Realize...

After I saw the news of the recent terror attacks on Mumbai all I heard was the sentence "Mumbai spirit lives on. Mumbai will come out this triumphant. The count of the dead has increased from 83 to 89." But what I realized is the indifference that people showed while saying all this. Being a part of Mumbai does not mean one needs know how to read and write marathi but having the virtue of coming together that defines all of us "MUMBAITES".

You do not have the right to say that all what is happening is sad or the death of "innocent" people is very unfair. Unless and until you wished that you were there in place of the one who faced the blast and not thank God that you were not present there, you don't have the right to say that terrorist attacks are brutal. Unless you prayed that somehow if you could go back in time and prevent it from happening, you do not have the right to say that it is very sad.

Unless your world does not stop due to this or come to a standstill, you will not realize how painful it is. And God forbid no one should face this sorrow. But I had to. My world stopped as my parents faced their brutal fate and died in terror attacks. I had to put the pieces of my father's body together before his cremation. It was very difficult. But life moves ahead and so will I, eventually.

I am now living my NORMAL life but I miss the touch of my mother or my fahter's scoldings or my mother's cooking or rahter their voices.

But what I feel sorry about is the fact that people still come to me and blankly say sorry when they see me. Do not say sorry or shoe sympathy because it is the right thing to do. Show sympathy only if you really feel the pain.

The indifference increases with distance as well as number of occurences of the attacks.

Realize that your feelings make you the strong MUMBAITE that you are today. Do not lose the "humanity" factor that makes you human. Please realize that whatever stand you take today, whatever opinion you voice today is going to have a lasting effect on the society.

The question that I always ponder upon is: How does one instill so much anger in oneself as well as others that he becomes ready to kill another life-form?? Be it an animal or another human being. Are we losing ourselves as human as we move ahead with our lives in such high speed?? Are we still human or robots driven by anger and thirst for revenge?? I think I will never find my answer as no one has the bloody guts to accept the reality!!

- A Friend

The one who matters to me the most!!!

There have been times in my life when i have said very easily I need to get a life outside, be independent and especially considering the comparisons made I have used this phrase casually than ever "I don't ever want to be like my mother".

Denying it will not make it go away or change the fact in anyway that I am exactly like my mother in so many ways that one could say that I am her "XEROX" copy (or "CARBON" copy). Knowing her I know she has made her set of mistakes and I have very different opinions about many things but we have very similar traits. Well figures, she raised me that way!!!

She has been there for all my lows, stood besides me giving courage and strength to fight the world. Now, I know its every mother's job to do that but I really feel privileged that I am one of the lucky few people who had it their way. She has an amazing way of talking people into believing in the right things. We can talk to each other hours together about everything under the sun. She manages to imbibe a new thought in my head every time we have a conversation. Now achieving that is not an easy job. I know, I have tried!!!

She has been my source of inspiration forever. She always says that I am the reason she still wants to be alive. I never really understood what she meant. But whenever I see her in the eyes I instantly know that the same implies for me.

She has taught me to be independent, to stand on my feet and to believe in myself. She supports me in whatever I want. She sees all her dreams in me but has never till date burdened me with expectations. These qualities are very rare to find in parents.

And to say that I want to be away from her being her shadow, I can just imagine how hurt she feels. I just want her to trust me with what she taught me to be and let go off me. Or rather I want myself to be away from her because I know for sure that I am dependent on her for everything and I wouldn't be able to survive in her absence. Putting it on her is just the easy way out!!!

It is very easy to ignore the role of a mother in ones upbringing but the fact remains that without her my world would come to a standstill. Just letting her know what she means to me is something I keep forgetting to do always. I don't want to go ahead in my life regretting that once, at least once I should not have let the opportunity slip by to say:

I LOVE YOU MOM AND THAT I WOULD BE SATISFIED IN LIFE KNOWING I WAS CLOSE TO BEING WHAT YOU ARE!!!