There are some things which are absolutely unique to you. You don’t realise when you do them and why you do them, but you do. And that’s what I did with my watch whenever I travelled abroad. I’ve been traveling out of the country for ages now, and for some strange reason right from the first time I ventured out of my comfort zone (Mumbai, India), I never adjusted my watch according to the time in the country I set foot in. I would let my watch be set to the original India time and never ever changed it. The only way to know the current time in the current city was through the good old cell phone. And honestly I had no hand in that adjustment either. It was automatic, since the mobile network automatically adjusts to the new country it is switched on in. So thankfully, I knew the correct time at every place but never through the watch. Bizarre, isn’t it? I rarely ever used the watch for the reason I wore it.
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At that time I used to think the reason why I didn’t adjust my watch was because I had to call home (Mumbai) twice a day and it helped me know the exact time back at home; so I wouldn’t land up calling at unearthly hours. It was a pact to speak to my parents atleast once a day irrespective of whichever part of the world I was in and hence it was important to know India timings. Am sure if I ever travelled to the moon, my folks would still expect me to be in touch with them (and happily so) every single day and perhaps I wouldn’t adjust my watch even there. Outlandish but true. And this way the saga of not adjusting the watch during every travel continued… even when I moved countries and settled in the United States.
It’s only when I came to the US for good I realised why I never changed the time on my watch as per the country I was traveling to. Because I simply couldn’t let go! It sounds super crazy, I know. People happily adjust their watches for practical purposes and reasons as soon as the craft lands in the new country. I was perhaps the only irrational and silly girl who wore a watch which showed some bizarre time. But I never wanted to feel far from home even when I was seven oceans apart and that behaviour continued till now, for over 12 years! Unbelievable; how I never realised what I was doing and why. So when I finally moved to Atlanta I looked at my watch and was about to adjust it to EST when something in me didn’t let me do it. I left it as is and stopped wearing the watch altogether.
Change, though they say is a constant, is very difficult to accept. And my mind and soul weren’t ready to accept the change. Though moving to the US and joining my husband (who had literally been living alone for almost a year) was something I was desperately looking forward to; but my watch didn’t listen to me! Or maybe it is correct to say that I didn’t accept the change. Perhaps, I found the thought that India was so far and my parents and siblings were even further, pretty disturbing. In my mind my watch (well, ALL my watches) as per India timings kept me close to them and that thought was indeed very heartwarming. While the thought was very comforting something else happened. I completely stopped using my watch. So much for feeling the closeness to my kith and kin! It was useless lugging around a watch which didn’t show the correct time, so I decided to skip wearing it.
I have been very fond of watches and have managed to hoard (yes; that I suppose is a better term than ‘collect’) a fleet of watches. All shapes, sizes and colours I could lay my hands on. They held ornamental value for me too, and I loved the entire process of buying a new watch. Yet, while moving to the US I realised it was irrational to carry so many, so I happily distributed some of them to my even happier girls (sisters and nieces). The ones I carried to the US are all safely tucked in my dresser and all of them minus one, still show India timing. Oh yes, I finally changed the regular one to Eastern Standard Time in the US after I realised the futility of it all. Closeness is in the mind after all, isn’t it and not in the time the watch shows. It was my decision to move out of the country which my family respected and somewhere I felt that I was disrespecting my own decision. The emotional attachment was too much and too over-powering, but I had to let go.
That’s when I embraced the change and finally adjusted my watch.
P.S. – will do the same with my entire fleet slowly and steadily whenever I can make time! 🙂
So sweet….a post straight from the heart…reminded me of the first post I had read of yours on your grandpa…..heart beats the same no matter where we are, right….!
Oh yes Sunaina 🙂 So sweet of you to remember my nanaji wala post 🙂 Hugs!
My dad can not move out of the house without wearing his watch.. I always wonder why?
Because it’s part if his DNA… some poeple also sleep with their watches on their wrists… same thing,,, out of habit… 🙂
Thanks for reading Anjali 🙂
Such a heartwarming post. :’) I cannot step out of my home without my watch no matter how smart smartphones are 😛
I used to be that way M… but things change and so do people 🙂 Thanks dearie 🙂
Amazing you resisted so long. 🙂 A great read.
