Papa Kehtey Hai...

Papa kehte hain bada naam karega
Beta hamara aisa kaam karega
Magar yeh to koi na jaane
Ki meri manzil hai kahan

This is a persistent and pertinent confusion of today’s youth. As a career minded youth we have high aims and aspirations on what we should achieve or be like. In an attempt to achieve these dreams, we look forward for a dream partner in our life who would help us realise this. But do we end up in realising either of these or in making a “bada naam”?

Right from childhood we have built many aspirations and dreams. Most of these dreams are influenced or built by our parents themselves. And there is so much special importance attached because of this. So every child derives a great sense of achievement and satisfaction in fulfilling these dreams and would not like to leave any stone unturned for this. Once we land up in the corporate world, there is a reality check and we tone down our dreams and make them into realistic goals. Reaching these toned down goals itself is a painful ordeal but still we persevere because we want to put all efforts in achieving what “papa kehtey hai”.

When we see the dirty and tough corporate world we realise it is tough to wade through here and realise our dreams. We need support. Though friends are always there with us but in almost all cases they tend to pursue a different route. After all friendship is never binding. As we start thinking of marriage, we lay all our hopes on the would-be to support us. We chalk out an ideal mate for us and then expect someone close to this. (After all marriage is always a compromise and true love lies in compromising). Suddenly we encounter that someone who almost is close to this ideal mate. We think, analyse and argue with ourselves. We reason out what we are compromising and is it worth compromising on these. We are doing all this just to make parents happy. But do they realise this?

For them probably “bada naam” is something different. For them it means the pleasure in telling a zillion people that my child is ready for marriage and get a bulky rooster of “prospects” who sound good. Probably they want to weigh and measure “bada naam” in how many alliances the ward gets and how many people keep talking about him/her and has nothing to do with all the childhood dreams they have built in us.

When will they realise we are doing everything to keep them happy and it is no selfishness. When will they realise the decisions we are taking is for making them happy by realising their dreams. When will they realise the a zillion people talking about your ward is not the dream which you showed your kids. Or is it a hidden dream/agenda which is not shown to the ward? What is the real “manzil” a child has to pursue? Is it about career or marriage proposals?

Papa kehte hain bada naam karega
Beta hamara aisa kaam karega
Magar yeh to koi na jaane
Ki meri manzil hai kahan

The Place ...

It is same, every time I come over here. Nothing changes. Water pool, cool breeze from swaying of the trees, people who are too busy with their conversations that they are unaware of passer-bys, business men digging their heads deep into the laptop screens, the waiters scuttling here and there in all hurry even when the order flows are not brisk. But it is not the same that day. That day it was quite, not that there were no conversations but it was a peace in heart which made me hear the silence. That day it was a happy surrounding, it was not that businessmen did not wear the grim looks on their face but it was optimism in me which made me saw those smiles behind the faces on closing deals. That day it was warm, not that there was no cold breeze blowing but it was the warmth generated by hope. That day it was enthusiastic not that the waiters scuttled more but because I wanted that answer I was looking for. But that day was different, not that I did not get the answer which I was expecting but that it raised fears in me “What if”.
Every time I visited the “Lavazza Barista” @ Leela Palace, I had a uniquely life defining spell on my life. The first time I went there, was on a business deal. I never knew that it is such an important deal that my days in job will be filled completely with it. The second time i visited was different, this time I had a personal “deal”. I am looking for this to happen. Though there was initial resistance, I got the answer I was looking for. But that visit changed my peace. From that day onwards there was this fear in me “What if” the “deal” did not happen? Though I have not much to influence on it, at the end I am involved into it completely. This fear still haunts me till day. These days I go there restricting myself to business deals else the sleeping fear is again aroused. On these visits when I occasionally lift my head and see a young couple, sipping coffee and talking endlessly, images of past flow through. And then the fear grips my heart. What if? What if it did not happen? What if it comes to an abrupt stop? What if I can never visit the place with all the hope I had in past? Though I collect myself and start looking at the work in hand, the fear doesn’t leave me soon. I promise myself I will not visit the coffee shop anymore. But professional dedication demands more than just your professional life and I inevitably land up there again for my next deal. Till today I am still living with hope for a miracle day to return to the place in all smiles. But What if??