I was born and brought up in Delhi. After completing my school education in Delhi, I moved to the U.S. for higher studies. I wanted to be a medical practitioner and so I did. I have been practicing medicine for the last 42 years in the U.S.A. and life has been a bliss. I married 35 years ago and have two amazing kids with my wife (have grandkids as well). I have lived in multiple cities over the years and have adapted completely to my life here.
My marriage was arranged by my family, as mostly all of the marriages did at that time. My wife belonged to Solan and was completing her Post Graduation in Delhi at the time of our wedding. She loved to talk about her life and home in Solan. That was the icebreaker conversation actually, the first we met in Delhi. She told how much she adored her cute Solan home. How good the neighbors were, the cattle farm they had.
We moved to the U.S. soon after she completed her post-graduation. The transition of moving to a new country was especially difficult for her. She started her medical practice alongside me and we soon got sufficiently busy in our lives and moved on with our respective roles, professionally and personally. Family and jobs took all of our time and we could not be happier.
But as years passed by, my wife’s longing for her home back in India and the whole environment back in Solan started increasing. She loved to talk about all the stuff that happened during her time in Solan. Any reference to Solan would bring a light in her eyes I did not see otherwise. It was like she was still deeply connected with her hometown.
One day last year, while we were returning back from work, she said something that shook me from inside. She said if someone asked her last wish, it would be to go back to Solan one last time and reconcile with her roots and memories. That whole night I could not stop thinking about what she said. And that’s when I decided it was time to do something about it. I booked a flight for both of us back home and went to Solan to look for a house that would be our second home. And on my way there, I saw a hoarding with Chester Hills’ advertisement. First visit, first sight and I just loved the view and everything Chester Hills had to offer.
And that’s how we purchased our retirement home-cum-second home in the hills of Solan. What’s your story?
– S.K. Verma