There is a real phenomenon known as the "return trip effect". It may be said to be caused by the human weakness of perceiving time. Sometimes our sense of how much time has passed is influenced by our surroundings, our mood or the amount of attention we spend on something.
We have all made that one trip to an unfamiliar place right? It feels like forever when we are going to it, but on the return trip back home, the journey feels shorter.
The Khasis describe this phenomenon as "Tan u khiewja". Literally, it is translated as the pull of the rice pot. The rice pot is synonymous with the warmth of the hearth, the centre of home and family. Thus, this metaphorical idiom expresses the pull of home or of the hearth, where one finds love and joy after returning from somewhere.
Khublei Shibun @a_pocketful_of_plums for sending this!🔥🔥
Acknowledgement for this post is also given to Dr. Ellerine Diengdoh, Assistant Professor, Department of English, St. Mary's College, Shillong.