Remember the time in our childhood when we used to wait for the vaporous plume to engulf the horizon? After months of sweltering heat we would look forward to the good old monsoon. As soon as the first sign of a potential cloud appeared on the sky we used to go out of our homes onto the streets, waiting impatiently for the first driblet to touch the earth, to feel the wetness of drizzle against our cheeks, screaming out in joy. Gone are the days as we grew up.
Human mind consists of many small and intricate pathways which control the human body and its functions. There is a small part of it in which the child in us lives. He dares to venture out every now and then but quickly gets squashed down owing to the pseudo-social etiquettes. It is this child which makes us do these crazy things and be what we once were. As we grow up, the voice of the child starts to diminish until it can make barely audible squeaks from time to time. And we are too busy to listen to it.
A few days back, I was sitting at my desk, feigning interest in my work when the clock struck 12:30 PM, indicating that it was time for the meal of the day. The hunger was growing in my stomach and the prospect of eating in the canteen made my skin crawl, so as usual I thought of the regular road-side eatery to have my lunch. But the moment I stepped out of the building I saw marginal rainfall hitting the curb. My first impulse was to make a run for it and feel the rain, but my social alarm went off and I thought that it was really a bad idea to take that unnecessary risk to eat better food. But against my better judgment I decided to listen to that child inside me and I ventured out in the drizzle.
Suddenly I was a child, walking in a park, loving the rain, with no regard for the world around me. With each step my pulse quickened and the excitement grew. The thrill spent a chill down my spine but I didn’t care because I was being stupid. The 150 meters long walk seemed to invigorate me to the point of restlessness. I reached my destination somewhat wet but the food made the trip worthwhile. By the time I was done, the downpour had quickened and there was no way I would have made it without getting drenched to the bone.
The thing about madness is that it not only brings energy into the whole system but also helps people see things in a new way. I stepped out in that full-blown storm and felt the first wave of cold wind hit me in the face. It was only moments before my attire was dripping water. As I walked back those 150 meters back, with people skittering away from the road running for cover, I had an epiphany. It was not just me who was getting soaked in the rain, but I was the only one who was feeling thrilled by that experiment. Somehow I felt liberated and alive again.
As I walked my last steps away from the cold rain, I noticed the looks people around me were giving me. I immediately recognized that look. It was the one of incredulity, as if they had just seen a mad man. Here I was smiling at myself for loving the whole episode and there they were, too afraid to leave the safety of their shelters. As I walked back to my space in the office I felt boring eyes of my colleagues seeing me disheveled and wet, for the first time, and I realized something. I didn’t care!
As I sat down at my desk, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. I realized that the smile was not of amusement but it was a smile of satisfaction, the smile that is on the face of a person who has just found what he was looking for. So I asked myself this- what is so wrong with being a child once in a while? What is so catastrophic about feeling alive once in a while? We are all so caught up in our lives that we don’t see what makes us happy. It’s the materialistic things that we vie for throughout most of our adult life and never even enjoy them. We are raised to shelve up things of value but never the things which matter. Why don’t we give ourselves the chance of smiling with satisfaction? Why don’t we be the children we once were?
Being busy and focused is a big deal but its not the only thing that matters. Lets all take a little time out of our lives to let the child in us wander out, lets go out and enjoy the rain, lets feel alive once again, because life is too short and there are a million things that we never do.
awesome work man... i was expecting the khichdi part but.. the experience is still complete..nice
ReplyDeleteNice one..
ReplyDeleteBravo !! You were able to chalk out a clear picture in my mind.....good use of words and expressions....overall a good narrative....
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