~ Gone too Soon ! ~

“Gone to soon?” – but who is to decide what was an ‘appropriate’ time for one to depart? Are we the decision makers who came to this world in our own accord?  - these were some of the deep rooted talk that happened in the just concluded spiritual journey  - a time when you go to another pedestal to find answers which one cannot even imagine- at least one can ponder on the thoughts that arise when one changes the dimension of one’s living!

What you see is melee of spiritual seekers just wandering around here and there, looking for that elusive answer to that of your existence – “Who am I?” , not just Indians but lot of westerners who come to this land of seekers and find some kind of solace , an internal satisfaction which makes you hunt for that ultimate satisfaction of life! 

Most of them fail but many of them get a tinge of who “HE” is and where he is living… the answers are not that easy to gain and comprehend, many have spent their entire existence in finding the answers and have landed themselves in more confusion!

You see ashes being immersed with all the primitive customs and as according to one’s belief, the Ganges is all inviting, come what may, she would absorb every sin of yours howsoever big or small it is – be it in you thoughts or action – you submit your true being into the flowing sigma of life.

Sitting beside the ever flowing nectar of peace and tranquility and seeing the setting sun, the view is majestic which describes the entirety of life – all you need to do is just sit down and be an observer of situations and passing time – remembering that you were never the doer or the controller of circumstances which are bring your life and the world to a different order – you are merely existing and brought to life by someone who the society named a relationship as Parents and you will be exiting this life by someone called your son or daughter – in between you just existed and tried to make ends meet , never pondering what you came for and what was your true purpose – no one does take a break and go on an excursion deep enough to leave the pace of life for some days and come back enriched.

For most of us the Karma have encapsulated us to live a sedentary lifestyle and perspire to achieve our aspirational self – in between if someone goes we assume it to be an act of cruelty by Destiny – but a meditative thought brings a relief to certain degree – as the explanation happens with time – if we never came with a permission to be born, how can we leave this place with our own will, more so be it young or old, we surely are for a limited time and no one would ask us to leave this realm as no one did ask us to come here…. Till then, enjoy and earn your Karmas to be brought again in a new shape, size and relationships, the confluence of people will always there to receive you!!!

~ This Women's Day...~

She has always been there ever since you took life on earth – neglected sometimes and taken for granted for most of the times, the first lady in you life takes many strides to raise you up in this journey of your living. She hardly complaints and is always smiling on all the follies that you perform – She is the rock-solid support of your family and the world is centered around her, Society named this relation as “Mother!”

This Women’s Day is especial as with the passage of time you get to know the formidable support many women had in you life – they made you reach the pinnacles of success and they have shaped your true identity in the society you live. A good Samaritan who has always held her head high and fight the daily wars of living for you to succeed in life.

Many of our woman compatriots live a life of invisibility for the work they do are non- existent or non-gauged in pure economic terms. They just work for a suitable purpose and a clear aim to raise a family and make sure that everyone is bonded together by this institution. In the midst of all her sufferings and her pains, she keeps mum but performs and takes the beating of life – still she does not wither!

Sometimes she is your sister who dons the hat of a loving partner in crime and shovels all her love and affection to her brother for she knows that he is the best pal she can get – the camaraderie is most affectionate.

At other times, she is a wife and mother to your kids – relentlessly she is grilling herself to the household chores and contributing to that non-income group of endless working hours which have no thanking in the society. For she is the non-paid employee that we talk of. In a recent world back survey a starking fact made all ears for me – “Worldwide if we economize the work which all the non-paid woman do – the economic cost of it will end up as humongous 11 trillion dollars” – Still she is nameless and is never made to believe or granted leave as many of her male counterparts do!

In India, if we economize the cost of all the non-paid female force, it would be an equivalent of 7.5 % of our GDP – a figure which is surprisingly far way ahead of our education and defense budget combined! Also, Indian men only contribute mere 31 minutes in daily household chores…as they feel this is a female dominated dominion… What a farce…!

