RESPECT THEM!!

A strange incidence happened today- which made me ponder upon the blindfold we have put on, to see only what is important or may turn to be of any use in some point of our lives.In this mad race, we tend to ignore so many people, relations, emotions and the beauty of life that is something to cherish.

Daily when i walk down to my bus stop in the morning, there are same faces , at same places i see regularly.But since morning time is always a hassled one, so i hardly acknowledged anyone.

In our apartment , there is an aged gentleman, around 70 years of age, who daily sits under a tree on the same bench in the morning, and silently watches the people passing by.I had never noticed him until one day he asked me- " young lady, what is the time?"

I was impressed by his mannerisms and his confident voice ( not expected of people from his generation). anyways, i told him the time and moved ahead, for a split second I wondered what could be the value of time for him when all he did was to sit and think.

Anyways, from the next day onwards, whenever i crossed him , he used to smile at me, and i reciprocated the gesture- no words ever exchanged. This "smile bond" had been a relationship with him since that day of developing an acquaintance. with him

This morning, i was not in the best of my moods, had a rough weekend and was homesick, still life moves on- so i tried my best possible to attune to the hectic week that laid ahead.Dressed formally, the same smile, same walk, same time- no one could figure out the mood i was in. I wore my mask of professionalism.

Following his tradition, the gentleman saw me, smiled and i smiled back. I realized i had smiled after 2 days, it was a good feeling, though a fake smile , yet it helped. i moved ahead. But the gentleman called me from behind- " excuse me miss! "

I halted and turned to face him, looking at my watch, thinking he needed to know the time again.

But this time it was something else.

" how are you? " he asked.

I was surprised, he had never exchanged any word or pleasantries with me, but his concern made me feel happy.

I smiled back, and lied that i was fine.There was no reason to tell this stranger about the bad mood, or the large pool of problems that ailed me.

He smiled back, and what he said was a bigger surprise for me- " no , you are not fine lady. Today your smile is a fake one. Whatever your problem is- it will be solved soon. Have faith ! A new week ensures a new beginning. Have a great week ahead."

He was silent now, and so was i.

Today i understood that he did not waste his time sitting there , each morning, but he noticed the people around, studied them and their moods and this was his way of connecting to the world.

When everyone is busy in their own problems and entanglements, there is this handful of people, having years of experience in the journey called life- they are people who need nothing in return for the love and compassion they shower. They are the elderly people, who need just a little care and affection, and they shower all their blessings and support.

Respect them! Love them!

Today is not any major day for thinking about old people, or to pledge to go to any old-age homes and do social services-- Yet, i feel like doing something for them..and even if you don't wish to go an extra mile, atleast acknowledge them and their presence.

Just Like That :)

Early morning- bright sun- heavy traffic- a brain running faster than a super fast train and the body functioning at a pace that may even compete with jet plane—not an ideal environment to write, but circumstances cant’ hold barriers for a thinkers mind ..
Trust me, to see elderly people dressed up in suits and formals- one can visualize them in official meetings –but I daily see them sleeping (with their mouths open :P) in the offise bus, with latest gadgets jeering at their monotony and headsets singing the same collection of songs daily into their ears, same time-same stern expressions—same Economic times headlines .Same routine- wake up at 6, travel- work-travel-reach home-sleep-wake up and it follows till weekend. It makes me ponder upon the kind of life we are leading, is it what we really want? It reminds me of my favourite poem “leisure” by WH Davies—What is this life if full of care, we have no time to stand and stare..
In the computer world, there are machines, in the IT world-we are called resources. In a few days one realizes that sharks look very handsome in crisp suits and not everyone who smiles at you is your friend. The urge for being independent , the ambition to prove oneself- the high spirit to change the world and make some difference, the firm self belief that we will make a stand in this world.. all fades gradually. We tend to get lost in the big bad world. Its sad- but we have to accept this inevitable part of life- to compete, to struggle , to work hard and to attune to this fast paced life—there is no turning back or alternate.
But despite one’s best efforts to dutifully perform in this mad race, sometimes in a moment of solitude even the impeccably suited-booted CEO reminiscences about the direction of life- how things have changed- how definitions have altered—how he has evolved from a kid to grown up..
At some stage, each one of us wants to relive those lollipop days. When missing the school bus gave an opportunity to miss school and play at home. when staying awake till 10 at night meant sleeping late, when good food meant eating at restaurant, when being busy meant reducing play time by a few minutes, when not talking to a friend meant a few minutes of anger, when “tu” was used to address everyone, when even 2 month long summer break appeared not enough, when there were no responsibilities, when anger or frustration over small things could be let out by shouting or crying- when we always had friends to support us, when the only concern was yearly exams, when promotion meant getting new books, new class teacher and friends, when performance meant exam results. When going to school appeared tiring, when goodbye meant a bye till next day, when people wore masks only during games. When toys were used to pass time, when newspaper reading meant cartoon column …

