Another Friday

Another friday is here. But this one is not like the other Fridays, which had always brought in the feeling of losing myself in this deafening solitude. Unlike those Fridays which were full of dilemma on what to eat, what to watch and so many countless situations, today is special. While some will be remembered for a movie or a talk which engulfed the entire Friday night.

But this one is special, when I'm preoccupied with so many to-do-things this weekend. Apart from the mundane routine, this is probably the first-time when all I'm looking forward on a Friday night is having some good food and catch a good sleep. And what makes this weekend even more special is that I don't need to bother about cooking. Many more such weekends to come..

Life's leanings

Some days are not the happiest ones, but they do teach you more than those joyous days; about life, about the harsher realities, about the dreaded truths of this world. And then we make sure the celebrations for the upcoming days never fell short of our expectations.

The reality is as far away from our imagination, as the truth is from a rumour. But then it adds another dimension to your thought process, which again might not hold true next time you're stuck at divergent paths.

That time again, it'll teach you something new; and this is precisely the definition of life. Ever changing with each breath of air.

Aspirations

I followed many persons in my life, sometimes aspiring to be like themselves, sometimes out of respect, and many a times just to be in their shoes to see the world from their eyes. But i couldn't be like some one else for a long time. After all, one starts feeling dejected and lonely while pretending to be someone else and yet trying hard to prove his/her own unique identity in this world.

This is where it gets complicated. Just like everyone else, i too began the tedious walk on the same footprints just like everyone else did in past. When people started comparing me with the person, whom i had admired so far, the mission was accomplished. There were no proud moments after that, and none was left to accomplish. Then i moved ahead in my life and came across another such person and the history repeated itself again.

Perhaps that is what many would call a 'life'. But it shouldn't end just imitating another personality till your last breath. Life is all about finding your own unique identity, doesn't matter how boring it may seem, it matters least how unproductive or wasteful it may appear. But each one of us has something special, which no one else owns in this whole wide world. And life is all about finding that trait of yours, which sets you stand apart from the crowd. Then it may be something as sweet as becoming a singer or becoming a batsman who can time his cover drives second to none in this world.

Brits' Cricket

Cricket is probably one of the best things, Brits had brought to our country. And to me, it certainly is the only game which needs mental strength and strategy for every session much more than any other game. Test match is the purest form of cricket. You could never realize the love for cricket, unless you have met an Englishmen. I always thought of cricket as nothing less than a religion in India, but there's a gentle way of loving the game and that's how Britishers love it. #Respect

Priorities

Think of a person whom, you think, you love or care the most, and imagine not being able to see or meet that person again in this life. Slowly and surely you'll see your doubts melting away, giving your priorities a thought to ponder upon. Life must revolve around the people who are important to you, job/money/career are just a way of keeping your life under consistent rotation.

June '84

I have a story to tell. It was June of 84. My youngest sister was about to arrive in this world and my grand mother had come from bombay to help. She wanted to sleep out in open. So i slept with her. Incidentally we shared a common wall running across the full length of Gurudwara and we had big lawns and courtyard in front. At around midnight there were bullet shots and we saw army men entering in our house firing towards Gurudwara. Me and nani scampered inside and the whole night was spent in terror with bullets being fired. In morning the whole Gurudwara was army cantonment as they had been tipped off of some terrorist hiding there. I remember my grand mother's sentiments were badly hurt. Then around noon, they started taking out all male members from houses in our area on streets to inquire. My father waited with bated breath. No one came to call my father. Then when the army was to leave , their officer or whoever was leading that operation came to see my father. He said i wanted to meet my father as every 'HINDU' man in our locality had vouched for my father requesting to not 'dishonour' him. Now let me tell you why, because our family was famous for sheltering Hindus in our Sikh dominated area at time of communal riots. For this he had received threats many time to...but he always said ...'puttar insaan di jaan di keemat har cheez toh vadd hai' And two wrongs can't make a right. Whole 'Kaum' can't be blamed for wrongs of few people. Many of our close relatives outside Punjab were badly affected in riots but still the feeling of looking at wider ab=venue was instilled in us. Am proud that i was bred on love not hatred so it is easy for me to understand what you say and be distressed at so much residual hatred!

Excerpt from someone's dairy of Operation Blue star.