A Ride to Remember

Travelling- one thing which we all love to do, and its an integral part of our day-to-day life. And if you stay in a place like Mumbai, then you are blessed with extra travelling everyday, whether you like it or not. And by the comment I just made, you might have guessed that I'm a Mumbai girl. But my case is different. People don't like travelling here but I love travelling and exploring new places. In Mumbai, no doubt the local trains are considered the life line of the city, but other transport modes like BEST buses, rickshaws and the yellow-black taxis also play an important role.

In Mumbai, nobody has even an extra second to waste, so when we get the opportunity to travel by cabs (yes, taxis are referred as cabs in Mumbai) we don't let it go. Every taxiwala is a bhaiya for us (as people have this term for them to call them) as they hail either from U.P or Bihar. And in our daily life we get into so many cabs that we don't even have a count of it. But few journeys change your life and your perspective about certain things. And I happen to have that journey. I belong to the media industry, so I have to be constantly on the move. My colleague and I were done with our media rounds and wrapping up for the day. We decided to take a taxi till station as we had no more strength left to walk. We were constantly waving at the taxis to stop but none were free. We thought it's hopeless to even look for a taxi as it was the time when everyone was in a hurry to go back home. We were about to give up when a taxi stopped in front of us ans we hopped in it.
Our journey began (yes i'm calling it a journey as it was an experience from which i learnt something) and my colleague and I got chatting. We informed the taxi driver to take us to Dadar station, but he said he has to go to Mumbai Central to park his taxi, as his driving time was coming to an end, so he would drop us there. We agreed to the offer. All this while, he was looking at us through the rear view mirror.On being asked the reason for he catching the train from Mumbai Central and not Churchgate (as you get a seat if you board the train from Churchgate during office hours), he smiled and replied that he had a "grouping" in the train and his friends would keep a seat for him. My colleague got down en-route his destination and I continued. He asked me where do I have to go, and when I mentioned Marine Lines, he said then why take a train for such a small distance, rather he'll drop me and still would have time to come back to park his taxi. I was more than happy.
Out of the blue, he asked me where do i come from, and the moment I said Bihar, a big grin spread across his face. He joyfully said that he also belongs to Bihar and exactly the same place as mine. He said that he completed his Masters in Arts, Geography to be precise and had applied for government sector exams, but couldn't make it through, so he gave up on that and was working in an office in Nariman Point. My inquisitive nature couldn't stop me from asking him another question, so I asked him the reason for driving a taxi even after being educated and working in an office! He smiled and said- "it's part time madam. I drive taxi to fulfill the demands of my children, I have two sons and I love them a lot. They ask me so many things and I earn well from the office job, but that's not enough in today's time. So I drive the taxi as a part time job in the evening after my office and make good by the end of the month. I'm happy and even my family is happy." I was thoroughly surprised by this and also touched by his story.  He sacrificed his sleep to keep his family happy and still there was no sign of tiredness on his face! He never complained about the hardships he was facing everyday, infact he was happy, as happy as anyone can be, i guess even more than a millionaire.
He reminded me of my old self, the way I was driven to make it big in my life. I was always passionate about whatever I did in my life, no matter how many sacrifices I had to make for it. I used to enjoy every moment of life and was always happy and joyful. But I guess inevitably I have become a part of this ugly rat race. To prove myself, I have lost myself somewhere. He helped me connect to my self.
We tend to loose ourselves amongst the crowd in the process of finding what we want in life, loose the precious moments which we should have lived, and later complain about it. But this man was a winner for sure. We might be a step ahead from him in terms of education and lifestyle, but he surely defeated us in terms of life. Thank you Mr. Sanjay Kumar Pandit ji for making me realise what I was missing in my life.

The Lost Book and Friend

Sometimes, somethings in life are supposed to happen, or much better destined to happen. I lost two priceless things from my life- my friend and the book i got from my friend, in a very short span of time. The first one i lost because of the circumstances of life, but the second one because of my cousin. 

