THE CONTRADICTION

The Contradiction - A Short Story

The train halts at the station.

A kid aged around 12 years gets into the train with a school bag on his back. 

He is in his school uniform. 

He chats happily with his mother, who has accompanied him. 

His eyes are star lit as he recounts the days activities. 

The train halts at the next station.

A kid aged around 12 years gets into the train with a school bag on his back. 

He is in a pant & a shirt. 

He opens his bag & takes out a bundle of notebooks. "Dus ka ek, pandhra ka do. Lelo. A4 notebook. Dus ka ek, pandhra ka do. Lelo lelo. Itna sasta kahi nahi milega," he says. 

His eyes are star lit as a passenger buys 4 notebooks from him.

A Sprinkle of Motivation (13-small-tips)

A Sprinkle of Motivation

(13-small-tips)'

At times, all of us feel low. Many times, we feel dejected...lost. Sometimes we also get tempted to give up, & some of us even do.

I am only twenty three, but I have gone through a lot of ups & downs until now. Some of them might not even be as huge as it might seem to a person in his thirties, or some might be huger than I found them to be, to a person in his teens. But for me, they mattered. Struggles & problems are all a matter of your own feeling towards it. All of us tend to feel that our struggle was worth the story. & it is! Because only you know what you had to go through during the tough period.

However, not always do we summon up the courage to keep going through the struggles. & I like to believe its only a matter of some motivation. Some confidence.

So here are a few tips to help you achieve your dreams, to go through your struggles, & something really tiny from me to boost your confidence by a pint.

1. Set Definite Goals-

The first & foremost important thing is to set definite goals. Be sure what exactly is it that you want. If it is that one degree, or that single position at a distinct company or your distant dream. Set a goal of what you want exactly. & keep it achievable. Don't make goals that wont be logical possible. Aiming to open a billion dollar company within a week- it’s not practically possible right? Set goals & keep them well achievable. Because this helps you in 1. Knowing which direction to head to and 2. Knowing its possible to achieve, practically.

2. Set a time frame-

Schedule out your dreams, your ambitions, your motto's. Keep it reasoned & keep it timed. For example, you can decide that you just have to get that degree completed by 2015. Or that you will get a new job by 2016. Things like that. Make a flow chart consisting of years, down to say 5 years. Stick it in your closet. Every time you see it, it will remind you not only of your ambitions, but also the time you have and the position where you presently stand. Also, keep the time frame practical & short. Don't make a chart for up to 10 or 15 years. It gets difficult & messy. Not to mention 10 years can change a lot of things on its own. Plan medium term- like say, the next 3 or 5 years.

 

3. Make your surroundings motivational-

Become a bit artsy & engage in renovating your surroundings to something that will ooze motivation. For example, in my room, I have stuck up a poster which says "Your Dreams Don't Work Unless You Do" with my dream written right below it. Every time I look at it, I realize I need to work harder for my own dreams to work out. & trust me, these things help. It works as a silent motivation on itself.

4. Be Positive-

Always be positive. This has been a thoroughly repeated quote & a tried & tested method. Thinking positive creates positivity around you & enhances the chances of occurrence of the thing you are wishing for. It has been scientifically proved. Also, positive thinking psychologically motivates you, makes you feel good & creates hope in your mind & heart- making you find achieving your goal easier & possible.  Surround yourself with people who exude positivity.

5. Remove Negativity-

As much as its important to be positive & think positive, it is also important to remove all the negative within you & around you. Don't look at the darker side. Stay away from depressing things. Distance yourself from people who give out negative vibes. Eradicate people who always complain & fret.

6. Dream Big-

Always have a big dream. Don't settle for something that's simple & easy. I do not mean that you set humongous goals- as that would be contradictory to my point no.1. But have dreams that look good enough- dreams that involve your struggle- dreams that when achieved, will make you proud of yourself. A person aspires at climbing a mountain, not a hill right? Ditto for our dreams. Have dreams that make you pull up your socks and assure you a deep sense of satisfaction. I once read somewhere, have dreams that make you uncomfortable- if they don't, its time you dream bigger.

  

7. Imagine -

Imagination works wonders. Keep imagining yourself in the position you wish yourself to be in. Imagine the sense of pride. Imagine the feeling of satisfaction. Imagine the glory of success. It will only tempt you to work harder & reach out to finishing your set goals.

