BFF

To be honest, for me the concept of BFF was a bit surreal. Whenever I read an article, book or saw any movie on selfless love between friends I considered it as a hypothetical concept. But my life is full of U-turns. A lot of my theories and concepts changed after a few life experiences. And this hypothesis changed after I attended a college friend's wedding last week.

Background:

Vini and Pragya are best friends since college. I have seen them being there for each other in the oddest of circumstances having each other's back. I have seen their friendship grow stronger over the years where I saw them selflessly being present for each other. Despite all this, I always thought that this friendship may fade away a bit after college, after all, distance plays a role. Call it their law of attraction or a play of destiny, they landed up working in the same organization. A time when many of us grew apart, they got more time to nurture their friendship. Coincidently, their timing for higher studies even matched, both of them landed in the same college but different campuses. The plus point here was that both of them had an equally busy schedule hence had a fair understanding that if a call is being skipped, then the other person might be going through a similar shit which you might be going through. Here a similar situation kept them connected. My theory was failing but because I was not that connected with them I did not see it coming.

The Wedding Day:

Pragya was there to receive us. She had reached a few days earlier and was assisting both the sides in the preparation as she was a common friend. Looking at her interaction with anyone at the wedding, be it the groom's side or bride's side, she appeared more like a family member than a friend like us. Her priority was to help her bestie have that dream wedding with everything going smooth, even if that meant skipping meals or showing up in public in traditional attire with unfinished makeup. Her actions exactly resonated with the 'hypothetical' articles which I read about friends. I could see Pragya adorably looking at Vini every now and then and stating 'see how beautiful she looks'. I had always imagined a parent/guardian saying that for their daughter. She kept clicking Vini's candid pictures because she noticed cameraman missing capturing moments which Vini would have loved being captured. I remember when Pragya and I sat down for some time she told me about the groom's family and proudly concluded that she has handed over Vini in good hands. I laughed, not because I found it funny but because I saw my hypothesis shattering in an infinite number of pieces. And I was glad that it did.

Conclusion:

Ever since I had read Many Lives Many Masters by Brian Weiss, I strongly believed that few souls are connected from the past. Especially when the book says - based on true incidents, one has to believe it. This connection seemed like one. Even though I do not share such a connection with anyone, but I cherish the fact that I got to witness one. Secretly, I also wondered who would do such things at my wedding :P.

You are brave

Shweta was restlessly tapping her phone on her hand. She was afraid to step out of the glass door until her cab arrived. It was 1 AM and the availability of the cabs had dropped. Her hands were still trembling, all she wanted to do was to reach her room as soon as possible and maybe cry. The app still showed 15 mins ETA. Just then her phone rang, wherein she thought that it was a call from the driver, she saw a contact name flashing on the screen. She wasn't in a state to explain anything to anyone at that point of time but did not want to cause worry to anyone as well. Hence picked up the call and without even hearing anything from the other end stated in a soft monotone, ' I am still in the office, will talk to you later', and disconnected. She checked the app, still 11 mins ETA. Her restlessness grew with each passing minute. She almost skipped a beat when her phone rang for the second time as if she woke up from a nightmare. This time it was the driver, he enquired about the drop location and to Shweta's dismay cancelled the ride. On top of that, the app started showing 'NO CARS AVAILABLE'. She had already been through a lot today and this added to her misery. She tried to calm herself down and stepped out to look for an auto. An abandoned service lane welcomed her. While she was busy trying her luck again on the app, a car stopped right in front of her, she immediately took a u-turn and ran for the glass door in a panic, just when she heard her name in a familiar voice. She turned just to confirm and was relieved to see Kartik in the car. She first looked at the sky for a moment and sat down quickly in the car. 'You just thanked God for sending me, right?', asked Kartik in a cheerful voice. Shweta silently nodded in an agreement. 'By the way, how come you were still working in the office?', asked Kartik while starting the car. Just then he heard a sniff, and on having a close look at Shweta found out that she was crying and trembling at the same time. He stopped immediately. It was shocking for him to see Shweta like that and hence was unprepared to cope with the situation. He chose humour as his armour and said, 'I never knew that you were so desperate to go with the cab driver, you still have a chance'. With that said, he was expecting a slap on his shoulder from her and understood that something was wrong when that didn't happen. Now, he got worried and asked, 'Hey, what happened?'. Shweta had lost control of her tears, she couldn't hold them any longer. With gasping breathes she managed to say a broken sentence, ' I was stuck in the lift since 7 PM and then I could not find a cab, I thought I'll be stuck in office whole night'. Kartik understood the extent of her panic and hence did not probe her for further details. He let her cry and just handed over the tissue box to her. He had analyzed the situation in the best possible way and allowed anguish to flow from her eyes. He was the best person to know, that all she needs now was to reach home. He drove silently and stopped only at her place. Shweta was comparatively calm now, she had got her required 'me time'. But before Shweta left, he finally asked, ' Why didn't you call me earlier?'. 'Because I thought I was brave', Shweta sighed. 'How did you know that I needed help?', asked Shweta wiping her running nose. ' Because my brave lion did not roar', Kartik said with an underconfident smile, which soon brightened when Shweta reciprocated with a chuckle. That was Kartik's way of reinforcing her strength.

