A Friend Who Never Forgets

Optimism, for me, is a way of life- a way that is greatly influenced by the surroundings. A few cool drops of rain in the scorching summer heat carries optimism. The first leaf in a new born plant carries optimism. The first sign of improvement in one’s pathetic health condition carries optimism.

Optimism, in a nutshell, is when one looks at the brighter side of life. It is something backed by hope. So, whenever there is a ray of hope- be it anywhere, there is presence of optimism.

To me, optimism is that friend who doesn’t come every day, but also doesn’t forget visiting forever. According to a proverb in Hindi, God may delay your fortune/ wish, but won’t keep you deprived of it as well. I have seen this proverb work on me to a great extent, and whenever I found a ray of hope sitting in the dark room of despair, I found optimism. When I was very young, a comment like ‘good’ brought me optimism. When I solved a sum from the hardest chapter in Maths, and made it correct, I found optimism. When I found my first paper go very well in my exam, it brought me a lot of optimism which helped me in the other papers to a great extent. I have been knocking the doors of publishing houses for considering my debut book for quite a long time. There was a time when I just lost hope and felt I never would supposedly be published. And then, an offer from a publisher to give my story a place in his anthology came as a big amount of optimism for me. My dead hopes seemed to take a rebirth. Today, all I can say is the day is not far when my book shall be found in print.

Since my birth, I had been living on rent. We never had a house of our own and I was quite sick of following the rules and regulations fixed by the landlords. Three years back, we had been visiting a large number of apartments in search of a suitable flat at a reasonable price. But everywhere, we found some or other issue. And then one day, my dad phoned me informing that he had found an awesome flat at Raiganj at a comparatively low price. There was an air of optimism. We went forward with it without giving a second thought. Today, we own that flat. We don’t have to count monthly rent anymore.

I have found optimism in several things. But my favourite story of optimism is hidden in the town where I have spent my entire childhood. I remember the days when I used to study using oil lamps and lanterns. I was sick of the unmetalled roads and cart-tracks. We used to spend days without electricity in case there was a fault in the transformer or some electric pole (which was very frequent in stormy or windy days). The break-and-fall of the wires of electric poles has taken so many lives. And then, one fine day we found developments tale place. It began with the roads turn metalled. With each lane’s road turning metalled, everyone around was filled with optimism. ‘Our lane also shall be the same one day,’ was the common thought. After the roads developed, came the turn of electricity. The power-cuts became shorter and the necessary wires were replaced with new and quality ones. Apart from this, the construction of park has given a room for recreation as well as employment opportunities to many. Development has been seen in other fields as well. Today, my town carries the aim to stand parallel to any other fully developed town. Optimism is the key that is keeping its determination alive and constant.

Unknown Hands

While leaving the town Sahibganj forever in order to start my new journey, I was subjugated by a lot of fear. It felt as if I was to die a life and take birth to another one. ‘What will happen next?’ was the inevitable question. How life in a big town is, or how is the lifestyle of the people living there- I simply had no idea. Sahibganj is a small yet beautiful town- with the Rajmahal hills on one side and River Ganga on the other. There are neither wide roads nor modernised super bazaars, and needless to say, no multiplexes or malls.

It would, however, be wrong to say that I never had visited any big city earlier. I often had visited places like Durgapur or Kolkata during holidays. But during those days, things were different. I was a minor, and whenever I went out of house, a hand always held me. A hand that I knew- I trusted upon. Now, things were different. I neither was a minor, nor was going to just visit there. I was going to live there.

But at that time, what did not come in my mind was that in Durgapur also, I was going to stay with people of flesh and blood itself. Be they however, they are human beings.