8. Get a Pusher -

Yes, find a pusher for yourself. & by pusher I mean literally a person who will push you. Every time you think of giving up, that person will push you to go on. Every time you feel miserable, that person will show you the better side. Every time you feel you cant do it, he will give you the confidence that you can. Trust me, a pusher is very important in everybody's life. I bet we all have one. Just find yours & always listen to him.

9. Don't Compare-

Don't compare with anybody. Especially with your peers- be it your friends or be it your colleagues. Comparing only has a negative impact. You tend to see how the other person has flourished & you feel a pinch over to yourself. Comparing yourself with somebody else makes you look at yourself in a miserable light, & it does everything else, but motivate you. Compete, don't compare. Because when you compete, you look at the hardships positively with a "I can do it" attitude. But when you compare, you look at the loopholes & negativity.

10. Set A Role Model-

Set a role model for yourself. Everybody should have one role model- where he/ she wishes to go. When I was younger, I had visited my dad's office & seen one of the director drinking tea in a golden colour cup (while rest of others were served tea in ordinary cups) . That's when I decided that I wanted to reach a position where I could drink tea from a ‘golden cup’- that position, that power, that respect. It still motivates me every time. Oh, & don't just have any role model- have one whose success story is something to be awed of- who has achieved what he has after struggles, after winning over the demons. A self made role model. A success story that you can relate & put yourself in their shoes & look at it to keep going.

 

11. Don't Give Up-

No matter what,never ever give up. No matter how hard the condition is, no matter how impossible it seems to continue, no matter how much it kills you to go on. But still, keep going. Keep moving. Of course, you can halt once in a while to recollect yourself. But don't ever give up. Remember, giving up will only cause a regret later in life. It might seem as the best & convenient option presently, but it isn't. Rather, its the worst option. History evidences that whenever a person has given up, he has always ended up regretting it. & regret for given up chances is a bigger sorrow than the happiness of achieving a goal.

12. Give Yourself Time-

You don't have to keep struggling the entire time. Give yourself breaks once in a while. When you know that its breaking you to your ends- take a pause, breathe & then carry on again with a bit more vigor. We are all humans & its completely justified to be tired of the struggles once a while. Its also completely fine to give yourself some pampering. But only for a while- rather,only for the really required time. Even a three hour movie has an interval. We are still humans struggling! We deserve an interval too in midst. However remember that an interval in a movie lasts only for a very short time & that is why it feels good. Ditto about breaks in life- have only as much as extremely necessary. Remember it is a break- don't make it a comfort zone. Take it only as a perk for your struggle, not as a prize for your efforts.

13. Believe in yourself-

This is the most important thing to do. Believe in yourself. There is nothing that you cannot do. There are a lot of things that you excel in, a lot of things which come good to you. If you can be a master in one such thing, then why cant you be a maestro in various others. Its all only a matter of self faith. When you believe in yourself, you exude confidence.  & when you have confidence, everything seems achievable. & when things look achievable, you go & achieve them. It's a cycle which links on but starts only with your self belief. Remember, "When the going gets tough, the tough gets going."

If you have the will power, a dream & some courage, nothing in this world is impossible to achieve. Just a sprinkle of motivation, & the world is yours!

A Short Story

A Short Story

She was very happy today. It had been a great great day after a long time. She was just short of dancing on her way back home. She felt extremely happy, extremely blessed.

As she entered her house, her kids approached her and hugged her. It had been a long day- away from her home, away from her kids. She had two kids- a boy of eight and a girl of five. As they embraced her, she reverted back with the tightest hug she could manage. Even the kids realized their mother was very happy today- they could make it out from her face- the way she had entered the house with a huge beam on her face, eyes glittering with joy. and her hug spoke millions of words.

Though the kids were very young, they knew their mother had been working really really hard since the last few days. She had been dull, worried and striving to make the ends meet.

And yes, she had struggled a lot in the past few months. She had strived to her bits ends. But it had all finally payed off today.

As she cooked food for her kids, she realized how happy they were to look at all the tasty food she had made tonight. Not that it was a huge sumptuous meal, but she had cooked 5 chapatis for the 3 of them and a sabji. She had also picked up  a small ice cream for both the kids on her way  back home. That had made them even more excited.

As she looked at her kids, hogging on to the food so happily, she remembered her previous months. There had been times when she had been able to barely manage any food, and there were days where she had slept empty stomach, because they could not afford food. The days that broke her heart were those when even her kids had to sleep empty stomach. 

Warding off all those thoughts, she smiled again looking at her kids.

