Dasvidaniya

Death is not an antonym of birth. It cannot be. Birth is a beginning, death is not the end. Birth is a realization of a thought, so is death. Birth is an event, death is a grander one . Birth is the beginning of life as we know it, death is the beginning of life as we would have liked it.

Chores and mundane things in life are so prevalent that we sometimes forget we are breathing. Is it the air of freedom? does it have the fragrance of future? Does it have the mellows of the past? Or is it something we just do to survive?

We are scared to breathe the spring. We are scared of the goosebumps of fulfillment. We are scared... to dare. To dare to be happy, to dare to be different than what every day expects from us. We are scared to think anything else but our plan for future. Alas, life is not subservient to our whims. Ah! whims, those we comfortably ignore to risk life as it is.

Death emboldens us to do just that, to take risks. Death frees life from shackles of security. Death makes us live each moment as much it deserves and to treat every person of what he is worthy of. Death teaches us to live for ourselves, it teaches us that true value of love is in giving it generously. It frees us from the pain of the need to have it. Death brings out the true spirit of love - self-gratification.

Death brings about people in a new panorama where the emotions of apathy, regret, guilt and rage melt down to show their naked feelings. Death brings to surface the frozen love lying at the bottom of the heart. Death kills and saves at the same time.

Just as birth is painful, so is death. Just as birth propels a baby from the security of womb to the world galore, so does death frees us from security of life. Its a process of growth which need not be mourned for. To mourn for a person who lived life so ecstatically is blasphemous to the deceased and to the creator himself. To demean death is to demean birth, to demean life. Its a day to celebrate that crossed us from list of the half-alive.

Those who cry,
Cry for selves,
For me cry not thou,
to bliss am off
to a novel life

Rock On

Everyone, at one or other time
Discovers secrets of friendship sublime
In pursuit of the highest summit,
Each promises to do his bit

Legs are light and heart seems to fly
When we succeed as we try
Time passes like the sea under the boat,
While the waves make it sink and float.
The ups and downs along the path,
concoction for nostalgia years apart.

Some fall in the beginning, some hold on for long
some make it big, some are not that strong
As we inch closer to our aim unabated
was everyone there when we celeberated?

Somewhere we lost who once mattered the most
At some time they took a different road,
We waved to each other as we see them gone
Night long conversation reduced to hi's on phone

As life picks up pace
As we inch ahead in the race
As we increase our medals tally
As we blossom our own family
As we find new things to be happy about
As we laugh and dance and sing aloud

Still, when someone asks about our best time
We speak of our friendship at prime
At some time in life we realize
Money, fame, success are all lies
Best time was when we were unknown
When with friends we rock on !

To some though, life is not as unjust
They get a second chance as good as first
When all those friends again come together
Life is once again the same great affair

Then realizes one and all
It wasn't the goal after all
We just enjoyed doing it together
Which we still do, what? no matter

My friends, once again
Come lets sit on bhujia and pepsi
Pass the night on planchette frenzy
Lets play cricket and beat the seniors
Lets hang out on the lake-side
and for once, forget careers.

But, not everyone is so lucky
getting together is still too tricky
Sometimes in movies like these
a tear rolls down the cheeks
Though I know those days are gone
my heart still lives for another ROCK ON!

Taare Zameen par

Human society works on inclusion. If people are not included in the society, it will cease to exist. If people are allowed to digress, the institution will lose its importance and may be life. Thus, the society from being a conglomeration of ideas has now become a single idea which is hell-bent on protecting its existence. Its become a organism, whose organs we all are. The sole purpose of the organs of the body is to serve it. The organ which is not able to serve the body is thrown out. The organ which serves it best is promoted (for its own evolution). Luckily organs of the body do not have brain of their own unlike the organs of the society.

