HOME SICK? WHAT IS IT?

What is homesick?  It cannot be defined in a word.  It is a feeling.  It is rather a feeling of longing.  It is a feeling of loneliness.  It is a feeling of emptiness of mind.  It is a feeling of sorrow.  It is an urge to be with one’s near and dear ones.  It is a feeling better experienced than explained. This feeling emanates in one’s mind when he or she is away from the near and dear ones.  While in the case of a bachelor or spinster, the dear and near ones are parents, brothers and sisters, in the case of married persons, it also includes  wife, husband and  children as the case may be.

Many people are forced to leave their near and dear ones and go to farflung  places to take up jobs or on business purpose..  Once they are away from their dear and near ones, they develop a sense of  feeling of homesickness.  Are all the  people susceptible to homesickness?  The answer is a big ‘NO”.  Only those who love his or her native place and have got attachment to one’s near and dear ones are susceptible to such a feeling.  The main characteristic of homesickness is nothing but lonliness which will be nagging like anything.  Being homesick can also result not only in loss of  appetite but also interest in everything including  routine affairs..  It can also affect one’s sleep.

I recollect those days when I had to go  to Orissa in search of a job in late 60s.  At that time I felt homesick for the first time in my life.  During the period of 6 months of my stay there, I was homesick throughout .  I could not secure a job due to parochialism and hence finally decided to return to Kerala.  Then as ill luck would have it, I fell ill which further ignited my homesickness which remained till I returned to Kerala.

I was again under the grip of homesickness while I worked at Delhi from late 60s.  This had prompted me to visit my native place atleast twice a year.  Nevertheless, every time on return from leave, I used to remain homesick for days together culminating in a feeling that I am not well physically.  When consulted, the doctor could not find anything wrong with me and diagnosed my disease as ‘chronic homesickness’.  His advice was to get married immediately as a remedy and told me or else I will have to remain under such condition for ever. This had prompted me to raise the demand to my parents to initiate action for my marriage.  As a matter of fact homesickness was the sole reason for my getting married at an younger age.

Even after marriage I used to feel homesick at times whenever my wife or children are away from me or vice versa.

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