She was a small food vendor, in the city of Lonavala. Rather, a “tourist hill station-Lonavala”- as people called it!  She had tried her hand at various things, but everything failed to help her. The village she lived in- it was difficult for her to travel to the City and even when she could, nobody offered her work. That was when she had spoken up with people and started selling vegetables. But even that became a task provided the location she stayed at. Finally, as the monsoon arrived, she came across a lady selling corns- an old lady- she became her messiah and here she was now- selling corns, or what we call bhutta famously. 
From the start of the day at 9 AM up to evening 7.30 PM, she stood at the "Shooting Point"- the famous, high peaked tourist attraction- selling bhuttas. At the start it was very difficult for her- she would freeze in the cold weather, she had to stand barefoot, there was competition, and on certain days the weather would be so bad, she would freeze to the extent of not being able to do anything. But she did. She overcame the difficulties and her hardship had paid off-today.

She did not know if the next day would be the same. And she did not wish to think for what would she do again after the monsoons. 

But today, she was happy. She was satisfied. She felt blessed.

With the monsoons approaching, so had her happiness approached.

The cold rains had brought a long lasting warmth for her family.

KINDNESS - DO IT, FEEL IT

KINDNESS - DO IT, FEEL IT

It was just another usual Sunday. I had to attend a seminar, & had left for it in the mid-noon, which means it was scorching hot- as we all know the Mumbai Summers.

The seminar was conducted at a place which required me to change trains in between. As I got down from the train & reached the other platform where I would b getting the next train, I looked at the indicator which displayed "Expected Arrival Time: 15 mins".

I glanced around for a place to sit- standing for a whole 15 minutes would have made me sweat excessively in that hot humid weather. (& exhausted too as I really had a bad back ache that day).

So, I looked around & there was no place on any of the 2 benches near the ladies compartment. I made a face & started looking for a fan (a working fan- which also actually gave some air- both conditions are equally important & independent of each other- trust me!) as that would atleast be partially relieving.

So I looked around for a fan.. & again dropped a look at the bench which was nearest to me.. One lady had just gotten up, & so I took a step forward.. But another man- maybe in his 30's plunged forward & took the seat.

Feeling depressed (& after throwing him a nasty look for taking the seat near the ladies comp), I realised I will have to stand the entire- no, the remaining 12 minutes.

But suddenly, a strange thing happened. A guy, maybe in his mid-twenties, who was sitting at an adjacent bench, looked at me. He had just seated a few moments back (yes I had seen him doing that). He looked at me, got up from the seat & left. Maybe he didn't have to take that train or wanted to go to the other last end- which actually didn't matter to me- as the moment I saw the 'vacancy', I rushed to the place & sat down. Haaashh- such relief!

After a minute or so, when I looked around, I saw the guy standing- a bit away from me.

I was curious. Why would a person get up- like leave his nice airy seat & go stand in the humidity. When there were a whole 11 minutes for the train to arrive.

Just then, I received a call &  thus got busy over the phone- getting completely engrossed in the gossip that my Friend was updating me with. Meanwhile, after a whole 10 minutes, the train arrived. As I got up from the bench to board the train, I saw the same guy boarding the very same train- exactly from where he was standing all this while.

& that was when I realised it- he had gotten up, merely so I could get a place to sit down.

It made me feel really touched. Such acts of kindness instantly put a smile on your face & make you feel- special- happy.

 

Was there actually any need for him to do that?

So many of us do not posses the courtesy to give up our seats even for the oldies. So many of the men do not posses the manliness to get up when they see a lady standing. How many of us have seen a pregnant lady standing in the crowded local, but we, inspite of being women, were heartless enough to not get up & give her the seat? How many of us have told our boyfriend to get up from beside us , when seated at the benches placed on the platform at the ladies compartments? How many of us have gotten up ourselves when seated at the "reserved for senior citizens" seats in buses, without expecting the other person to vacate, instead of us?

I m sure many have- but I m also sure that most of us haven't.

So the next time, show some kindness- it not only puts a smile on the other persons face for a long long time but it also ends up gaining goodness for you.

I do not remember how that guy looked- but yes, everytime in future I witness a similar situation, Il definitely remember him. Because his Act, created a good memory for me, no matter how remote. & Il always smile when I remember it. Not just that, il also do, or make-do similar acts in future. & all this will definitely bank up his good deeds too.  Its all indirectly related you see...

Because, a single act of Kindness throws out roots in all directions... & the roots spring up & make new trees.

& remember, its always good to feel some kindness, but it feels even better to be the kind. 

