The Feather and The Wing !!

On a pleasant breezy morning I was out for a long drive. Windows were down, air blowing against my face and my favorite song "Iktara" being played on the radio. It was one of those dreamy mornings which I have always loved to rewind and play uncountable times in reality. As I was lost looking outside the window a white feather flew into my car, rolling and falling , rising and dancing. It took a quick rest on my lap and flew away with the flow of air adding more curves to my smile. I took a deep breath inhaling as much air as possible into my lungs and while exhaling it slowly the urge to hold the moment forever kept increasing. I was completely lost in the scenic view around, the trees beyond the lake and the lake beyond the grass when suddenly a flock of birds flew across the lake. Their fly was so captivating and inspiring that I felt like to forget everything, spread my wings and go for what all I have ever wanted. Their wings were strong not because I can see them but because I can feel them. Their eyes were sharp not because they were tiny and shining but because they were focused and making their path through.

The Story !!

Once upon a time, there was a land of freedom where every human had to select either F-Freedom or W-Freedom before they enter the land. The one who opted for F-Freedom were set free to do what they want in their journey but the direction of their flow was determined by the proud king. So this land was a claimed freedom land with the condition to follow the pre-determined path. People entering W-Freedom were supposed to decide their own direction and then they were free to do anything and everything for the kind of journey they planned. So this one was a proclaimed freedom of strength with more application of their knowledge of decision. Assuming the success of both the lands the king took pride to announce that he wants to convert his entire land in One-Freedom land. To decide which land is performing better he invited experienced and skilled people from both the land and asked them to speak their heart.
The F-Freedom representative said : "We are not free to act according to our will. We are not happy about our minimum rights for decision making. The idea of keeping us free of serious thoughts makes us feel more dependent than free."
The W-Freedom representative said : "We face a lot of hurdles on the way and that leads to constant decision change and fluctuation in the plan.So the idea of giving us more rights of decision making leave us highly unsatisfied by the little we achieve with so much of effort."
That response was quite unexpected by the king. So even in the freedom land one was left unhappy and other dissatisfied. He was disheartened to see this and ordered his intelligence team to work on the rules and regulations for his kingdom which is equally applicable to all the members. And now the kingdom is called "Human Land" !!!

Well ! What we fail to understand is the essence of Freedom. Freedom is not about the struggle on the way but about the sense of achievement which each small step. Freedom is not about being unhappy about the path we follow but to cherish the journey which enables us to feel liberated. The final outcome is not to be worried about until the ride is full of adventure and discovery. It is only when we are brought behind the bars of rules and labeled as right and wrong , our freedom is lost. The feeling of boundless and infinite is not for the final calculation but for numbers we achieve throughout. Freedom is Learning !! Freedom is Smiling !! Enjoy the freedom like the feather who flows on the pre-determined path but has the liberty to enjoy his fall and surprises which the unknown direction offers him. Or maybe sometimes like those wings who are strong and determined to follow their heart. The reward is not quantitatively satisfying but peacefully encouraging.

DowryMan !!

Ush Ush Ush Ush !! Being a true Indian, the first Superhero who comes to my mind is Shaktiman !! A simple man from real world who has the physique of a typical service class person accompanied with the similar sense of humor. A journalist by profession, Indian by heart, struggling in the industry to make his mark. One fine day there is a cry for help from some corner of the world and this man is transformed into a Superhero with "Universe" marked professional suit which adds gravity to his personality. With his majestic spin, within fraction of seconds he is there as a "Savior".. He conquers the fight with so called gundas and becomes talk of the town. What an impact it had back in those days. Unfortunately I was not young enough to get those dummy suits for myself but of course my brother had it and the entire house was transformed into a platform to show case his heroism.

As a girl, growing up with your mom makes you dream of a prince from Disney-Tale and growing up with your dad in parallel gets you more attracted towards all the Superheroes existing. The first move from a guy during your school days might have been either of the two. One, he might have behaved really simple and intelligent cracking few stupid jokes that said one day when there will be someone crying for help he will be transformed into a handsome superhero. Two, he might have tried to impress you by fighting with that group who teased you for being new in the class or may be by shining his skills which he recently learned in some science magazine.

