Down memory lane

In the Circle of life… the present soon becomes the past and reality takes the shape of memories… some gets faded over time and some remains… like some stray lines etched forever in stones!! 

I was trying to rekindle the earliest recollection of my childhood… those halcyon days with my parents n brothers… and I could visualize flickering images of my neighborhood childhood school while I was in Upper KG (perhaps)… where my mom used to bring delectable lunch during the lunch breaks.

I also remember going to a magic show where the magician plucked imaginary coins just by pinching our bellies and how I dreamt of becoming a magician one day!! My maternal grandpa used to scare us by telling us stories about the ‘Red Eyed’ monster that was always lurking in the darkness near the olive tree in our backyard.

I still recall how my parents would illuminate our entire lane with more than 200 diyas during Diwali… and how my Dad would maneuver our 1947model Willy’s Jeep in the dark highways… zigzagging through the majestic tea-gardens on our way back after visiting our relatives during the festival time. My memory of those times comprise of a mélange of such charming images… which are permanently engraved in some deepest corner of my heart… and whenever I would look back at my life… taking a break from the din and bustle of the City life… I am sure those memories will always bring a smile to my face… and my heart would always leap up with immense joy!!

Chariots of Fire

This incident happened in January last year after our placements got over… it was the annual Sports extravaganza of TAPMI called SPEED and all the 4 senie and junie sections with names like Diehards, Mavericks, Azurras etc crossed swords for sporting supremacy… something they can brag about until the next edition!! I was not in good shape due to my troublesome ankle n knee (thanks to endless overs bowled in the cricket field) but I got a call from my team captain at 6am in the morning stating that since I was a known sprinter (?) I’ll have to run in the sprinting events… winning or losing doesn’t matter!! Half asleep and still fearing about any major breakdown I decided to turn out for my team.

After a few moments of warming up I knew in my heart-o-hearts that I wasn’t fully fit… and the hard track of the MIT sports arena was making it more difficult.

I ran in the 400m heats and after maintaining my tempo for half the distance I couldn’t run… it was as if someone has tied a heavy stone under my legs and it wasn’t allowing me to surge ahead… dejectedly I lingered off the field… knowing well that the 100m will be more tougher.

And then in the semis I ran… and ran hard… came a comfortable 2^nd and qualified for the finals… the fact that one is competing with 2 junie sprinters who were professionally trained and naturally gifted was something that was playin on my mind. But I moved on without many expectations except the inner thoughts that I’ll give it my best.

The whistle was blown and 8 of TAPMI’s fastest sprinters flew along with the wind… the atmosphere was charged with such nervous tension with scores of fellow people cheering their teams… my lungs was gasping for breath… I could feel my blood rushing through my veins and the thumping of my injured legs…

After 50m I could see that the 2 junie sprinters have created a lead of around half a meter… and they had the momentum… and there were people breathing down at my neck… then suddenly something happened… as if some wild animal power has been teleported into my legs and I was running as fast as I could... without any feeling of the pain in my ankle and left knee…

As I pushed for the finish line the 2 junie sprinters managed to brush the tape in a brilliant 1-2 and there was a guy and myself in a virtual photo finish for the 3^rd position… and then I fell down… down and hard with all the mass and acceleration that comprises Newton’s Force!!

There was blood all around my left shoulder and the hands were scaled and blood oozed out… and beneath the torn T-shirt I could see white-flesh…

I was trying to edge out my competitor in a photo-finish and just managed to bend my head and body ahead of him… and in the result I fell down… but not before coming 3^rd for my team… I won’t forget the adulations that I received from my team mates… I gave it my all when my body told me to keep away…

The marks on my shoulders are still there… a constant reminder that in a small little place… in a small little game… I tried my best against all odds.

I don’t have any answers for why I did what I did… coming 3^rd wasn’t a big deal… but still why I literally threw myself to come 3^rd I don’t know!! Maybe it’s the sportsman spirit within us all…!!

Like SRK said in CHAK DE INDIA... about the 70 minutes which even God can’t take away… maybe those were my 12 secs which God created especially for me.

Who am I?

Can there be a life without dreams?
-A rebel without a cause?
-A heart without a song?
Can a man exist with nothing but HOPE?
Can there be a world without God?
Can Love triumph over Destiny?
Will I be able to convince others for a blind leap of faith?
If I close my eyes will it become darkness all around?
Can I become the thesis n antithesis at the same time?
Can there be a method in my madness?
Can I become truly blessed... by simply refusing to give up on Love?
Can I destroy the things I truly, madly Love in one go?
Will I die or just fade away?
Will I ever get a second chance in Life?
Can I inspire people... long after I am gone?
Will I be able to die without any regrets?
Will I be able to start a revolution without any bloodshed?
Can I turn a seemingly negative-sum to a positive sum game?
Can I savor the journey and not care about reaching the destination?
Can I resurrect a shattered dream... and coax it to dare again?
Will I ever get the courage to walk down the road less traveled?
Will anyone come near my grave with lilies and some silent tears?
Can I transform my name from being a proper noun to an adjective?
Can I sleep when my pen silently runs dry?
Will I ever know who am I and what I am going to do with my Life?