Disclaimer: All events and happenings in the following content is purely fictitious, imaginary and made up. Any resemblance to a person living or dead, especially Steve Jobs, for instance, is purely co-incidental. It’s purely a byproduct of an idle mind subjected to overexposure of this video:
Reader’s discretion is advised.
Dear diary,
Today was hectic as hell. My day started at 3:15 in the morning/night at the Ranchi station and I didn’t get a moments rest after that.
After a whole day of sweating it out in the sun to man our car’s stall at the convo, all we got was a nod of appreciation from the governor and a free lunch, which was meant actually for staffs and their families. That, to a large extent explained the disgusted looks on a teacher’s face whenever we greeted one.
The much awaited VC’s speech was lethargic and languid as nobody gave a damn ‘bout what the old hog muttered.. I mean, the alumni coming in from the length and breadth of the country and even abroad, deserved more than just a complementary dinner and an enduring ceremony.
Hope my convo is better.. much better than this.. Maybe one day I’ll get invited at our junior’s convo to egg them on for their forthcoming life. Maybe…
Today was hectic as hell. My day started at 3:15 in the morning/night at the Ranchi station and I didn’t get a moments rest after that.
After a whole day of sweating it out in the sun to man our car’s stall at the convo, all we got was a nod of appreciation from the governor and a free lunch, which was meant actually for staffs and their families. That, to a large extent explained the disgusted looks on a teacher’s face whenever we greeted one.
The much awaited VC’s speech was lethargic and languid as nobody gave a damn ‘bout what the old hog muttered.. I mean, the alumni coming in from the length and breadth of the country and even abroad, deserved more than just a complementary dinner and an enduring ceremony.
Hope my convo is better.. much better than this.. Maybe one day I’ll get invited at our junior’s convo to egg them on for their forthcoming life. Maybe…
*
“I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.
The first story is about connecting the dots.
An IIT engineer was at the pier of a small coastal Bengali village, when a small boat with just one fisherman, docked. Inside the small boat were several large Hilsa. The IITian complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The fisherman replied, "Only a little while, babu…"
The IITian then asked, "Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more fish?"
The fisherman said he had enough to support his family's immediate needs.
The IITian then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"
The Bengali fisherman said, “Beshi kicchu na.. dupoor barota ghoom theke oothi.., taarpore ektoo machh dhoree.. baachader shonge ektu khela kori.. ranna-tanna kore bou shonge aabar ektu ghumoi..”
“Shondhe bela uthe ektu gaon ghure aashi, bondhu der shonge cha-ta khai.. kirket (sic) er kotha kori.. jeebon ae aar kichu chai na.. joto aache.. tai khoob..”
(“I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, stroll into the village each evening where I sip tea and discuss cricket (kirket??!!) with my friends. I have a full and busy life..”)
The IITian scoffed, "I am an IIT engineer and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat and with the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You can then leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Kolkata, then Bombay and eventually the US where you will run your expanding enterprise."
The fisherman asked, “Kintu.. ae shob korar jonne.. koto shomoy laagbe??”
(“But, how long will all this take?")
To which the IITian replied, "15-20 years."
“ Taarpore?" (“But what then?”)
The IITian grinned triumphantly and said, "That's the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would earn in crores."
"Crores ?? Then what?"
The IITan said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip tea and discuss cricket with your friends…."
So as you see, planning too far ahead will land you nowhere.. you are going to end up at square one..
You can't change the past, but you can ruin the present by worrying over the future. Once again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.
My second story is about love and loss.
I had participated in an extempore once in this very college and the topic given to me was..
“All’s well, that doesn’t end well”.
On the outset, I was quite puzzled as to what should I say on such an inane topic that would be meaningful enough to land me podium position. I had only a minute to think up my points and for the initial forty seconds or so, I must say, was totally blank..
Then, I just aimlessly looked around the hall, and my eyes fell on one of my friends, and that was when I realized the actuality of the topic. Here’s what I said…
“Most of us, who have ever experienced the feeling of being in love, would know that love and loss are inseparable like two sides of a coin. They say that if you are lucky, you get your first love and luckier, if you don’t…
By the way, the unlucky ones are those who never really fall in love..
Anyways, going back to the saying, when we are in love, all our emotions, right from anger to joy and anxiety to elation, are connected to that one special person or thing. Without them, life looks meaningless and emotionless. Daily activities such as eating, sleeping and even recreation become irrelevant. So, I can safely say that love is what gives life its purpose.
I had participated in an extempore once in this very college and the topic given to me was..
“All’s well, that doesn’t end well”.
On the outset, I was quite puzzled as to what should I say on such an inane topic that would be meaningful enough to land me podium position. I had only a minute to think up my points and for the initial forty seconds or so, I must say, was totally blank..
Then, I just aimlessly looked around the hall, and my eyes fell on one of my friends, and that was when I realized the actuality of the topic. Here’s what I said…
“Most of us, who have ever experienced the feeling of being in love, would know that love and loss are inseparable like two sides of a coin. They say that if you are lucky, you get your first love and luckier, if you don’t…
By the way, the unlucky ones are those who never really fall in love..
