To live.

This is a true story.
This story is very close to my heart.
It is of a woman who is heart broken and struggling with personal sorrow.
However ,it began with a man. A man who took care of a lot of people ,a number of things ,numerous businesses but excelled in whatever he did.The head of family in an Indian joint family,responsible ,loving ,and dedicated.
One day,he was snatched away in a final and fatal manner.
One moment ,he was talking ,breathing,living ,and the next moment ,he was no more.
The family ,his children,his extended family,his friends ,his cousins,his aunts, his uncles,even his business associates grieved and moaned their loss.
What of the one woman who had supported him all his endeavours and the cares he had taken up?What of the one woman who was his best friend and his soul mate?One woman who had thought of him when he spent his time thinking of others?
She sorrowed alone.
She knew not what to do.
She was devastated and shattered to the core of her being.
She swam in and out of consciousness,her blood pounded in her ears,her blood pressure soared to extremities,she could hardly breathe,her children held her hand ,cried out their fear but she remained oblivious to it all.
She heard the voice of her grand daughters .The first sound to penetrate the thick fog she was battling.Her response to that young voice brought with it the first lifeline of courage.
She made one of the most difficult decisions of her life....... to live.
The rest will follow..

eco-logical!

High up in the Dhauladhar Ranges ,some distance away from The Dalai lama's residence ,lives a strong and a silent woman.Rachel was driven out of her homeland,she came to this land ,she is not sure whether she adopted the land or the land adopted her...whichever way it is,it is so.

In sun or snow ,she does everyday what she set out to do many years ago.The once verdant hills are chock -a -block with garbage and rubbish brought there by the casual visitor...who may have a desire for the mountains but no love for them.In summers it is even worse ,all cars are heading for the hills ,leaving in their wake,polythene bags,wrappers,bottles and everything else that can be discarded.

Rachel picks up a huge garbage bag everyday ,walks all alone on the toughest of mountain trails ,picking up all the litter,sometimes stopping to catch her breath,sometimes resting for a moment...but getting up and walking again.When that bag is full ,her work for the day is done.

The next day it is the same story once again..

She dreams of the glorious mountains restored to their pristine beauty...a lone woman with an impossible dream....

an easier dream..

Everyone told her so.
Everyone believed it was impossible.
Everyone knew that he was selfish.
Everyone had seen her inevitable heartbreak.
Everyone had warned her against pain...against him.
He was selfish,heartless,hard hearted,fickle,faithless,false...so said her mother,father,uncles,aunts,friends,friends of friends,neighbours,neighbours of neighbours.....acquaintances...everyone who could say so..said so.
They wanted her to give him up..anyone else would be safer...truer...easier.
To give up her love and find another...another love,another dream,an easier dream!

never...she promised herself...
she would love him...forever!

overcoming disappointment

Bijoy is a step away from his dream and destination.
His life flashes in his mind..all clear images...
The day he topped class V and his class teacher told his parents what a genius he was..
The day he won his first debate competition and the principal of his school announced his name in the assembly...
The day he represented his school in an all state championship and came back holding aloft his trophy...
The day his public examination result had been announced and he had easily topped..
The day he was elected to the school s student council and the whole whole school had chanted his name as a mantra...
and now tonight.
Tonight.
The night that would bring a disappointment.
The night that would stretch from here to eternity and there will be the stretch of an eternity between all his dreams and all that his life was meant to be.
A night of broken dreams...
He had aspired .......the awaited key to unlock his future as an engineer remained out of his reach.
It had eluded him and his dream to fulfils his parents dream remained as elusive.
Hurting....heartbroken...tears of blood and sweat...
However tonight was tonight but tomorrow...
Tomorrow is another day....he resolved...a winner's resolve...

so smart..

this is a true story.
this is not my story..
but it is mine to tell for the moment..
the story has a bright young man at its center...bright ,intelligent ,and ready to shine..
or almost ready to shine.
He is ready to shine but he has a hidden enemy.
His greatest friend is his mind and his worst foe is his mind.
it was the night before,the exam that would be his admittance to the institute of his choice for higher studies was a few hours away.
everyone around him,all those who knew him knew it well that he had it in him to crack that tough nut and get what he wanted out of his life .everyone believed in him ,everyone believed that he had it in him.the expectations mounted.he knew to perform to his optimum best,it was time for him to rest , to sleep , this night was important...and he HAD TO REST.
HOWEVER HE COULDN'T.
The one night that could make him or break him...
Sleep refused him , he tossed and turned for an hour ,got up to read some more.
This was when doubt crept in ...
can i really do it...no i cant...all these expectations....nothing will happen...i cant do it.
A brilliant mind defeated .It happened that night.
The day was a sequel to what had gone before.
As i said it was the mind...the best friend or the worst foe.Three days passed as if in a daze,he knew not what he did and how they passed.But out of that haze a ray of light penetrated and told him that he could if only he would.
The capability is there but the will has to guide the mind.
Never again would he allow his mind to control him...he would control his mind..
his foe would finally be his friend....
Only a hero can win over one's own mind.

the road ahead...the road behind...

life is born anew each day...always changing...always moving on.

Each day is one that never will be again....life never repeats itself...

to be afraid of change is not only ridiculous ,it defies the basic principle of life..change.

to be alive to possibility of change ,to accept it ,to live it ....is the only way to live..

those who are not defeated by it...those who are willing to change and to be the change are the true heroes...without giving up all that has been..

that does not mean that what has gone before has no value...it is the foundation of all change...

life does not exist in reaching ...but in the journey...

to win over the road ahead...to remember the road behind!

reflections.

leaves of heaven