Hope

If there is one movie that never ceases to win my admiration, no matter how many times I see it, it is Shawshank Redemption. Life is a bundle of realities, most of which are, let's face it, not so appealing. But what makes us to cling on to life, irrespective of how nice it has been to us?

It is Hope. 'Hope is a good thing..maybe the best of the things..and good things never die.'

We make plans for the next day, next week and even the next month. All in the hope that we would live see the next day.

When I first came to this country as a student, I got my first pay check for doing dishes in an on-campus restaurant. Dishes would be a mild word. Pots would be more appropriate. All I had at that point of time was hope. Hope that life would turn out the way I had planned, inspite of the initial hardships. And it did turn. I will always value the book I bought with that 90$ paycheck. It is a symbol of my hope and belief and a reminder that with self beleif and channelized hard work you will see light at the end of the tunnel.

Hoping for a good tommorrow,
Arm P

Waiting for a Miracle

A 100 square feet room. And only one such room in the entire house. A remote village with an engineering college nearby. The one in which I studied or rather spent 4 years.

The above described place was the living place of my classmate, a native of the village. He lived there with his 2 brothers and his mother. His dad was a bedsheet salesman who roams around the neighboring states and comes home twice a year.

I have not seen anyone in their family wear gold. It wasn't necessary as thier hearts were made of gold. Everybody liked their family very much. Even Poverty.

As a hosteler, I always craved for home made food and as a result, I used to frequent their home. My taste buds still remember the food, my friend's mom has made for me.

They used to share whatever they had. Sometimes, they have even enacted the food sharing process and have gone to bed with empty stomachs. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to compare it to the poor weaver-feeding-Shahrukh-scene in Swades. I was almost like their 4th son.

My classmate was the middle son. The eldest one managed to do a diploma in computers and went to Chennai.

The youngest one was still at school. My classmate did his engineering in Computer science. I still remember his struggle at the beginning of every semester to pay the fees. An ancestral property did get him some loan and some breathing space.

He did his schooling in a Tamil medium school. He could hardly understand English, in his first year. But he came out of the college with a University Rank. He got a good job and is now sponsoring the tution fee for his younger brother.

His elder brother got a good job too. The entire family moved to Chennai. His dad retired from his thankless job. I felt very happy for him and his family. It was like watching a feel good movie, where hardworking good people overcome all odds.

Everything was falling in place. Atleast I thought so, until I called him after 6 months yesterday.

His Mom had a brain haemorrhage and a blood clot. As a result, she has lost her vision..a permanent loss!

As for my friend, he still has a smile in his face. He managed to hide this from me for 4 months. He has refused all his abroad chances to be with his mom. And above all, he is not complaining!

I was just complaining about not being able to watch 'Everybody Loves Raymond'. There is a lot more to life than what we think we are missing. No, I wont complain anymore. I am and for that matter a lot of us are very fortunate. God has been kind to us. But then why this bias God? and that too why against good people?

I saw my friend's mom as my own mother. And this would be the first Mother's day that she would n't be seeing. Miracles do happen. It should happen. Atleast this time.

With prayers,
Arm P