The secret to a happy life

Gotcha! If you have landed this page it means you are seeking happiness. Are you not happy with what you have, huh?

No please don't close the tab, I was just trying to be funny, to set the stage for happiness. I do have meaningful stuff to talk about. So please stay.

I just finished reading a book named IKIGAI, it holds the Japanese secret to a long and happy life. To quote from the book, 'The people of Japan believe that everyone has an IKIGAI- a reason to jump out of bed each morning'.

Do you think you have an IKIGAI? Or even you snooze your alarm daily like me and have that extra 10 mins of sleep?

If you are in the former category, please do not judge me. If you are in the latter category, I might have something for you. No biases though :P

I started reading this book hoping to make my life happy. But then I came across this: 'Wanting positive experience is a negative experience; accepting negative experience is a positive experience. It’s what the philosopher Alan Watts used to refer to as “the backwards law”—the idea that the more you pursue feeling better all the time, the less satisfied you become, as pursuing something only reinforces the fact that you lack it in the first place'. 

I thought that by the end of the book I would have found my IKIGAI, as the book was supposed to be a guide. Reading the last page disappointed me, not because of the book but because I had still not found my IKIGAI. (Reading the book is still highly recommended). I closed the book, and started thinking while tapping the book, 'how do I find my IKIGAI?'. Just then it hit. No not the book, the idea! My answer was right under my nose, the back cover of the book.

You see, the intersection of these four circles is where I'll find my IKIGAI. All I have to do is fill those 4 circles and try to find the intersection points. That is something which the book cannot do on my behalf, I have to do it myself. But before I sat down to find my IKIGAI, I wanted to share my findings with the people. If I go by what the book says, that my IKIGAI can help me cross a century, then I would need my friends to live that long as well :)

So go and find your IKIGAI. Just in case you are too lazy to read the book, reach out to me, I can share beautiful extracts from there. If you found this useful, do share it. Even if it isn't useful, you can share this to annoy people ;). It is a win-win. Have fun, and thank you for stopping by. I hope you find your IKIGAI soon :)

Are you awake?

Isn't it annoying when someone wakes you up from your slumber and asks you, 'are you awake?'. 'No dude, I am just practising how to play dead'. This is the most sarcastic reply I have ever read in a meme. What if you are functional and doing some regular stuff, then someone comes and ask you a similar question, what will be your answer? 'Can't you see?', 'What sort of silly questions is this?' and other variations of these statements would be the probable answer. Well, some people can get creative as well :D. What did I do when I was asked this question?

I was in the cab, going to work when the RJ on the radio asked the same question. I rolled my eyes, smirked and thought, ' Hello! It is a weekday, people are supposed to go to work'. Then he continued, ' Do you know Delhi's groundwater will get exhausted by 2020? We have just 150 days of groundwater left'. Just then, my cab mate shrieked, not because of the revelation on the radio but because of the pond of water which caused the traffic jam ahead due to rain. 'How can we possibly run out of groundwater when we get enough rains to create a swimming pool on roads?', she shuddered. I couldn't logically answer her at that moment. All I could say, "Something needs to be done". "What can you do about this water logging? It is perhaps the government who should have planned the drainage system well. There would be many people out there thinking about what can be done while having their taps on during brushing of their teeth. How would you stop them?". "By scaring them", I said with a wicked smile. "Can you please explain?", she asked, already scared by the look on my face.

