Ideal Life?

                   
                   Scathing summers followed by torrential rains, this is something which Rick did not appreciate. Left alone, high and dry in the heat, each day would count as he struggled to earn few bucks just so that he could feed his family. His days were successful if he could feed his entire family a satiating meal.  He would often look at the huge glass buildings and wonder what happened in these edifices. One thing he could not think of at his stage is getting into one such building and fending for his life there; for his lack of education. For him, this was an ideal life, he felt people wearing suits/blazers were living a life which any person would desire.
                     Rachael on the other hand, worked in the edifice which Rick admired. She would get down from her Mercedes at 9 AM and her day would begin with a few salutes by her subordinates and a cup of tea. She was a star performer at office and folks respect her for what she is. 10 hours a day, Rachael would have a time of her life but one thing she did not look forward to is going home and spending time with self.  She was 31 and a successful professional at work but one thing she could never achieve is having a company of a loved one with whom she can share her joys and sorrows. Rachael's Father passed away when she was 20 years old and she huddled her way up by hard work. Her typical day at home would be swallow a few pills to curb diabetes, cook food which does not add to her health issues and eventually get done with the day. She had a negligible social life and weekends would be just as unkempt because she would have nothing to do and wait for a Monday.
                   Who lived an ideal life? Is it Rachael or Rick? Rick had a family to look forward to but his struggles were to feed them. He imagined that people like Rachael lived an ideal life, getting down from an expensive car, getting respect from her subordinates and being successful professionally. Little did Rick know the costs Rachael had to pay to get there, it came at a cost of not having a loved one, having lost her parents and currently, having none to look forward to.
               This reminds me of the adage: -  'The grass is greener on the other side of the fence'. We might objectively see one aspect of a person and feel he/she has achieved it holistically and is living a very good life. What is a good life after-all? Again it depends, for some, it is money, for some it is satisfaction through different forms which money might not bring and for others, it is as simple as having a family to look forward to. One of the greatest flaws in a human being is to look at one aspect of someone else's life, without understanding the kind of sacrifices involved. Although I would concur that Rick's basic necessities were under threat but his perspective of Rachael's life was far from reality. Nobody lives an ideal life, and everything they have currently is accounted by tremendous amount of sacrifices in various forms. As I end this article, I remember the success iceberg:

                    

Eternal Bond

 " My grandfather once told me that there were two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was much less competition."
                                                                -Indira Gandhi
 UT, a young, flamboyant person is always by surrounded by people. His aura is such that people love to be with him. The inspiration behind UT's aura is his grandfather. His grandfather was a man of virtues, who would not let a mouse pass through a hole if it did not belong to it.UT would often mull about the shambolic conditions around and greatly respect his grandad for all the values imbibed in him. He realised that virtues such as honesty, integrity were  more precious and valued than a diamond today.
      His college, a reputed institution in India for graduate education was situated away from Indore, the place his granddad resided. Not that he did not enjoy the company around in college, but for him, talks with his grandpa made him forget the passage of time. To keep up with the loss, he would come home after his semester got over."Keep your studies above anything.You know son, you will surely stand out of all the people around you not by doing anything special but by diligently following the basic principles which I taught because that is going to be valued a lot; it is something which I see fading away from this world."
     When he came back for his vacations, the first thing he would do is enter his grandfathers room, with his bag still on his shoulders. They would sit together and many a times have a tangible discussion. Irrespective of the nature of their discussion, there would always be something to take out of it. They would finally play a game of chess each time before UT left the house to attend his college. In a jovial mood, his grandpa would often say, "If you win, your semester would pass really well. For me, you winning this game matters more than the marks you score there. Maybe because I think chess is still a yardstick to judge one's smartness and intelligence.Education quality seems to be degrading with time and no longer seems to be a gauge for intelligence anymore." UT would be amazed and try his best to get a pat from his grandfather by winning.
        In the summer of 2013, he had won the vacation-concluding chess match with his grandfather and left for college to attend his last semester. He was happy that the vacation had ended on a good note and had complete faith in his grandfather's words of his semester passing well. Seldom did his innocence know that the pat he got on his back was probably the last one. When he heard of his grandfather's demise just after a month, his consternation knew no bounds. He cried for long that day, as each memory came back to him like a flash. It was like through his memories, he was re-living each and every moment spent with his grandfather with greater glory. His grandfather's demise was a prime motivator to follow the principles of diligence and living life on his own terms. Having said this, he also had the realization that his motives were about to meet a huge resistance from the unfair world but he knew right from the start, this goal is not for the faint-hearted.
 As Bill Cosby rightly said,
"In order to succeed, the desire for success must be greater than the fear of failure". He has been sticking to his stand till date and only does what he feels is correct. Following his grandpa's advise, he tries to diligently do his work and ensures he meets his own set expectations, in a world where every employee's expectation is set by his/her supervisor. The path to a content life he says, in words of the so-called 'employees', "be your own supervisor, exceed your expectations and take charge of your life". Through his principles, he shares an eternal bond with his grandfather.



