AZURE'13 : Winner entry 2

THE PERPETUAL ENIGMA OF CHANGE

Time rolled by. Maintaining a polite masquerade of innocence, it has subtly been chipping its way through without respite; reworking and reshaping everything that came its way, with no exceptions whatsoever. Whether they happened to be my aspirations, likes or dislikes, my hopes, priorities or the choices I made, the circumstances I've had to face, or the people around me, everything has just been in thrall, right from the very beginning. A victim, in this mute memoir that life itself has been reciting all along and always will, till the end of time. And behind the self created and self imposed bars of routine confinement, within this flowing time, we rarely realize how much we miss every day, with every passing second of our lives. And it's really not until you take a step back, and take cognizance of who you were and who you've become along the way. 'You've changed so much' --is probably the biggest cliché, when it comes to social gatherings, and for me this has always fuelled introspection, and helped me glance back at my antecedents to get a better understanding of whether this change extends beyond just the physical demarcations.

When you see someone your age, with an unusual dexterity or some distinctive attribute that makes him/her unparalleled in that field, whether it's an artist or a famous author, an orator or a poet or maybe someone with a great physique, the very first thing that we consciously register is their deviation from the regular normalcy. And, in the process of trying to figure out what could've caused this contrasting difference, is where our prudence fails. Because we simply fail to grasp the very fundamental law that governs this final outcome.
I believe that every saint and fiend who've ever existed, always have had one thing in common, they were born alike. It was the course of seemingly inconsequential events they had to endure throughout their lives, which wired them into who they are, and that’s what makes us look at them as two different beings. Yes, we might have had some innate predilections when we were young, which might have given us an edge over others in some areas, but the very base that we start off with has always been exactly the same for each and every one of us. An intricate statue carved out of a stodgy piece of rock was always there. It was just what was chipped out, that makes it look like the way it is. It's really what we 'leave' behind through the course of time, that decides what we end up having at the end.
It's what is taught to us, what we invest in, what we aspire to be like, what we've had to face in our lives, that makes our paths so different. And once you reach a point, where you fully understand what it takes for a change to happen for betterment. And that the change you want to see is really up to you. Once you understand, that not everybody will join you, that not everybody will have the vision, and that even if no one else sees it for you, you must see it for yourself. When you go beyond the fear of failure, and start investing in yourself; you would witness, the true magnitude of your potential. When you are willing at any moment of time, to sacrifice what you are, for what you will become, you would eventually understand that you don't have to go through your life being a victim. When you strive to become an individual; when you struggle to become the person you were created to be; when you 'define' the change you want to see and your belief resonates with the possibility of this change,  you start living a life where changes happen for a reason, a life where things are not just on auto pilot; a life where 'you're' running the day, the day's not running you. That would be the kind of change that I seek.
But the story takes a sudden precipitous fall, when you get caught up in the daily hiccups of life and succumb to your circumstances, 'before' reaching that threshold of maturity, where you can truly appreciate your raw potentials and your mind's own infinite nature. I believe, everyone of us was given a 'lorry' when we came to this world, a means to fling past the tough times that we were to face, through the journeys ahead of us. But, just like any two leaves of a tree, no two lorries were the same. Some could move swiftly while there were others, which hardly moved at all. Drowning in a sense of lack, unhappiness and bias, the unfortunate ones struggled. Inch by inch they dragged their lorries, as the others swooshed past them. They were rendered autodidacts, left alone in their cosmos of sufferings. Some had the luxury of the right guidance and were strong enough to reach up to the threshold and take control of their lives, and be the change they wanted to see in the world. While the others, unaware of their true potentials, sought for easier means to make their lives less painful, ways which were not always right.
Every noble, thief or a delinquent, every face that there is to see, has a story to tell of the path of changes that it has undergone. When a murderer is killed, for the greater good of the society, when you are left with no choice, but to take away the life of the living, you destroy more than just a person who did wrong. I think, somewhere along the line, you kill a soul that never found the right lorry, and that is a failure on 'our' part. You teach something to live a certain way all its life, and when you hit a dead end, you kill it for what it has become for you simply don't know what to do with it anymore. I don't think you cure the disease by killing the diseased. The cure lies deep within, the cure lies in understanding the problem first. If there's water leaking in your house, you don't just keep clearing water off the floor, you fix the damn pipe. We look at the result, the outcome, because that is the easiest to see and judge, instead of understanding the 'reason' behind the change and killing the 'cause'. And so in this war of good and evil, to seek justice, I believe, it's actually the humanity that looses every time.