The baseline is majority of us in spite of being quite successful in our career like Geeta from Shaktiman, long for a man who is powerful and sensitive. One who is a self made man and knows well to make you feel like a princess, if not to the world but to him. And before I realized I was dragged into my early twenties smiling at the thought of the perfect man of my dreams. Get back Lady ! Your man is reading the blog and collecting points to discuss reality of life with logic to support. We grow up and call ourselves mature.. Really ! I still wonder if it is to tell the world or to ourselves.

While coming back from my time travel, I got a flash of my friend's wedding card. If I had missed this active participation while wandering in my dream world I would have been definitely killed in my real world. So there I go to cover up for the late response and offload my guilt feeling I dial her number. As soon as I offered my services I was immediately dragged for a night stay and help her with packing the heap of shopping she did so far. Although I love my bed but she is worth compromising for and of course she needs an introduction here. She is an MBA by degree, fashion diva by attitude and Business analyst by profession. Currently she is extremely excited for her wedding with an MBA guy in a respectable job and whom she found worth spending her life with.

She was jumping from her clothes to jewelry to shoes to make up to clothes. It was an infinite loop running in front of my eyes when I realized she has got so many gold jewelries. Knowing her well I tickled her saying so you are going to be that typical tv series daughter-in-law who even sleeps with jewelry on. Few more jokes here and there and we settled for our night gossip after the delicious dinner. There is where I got to know a lot about how the marriages have changed their face and raised a lot of Whys. Most of my Why was answered with the logic that since they are not asking for any dowry we are obliged to do it. Just like any other discussion of mine which converts into a debate I struggled hard to find a satisfying answer for my raised brow to settle down but couldn't.

I still have those Why burried somewhere inside me popping up every now and then. Why the Bride's family has to bear the expense of the guests from both the sides ?   Why the Bride's family is responsible for the gold jewelry for both the sides ?   Why the Bride's family is responsible for the return gifts for both the sides ?    Why the Bride's family is given a checklist to make the arrangments for both the sides ?   Why the Bride's family is still part of all the criticism  ?    And the final Why....   Why do we call such marriage  No-Dowry marriage ?

My eyes keep on searching for the DowryMan in any such marriage I attend. A man dressed in Khadi kurta-paijama and pot of jewelry crossed with red ink as his symbol. A sound of Ush Ush Ush Ush !! A majestic spin and everyone in the wedding exclaims "DowryMan ! DowryMan !" The DowryMan saves the Bride's family by his instant computed calculation of total expense divided and distributed equally between the family of Bride and Groom. Both the parties calling it loud "Sorry DowryMan !!" and Woushh !! He is gone and everyone is smiling.

But to be honest there is no Superhero. It is all fictional and we are real. We are human and we are free to take decision. We are accountable for our action and we are here to make the world a better place. Preach what you follow. Someone's hard earned money can never lead to your prosperity. Respect is not forced but earned. Earn Your Respect ! Earn Your Dignity ! Be Your Superhero !!

Celebration !!!

I woke up all dizzy today morning… While my cup of tea was brewing I looked around my house. From the row of colorful balloons tied across my living room to the blue one that was dancing at its own tune, the yellow one that was as lazy as me and a series of four-five balloons who were missing from the middle. Immediately that pulled my attention to the floor to find the red, white, green, blue balloons bursted last night in full enthusiasm… And there it goes… The smile on my face recollecting the great party we had last night… The empty glass, the pen drive attached to my TV and people sleeping all around sound the house ,  fully drowned me to the moment of fun… I was almost lost when I heard that boiling sound from my kitchen and I was wide awake running towards the stove…

If you get to visit my place you will come to know that it’s just so windy in the morning and evening… Well ! to decide the direction of the architecture I leave up to you. But the point was not that... The point is to get over that mild headache I was having for quite a long time, I preferred to sit on the bean bag in my balcony and sip a cup of hot tea than trying some pranayama for a long term relief…

…And right then there was a beep at my mobile wishing me Happy New Year 2016. This led me to build my own memory chain reminding me of making handmade-cards for everyone on New Year during my childhood… The wishes got transferred to the landline phone when I was a teen… Then came the massive world of sms which eventually led to wishing Advanced Happy New Year to avoid network congestion and some extra penny… And then there is now, today ! when I am on my smartphone accepting public wishes on Facebook and personal wishes on WhatsApp… That’s right ! we don’t call each other much now a days. And Oh Yes ! we are running into the fast changing technically challenging world… And eventually this has changed the meaning of festivals and days and time… But Really !!!