Still she lives in oblivion and is never looked upon by us with a thankful attitude – from getting early in the morning and the last one to sleep – her daily ordeal in maintaining the fine balance of the family is oftently ignored with ease – for she is always seen as that invisible identity in our homes who is always available on short call be whatever situation she be in herself .

Be whatever be the situation – SHE is always ready non-stop to perform – she is never rated for her goodness or being kindhearted or ever adorned for her relentless working with a paycheck – two sweet words of humbleness “Thank You” would make her pay for a lifetime… but we have never said these fearing our male ego!

Ponder , when was the last time you made the women of your house feel proud of her small accomplishments – and Thanked her for the ruthless working hours she struggles come what may – if you cannot remember the day – there is never too late – go and do it today – for she is the one who made you what you are today…until then, just typecasting a single day of an year as the Women’s day wont be justice to half of the earth’s population…Go make a change today…

To sum up I want to add a Sanskrit Sholoka which sums it all & it says...

“नारी अस्य समाजस्य कुशलवास्तुकारा अस्ति।“ meaning  woman is the perfect architect of the society.

Wishing All of you a Happy Women’s Day!!!

 

~ Your Life Bestie...~

Have you ever found a sense of belonging with any poodle or a stray canine roaming around and you found the need to befriend him for your own good…!

Many studies have shown beyond doubt about the smoothness which one gains after being in constant company of animals – The terminally ill have found peace and in many cases have brought back laughter to their lives. The downtrodden and the depressed found solace talking to the mammal be it a cat or dog or any other domesticated pet – you can talk hours sitting with him and he would patiently listen with no human counter-argument – such is the nature of the being with them.

I recently read about a heart wrenching story of a terminally ill cancer patient dying in all loneliness in the hospital bed but he had a regular visitor – and yes , guessed it wrong – the visitor was no family member of the dying man but a pigeon whom he used to fed in the neighborhood park whilst he roamed around – It was certainly time to payback the love and respect his caring friend has been showering on him – the story is pulsating and also has a deep meaning about the emotions and sensitivity of animals around us – though he was not his pet but still sensing the last days his friend was in, he always paid him a regular visit! 

Surely a pet at home shovels a sense of discipline and you certainly feel the camaraderie along with your preferred past time – you play with him and makes kinky gestures.. the pet would always oblige and would respond with all its might.

Nowadays many people have sensed the need to have pets and those who don’t have started to experiment by giving food to the street dogs and cats as they feel at peace with themselves – I have been doing this experiment for quite some time now and now this has become a routine exercise of sorts – the best part being I have named the street dogs such as ‘Jumbo’ ,’Cuddle’ and ‘Simba’ , they have also kind of accepted me in true sense and come wagging their tail as they know for sure that it is time that there would surely be something in their kitty – They love biscuits and milk, a one off loaf of bread soaked in milk turns out to be their best moment – believe me , it took me much an effort to gain their sense of faith as most street dogs wont come near you as them might feel a sense of danger.

The pulsating company that they provide turns out to be therapeutic and surely relives you of much stress and anxiety. Of late I have experimenting various gestures with the stray dogs in my vicinity – as they have formed a formidable bond with me. They have started to say a nice “Hello” which I can sense with their soft bark! – the wagging of their tail is a sure sign of love and affection that they provide to me when they see me and start walking beside me as a army of commandos to protect the fragile target 😊!

The nights have become more friendly as they sit just in front of my house and keep a grandeur watch for any miscreants or fellow dogs from other neighborhood – come rain or cold, they have become the custodians of my family as they easily identify the family members with their sense of observation and smell.

To end this thought, animals around us surely are a friends for a lifetime, all you need is to open up and gesture in a sense they feel loving – they are surely full of emotions, love and degree of sensibility unlike many humans nowdays 😊 ….I am living my life with the them, as I continuously experiment my living- they have become a profound existence of my being…hope they also have the same sentimentalities about me …

 

~ Mohan - The Artist of the Peel...~

Its and Art that he learnt all by himself and that nobody actually taught him. He has been peeling the pineapple with equal fervor for almost a decade now and the expertise has become his benchmark - the zig-zagness of the peel gives it an artistic style and no wonder it gives you a feeling of goodness and taste when you have it! Mohan describes himself as a man with an artistic bent of mind - earlier when he was in his hometown - a remote village in north India, he used to be a craftsman working along with his ailing father, who was a fruits seller. 