This is what followed, "I watched a  series a few days ago on a friend's suggestion. Although that series is a mixed bag of powerful messages and fiction, the water crisis scared me to hell. Just imagine potable water is a luxury which only a few could afford. Clouds are building up, but before you find shelter it rains and your clothes get stained as if you walked out of the coal factory. While you are walking and you just wish to wash away the sweat off your face, you stop by a public tap, only to find sewage water flowing out of it. Imagine using the same water used by others for bathing. We do have swimming pools, but what if that water has not been cleaned for long and you see moss growing on the walls of the tub. Gross right?  If this doesn't give you goosebumps, then go and watch the series, the visuals definitely will. If we continue the way we do now, that fiction may soon turn into reality. In fact, Chennai is already facing the crisis, only God knows what will follow."

"So you are suggesting that watching a series would solve a problem?", she laughed. "No, spreading the message across in a scary way will surely wake them up. Because people may not know how to live, but they certainly do not want to die."

PS: Just in case I awakened you, please contribute to saving groundwater. Here is what you can do at your end: https://www.groundwater.org/action/home/top10.html

A day in the metro

I forgot my earphones at home and my manners did not allow me to play anything on the speaker on public transport. I had already finished reading the book which I was carrying, during the onward journey of the metro. It was more than an hour-long journey and required two switches for my destination. I couldn't even doze off. With the dying battery of my phone, I had no option but to notice my surrounding. I took a good look at my fellow passengers, each one was either engrossed reading something on their phones or staring into the blank with their earphones on. I took a deep sigh. There weren't many people on board, so no interesting conversation to sneak into. I chose to stare at the window opposite my seat. I could see the lights running outside as if racing with the metro. After a while, I tried to focus on my reflection on the same glass window. I laughed at the delusion which the lights inside the metro create. One needs to shift focus to see what is outside or can use it as the mirror by obliviating the lights outside.

I got tired of watching the speeding lights, so I started focusing on my reflection. To keep myself entertained I started making faces as if there was a kid sitting in front of me. Since everyone else was engrossed in something, I thought nobody would notice me doing that. But then, I heard a chuckle. A kid came and settled himself right opposite to me and mimicked my actions. I was startled for a while and waited for someone to come rushing and take that kid back, but nobody showed up. When I started acting like an adult, the kid got bored with me and started moving to the other chambers of the train. My curiosity didn't let me sit either, thinking that the kid could be lost, I started following. The kid turned back and noticed that I was following, he smiled and continued to lead the way as if wanting me to follow. After crossing almost 3 coaches I lost him in the crowd. There seemed to be a commotion in this coach, something was lying on the ground and people had gathered around it. When I tried to peek in, it was the same kid lying on the floor. His mother frantically crying for help. I immediately sat down beside him and asked people around for the background. Someone filled me in, that the kid suddenly started coughing and then collapsed. Involuntarily my hands reached for his pulse and I found a candy wrapper in his hand. "He must have choked", I blurted instantaneously. He was losing his breath. I quickly checked, had anyone called the ambulance. Since we were underground, hardly anyone had any signals. I took out my water bottle and asked his mom to try to keep him conscious by sprinkling some water and then picked him up, keeping his upper body tilted. I didn't know what force was guiding me at that time but I remembered watching a video where an upward pressure on the stomach came to the rescue in a similar situation. An immediate first-aid was required to keep him breathing. I replicated the action from the video. He reacted with a gasp and started coughing. The candy was still blocking the breathing passage. Just then the doors of the metro opened. I hang him on my shoulder. More than half of his body tilting down and signalled his mother to follow. I became the human version of the ambulance asking everyone to move out of my way. It was while taking the stairs I heard a familiar weird sound and felt some hot liquid flowing down my back and the candy falling down the steps like a ping pong ball. I held him in normal position, his bloodshot eyes were blinking and he was breathing heavily. The jam in his body was cleared. I hugged him carefully, not to disrupt his breathing. He started crying seeing a stranger. So, I turned and handed him over to his mom. Just like her son, she got another life. I arranged for a cab for them and took leave. On my way back, I just kept wondering, when did he find time to swallow that candy.

The Storeroom

Psychology says that our memories change each time they are recalled. And the memories which aren't recalled are eventually forgotten.

Many of you will agree with me that storeroom doesn't just store your extra stuff, it stores nostalgia as well. A bundle of memories which have not just acquired dust in the storeroom but in our minds as well. Last weekend I spent most of my time cleaning my storeroom. I am the kind of person who has this weird habit of making random diary entries in any notebook which I catch hold of. If I have to write, I just write. So, while cleaning up the books section, I came across multiple such diary entries reading which I had multiple thoughts like, 'Oh God, this still bothers me', 'How naïve I was?', 'Ah! I have overcome this now', 'Nice, I never realized this was a letter to my future self'.

