I Have Seen You But...

       Before starting, I want to say that everything written here is as real as it can get and though it is difficult, I will give my readers complete liberty to laugh... at my expense!!! Because, well, the situation demands it! So, here we go.

       Has it ever happened to you that you come across people who look familiar but you can't remember exactly who they are and how you know them? If yes, then welcome to the club. If not, well you definitely won't understand my pain. Because I belong to the first category. 

       It has happened with me so many times that I feel like I have seen the person somewhere but I cannot remember where exactly. I think hard, rack my brain to find the answer and solve the mystery but to no avail! Apart from distracting me and giving me a headache, the quest goes nowhere. The puzzle remains unsolved and the feeling is so frustrating! Imagine how it must be to live thinking your memory is getting weak day by day that you can't even recall a name!

       Still, it is all fine. Yes it is hard putting pressure on my brain cells to remember and fail. But that is not the worst part. The real problem starts when the person about whom you are trying to recall, identifies you and comes forward to have a little chat. All you can think of at that time is what if they find out you have no clue about who they are!

       It happened with me once that I was waiting for college bus. A girl in burkha came and stood by me. She was someone I was certain I knew but didn't know how! I had seen her few times in our bus already and each time our eyes met, she used to give me a smile. I used to do the same, all the while wondering who she might be. But that day, I was out of my stock of good luck. She came and stood by me and started a chat saying "Hi Swathi". Her voice indicated she was happy to talk. Now I had no way of escaping. Still, pretending like I was equally happy, I started talking too. We spoke about how college life is and about lecturers. I was beginning to relax thinking that my secret would be safe and my ignorance would go unnoticed. But it seldom happens that everything goes as planned. Soon one of my classmates came and stood by me and asked who it was referring to the girl I was talking to!

       Now I was in a fix. If she had asked me later, I would have told her I didn't remember her exactly but she is someone I knew. But now that she had asked in front of the girl, what was I supposed to say? I looked at the girl, who was smiling beside me, having no clue about the confusions going on in my mind! Internally cursing my classmate for putting me in such an awkward position, I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind. I said "I know her from school" It turned out that I was right because she nodded and said "We travelled by same auto during primary" Okay. So half of the riddle was solved. I thanked my lucky stars for coming to my aid. But as it happens, my classmate wasn't the one to stand quiet. "Won't you introduce me to her?" she asked and winked.

       Suddenly the whole plot became clear to me! I had once shared it with my classmate that I had seen this girl somewhere and I don't remember who she is. And now the idiot was having fun at my expense. Why didn't I remember it sooner? I could have steered the conversation to a different topic and saved myself from the embarrassment. But glutton for punishment that I was, I had totally forgotten the incident just like I had forgot the girl's name. Without having much choice, I turned to her with a sheepish expression and said "Err, the thing is, I forgot your name" Her expression was worth watching. If you chat with someone for a long time and then tell them you don't remember their name, I am sure you will get to watch such an incredulous expression too! She kept looking at me to see if I was joking. Did she expect me to say "Ha, Come on! I was kidding"? So sad for her, because I wasn't going to say that! Instead I said "I know we were school friends but I forgot your name" I know I shouldn't have said it but my wicked classmate had put me in such a position where I had no chance of escaping. The girl on the other hand, when she saw I really meant what I said, turned away and was about to leave. "Ayesha wait. I am sorry" I said. She turned back and said "Idiot! I thought you really forgot my name! Such a drama queen you are" I let out a sigh. The bus came, saving me from further embarrassments.

       Now, let me tell you a secret. I really didn't know her name. The thing is, I read in a school where muslim students were very far and few. In school, the only names I knew were Ayesha and Fathima. So, I just tried my luck and it worked out! Now, I wouldn't try and imagine what might have happened if she wasn't Ayesha! God save me if I get struck in a situation like that ever!

       After that incident, whenever I see someone and feel I have seen them somewhere but don't remember where exactly, I maintain a good distance from them till I remember. Well, I just don't want to take risks anymore! I love myself very much to end up with a purple eye or something!

Until the next post,

Keep Smiling :)

Love,

Swathi :)

Snap of the Week #5

Happiness is receiving the Author's Copy of your book. My second book as a contributing author :)

PS: Linking this post to Eloquent Articulation #SnapYourWeek 10

Until the next post,

Keep Smiling :)

Love,

Swathi :)

International Women’s Day #MakeItHappen

       Last year we were going for art classes during our semester holidays. The instructor there was a middle aged man. He had a happy-go-lucky way of speaking and it helped him to mingle with all his students effortlessly. His mannerisms attracted students and the learning environment was good. Well, that was till we found out the truth! What would have happened that would make me think otherwise, you might ask. I will tell you two scenarios.

