How I wish to die

What a subject to write on! Any sane person reading this might feel that I have gone nuts! But then this is not for the “sane guyz”…J

Death – As a society, we seldom discuss death; it is something bad, something extremely sad. Any attempt to bring up this topic is always met with a hush hush..typically coming from the grandmother sitting in one corner of the room reading Ramayanam. She would say that we should always discuss/speak only about good topics and death doesn’t fall into the basket by any stretch of imagination.

If that is the case, why am I fascinated by death? Why am I not scared about it the way I should be? Why do I want my death to be scripted in a particular way?..Let me try and these questions. A few years back when the great Sir Don Bradman passed away, I was a bit down, the general mood you get into when you hear such news. A couple of days later I managed to watch his funeral service on television and what I saw really stuck on in my mind. Everyone walking up and talking about the great Sir Don’s life and the impact he has had on people. In a way the occasion was used to “celebrate the life he led”. Something hit me then – and I said that’s how I need to take/treat this topic. Death does mean a sudden end to life- but it also is a way to celebrate someone’s life, draw lessons and learn from him. Suddenly the “scare” part of it vanished…..zoooop…all gone

A couple of years back there was an article in the Times of India which talked about an elderly lady (don’t quite remember if she was in her 70s or 80s) who had this dream – to run the Mumbai Marathon. Might sound crazy…But it was her dream; something she felt she could achieve. And so she put in the effort, worked hard for it and ran... And after completing the entire run, she passed away smoothly…to God…her last dream fulfilled….Awsome isn’t it…She scripted her end to perfection…doing what she always wanted to do and in the process embracing death………

.I too wish to die the same way….Running the Mumbai..starting from Victoria Terminus, crossing Churchgate, Mumbai University, Air India Building, along the Queens Necklace and then suddenly break away from the crowd and take my own path..running towards Matunga, taking a lap around the Don Bosco playground, a lap around VJTI and finally along the magnificently serene road that runs parallel to it leading to 5G and …….zing…………the end !!!!!! I want to script the end…………….I want it to be unconventional!

I Voted
I woke up fresh, nice and early on this Tuesday morning. It was a holiday – I can’t even call it a mid-week break because the week had just begun the previous day after a good weekend. am kicked about the day. It is election day! I leave home at 7.45 am and walk to the polling booth. There are just enough people to ensure that the administrative process is going on smoothly but hardly enough to call it ‘crowd’. I walk up to the counter at the gate and the person there politely shows me the way to the room where I am supposed to cast my vote. I enter the room and am greeted with the words “Good Morning” by one of the several polling officers/observers seated inside. I am pleasantly surprised but manage to murmur back a “Good Morning” along with a nod of my head. This is the last thing I expected to hear at a polling booth!! I move towards the first officer who checks my I-Card and asks me to sign on a register. I then proceed to the two more officers who carry out their administrative responsibilities in a co-coordinated manner. I then proceed to the EVM and a press a button….beeeeppppppppppp……..and am done.
I walk back in almost an exalted state of mind – the kind of happiness that can’t be described.

Happy because I voted….
Happy because I realize that I am very fortunate that I can vote freely for whom I want to…
Happy because I am not forced to accept someone to represent my constituency but have a chance to choose him/her…..
Happy because I realize that I am able to do this today because of the struggles for long periods against the British……
Happy because I have made voting as my fundamental duty and not just kept it as my fundamental right!
For those who still don’t realize the importance of democracy and keep cribbing that they don’t vote because all political parties are the same….blah….blah…. (arm-chair critics) – should spend a few years in North Korea or Zimbabwe…Maybe then they would realize the importance of the right to vote!

You are in Love

You are in Love;

When you rather not live life without the other person;

When he or she is the first thing that springs to mind in happiness or grief;

When the other person is a constant companion in even in absentia;

When his/her happiness takes precedence over yours;

Such love may or may not last a lifetime;

But whatever the span, it soaks up your entire being !!!