I want my own life !

“Adhira  ,  wake  up ! Your  tenth  board  results  are  declared . ”

“ Dad , but  the  results  will  be  put  up  in  the  school  by  ten. Why  do  I  need  to  get  up  now ? ” Adhira  had  inculcated  sleeping  and  day  dreaming  as  a  hobby  during  her  last  two  months  of  vacation  while  waiting  for  the  results . It  is  free  and  most  suitable  for  the  poor  who  cannot  afford  or  not  so  poor  who  do  not  want  to  afford , "Father  said - a hobby  like  painting , reading , writing , .... friends , .... is  not  for  doctors it  is  for  low  life's  like  people  who  want  to  opt  for  arts."  TV  was  not  that  happening  during  late  80's  and  early  90's  so  daydreaming  was  the  only  way  to  kill  time  and  you  can  do  whatever  you  wish  to  join  a  army  and  kill  your  enemies , become  James  Bond and  solve  your  fathers electrolytes problem , get romantic with your crush the most good looking guy of the school and look down upon everyone , ........  the  options are endless and nobody knows.  

 

She had to finish this dream before she obliged her father by waking up ........

“ Early  to  bed  early  to  rise  makes  a  man  healthy  wealthy  and  wise !”

“But  I  am  not  a  man ! I  am  a  girl  and  that  too  just  fifteen  years .” She  was  whining .

“ You  have  to  become  a  doctor ! You  cannot  sleep  till  late .”

She  moved  to  a  much  lesser  known  position  of  balasana  with  legs  folded  at  knees  under  the  torso  and  her  head  resting  on  the  pillow  with  slight  adjustment  of  hands  resting  next  to  her  head  holding  the  pillow  lest  her  pillow  might  just  oblige  her  father  and  fly  away  into  the  cupboard.  She  managed  to  sleep  in  this  position  for  some  more  time .   

“If  you  want  to  become  great  you  need  to  have  a  discipline  in  life . Remember  this  you  have  to  become  a  great  doctor  one  day  a  cardiothoracic  surgeon !”

This  was  all  new  to  her . She  had  never  seen  her  father  like  this  in  ages  not  until  now .  At  times  she  doubted  if  father  was  possessed  or  had  gone  insane . He  had  always  said  to  discontinue  the  child  from  education  whenever  he  got  a  complaint  from  the  school   or  was  asked  to  attend  a  parents  teachers  meeting . He  seldom  interacted  with  his   children . He  believed  his  wife  and  children  should  fear  him  like  he , his  siblings and  his  mother  feared  his  father . Well  it  was  all  in the  family !

‘Why  doesn’t  he  stay  at  his  office  or  go  on  a  long  trip  every  fortnight  or  much  better  why  doesn’t  he  get  transferred  to  Bulani  that  he  had  been  talking  about  lately?’ He  often  talked  about  his  postings  as  he  was  getting  posted  on  the  front  in  the  line  of  fire . He  was  a  B.Tech  working  as  Deputy  chief  engineer  in  Bhilai  steel  plant  living  in  a  government  allotted  bungalow  spread  across  around  four  thousand  square  feet  area  and  a  jeep  and  a  car  at  his  disposal . A  beautiful  garden  with  green  Astroturf  spread  in  front  yard  surrounded  with  some  seasonal  flowers  and  some  rose  plants  with  different  colored  roses . Ved  always  had  his  first  cup  of  coffee  sitting  in  the  garden  chair  relaxing  in  his  garden  reading  newspaper . But  today  it  was  different . Recently  but  not  so  much  Ved  had  become  conscious  of  his  family  and  had  suddenly  grown  some  great ambitions . He  was  still  standing  next  to  Adhira’s  bed  near  her  head  telling  her  to  get  up . She  was  still  in  her  own  developed  Balasana  position .

 

“You  should  rise  with  the  sun  to  shine  like  sun ! Now  wake  up  and  go  check  your  results . I  hope  you  get  distinctions  in  all  the  eight  subjects ……… ”

“ I  have  only  five  subjects …….  English , Hindi ,……..” She  was  sleepy  and  replied  him  with  her  voice  fading  in  the  background  of  her  father’s  loud  voice  of  , “Wake up ! Wake up !”

She  woke  up  whining . Her  father  followed  her  from  her  bed  to  the  toilet  door  telling  her  what  all  dreams  he  had  for  her .

She  wished  'God ! make  this  all  go  away ! I can't take  this  anymore . I  can't  wake up  to  his  goodmornings ! I  just  don't  want  to  be  a  part  of  his  dreams . I  don't  want  to  live  in  his  dreams . I  want  a  real  life ! I  want  my  life ! I  want  to  live  my  life  and  not  his  dream. '

The story of milkman

The story of milkman !

It  was  end  of  May . Adhira  was  sleeping  till  late  like  every day  since  her  board  exams . It  was  more  of  a  custom in Bhilai  where  most  of  the  students  slept  till  late  in  the  morning  after  10^th  board  exams . It  was  simply  to  relax  from  the  hard  work  they  had  put  in  for  the  entire  year  and  also  as  this  would  be  the  last  time  they  would  get  so  much time  to  relax  and  prepare  themselves  for  the  upcoming  war  of  competitive  exams . Summers  in  Bhilai  are  scorching . “Only  the  early  mornings  are  pleasant  and  best  time  to  sleep,” Adhira  often  said . The  rest  of  the  day  she  would  spend  lying  around  dreaming , at  times  sewing  and  some  other  times  sketching  with  the  cooler  rumbling  like  a  military  helicopter  spitting  water . She  would  sleep  off  the  mornings  till  late  as  she  was  too  old  to  go  swimming  in  a  skimpy  swim  suit  and  too  young  to  take  driving  lessons  and  poor  enough  for  a  hobby . She  loved  her  sleep  as  much  as  honey bees love their hives . 

