When the happiness oozes in your tears...

What I'm writing now MIGHT seem trivial to some, and downright mindless indulgence to some others, but for me it symbolizes the very model of happiness, and its eternal pursuit.

Okay, to exemplify what I've just mentioned, I shall present to you (yes, YOU) an incident from the amazing day that was today, which did inspire the heading of this post.

The day that today was holds a VERY significant place in the life of ANY student. The day one gets free from the drudgery of the phenomenon that we refer to as examinations.
The day started off with an unusual trip to college, as it was supposed to be a standard lazy saturday. Instead, our IT batch was called up to give a presentation/report of the project - yada yada.. not the point...

So anyway, reached college@1013hrs, after having spent a sleepless night fighting the elements in an attempt to codify the by now bed friends that were LRU, MRU and that wily old CLOCK.
Till 1300hrs I wait for our turn, literally writhing in the sense of angst, insomnia induced pseudo drunkenness, a nagging semi stomach ache, and general impatience that accompanies such a circumstance. THEN, the universal Lunch Break intervenes to further defer our little rendezvous.
In due time, the destined hour arrived at 1600hrs, where we presented the fruit of my blood, sweat and tears. Fun it was... as it should be i guess... again... not quite the crux of the issue here...

FINALLY, 1630hrs, we're FREE. The world outside has darkened, and a frolicking little storm seems to be brewing. As the raindrops fall, I cant help but take a much needed "lie-down-in-a-state-of-delirious-smiles-and-racing-mind" on my beloved turf... lush, green grass... I could've sworn a tear was present in the midst of those free falling rain drops, but yeah, still havent reached the climax of this little story...

So eventually, after lots of such implosions of joy, and an illegal ride in Shubham's car with Rabbi, reached home. There, was greeted by my adorable little nephew, and eventually decided to go for the weekly spic meet, now that the exams were well and truly done away with.

NOW, a brief recap. Over the past few days, the sound track of "Hazaaron Khwaishen Aisi" a VERY beautiful movie, has been the latest thing to capture my imagination, in particular, "Bawra Mann" and "Mann ye Bawra". They were partly responsible for fueling me through the sleepless night aforementioned.

RETURNING to today... On my way to the metro, the mostly senseless radio trumpetting in my ears... I wished for JUST a second... If only Bawra Mann were to come to me now... And yes, as is the case on magical days such as today, within 15mins, it was there. Good ol' RadioCity 91.1FM providing the dope which had me flying to the metro platform, in a state of inexplicable and unadulterated high-ness.

THEN, half way on my trip in the metro... just sitting... radio in my head as usual... skipping channels thanks to the return of the moribund music stream. and BANG! come Hit95FM, and there it is... THE ultimate tribute to the device enabling my constant access to random music... Queen, with "Radio Gaga".
THAT, was when the burden of awe and gratitude to the one above was too much for me to take. One after the other, tears streamed down those vehemently smiling eyes of mine... Feeling every word touch my very existence. The taal, the voice, the very meaning behind the song...
THAT was a state of bliss...

To those who disagree with my view of happiness (and even those who don't), and the series of idiosyncrasies listed above, I shall say "May God Bless us Everyone, and may we all always be happy.", and I shall leave the following:

"In small proportions we just beauties see; And in short measures life may perfect be."
- Ben Jonson

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to
front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn
what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I
had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is
so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite
necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of
life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all
that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive
life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it
proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to
know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in
my next excursion."
- Henry David Thoreau, in his classic, Walden.

May we all LIVE all our days...

Kandisa!

Can the pursuit of happiness lead one to sorrow?

This is one of those things that has haunted my very existence for a while now. "The path to happiness", "The way to LIVE life" are just some of the MANY (by now) cliched one liners that we see around ourselves these days.

Perhaps the gyaan that I unwittingly am about to profess here is that, Happiness is something to be accepted, as something that comes to you as and when you "do something good" etal. We shouldn't live in a state of constant "I'll be happy as soon as I complete that thing/accomplish this task/etal". True, our goals MUST play a role in our joy and gratification, that is the very core of human progress, BUT one must not forget that life is to be lived, and its best lived when happy.
What that effectively means is that, the happier we are (sometimes consciously even), the better we can work, and the better it is for all of mankind.