Scenario 1:

       Once during class, sir told us about an incident that happened when he had been to bank the previous day. There was a guy who was misbehaving with a girl in the bank. He had stood behind the girl in the queue and as the queue was moving ahead, he started behaving ill. The girl was getting really uncomfortable but she didn't utter a word apart from cringing when he touched her. Our dear sir, after seeing this, informed the security person in the bank about the incident and the guy was given an earful and was thrown out.

       We were really impressed when we heard about this. We felt that there are at least some people who have the courage to stand up for others.

Scenario 2:

      Two days back, I met a friend in college who was taking the same course this year. We were chatting casually and I asked how her art classes were going on. She seemed uncomfortable by the question. I asked her if everything was alright? She cringed and said that she would never lay her foot in that building again! I was shocked by the animosity radiating from her. I asked her what the matter was. She seemed reluctant to answer. But after asking for few more times, she finally told me that she had discontinued classes as Sir behaved inappropriately. I was shocked when my other friends confessed the same too. 'If you were in an all girls batch, then you would see his real side' was all they told me.

       The person who claims that he did the right thing when he helped a girl in the bank, does the same to other students in the class! I was shocked to find out! If he can see the girl in the bank being uncomfortable, couldn't he see his own students cringing away when he tried to appear casual and touch them? I have understood one thing. People who speak a lot about right and wrong, are not always those who do the right thing. Saying the right thing has become a trend. When you say something good, you attract people. That is the best marketing strategy. Say the right thing and people will start looking up to you. But what about practice? Is it not necessary to follow all the good things they say? Are words just that - mere words to be spoken but not converted into action? Do they think that if they say good things, their dark deeds will be nullified and the world will become a good place?

       It disgusts me when I come across such people. It disgusts me when I have to converse with them in my day to day life. And it disgusts me the most when I see them talking about women's rights and the men's duty, while in reality, these very people are the ones who rob women of their freedom. These are the ones because of whom the women have to live in fear; the very chameleons who hide their true nature behind their pretty words.

       There is no need to send feel-good messages on Whatsapp and Facebook about women's day and about how precious the life of a woman is. There is no need to fake rage or pity on social medias when things go wrong. Because they are just going to be words. It may earn some likes and some appreciation. But it will not change anything in the real world. If you do want to bring the change, then take action. Respect the women around you. If something is going wrong, raise your voice in real rather than showing your support just in the virtual world. Take a pledge to change the way things are and then #MakeItHappen.

PS: Linking this to the B-A-R's International Women's Day - #MakeItHappen post.

Until the next post,

Keep Smiling :)

Love,

Swathi :)

Starting a New Life

       Sometimes it is so difficult to move on. Everything will be going on normally and when you think life cannot get any better, it takes a drastic turn and you end up being hurt. Same thing happened with me few years back.

       M was my best friend during school. We always used to be together. No matter what, we used to stay together, pull each other's leg, fight for silly reason and then patch up sooner. There was nothing that could come between our friendship. Our classmates used to envy our friendship and teachers used to praise it. In short, we were the best of friends. But everything changed one fine day.

       There was a certain someone who, jealous of our friendship, did everything to destroy it. We never used to fall prey for her tactics but don't know when it changed. Maybe we started taking each other for granted or maybe our bond grew weak over time. But the damage was done. Due to one small misunderstanding, our beautiful friendship was ruined. I tried to make up for it, tried to clear the misunderstanding but M would take none of it. Her mind was set and there was nothing I could do to change it. In her view, I was the one at fault.

       After trying my best, I decided it was time to move on. I had did everything in my power. Now it was up to her to believe me or not. I embraced the change. It was difficult in the beginning. I was used to having her by my side all the time that without her, life felt incomplete. But slowly, I accepted the fact. She was gone and there was nothing I could do about it. When I accepted that, life became a little easy. Each day was a challenge. Whenever I saw friends hanging out together, I used to remember her and I would feel weak again. But over the course of time, it just became a dull throb at the back of the mind.

      Initially, I was reluctant to make new friends. When you are hurt once, it is difficult to trust on anyone again. I started keeping to myself. But soon I realized it was not going to help. Life is nothing if you don't have friends by your side to share all the little happiness. I slowly started coming out of my shell and began to interact with people again. I made new friends and life started getting beautiful. 

       Now when I look back, I don't regret my friendship with M. Instead, I am glad that it lasted for that long. Because when it did, it was the most beautiful time of my life. Yes, it was difficult to cope up with the change when we stopped talking to each other but still, it was totally worth it! Some changes are good because they teach you so many important lessons of life.

       This post is written for housing.com.