Anyways, going back to the saying, when we are in love, all our emotions, right from anger to joy and anxiety to elation, are connected to that one special person or thing. Without them, life looks meaningless and emotionless. Daily activities such as eating, sleeping and even recreation become irrelevant. So, I can safely say that love is what gives life its purpose.
But the amazing thing is that whenever we encounter loss in love, above all what we lose is this purpose. There’s no denying it, we all feel it. Even I did. I felt very bad at that point of time. In fact, to put it mildly, I was devastated..
But then I thought, there is a reason for this suffering. Maybe destiny has bigger things in store for me and maybe this little relationship was just a rounding error compared to the other mishaps I would have to face in life. Losing what we love is never the end of life.. it’s actually the beginning, coz that is when we understand that god has enough faith in us to let us handle our problems alone.
So, remember that all may not be well at the end, but believe that if all’s not well, then it’s not the end….. Picture abhi baaki hai mere dossst..!!”
Cheesy.. I must admit, but if you are wondering, then well I didn’t land a spot among the top three mainly due to two reasons, firstly, I exceeded the time limit and secondly my voice was incomprehensible due to excessive maniacal whooping the previous night!!
Anyways that’s not the point. The point is that ifs and buts shouldn’t have a place in our lives.
You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.
My third story is about death.
One of my friends once told me an experience she had, which a lot us would’ve had in our childhood. At that moment, it was something of little value to me, but it was only when I experienced something similar, that I understood how invaluable it was…
So, remember that all may not be well at the end, but believe that if all’s not well, then it’s not the end….. Picture abhi baaki hai mere dossst..!!”
Cheesy.. I must admit, but if you are wondering, then well I didn’t land a spot among the top three mainly due to two reasons, firstly, I exceeded the time limit and secondly my voice was incomprehensible due to excessive maniacal whooping the previous night!!
Anyways that’s not the point. The point is that ifs and buts shouldn’t have a place in our lives.
You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.
My third story is about death.
One of my friends once told me an experience she had, which a lot us would’ve had in our childhood. At that moment, it was something of little value to me, but it was only when I experienced something similar, that I understood how invaluable it was…
Here’s what she said….
“When I was little... the first time that I rode a bicycle......my sister ran alongside, holding the seat.
Listen to me, na... she was running alongside...
...and I kept turning back, asking...
Listen to me, na... she was running alongside...
...and I kept turning back, asking...
'Di, are you there?
Di, are you there? '
She said 'You've got to look ahead... look ahead.'
After a few moments I turned my head again to see...
...that she was standing quite a distance away, smiling.
And… and I had learned to ride a bicycle!!
I'll never forget that day. Never, you know…”
“The amazing thing is, I got to relive that day...
Only this time I was holding the seat...
...and my lil’ sis was riding the bicycle.
"No... no turning back...
Look ahead. Look ahead.'
'Di, are you there?
Di, are you there? '
And I let go…..
When she turned back and looked at me......she was smiling…. Just like you are…”
Di, are you there? '
She said 'You've got to look ahead... look ahead.'
After a few moments I turned my head again to see...
...that she was standing quite a distance away, smiling.
And… and I had learned to ride a bicycle!!
I'll never forget that day. Never, you know…”
“The amazing thing is, I got to relive that day...
Only this time I was holding the seat...
...and my lil’ sis was riding the bicycle.
"No... no turning back...
Look ahead. Look ahead.'
'Di, are you there?
Di, are you there? '
And I let go…..
When she turned back and looked at me......she was smiling…. Just like you are…”
We laughed the moment off, but, later it made me think… how many such days do I remember?
The first time I bunked school? The first time I had a fight?
My first time on stage?
The first time I held a girl's hand? My first kiss? My first love?
How many such days??
Twenty years of existence and just 20 days of life??
It's these precious moments that constitute a life....that transform the mundane into the unforgettable...
When we grow old, it’s only these few special days that remain etched in our memories…. The rest just somehow, fade away….
What’s the point of just whiling the days away, when they don’t leave a mark on our or anyone else’s lives..
We are remembered by the gifts that we leave behind for our loved ones… and not by what we amassed for ourselves.. Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company that we are working for would easily replace us in a matter of days. But the family we left behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than to our own family; an unwise investment indeed, don't you think?
In conclusion all I will say is, there is no reason not to follow your heart. Count your blessings, not your troubles. Within you are so many answers, understand, have courage, be strong. Learn to be responsible for your decisions. And above all, Life, is not a race, as people generally tag it, coz when you run so fast to get somewhere, you miss half the fun of getting there. …
“Life is short, do take it slower..
Hear the music, before the song’s over..”
Hear the music, before the song’s over..”
THANK YOU…..”
***
The dreadful buzzing of the mosquitoes woke me up. I checked my watch which said 03:34.
Nice dream, I thought as I removed my sweaty head from the table and slowly realized that we had an all-too-frequent-power-outage in our beloved hostel.
This, is what passion for something does to you. But I don’t regret. Least of all it gave me four hours of intense sleep, something which I had been deprived of for quite some time now. Only.. if I could get rid of this horrible back pain now..