Rather than chasing a dream of the perfect life, of a state of happiness, I feel its MUCH better to acknowledge the countless gifts strewn on our life's path, derive a certain degree of happiness from them, and them propel oneself forward to improve on on the self and the rest of the world thereafter.


Of course one must keep ones eyes open on the look out for complacency, that can wait, hiding in the shadows, for its chance to usher in the decay of our active and alive self. A few reality checks now and then should suffice in my view.

So in effect, my message would be, to BE happy, and then work towards a better tomorrow, rather than the other way around.


PS: More on this absolutely fascinating topic as and when I learn more about the intricacies of being ALIVE, and being happy.

PPS: This post has no connection with the truly beautiful movie that is "The Pursuit of Happyness".
The toil and effort on the part of Will Smith in that story was a necessity considering his responsibilities as a father etal. Moreover, his love for his son kept him going at his lowest moments, and even before he landed the job, he didn't lead an "inwardly unhappy" life. Yes, regret and discontentment might have been there, but at the end of the day, he wasn't a SAD man. (That was perhaps one of the reasons he was intent on keeping his son with him, his source of constant love, hope and HAPPYNESS.)

Being a SPIC MACAY volunteer...

SPIC MACAY… Its so much more than an a body of people working together for a common cause; it is just so much more significant and deep rooted in its effect than any ordinary organization.

To begin with, thanks to SPIC MACAY, I’ve had the privilege to attend some truly soul stirring performances over the last couple of years. From the vocal strains of the prodigious Pt. Mukul Shivputra, to the enchantment of Sh. Kamal Sabri and his Sarangi.
The movement has opened my mind to a treasure trove of the richest of our cultures and arts, to a level of dedication, of devotion and of commitment previously unheard of, at least for me. This conscious knowledge of their lifelong sadhana towards their art form always inspires me to go ahead and achieve my goals. I feel Pt. Ravi Shankar has very accurately said, “Music is not just for entertainment, ….but to appreciate it, has a very civilizing effect.”

The artistes that I’ve interacted with, have shown me a higher level of thought that I can truly aspire to reach. Perhaps the most moving such incident was my meeting with Ust. Rahim Fahimuddin Dagar Sahab. His warmth along with his profound simplicity in thought really left a mark on me and my thinking.

Besides the obvious exposure to our nation’s rich and diverse heritage, the movement has given me something slightly less tangible. I’ve been introduced to a school of thought which professes a universal respect and tolerance to things that are not entirely known to me. The spirit of exploration, which initially drew me to SPIC MACAY, has now become a part of my thinking and living. As my seniors at my college used to tell me, its all about “opening one’s mind” to a phenomenon as yet unknown to you; to a phenomenon which most people consider it natural to shun at the first instance. It is this sense of logical tolerance, of accepting the fact that there might be great things as yet unknown to one, and of then giving it a chance to impress, that is the underlying backbone of a progressive society.

Another point, which is just synonymous with the name of SPIC MACAY, is the spirit of volunteerism that drives the movement forward. This seamless integration in mind and heart among the countless volunteers truly amazes me. For me this sense of service really contributes to the upliftment that one gets when working with SPIC MACAY. To quote an example, in my time with the movement I’ve helped out with the shoe counter a couple of times, a job which is both critical for the event and taxing for volunteers. And I can say for sure, that the feeling that I got at the end of the whole exercise was unlike any that I’d ever experienced. The simple task of picking up and aligning shoes became an act of divine service for the movement, when done with that spirit of real volunteerism and humility. Without any sense of exaggeration, I can say that SPIC MACAY makes all of us volunteers better workers, better members of society, and downright better human beings.

Finally, perhaps the most obvious gain from being in a movement like SPIC MACAY, and what I consider to be the greatest assets one can hope to have, is the multitude of amazing people that one gets to meet and interact with. I can confidently say, that some of my closest friends and comrades, have been gems strewn upon my life’s path by SPIC MACAY.

Long live the movement!

May God Bless SPIC MACAY!

Kandisa!