Music: A passage of time

                    I have often re-iterated my thoughts about music on other social media platforms such as facebook, twitter; but today is a bit different. I was listening to music across a few decades and could re-live my life in those times.  Time-travel for me I would say happens through good music.

                   Listening to songs was exactly like re-living the entire experience of those times. There is no need to stress my brain to recollect olden memories as these melodies do the needful. I am a Bollywood song aficionado and these songs are indeed soothing. Though the songs these days are not that appealing(not all though), I cherish those golden era of pre-1990's, 1990s and early 2000s era which truly produced some romantic hits.

Diye Jalte hain - a song featuring Mr. Amitabh Bachchan and Rajesh Khanna on the importance of friendship. Where is such simplicity these days or have we redefined and reduced the scope of the concept of friendship to produce such a song today? I remember singing this song for one of my friends in my engineering days. I feel people who understand the meaning of this song will truly value friendship over everything else because ultimately everything else is temporary in life.

Na tum jaanu na hum : This was from Hritik's first movie, Kaho na Pyar hai and this makes me reminisce my early school days when romance was a distant concept. I loved this song for its melody and story back then.

Yeh jo Des hai tera: One of those songs I heard when I was in seventh Grade. Too early to feel the song but it has a lot of memories associated. Now that I am in the US, the bond and understanding of this song is only getting stronger.

Chand Tare  : A song from Yess Boss which portrayed an ambitious Shah Rukh who dreams big but trivializes those dreams. This song inspired to never be overly serious about things and just act to achieve them, shredding worries.

Humdum Soniyo: This was, one of my favorites from Saathiya makes me go back to my pre-secondary school times. For the good, I recollect listening to these songs once back from school and just living the moment. No worries or strings attached. I also recollect the fresh sips of coffee I used to take; coffee remains even today but I doubt the freshness of the day.

Yuhi Chala Chal Rahi : This one, again from Swades, features Shah Rukh Khan and for all the seriousness he had in this movie, makes him live in the moment and enjoy the path as it unfolds. Again, a wonderful song asking to enjoy moments as they pass by and seconding the thought " The path is more beautiful than the journey".

Coming to some of the recent ones.

Soch na sake : Such a melody. This one's really near to my heart and soul and makes me recollect my travel days from Mumbai to Pune. Throughout the journey, I would replay this song owing to the deep meaning and melody. Those journey's used to be in the late evenings making it an ideal time to listen to a slow song and relaxing thereafter. Though this song makes me think if such pure love exists in an age where temporary feelings and aspirations have taken over. Nevertheless, comforting song.

Afreen Afreen : This one's the cheery on the cake. I could never imagine the way a woman's beauty and face can be adjectivized. Something so pure woven into such a captivating melody will make you listen more and more of this. I recollect my past 3 years where this song will eternally accompany me during my work, relieving much of worries and stress on account of its meaning and music. Such a masterpiece I say!


...well, the list can get longer and longer, so many songs but less pages to write. The more I express, the lesser I feel satisfied. Perhaps, writing also doesn't suffice at times? Let me know of any memories you have associated with songs. I would be glad to hear them.

Lastly, thank you
and coke studio for producing such wonderful songs and adding lives to moments which otherwise wouldnt have been as memorable and meaningful.

Good day to all!