 It's not where you start or where you finish in life, it's the distance that you travel that really matters. When you see someone who overcame the odds and 'changed' his life for betterment, stop; put your hands together for him; give credit where it's due; remember the name of that person, for one day he might be an inspiration for someone doubting himself; someday he might be an inspiration for 'you'. Yes, it’s hard to change your life, but it's necessary to know that tough times have not come to stay, they have come to pass. Lend a helping hand to someone who needs it. Show them that they have the strength to overcome whatever that is they're facing. Make them smile and let them know that you care. I guess, there is no one variable to the equation of change. We make new variables as we go along. Change is inevitable. But to make this change count, we need to understand that we are an uncommon breed with unimaginable potentials. And we'll never know the limit of our possibilities until we charter the waters of the 'impossible'.

Anandbir Singh BainsMechanical, 3rd year

THE INDEPENDENCE

“Walking down the streets of “independent” India, I saw people who were happy. Some were happy because they got a vacation, some were happy because they got themselves a nice august 15^th sales offer and some of them were happy just because they have to look happy on such an important day. Then I took a right into inner streets and I saw the people who were imprisoned. Imprisoned in their own hearts. Imprisoned by falling rupee and growing crime rates, imprisoned by infamous politicians and famous sadhus, imprisoned between the line of poverty and rich people. Then I took a bus to red fort where the flag was hoisted and they created an artificial wind to keep it flying. I was a fool to search for independence in the nation where the flag of the nation has no independence to fly on its own. ”~vivek         

_______________________________________________________________ 

Bheekhu saw more people these days in Bade Sahib's office. Ravi, his co-worker (a very modest coinage for another domestic help like him) informed his in a smart tone that it was an election year, so they will have more chores to do in the house alone. He had worked in Bade Sahib's house for almost two months; Ravi had been there ever since he was five, but even he had still not seen as much furor as this. He had overheard the driver talking about "a return to power" or some homonym. While doing the dishes, Ravi once again bragged him about Sahib hoisting a flag some day next week. Bheekhu asked what was the occasion, cursing his negligence and his naive nature. While Ravi howled he, told him it was 15 Agast.

Bheekhu was an illiterate, but he was still not stupid enough to ask Ravi what it meant. But he was curious boy, and eventually rounded the cook in the late hours of a dopey afternoon next day. With a bundle of bidi he bribed him successfully. But his answer was really terse, and left more questions than it answered- it means being free, the Angrej left the country and we were free to do whatever we want.

As the day progressed the skies grew grey. He finished doing the dishes, ate his food and took his place on the kitchen floor. He looked out of the window, the lightening, the downpour being incessant. Free, the word had echoed in his mind throughout the day. He dare not discuss it with Ravi, he made enough fun of him already. But free was not a difficult word. He knew it alright. He knew that it meant doing something out one's own will. He wondered what it could be like to free for a day or two.

Would he be allowed to dress up in a smart uniform and board a shining yellow bus for an Angreji  school? Would he have two square meals each day? Would he get a a proper bed to sleep on? Would he get to see his poor parents again who had sent him to the city for some cash? Will he ever get to dress up in crisp and colorful clothes like these city folks do? Will he ever own one of these cars which run like raging bulls on the roads? Or a shiny handsome bike, which the Chota Sahib owns? Will he ever learn to read, something that he desired with all his heart. Will he ever be free of his limp, the one which he had carried since some polio thing happened to him. Will he ever be free of all these constraints that hold him back and live life as he should- free.

Bheekhu turned and tried to catch some sleep, and secondly the floor was damp while facing the window. He suddenly remembered that he had to wash Sahib's car next morning. He closed his eyes, he was not free; not yet.

NISHANT CHATURVEDI,

ELECTRICAL,

FINAL YEAR.