He quickly adapted himself to the dire situation life demanded and thus took the onus upon him to work with his father in his “fruit Business” – it’s been now almost 20 years that he is selling fruits, seasons change and so his Mohan’s sell! Sometimes he is selling Pineapple,, in summers he would be selling stack full of mangoes – with all shapes and sizes – his best bet is the mega “Alfonso” Mango which he brings for super special customers as per him “Sir, It is very costly for an average customer to have it and I find not much takers for undisputed king of Mangoes!”

It was his stark charm that captivated me for the first time almost an year ago – when I enquired about some fruit and he said “ for you, it is half the price, even if you don’t pay me, it would do!” – now that was a statement to make me fall for his marketing trick – no wonder I had twice the kg of fruit which I did not intended! 

Mohan is a self-motivated man and dances with the tune of life, what life offers to him, he just obeys. Every time I meet him, I see a spark in his eyes, a new zeal, he would wish me with the same zeal and smile which I fell for almost a year ago – I see him always contended and happy and self absorbed in his peeling of the pineapple fruit. This Saturday was a little different as I could see him making different designs on his peel – as my turn came, I enquired why this change – he had a philosophical  answer to my question “ Sir, change is life!” – it was bang on, as to a thinker, it had a deep meaning and substance to corroborate to the life we all life – we don’t want to change for better but it definitely happens!

He further stated “ making different designs make the fruit attractive and many customers fall for the fruit – just the other day I was thinking to do something different , so this idea clicked… now wonder he has bought the PayTM subscription as well as he wants to be with the changing time and doesn’t want to miss the technology bus all the vendors are going through – I tinged him with a simple sentence “Mohan, you have got tech savvy too…”  to which he replied “Sir, customers want to send money via online- it was my son Raju, he gave me this idea to go digital… business has surely improved and there is no argument and tension of change too…!”

His articulative answers and his reading about the pulse of the business is what makes him different…more so his style and zeal of life is totally engrossing to a readable mind…Manoj is a hero in his own self… doing his Karma with truth and devotion… no sulking and making the best use of what situation he has been put into by God…though his last words this Saturday were truly an eye opener “Sir for me Karma is God!” … I am still in my pensive self, there is much much more that what meets the eye with Mohan…

~ Life - We Will Win...~

 So we have again regain our faith on the almighty, that unknown power that is the wirepuller of this world. An uneventful and tragic natural calamity makes us route to our energies towards that great invincible force that we have given different names – for some it is simply “GOD” for others its “Destiny!” and for the rest, it is plain simple “Grand Design”.

Scientific community would owe this explanation to a scientific phenomenon. The movement of tectonic plates beneath and the convergence of mega energies in fault lines which after some years of accumulation gets released causing massive havoc. Humanity has suffered much in course of its existence on this planet, earthquakes, floods, Tsunamis, and other devastating natural occurrences have wiped out happy go lucky families.

The current Turkey earthquake rescue operations have shown tales of miraculous escape and endurance – newborn kids, old people living for days without food and water under the debris and darkness – in a constant anxiety of thought and a unwavering faith on GOD – that they will pass this turmoil with human grit – they actually did and we see such exemplifying tales of valor….

So what is the underline learning point of life from such calamity – in fact, there are many – first and foremost I can think of is “ Anything can happen to anyone and anytime!” – you can plan your life but cannot plan your destiny, the future is under veil, be whatever your are cautious of- there are things which have been planned for you which would cause you suffering and agony at times but also happiness and laughter!

