~ Friend To a Banker ~

My Banker Friend, not the Manager but the Guard, a 60-year-old frail man who extols the exemplary of everyday life with a BIG smile every time I enter the bank.

His effervescence catches my eye, his zeal to live life his own way is a challenge to my understanding. How come at this age and at this tiring time when he should be guarded by his family member I seek him otherwise? 

Asked as to he has been on the bank duty everyday where else the bank comes to office in rotational shift , the quirky answer which came my ways was “ Sirji, I am the only Guard of this bank, I have to come as there is no replacement or backup of me.!”

Enclosing himself in a plastic PPE kit, synonymously looking like Medical assistant, he checks every new entrant to the bank with alacrity. 

His Magnum Opus was his agility to stand rock solid at the bank gate with his usual fervor setting an example, come what may, one has to do his duty, though now with more careful precedence.

Sitting on an almost broken wooden chair at the entrance, he holds his gun with honour and dignity of life which he has led – his best ornament which suffix his personality. Over the years, I see him roaming inside the bank with a watchful eye on customers and also guiding and sometime reprimanding them to not use mobile phone as per bank’s rules. 

He is called with a “Ji” as a suffix to his name by various bank employees, when they need him to do some petty task – such as moving a cheque-book or keeping a stack of forms from one chair to another.

Asking about his family, his face lit’s up in glory as he exemplifies his family’s history – “Sirji, I am a Jat from a nearby village and have enough property to fend for myself. I have three children and a lovable wife. Two of my sons work in fields near Najafgarh (a rural suburb attached to Delhi NCR), and my only daughter is studying in college.” 

Suddenly he starts to share about his plans of retirement from his working life. As per his plans, he intends to get to retirement mode next year after his daughter’s marriage – distinct set goal for a father of a Girl who turns out to be of a marriageable age! 

Jawahar Singh - as his name is, taught me life’s lessons though quite un-knowingly as it might seems to be. These Life lessons can be mesmeric and a guidance for all of us to be humble and simplistic approach towards one and all after all know knows time might kiss us with its ill-bound teaching and we get to learn these lessons the harder way!

~ On Father’s Day ~

Why Dad always Lags behind…                  

Mom carries for 9 months, Dad carries for 25 years, both are equal, still don’t know why Dad is lagging behind.

Mother works without pay for the family, Dad spends all his pay for the family, both their efforts are equal, still don’t know why Dad is lagging behind.

Mom cooks whatever you want, Dad buys whatever you want, both their love is equal, but Mom’s love is shown as superior. Don’t know why Dad is lagging behind.

When you talk over the phone, you want to talk to Mom first, if you get hurt, you cry ‘Mom’. You will only remember dad when you need him, but did Dad never feel bad that you don’t remember him the other times? When it comes to receiving love from children, for generations, we see that Dad is always lagging.

Cupboards will be filled with colorful saris and many clothes for kids, but Dad’s clothes are very few, he doesn’t care about his own needs, still don’t know why Dad is lagging behind.

Mom has many gold ornaments, but Dad has only one ring that was given during his wedding. Still Mom complaints of less jewellery and Dad doesn't. Still don't know why Dad is lagging behind.

Dad works very hard all his life to take care of the family, but when it comes to getting recognition, he is always lagging behind.

Mom says, we need to pay college tuition this month, please don’t buy a saree for me for the festival whereas dad has not even thought of new clothes. Both their love is equal, still don’t know why Dad is lagging behind.

When parents become old, children say, Mom is at least useful in taking care of household chores, but they say, Dad is useless.

Dad is behind (or ‘at the back’ ) because he is the backbone of the family. Because of him, we are able to stand erect. Probably, this is the probable reason why he is lags behind....!!!

~ What a Life that was...~

As they say,"Time outshines every moment of your life."

Reminiscing my past, what has been the best moments of life's journey?

