Thursday, June 24, 2010

I AM.....

On sunday, I was watching the “I AM-SHE Contest” on Television, organized by India’s first Miss Universe, the dignified and beautiful Sushmita Sen for choosing the Indian Contendor for this year’s Miss Universe Contest to be held at Las Vegas and suddenly a beautiful thought came across my mind…

Every single day, I have questioned myself about the reason for my existence and identity and I am sure it would have happened to most of you. The very reason for your being on this earth is stilll questionable to yourself. Every single day, I have to struggle relating myself to different people in my life whom I meet at different crossroads. I am Ashutosh, I am a bengali, I am an Indian, I am a Hindu and the list goes on.…Life becomes very difficult sometimes to give myself a new identity everyday and in turn come across innumerable people like me.

As Sushmita Sen puts it ” World would be a beautiful place to stay if we believe in just “I AM”, no Ashutosh, no bengali, no hindu, nothing…but just a simple I AM“….The chaos, struggle, battles, confusions can be put to rest simply by eliminating everything that comes after “I AM”. “I am” is enough for all people in this world to survive and relate to each other. Every child is born with the same flesh and same blood but we human beings being the selfish lot, show those two innocent eyes the difference between a HINDU and a MUSLIM, make their little ears hear “the best of our religion and hatred towards others” and that’s where the very identity of that little child becomes questionable.

I am is what I am born to be, and that is a HUMAN BEING and continue to be a HUMAN BEING…Forgetting all the other things, I AM a part of HUMAN RACE who believe in HUMANITY and work towards leveraging the lives of other HUMANS..Isn’t that enough???

This is my guest entry to TONMOY DREAM LABS , a very dear friend of mine who has created an INDIVIDUALITY of himself and given a platform for bringing the best ideas together of the same human race and help everyone learn and gain knowledge…

Sunday, June 13, 2010

I am BACK!!!

After near about 4 years, Saaransh has come to India. He decides to visit his old home which he left after his separation with Pari. He asks his driver to take him to their old home in Meerut. It’s too hot in Delhi and again going for 3-4 hours drive to Meerut would be tiring but Saaransh just wants to see his home once before he goes back to US.

Everything is still the same, the dusty roads, traffic and unruly punk drivers ruling Delhi roads. While driving, he asks his driver to play some ghazals….

“Kiyaa hai pyar jise humne dillagi ki tarah
woh aashiyana bhi mila humse ajnabee ki tarah”….

A soothing music, and an air-conditioned ambience, Saaransh closes his eyes for sometime. Suddenly, driver puts a break and Saaransh wakes up. He can see his old home infront of his eyes, with gates and doors open. Perhaps, in the absence of anyone, burglers would have tried to enter and loot the house…but there was nothing in that house except for some unfazed memories….

“It’s Saaransh’s and Pari’s HEAVEN” still hangs on the door and it’s strange not even a single layer of dust is there on the nameboard. But, still he takes out his hanky, the same old hanky which Pari gifted him few years back and wipes on the nameboard to remove even if there is no dust. Saaransh always used to scold Pari for gifting him HANKIES because he believed that one should never gift hankies to his/hear dear ones since it brings a strain in the relationship and perhaps, when they separated, his belief became stronger…

He enters the room to see everything in order, covered with white sheets…The clock is still working and showing the date as 13th June.. He is surprised to see how come the clock can work even after 4 years when no one has entered the house.

Suddenly, someone from back comes and clings to his legs calling “Papa”!!! He is shocked to see a small boy clinging him as if he knows him. He takes the child in his arms and asks his name. The boy just kisses Saaransh on his cheeks and says he is “Sparsh“. There is a certain belongingness while holding him in his arms, even before Saaransh could react, he sees someone infront of him wearing a blue saree, standing straight and wishes him “HAPPY MARRIAGE ANNIVERSARY“…..

Angels are always beautiful and Pari is no expection….With a smile on her face, she says to Saaransh that SPARSH is his son… There’s already tears in Saaransh’s eyes. 4 years, and he is standing infront of Pari and his son…Someone whom he loved more than himself and perhaps still loves…probably, that’s the reason he never re-married anyone else in these 4 years…

There is a complete silence in the room…and as they say, sometimes “SILENCE is GOLDEN“…

Outside it begins to rain….Yes, monsoons have arrived….and this monsoon is certainly going to bring smiles on some faces…

DISCLAIMER: The story is entirely fictional and any characters or events having any resemblance to any person living or dead is purely coincidental and unintentional.