AN ACT OF LIFE

Shakespeare had once said, "The world is a stage and we are all actors!"

Well, it took me 22 years to conform to this fact!

Yes, we are all actors. And we all have important roles to play. One miss of the cue, and all the dominoes fall the other way!

Confused? Let me explain.

Lets start with a simple example from your childhood.

You go to a nice, reputed school. You are a naive kid and get easily influenced. Lets add, you are bad at Maths! Yes, that completes the character.

Enter: A horrible Maths teacher.

ACT: Your knowledge of the subject goes from bad to worse.

Enter: Another naive, simple girl.

ACT: Blossoming of a lifelong friendship.

Enter: A boy in his early teens, eager to dive into manhood.

ACT: The first break-up!

At the end of these acts, you are a new person! You do not get easily influenced, naive was a thing of the past and Maths goes to worse!

We are the lead roles in our lives and on our stage. But on someone else's stage, you are sometimes a background dancer, an extra, somebody assigned on prop duty or just a piece of furniture to fit into the scene!

And problems arise when we consider ourselves too important to be always in the lead role! But the truth is, it was never yours to begin with! In someone else's life, we are only a part of the supporting cast. Look at yourself! Dont you have a bunch of non-essentials hanging around you? You never asked them to step down the stage because they are needed to only complete the look of the scene! 

There are people whom you give permanent roles. To some, you give the authority to move in and out. To some, you give the authority to help you run the show! And for some, you have confiscated their passes into the theatre!

You are the director, the producer, of this magnificent performance. And nobody can take that away from you!

In your part-time, do enjoy being a part of someone else's script! 

CUT!

We, the youth!

We have been hearing about how the “youth” are essentially the building blocks of a nation. They should come up and take up responsibilities!

I always wondered one thing though… Who was exactly this youth? A 20 yr old (8hrs sleep, 8hrs college, 8hrs “relaxation”) or a 35yr old (5hrs sleep, 18 hrs on the job, a scraped in hour of relaxation).

I still have my doubts about the section of society that has been classified as youth. Today, when the Union budget is being announced, we discuss how much amount extra we are going to pay in Dominos over a billing of Rs. 500!

I belong to the same class! With a lot of plans and a lot energy to vent out. But I have no clue whom to approach! How to about being an “active citizen” of the country… And I don’t find any motivation around me to be one.

The youth today has learned a few things very fairly – This is our last year at college, let’s have fun! This is our first time at this restaurant, let’s try something new! This is our best friend’s birthday, let’s meet up and plan the surprise!

I had always aspired to be “the youngest” at something… But have failed to do so!

I wish our society had a structure where we could allocate a fixed amount of time to doing something that needs our valid contribution. Imagine the free time from all of us put together, to sum up a zillion hours! Will we still be complaining about the democracy in the nation or the “unfit” corrupt politicians?

One thing I have learned, when you don’t like something, stand up and take up the responsibility!

The World Never Stops

Have you ever just stood by the side of the road and as a normal pedestrian observed what is going around?

Well I would say that if you want to give a dose of awakening to some friend from their self obsession slumber, it is a very modest exercise.

In each one of our lives, we are our own protagonist. We are our biggest competitors, each time trying to outdo our performance. At the same time, we think that the world revolves around us and only us. We are the epicenter of the earth’s rotation. We are the gravity holding things at the places where they should be!

You might think that if your certain issue is not resolved, the world will collapse! But no, there is still going to be activity around you. There are still going to be hundreds of people driving on the roads. Millions of birds crossing nations.

When we stand at some corner of the road, we think of our problems, our issues that need urgent looking into. But, for once, forget yourself and try to look around. Open your eyes to the world. Keep your cell phone aside and just look at the world with new eyes!

The world, my dear friends, never stops!

It will amaze you how in a matter of minutes you can observe the world revolving around you. Without you controlling it! :P

We think that there is nothing more important than what we have to do! No place important to go to than our own destination!

Interestingly, this is not just your story or mine. It is the story of everybody!

You will see each individual tending to his own self! One pushing his bicycle while the other on his tricycle. A rich busy businessman sitting on the backseat of his car while a lone rider listening to FM. A strict looking lady driving with ultimate purpose or a feeble lady struggling with the weight of her scooter.

Isn’t it amazing to just imagine that each of these living bodies around us have stories related to them? Just like us? Each of these faces in the crowd is a person with a solid existence! How easy it is to disregard all these beings and only focus upon our goals!