I met my friend when i was a teenager. We never actually spoke a lot, but we knew we were friends (somehow that was the basic instinct). We had plenty of time to meet and chat, but we never actually did, because my friend was really shy in nature or maybe because he was scared of me..joke. Days passed, but we hardly socialized with each other. We used to say hi and bye for sure, but that was it. Few months later, we made some progress. It was winter and kids in the society used to play badminton. So one fine day, he also cam to play and that's when we got chatting. We shared a great camaraderie and it was fun. Days passed in a haze and he cleared his higher secondary and decided to do Engineering. He got admission in a very good college and he even called me home to show me the prospectus and everything related to his course. The glow and happiness on his face was enough for anyone to know how ecstatic he was and then he left the place to pursue his dreams. I had seen him working really hard to achieve his dreams, and it was totally worth. After sometime, it was my time to do the same, and I landed in Mumbai with heart full of dreams and aspirations. We were settled in different cities, and somehow we lost touch and were back to square one - not talking to each other.

Was it destiny or what, I don't know but i think we were supposed to meet. We met on Facebook (thanks to Mark Zucherberg for the innovation) and got chatting. And then he said he was also in Mumbai. I was happy as i found a known face in this crowd. It was like old times. We met and made fun of each other that how we used to behave and shy out from each other. We made the town alive by our mischief. Time just flew. I was happy to find my friend again. But as they say - happiness doesn't stay for longer period of time. The same happened with us. We had some sort of disagreement and the situation went out of our hands. When he was leaving Mumbai, i went to meet him. He gifted me a book - "Breathless in Mumbai", and wrote a message on the first page of the book. It read - "to the person, who loves Mumbai as much as I do". He kept waving at me from the airport entrance and that was the last I saw of him.

Back at home, in my spare time, I started reading the book. It was a collection of short stories which the author had experienced. I only got to read till 3-4 chapters. Then my cousin's wedding came up and I had to keep the book aside. My other cousin took the book from me to read, as I kept on praising about the book, and she took it to her office. There her friend borrowed it from her and somehow she lost it. And that was the last I saw the book.

I never got to finish the book. The stories were left unread. I felt as if the book was mocking me. I guess the book also decided to leave me halfway. Just like the book, my friend never came back. Now he's happily married and I'm damn happy for him. But the one thing which pinches me is that I came to know about him via mediums. I know life doesn't stop for anyone, it moves on. But i guess some stories are not meant to reach a climax- no matter good or bad. Some stories are better left unfinished.....

Love Conquers All

One thing which I am still trying to understand is that why are people always ready and waiting to ruin someone's happiness and life??? Waiting just to mess up everything in someone else's life?? I mean why??Why can not they just handle their own lives and live in their world??? WHY??? This is so infuriating at times. I think its the motto or modus operandi of their life.

She never thought it would ever happen to her. She never said or did anything bad about anyone, lest think about it. She was very happy in her own world but people just can not stay happy seeing someone else happy and at peace.

She had her fair share of relationships-both good and bad and obviously ups and down in her life. Like any other normal girl, she also had a past, which she was over now and really wanted to start her life on a fresh and positive note. But some people were just making sure that she never gets out of it. She had left everything behind her and was finding peace in small things all alone and the moment she thought, she was about to achieve it, people dragged her past infront of her.

After whatever happened in her life, she still wanted to give love a last chance and wanted to make her fairytale come true. She wanted to be happy and carefree again. Just engross herself in studies and work and see the world in a new light. And there was a person who was actually helping her do so. Yes, someone special came into her life, after a very long time she felt happy again. But she was scared on the other hand-about everything. Scared that she might end up hurting him or getting hurt again, scared to love again, scared about the fact that if he came to know about her past, he might stop loving her. So she did what she thought was best for both of them- she pushed him really hard and far away from herself. And hardly she knew that the man she pushed away, actually loved her so much. She was not able to sleep peacefully and kept on thinking about what to do. But finally one day, the inevitable happened,  which she was trying to run away from. Someone told him about her and even added up few things, which she just assumed and put all the blame on her!! She was shattered. And once again she was betrayed. She really confided in the other person and trusted her, but she never thought in her wildest dream that this would be the consequence. She did not know what to do and whom to turn to or trust now. But the man still loved her and came forward to support her. She really wanted to start her life on a fresh note with him. Even she loved him. And what else she could have ever wanted from life.

She knew this is the man she was always waiting for and now she could not afford to loose him- ever. She just needed to focus on her studies and work and the man of her life would support her, and yes even she would support him in everything he ventured. She just needed his support, trust, love and care and she knew the rest would follow. Because love conquers all, right.