I put my feet on the new place. My new life had begun. Things didn’t seem that complicated as I had thought of. The town with its vast area covered by the steel plant, the huge constructions, modernized markets, etc- had people no different to us. As time passed, I gathered new experiences. In Durgapur, cycle-rickshaws were not that common. The most common means of transport was the ‘minibus’. In Sahibganj, buses could be seen once in a year or so- mostly owing to some marriage ceremony. So, the experience of travelling regularly in this vehicle felt awesome! Apart from this, I got many new experiences- each experience backed by a new lesson. I learnt to get lost. I mistakenly chose wrong paths. And when I realized it, I then looked around and asked the people there for help. They guided me and I ultimately reached my home. Every time I lost my route, I discovered a new one. And then I realized that now I didn’t need any known hand to guide me. There were several hands. Unknown hands.

I joined college. I was again afraid as I recalled what I had heard about college. Warnings like ‘Be careful, your seniors will rag you’, ‘they may force you to smoke and drink’, and so on, coupled with the fact that I would have no mate from my past and everybody would be new- made me nervous. But as I went inside the college, I found the atmosphere very different. I was welcomed with a rose by a senior. While I stared around at the campus building, somebody asked, ‘what is your name?’ I replied, ‘Souvik Mukherjee.’ ‘Wow! You are Souvik Mukherjee, and I am Souvik Aich,’ he smiled and extended his hand. Within moments the unknown hand became a known one, which stayed with me till my last day at college.

I had presumed, things would be different. But what I saw was that things were the same. Only the dialect was different. The building was same, just the paint was different. I rarely found titles like ‘Verma’, ‘Paswan’ and ‘Gupta’, where as discovered some new ones like ‘Aich’, ‘Gorai’ and ‘Hati’. I missed the hills and the Ganges, but discovered multiplexes and plazas.

The main thing that I learned in this new life is that others are no different to us. Their hands may be unknown, but once we extend outs, they immediately will extend theirs. As we are looking for more and more friendly hands, they themselves also are looking for the same.

Small Moments, Great Happiness

Happiness is something that has come in our lives as a blessing. It is one of those things that, unlike any material stuff, increase when shared. It is in anything that brings a glow to one’s face. Happiness is in sharing with dear ones, a funny incident one has come across in life. It is in a call from a long-lost friend. It is in getting a shoulder to rest your head and cry out your tragic moments. It is in a surprise visit by relatives. It is in getting a share of candy from your beloved. It is in the nostalgia when you look back at your past. It is in spending time with family. Happiness also is in the feeling that you have made someone else happy in some way or the other. You feel happy when you donate blood, or when you distribute your old belongings among the poor, or share a part of your knowledge with some junior.

Overall, happiness is collectively found in the sea where each drop is a small happy moment. One cannot simply keep a record of the moments. And the most ironical thing that I myself have seen in life is that the intensity of happiness I have received has been the most in the smallest and most simple moments.

It makes me remember a small incident from our college days. Those days, many little kids roamed outside our campus. Whenever we came out of the college, they ran to us hoping to get some money or a small part of the fried cookies or popcorn that we purchased. That day, we were a little away from our campus with our friends- in a small restaurant enjoying sips of our ever-so-favourite Coca Cola. A little boy who had hardly reached his teens came to us. He showed some cartwheels and small gymnastics and began asking money. We paid him in small amounts. I do not know what caused me to do this- as the fellow was turning to leave, I told him to hold on. I purchased a fresh bottle of coca-cola and passed it to him. He was overjoyed! And the sight of his happy face doubled my happiness. It is said that money can't buy happiness. But that day, a few bucks from my pocket had a bottle of Coca Cola had bought me a bunch of happiness.

They say- a day without smile is a day wasted. A genuine smile is something that always is backed by happiness. Happiness is a necessity. It adds colour to life. And it is something that you can create for yourself, share with your dear ones as well as receive from them- anywhere and everywhere.

The joint effort

The present era, needless to say, is the era of ultra-modern technology. In every part of the world, digitization has become a part and parcel of human life. To be at par with the flow, the Government of our nation also has made an envision of a Digital India- where communication network among the citizens becomes quick, convenient and hassle-free. In order to give this dream a shape, electronic governance- or e-governance- has become the need of the hour.