The Happiness Mantra

The Happiness Mantra

It so happens at times that we lose control over our feelings. Be it anger, sadness, happiness or grief. At times, certain situations tend to make us so vulnerable that we cannot keep a guard on our own emotions. Sometimes the reasons are completely valid. But at times, the reasons are either completely invalid or minor. Rather, at times there is no reason at all for the sudden outburst of our emotions.

Being emotional isn’t a wrong thing. We are all humans & humans are the only beings blessed with the widest variety of emotions & the only beings capable of expressing them as well. In fact, we should always express ourselves out. That is an extremely important thing to stay healthy. Emotionally, psychologically & mentally sound.

However, does it not happen often that we react extremely in certain situations & later regret it? But still we repeat the same actions the next time when faced with a similar situation. Why does that happen? Why do we step into the pit in spite of knowing that we are bound to fall down & hurt ourselves? Isn’t that how it goes? Say you are extremely upset at somebody, & so you express your anger at that person,  & later regret saying all the stingy things that you blurted out in that very moment of emotional outburst. So, why not curtail it, instead of regretting later?  Isn’t regret also a form of a negative emotion? And any kind of negative emotion is always a nuisance. Terrible nuisance, I would say!

So, here are 10 small tips which you can surely try to implement in your life style, to save yourself the bouts of the negative feelings:

1. Stop Expecting:  The very first rule is to stop expecting. Stop expecting from people, especially people whom you love. With great expectation, comes great responsibility & with great responsibility, comes a greater chance of the person letting you down. So stop expecting. I know it is not that easy to not expect anything from anyone, you ought to expect small tiny things from people close to you. But that is how the vicious circle works: you love somebody-> you expect something from them -> they do not fulfill that expectation or do not stand up to it -> you feel let down -> you find a situation & express it -> you feel sad. (& the other person feels sad as well). So. Avoid expecting anything from anybody. Even if you do expect, keep it minimalistic with no strings attached. See to it that the “non-living-upto-it” won’t break you down

2.  Be on Guard: The second point would definitely be keeping a guard on all your emotions. Be it sadness,

or anger, or hatred, or jealousy, or anything. You should be in complete control of it. I understand you cannot completely avoid these emotions. But the point is to keep them in check. If you are angry at somebody, see to it that you do not wag your tongues so much that you have to regret it later. Or you end up hurting that person. Just as you are not supposed to hurt yourself, so are you not allowed to hurt others! Once you learn how to keep your emotions in check, half the battle is won. Engage yourself in a common practice which will help you get back your normalcy. You can try to count 100-1 in reverse order when you are too hyper, or breathe in & out with vigor to get that shooting up BP under control. If something is saddening you to a suicidal point, try to think of something you love, or start thinking of probabilities of something nice that might happen out of the present bad situation. It does help, trust me!

3. Get Busy: Get yourself involved in something. Yes! Go out, read a book, draw, paint, listen songs... Absolutely anything that will get you out of the emotional turmoil- into a positive, enthusiastic one. The next time you are upset or grieving, start painting. Or move that butt & dance. Go gym-ing. Get a hobby. It will always act as your runaway point when every other control method runs out. You can call it the “theory of deviation”. Once you deviate your mind to something you enjoy doing, it will automatically act as a stress buster for you.

4. Believe: You ought to believe in something. Something positive. If you are a person who believes in God, always stick to that belief & know that God will always be there by your side, no matter how hard it gets. He won’t ever leave your side, no matter what. Keep that faith firm, & you can sail your boat in any waters. If you do not believe in God, stay assured that there is some kind of a positive energy that works absolutely as you want it to. Believe that if you think well enough, the good will gradually happen. If you stay happy, it will give you a lot more reasons to be happy. Trust me; it is a scientifically proven fact.

5. Socialize: The more you socialize the better. & by socializing, I do not mean only facebooking or tweeting.

By socialize I mean, go out, make friends, talk your heart out with them. Have a good bonding with your family. Always remember, good friends & family- can drive you out of any hard emotion. If you keep to yourself, your mind will over work itself & you will tend to tangle your emotions way too much. If you are a person who doesn’t really like socializing, see to it that you have at least one such friend or at least one such family member, in whom you can confide the deepest of your feelings. As they say, sharing is caring, so is sharing equivalent to light-headedness.

6. Eradicate Negativity: Never think negative. In fact, stay away from negativity in any manner- negative emotions, negative situations, negative people. Try to foresee if a certain action might have any negative after effect. If it does, avoid! Run away! Do anything, but stay away from any kind of negativities. Negativity is the most deathly thing, ever! AVOID!

