As ever the solution to problems of all my life laid in Cecelia Ahern books. It was ironical that the book I read always reflected my current state of life, or if not, at least provided the answer to my current question in life. I just started with “The time of life”, where the author gets an appointment letter from her life. Well that’s just few pages (Around 20) that I have read, but that was enough to trigger my imagination to write something.
I went back to think when did I meet my life? I wondered if I had ever met my life or not? As I kept thinking, I realized I did meet my life. Not once but twice and both time my life made me a better person than what I already was. And when I met them they came in two contrasting forms.
My life before I met my life for the first time
During my school days, although I was a good student but “shabby” could be a word I can describe myself as. I hated to polish my shoes because I knew at the end of the day when I am going to return back home, it would again be dirty. I used to wonder why at all I need to polish my shoes. The same was applicable while ironing my uniform. I felt that was an absolute wastage of time to do that. My sis would spend few hours of time polishing shoes and ironing her uniform. At times I would bribe her saying I would do her homework or give my lunch to her if she would polish my shoes and press my uniform as well. Sometimes she did, and sometimes she didn’t.
When we would stand for prayer, my sis being taller than me, would stand behind me and properly fold my collar and put my tag below the collar in right manner. I never believed in putting the books and notebooks in order in my bag. They would just be there. I never had any pencil box, but for sure all my pencils erasers would be inside my bag and I would put my hands in bag, rotate my hands and take it out. The sense of happiness I felt was like Aladdin’s genie had done some magic. I felt myself to be the genie! Lol
Ohh how did I forget my Almirah? Well almost similar to how my bag was. Early in the morning, I would put my hands in the shelf, rotate my hands, and would get what I wanted. My uniform blazer was never hung on a hanger as that irritated. I always folded it and kept in shelf, which eventually would get lost while searching for other things, and then I would search my blazer as well.
As I joined DU, my life became shabbier. My table was never cleaned. Since me and my sis were in different subjects, I had threatened her not to clean it, else I would lose my notes. All her books would be so much in order that I used to wonder “padhti bhi hai ki sirf saja ke rakhti hai”. My table would have not just books but also tea cups, a pen stand filled with pens, none of which would write. My night lamp, but I never studied at night as I was scared to sit alone and study and few of novels and my mobiles (please note it’s not mobile, but mobiles) in between my books and notes.
For all my 8.30 am classes I would reach on time –FOR ATTENDANCE, which was taken at the end of the class. Professor would call my name and I would be at the door, screaming “yes mam”. But with my innocence, cute smile and sincerity to be always on time for attendance, made my professors love me. Yes they actually did and would ask me what’s the excuse of the day, and I would sometimes give one, if I genuinely had, else I would just smile “kal I studied whole night" and I would continue with my tantrum “I would never be late from next time, I promise, aaj de dijiye attendance please” and she would smile at that. My reaction would be “hassi to fassi” and I would go to first seat and push people inside and sit for next five minutes till she would finish taking the attendance.
Well that was when I met my life for the first time
He came in a form shabbier than me. I felt “eeewwwkkk”. How sick could a person be. He hardly wore shoes, but came to class in shabby floaters or chappals. His jeans were hardly washed. And shirts never ironed. His bag would be stinking and I would ask “dust bin se utha ke laya ki this itself is dustbin?” .He would have some chewing gums in his bags, luckily not the chewed ones, else I would have thrown him along with them. And after the release of Rang de Basanti, he said “I am going to have long hair, like kunal kapoor”. And I warned him that I would disown you from being my friend. He thought I was kidding but I did mean it seriously. He used to hardly attend the classes and would take my notes, to get them photo copied.
So finally I completed my graduation. Soon we all parted our ways and my life improved after I met my life. I didn’t want people to give “eeeewwwkkk” reaction after seeing me.I don’t know where he got lost, but I got what I had to-MY LIFE. I realized I have to change my habits.
My life before I met my life for the second time
After I completed my graduation, I had decided to clean my table and from my table draw I collected recharge coupons worth Rs 5000 as each of them valued Rs 10 or Rs 20. You can do the mathematical calculations to see the number of coupons I got. My mom was standing right behind me. I looked up at her with a dirty looking smile, without knowing what to say. Finally I said “poore 3 saal ke hain na mumma”.So my table would be clean, but my bed became the replacement for my table for my post-graduation. But I wouldn’t keep my tea cups, and night lamps, for that I got a side table near my bed. Improvement after meeting life!lol
I also improved on my punctuality. I always struggled to reach on time for next two years, but I had to. At times when I was late the college gate was closed in front of me asking me to go back home. No excuses, no smiles worked, only I worked harder to be on time. I got habituated to be punctual.
We were provided buffet lunch and breakfasts in college. Our plates used to be filled with food, although there were cameras in cafeterias. We wanted to avoid the inconvenience of going back and getting food again and again. Once the professor came to the class and said “you all were watched for your etiquettes for eating and I bet you all would fail, if we had to give you marks on that”. After the class got over, we all giggled “we have paid money, koi phokat ka shadi ka khana nahi kha rahe hain hum log”. Well that was funny at that point of life, as we didn’t understand that professor wanted to focus of etiquette and not quantity.
When we would go out, I used men’s wallet in which notes would always be folded, and it would take me some five- ten minutes to figure out what rupee note is that. By the time I would give the shopkeeper the money, he would have lost the patience or if anyone was with me, they would pay it off for me.
Soon I became a manager; I joined the “corporate world”. Some habits changed, others were yet to be changed.
Well that was when I met my life for the second time
There were moments when I would think “is he a machine or human?” But I never had the courage to ask, so I choose to assume he was a machine. He wasn’t just punctual to come to office, but also for the time to eat and sleep. I used to smile wondering “log alarm laga ke uthte hain, yeh alarm laga ke, time se soote honge”. There was an agenda for every day in his life. In his plate, rice wouldn’t get mixed dal, and he would eat in just the perfect manner. A perfectly calm life. At times I would envy his life and used to say “kaash meri life bhi aise hoti”.
Soon we parted our ways and my life improved after I met my life. I don’t know where he got lost, but I got what I had to-MY LIFE. I realized I have to change my habits.
My life today after meeting my lives
• Thank god I don’t use recharge coupons any more, I recharge my phone online.
• I had been for a team outing and a senior who didn’t know me, came to ask “have you studied or worked in US?” I replied “No, but why?” to which he said “the way you ate with fork and spoon”. Well I just smiled, I didn’t know if that was a compliment or I should give credit to my professor who screamed at us about etiquette or to my life, who taught me to eat food with love and in a humanely manner. Or was that in a machine form, I still don’t know! Anyways!
• I wear ironed clothes, I press the clothes required for tomorrow today itself, just in case I find there wasn’t current when I get up in the morning to rush for office. I carry my small iron machine when I travel, as the ironed clothes lose the crease when taken in suitcase.
• I polish my shoes every day and I keep things in bag, in the partition allotted for things where it has to be. At times when in hurry, it does become messier, but I ensure it’s put back in the right manner the same day.
• My formal coat hangs on a hanger, wrapped inside the coat cover.
• Recently as I stood in cafeteria payment counter, my friend laughed “Do you press the cash before keeping them in your wallet?” and I was taken aback to that men’s black wallet which I was using , and struggled to make the payment.
After being completely changed from the way I was to the way I am, I now feel, I forgotten how to live my life!