By e-governance, one may refer to the various forms of communication that take place via information and communication technology within the government framework. It is the means that can carry people’s voice to the government and vice-versa. We all know that India is a vast country that bears a population of around 1.27 billion. And so, it has not always been possible for the voice of each and every person to reach the Government. Lacuna has always been there and the ones who have fallen victims to that lacuna have had been deprived of their rights. E- governance is a measure that widens this communication route between the people and the government to a great extent because of the presence of technology. And- as they say- charity begins at home. Once the communication system in the Government’s own framework is digitized, it can move forward to digitize the entire nation- giving birth to the awaited Digital Media.

Here, the term ‘technology’ plays a crucial role. It forms the key to the entire endeavor. Intel- the multinational corporation that simply is anything and everything of technology and believes in the versatility of it- has come as the helping hand in realizing the vision of our Government. The corporation has taken smart initiatives such as ‘Digital Skills for India’ and ‘Innovate for India’ through which it has been fostering technology for the noble cause. The versatile technology provided by Intel is to give a master boost to the vision by strengthening e-governance- by which its own as well as the commons’ communication with the government will widen up. The government can now interact with the people as well as with the corporation. It can interact with its people regarding the matter and give directions to the corporation accordingly- with Intel at its best in implementing it, as always. The joint effort by the Government and by Intel can realize the #DigitalIndia vision in the best way- bringing our nation at par with the globe in this field.

The Nostalgic Phone

There is nothing constant except change, as they say. With the flow of time, we keep upgrading ourselves. When I was very young, our house had a miracle machine- by which we could hold conversations with our dear ones whom we could not meet every day. I was told, the machine was called telephone.

When I was in the fifth standard, I saw the advanced form of this miracle machine- the mobile phone for the first time, and by the next year, my papa purchased one. With this, I got the opportunity to handle it. They also say that our first experience of anything stays in our mind for a lifetime. They are not wrong. The feel of touching the machine once heard or seen in TV- of pressing its buttons and staring at the patterns of liquid crystals on the screen- of looking for what features this wonder contained- everything is fresh in my mind.

The terms ‘Motorola’ or ‘Moto’ make me quite nostalgic, for I happen to roll back to those good old days. It was one of the few brands available in the market then, and was used by the parents of a good number of my classmates. I remember, my maths tutor had one such set. While teaching, he frequently took breaks for a quick smoke and happened to leave his cellphone there itself. We- the ‘abodes’ of naughtiness- used to simply pick the phone, look for games and read all the messages present in it. One day I even had made a phone call to my landline number as an experiment, and was badly caught later when the teacher found my number in the call-history.

Days changed. Phones got upgraded. They now had cameras, MP3  players, internet facility and so on. With the popularity of internet, grew several social-networking websites and advanced search engines. Today, we have smartphones- the climax in the field of mobile phones till date!

A phone is incomplete without its features. Today, every other phone comes with an internet browser and several internet-based applications. Here also, smartphones are leading.

What makes a smartphone suit my fancy from day one of my getting acquainted with it- is its ability to support the most advanced and quality versions of  almost every application- be it some browser, some app of some social-networking site, or- last but not the least- some awesome- graphics-game.

I have heard a lot about the Moto E smartphone. I have seen it in pictures or in the form of models and have got a liking for its faster appearance. I, however, have never got a chance to handle it yet.

As said earlier, this brand fills me with nostalgia. The reason might be the long gap between my middle-schooling days and now. With the emergence of several brands, I couldn’t quite hear the name of ‘Motorola’ for days. And today, it feels glad to see the old ‘Moto’ back- that too in the form of a smartphone. The little fellow has now grown up. It has developed wings!

If I get the chance to operate a Moto E smartphone, I would choose to start with some game present in it- be it any. By playing the high definition game, I would re-live the time I played the simple games in my tutor’s phone. I would play continuously for an hour at least, until I am fully done with it. And then, I shall go for exploring its other features.

Just think... for a short time...

