riyagohalblog

The other day I was watching Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, and it made me realise something.

We don’t really live like a community anymore.

I know it’s just a sitcom, and obviously real life isn’t exactly like Gokuldham Society, but there’s something about it that feels so comforting. Everyone knows each other. They celebrate together, argue together, show up for each other, and somehow everyone’s life is connected. Watching it made me think about how different things feel today.

I know the names of my favourite cafés. I know which restaurants are impossible to get into without a reservation. I know what’s trending on Instagram. But I couldn’t tell you the names of everyone living on my own floor.

And somehow that’s normal.

I miss the idea of knowing the people around you. Not because you have to be best friends with your neighbours, but because it was nice to know there were familiar faces around.

I remember when people actually knocked on each other’s doors. If someone made something special, they’d send a plate over. If you ran out of sugar or milk, you knew exactly who to ask. Festivals didn’t feel like something celebrated inside four walls. The whole building celebrated together. Kids spent hours playing downstairs until their parents called them home for dinner.

It all felt… warmer.

Now we mostly keep to ourselves. We get into the lift, look at our phones, smile politely if we have to, and go our separate ways. Food gets delivered. Groceries get delivered. We don’t really have a reason to knock on someone’s door anymore.

I don’t think people have become less kind. I just think we’ve become more independent. Maybe a little too independent.

And while that’s convenient, I can’t help but feel like we’ve lost something along the way.

Sometimes life gets lonely, and there’s something comforting about knowing the people who live around you. Knowing that if you bump into them downstairs, you’ll stop for a two minute conversation. Knowing someone’s name. Knowing that if anything ever happened, there are people nearby who actually know you.

Maybe that’s why Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah has always felt so comforting to watch. It isn’t just the comedy. It’s the feeling of belonging. It’s a reminder of the kind of neighbourhood so many of us either grew up with or wish we had.

I’m not saying we all need to become one big happy family.

I just think we could all do with a little more community.

Maybe it starts with saying hello to the person you always see in the lift.

Maybe it starts with learning your neighbour’s name.

Maybe home isn’t just the apartment you live in.

Maybe it’s the people living around it too.