BELIEF

That night was dark and lonely. The grave silence of night was seldom disturbed by the howling of wolves. The blustering night of December had made everyone to remain in their homes. The night has made even the soldiers to remain in their camps. They were sleeping unaware about the danger that was crossing the border. Suddenly there was an explosion. Boom… everyone was shocked and baffled by this sudden attack. There was a situation of panic among the soldiers. At that time Captain Rajveer and Captain Shekhar had taken the charge to counterblast. Suddenly Rajveer was dumbstruck as he saw a grenade had just exploded beside Shekhar and made his body topple in the air. He ran towards him without wasting a moment elbowing the firings.

             Five years back in their college Rajveer and Shekhar were the best friends. Their friendship was famous all over the college. But there was one more peculiar thing that was famous about Rajveer. And it was his dilemma when he had been given the choices. Every time it was Shekhar who took him out from such situations. That’s why Rajveer was totally dependent on Shekhar for his own decisions. It was Shekhar’s decision to join army. Earlier Rajveer was a little skeptical about joining the army but as usual to escape the situation of making his own choice he rather accept the Shekhar’s decision. After two years of training in national defense academy both of them were posted in Drass sector Jammu, one of the most crucial and critical army bases. In the camp also even the officer’s were aware about Rajveer’s this peculiar habit.

               As Rajveer reached to Shekhar he had almost lost his nerve. But as he saw Rajveer he smiled and utters his last words in his best friend’s ear. Then suddenly another grenade exploded beside them separating the two friends forever.

           After two days when Rajveer woke up in the hospital he found his officer sitting beside him. His officer then asked him, “Rajveer I thought you might not be able to choose between yours life and your friend’s life. How did you make that tough decision so easily contradicting your own behavior”? Rajveer smiled and replied, “Belief sir, Shekhar had a belief on me that I would come to him breaking all my dilemmas and he told me the same thing that, “I know you would come, and now I can die with a satisfaction that my friend has overcome his weakness” and that drove me to him”

SOWMYA VERMA,

LITERARY MEMBER,

IBC

THREE HEARTS

Love is something which most of us have not experienced and even some of us deny its existence. But the fact is something different. We all experience this heavenly feeling when we see two people whom we consider next to God, our parents. Here is a small story which will help us, especially youngsters, to understand Love, which is Life.

Rakesh Gokhale, 26 years old, used to live in Mumbai along with his mother and grandmother. He lost his father when he was 11 years old. He was a teacher in a school and managed his middle class small maharashtrian family well. As he was an earning guy now, planning of his marriage was going on. Like everybody, he also had some expectations about his life partner and he was very excited about this.

One Sunday, while he was sitting in his room, his mother and grandmother came to him and told him some things. Listening to them he was shocked and moved out of the house angrily. Once Gokhale family used to reside in a small town near Mumbai and Mr. Shinde, their neighbour, was a very good friend of Rakesh’s father. He helped Rakesh’s family after his father’s death. The present situation was that, Mr. Shinde, a very simple and small town old man, gently asked Gokhale family to make Rakesh his son-in-law by accepting his daughter Gauri as their daughter-in- law.

When Rakesh’s mother told him about all this he was angry because he thought just because Mr. Shinde has helped them a lot he can’t marry his daughter, whom he hasn’t seen since 15 years. He went out and sat in a peaceful place for a while. His mind was full of his mother’s words about his father’s death, Mr. Shinde’s gratitude, Gauri and all. Then he thought if Mr. Shinde is a very good man, Gauri must be a nice girl and keeping in mind that Mr. Shinde has asked something from them for the first time, he decided to marry Gauri. He went back to his home and told his decision to his mother and she started crying, Rakesh thought she was crying out of happiness but her tears wanted to say something which Rakesh wouldn’t understand now.

Gokhale family planned to meet Mr. Shinde and family on Tuesday and everybody was excited that two very close families are going to be a single family now. Monday night Rakesh was informed that there is a very important work in school so he won’t be able to go and hence only his mother and grandmother went there. When they came back Rakesh asked his mother, “how is she?”, in an exciting way. His mother replied she is beautiful and she started crying. Rakesh was happy listening to this and he again thought that she was crying out of happiness and was unable to understand the voice of her tears.