Today reading any quote or message about the childhood ,or even the college days pops up a smile on our face and atleast for one second each one of us wishes to relive those lovely phase of time—but that’s not an option—so I, just like all other grown ups, brush aside the thoughts and try to make the most of the “present” ..
Cherishing the smile that those beautiful memories of innocence brought up on the face..
Will post soon. Keep smiling till then!!:)

"I"

i-a letter among 26 alphabets-'I', a word among others in the dictionary.--"I", an individual among the crowd of the world.
i, so meek, so small, unnoticable-yet important and one of its kind.
for others i maybe just someone-but for a few people, i maybe irreplacable.
for others, i maybe just an acquaintance to talk about, but for a few, i am a support system to 'talk to'.
the world is full of people-each with his own story called life-own feelings-own dreams-own aspirations-own thoughts-hopes and challenges-ups and downs---yet what we see is just what we want to see,what our perspective makes us see.
we donot see the individuality of each "i", but we characterise them by our own rules.
if we see a poor bus conductor shouting, we will conclude he is short tempered..what if he is irritated because his poor kid is unwell and he can not afford medicines.
if we see a snob teenager, we conclude she has unasked attitude..what if she lost her family ages ago, and the hardships made her what she is.
if we see a rich spoilt brat, we conclude he has not been brought up well..what if he never got his busy parent's attention and devised his ways to keep himself busy.
if we meet a friend's sister, for the first time,we meet her as a friend's sister, and not as an individual she is.
the world is full of people, its upto you to call it a crowd, or look at it as a collection of people.
to call it a crowd gives you a generalised view, but a collection of people makes you treat each one as a living individual- to consider the human part of their life-to treat them accordingly- to judge them individually.

at this very moment, when you are forming an opinion about me, by reading my blog, i maybe doing something that totally contradicts your opinion.
at this very moment,when i am watching Anushka perfrom on TV and getting awed by her glamourous life,fan following..she maybe lazing around in her comfortable bed hoping to get some personal space.
at this very moment, when Ambani could be hurrying to avoid a minutes delay for a multi crore deal, someone could be spending hours under the sun, to look for a job to earn his bread and butter.
while on a same traffic signal, a gentleman in mercedes could be blaming the poor traffic system that makes him struck on road in his AC car..a poor beggar on the same road could be earning his days meal due to traffic.
on the railway platform, a poor kid maybe excited about his first journey outside his village, even if it meant 15 hours in a general compartment..for another gentleman,same 15 hours in AC coach maybe a nightmare as his travel agent couldnot manage flight tickets.
its the same day for everyone- same life- same 24 hours that we all get-yet we make different stories.
each "i" has a life, a story that maybe unnoticed by you, but important for him.

you have your story too, which is already at a better phase than many others, and you have your 24 hours, to decide the important characters in your story, to play the different roles of your story, and to shape the end of your story.
decide the value of "I",the letter that helps in formation of many words."I", the word that helps in formation of many sentences. and"I" the individual, me, that makes an integral part of many stories of the world.
Value each "I"!!

First Flight.....

From the cozy, comfortable warmth of a mother’s nest, when the little bird spreads its wings to take a flight in the open sky- to fulfill the long cherished dream of proving herself, to enjoy the vastness of the sky and the freedom that awaits her- to discover the world…her excitement is out of bounds… 

Every moment spent in the nest appears as a moment of captivity; she is desperate to join the league of grown up birds- and waits for the day of her first flight.