Adhira’s  father   woke  her  up  with  The  Statesman  newspaper  in  one  hand  and   a  cup  of  coffee  in  the  other . A  medium  built  dark  and  tall  man  in  his  late  forties  with  blood  shot  eyes  but  handsome  over  all . He  was an  ideal  hero  for  any  daughter . He  had  all  the  qualities  a  hero  had  in  movies  loving , caring , protective , …… ‘A  man  who  would  fight   an  entire  army  to  save  his  child’. A  man  who  looked  into  the  best  interest  of  his  family , not  his  family , his  well  wishers , his  not  so  well  wishers and  the  world  around . People  idealized  him . Once  it  so  happened  that  a  milkman   while  returning  from  his  diary  late  night  met  with  an  accident  at  the  street  corner . People  gathered  all  around  him . Most  of  the  people  came  out  to  see  what  happened  while  some  other  used  it  as  an  opportunity  to  discuss  their  office . While  some  stood  at  their  gate  some  walked  to  the  accident  site while  some  others  stood  at  their  window  too  scared  to  step  out  lest  they  might  be  blamed  for  the  accident . Soon  there  were  groups  here  and  there .Only  one  group  standing  next  to  the  fallen  man  seemed  little  concerned .

“He  is  bleeding . What  should  we  do ?” said  someone  .

“Kya  hua  bhaiya ? Kaise  gir  gaye ?” [Brother , what happened ? How  did  you  fall ?] inquired  one  standing  close  to  him . And  before  he  could  answer ……..

“Someone  should  take  him  to  the  hospital !” said  other .

“Accident  kaise  hua ? Kisi  gaadi  nee maara  kya ? Gaadi  ka  number  liya ?” [How  did  you  meet  with  an  accident ? Did  someone  hit  and  run ? Did  you  take  down  the  registration number ?] asked  other  bending  towards  the  milkman  a  little  loud  this  time .

“He  has  met  with  an  accident . He  is  not  deaf .” said  one  of  the  men  standing  in  the  group .

“You  are  not  helping ! And  I  don’t  think  he  understands  Hindi .” replied  the  guy  quite  irritated .

“How  does  screaming  help ?” argued  the  other .

“Let  someone  go  and  inform  his  family  and  let  them  decide  what  they  want  to  do  with  him ?”  said  someone  else  looking  around  for  someone  available  to  offer .

“Parivar  hai ? Kidhar rehte hai ?” [Do  you  have  a  family ? Where  do  you  live ?] asked  someone  trying  to  move  him . He  moaned  with  pain  but  still  didn’t  reply .

“He  is  milkman  from  the  dairy . Who  will  take  him  to  the  hospital ?” said  some  other .

“I  will  take  him  to  the  hospital !” said  father  cutting  through  all  the  noise  and  discussion and  arguments . He  pulled  his  Mahindra  jeep  from  the  garage  put  the  milkman  in  the  jeep  and  took  him  to  the  main  hospital  in  sector – 9 .

While  some  called  him  generous  others  despised  him  for  his  hero  like  attitude  to  be  a  savior  at  all  cost . People  often  called  him   ‘man  with  golden  heart’ . People  respected  him . Everyone  respected  him . He  needed  respect  as  much  one  needs  air  to  breath , needs  food  to  eat  , needs  water  to  drink , ……. Respect  was  elixir  of  his  life .

The story of daydreaming co-passenger!

Can your simple hobby freak or scare the hell out of someone?

 

I was flying from Mumbai to New York recently on a business trip where the person sitting next to me was as normal like any of us but there seemed something that I found quite disturbing. It’s a long flight so I started a conversation to break the ice.

Hey ! I am Paddy.

Hi ! I am Rodney.

We shook hands and ….

‘I live in Mumbai and am flying to NY on a business trip. We are looking for tying up with some universities for our degree and masters program that we are offering ……’ and he was lost , lost in his dreams .

After sometime he asked me, ‘what were you saying?’

I was talking to the lady on the other side of the aisle. I told myself maybe I should talk something more interesting so I changed the topic. ‘You are going back from Mumbai so, what did you think about our city?’

‘Well , I had come here scouting for some embroiders as ……’ He stopped and started looking at the roof of the plane. My eyes followed his eyes as it is normal,  is there something there?

I was freaked out . He seemed a little lost . I called the flight assistance and walked with her to a corner and informed about his behavior . She went through the passenger’s list and informed me, ‘he is an artist.’

 

Surprisingly, his behavior though bizarre seemed justified to me. He was a harmless designer busy daydreaming which not only freaked me out but even the one across the aisle. He was daydreaming and maybe building up his designs or working on a show or something but it made me wonder !

Daydreaming is more or less a practice of every artist but when it freaks other’s what is it called ?   

Here are a few definition of simple terms that clearly distinguish someone’s hobby as someone else’s perception of disease. There is a thin line between all the terms given below that differentiate each from the other .

Hobby: An activity done regularly by a person in leisure time for pleasure.

 

Fascination: The state when a person is intensely engrossed in something in awe or terror or habit.

Occupation: A job or profession where a person gets paid for the given position.

 

Obsession: An idea or a concept that incessantly preoccupies a person's mind.

 

Addiction: The state of person where he becomes incarcerated to something psychologically or physically to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.

Absurdity: The state of person where he becomes bizarre or crazily irrational.

Disease: A fastidious custom, hobby or disposition of a person that is regarded as adversely affecting a person or a group.

Happy dreaming !!!!!