The silver lining of death and destruction of current calamity on humanity in Turkey has given us all hope and cherish beyond reason – that people will fight back in unison and get back to their regular living , though it will take ample amount of time – buildings will be reworked and many would be constructed from scratch – life will get back to normal over course of time but not without the people who were not lucky to survive and were caught unawares …such is life for everyone as it would be… There has been bigger chaos the world where there were nothing to hope for at the end of the tunnel, but humanity survived with a singular hope and that is “Days would change for better and I would overcome it!”…

I want to quote here an interview of a famous Bollywood actor who was incarcerated in solitary confinement in all the darkness of a room where seeing a human being was considered to be a luxury – the constant banter of the mind and the feeling of loneliness took a huge toll on his consciousness and body but GOD did gave him a reason to live and also a company to wait for everyday and that was a bird that used to knock on a small opening for natural light and air – though he did not have a watch to map the regular arrival of it but as per his estimates it was regular for days and months…. He used to wait for the bird now as it became a habit for the Bollywood star to converse with it… days passed and situations of life changed…finally he survived the incarceration and is now resumed his career ….

The underlying current for life for most of us should be “Keep Walking….”… situations would come and situation would go… our grit would be severely tested … the zeal to live a complete life is what we all should strive for…this is the greatest learning I have seen midst of all the images I see of people coming out of heaps of rubble after days …without food, water and light… close your eyes and think yourself in such a situation… comparison would scare you…but at the end as I again repeat…”Humanity will win and set great examples of human survival to be published in books for the Next-Gen to exemplify…”

~ Boredom Motivation ~

 Boredom is really boring...Is it?  I certainly don’t think so, on the contrary it can be as therapeutic as meditation and motivation, the choice is certainly yours , how you take it perceptively!

Just the other day I met a classy soul – as by now you must have recognized, my writing muses are the below the common man, living life in his/her own style and is certainly a class apart from the rest of the razzle and dazzle of urban living.

The subject was unique in his own character, as she was a sandwich- burger stall owner – Yes, you just glanced it right, “SHE” was just one of the youngsters who had taken up this choice not out of economic compulsion or for that she wanted more pelf – but it was out of curiosity of doing something else – She was certainly a subject to be conversed with. 

The Tea- addict that I am, I chanced upon her makeshift shop for a knack of having something which could satiate my belly – the pavement shop I noticed was "HER'S" - the name seems to be unique in every sense where I could see an adolescent woman running it solely. She was oblivious about her surroundings, deeply engrossed in her day to day happening – with couple of customers standing and looking eagerly at this entrepreneurial girl making hamburgers for them – Her dedication was also a subject of whispering amongst them, though I could fully understand that in daily parlance many of us wont see such social experiments being done by teenagers – that too a singleton female who was poised to do something different from the situation she was currently in.

As my turn came, she asked me “What you would like to have Sir?” – As earnestly expected, I knew she was educated and with a smile I replied “Maam, what is the specialty of your stall, I Would certainly have that for sure!”

“Sir it is Aloo-Ticky Burger, many of my customers relish this and that is my specialty – should I?”, She promptly replied.

“Yes Maam, would like to have the specialty!”, I said.

A few minutes of waiting and there it way, on a disposable plate with a mustard and Peri-Peri sauce – I was about to taste the flavor with all sumptuousness, more so from a lady who had broken the fetters of boredom of an office job and started from the ground level.

As we further conversed in the midst of me biting the so carefully mad snack “ What you did prior to doing this and where are you from, you seem to be an educated lot, unlike other street vendors!”

Believe me, the answer was too surprising – “Sir, I am an English(hons) graduate and was a content manager in Gurugram – a strong sense of doing something else pounded me over time and I resigned and took this plunge! It was sheer out of Boredom of routine work and lifestyle”

My eyebrows went up – the surprise element was evident – “Great Guns, you seem to have knack for cooking Maam and the taste of the burger is a fine example of it” – I said.

Laughingly she smiled and with a little sense of pride, the young business magnate thanked me for the feedback, though there was another shock that was waiting for me to unfold! 

As I asked about the payment, she said – “Sir, the first burger is complementary for the life you are living !!!” – I could sense the deep meaning of her thoughts….

Still I strongly insisted to pay for such a sumptuous feat, but took another step of ordering the ‘Second Burger’ not for the sake of paying back but to honour her commitment and that the taste qualified to be ordered once more!

