Transfers

My dad just got transferred to Trivandrum two weeks ago and he will be joining the new organisation tomorrow. It has been a decade since I have been involved in a proper one-to-one transfer with my family. You must be wondering what a one-to-one transfer is. Well it is a situation where all the items from the one house in one city move to just one house in another city.

Well what other kind of transfers are there? There is the other one-to-many transfers -> this involves separating the items in one house in one city to multiple locations based on the need and user of each item. I have personally handled and have overseen a one-to-two transfer and a one-to-four transfer. Trust me, one-to-one transfers are the fun ones, not the others. It needs a lot of guts and nerves of titanium and experience to get through the one-to-many transfers. It is definitely not for the light hearted.

I miss one of the last one-to-one transfers that my dad just had. During my school days, the one-to-one transfers were the times where the family has had intense conflicts and difference of opinions as the priorities are quite different for everybody and the roles and responsibilities are not exactly defined like in a company. This was the time of doing. No postponing, no giving excuses, but just do it and more importantly do it smartly, effectively and efficiently. Looking back, these are the times I have learnt the maximum lessons, tips and tricks about organising, packing, prioritising, safeguarding precious items, loading, supervising, delegating, ordering, confirming, unloading, unpacking the stuff and managing the pressure. Lessons nobody else can ever learn so easily without actually being in the midst of it all. Lessons I am proud of. These are the times of real decision making, however small the issue, if not resolved in a particular time frame, some other higher authority(my mom or dad) will do it, sourcing information and material, asking for help when necessary, not undoing done things. There is a sense of urgency, so many things are to be packed before the truck people come, so many loaders to keep a watch on(not just of stealing, but also how they are handling the items). You dont look at the watch, until the workers stop working to take lunch.

You look back, see the kind of mess the house is in. You walk on cardboard, newspaper and ropes everywhere. And then you start processing the info and start reorganising and reprioritising the stuff to be moved, cleaned and personally supervised. At the end of the day, you are tired, so tired that the back or the legs or the whole body aches and you desire to sleep well for the night after knowing very well that a job has been done well. As kids(my bro and I) had our own priorities during transfers and used to miss the big picture. There would obviously be times when my dad or mom would ask us to do things we have never done before and it was an opportunity to prove ourselves and gain experience and trust.

Today, it is different. We(my bro and I) have during the two decades have witnessed dozens of transfers and have learnt tremendously without any specific concious learnings. During the one-to-many transfers, we(My mom, my bro and I) as a team, have done really well and have learnt many unique aspects of the one-to-many transfers. In the last decade, my parents have moved some 9 different houses in 5 cities and I have missed almost all of it. I had wished I was there during the Bhavnagar to wherever transfer, but unfortunately, that did not happen. Looking forward to the next fully loaded one-to-one transfer. Waiting to do a complete one-to-one transfer with all my expertise with my father just overlooking things. One treat that would be when the job is well done!

P.S: Here is a breakdown of my family members' total transfer/house moving experiences/involvements after my parents got married: My mom: 29 houses My dad: 27 houses My bro: 24 houses Me: 24 houses till now.

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