Going through the photographs,
Sometimes inducing tears, sometimes a laugh.
Recording all memories, from the time he first boarded an aircraft
To the first time he saw a giraffe.
.
The vacations
To different locations
Be it beaches or hill stations,
Can be found in this image which reminds him of that place’s vibrations and sensations.
.
The nostalgia, the emotions
Leave him frozen.
Just look at his eyes, swollen,
Such were the moments, so golden.
Isn’t it beautiful listening to the sound of the rain?
Isn’t it fascinating thinking how the moon wanes?
Isn’t it lovely seeing the mountains covered with white snow?
Isn’t it pleasing to feel the wind blow?
.
Seeing the birds fly,
Having your dog come and sit nearby,
Looking at clouds in a clear blue sky,
All lifting your mood up high!
.
Who says beauty is found in material things?
Are gold and silver really needed to experience the joy life brings?
The athlete you look up to
Doesn’t earn your admiration because he is a Muslim, Christian, Sikh or Hindu.
.
The author you love to read
Doesn’t enthrall you because he belongs to a particular caste or creed.
.
The actor of whom you always keep track
Doesn’t charm you because he is white, brown or black.
.
The comedian whom you always find funny
Isn’t brilliant because he belongs to a particular country.
.
The song which gives you the most joy
Isn’t better because it is composed by a girl or boy.
.
When you have the same heart, skull and bones
Why do you regard people of other regions, religions and colours as unknowns?
If someone a few months ago had said that the whole world would come to a standstill and we would all be forced to practice social distancing, no one would believe it. No one would have fathomed the damage that a virus would end up causing in the coming months. The effect that the virus has had on humankind psychologically, economically and socially is probably unprecedented.
Economically, it is expected that the world’s GDP could shrink by as much as 8%. Millions of people have already lost their jobs and are finding it difficult to make ends meet. The demand for most businesses has gone down as people are only spending money on essential commodities. Consumer businesses have suffered a lot due to the lockdown with their earnings practically being nil during this period. Hardly anyone can be seen in malls, hotels and restaurants. Most employees in companies have had to take a cut in their salaries and wages. The stock markets in India posted some of its worst losses in history during the lockdown period with SENSEX falling by 4000 points and NIFTY falling by 1150 points in 1 day.
The poor had to and are enduring the worst during this period. Millions of migrant workers have lost their jobs and with no means of transport available to take them back home, they’ve had to walk hundreds of kilometres with their families to their respective villages and towns. Listening to such stories of hardships certainly breaks one’s heart! Added to that, governments of some states have revised labour laws to attract investment to revive the economy further adding to migrant labourers’ miseries.
Students have had to study through online means and those who do not have access to smartphones and the internet have lagged in their studies without any fault of theirs. They also have had to go through the stress of uncertainties of when and how their exams will be conducted with the virus showing no signs of stopping any time soon. On the positive side, many teachers have become tech-savvy and many ways have been devised to teach in effective ways.
Psychologically, the lockdown caused by the virus has affected each and everyone to at least some extent. Social distancing has induced loneliness in many and has led to more serious problems like depression and suicide. People, in general, seem to have become more frustrated and anxious because of their inability to meet friends and to visit public places with freedom. This has counter-actively led people to become socially-disobedient and irresponsible. Many have become obsessive and compulsive about sterilization and checking their body temperature. Again, the poor have suffered the most in this aspect because of financial uncertainties.
Not only humans but animals have also had to go through a lot of anguish. Humans have neglected their pets in the fear that they might spread the virus. Thousands of pets have no place to go due to this reason.
Hundreds of thousands of people have died already due to this virus not taking into account the deaths that went unreported. The virus has pointed out major loopholes in our healthcare systems. They have been unable to deal with the rising cases properly. As a result, people have died because they couldn’t get access to proper health facilities.
There have been some silver linings though. The air and noise pollution levels have come down quite significantly. Stars have once again become visible in the night sky. People have started interacting with their families more due to ample time that is available in their hands and thus developing stronger bonds. People have started trying new things like cooking and writing. It has made us appreciate our freedom more and has underlined the importance of our friends and families in our lives.