I even came across old pictures, diaries from school and college which were filled by n number of people during the last days. Almost everyone had mentioned that we'll stay in touch, some said we'll keep bugging you forever, and now I barely know their whereabouts. Reading them made me happy and sad at the same time. Some entries brought back joyful memories, and some memories I couldn't even recall. With reference to the above mentioned psychological fact, I thought that maybe I should clean my storeroom more often, so that if not the relation, at least I keep the memories alive.

No matter how tired I ended up cleaning the store, it was fun. The best part was when I shared those memories with those few people with whom I am still in touch, it was a joy for them as well. I am still not done re-reading those entries, there is a lot to remember :D.

The Alarm

My name is Saksham, I am 8 years old. Even though in your head I may sound like a kid, but I am a grown-up man. Even my Dadi thinks so. Every time when my Mom says that I am too young for something, my Dadi convinces her that I am a grown-up man. Though I do not have that prickly hair on my face like Dad, Dadi says I look handsome. Today I am taking Dadi out for shopping, and have assured Mom that I can take care of both of us, but she doesn't seem to trust me. She still sent Ramu kaka with us. We are out to buy a gift for Dadaji. Since he has a weird habit of asking about time all the time, so I suggested Dadi that we buy a digital wrist watch for him which calls out the time on the press of a button. Dadi thought my idea was brilliant, so she brought me along for suggestions. Dadi made me select the watch and said that if Dadaji doesn't like it, I could keep it. I selected a watch with all the features I liked, it had a call out time feature, alarm, stopwatch and a button to light up the screen in dark. I diligently learnt all the features from shopkeeper uncle, as if I was the one who was getting it.

Dadaji loved the watch, but he never stopped asking about time from Dadi. When I questioned him that why doesn't he use the watch's feature, he said that he likes listening to Dadi's voice. When Dadi left, he stopped asking the time, he never asked for it, even from the watch. The day Dadi left, he just asked me to set up a daily alarm for 8 PM in his watch, which I did. Everyone tells me that Dadi doesn't live with us anymore because she was angry with us. But, I am a grown-up, I know that Dadi isn't alive. What surprises me is that Dadaji behaves like a kid. Every evening after the alarm, he asks me to take him to the balcony. He would watch the sky and tell me that Dadi is there. I tried to explain to him that it was the Pole star which he was pointing to and it was there even before Dadi left. He would laugh at me every time I explained that and would say, you'll find me beside her when I am gone.

I am 12 years old now, wearing the watch which I wanted to wear 4 years ago. The alarm beeped at 8. I stepped into the balcony and can't help but notice another bright star near the Pole star. Maybe it was always there, even before Dadaji left, but I noticed it today.  

Coffee, with love

"Here is your coffee, with love", Maa said while placing the mug on the table. I was intently reading a book in the balcony, but was startled by the expression "with love". So I looked at the coffee first, it had a cute heart floating at the brim, then I looked at Maa who had a kid like smile on her face waiting for her art to be appreciated. "You seem to be happy today ", I remarked with a big grin. "Why shouldn't I be? Mauka hai, aur dastoor bhi ", she delivered the dialogue in Mughal style. I laughed and the took a sip of my coffee. It felt like a magic potion which can heal you to the core. I stood up and gave her a bear hug and said, "You make the best coffee in the world, I love you". Mom was a bit surprised with this sudden display of affection, but before she could say anything Dad entered saying, " Jee karta hai is coffee banane wale k haath choom lun ", and we all laughed. This happy feeling was new and ecstatic. This was the best I could have as my birthday gift.

I got ready to go out, but today for a change I hugged my parents before leaving and reminded them that they had to meet me at the restaurant sharp at 8. "You know how much I hate waiting, so be on time, bye". As soon I stepped out of the door, a sinking feeling grabbed me.

It was 8:15, I was waiting outside the restaurant. I got a call from an unknown number, but couldn't hear anything because an ambulance was passing by and it got disconnected right after. As per my habit, I prayed that the person in the ambulance stays safe. It was 8:30 now and my parents were still not there. I called Maa because Dad must be driving, she did not pick up. After 3 attempts, I got worried, it was the return of the same sinking feeling. I eventually called Dad, an unfamiliar voice picked up the phone. I could feel myself crying even before he said anything because I could hear the ambulance sound even when it was not around. It rained, it rained very heavily that day.

"Coffee? ", a colleague asked, shaking me off from my thoughts. " No thanks, I don't drink coffee anymore".

