Stay Stay..the same this way

There are somethings I wish stayed the way they are forever...

The empty roads, cool breeze & silence of the early mornings which would soon be buzzing with traffic
The rainy afternoon & cozy view from a window
The babbles of a toddler whom you can hug forever so as listening to his/her sweet words
The first year of college where you meet many a new people and cherish their friendship [I have found, later on as we get to know people more & more, we begin to lose the good image we have had of them]
The recognition & love from people you cared for most
The ever booming energy & "Tomorrow is another day!" spirit of youth

Traffic Rules - Jammed!

Road is nothing but a simile to life. In both, the powerful dominate the weak and rules are crushed by the former. Bribes and impunity may be looked at as the prime factors corrupting the system. But when looked beyond, it would be revealed that the roots are even deeper. It is the system itself which has to be checked.

The existing rules have become redundant due to big loop holes to which the State has turned a blind eye. We often question whether the rule breakers are charged by the Traffic police. The prime concern I personally have is, why are the public transports not checked for not abiding by the rules? The traffic police don’t hesitate to levy a fine on a speeding car or bike. But even when a government bus hits another vehicle, why is it overlooked?

Last week a government bus hit the front of my car which was actually standing to make way for the bus to move forward. Traffic police who witnessed it, just stood still after throwing a pitiful glance to my side. Though the damage was very little, I decided to question the impolite driver on his action. When I raced my way and stopped the bus in the next stop by parking my car in the front, the driver stood still without even looking to my side. First, he promptly refused that he never hit my car. Again when I questioned him, he denied his own statement and replied saying that only drivers of other vehicles should carefully watch and drive!!! To think of it, I feel it is nothing but power which these drivers feel that makes them drive recklessly without responsibility.

In another incident when a lorry collided with our car where my brother and driver escaped miraculously and the car was crushed completely, my father withdrew his complaint to my surprise. When I asked him why, all he could say was, that the car would remain in the police station for nearly a month [drawbacks in system] and by the time, the case is listened to and we are able to start the work on the car it would be too late. Hence he also stopped me from filing the case on the bus driver who hit my car for by the time justice is served, my car might have rusted. Till date I feel guilty for not taking the driver to court…

When an adult looks down on a small child, he/she obviously knows the other is smaller and hence powerless. Similarly, a bus which is stronger than another vehicle on road is driven with the feeling that the other vehicles ought to watch their way for they’re smaller. Whether bus hits the car or car hits the bus, it is those small vehicles which would be damaged either way. We find buses being driven so rashly and scaring people away whenever they stop in bus stops.

Don’t public transport services have speed limits? When they race through roads crossing the speed limits, scaring people why aren’t they warned? What makes them feel so powerful? I have often wondered the link between this top-down view the bus drivers have and their reckless behaviour. And in more than one occasion, I have felt it is true!

Q: What is life? Ans: 2 feet

While I was busy trying to carve a niche for myself in my chosen field, while I was pushing myself too hard than I could withstand, while I continued to search for happiness on one side of this vast world, little did I realize how fast the other side could change.

When I was too tired to even recognize my own emotions and when whatever I was doing became incomprehensible to my own self, I decided to stand still and look around me. My sister who was almost like my philosopher & guardian and with whom I spent lot of time now had a little world of her own...her husband and a newly born. My parents, whom I considered are busy with their own tasks, have now become so tired because of their age. My handful of friends, with whom I shared all my feelings without the insecurity of being judged, had now moved forward with their own life. What am I going to do...Everyone i cared for, now seemed to be in a world which I was not familiar with...and for which I knew not the path...the path which leads me to happiness which I had been searching for elsewhere.

A feeling of distress and helplessness clouded me... What made my hurt even deeper is the realization that it was my laxity which had placed me in this situation...It was not they who had abandoned me but it was me who had willfully neglected their beckoning... Hence it was my duty to find my path of happiness...

In this search, seldom did I knew I'll be blessed with a guide who would make my journey easier... A guide who is one and a half years old, 2 feet tall and... he happens to be my nephew.

I couldn't find any trace of my hesitance in reaching out to the adults, when I was jabbering with my toddler guide. I could sense the scent of fresh hope, when I observed his sources of happiness… The way his face lit up on seeing me the first thing in the morning…the way he hops in joy when he hears a tune he loves…the way he giggles on seeing something he had never seen… the expression of pride and joy when he shows off his broken car to visitors… He does not worry about what others feel about his car being broken…All that matters to him is that it was his car and he loves it…All that he cares for is the presence of those he loves, enthusiasm in discovering new things and above everything…being in the present…

I no longer ponder and feel exasperated in identifying what would bring me happiness… But am living my life by what my guide lives his. To just let go off my fears of future and live in the current moment… To not chase the unreal but to sense the happiness which has never been so far but so near…

Did I say earlier it was my duty to find the path of happiness? Well…now I no longer search…but live…thanks to my guide…