We say proudly that we are the citizens of India, and we love it. But just think for a short time, do we love our motherland in true sense? If yes, then how is it that one never hesitates in spitting and throwing garbage on the roads and public places? We get our homes cleaned regularly.  But how many of us do ourselves take the initiative to hire servants and get the roads and drains of our locality cleaned, when we proudly call India our ‘home’? If anybody complains, we curse the government. We say the government is worthless. But did we ever give it a thought that what we have done for the government? On one hand, most of us try our level best to evade taxes, and on the other hand, we expect the government to make roads, water-tanks, hospitals, schools, etc. We forget that it is we ourselves who make the government, and the government can’t do anything without our co-operation.

Some persons are in the view that India is still bound with poverty and illiteracy. It is true. India is still not free. But the sad part is that we have tied up our motherland this time. We call Indians our brothers and sisters. Bit we seldom try to come forward and help our those ‘brothers and sisters’ who are starving for food and education. When a small child begs on the footpaths of big towns, they actually doesn’t beg a small coin. They beg a better living. They beg proper clothing and education. They beg to be one among us. But we give them a small coin and chase them away. To even touch them, it hurts our ‘prestige’.

There are plenty of more examples. Twice a year we hoist our National Flag. But we just pass by if we see such a flag fallen on the ground with people stepping on it. When a movement comes, we take part on rallies and shout out loud, often to see our photos in the newspapers of the next day and narrate our ‘achievement’ to several people. But do we ever pay heed to why the movement has taken place? The live example is the Lokpal Bill Movement. Lacs of people all over India led the movement by Anna Hazare against corruption and wore the cap bearing his name. But how many among them did take a resolution never to take nor pay bribes (and followed it till today)? It is somewhat same as smoking a cigar, and blowing out the smoke telling ‘smoking is a bad habit, one must stop it’.

Time is still there. Just take out five minutes from your daily schedule, and think over these matters. If you feel boring, just remember the last time when you said ‘I am an Indian’ or ‘Jai Hind’.

Doomed destinies

“Student hangs himself to death”, “Youth commits suicide”, and many more such headlines have become common in newspapers nowadays. The pertinent question that comes through is the fragility of the concept of hope in the youth of today. One may answer, “Because of excessive pressure to study”, while others may opine that it is “due to excessive punishments.” However, such things were present earlier too. It was not so copious then, so why now?
Each student has a life that they hold dear. Why will they lose their lives for so simple a matter? They do it not just for one reason. There are plenty of reasons that make a youth develop hatred for his/ her life that is enough to make him/ her commit suicide. An average child today has a routine of getting up in the morning, getting fresh, and sitting for study (or tuition), and then getting ready for school. A little breathing space isn’t granted to them either. There are certain reasons behind this as well which include vast syllabus, competition and others. The child is burdened with all these things. He/ she has no time to rejuvenate…. and enjoy their childhood. They little time they get as leisure, too is consumed by televisions showcasing violent serials or inane computer games. No physical activities, no fun of group play, no laughing out loud, no dancing in the rain.
Apart from this, some children are forcefully sent to art school, sports schools, etc despite their unwillingness. If a child likes it from within, it is okay. But if the child doesn’t like it, he/ she won’t ever excel in it. Some parents are in a mad rush to make their child proficient in every field. The child has to tackle so many things at a tender age.
Coupled with this if the child also has to punishments for their poor results or threats, it becomes unbearable. This compels the child to despise life. This drives them to commit suicide.
This is not the tragedy of just one or two children, but the entire youth of today. It is pathetic to see this dooming destiny of the youth. An average youngster, who should get ample time to play in tandem with his studies, is placed amidst bulky books every time, three to four or even more simultaneous tuitions, school homework, tuition homework, assignments and the likes.
To stop this, one must see that one’s child gets ample time to play, to enjoy. Study and play must go simultaneously. Only then the child will experience the fun of surrounding childhood. And the youth will again flourish.

(see this article of mine in the 'durgapur-asansol plus' page of 'The Times of India' of December 30, 2011)