The faint memory of New Year back from the time I have, when early morning on 1^st January there was egg boiling on the stove, I was running around the house to find my multi color ball to play. Everyone at home including my grandparents were busy packing all possible raw material to cook. All the entertainment packages were the responsibility of my Uncles and the badminton racket with shuttle was a no miss. Soon I along with my sister (of course with my “the multicolour ball”) was thrown in the Jeep like all necessary stuff and the next minute we were heading for a family picnic. As soon as we reached the spot we both jumped out of the Jeep and started running around as if we wanted to inspect the place before anyone stepped into it. I was always this chubby delicate princess of the house which decreased my time of taking the round of the ground to half as compared to my naughty sister. Every year we used to go to different places but the way it looked to me was always the same… There used to be green grass ground followed by tall trees around… I had to lie down on the ground to see their top… And there was a small stream of water flowing with fishes in it. We were always in search of the water stream trying to catch those fish with bare hands. I hope I do not get sued for this but honestly I was never able to catch any. By the time we got bored of not having a single fish and felt stupid enough as we were trying to fit them in our tiny hands so we ran towards our mom… Kids have this typical tendency of running back to their mom after committing any such act or after finishing any act that can land them in any kind of trouble… I still do that !! So there we go running towards mom where she is preparing lunch for us with lots of talks and laughter around… I still remember that Jaipuri bedsheet we used to carry to spread on the grass…

Memories !!! They are so special and play such a big role in our life, making us feel more human and alive !

So the time passed and going out for full day picnic with family was no more considered safe and fun filled relaxing activity. We now moved to society culture. So again we were preparing for different acts like singing, dancing, acting quite ahead to expose our not so hidden talent on New Year’s eve. Since there was no hassle of cooking so it was everyone’s full participation in the show to make it a memorable night for everyone in the society. Mostly all Dad felt like Raj Kapoor and Mom like Nargis… We kids were either small enough to feel like any star or rather smart enough to be a superstar oneself. 15 seconds before midnight the lights were turned off. The only light was the light of bon-fire. At the backward count from 10 to 1 lights were turned on and we wished Happy New Year to everyone. We hugged each other for a minute and then cake cutting was followed by warm good bye with a smile for everyone. This was my first encounter with the midnight celebration of any occasion.

Yes that’s what I mean… The Culture was changing… we were changing !! Good or Bad is so relative but of course we were technically evolving !!!

And here we are today again in different modes and moods. We go out for DJ nights, Ghazal nights or may be few have their own House Party like ours this time. What has changed is not how we celebrate but the meaning of few simple words, If not in dictionary but in reality. Going Crazy has traveled a long journey from being interpreted as anti-cultured to entertainer. The stupid lyrics is the hit party songs and the one holding some meaning behind are now mostly for heart breaks. The ads designed are targeting emotional quotient of the audience and the product is losing its integrity. The value of time has been distributed in two words quality and quantity. The purpose of dream has taken the shape of monetary benefit and we have become the target of few jargon in life which we ourselves do not understand just like any other scientific term defined in the engineering book.

I still fail to understand and keep it an open question to all of you, Where are we heading to ? If this is what evolving means then why there is a difference on the basis of gender, cast and sexuality ? If this is the time we wanted to gift our children then are we being fair to them ?

Aah! The smile on my face was changing to wrinkles on my forehead and there I stopped… Took a sip from my cup of tea realizing I have given quite enough time for those blowing wind to cool my cup of tea if not me. I can also over hear some talks around being married and its implications from my living room. I think the time has come to get another hot cup of tea, serve few to the highly thoughtful awakened minds inside and participate in the new laughs of the New Year…

Before I join the gang I have some wishes for and from this New Year…

I wish we grow not by age but by thoughts… I wish we act sensible towards society and not only towards family… I wish we take small step daily towards a healthy life than wealthy life… I wish we appreciate others more for their action than their big talks… I wish we become more sensitive towards crime against any living being… I wish we evolve for a happy life with peace of mind… I wish we respect everyone’s individuality and space… I wish we become the change than trying hard to change the world…

God Bless All… A Very Happy New Year 2016…