7. Express: Yes, you ought to express yourself. I know I just said that you should keep your feelings in control & avoid saying things in the split of the moment, but let me make it clear that the whole point is not exceeding your expressing limits. You definitely should express yourself- building up your anger or mounting up your sadness, will only lead to a massive explosion later, of which the consequences will be terrible & un fathomable. So the next time you are upset at your boyfriend, tell him what made you upset. If you are angry at your friend for something she did, tell her that you didn’t like it & she really drove you angry. But don’t overdo it. Don’t express in a way which will work as a Frisbee- trying to get rid of emotions should not give you other negative emotions, back again.

8. Stay happy:  Make it a habit. & trust me; you can make happiness a habit. Decide to yourself that no matter what happens, I will stay happy. Smile. Laugh. Read out jokes. Gossip with friends. Watch comic series. Do whatever it takes, to keep you happy. If you keep trying enough for happiness, it will become a habit & you won’t realize when it gradually becomes your most real emotion. & once you achieve that- once you make happiness a habit, you won’t let anybody spoil it- nobody! Also, you can get a habit to note down the good things that happen to you. & when you are feeling too dejected, get that diary out & read the things that by far made you happy. I would like to call it a retrospective effect. Reliving your happiness, will make you happy again, instantly.

9. Stay healthy: Ok, I did not really want to include this point here, but it is included in each & everything, & it is also true. Stay fit, stay healthy. A fit body helps in keeping your mind fit, & a fit mind always thinks logically. & when you think logically, you will not think hazardous scenarios in your mind & built up depressing emotions.

10. Look around, feel blessed, and Accept:  Yes, look around. I will not use the word ‘comparing’ here, but evaluate the people around you & the circumstances that they are into- that will make you realize how very

lucky you are. There are tons of people out there who have 100 more reasons than you have to be sad or to break down or have every right to be angry at the entire world. But they are still facing it. With a happy face. You will always find the people in the most terrible situations, trying to live more happily than you are. & do you know why? Because they have accepted the situation- as it is. You cannot give away negativities & live happily if you are stuck in a denial phase. Whatever happened just happened. You cannot change it. But you can definitely change its impact on your future. Acceptance is the most important step for changing your sadness to happiness, anger to forgiveness. The more time you take to accept, the farther you reach from your goal. & your goal is- happiness!

In this world, all that matters is- staying happy. As long as you are happy, everything feels great. As long as you are happy, you have the ability to put up with anything & everything that comes your way. As long as you are happy, you can easily get a grip over your stray emotions & keep them under control. With happiness, comes satisfaction. & once you are satisfied with & in your life, everything becomes perfect.

You no longer fret over small small things.

You no longer cry over minor issues.

You no longer get angry at people.

You no longer get distressed or annoyed.

In short, you stay happy.

Purely happy…

Blissful…

Serene…

Calm. ..

SATISFIED.

A JACK-OF-ALL-TRADES, MASTER OF NONE!

A JACK-OF-ALL-TRADES, MASTER OF NONE!

Friday- the best day of the week.

The last day of the hectic, boring, monotonous LONG week.

Friday- the day where all you think about is the weekend.

The moment you get up on a Friday, there is enthusiasm in the air. Enthusiasm for the coming weekend.

Everybody starts planning for the weekend the moment Friday arrives. Some of us plan for a picnic with family, some of us plan an outing with friends, while some of us plan to just relax at our home- chilling on the sofa with a huge bowl of popcorn & the recorded episodes of HIMYM or FRIENDS on our laptops.

Bliss!

It was a long weekend this time. The usual Saturday Sunday, coupled with a holiday on Monday as well, it being the occasion of Gudi Padwa (or Ugadi, as you would say it.)

Every single friend of mine at the office had already started planning for this 3-day long holiday since a month before. Some of them had plans to escape to a serene villa, while some others had plans to take their kids to resorts. Youngsters of my age had a lot of plans, including outing with friends, shopping, TV, movies, & also a bit of a studies here & there.

Finally, the much-awaited weekend was here. The moment office ended at 6:15 PM on Friday, I changed my WhatsApp status to “A Long Weekend is hereJ”.

There was soo much of enthusiasm in the air- be it the roads, or the trains- people were busy chirping with gusto about the coming weekend & their plans. Plans about outings, spending some quality time with families, celebrating gudi-padwa, preparing various sweets & other special dishes, & so on.