As she hurriedly packed another one for me (there were other customers who lined up for the snack!), I said “ All the very best for your taking the leap forward – 99% of us would not do so as we are certainly in our most comfort zones of living!” 

Leaving the place, there were varied thoughts creeping my mind – firstly about the huge risk she took in life, a well settled professional breaks the fiefdom of her mind and starts to do something which she loved – it certainly is a huge experiment with life – the second was intriguing too – how she is managing the first burger free?? 😊 – many of her first customers might take one and skip off – what could be her cost equation – these questions would be answered only when I visit her for the second round…

Nevertheless, she certainly was in tandem with my thoughts as she nodded in affirmation – the meeting ended but she had certainly made a tinge in my mind – as a result of it is that she is being written about in this blog….!!!

~ The Beautiful You...~

There is always a sense of humility and astuteness in you which guides you towards your behavior with the outer world and All you need to do is to show your beautiful side to the outer world for it to respond – remember here you are interacting with enormous possibilities in a limitless universe – getting aligned with them is the most profound phenomenon. 

What I have started to observe around me is that there are many souls being patiently doing that ‘Beautiful Work’ without any rewards, maybe they understand this to be their responsibility – in turn they must be getting that elusive internal calm which many of us are chasing. Our accomplishments remain unfulfilled even if we have a iota of grudge or a feeling of comparison or smallness in comparison to others, but surely we won’t mend our ways of living and as a result we fall in the trap.

My advice for the youth and many who feel stuck up in the rigmarole of daily living and life – experiment with your day, do something unique and something which you wanted to do – let it be just a small act of kindness or compassion, you will see the change in your aura and your perception regarding your existence. Doing so, you will surely attract the sympathy of the universe and this would surely have  ripple effect on the people around you – the lives of whom you will touch knowingly or unknowingly – the results will follow.

We have been programmed to be good natured and being beautiful is always the part of the plan of our living, but somehow the pressure and pulls of our society and the huge burden of achieving something is has ripped us apart from the track. Have a constant look on the sufferings of people in the society – with broken relationships, failing family ties, acts of revenge and many other anomalies which have encircled human relationships, the only escape seems to be being beautiful.

To start with, start feeding the hungry, or help someone in distress by whatever means possible or what you can do – Feeding birds, and stray dogs, kittens and other such living beings is another act of beautification of your soul, just take the plunge and see for yourself the calmness which falls on you – the change would be everyone to see.

Remember you were born to be and act as a beautiful living being and so would you die…the key is in your hand…after all, we surely have been given the act of free-will and what we want to be in our short existence here…

~ In sands of Time...~

Some people you meet in life and they given you those timely inputs which remind you about your daily living and you trajectory of thinking goes to a different dimension altogether.

It is just sheer coincidence that makes you meet some of the finest souls who are around you but you just pay heed to their knowledge and given that patient hearing. Today, I just jot down thoughts from one soul I met out of the blue and exchanged numbers for what I learned from him will go a long way in shaping my living and thinking...The thoughts go as below...

You are the same person with same education qualifications, abilities and doing the same level of effort to sail across this mundane life but things don't shape up to your stature. You get frustrated with the outcomes time and again and feel helpless in putting more of your effort - simply being you now have an empirical data of failures though you did your best.

Suddenly, after some time, you see life steers ahead automatically, your efforts start to culminate into success - in the realm of things, you are the same person but how come things are getting done now - Is it the time which has now materialized your success and now that it has to give results according to your liking!

There are quite unfortunate souls who did not make it to the end of time - they will never see their old age as they are no more - all their lives, they delved into planning for a better future , a retired life - planning for their family, their own retirement but the shackles of time snatched them away from the near and dear ones - as they say their "Time had come." - though this is our opinion about life but who knows why they went early.

As I was conversing with a gentleman who has seen it ALL - deaths, business downfalls, monetary success and every possible human achievement, and he thus spoke from his sheer prudence and experience of life..."So what is the most important thing we are loosing on and which we cannot stop or cling on to?" , after a small pause he uttered just one word "TIME!" - It is time that we are seeking and living by and prudently thinking you would measure your life against it.