How strange it is that some incidents take away with them even the most special things from you. That day I did not just lose my parents, I lost my love for reading, for coffee, for rain and birthdays. These things only reminded me of the tragic day. I stayed away from them as far as I could, I even changed my city, removed my birthday from social media, stopped wishing people birthdays. People around me found me weird, nobody knew why I was like that. I hardly had friends at this new place, my dark side made me conservative.

One day I got stuck in office, because it rained heavily, within a few hours the roads were blocked. I was one of the last few left in the office, as I couldn't book a cab. Of all the people left in the office, it was only Shalini who was known to me. She was one of the most talkative colleague I had, so I stayed away from her. Shalini noticed me getting anxious over not being able to book a cab. She came up to me and said bit hesitantly, "I live nearby, we can walk up to my place and you can stay overnight if you want to". I had no choice, so I agreed. "Great, let me help you pack your stuff. I was waiting for you only", she said in a super excited tone. Even though it felt awkward, but I felt overwhelmed by her gesture. All the while we walked, she kept on talking and kept checking whether I was still following or not. She told me how she felt intimated by me initially and all the other stuff she could think of. After a while, I lost hold of what she was talking about. Just when we were about to enter her building, I heard an ambulance. I started shivering, a sharp pain emerged in my chest as if someone had hit me really hard. Shalini turned around and saw me stoned, she held me by my hand and dragged me in and said, "Don't hesitate, think it as your own home". My mind started replaying the accident which I had never seen. Shalini handed over a towel to me and told me that she'll make coffee for both of us. She was completely oblivious of my state of mind. Her stories went on and on. After a while, she came with a cup of coffee and while handing it over to me, she said, "Here's your coffee, with love". I was about to tell her that I don't drink coffee anymore but in the mid of the sentence I stopped and asked, "Wait! What did you just say?". "Here's your coffee, with love", she repeated with a smile. I looked at the coffee first, a heart was floating and then to her, she had the same child-like smile which Maa had. For the first time in 3 years, I remembered that last happy moment which I had with them. I smiled with teary eyes. Shalini noticed the tears after a while and asked with a sad face, "Is the coffee that bad?". She made me crack after a very long time. "This is the best coffee in the world", I said raising the cup high in the air. "Really!! Thank you, thank you", she said funnily while taking a bow, and we both laughed. That day I realized, that I was clinging to all the wrong memories all this while. I found a friend as well as I found myself back that day. Most importantly I found the secret ingredient to the world's best coffee: love.

The fish castle

It was a cloudy morning. I woke up all exhausted even after 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. My energy levels were down as if my body was running on reserve mode and needed some fuel. I had skipped my dinner which could have been a possible reason for the low. I dragged myself out of bed and placed a vessel to prepare my magic potion which keeps me alive each day. I allowed my coffee to brew for a while so that the aroma fill in the aura and make me feel good about at least something. While brushing my teeth I remembered that I was done with all sorts of human interaction last night and fell asleep while crying myself to the pillow. The splashing of water on my face brought me out of my thought. I had not realized that I had unconsciously completed one of my daily chores. Like a sloth, I moved to the kitchen and served myself the coffee. I took a sip, it did not feel good, after a long time I felt the need to have some sugar in my coffee. This again made me cry. I realized that I wasn't ready to face or talk to anyone today, so I took sick leave.

I stood in the balcony with my coffee, pitying myself with each sip. Suddenly something came flying and got stuck to my face. It was a leaf, I looked at the plants, they were happily dancing in the wind. It appeared as if they had sent the leaf to grab my attention. I smiled and realized how oblivious I was to the beautiful weather since morning. I got myself ready for a walk at the beach. It appeared to be an ideal day for some me-time.

I started walking by the shore, trying to trace a straight line by my foot-prints. Slowly I increased my pace and started running. I felt like one of those old scooters which we had to push sometimes in order to start its engine. After making my heart do some hard work, I sat down at a corner. For some reason, it felt good. While I was waiting for my heartbeat to sync down with the rhythm of the calm sea, I spotted an ice-cream vendor and my sweet tooth returned. I tried to deviate my mind by looking elsewhere.