I reached home by 7 PM as usual. I freshened up & immediately logged on to Facebook. Most of the updates were about “Friday”, or the “weekends” & most of the statuses were about – yes, you guessed it right- the weekend.

An hour or so passed, & my mom was home. With a huge bag of groceries. I rushed out & started peaking into the bags. It turned out; it was full of ingredients for making puran poli.

“You gonna make puran poli?”

“Yes!!!”

“Why mom... Couldn’t you make something else? I don’t like puran poli!”

“Stop crying... I am also making Shrikhand!”

“Yayyyy! Love you mom! You are theeee best!!!

The next morning, I woke up earlier than usual. I had full plans to study. As exams were nearing, & I hardly got time on weekdays, weekends were my only saviors.

The day passed on peacefully, with a lot of studies, a bit of TV & some nice time gossiping with my mum-dad.

Later in the evening, I decided to go to the dentist- a long pending work since the last month. Soon, I was done with that (painlessly) & got back home. By the time I reached home, my mom was about to leave.

“Where are you going?”

“Arrre, you know naa there’s a program on Gudi Padwa? I am going to see those kids ka practice.”

“Ooo.. okk okk…”

Let me inform you all here that, there was a huge program planned on the day of Gudi Padwa. My mom is a part of two social groups- both of which are engaged in cultural programs. It appears there were two different programs planned by both the groups, one in the morning & the other at the evening.

In the morning, there was supposed to be a procession- a huge, long procession- where a lot of kids were going to perform lazim & dances, with all those formations & stuff like that. Also, aged aunties were to sing bhajans all the way, & other people were supposed to accompany them, with some kids banging the dhols, drums & pianos. It was a long procession- walking, of course. It was planned to start at morning 7 AM & everybody was supposed to reach the starting venue by 6:30 AM- all dressed in their costumes, with the proper makeup’s, accessories, banners & so on.

The second function was supposed to start at evening- around 5 PM- which was a singing program. Some of my friends- all of my age, or maybe just an year or two younger to me- were to perform- rather sing. Around about 15 songs. With a proper orchestra.

So, back to the story. Soon, Saturday came to an end, & with it ended one day of peaceful serenity & enjoyment.

The next day- Sunday- was spent in a similar manner. A bit of a studying, meeting up with my friends, chit chatting with mum dad & catching on some sleep.

The people who were to perform on Monday, were practicing the whole day, keeping aside everything else. Putting in all the possible efforts, they wanted to make this cultural program of my city, a success- probably putting in as much efforts as Alia Bhatt did for Highway.

“Arrreee.. do you know till what time did these kids practice the songs on Friday??”, my mom- with an over the pitch excitement in her voice.

“What time?” me- expecting a 9 or a 10 PM in response.

“1:30AM!!!!” my mom- with her tone reaching a 5 times higher decibel than before.

“OH My God! 1:30??? In the morning? Are you serious?” me- totally taken aback.

“Yess Yess!! They practiced till 1:30 AM, & reached home by 2 something!”

“…………..…” I am blank!

“Arre, not just that, do you know… Preeti had an exam on Saturday morning! Two exams actually! After that practice, she reached home by 2, had dinner, then again woke up by 4AM-to study for the exam.”

“………………..” I am still blank- & speechless.

“In fact, after the exams, she reached home by 5PM, & abhi 7 baje I went to see their practice, toh she was there- practicing!” my mom was just not stopping.

& I just had no words.

It appears, my mom had a lot of things to say- rather, a lot of things to make me go into a hibernation state.

“Not just preeti! Do you know, even Ritu! Even that girl- she has a paper on Tuesday- early morning 8 AM at Chuchgate. She is everyday practicing itna late tak, Monday she’ll be there in the morning procession- playing lazim & dhol, & also at the evening- singing.”

“Mom- will you please stop? It is making me feel insignificant!” I snapped. 

Thankfully, that made my mom stop with the over-the-top-pitch “words of awe”.

Monday morning arrived. I woke up, had a nice long shower, dressed up in new clothes & started helping mum with the pooja. Soon, we were done, & we left- for the procession. I wasn’t going to be a part of the procession – as I found these things quite boring. My only reason for going there was- many of my mum’s friends had asked me to come, & my granny wanted to check out all that was happening. However, as my granny cannot walk that well anymore, I had a nice reason to escape from the procession- “I have to take nani back home..” ;)

We reached the mandir- the starting point of the procession. As I reached there, I saw a girl, on the floor there, stooping- making a huge rangoli. That was one of my friends- Preeti! (Yes, the same girl mentioned above!) 

