Fare Thee Well Sister!!!

My sister is 4 years older than me. When I think about the relationships in my life, the most complicated one that I had or still have is with my sister. This doesn’t mean that there is love lost between us. Infact there is nothing that we won’t do for each other. It’s just that we don’t share a normal sisterly kind of a relationship.

My sister moved in with my grandparents in Dehradun when she was 4 years old. Right about the same time that I was born. I actually don’t have any memory of my sister before she moved back to Mumbai to stay with us. I was about 6 then.

We are poles apart. As different as can be!!! Our nature, our likes, our food habits, social skills…are all so different. While growing up we would have such fights…it would put boys to shameJ. Over the years, the cat fights have disappeared..thank GodJ. I think both of us always had a problem expressing ourselves to each other.

So as my sister Anjali and her family prepares to move to Canada in a few weeks, I want to pen down a note for her (I believe I can express myself better when I write so hopefully this note will say it all).

My dear Sister,

As a family we have undergone our share of struggles and what helped us triumph in the end was the bond we shared as a family. Over the years, we moved on and created our own lives. Sometimes we disregarded each other, ignored opinions and suggestions, held our own ground even when we knew we were in the wrong…but the bond never broke and only got stronger.

We have been so little together since we both got busy with our respective lives. Even though I don't always get a chance to show it, I hope you know that you're very important to the happiness... that lives within my heart. Most often when I think of you, I find myself filled with lasting gratitude for all the things that lovingly tie us together.

As the years pass and the story of our extended family grows even more complete, one of the sweetest things will always be the smiles that you have inspired to all the people in your life.

Having you as a friend and sharing such a special kinship has given me memories I wouldn't trade for anything. And I know that even if there are times when our two families are far away from each other, our hopes and our thoughts... will always keep us close together.

As you begin the new and exciting chapter in your life, I leave you with John Keats…It echoes my sentiments exactly!!!

“I have so much of you in my heart that I must turn a Mentor when I see a chance of harm befalling you. I would never want to see anything but Pleasure in your eyes, love on your lips, and Happiness in your steps. I would wish to see you among those amusements suitable to your inclinations and spirits; so that our love might be a delight in the midst of Pleasures agreeable enough, rather than a resource from vexations and cares”.

God bless you!!!

Disconnected in this connected world

In the last two decades, technology has evolved so much and so fast. Our world today can’t be imagined without our LCD TV (LED/SMART TV in some cases), home theatre systems, laptops, Blackberry, smart phones etc. The good old alarm clock which would wake up the entire building has been replaced by the ringtones in the cell phone. Good old letters have been replaced by emails, greeting cards by e-greetings and a lot of emotions by “emoticons” - impulses and electronic waves which now convey “feelings”?

Our generation I think is the most fortunate one since we are witness to this transition. We have seen the best of both the worlds…

I take pride in having been born in an age where the ringing of the door-bell by the postman would get us off our chairs and running to open the door. The anticipation, the quickening of the heartbeat, the wait for the quintessential dog-eared inland letter card –that brought news of family and friends from distant lands.

I remember how the results of our final exams would come by the post, usually by 2nd or 3rd of May. It was always around 11:00 am that the postman would come ringing his bicycle bell announcing his arrival. Since most of the kids in the building were in same school, all our results would come together. My home was on the ground floor, so all would just assemble there to see their results. The postman would wait in anticipation since he would expect some ‘bakshish’ in lieu of the good news in the exam results. He would also provide his pearls of wisdom in case we were not happy with our results, and also give some sound advice to our parents in case they looked disappointed…

Today kids and parents view the results on a dull looking machine which has no emotions, will not be happy or sad for you after you see your results, will not smile or give you any word of encouragement. Nothing - except blips on an inanimate screen.

I remember spending hours in an Archie’s store, going through at least 30-40 cards to find that one card which would echo my sentiments exactly. The excitement, the patience, the satisfying feeling…can that be matched with sending an e-greeting??? Nah!

The question is not about how good or bad technology is in our lives…no one can debate on the positive impact of technology…the question is that have we stopped doing those small things that once made so much of difference to us and those around us?

Somehow in this highly digitized world, we have become more robotic and less in touch with our human side. We have much more information than we will ever need at our fingertips, but we have no time to meet someone to have a conversation and share that information with, unless of course it’s the grainy, halting image of a “friend” over the webcam on our laptop screen. You can’t shake hands with a screen now, can you?

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to just pick up the phone and call a long lost friend instead of sending them a text on BBM…wouldn’t it be fun to walk into a store and pick that one wonderful friendship/romantic card and send it by post…wouldn’t it just be great to meet a friend in a café and share a coffee/drink reminiscing the past than just poking them on FB…

Somewhere we have started spending more time on social networking which I feel has challenged the very notion of time and space and has put communication into a hyperdrive mode.

Our world is all connected but are we not really
dis-connected???

Reflections...

My early years in college… No actually it was when I was in classVIII, that’s when I first started maintaining a diary. I discovered I had a passion for writing and it was mostly to be honest and write about how I felt, what was happening around me etc. The diary was my magic mirror, a world which had only me in it. I would ask the questions and while writing I would somehow always find the answersJ. It was a place where I truly was who I am…no hiding, no illusions, no pretensions!!! Writing to me is therapeutic. That was also the time I decided that someday I will write a book (though am not yet sure where to begin, but I will get there someday JJ).

Anyway today, there is so much happening around us, some interesting, some clearly frustrating and some testing our resolve. In a closed door environment, we all voice our opinions but somehow fail to do so in forums where it would matter. I am no exception!

I have been toying with the idea of starting a blog for quite some time. Just wasn’t sure if I was ready to share my thoughts, my angst, my moments of happiness and my quest of self discovery with the outside world.

You can use a blog to tell your story, your views, and your opinions. But to be honest, a blog is a big responsibility! And I think I am finally ready to take on this responsibility.

So! Here it begins….. A few “MYSTIC MUSINGS”. Let me know what you think. The more you tell me, the more I learn and the better I write...