While I was staring at the waves without blinking an eye, my view was interrupted by the entry of a kid. The kid's tiny feet were sinking in the sand and it felt like he was hopping. He was carrying a small red bucket and a shovel from some toy-set. He seemed very familiar but I couldn't recall how. He sat down right in front of me and started collecting sand in his bucket. I closely watched his actions. It seemed interesting and I also wanted to play with the sand but something held me back. He called out to me asking whether I wanted to join. As if he read my mind. I smiled and quickly reported to his service. I asked him what he was trying to build, he said a castle for the fish. It felt like a deja-vu moment. I remembered saying the exact words to someone before. While building the castle I asked him, why was he building a castle so close to the shore, the waves would destroy it easily. He smilingly said that is the way you look at it. According to me, if the fishes like my castle they will take it with them under the water and live there happily. I was stunned by his answer. After we were done with the castle-build I offered to buy him an ice-cream. His eyes twinkled. He lovingly followed me to the vendor. I ordered an orange bar for myself and when I looked down to ask his preference, he vanished. When I asked the vendor where did the kid go. He laughed at me and informed me that I came all alone.

I took the ice-cream and walked away with a smile. I was returning as a different person. Had I been the person who came to the beach this morning, I would have started googling reasons for hallucinations. But this new me just thought that my past came to the rescue of my present.

The Chosen One

Anisha woke up breathing hard. She was sweating, while on the other hand, Aniket still had his legs curled under the cozy blanket. She checked the time it was 4 AM, "3 more hours to go", she thought to herself. She drank some water and tried to calm herself down. This was not for the first time she woke up so startled. She had been having such nightmares ever since she got to know that it was her last chance.

Anisha and Aniket were childhood sweethearts who got married 10 years back. For Anisha, it was a dream come true, to have a happy family with Aniket. Over the years they had been trying to complete their family, but life's plans were bit different than theirs. They tried everything possible they could do, of which IVF was their last resort. They had just enough savings to afford the procedure only once. They knew that the process is successful only 40% of the times. So they took every precaution and suggestion very seriously. Anisha even resigned from her job to keep herself away from stress. She did not want to be a part of the 60% of the population. Little did she know, how the law of attraction works.

No matter how much anxious Aniket was, he could never afford to sail the same boat with Anisha for this matter. He knew that it will only drown both of them. He always rescued Anisha from drowning and was mentally prepared for the worst this time as well.

The alarm beeped only once and it was shut. 7 AM it was, but today Anisha was about to end her nightmare. They got ready and rushed for their most beautiful dream to come true. Right before the paper-work, Anisha was taking a stroll in the babies ward, wondering how could someone abandon the best gift from God. Each beautiful face was either sound asleep or lost in its own world. With each step, her emotions were building up. Suddenly one of them started crying, Anisha looked around for help, but couldn't spot one. She began rocking baby's cradle and resisted the urge to hold the baby, but not too long. In the absence of help, she picked up the baby and tried to comfort it. When the nurse finally arrived, Anisha apologetically handed over the baby to her. Right before the transfer, the baby held Anisha's finger very firmly, where neither of them was willing to let go. Anisha's heartbeat rose, she almost skipped a beat when she heard her name being called out. It was Aniket calling her for the paper-work.

Anisha had made up her mind, she knew who will be her kid. When she returned home with the baby, she asked Aniket, "Do you know why all this happened to us? ". Somehow Aniket exactly knew what she was asking about, but was curious to know the answer from her, so he lovingly asked, "Why?". "Because I was the chosen one", she said while smiling at the baby.

Do miracles really happen?

Yesterday I watched a really wonderful movie called "Miracles from heaven". It is based on a true incident where a girl gets miraculously cured of an incurable disease after near death experience. Something unbelievable happened with that family. Their story is meant to restore faith and hope. In the movie, it was shown that people were not ready to believe the family and assumed it to be a publicity stunt, but then someone described to the audience, the pain which that girl went through and how she helped his daughter to have faith in her last days.

Miracles are hard to believe. At times people shy away from telling the incident to the world, because they know that even they wouldn't have believed it in the first place, had it not been their own experience. I don't know what is the secret formula or what makes miracles happen, but they do happen. Just like it happened to me.

I had twisted my ankle while I playing a jumping jack in the trampoline park. It brought forth my chronic injury in the worst form. I had started limping but was under the impression that this limp and pain will go away with time, like always. One week passed, the pain reduced but the limp persisted. I thought maybe physiotherapy would fix it, just like last time. I religiously followed my physio routine, hoping to fix my limp. Even after a week of physio, the limp didn't seem to go. Although the pain had subsided. I was scared like hell and wondered when will this limp go, what can be done to fix it. The fear was eating me up, but I couldn't discuss my fear with anyone, because I was always taunted that this was a result of my 'adventures'. I was afraid to explain the situation to my parents. A month had passed, people had started pitying me and I had started to live with the condition. It was heart wrecking to decide to curb down my adventures. Before stepping into any plan I had to put my foot first.

