How Do You Do?

Here I Am,
Here I Am.
How Do You Do.......

Goes my Baby's nursery rhyme while I was pondering over what should I do. The words struck a chord inside me. Suddenly, I wondered, how many times a day have you heard someone asking you,"How Do You Do". We are social beings, defined as friends in FB, Whats App , LinkedIn and other social interactive sites, that it's quite unusual that we don't hear people asking "How do you do", often.

The other day , I was "chatting" with a dear friend of mine. Now, this person was the most cheerful , talkative and joyful  I had ever met in my life. She was  lost. She was not herself. She was not the person, who I remember. It was like talking to a ghost . I was lost for words, while she was crying her heart out. We were not in touch for a long time. By touch, I mean real touch, except for those forwarded Whats App messages. How many  times have I asked her "How Do You Do". I do not know .Now when I think about it, I can't remember the last time, I had asked this question  to the people  with me.

So, what happened to us? We were so engrossed with our lives, that we forgot to ask the person next to us how they are? Terrible, right. After all , it's just a simple query. But, think about the happiness it brings. It may not be something big . Nevertheless it leaves a huge impression. A big comfort to their hearts, a little smile on their faces. Small Words, Big Changes. 

May be it's time to start over. Let's start to appreciate all the people, things, gifts, moments and surprises of life. Let's just take a moment from our busy days, to acknowledge the people with us. Those people who gave us life, those who stood by us through all ups and downs, those who made us smile, those who made us believe, those who gave immense strength and support to move on. Sometimes, a small gesture is enough to bring about a great change. What we need is a gentle touch, that makes one believe in love and friendship.

Many times we do not bother to think , how our words and actions affects the people around us. It, may not be purposefully, but it does affects in a way that cannot be assessed easily. Conversations are becoming more and more distant and unreal. Under the same roof, there are times when our existence itself are forgotten. Love has been set aside for trivial matters. People tend to define their relationship with their own rules, that they forget an important rule; rules for a life should be made together not on your own. More importantly, rules should disappear on it's own, it's existence itself should become oblivious.

Relationships are not formed when two people accept each other. It is formed by the care and trust among ourselves. It is a matter of grave concern that we take ourselves seriously, that we forget to love life. Only if we love ourselves,we can love others. Only if we care ourselves, we can care others. Only if we appreciate ourselves,  we can appreciate others. Only if we believe in ourselves, other's will believe you. Nothing and Nobody can tell us that we are weak, useless, unlovable or hopeless.

Maybe, the world is responsible for what we have become. Nonetheless, a small smile, a simple query, a tiny help, a little appreciation, an action of love , will surely change our lives. Hope is the greatest weapon on us. Life is a gift of God, that we have the freedom to  mould into different shapes and sizes, according to our actions and thoughts. Acknowledge everyone, because we are not leading a one man show, everyone is part of all moments in our life. We cannot exist without our friends and enemies. If we ignore all,everyone will ignore us. It may be too late before we realise our mistake. Do not let it happen. Do not be ignorant to the love, happiness and pain of those around us. We need them and they need us. It's not that we should always think about others, but we can do it often. To get love,one should give love.May we all love each other forever.

Live Life, Love life, Love All.

An Everlasting Memory

I was staring at the screen. The pointer blinking impatiently for words to appear. I was thinking about some topic to write. It had been only a few days since I had decided to blog. And ideas were streaming into my mind,but cannot pick one.So here I was thinking about what to write,when a person's memory popped up. Interestingly that person was the reason that I came to love books.

A wanderer,reader,critic and cartoonist he was an enigma. He was the best person I had in my life.As a child I looked up to him with awe and admiration. I loved his use of words,his humour and simplicity. He had soft mischievous brown eyes that hid a beautiful mind .We were like his followers: loyal,faithful,hanging onto every word coming out of him like precious gems. I remember how we would eagerly wait for him to come home.A brown cotton satchel hanging from his left shoulders and a paper bag in his right hand. That paper bag had the most valuable present for us:books. He is the first person to understand my passion for reading. He developed and nourished it on me.During vacations,we used to go and stay at his home. Well,as a matter of fact,it was our home too because the people who live there loves us as their own children. He was keen on sharpening our vocabulary,for which he constructed word games.Morning,he would list the rules and tasks for the game and tells to complete by the time he reaches home.When the task is completed,he takes us out for special treats of ice cream from the Milk Co-Operative outlet.Even though I was not a fan of the outlet's ice cream I always loved his word games. That was one of the main reason I looked forward for holidays. The look of appreciation from him was like getting an award.It was worth his effort,that made me to write about him today!!

He introduced me at a very young age to Enid Blyton,Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, R.K.Narayan and to Harry Potter!!. Books had a special meaning in his life. He had devoted two whole rooms for books,that became my favourite hunting place.There was everything in that world: philosophy, adventure, romance, thriller,science, capitalism,communism and nature. Those two rooms was literally "THE WHOLE WORLD" . His love for books was so great that it didn't matter there was not enough space left at his home for other things.Surfing through the books,felt like an explorer; always excited and nervous.The love and respect that he gave those books reflected in all aspects of his life.Never ever have I heard a bad word,a look of ill-will or ignorant attitude from him. I always wondered how a man could have such knowledge and yet be truly simple. His simplicity won many hearts.People loved his companionship.They floated towards him for his knowledge and help.Many a times other's had tried to misuse his helpful nature,but never has he done the same.It is this aspect of his personality that I admired from my childhood. He taught me the meaning of selfless life. 

 What I loved most was to argue with him. It was special.Later I came to realise that he enjoyed those arguments; in fact he deliberately argued,so we will not be intimidated to question anything.He had a great sense of humour. The way he expresses through his cartoons left a lasting impression on our minds. He never wished to showcase his talents to the outside world. He never wanted anything to do with the people . I had heard that he had  anonymously written many articles and sketched cartoons   . I always wondered the reason behind it? Never asked and never got an answer. It's one of those things that I have come to regret. 

As time passed we used to see less of him. May be he felt keeping distance from the people who loves him is the best way for them to remember him. It was as if he wanted to be free from all relations that bind his soul to others. I will never know . He went away from everyone. People found him,but he never came back. After marriage, I came to Bangalore. One morning, I got a call from my brother saying he had passed away. I felt a void within me. A void which would not be filled ever. 

How can a person create so much influence in another's life? How many had left impressions on our heart? People come and go.It's rare when they leave something behind and it's rarer when somebody creates an everlasting impression. We never know the effect people can have upon us. The depth that a person creates in another's life is beyond measure. Even after they have gone, those impressions live on. Memories are those figments of life that links us to our past. Some are woven with gold threads,so precious that we cherish them forever. To have numerous  beautiful  moments of a person in life is a gift of its own.

This is a small tribute to that  person who was my best friend,my teacher,my brother and my inspiration. I owe so much to you. You are the reason that I have confidence to take the path of writing. You instilled in me the curiosity and eagerness to learn new words. You made me understand the 'Magic Of Words'.You led me in the direction to explore the world of books. You watered the passion in me and kept it burning. You always insisted on finding our own path.Moreover you were the first person to BELIEVE in me. Thank you,for making me a part of your journey.Thank you for showering your blessings upon me. I was never able to tell you how much I respect and admire you.Thank You For Every Everlasting Memories.