I know even I am amazed… Thanks In 🙂
Well, sometimes it’s hard to let go of things
Well, a lot of times… Thanks Kishor 🙂
Very nice article. We attach sentiments to all sort of things that’s what keeps us human.
Yes, and sometimes that’s so important na… thanks A 🙂
अर्चना जी, कहते है न कि जो समय की कद्र करता है समय भी उसी की कद्र करता है। बहुत बढिया आलेख।
Thank you Jyotiji 🙂
This was worth reading. We do have a way of attaching sentiments to people and material things…right??
True that Rekha… thanks for stopping by 🙂
Time, is one thing created out of convenience, this single thought hovered, all the way through the article. I never had to adjust watch, so, this is a new perspective for me
That’s some analysis Datta, I never thought of it that way. Thanks dear, where have you been these days?? Hope to see you surface soon 🙂
Such an endearing post. These little things keep us connected with our roots and keep memories alive 🙂
Absolutely true… thanks dear 🙂
I have this habit and it always intrigues me how the handset is adjusted automatically. Last time, I landed in Mumbai and went away, I became so emotionally uptight that I adjusted time on new lap top to IST. It remained the same for a very long time, read three years.
Guess what Vishal… while the time on watches have been adjusted, my laptop still shows IST and i have never bothered to change it.. I prefer it that way 🙂
I have never been abroad and never experienced this. It is actually nice, leaving the watch to Indian time. If I leave India, I will have one watch that shows Indian time. 🙂
This write up made me think. Btw, is that pic your watch? It looks beautiful 🙂
Nope – it isn’t my hand… but I have a similar watch Ranju… And leaving a watch with Indian time is a sweet thought 🙂 Thanks dear 🙂
I have always changed the timing whenever I was abroad – maybe it is because contact with home was going to be minimum. Nobody really misses me from here 😀
Oh, ofcourse your folks do Tens!!! 🙂
Maybe depending on some people here and there 🙂
This is such a heartwarming post dear. Loved knowing about your emotional side through this post. A beautiful article this is, so full of emotions 🙂 <3
Thanks Purba 🙂 <3
My dad is the same, whereever I am the first call, the first whatsapp is to him. He would pester me even in the pre cell phone era to call him as soon as I landed. I am happy you adjusted your watch and will adjust your watches finally 😀
My god, without a cell phone, it was tough those days… 🙂
Thanks M… I guess I figured that it was the right thing to do 🙂
I was going to say, that’s an excuse to buy a new watch; you know one with the local time. 😉
But then I see you’ve set your watch to Eastern time.
That reminds me there a bad storm coming that way, right? Stay inside, stay safe!
Oh I have enough Dee… don’t need more… besides, most of the times I am watch-less :-p (pun intended)…
well the storm never came, but the snowflakes did… and we had a great time.. Thanks Dee and hope you guys are fine there… it must be mighty cold! Hugs 🙂
In my opinion, it would be great if you keep IST in at least one your watches. 😀 😛
hahaha, Ok!! I will give that a thought Yogesh :-p
I think everyone has one thing of this kind which only we can understand and others consider irrational ,loved reading it
Thank you Sadhvi 🙂
I think there are many like minded who will echo your thoughts. Great article and it’s always difficult to accept the change.
Nice watch!
Thanks Seema 🙂 Change is difficult but the earlier we accept it the better for us, isn’t it? 🙂
Truly a nice Write-up Archana.. Home sickness, a craving for home environment, missing emotional tie-ups, new disciplines of the foreign land etc are truly the delicate issues of psychology that come in the way of the change.. Sometimes, time alone brings the big change.. And that’s truly the happy beginning of new life on the foreign land.. Right points of observation!
Thank you Sreedhar sir 🙂
Interesting! Adjusting the watch indeed does ground us in the local time and hence that new place. Having lived as an NRI for 14+ years I know a little about the experience of making a new home for ourselves. Here’s wishing you the best for this ‘Indian-American’ phase of life!
Thank you so much Beloo… just that the only difference that this change is for permanent and hence all those emotions 🙂
What a wonderful capture of emotions! Well written.
Thank you Manisha 🙂
Wow! Letting go is the very difficult, but when done, it frees you completely. Very well written!
I too avoided changing time on my watch as long as possible, until our last trip to the US. I started using my phone’s world clock to check the time back home…