My friends planned a trip to an offbeat destination and I agreed to go when I was sure that we were not going to do any strenuous activity. The place was breathtakingly beautiful. It was after reaching there we discovered that the place was bestowed with the highest abode of Lord Shiva and to reach the temple we had to trek for 2.5 km. It was a doable distance, but I took more than my usual time to agree to it. My decision was a mixture of both love for Lord Shiva, plus FOMO. I was the least prepared individual for the trek at that time, I only had floaters and no shoes. I failed to provide the only required thing for my foot at the dire time, a firm support. Next morning everyone was sceptical when they saw me tying crepe bandage around my foot. They had no idea that more than them, I needed to convince myself that I could do it.

As expected I was the tortoise of the group. It was kind of my friends to stop occasionally and check my status. Little did they know that their concern was making me feel pathetic about myself. All this while, I kept doing a pep talk with myself and sending my message to Shiv Ji. I just prayed that I don't want to ever regret the journey which I was making to His abode. I was there for Him and He'll only take care of me. My disturbing thoughts left me only when I was mesmerized by the first idol which we saw on our way to the temple. It started to rain, but some kind strangers helped us with the raincoats. These signs were enough to convince me that He was there with us. Our feet nearly froze when we stepped into the temple premise, but the divinity of the place made it bearable. The rains had made it difficult for me to continue with the crepe bandage, so I took it off. After the blissful encounter with the God, we started descending. It was difficult to form a grip on the steep slope after the rain. That is when the pain returned, and it was shocking because I could feel it even with my cold numb feet. After a while, I lost my potential to form a firm grip and control my speed. I had to give in to the gravity. I went with the speed with which the force was pulling me, with least friction from my end. I remember one of my friend saying, "Go easy girl, you have an injured foot". I had turned my head to her and said, "I cannot control my speed anymore" while surpassing her. It felt like I was being driven by someone and I had to hop on the obstacles while moving consistently, just like any video game. This activity, to save myself had consumed me so much that I almost forgot about my pain. When in the evening someone asked me about my foot, it was then I realized that I wasn't limping anymore. I cannot explain that euphoria in words, all I can say is, I was blessed. 

The mirror

Birds were chirping, I kept my eyes closed intently listening to the sound as if trying to understand their language. I opened my eyes and checked the time, it was 7 in the morning. I sat on the corner of the bed and placed my feet on the floor. The cold reached my brain. I had not felt this awake in days. I wore my cardigan and walked to the window to open the curtain. The dust cloud brought forth the realization that the curtains have been touched after a long time. Mild sunlight gently kissed my forehead. I stepped back to sit on the bedside and closed my eyes to feel the warmth on my face. 

While my eyes were closed, I could feel the light fading away, as if the sun was angry with me for avoiding it for a long time. My brows curved down in a pleading expression as if mentally apologizing for my rudeness. I felt the warmth sliding through my face again. I smiled, my apology was accepted. After a long time, I wanted to go out.

I got ready and stepped out of my room, everyone was shocked as if they have seen a live ghost. I cannot blame them. I had not left my room ever since the tragic incident, therefore they were not used to seeing me roaming around in the house anymore. I picked up the car keys and headed for the door. Nobody asked a single question.

I took a sigh of relief as soon as I was out of the door. I had no idea where I wanted to go, all I knew was that I had to go out. I drove to the market, wore my scarf around my face and stepped out. The good thing about the city's pollution is that it gives me the liberty to move with the scarf on. I ambled around totally absorbed in my thoughts and observed everything. 

I stopped by a street vendor selling colourful earing. Even though I am not fond of accessories, I love watching colourful stones. While I stood there admiring the way the sunlight was getting reflected from the edges of the stones, I was startled when the vendor asked me which one do I wish for. I walked away avoiding any eye contact as if I had stolen something from his display. 

Next, I stopped beside a poster vendor, carefully browsing through each one. I even sat down beside a pile and started flipping posters until the vendor asked me the same question as the previous vendor. Yet again I stood up and started walking away. I could hear him calling for me from behind my back but I did not turn. Usually, people here do not care what is happening around but there is always some poor new soul lost in this city's crowd, who notice. So I invited some awkward glares.

I wasn't sure what I was looking for, maybe some inspiration or something that catches my attention and stick to my thoughts. I spotted a bookstore and stepped in. My eyes were running in all directions hunting for a section where my quench for inspiration would stop. After almost a minute of standing near the door, I just randomly chose a shelf and rushed towards it. 

