easier.

When Saldy’s landlord decided to sell his house, and a transfer became unavoidable, the reality finally hit. We had hoped maybe foolishly  that things might delay a little longer. But life had other plans. And now, the packing is done. The house is empty. And my heart feels the same.

We keep hoping that once the redevelopment is done, we’ll all return to Mahindra Colony. Maybe it’ll happen. Maybe it won’t. But one selfish prayer still escapes my heart that even if we make new friends, none will ever come close to the bond we shared.

Because when Sijee, Salome, and Saldy left, it wasn’t just their home that became empty a part of ours did too.