Let’s hope that the pandemic ends soon and we can all return to our normal lives once again!
Getting out of one’s comfort zone,
Trying out travelling alone,
Making decisions that are risk-prone,
Is no doubt difficult – like trying to live without a phone!
.
Often leads to breakdowns,
Often makes one look like a clown
And often makes one frown.
.
But then if one doesn’t live for these things,
They are just like a bird without wings.
Even if their day-to-day life doesn’t sting,
They miss out on life and all that it brings.
Thinking of shallow things too deeply
Yes, to stop overthinking about things isn’t easy
But then, you’ve got to keep yourself busy!
.
Play a game of carrom,
Or go study the structure of an atom.
Watch a movie
Or go do something goofy.
Read a book
Or go learn how to cook!
.
Why pretend when you’re not fine?
In front of those to whom you say, “You’re Mine.”
They are the ones who’d get you off of your tough times.
.
If you don’t come out and express,
If all you do to your thoughts and feelings is repress,
The mind would become a bubble of stress.
And when it’d burst, it would create a huge mess!
He had a dream
To do something for the disadvantaged
To improve their esteem.
“Your idea is not feasible,” they deemed
But he never let them affect his saintly scheme
.
He always had hope
That his idea had scope
When someone told him to stop, he said, “Nope”
He was made up of stuff that would change the globe.
.
Now, whether he succeeded is a different story,
But actions like these bring mankind glory.
Amongst this world of insanity,
There are still people who give hope to humanity.
Stupidity is comparing yourself to others,
To your friends, your enemies or even your brother!
Humans don’t form a hierarchical chain,
Where one is over and other is under
In our own way, each one of us is a wonder.
.
If they don’t have anything other to do than compare…
Just think how their life is going to fare!
Imagine their despair
That all they can do is pass comments sitting on a chair,
While they don’t have anything to do and care.
.
You are equally important,
To describe success, there is no constant…
What you hear might not be the truth,
Just like the story of the fairy and your broken milk tooth.
Those who behave the sweetest,
Might just be acting in front of you,
And could actually be the ones who are the most uncouth.
The person with whom you’d never fight,
Could end up being the one who’d give you a backbite.
Those who ALWAYS act helpful and kind,
Might have a hidden agenda on their mind.
If the unexpected often ends up happening,
Often hurting one’s feelings,
One wonders why hasn’t the word “unexpected” lost its meaning?
Stay Hungry Stay Foolish. Never let go of your appetite to go after new ideas, new experiences, and new adventures.
It is often seen that humans tend to take the beaten path. They tend to follow others for it is easier and comfortable. From a young age, we are told to avoid taking risks and to try and “settle” in life. Not that there is anything wrong in having a secure life per se but risk avoidance often leads to the death of so many new ideas and innovations.
New experiences will always teach you something. Even the seemingly insignificant things might end up giving you another perspective to life. Moreover, participating in different things enables one to enhance your skillset. You might even find your hidden talent doing so. It is a possibility that you try your hand at painting and find out that it comes naturally to you.
Taking bold decisions is difficult because there is a significant possibility of failing. But extraordinary things can only be achieved by taking extraordinary decisions. Had Elon Musk not decided to start SpaceX and Tesla just because of the huge probability of failing (Elon Musk has stated that both of these companies had around only 10% chance of surviving), we might not have had any concrete plans for a manned Mars mission or existence of self-driving cars. There is no denying that people seldom succeed on their first try but if you’d never start trying then how would you reach a point where the possibility of succeeding is huge. Robert Kennedy has rightly said that only those who dare to fail greatly can achieve greatly!
Staying in one’s comfort zone may seem tempting but it would never give you a sense of deep satisfaction. You would always have a seed of doubt in your mind that what if I had done that particular thing? Isn’t it better to gather courage and do something you always wanted to rather than staying in your comfort zone and indulging in self-pity? You might end up messing up but at least you there would be no doubt affecting your mental well-being. To add to that, the experience you would gain would be invaluable!
We all have heard names of exemplary leaders in different fields. Instead of just learning trivial facts about them, let us learn from their works and experiences and try to become an example ourselves!
Over And Out