Sans money and with loads of time, your true self was at its best. With no accountability and responsibility, you were a true "King Of Good Times”. Those playful moments when you used to spend majority of your time with childlike precedents and hitting your nearby playground not to return for hours - enshrined in mud and with reprieve of hunger and thirst, the day was spent with all its effervescence. The little pocket money now looks better than our pay cheque and the way we used to splurge on it, the way we want, the way we loved…

We had our key comrades with whom we used to share our idiosyncratic ideas and plan our time for the next day. The quirky fights on menial issues, the eclectic glance and peep through one’s houses and a shout to call our gully friends to play were the norm of those days.

School came to be a big detest, getting up in the wee hours of day (specially in foggy winter mornings), it became a humongous effort to leave the quilt (as it still is..). What let us all get going was the wait of time when the final school bell rang, and we call came to our naughtiest best – getting back in dirt of clothes and getting the usual reprimand of our grandfathers / grandmothers!

Life as it slowly rolls its plans changes true nature of our daily living, but what cannot change is the esoteric childlike qualities that we still carry and would love to do -some do it as bold initiatives in front of crowd and many in their hidden confines.

With many of us having kids in a milieu , now we observe our true childish behavior – the vernacular talk we do with our little ones, our playful gestures and drama on which our kids laugh and make merry – It is you in the real sense that makes you live apart from the mad rush of existence of today!

Thinking now of those golden pedestals of time went past, we all wish if we can we all live in those moments of history. With many of us loosing contacts with our best pals, we can only remember and cherish those golden era.

Probably, with all of us, those moments must have put in an edible mark on our memories – never to be erased until we leave this planet, those memories will depart with us...!

 

~ The Ant Story ~

Sitting idle on a chair with my kids – laughing and giggling on our childish talks, I was made to realize and look down on a serpentine streak of ants marching towards a common goal. Headed by a presumably wise ant, which was bestowed by knowledge of sight and direction, the followers were just treading the shown way. Suddenly, one amongst them saw a grain of food (a small piece of biscuit lump) which was noticed and quickly attracted attention by the insect.

Now began the test of time, as the ant dissociated itself from the queue, she wanted others to join and take the food probably for their night fiesta, the problem being she could not do it alone for the sheer weight of ‘food’ was much bigger than her own weight. As ants are known for their patience and diligence of work, she began to probably ‘think’ and define her next plan to have this pie of biscuit at her dwelling during dinner. Suddenly we saw her racing back to her companions with a view of finding help and with a single-minded aim of lifting the crust and take back home.

 In quick succession, she was accompanied by 15-20 ants and all of them started to strive for a common result – how to move this piece of biscuit to a safer place – ignorant of the fact that the whole episode was being watched by big giants (Myself and kids).

During this feat, there were innumerable occurrences that the group of ants were swayed by exhaustion and stopped for longer times and probably take rest and start again for the better .After some time, the effort started to pay-off, the piece of biscuit started to move and after some time was taken in close vicinity to a small hole (1/2 inches in size).

Having arrived at its due destination, it was soon creeped by 100-200 ants which almost attacked the surprise bestowed on them – In no time the piece of biscuit grew small in size to be vanished in next hour. The whole story came as a big teaching for all three of us.

The ant had showed remarkable sense of observation and patience to enjoy a common goal through their effort in unison.

Other ants showed good sense of camaraderie and showed up strength and a combined sense of effort and direction to achieve a common goal. Their feeling of help towards each other, led by a principal Ant to show them direction made them achieve the almost impossible feat.

Another lesson learnt was, come what may, though slowly and steadily, the ants were able to achieve their aim with their single-minded focus, sense of leadership and working in tandem.

Penultimately, when the food reached its destination, every ant in the group rejoiced in unison and thanked and kissed each other for the common effort they had put to achieve the result.

I hope that the lessons which these insects have taught all three of us are kept in mind embark us on a journey of life – though such minuscule in their appearance, they taught us life’s best teachings which we can inscribe in our day to day life and live in accordance with our true self!

 

~ Football – The Game of Life ~

 

What became as my liking of an outdoor activity, Football as sport which I loved became my everyday binge. Hours were spent in sweating on the ground and besmirching clothes with mud.