The world never stops though! Not for you, not for me…

But then how is it that we know the life stories of iconic personalities like Sonia Gandhi, Sachin Tendulkar and even Shahrukh Khan?

Well, because these people rose from being just another face in the crowd to people who made a difference in their lives as well as ours!

The fact is, we live in the Milkyway, with a surface area of billions of square kilometers. And what fraction do we occupy on this huge area? That much math is way out of my potential!

The next time you travel in an airplane, make sure you look down. You won’t be able to spot even your house! Then what big shot are we?

Our existence is questionable if we fail to leave a mark… A mark that shines as bright as the Sun and is visible across four galaxies…

You may be the hero in your own lives. But, stop, think… Does being a hero in the lives of thirty count enough to you?

Take a look around, the world would have stopped for you the moment you capture the hearts of millions! When every element on the planet would be chanting your name…

Wait for your moment… But don’t let the world get the better of you because it never stops!

In the war against STEREOTYPISTS!!

Hell yes! I want to declare an open war against all those who have taken the open liberty of giving people tags on their own accord!

A person might want to live freely, enjoy his life, but gets restricted because of these social norms. A person who drinks, is a drunkard… A person who has many girlfriends is surely a Casanova… A girl and boy spend a lot of time together, is a full proof that they are sleeping with each other… A person who always gives in to others demands is a fool!

Why can’t a person drink if he wants to? It’s not like he is carrying a pint in his jacket! Well, yes, if you spot him at some bar daily, we have a problem there! Why can’t a person keep looking for his lady love? And why doesn’t he have the right to keep looking? Nobody would care to ask how he is feeling after the break-up, but yeah, everybody sure has the heart to say, “Oh! Another break-up?”

The most ridiculous thing ever! A boy and a girl cannot be friends forever! Why can’t that happen? It will not happen if either of them falls in love with the other. But then it doesn’t always happen! C’mon people, give them space! Widen your minds to the “possibility” of the idea that a girl and a boy are indeed good friends!

I am definitely against stereotyping! Unless and until you do not find instances that the person has behaved in a particular way, do not tag them! Well, and for all that matters, the person can succumb to change even after you have tagged them with something particular!

We need to grow up. We need to understand every person’s need of space. Everybody on this planet has the right to grow his wings as far as he wants unless they do not interfere with someone else’s space. Let everyone keep to their own businesses! And let’s keep to our own business too!

As my teacher says, a modern mind is not when you wear modern clothes. But your modern attitude reflects through you as soon as you open your mouth to voice opinions and expressions! :D

So the next time you call yourself open-minded, think twice!

If I ever become a Writer

I am an Engineering Student thoroughly traumatized by the qualms of an ugly book from which you have to study for the semester exams! I can understand the pain that we student go through when we open those huge books sometimes weighing more than the students themselves. I always need the Librarians help to carry my books from one end of the Library to the issue counter!

Once you reach the issue counter you have to keep waiting behind this long line of budding revolutionaries of the field. Well! No offence to them. But these are the people who spend the first day of the term making rounds of the Library! While on the other hand, we, the outcasts of such a college community, spend that time catching up with friends and friend’s friends!

After spending minimum half an hour in this queue which moves as slow as a turtle’s race, you somehow reach the front and win the battle of the start of term (10 days later) with issuing books!

These books never get touched unless and until you don’t have to arm yourself for the first unit test. 

But eventually books are to be opened when you have no other option to study from unlike the other blessed students who can study from VBDs (Computer Science Dept. has no VBDs published :-O ). You open the first chapter and what irritates the most is, out of ten topics you need to study 3. But to understand those 3 you eventually have to read all 10. Then why to limit the course syllabus to 3 topics when the examiners could as well ask questions on all the 10?

1.     When I write a book, I’ll write COURSE material books! So that the poor students do not have to be in any state of confusion as to what to study and what not to. They open my book, read everything and go for the exam with the confidence that they have done everything that was required from them.

Now, another important thing that we as students face is - what all questions to prepare. Yes, “questions”. We try to find short-cuts, well, here I’ll give them one!

2.     When I write a book, I’ll mark the important questions according to their frequency of appearance in the question sets!

A major turn off in book reading is the font, the print pattern and their deep relationship with monotony. You will only flick the pages and every page of the book exactly the same as the last one. Nothing interesting that will attract me to read them!

3.     When I write a book, I’ll make sure that every page has an interesting feature. Color patterns to mark the headings and sub-headings. Or related diagrams on each page!

Have you ever wondered what any particular author is trying to convey when he writes something? Well, if I had understood the subject and the complex technicalities mentioned, why would I want to read it in the first place?