For those gentlemen who want to be super achievers, they are also on the same path of chasing TIME, often doing great efforts to beat it and gather accomplishments in their life - they certainly want to beat every moment and achieve things which seem to be out of reach or unachievable - of course everyone has those 24 hours and everyone is crippled by those timely hours in a day - but do we stop for that humble second and ponder on what we are actually seeing in the midst of our living and our short journey called "Life". 

The answer to this age old question lies in the aftermath of time , when we all would be gone one day into oblivion of this very time we are chasing....Surely, there would be time when we want to live more but when the "Time's UP", we have to quit this game of life, even if we want to exist more...

~ A Coffee Meet...~

 A Coffee Meet…

The coffee was just magnificent and it really made my day – more than that the person “Rajeev” was the sole subject of our talk which began when I spotted the much forgotten Coffee fizz machine –“Desi Style” 😊 , I could not stop my urge to have the last cuppa before I eagerly wanted to retire for the day after having a sumptuous dinner at a family function.

With all the monotony of the gathering, the coffee machine was cynosure of all eyes and I could smell its extravagance fragrance from quite a distance, not to forget the fizz sound and the evoking smoke and not the least, the aura of coffee powder – the combination of all the extravaganza was smearing to have at least a cup of the beverage which might be your last one , considering the dying tradition of such machines in functions and parties.

As I walked upto the coffee vendor – a smart looking fellow was already having a mindful eye on me as he could sense that I have that knack for the beverage – as I approached him, he greeted me and quickly started to fizz the coffee machine – that was the actual trigger point – as I conversed,

“After ages, I am seeing this coffee machine, hope this lives on , as I have never ever tasted the scent of coffee from best of the shops in town – this local machine has been reigning over my mind ever since I was  kid. He profusely obliged and admitted that in every function he finds fanatic fans of this machine and the coffee it makes!”

Just then a tipping idea poured into my mind and I advised Rajeev to open up a small setup according to his economic prowess and start selling coffee from this machine – as I told him “Believe me, the machine would be a unique selling proposition for coffee enthusiasts to come to him for that scintillating sip! – In an era of MNC coffee machine and parlors, the old way would soon be the talk of the town – the showiness and the sounds and steam puffs would certainly be catchy for customers to pay you a visit – keep it less competitive price wise and also have a biscuits and rusks as evening snacks  to keep it simple!

The idea stuck Rajeev and he promised me to give it a serious thought as he had never envisioned such a stance , though he has been in the business of coffee making since 5 years – though he always thought to do something of his own – what better way to start with a USP you are good at.

As the machine foamed for the last time, I could sense that my coffee was almost ready – the only ingredient missing was a topping of coffee powder , which Rajeev readily sprinkled on the foam that had made a mountain in the cup – the fist sip made me wonder about the good old days of such small festivities and enjoyments – surely I was lucky to have my moment of reminiscing my past and the glory of sipping coffee from the not so ubiquitous coffee machine which was  pride of every party and family function – especially in winters…  

~ Himalayan Retreat... ~

 A recent sojourn to the foothills of Himalayas, I sat alone in a meditative stance , contemplating the life I have lived – with all calmness and serenity being bestowed on me, I was ‘Just Myself’ nothing else. There were no horns or screeching sounds, no humdrum of life as we see in our daily living in big cities, just me and my soul and believe me throughout my life I have been a reading buff and have read many books telling me that there is something inside you which is your true self – I faintly admit that I found “HIM” may be for a minutest of seconds but I certainly had the tinge of who he really is….

It is you and solely you who has to experience that magnificence where there is no thought and you are just in a vegetative state of composure – no disturbance, no future , no past …just the present , just the you – I met someone special who could guide me to this state, he surely was an evolved soul who himself had come from Mumbai and was looking for that great experience. We met at the local ashram and believe me, his first glance was nothing more than of a puritan soul who was surely not of this world – his composure and his talking sense was so submissive, calm and composed. As we exchanged few Hi’s and Hello’s, the bond started to build up – starting from what we do to earn and living to what we are looking for from life – the talks got synonymous. Our common ground was our interest in few things – to find the real self, to take a break from life’s daily humdrum and also to try to be different from people around us. 