I hope their love story finds a happy ending or rather a happy beginning of a new journey together. Amen!!

True Patriotism...

26th January...a very great day in Indian history. The Constitution of India came into force replacing the Government of India Act 1935 as the governing document of India in 1950. It is one of the three national holidays in India. 15th August..the day India got its much awaited freedom from the clutches of the British rule.

These are the basic facts we all know but for me Republic Day or Independence Day is all about the school days. I miss those days. It was so much fun and was like a very big festival for all of us. Getting up early in the morning to get ready for school, wear the whitest of white uniforms and shoes, waiting for the school bus to come and pick us up and the real fun was when we used to reach the school. Our P.T sir used to make us all stand in proper queues, with one hand distance between each other, stand in the stand-at-ease position till further instructions come our way. As I was in the cultural group so I had to be on the stage with the rest of the members. We used to practice all the songs and anthem well in advance so that we all can sing in a good chorus-not even a note here and there. We all used to giggle when our music teacher used to tell us to sing nicely. And I used to feel so proud of myself because I was one of the eldest group member and music sir used to rely on me and that is why he used to keep the microphone in between me and one of my junior's. 

Then the function used to began in a grand way with our songs and dance. Hoisting of National Flag, singing National Anthem, after that fancy dress competition, speeches  given by principal, teachers and seniors, and so much more. And then used to come the part which every student used to wait eagerly for-distribution of sweets and snacks. The beam of happiness which used to come on every one's face never used to go unnoticeable. All the stress and fatigue which they used to get after standing for a long time, used to just fly away. Happy endings for all.

After leaving school, we used to think-now where we will go for the fun, the function and most important-the sweets and snacks?? This one thought used to bother me. But then there is always a solution for everything. When I shifted to Ranchi, we shifted in an apartment, so it was a huge building with others residing there as well. So in the building, to relive those moments, we also started the same trend. We used to dress in Indian wear, preferably Tri-colour clothes and meet at the parking lot. There we used to have the Flag hoisting ceremony followed by singing of National Anthem with a salute and also the distribution of sweets like Jalebi and Motichoor ke laddoo and even Samosas for all. It was such a fun. Everyone used to get involved in it. Later we started with the singing and dancing competition as well, and trust me it was a hit among all.

Today in our busy lives, we still take time out for Republic Day and Independence Day and  atleast we make sure to remember the people because of whose sacrifices, we are living a peaceful life. Proud to be an Indian...Jai Hind!!

In or Out??

Like riding a roller coaster, or finding yourself in the middle of a maze, falling in love is the one of scariest part of being a human being. It is not easy. It takes a lot of courage and confidence to tell it to the person you love and courage to admit it even to yourself. It requires you to take risks, do things which you haven’t even done before, and conquer one of man’s greatest fear -rejection.  It is terrifying because you’ll never know if someone will always be there to catch you. We’re afraid to jump out from our comfort zone because we fear that we might just hit the floor real hard, hard enough to leave bruises and damages that may stay in our hearts forever.

Meanwhile, being in love can be considered as one of the most exciting part in our lives. Some may say that being in love is the greatest feeling that anyone can experience. They would say that we are lucky enough because we are made to love and to feel loved. It can really make a great impact in our lives. It can make your eyes flutter every time, can give unending butterflies in your tummy, make you stutter, make your knees feel like jelly, make you smile by just staring into space, make you believe in ‘happily ever after’, and the list goes on. It can give you an ‘out-of-this-world’ feeling and make you realize things that may change and inspire your life. It may change you to someone else whom you thought you would never be, someone whom you've always dreamed to be, or worse, someone whom others wished you to be. 

 But, most of the time, when love holds  us too tight and  brings us high enough to reach the climax of our happiness, it will suddenly loosen its grip and just let us fall and break into pieces again. Some may go through this smoothly and easily but some do not. Some will feel like they’ve been cheated or even think that they should’ve never fallen in the first place.Falling out of love is painful, suicidal, and crucial. It can change your views and even destroy the ideal world that you had created. It feels like you've been woken up from a long dream and find yourself facing reality alone again.