She were busy making a nice huge colorful rangoli, while I stood there- watching her make it.

Let me state here that I am very bad at all these things. Be it a rangoli, or any other artistic thing. Not that I suck at artistic things- I can make beautiful greeting cards, & I can sketch really well. But making rangolis or knitting croshia is just not my cup of tea.

So, I just stood there- watching her make the rangoli- with a bit smearing on her new dress & her hands smudged with the rangoli colors. (Oh I would die, but not sit down on a road & smear my clothes with colors! - like I said, just not my cup of tea!)

Finally, she was done with the rangoli. And yes, it was beautiful. Simply beautiful.

Soon, all the other people arrived- kids, aunties, uncles, aged people, youngsters- everybody. A bit of here & there, chit-chats, prayers, & everybody was ready to go.

The procession started- I said good-bye to everyone & left the place with my granny.

By the time I reached home, it was 9ish. I had some snacks, cleaned up the house, & sat at my study table with books.

BORING!

The only bad thing about festivals is that you just do not feel like studying!

Thinking what to do, I logged onto Instagram & started scrolling through the pictures. I came across a picture uploaded by my friend- a picture of an angry Shiva! It was a beautiful picture! Without even realizing, I took out a pencil & a plain paper, & started sketching. 15 minutes- & it was done. A beautiful, almost similar sketch of an angry Shiva was there- on my paper. Perfect!

Within a few hours, my mom was back from the procession- all tired. She looked soo exhausted- walking so long, in the harsh sun. She told me about the happenings in the processions, who did what, which aunty wore what color sarree, which aunty wore what accessories…etc etc etc.

& so passed the afternoon.

In the evening, my mom- being a committee member, left by 5:30 PM- while I was supposed to reach the venue by 7 PM.

Dressed in a simple kurti, I reached the venue. The place was buzzing with enthusiasm. I quickly searched through the crowd, located my mom, & sat down with her. The program soon began, & the stage was taken over by some of my friends, & some other people-probably of my age or younger, & soon the hall was filled with their first song of the evening.

The program went on & on, while I kept waiting for it to end.

“9 PM & still no signs of it getting over. God! When will this be over so that I can go back home, have dinner & sleep. Kalse wapas office.. Oh God! Why!!”

With each passing minute, my head started paining more & more- with the loud music & the high pitch voices of the singers. (no doubt they were singing really well.. rather fabulous, but it starts getting onto you after a 2 hours of continuous music & high pitch songs)

Finally, the program ended & it was 10:30 PM! Me & my mum dad rushed out of the place & reached home- had food, & slept!

We were tired! Dead tired by the entire day!

Tired by getting up at 5 AM in the morning on a holiday!

Tired by reaching the procession venue by 7AM.

Tired by merely accompanying the procession for a 5 minute or so.

Tired by attending the evening program.

Tired by listening to the songs.

Were the kids not tired?

Logically, shouldn’t they be more tired than we were?

They did so much of mehnat-  put in so much of efforts- shouldn’t they be more tired?

However, no- they were not tired. Not even an ounce!

Or probably they didn’t, hadn’t realized it in all the enthusiasm.

In spite of slogging the whole week, practicing until 1AM at night, waking up at 4AM on mornings, attending exams, attending classes- they still weren’t tired today.

I really wonder- how?

How can one have so much of energy? How is that humanly possible for anybody?

But it is- for some people it is possible.

Il tell you the signs of these people:

1-They can sleep at 2 AM & wake up at 4 AM & still not look a bit of sleep depraved. Not a slight dark circle around their eyes.

2-They can participate in all programs of all sorts.

3-They can sing, dance, cook, make rangolis, design bags, stitch clothes, make accessories- you name it!

4-They are always buzzing with energy! Not once will you find them tired & exhausted!

5-They are always fidgety! You won’t find them sitting stable at one place for even a whole 10 minutes!

6-They always have good, traditional, expensive dresses & sarees- for every occasion!

7-They are either excessively social, or they have absolutely no idea about what is happening in the world around them- no in between!

Look around- you definitely must be having at least one such person in your friend circle!

All this makes me come to another point.

Not that I am against such people. They are really good & they do a lot.. really! Hats off such people!

But, is there really any use of running around so much? Where is the peace?