But as the moment draws nearer- the excitement turns into nervousness—she had practiced the flight earlier- but that was in her parents’ safe supervision, where she took off from the green grass, and even if she felt down- she would land safely. But today the risk was bigger—she had no idea of the stretch of sky, if she managed to balance well, she could fly to the extents beyond her imagination; but if something went wrong, she might fall- this time, the height would be more- much more than she could visualize. There was no green grass to act as a cushion-she could get injured, or worse- could never fly again and be bounded back in the nest forever!!

Life is all about taking risks—if you don’t risk it, you won’t get the biscuit.

With trembling legs, she spreads her wings, slowly, cautiously, putting all the efforts not to let the wild gush of air shake her balance, or confidence. “Go slow” her beloved ones shout from the nest—but to stay in the air, demands constant flapping of wings—it’s too fast—too furious. Slowly, the bird adapts to the air pressure and then notices the other birds flying around—some flying a level higher, confident because of years of experience, others, the newbie like her, were struggling too..



She starts to enjoy the new life she had earned, wishes to explore the limits of the sky, people said it was impossible to cover the vastness of sky. She could do that- she would do that!!

She meets an unknown bird- it didn’t look like any other bird she had seen. this bird was black, it was different—the novice little bird tries to recall how her mother had described about other birds called crows, pigeons , owls, vultures, nightingales, mynah and the rest. All were considered birds- but were different from each other.

The little bird was confused about the black bird, and decided to ignore it…suddenly, the black bird comes closer—little bird gets scared, it could be dangerous to interact with unknown species. Maybe it was the fear of rejection-or disapproval!!Whatever it was-She was curious, yet constrained by her own inhibitions. Surprisingly, the black bird initiates the talk-and advises the little bird to change the direction of flight, as the way ahead could be dangerous and there was a storm. Doubtful, confused, the little bird stares up in the sky, everyone appeared to change the direction, even the experienced flyers were diverting.maybe the black bird was right.

The little bird decided to follow the crowd- and move in the safe direction. She felt confident now. The black bird was not dangerous, it could be befriended, later she discovered that the bird was a pigeon.

When another black bird came closer, this time the little bird didn’t feel scared-the black species were good. She had trusted them before- she could trust them now.

since she had opted for the safe path, she enjoyed the smooth flight, though she often dreamt of herself in the storm- how she missed the opportunity to prove herself, she didn’t accept the challenge, and was now starting to get bored of the monotonous flight. She no longer found the views of earth attractive, she missed her nest. She had seen so much of the world, had so much to tell, but her beloved ones were left behind, she knew they were still in the nest, waiting for her to return. She was lost in the thoughts, feeling lonely in a sky full of birds. 

 
All of a sudden, something happened and she lost her balance. She was heading down to the ground; she had never expected this change in her life. She did not know how to save herself.

Suddenly someone supported her, and helped her regain balance.

She was shocked to see her mother, who was supposed to be in the nest.

“I knew you would fall, the second black bird was a crow, who had been following you since you chose this easy path, it noticed every detail about you, figured out your weakness, and knew that you were losing the focus-you flew here, but missed the stormy and challenging sky, you undervalued the challenges here, and ignored the serene beauty that this path had to offer. The crow used the opportunity to knock you down.”

“But, mom, how did you find me?” the little bird asked.

The mom smiled, “I was around you all the time, but my experience made me confident to fly a level higher than you. I had been noticing your journey throughout, to see how you deal with pigeon and the crow. You had heard them in theory, but could you recognize them in practical as well? I wanted to see how well you could manage on the first day of your flight.”

“Then why did you not warn me about the crow? Or meet me when I was missing you? ” the little bird got upset.

“Because anything that comes for free, has no value. I wanted you to learn the lessons, to develop an understanding, so that you too gain experience” mom smiled back and took a leap to go back to the higher level in the sky.

The little bird was alone again, but suddenly when she looked below- she did not see the ground anymore.

This time, she saw the younger birds, which had just started their first flight.

She felt elevated.

She too had gone one level up in the sky, she had realized why it was difficult to cover the entire sky- because there were both crows and pigeons, which would help you, or would try to pull you down.

This is how you learn from life, and raise up to a higher level of experience.

Life is challenging, but the experience and satisfaction of flight makes it worth living.

Live it!! Like it!!

p.s—this post makes no sense even to me, was just a random scribble of thoughts on entering a new corporate phase of my life.so if you don’t like it..i don’t blame you! Feedback shall be welcomed..