As he slowly opened up, I got to know that he was from film industry and he has been assisted directors for some of the few branded films of Bollywood – certainly that was no mean achievement but the flashiness and unevenness of Bollywood had taken a big toll on his composure and mental health – he surely wanted an escape for some time and went hunting for such a retreat.

As it was my turn of the story which was no different but with the only twist that I came from a corporate background and wanted a sought-after break from daily haphazardness. Though our paths were different but the common ground stuck a great chord between us and we bonded like good old pals. Two days just went passed as quickly as next breadth – we exchanged our phone number and now that we have started to whatsapp each other we are surely looking for another meeting soon in the reigns of the Himalayas – same old retreat – an ashram as raw as a jungle with almost negligible human touch or interference – the morning alarm is the twitter of the birds ( not the other twitter 😊) – the daily chores are as natural as animals living therein – there is no targets to be met – just be your real self – have satvik food – with loads of raw intake – natural Ganga water – what a life it is….Man surely has steered away from his destiny and has started to tread a path where there is no end…only falsifying hopes and peer expectations….till the time a knock of destiny corrects him… he would keep on running to no infinity….

~ The Want of a School…~

The lad was so confident in his appearance, just a toddler worth his age – he was just loitering around the voting center the other day, oblivious to what was happening around ‘the huge building’ ( as he described) – in our dictum it is called “School’ as I told him….

His face grimaced but was soon turned dull as wanted to be inside the building – the next obvious question was “ Yahan Police kyon baithi hai?” (Why police is sitting outside the entrance!”)

I smilingly answered – because It is voting day!

“Who kya hota hai Uncle?” (What that means Uncle?)

I responded “ Beta kuch nahi 😊!” , as I certainly didn’t want to open a Pandora's box for him, as he was not too big to be told, I pondered.

He was carrying a gunny sack on his shoulder, collecting old plastic bags and water bottles thrown outside the polling booth – he had just one selfish interest – to collect as may bottles as he can, as the task given was soon be gauged and thus converted to moolah for him.

“Ah” – as I enquired, “Beta, aapka naam kya hai?”  (What is your name?)

“Karan” , he quipped shyly…”Where do you stay” and where is your mummy, Papa?

He had no answer to this but replied with a quaint reply which I was not expecting out of him and that was….“Uncle mereko ismein padna hai …!!!” – my heart just melted…. He was so small, without any footwear , in a dilapidated clothes but for sure he knew the value of education and going to school.

His reply stunned me to the core, I asked him again about where he is staying and that I have never seen him around – “ Pehli baar aaya hoon idhar, plastic bottles collect karne!” (I have come here for the first time to collect empty plastic bottles.)

He certainly was not liking his job but unfortunately had no or little scope on maneuvering as his innermost desire will be unanswered – his predicament was his destiny –

I kept watching him as he collected bottles hungrily so that he could get good money – plastic bottles thrown by policemen on election duty – the sight was too much for many of us – A small boy all of 6-7 years desired to study was doing a job not suited for him….

No one came to fetch him as I kept an eye on him – he was oblivious to my observance but was looking for plastic bottles with a hawk eye – There were so well dressed kids coming to polling center to satiate their inquisition of how voting takes place inside the polling station, but here was this street urchin completely in different tone of life – a life which offered him tough choices as a kid …

I went to him for the last time to know if he will come again the next day – “Patan ahi uncle, Jahan bolenge wahin jaunga…” ( Don’t know uncle, wherever they (his handler, or parents) will send him, he will oblige) ….

Today was no different as he didn’t turn up… I consider that meeting to be an eyeopener for many of us who are so privileged for the life we are living…for any contrarian thought, just think of ‘Karan’ … you would have counted a sizeable number of goodies life has offered you…