4.     When I write a book, I’ll make it a point that what I say is easily conveyed. I’ll not use all those heavy words to prove that I am a very technical person or to tell how much I know! I’ll make sure, what I write reaches to every heart! And after every line they read, they say, “Ah! Wah! Got it now!” :P

I am not a very fond reader of books, but yes, I love reading the trivia columns in magazines! Find out new facts about the particular topic. Relate it to real world examples.

5.     When I write a book, I’ll add “FUN FACTS”!! :P Giving fun filled real world examples that will help students click with the concept as fast as are the chances of being electrocuted when you touch a live wire!

I may be a writer who other academicians loath because of my naïve attempt to spread knowledge. But when I’ll be blessed by a million students for generations to come, should I really be thinking about spreading knowledge the “right” way??! :D :D

Just A.M.U.S.E.D

My day started as it usually does. Waking up in the morning at a time when eye opens. Lazily going down the stairs and asking the maid to make some tea. No change.

Except, my dad had left home early. And my maid and grandmom were talking about the sad demise of the Vice Principal of my college. ;'(

He was a great man. A man of virtues. He stuck to his words and when he walked through the college, there were ripples of fear because of his strict disciplinary practices.

But as I said, that did not affect my schedule.

The pull of death amazes me. One day you hear stories about a person and the next day you hear the news of his death.

It indeed is true, when the time comes when you have to leave the world, you will do so. You won't be allowed many goodbyes. Or maybe you wouldn't be lucky enough to even say a single Goodbye.

Today, when I think about what must be going on at his place, sadness engulfs me. A whole world of well-being uprooted.

And not just this one household, but dunno how many other. How many others were left without a future by death itself.

The uncertainty of living amuses me. 

                                              An ADVENTURE of a Lifetime!! :P

Everybody must think that the change in college timings is a boon! You get to come back home early. But hello! Nobody is talking about havong to wake up early! :( 

But yeah, everybody talks about how peaceful it is in the mornings.

I went through a horrendous set-back because of this unnatural change in the college timings. 

So, one fine day, I wake up at 7.30am. Quickly dress up and have breakfast. Say a nice big goodbye to my parents and leave for college at 8.30. Little was I aware of what was about to happen! :P

On the way, I try to keep a safe distance from the ongoing traffic. A speed of 50kmph (slowest till date). 

While I am enjoying this peace, a Pulsar closes down on me... The guy sitting on the back, bends down and ROBS ME OF MY BAG! ;'(

And whoosh! Every second of my peace got disrupted. And my stupid mind wouldn't give me any instructions as to what to do next! I screeched to a halt. My heart thumping with fear. My insticnt told me, "Start this damned vehicle and go behind them!" But then, a passer by aunty invaded into it saying, "Nako nako pori, jau nako tyanchya mage!" (No no girl, don't follow them!)

I cried! ;'( Duh! But yes, I cried! ;'( There would be many giving me suggestins, "Arey, Bhagya! Number kyun nahi note kiya?" (Why did you not note the number?) "Chali jati na uske peeche!" (You should have followed the guy!) "Jab tak number nahi dikhta tab tak to jati!" (You should have followed him until you could note the number!)

I would say only one thing to all of them, "Now when I think of the incidence, I can shoot a 3 hour thriller-action movie!" But its better said than done! My mind just didn't work then.

This semester, I swore I would bunk minimum classes. And I stuck to it! My notebooks were complete, I understood the concepts. I was well equipped to face the exams this semester. 

But fate always has something else in store! I was robbed of my bag!! My COLLEGE BAG! :( Students like us, dress up early and leave for college and rogues like them, dress up early and leave for looting people!! 

I have cursed the men so much! They could well take my wallet, but return me my notebooks.

I was just recovering from all the loss. Having to face the repurcussions of loosing a driving license and notebooks.

I have now photo copied two of the four subjects. Deciding that tmrw, I'll apply for the license.

But not anymore!! Mr. Chor has duly returned my license, PT I-card and a packet of my passport size photographs! :D :D Yes!! I received a post today enclosed in it were all of these documents!

He even writes a letter, "MEIN AAPKO AAPKI SAMPATTI LAUTA RAHA HUN. POLICE KE PAAS NAHI GAYA KYUNKI POLICE NA KISI KI DOST HOTI NA DUSHMAN"

Lolz. ! :D :D

P.S.  Mr. Chor, please courier me my notebooks the next time!!!!!! ;)