IT’S NOT TOO EASY BEING ME

I mean it when I say – It’s not too easy being ME.

The ME possesses a name. The name, which serves as an identification of who this ME is.

Addressed as somebody or someone, this ME sounds selfish; yet stays real!

As ME as I might sound, you can still reach out to ME and grow compassionate for being a fellow human being (not mandatory).

Perceived as complicated, adamant, arrogant, stubborn; this ME is immune to nothing and still not averse to anything. Because it is never necessary to agree upon what ME thinks and what that ME in that YOU begs to differ upon.

Is ME a daydreamer? Unsure on that front; but definitely sure that ME dreams; big and small.

ME is taken for granted! Does it seem so? Then there could be an area of concern. Or once again, perceptions could have missed the train!

No more haunted by bets on intuitions of others, this ME is far from being one among them. This is a better version of ME.

ME did take time to realize the fake doctrines, dated principles and rotten motives. Yet ME survived. ME lives on.

Trust ME, this part of ME is a revelation for ME as well. An undiscovered, unexplored ME.

Strangely in every ME, there is a ME and yet the entire community of ME lies in dire state of unawareness. Once enlightened, thoughts of ME multiply, sometimes fly.

ME is mortal; made up of blood and flesh. A heart pounds within. An immortal soul lives within. ME is visible. But longing to be visible with certain group of people, with certain kind of mindsets.

As times change, ME needs to change. Yet resistance is a specific feature, ME loves to harp upon with great pleasure. ME resists bad language. ME resists bad influence. ME resists anything that’s bad at the core.

Right now, ME continues to seek shelter from the only table lamp and continues to write. Too much of a ME that it is all about; definitely is potent enough to grow brutally painful or infectiously lovable.

Yet, to conclude let ME add, it’s not too easy being ME; it will never ever be too easy BEING ME.

- Virtuous Vociferous | May 31 | May Blog-3 | Never Settle | 2019

MAA IS THE FIRST WORD

Maa and me - 1978

My eyes are moist. My heart is numb. 

My mind is rewinding every moment, which have held my mom and me together.

“I am going off to sleep”, she said.

“I will go off to sleep too”, I replied.

But I didn’t.

I quietly slipped into my bedroom.

I was too excited to write on two topics, which had just started trending in my mind:

• ·         Topic #1 – Excitement over exit polls (it’s a known fact that I am a huge fan of our country’s Prime Minister)
• ·         Topic #2 – In the cities that we live in (inspired from a debate over liking/disliking the cities we live in)

I switched on the laptop and before the screen could come alive, I was browsing through some news items on my mobile phone. Little did I know that I would discover an amazing tribute to the first word we utter, when we start speaking – MAA. The tribute that I am speaking about is this song - https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=28&v=Fia1gcooPlQ

Maa - Amitabh Bachchan & Yajat Garg | Anuj Garg | Puneet Sharma |
Shoojit Sircar and team

Yes. MAA is the first word. From the time, we are born, that’s the first word and the last word as well.

I begin my day with the first word every day – Maa. And yet, I feel, I haven’t said it enough or I haven’t felt it enough.

Maa. She has been through every pain of her own and mine as well. Yet, not a single complaint.

This April, Maa turned 65. She was in Kolkata during her birthday. And yet, on her birthday when I wished her, she asked me to take care of myself. Such is Maa.

As I continue writing this, the voices of Master Yajat Garg and Mister Amitabh Bachchan are still flowing into my ears. I am emotional. My eyes are moist. My heart is numb. My mind is rewinding every moment, which have held my mom and me together.

Since my birth till today and right now, I am my Maa’s first concern. Even before I am awake at 5 AM, she’s up and away for a walk. Her addictions are limited to gardening, tending to flowers, worship and cooking for me.

Every time, I question myself, if I’ve done enough for Maa. But it’s never too enough. She is Maa. I was born out of her. For the nine months that I kept growing in her womb; did she ever hold any expectations. Even today when I grow emotional, she’s the first one to know about the reasons behind my restlessness.

I thank Mister Shoojit Sircar and his team for changing my mind and inspiring me to write this down.

After all, Maa is the first word. Maa is the world, in which I still feel safer!

- Virtuous Vociferous | May 20 | May Blog-2 | Never Settle | 2019

AFTER A LONG VACATION

Clicked by: Purnesh Bhattacharya | May 2019

Technically speaking, I should be tired; I should be extremely tired! Nine days of vacation is a long time. If counted in hours, it would be somewhere closer to or more than 216 hours of vacationing in one of the colder parts of India. After my return, it did seem like – I was gone long, long ago. It took me some time to acclimatize myself with the comfort of my home. 

Being away and being on vacation almost seems like resettlement. And yes, I did resettle or move out for a span of nine days. Cushioned between the hustle bustle of McLeod Ganj and Dharamkot, I found myself a home, which overlooked the town of Dharamshala. Through long rows of Pine and Deodar Cedar trees, the town of Dharamshala looked like a toy world. Absolutely closer to the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA) that I stayed for all these days of vacation, I realized how important it is to just leave some things behind and embark on ‘a journey of passion’.

When I say a journey of passion, I mean it. For all these days that I’ve been quietly working on my second book and proclaiming to complete it someday, I never felt that this little hill station of Himachal Pradesh would also end up being the epicenter of my first ever collection of short stories; the title of which is simple but can continue being an unending travel series of places, I plan to visit in the near future.

So, as monkeys kept toggling between branches for their ounce of livelihood; as Buddhist monks walked in and out of monasteries; as footloose hippies gambled over cheap dumplings and secret stuff; as the uncertainty of weather continued to make or break my plans of sightseeing; as the immense trek to Triund left me feeling victorious, I kept making mental notes. Very soon, I will weave all these notes together and create the most special fabric of stories, to be dedicated to my most favorite part of Himachal Pradesh – McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala.

Yet the question remains unanswered - How am I still awake post 1 AM, the beginning of a May Sunday? The answer to which will not be too tough to be shared, once I conclude my most special collection of short stories from my recent vacation to McLeod Ganj.

But some things remain indescribable. I had never imagined to get the opportunity to see His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. At the age of 83, he is both; the Guru and King of Tibetans, who left Tibet amidst heinous atrocities of Chinese government and made India their new home; also known as the Central Tibetan Administration (the Tibetan government in exile). Every Tibetan still feels – TIBET WILL BE FREE. Therefore, it was an indescribable experience to not just see His Holiness in person but also hear him and be a part of his teachings. His Holiness conducted three days of intense teaching sessions between May 10th and 12th. I couldn’t resist the opportunity of staying seated in his monastery on the second day and hear him speak in pure Tibetan language. 

Despite all that, the trek to Triund will continue being the major highlight of this vacation. The walk through the partly restored Kangra Fort will remain special. The car ride till Gyuto monastery will punctuate many conversations. The moderate trek to Bhagsunag falls will continue to bring comfort. And yet, after a long vacation… technically speaking – I AM NOT TIRED.

(To be continued with pleasure)

- Virtuous Vociferous | May 19 | May Blog-1 | Never Settle | 2019