Until the next post,

Keep Smiling :)

Love,

Swathi :)

Snap of the Week #4

There was Rangoli Competition in our branch and I and my friend had fun participating in it :)

(This is the full design)

PS: Linking this post to Eloquent Articulation #SnapYourWeek 9

Until the next post,

Keep Smiling :)

Love,

Swathi :)

Lesson Learnt from a Kid

       It was vacation time and I was excited. I had planned a trip to my cousin's place and I was looking forward to it. It had been a long time since I visited her and it made the trip all more exciting. We had so much to catch up on and so many secrets to share. So many shopping trips to make and so many places to visit. Barely containing my excitement, I packed my bags and set out for her place.

       To say she was happy would be an understatement. She literally ran and hugged me when she saw me standing in the doorway and pulled me inside her home. We started chatting right away and made plans. The next evening, we decided to go to the beach near her place. I was looking forward to it a lot but due to the rain, we had to stay indoors. With nothing much to do, we decided to play chess to pass time.

       Let me tell you, she is a champion in the game. She has won many national level competitions and can give even the best players a complex. And there I was, just an average player. Though I could play well, in front of her skills, I knew I stood no match! But still, with nothing better to do, I agreed to her pleadings and thus started the game.

       One, three, five! I lost all the games in succession. Well, I had expected as much but still when I couldn't win even a single match, it hurt. Suddenly, I didn't feel like playing anymore. I was tired of losing the game. Still, mustering the little hope left inside me, I played once more and needless to say, I lost; again! Frustrated, I stood up and left saying I want some fresh air. I could hear her mocking laughter following me all the way.

       I stood in the veranda feeling stupid. It was stupid to react the way I did when I knew this would happen. But still, it was difficult to accept defeat. I stood staring at nothing in particular. The rain had subsided into a faint drizzle and I stood there lost in thoughts. A cackle made me aware of someone's presence. It was the kid from the neighborhood. He was barely two years old. She was playing in the garden. I stood there watching her, a smile on my face. There is something adoring with the kids. They can make you forget your bad mood and smile even when you are at your worst. 

       This kid was running behind a butterfly, trying to catch it. I could see she was mesmerized by it and was determined to catch it. But that never happened. She would run towards the flower on which the butterfly was sitting and as soon as she extended her hand, it would fly away. And when it did, she started chasing it again. The chase went on and on. I thought she would get tired of it but nothing of that sort happened. If anything, she looked happy. She didn't know the meaning of losing or giving up. All she knew was doing what made her happy.

       Suddenly, I felt optimistic. That kid had taught me a valuable lesson that day. With renewed hope, I went inside where my cousin was and said "How about we play one more game?"

PS: This story is written for housing.com in association with Indiblogger.

Until the next post,

Keep Smiling :)

Love,

Swathi :)

Learning to be Self-Reliant

       The one thing that my dad has always taught me is to be self reliant. Right from when I was a kid, he made sure I learn to do my things without depending on anyone's help. Be it standing in the queue to pay school fees or going to a class which was far from home; he wanted me to do them on my own. Whenever I asked him to do something for me, he used to ask me "And why can't you do it on your own?" His mantra was "If you want your work to match up to your expectations, then do it on your own. Others' involvement will only complicate things"

       During middle school, I signed up for sports classes in the evening. As the classes were after the school time, I would always miss the auto which was how I travelled. Other students' class would end and our auto uncle would leave at 5. But I had classes till 6. I asked dad to pick me up. But he had office. He asked if I was sure I wanted to join these classes. I remember how pissed I was at that time. I had seen parents coming to drop and pick up their children. I wished my dad was like that too. I had cried a lot trying to melt my dad's heart but that wasn't helping. Finally I decided I would give up trying to convince dad and find a way on my own.

       I started walking back home initially. After few days, I made a demand for new cycle. Once I got cycle, I started using cycle to travel back and forth. I was also assigned the simple tasks like going to market to buy things for mom. I was happy. I could go wherever I want without having to depend on anyone. After classes, when my friends waited for someone to pick them, I could go on my own. That was the first step towards becoming self reliant.

       When we went for tours and we ha to enquire someone about the direction or anything similar, he used to push me to do the task. I hated talking to strangers. I used to have tears in my eyes when I made the enquiry. But that never stopped my dad from pushing me forward. Oh, how I used to hate him for making me do the things I didn't want to do! Little did I know then that he was training me hard so that I can fight my battles on my own!

      But now, I know it. Due to the lessons he gave me them, I can do my work without depending much on others. I don't have to wait anyone to come forward and help me. I know how to be my own helper and my own master. That one lesson of being self reliant has played a great role in moulding my personality. I used to wonder why I can't have someone to take care of me at every step like my friends had but now, they wish they knew how to be on their own like I am! Because, no matter if someone is there for you are not, you can always rely on yourself to be there for you! I can never thank my dad enough for this valuable lesson!

A salute to all those great dads who, instead of pampering and spoiling their children, teach them to be self reliant.

PS: This post is written for HDFC Life HappyHour in association with IndiBlogger.

Until the next post,

Keep Smiling :)

Love,

Swathi :)