Some days, whether I plan to or not, I just end up sitting and reminiscing the past. Muse over "those days", "that time", "that friend", "that girl" and "that day". Realize that it can lead to a mini avalanche of thoughts in the head if I let it.
One thing that strikes out, is life quite doesn't come a full circle, as they put it. Or may be it hasn't yet for me. Considering my life might not be at the ripe of youth, but it's still pretty young by most standards! :-D What I mean to say is, things have only changed from one to another. And changed for the better, for most of it... (So a "full circle" isn't a real possibility, right???) And this has only helped me to appreciate and value time and all that it has given me and taught me more and more.
I was born in a middle class set up in a remote town of one of the poorest states of the country. My parents didn't come from families of means. They toiled hard to make ends meet, while giving us (the kids) the most amazing life and times I can imagine of...
Oct 1996 - A middle aged couple fights the maddening morning rush hour crowd at Dadar station, tightly clasping the hands of their 9 and 13 year old sons. All they knew was that they had to get on a local train to Borivali. After all, the kids were promised a trip to the only Amusement Park that India had back then. And it had to be done in that 4 day trip to the big bad city of Mumbai. A train, a bus and ferry ride later, they were finally there. A day, and small fortune well spent. The kids enjoyed their day till the last bit. And back home became heroes for having visited "Essel World".
We were gonna be the only kids in my small town, who had been there till sometime to come. :-)
Oct 2001 - The same family (with adult boys now) waits for (preferably) an empty bus at 10 pm at Bangalore's biggest bus station. Hailing a cab was still not an option and it wouldn't be for many years to come. But no one complained... As always it was a fun evening. Loitering around from shop to shop in the bustling complexes of Majestic. Alankar Plaza, National Market, Burma Bazaar. The couple leaving no stone unturned in bargaining hard on cheap clothes and shoes for the "kids". :-) And rounding off the evening with a sumptuous Biryani meal at Navyuga.
The kind of evening I liked. We did this many a times during our early years in Bangalore.
And then I was lucky to have my best of friends, again from similar backgrounds. People with whom money was always scarce and fun was always plentiful. :-) Ah.. those days. Coffee Days and McDonald's were sheer luxuries. Owning a 100cc bike was the ultimate possession and making the maximum of the 100 buck buffet at Paramount was considered a week's desire fulfilled. :-)
Things have only gotten better in every possible way. Made money, made someone proud and a few times made my own day. Found love, lost love, found love a few times more. But still I take so much pride in my roots and the place in life where I come from. Whether or not someone else can see it, I'm a very different guy inside than who I seem to be on surface. Hmmm... Now, somehow the full circle is beginning to make sense.
May be it only means, we shall remain the same on the inside, and continue to pursue those people in friendships and relationships, whom we can relate to our roots. 'Cause everything else will continue to change in its own path. And it's with those people that we will see life going through similar rumblings again and again... Making us believe that life probably does come a full circle.
One thing that strikes out, is life quite doesn't come a full circle, as they put it. Or may be it hasn't yet for me. Considering my life might not be at the ripe of youth, but it's still pretty young by most standards! :-D What I mean to say is, things have only changed from one to another. And changed for the better, for most of it... (So a "full circle" isn't a real possibility, right???) And this has only helped me to appreciate and value time and all that it has given me and taught me more and more.
I was born in a middle class set up in a remote town of one of the poorest states of the country. My parents didn't come from families of means. They toiled hard to make ends meet, while giving us (the kids) the most amazing life and times I can imagine of...
Oct 1996 - A middle aged couple fights the maddening morning rush hour crowd at Dadar station, tightly clasping the hands of their 9 and 13 year old sons. All they knew was that they had to get on a local train to Borivali. After all, the kids were promised a trip to the only Amusement Park that India had back then. And it had to be done in that 4 day trip to the big bad city of Mumbai. A train, a bus and ferry ride later, they were finally there. A day, and small fortune well spent. The kids enjoyed their day till the last bit. And back home became heroes for having visited "Essel World".
We were gonna be the only kids in my small town, who had been there till sometime to come. :-)
Oct 2001 - The same family (with adult boys now) waits for (preferably) an empty bus at 10 pm at Bangalore's biggest bus station. Hailing a cab was still not an option and it wouldn't be for many years to come. But no one complained... As always it was a fun evening. Loitering around from shop to shop in the bustling complexes of Majestic. Alankar Plaza, National Market, Burma Bazaar. The couple leaving no stone unturned in bargaining hard on cheap clothes and shoes for the "kids". :-) And rounding off the evening with a sumptuous Biryani meal at Navyuga.
The kind of evening I liked. We did this many a times during our early years in Bangalore.
And then I was lucky to have my best of friends, again from similar backgrounds. People with whom money was always scarce and fun was always plentiful. :-) Ah.. those days. Coffee Days and McDonald's were sheer luxuries. Owning a 100cc bike was the ultimate possession and making the maximum of the 100 buck buffet at Paramount was considered a week's desire fulfilled. :-)
Things have only gotten better in every possible way. Made money, made someone proud and a few times made my own day. Found love, lost love, found love a few times more. But still I take so much pride in my roots and the place in life where I come from. Whether or not someone else can see it, I'm a very different guy inside than who I seem to be on surface. Hmmm... Now, somehow the full circle is beginning to make sense.
May be it only means, we shall remain the same on the inside, and continue to pursue those people in friendships and relationships, whom we can relate to our roots. 'Cause everything else will continue to change in its own path. And it's with those people that we will see life going through similar rumblings again and again... Making us believe that life probably does come a full circle.
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