I started reading the titles of books from left to right. I was behaving like a child who has recently learnt reading and mouths every word he reads. The only difference was, I was doing that without sound. After reading close to hundreds of book titles, I finally pulled out one. The colours on the side cover were catchy, but before I could see the front I heard someone saying, 'May I help you?'. I immediately placed the book back, but this time at least nodded and walked out of the door. 

My mind had still not settled on anything so I looked left and right, unable to decide where I wanted to go next. I felt lost. My heartbeat rose, it was possibly because of anxiety, but as per my beliefs, I was expecting something life-changing and important to happen next. I decided to go by my instinct, whichever direction my heart beats harder for, I took that way. I just kept walking waiting for the next thing to grab my attention, which was invited by a group of college students working on a graffiti. One of them was standing a few steps away from the wall continuously staring at it. His one hand had an open colour spray can and the other hand was supporting his chin. I wasn't sure whether he was admiring his own work or thinking how to improve it, but seeing him it did strike me that maybe I should paint. I unabashedly walked by him, interrupting his gaze. Not guilty, because I was too excited to finally add some objective to my day, so I headed for the stationary shop.

My chase to my target was interrupted by a blinding blaze. I took a few steps back to get away from the focus but the light was not ready to leave my face. I got annoyed, someone was trying to mess with me by redirecting sunlight to my face. I mentally derived the direction of the source and started charging, finally stopping near the source. It was a misplaced mirror outside an antique shop. I was happy that there was no human involved. I had almost started again for the stationery shop when something caught my attention and I stepped back. 

The rectangular mirror had stones studded on its gold-plated shabby looking border. But few stones were missing from the left side. I went inside the shop and asked for the cost of the mirror kept outside. The shopkeeper seemed amused at my request and informed me that, things kept out there were defective and were being sent to garbage. I still showed interest in that mirror so he asked 100 bucks for it. I frowned even though he may not have been able to see my expression behind my scarf. But I wanted to keep the conversation minimal, so I agreed to his undue demand. While he was packing the mirror, looking happy to earn a fortune from trash, I asked him whether there was any historical story attached to the mirror. He smirked, then opened his mouth as if going to speak something but had given up the idea after filling his lungs with air. The pregnant pause was a sign that whatever he would speak next would have been a built-up story. I saved both of us from the awkward situation and uttered 'Nevermind'. In reality, both of us were pondering on the same question: 'Why did I desperately wanted to buy this mirror?'.

I reached home in the evening. Mom was anxiously sitting at the corner of the dining table. She almost bounced like a spring when she saw me as if I had awakened her from some bad dream. She immediately gathered herself and asked me whether I had eaten anything since morning. I swung my head for a no and left for my room. She chose not to ask about the package which recently caught her attention. I would have answered this time, only if she had asked.

I entered my room and my Mom followed with a platter in her hand. I wonder how does she manage such perfect timing. I took off my scarf. I had the same feeling which one has when one takes off a body shaper, except that I wasn't hiding any fat. I carefully placed the package upside down on my bed and unwrapped it. Usually, Mom places the meal on the side table and leaves. This time she stayed and watched me while I rummaged the back of the mirror. After minutes of observing me, Mom finally asked: "What are you trying to do?". "Searching for some magic", I said in a monotone. "But this is not a lamp", Mom said.

I remember once I told Mom that I fantasize buying a lamp from an antique shop and see a genie come out of it. I was amazed at how quickly she was able to connect the dots, does she have any superpowers? "How do you know I bought it from the antique shop?", asked my racing mind. She pointed at the wrapping paper and then to the upside-down mirror and asked, "What is it?". I placed my hand on the mirror, scared to turn it around for 2 reasons. First, Mom might scold me seeing the defective mirror I bought and second, I was afraid to see my face.

"A mirror", I answered after a considerable amount of time. She placed her hand on my head and slightly shook it. I looked at the empty front wall, had my mirror been there like before, I would have been able to see the expressions which my mom was trying to hide behind my back. My answer ceased the complete conversation. She left the room without even asking me to have my food.

I turned the mirror only after she left. My face was as good as the mirror. I closed my eyes immediately as if something splashed on my face. I was breathing hard which eventually slowed down. I looked at the mirror again, it wasn't as painful as it was when I broke the mirror in my room. I thought for a while and smiled, something life-changing did happen today, this indeed is a magical mirror.