Let us take an example. Preeti. She is an engineering student. Last year of engineering. She took up science because she scored really well in 10^th std, & she & her mom have a belief that smart students who score well, only go to the science field. Engineering is her priority (as her mom says). With that, she can sing- she has cleared exams of professional singing. She can dance- she has cleared exams of Katthak dancing. She can make beautiful rangolis. She can act well. She can give speeches. She can cook. She can knit. She designs clothes. She can do everything that you can think of.

Hobbies?

NO. These are not just her hobbies. She keeps doing all this, not just because she likes it, but because she feels, it will be of a great help in the future.

Really? What does she expect? Working on-field as a civil engineer, will she be told to make rangolis there? Or ‘dancing-singing-cooking-knitting’ will be put on her CV & it’ll really help her get a job?

Then what “help” is she talking about?

& what happened to the “priority” here?

Do people really not know or do they just act dumb?

This was just one example.

I have friends who have been doing a lot of things, all at the same time.

Just for the craze of it.

People do CA, CS, ICWA, LAW. All four degrees- at the same time.

I ask, "why?"

“So that it will help in the future!”, they say! 

Really? Do you really think that you are going to get a job in a company where they make you the head of all the four departments? Do you really think they are going to give you the work of a CS, a CA, as well as an ICWA?

No people. They won’t.

If that was how companies worked, there would be all one-man companies.

X will set up a company. X will be the financer. X will be the legal head. X will be also manage the accounts, & conduct the meetings. X will manage human resources & X hiii will advertise the products.

Hilarious.

Why not tell X to buy the products as well?

If multi-coursing in all streams really helps, the most it’ll help is the preference while appointing you. Nothing more. & definitely not as much, to match the level of efforts you are putting in right now, compromising on other fun & peaceful things, which you probably will not get later in life.

There are people who take up a medical course, but are just not interested in it. They clear each year with a huge difficulty, but still carry on with it.

Why friend? When you couldn’t get a medical college seat without a huge donation, & you are struggling with just the first year of medical college, & you get a double drop in the first year itself, do you really think you’ll be a good doctor?

Instead, why not simply take up another course? Which matches your caliber & interests you as well?

I have friends who have been doing a course like CA as well as CS. However, they do many things with that as well. They do CA, with an LLB. & they have further plans to take up MBA.

Like why? What & where is the connection?

CA + CS+ LAW + MBA = Jack of all, master of none!

I really wonder what is wrong with today’s generation.

No doubt, there is a lot of competition, which is bound to increase with each passing day. But it definitely does not mean that you step on every rock that you come across. That will just make you fall in the river instead of acting as a bridge!

If you all ever saw Takeshies Castle-, the program on PoGo- there was this game which involved stepping on various stones- few of which were unstable. You had to judge, find the exact rock which was stable, & only that would take you the end of the river. The people, who, in a hurry, without thinking, stepped on the unstable rocks, usually fell down.

Isn’t that how it actually is?

You need to think & step on a stable rock- judge the rocks & plan your steps – not haphazardly step on any stone randomly, just to make you reach the next level.

Similarly, when it comes to your life, you need to sit down, think what you want in life, & start working in that direction- just to achieve that one goal. You cannot have 10 goals at the same time.

You always aim to reach the mountain top- & the mountain top is just one, not ten!

So all people out there, take a look at yourself. What is it that you are doing & what is it that you actually want to achieve.

Having hobbies is not a bad thing. In fact, every person should possess at least one hobby. But a hobby should be kept a hobby. Do not confuse it with your goal, or worse, do not engage in a hobby thinking it will yield you benefits in your future.

A hobby is for your pleasure, your enjoyment- not as a support for you to achieve your other distinct goals.

Aspiring to achieve a lot of things- great! You ought to be determinant to achieve a lot in life. However, see to it that you do not end up juggling with ten different things, while struggling to attain efficiency in even one.

Find out what you really want in life. Where you really want to reach. What do you picturize yourself doing, ten years down the line.  What makes up for your career & what stands out as your hobby.

Ultimately, it is your life. Only you have a hold on it. Sure, destiny does matters a lot too. But 90% of your life is under your control. The way you shape it now, that is exactly how it will turn out later.

Always remember-

“A Jack of All, Master of None,

A Master of One, Later Hires the Jack.”

So, take a breath & think to yourself. Whether you are really doing what needs to be done, or are you just gathering stepping-stones, which YOU THINK will lead to your success.

Life is a beautiful blessing. & you get this blessing just once. So make the most of it- in the right manner. Not trying to get everything & ending up with nothing.

Get some PEACE in your life & life will give definitely gift you the best PIECE of your future.

~gAuRi