MB#35: 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙤 𝙏𝙧𝙚𝙚'𝙨 𝙇𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙: 𝙎𝙖𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙖𝙙 𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙗𝙮𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙟𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙂𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙣.

[MemoirBlogthon#35] In 2012, my father made the painful decision to sell his dream house in Vijayawada to prioritize peace and proximity to his family in Hyderabad. This memoir details the bittersweet necessity of trading a life's work for new apartments and culminates with a visit in 2020. I found the house neglected, but the mango tree my father planted decades ago still stood strong, bearing fruit. I could only pick a bag of mangoes and say a "sad goodbye to the majestic green cultured tree," a powerful symbol of an enduring legacy.

MB#35: When the Dream House Becomes a Burden: A Heavy Heart's Decision.

For decades, the Vijayawada house had been my parents' project, built with excellence and maintained with affection. However, after they decided to move to Hyderabad in 2011 to be closer to us, the constant difficulties of monitoring repairs, collecting rents, and re-letting portions became a burden.

A Heavy Heart's Decision

In 2012, my father made the difficult, emotional decision to let go of his masterpiece. The deeper 'reason' was the necessity of prioritizing family bonds and peace over attachment to a tangible asset.

"With a heavy heart, I want to dispose off the Vijayawada property. Let us live peacefully here in Hyderabad by having our own apartments."

The legacy of this bittersweet sale was a positive one: the proceeds were used to acquire two apartments in Hyderabad, opposite each other, ensuring my parents and my family would live in constant proximity. The emotional empire was traded for geographic nearness.

The Last Stand of the Majestic Green

The final, poignant reflection came in 2020 when I visited Vijayawada for an alumni college meet. I took a chance to go to our old house, now sold to an office. The gate was open, and the crucial contrast between the past and present was heartbreaking: the house was poorly maintained.

But out in the back, the majestic green cultured tree—the mango sapling my father had planted at the groundbreaking function—still stood straight. It was craving water and surrounded by strewn leaves, yet it continued its routine of flowering, fruiting, and dropping the sweetest mangoes, irrespective of the change in seasons and people around it.

Tears rolled down my eyes as I saw the physical neglect, an emotional contrast to the effort my father had poured into every brick. Unable to do anything else, I picked a bag full of the tree's sweet fruits and said a "sad goodbye to the majestic green cultured tree." This simple act honored the unforgettable dream my father struggled to construct, built brick by brick, and passed on to our generation.

MB#35: Quiz

MB#35: Question: What symbolic element of the father’s legacy was still standing and bearing fruit during the author’s final visit in 2020?

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• A. A stone plaque with his name.
• B. The mango tree.
• C. The four independent portions.
• D. An old bicycle stand.

MB#35: Quote

"A tree is a standing monument to a life well-rooted."