The main function of the society is to provide security. Security from the external threats to those who cannot defend themselves. Just like it was shown in the best video on youtube - Battle of Kruger
where a herd of buffaloes save a calf from the jaws of lion and crocodiles - society should be a protection net for those with lesser talents or abilities. The irony of society is that they claim to do it. As long as the person with amputated abilities craves for sympathy, there is no dearth of people willing to come forward. Hundred of charities are run to help those who live with limited means physically and mentally. This sympathy, on the other hand, vanishes when these people try to establish themselves in the mainstream. They are called names, they are not given the space to be themselves and they are insulted with the meanest comments and mirth. This would be best described as sympathy by convenience.

Life is not a hundred meter dash where who takes the lead always leads. Life is a marathon, or in fact a car rally where everyone has to go through ups and downs. One who is left out in one phase of life can catch up in the next. Everyone has his own weaknesses and strengths and a rally (and life) tests all these one by one. Society though doesn't let this thought to be cultivated. Like a true organism only supports those who serve the need of the hour, while the main function of the society was to rise above these animal instincts and serve the humanity. At the time of the war only soldiers are acknowledged, at the time of prosperity only those with superior intellects are respected, at the time of calamity those who help are respected. That may be called myopic magnanimity.
This stifles the flight of creativity of people. When someone is told to do something under rules or expectations, those who succeed are the ones who try to devise ways to do that with the best efficiency. The scope of creativity dies a natural death under so many rules. Those who do not confirm to these rules are seen as rebels and they are sent to be coached as more like blind men following a sound. The so called institutions are prisons of the spirit, soul and creativity. Some people lose heart and confirm to the rules. Those who are not able to, see themselves as outcast . They lose the confidence, interest and finally their most prized creativity and what differentiates them from the crowd . They are lost into oblivion without the society realizing its loss.

The hypocrisy of the whole situation is evident from the fact that the same society hails people who come out victorious from this struggle. As if it was an obstacle course set up check endurance. Helen Keller is respected throughout the world, but so many like her still languish in the lanes of guilt of our society. Lance Armstrong is regarded the best example of a resilient soul when so many of such people suffer without the same sympathy. People of this society like to idolize rather than practice. This pretense is only worth hatred.

But nature is liberal enough to provide all kinds of people in the world. Those who have beaten the society do come up to help those with lesser means. There is a saying which summarizes this loathsome attitude of society - jaaki fati na biwai woh jaane na peer parayi (Unless the pain is felt, empathy cannot be natural) They are able to fight and find rightful place in society for such subjugated souls, with loads of talent. The talent which may not be required for prosperity of the society but still make it more beautiful. Talent which adorns the otherwise plain theory of prosperity which society is running after. Most of all, it gives inspiration to all those who are fighting their own families, their teachers, their society. How much of them is really theirs!

What is the point of bringing to being such incomplete bodies into the world? Are they a failed natural experiment? Or are they byproducts of the super humans that prowl the world? An emotional answer is found in the following story -
Every once in a while nature gives us a chance to show how she has tried to make us better than the animals. My son was severely anemic from birth. His marrow cells failed to produce enough RBCs. He was to die sooner than later. He also was a football enthusiast. Naturally I kept him away from places where kids play football. Once on our evening walks we saw a couple of boys playing football in a small park. My son asked, hesitatingly, if he could play. I knew that he loves football and did not have the heart to refuse in his last days. I went to the boys and explained them about my son. I also asked if they would let him play with them for a while. Though they agreed, I did not know how he would be able to play with older fitter boys. Would his self-esteem go for a toss? I would be very ashamed to bring him to that if so happened. I thought of guiding my son away but while I was lost in my thoughts, he had started playing with them. He was guiding the ball through every guy in front of him, he dodged one, two, three guys and held on until he reached the goal and pushed the ball into it. His teammates had him on his shoulders. Tired, naturally, as he was, we moved on. After a while I looked back, the guys playing football gave me a 'wink' smilingly. I smiled and thanked in return.
The next day my son died. The note beside his bedside read. "Dad, yesterday was best day of my life. See, I always told you how good I was at football!"
Did we ever give that happiness and confidence to someone who needed it?