THE MOBILE LIFE

I dreamt of owning these beauties when I was a school kid totally into those typical Enid Blyton and Famous Five type teenage story books where the characters of those fascinating books used to live in the caravans or led gypsy lives or sometimes the characters from city spent their summer vacations camping in their mobile homes.I used to ask my mother why we cannot live in a caravan too just like the gypsies did.My mother would ask me back blankly 'whats a caravan' totally clueless!
Well,thats obvious because while caravan or mobile homes are a common lifestyle in the west,here in India no one is aware of such or even have heard of them till recently much less ever lived in one.

Living a gypsy life in India would generally mean the circus way of life where they live in tents or the banjaras travelling in those typical 'thelas carts' pulled by bullocks/camels or the slum dwellers who have those plastic or tin sheet dwellings/shanties built on every bit of land/road they can manage to encroach only to be ruthlessly driven away by the municipalty from time to time.
Owing a mobile home in India is still an alien concept.If we try to live that lifestyle we will certainly raise many eyebrows in the neighbourhood.

So..my childhood dream has so far remained a dream.I really envy those people in the west who follow this lifestyle.I mean there’s nothing like the freedom to move and live where we want.It is perhaps the greatest expression of postmodern mobility where transportation devices are combined with living spaces.You carry your home in your vehicle and camp anywhere you want or move off if you get bored after a while.Nothing can be more fun than living the mobile life.I really crave it!
With time these mobile homes have undergone a massive change ( physically in looks as well as technologically with modern utilities/amenities added in for greater functionality and flexibility ).

From the wooden caravans pulled by horses in the past to today's modern day sleek million dollars mobile homes equipped with the latest comforts and technology,mobile living has seen a vast change.
Greatest advantage of mobile homes is that they can be customised as per an individual's choice.Within a fixed shape the outside can be decorated and the interiors can be reconfigured and personalized by the owner and occupant infinitely.While some prefer to create plush lounges equipped with sound systems,others prefer to add well-organized workspaces instead.With beds, bathrooms, kitchens and storage space all in the mobile home one can travel on any terrain for any lenght of time or even make it their permanent abode.

In the west mobile home travellers have special camping parks too with good fascilities where they can camp together and do various activities or even head out to the countryside alone.


In India we see a few mobile homes mainly referred to as 'Vanity Vans' seen to be used mostly by filmstars.And not to mention that these are really costly ones and they are used only for temporary purposes i.e during film shoots.Almost every major star in bollywood owns their own mobile 'vanity vans' that carries them to their shoots.It is also a status symbol which star has the costliest mobile van.Well...lucky them.

The closest one came to see a liveable mobile home moving on the Indian streets was the one Shahrukh Khan used in the film Swades.But alas,it was in a movie.
I wish mobile lifestyle catches on in India ( although it seems highly unlikely at present,but one can be hopeful no? ).I hope it becomes more affordable and a common sight and not remain in hands of a few rich or in my dreams.
The Rs 17 crore palace on wheels - Amazing!!