The date of marriage was fixed and everyone was happy. There were small and nice arrangements by both families according to their financial conditions. And at last the day of marriage came and Gokhale family reached the town with some relatives and friends. Rakesh was very excited to see beautiful Gauri and as soon as he entered the marriage hall he saw the bride in a red saree and he was shocked after seeing her as Gauri was a very fat girl having weight about double of Rakesh. Rakesh was very upset after this and was silent during the whole marriage. When Gokhale family came back to Mumbai along with Gauri, Rakesh went to his mother and said you people played with my life by making me marry with this fat girl and he left the room. His mother was crying and her tears were saying same things as they were saying last two times to her that she has ruined two lives.

Rakesh went to his room, where Gauri was sitting and told her that he is feeling cheated by everyone and he doesn’t like her and this marriage at all and left. Now in the room there was a girl, Gauri, sitting silently and describing more about her, she was beautiful with big deep eyes having tears in them, a lost lovely smile and a very pure heart.

The house was silent at that moment, there were three hearts one filled with hatred, one with a guilt of destroying two lives but the third heart had something different in it, and it had Love for Rakesh. Being an Indian daughter having all good qualities and learning, Gauri had respect and love for Rakesh and this love gave her the power to bring the other hearts at their normal.

Next morning when Rakesh woke up early and was departing for school he saw Gauri worshiping God. As he started moving outside a very sweet voice entered in his ears, it was Gauri’s voice. She had prepared lunch for Rakesh and asked him to take the same along with him. Rakesh’s mother entered and told Gauri that Rakesh always had his lunch outside you don’t need to wake up so early for preparing lunch. She replied that she has a habit of waking early and preparing food for his father. Rakesh wasn’t interested in the conversation so he started leaving and took the lunch box along with him as insulting the food wasn’t in his ethics. This brought that lovely smile on Gauri’s face back. Although Rakesh missed this but his mother saw this smile and blessed her and the guilt in her heart started decreasing.

When Rakesh opened his lunchbox, suddenly he remembered Gauri’s sentence she said in the morning with her lovely voice but he himself ignored this feeling but one thing was sure that her voice was somewhere able to find the way to Rakesh’s heart. Then he had the food along with other people and everybody complimented him that he has got a very good wife.

Days were passing by and Rakesh was still ignoring Gauri and had hatred for her. But Gauri’s power of love of was still there and kept believing that one day that hatred will be replaced by love. One day when Rakesh opened his lunchbox he saw his favorite Gajar ka halwa in it and it was delicious and for the first time Rakesh had a smile on his face. When he returned back home for the first time he had a conversation with Gauri and he told her that lunch was good and she said with her eyes down and blushing that it is her birthday today. Both were silent for few seconds, Rakesh wanted to wish her but he remained silent. Gauri understood his silence and realized that her power of love is doing something. Rakesh’s mother was watching all this and she smiled. The guilt was almost gone.

Next day, Rakesh received a letter from Mr. Shinde. He cried after reading his letter. Is was something like this,

"Dear Rakesh,

Bless you son, you are a very good human being. You accepted my daughter at the time when nobody was going to marry her. I got a letter from her. She said she is very happy with you all. Your mother is a very understanding lady, she said. And she told me about you that you are very caring towards her. She also told me about the green saree you gave her on her birthday. 

I feel very lucky to have you as my son-in-law. 

Thanks a lot, Rakesh.
Sushil Shinde"

After reading this Rakesh’s hatred was gone and now he was feeling guilty for his behaviour towards Gauri. And he realised why his mother had said that Gauri is beautiful. Beauty comes from person’s heart, he understood this fact and decided to say sorry to her.

Next day when Gauri woke up she saw something in front of her. A green saree and a piece of paper written sorry on it was kept near her. She smiled and a tear was coming out of her eye. Rakesh entered the room and said, “I know I am the reason behind your tears” suddenly Gauri stopped him and said, “Rakesh when your mother came to our house when you were involved in some school work she told me about you that how you have earned a respectable position in society, I fell in love with you and this love gave me the power to remove the hatred from your heart.” Rakesh said “I had learnt something that Love is very happening and powerful at the same time. Thanks for being my life partner and one more thing, you are very beautiful.”