But as growing up years were spend getting absorbed in the game, I unknowingly fell in love with the sport – so much so that I happened to think of serpentine moves and arcane tactics to score a goal. The next day and hour was thoroughly awaited to hit the ground. My Naani used to be precarious of the time when I had to step out, never to return for hours of sweat and toil not to forget the dilapidated condition of clothes and bruises on the body.

The key question being what football has to do with "NOW" when I have well surpassed the age one can play it with equal aplomb. The answer is ‘Football’ has made me the Shakespearean character that I am in the world stage. The game is a strong interlude of maneuvering passes and strict discipline. It makes an individual a strong and forward-looking thinker with an ability to think beyond the rational. It bestows on you a sense of ownership and teamwork, cascades along many boundaries to show your true character as a leader and a playmate.

Finally, it makes you ponder with the game you played and gives you an opportunity to ascertain your follies today – those selfish instances that you were close to the goal and by all possibility you could have scored had you given the past at the last moment to your teammate who was left unchecked and in a pole position. The best part of the sport at the end of those ticking timelines is the analysis which one gets into – with heated debates and no potential outcomes, the bond with the team gets cemented – you also get to know individualistic weaknesses and start to work upon them slowly and steadily.

As they say the passion never fades away, life comes back at different times – There have been many instances that you still shake a leg and dribble past this young generation (in a par nearby before the Pre-Corona Era). You test your agility with the skills of years you have acquired on the field. If not, you have left your position to be a forward (considering the demanding position it is), you can well equip yourself to be a center half and be a strategist and give formidable passes towards goal conversions. The rhetoric of passes, the deliberate fouls, the friction between players of opposite teams all still becomes the part and parcel of the razzmatazz, such is the charisma of this Game. I have realized that I am in awe with this game and it is the on top of my list of to-do things when I will next spot the street urchins playing at their usual self in the park. Afterall, age has nothing to do with your love of life – I love football and would continue too do so till eternity!

The best part of playing this game is when people ask “at this age, how you maintain your sprint, focus and quick thinking on the field?” My quirky answer is “The football does not know how old I am. All you need to do is to stop yourself to stopping yourself to play the game.” – I thank football not only as a game but shaping myself into a person which I have become today!

 

~ Voice of Silence ~

Adhering to certainty of time, my newly acquainted friends come without missing a minuscule moment, for they know it is their time to have a meeting with me on the sidelines of a everyday dinner. Nature has its own way of defining things, be it plants and animals, microcosms, all have a certain inherit intelligence within them and they act according to a dotted pattern.

The usual woof of my friends make me believe a connection towards them and gives me a sense of understanding and rapport. Our unspoken communication has a soul to know each other meanings and gestures. I know they are happy on seeing my glance and I feel the same emotive confluence for them.

With expected eyes and a wagging tail, they know that I shall be available on a particular time (usually late evenings) and at a particular place. Never in recent past I have found them missing or ditching my expectations. Their clairvoyance has passed my sense of understanding - our newfound bond of love surpasses keystroke affection which I have recently developed towards them.

Sometimes i find them missing during my usual day-walks passed my street, for they only come in the evening with a view of having their usual supper.

Our regular meetings started with a stroke of dinner leftovers which my wife asked me to keep outside our dwelling - having done so, I was quick to visualize unexpected guests to have their prized catch-Though they relished their feed -a guess which i made whilst i saw their waggling tail, it became a regular feature for me to cook a pie for them.

Notwithstanding a sense of immense satisfaction, gratitude and inner peace which I get daily, this routine has brought me close to the wandering canines around my place.

During this unprecedented hour, our unity of timelessness has taught us forth key life lessons of respect and mutual admiration of living beings around us – the support, assistance they need to survive and to exist in our surroundings and playfully show their resemblance in our surroundings is a blessing in disguise.

Now on the way of thinking a suitable names for them - one bitch and two grown up males, they would get used to the names giving over a period of time, for now let me dwell in cooking their next meal for that is what I started to cherish the most - not forgetting the expected wait for our new found guests!