 People just tell you- its fine, its over, so move on now  but it is not. Its too easy said than done. You do not know exactly what it means till you actually go through the whole process yourself. Yes,  falling in love is the most powerful, exciting and most amazing thing that we can ever experience, and maybe that’s why falling out of love really hurts like hell...

Loosing someone....

In this life, people fear almost everything and one of the scariest thing that we could ever face is that everyday, we have to fight against the inevitable truth that we can lose someone we love in just a blink of an eye. One moment you're happy because the person you love is with you, and the next thing you knew, they're gone. Yes. Just like that. 

Well, losing someone, whether by death or by accident, that may be painful that is painful, but somehow, it's acceptable. At least you know that they're in a safe place resting with God. But when you lose someone by choice, whether yours or theirs, then that's a different story. 

Everyday, people will knock and leave from your life. They will come and go and it is never their choice whether to leave or stay. It is yours. You may always say that they want to leave you and you want to respect their decision, so you'll just let them off the hook and leave. Even though you don't want to, you'll just let them slip away and depart your life. 

But, let me tell you this. If there's one thing that I have experienced, it is....

 "If you really want someone to be in your life, then you've got to fight like hell to make sure that they'll stay. And if you feel like you can't convince them to stay, then make them realize what you have that urged them to be with you before."

But what if, even after you fighting a battle worth asking the person to stay back, the person chooses to still walk away from you?? What then?? Then it is best that you let the person go, because they have already decided about it and nothing can change their mind. If they are not ready to stay back in your life, whom would you even fight for?? So sometimes, even if you really want the person to be with you, you have to let them go..as you do not have any other alternative.

But do not take anyone for granted..ever. Because you never know when that person decides to leave you and you keep wondering where you went wrong...and you might never get an answer.

Teri Aahatein Nahi Hain...

Its amazing how a song can define you and your status..both at the same time. And she thought she found a song which defined her condition in such a simple way. 


She recently came across a song called Aahatein  from the upcoming movie Ek Main aur Ekk Tu. The words were so appropriate, she felt as if the lyricist somehow knew her and wrote the song just for her. 


The lyrics goes like this:

Choti choti baatein, yunhi aate jaate,

Yaadein sehlaake jaati hain..
Raaton ko sirhaane, baasi muskaane,
Mujhko sulaake jaati hai...
Milna nahin hai mumkin, itna batao lekin,
Hum phir mile kyun hain..
Tujhko bulaana paaun, tujhko bhulaana paaun,
Yeh silsile kyun hain..
Sab kuch wahi hai, par kuch kami hai,
Teri aahatein nahin hai..
Sab kuch wahi hai, par kuch kami hai,
Teri aahatein nahin hai, nahin hai...

Maine nahin jaana, tune nahin jaana,
Jaane anjaane jo hua...
Kuch toh hua jo, mujhko hua na,
Tujhko magar kyun hua...
Galti nahin hai teri, galti nahin hai meri,
Phir bhi gile kyun hain..
Tujhko bhulaana paaun, tujhko bhulaana paaun,
Yeh silsile kyun hain,,,
Sab kuch wahi hai (wahi hai), par kuch kami hai (kami hai)
Teri aahatein nahin hai..
Sab kuch wahi hai, par kuch kami hai...
Teri aahatein nahin hai, nahin hai, nahin hai...

Teri aahatein nahin hai, aahatein nahin hai
Teri aahatein nahin hai

Kyun, kyun nahin hai

She felt as if she was asking this to herself. Why?? Why was there a void feeling inside her?? Why was she not able to understand this space?? She kept on telling her that whatever happens, happens for a reason and its God's decision for you. And how can God be wrong?? If it was him, she would have questioned his judgement, but how can she dare question God?? Still she did. She asked God that whatever was happening to her, was it His decision that she was getting it through him??

The lines, she thought, which really described her situation was when he knew that he would not be their with her forever, then why did they meet? Why is she not able to forget him or let go? When he said its the best possible thing for everyone's betterment, why still she was not able to make herself to understand that?Everything is the same as it used to be around her, her family, her friends, still she felt something was missing from her life. What was it?? She was sitting alone and listening to this song on a repeat mode...then she realised it is no one else but him. He was missing. He was gone, taking his footsteps away from her..forever. The footsteps which used to make her feel elated and gleeful, were gone. They won't disturb her anymore..her silence....not anymore.