Indeed, Taare Zameen Par...

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves learning-disabled children, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question: “When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?”

The audience was stilled by the query.

The father continued. “I believe that when a child like Shay, physically and mentally handicapped comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.”

And then he told the following story:

Shay and his father had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, “Do you think they'll let me play?” Shay’s father knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but the father also understood that if his son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.

Shay’s father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, “We’re losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we’ll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.”

Shay struggled over to the team’s bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. His father watched with a small tear in his eye and warmth in his heart. The boys saw the father’s joy at his son being accepted. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay’s team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as his father waved to him from the stands. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again. Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.

At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.

However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay’s life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact. The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay. As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.

The game would now be over. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game.

Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates. Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, “Shay, run to first! run to first!” Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.

Everyone yelled, “Run to second, run to second!” Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base. By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball and the smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team. He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher’s intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman’s head. Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.

All were screaming, “Shay, Shay, Shay, all the way Shay.”

Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, “Run to third! Shay, run to third!”

As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, “Shay, run home! Run home!” Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team.

“That day”, said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, “the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world.”

Shay didn’t make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making his father so happy and coming home and seeing his mother tearfully embrace her little hero of the day!

After watching the children blockbuster movie of the year 2007 ‘Taare Zameen Par’ and coming across little Shay’s life encounter (via mail forward), it only left me engrossed thinking whether ‘Is life really tough or simply beautiful for these special children?’ or 'Is it all in their vision towards complexity?' bcoz in anyways, they just seem enjoying the hidden innocence.

'Just' do it

Ever imagined a space with just positive vibes? If each one of us just keeps a genuine approach, how does it feel to your senses while just reading this? Just imagine. Whoosh! There go our troubles. Wave out! And what makes me talk about just being genuine is that while I try keeping one, I don’t even see a ‘g’ of the word around... sigh! It’s an erratic dilemma.

The reason to our maximum fracas, the least being not having any hitch to reason out, is we ourselves. Okay, agreed that I’m no 3^rd space species trying to surmount the prevailing ill traits but why don’t we humans act just humans and not overact? Try shuffling at times in some character’s shoes to get the feel of how life treats him. I find myself quite blessed whatsoever and so will you. For instance, here’s something to read about how life gives us a spanking out of surprise for the airs we tend to keep while sticking to grounds.

On my way to work one fine morning, I reached the station good 10 minutes early only to hear that infuriating announcement ‘the train to CST is running 10 to 15 minutes late’. Now what’s next? Inspect the littered tracks with unpleasant thrash or laugh at a romeo trying to act smart with a passerby and gets abused or watch out the nuisance caused by the gang of fisherwomen. It's a complete happening around, which otherwise would have been a miss had I got the 9:40am train on time. I see the fast train approaching the platform and the 1^st class ladies crowd aside managing their attires just to have everything in places. I smirk at the scene with a sarcastic ‘oh gawd’ expression as the mob gives a tough time getting in. And the very next moment I’m a victim of foot trample. I yell at this abstracted soul who seemed lost in the throttling crowd. She looked bamboozled to me but her soggy eyes unfolded something else, something blur to my eyes. While I stood regretted at the opposite side of the compartment for yelling at no mistake of her but the rush's, she gave me a gloomy excuse look for that hard hit.

Sometimes our actions can start off a bad day for somebody or worsen the already bad start. I just felt the same. Maybe she was too disturbed about some broken hell on head and I was nothing less. As the train came to a halt, we both got down the same side and began walking the same direction too and to add to my discomfiture, I see her struggling her way across in the bridge with a badly injured foot. I rushed with a genuine help towards her. I sympathized but was turned away with a stern ‘no thank you girl’ reply. On my insistence, she yelled back ‘were you waiting for me to yell back at you like you did and ease the load of your unintended action?’ I remorsefully said, ‘well sorry girl, had I knew your despair in midst of the crowded compartment I wouldn’t have made it worse for sure’ and to this I get to learn a lesson for life- ‘I’m not handicapped. I’m just injured. I will stand back. If I have come all the way without a shoulder amid the inhuman crowd, a little more struggle wouldn’t be tough’.

Okay so that's it. How rudely did she referred me inhuman and my approach on realization meant nothing? So the next time someone happens to collapse on me, I’ll first check out the dude! Oh that’s the humour part. I don’t know from where she hailed but surely that miss spanked me for acting like one of those fisherwomen who fight to place their baskets instead themselves. But how was I supposed to understand what’s going on until told? But also what if I had realized that in a rush no one escapes a push… had I excused her that very moment by being little considerate among her so-called inhuman fraternity, she could have smiled out of the blues.

Ahh! Missed it by ‘just’ :)

did an angel tickle your luck today?

i walk pass by countless people every day; some i know, others i don't, at some i smile back and at others i won't but among this buzzing crowd am i missing on an angel who's down in disguise? surely he lingers around me in every new soul and every new day but the difficulty comes when i miss to recognise the face of luck grumbling for a thousand of reasons while i'm stuck. was he one among the acquaintances or among those mere coincidences or the one at whom i grinned just the last minute or was he the one i glared an unpleasant stare??

sometimes i wonder how expensive are we humans; for a polite word costs? a warm smile costs? a caring thought costs? and the calculations are definitely in a lots; a lots in return i meant for just a one spent.

a little upset with the tuning between me and life once, i walked back loaded with emotions that disturbed my heart. i stopped. i stared. i walked. i glared. i stopped by again in hope to meet the angel but in vain. i convinced my heart the day is done and so i have missed on someone; someone too precious to have missed. but yes, it's just an end to yet another day but the night is still alive. now who was i expecting to hear my fear and why was the hint so unclear? i'm home, home sweet home just to discover no angel around too and that's it, no one near and no one dear.

time slipped by like sand from hand and just then i decide to get busy and ignore the teasing time, like i don't care ahh life why are you so unfair. but aren't you unfair with all so doesn't that make you fair enough... haha gotcha! i gave a sarcastic smile but deep within me the fear got dark and darker that could blackout all my sarcasm and laugh back.

i sat down online to convince my heart what's the night got in stored. if not near maybe some far might just tickle me into smiles and there popped a messenger window saying 'oii chukti' ehehe.. and here comes a relieving giggle out of me instead of an anticipated smile. it was quite unexpected bcoz the last time this window popped up was... err... i don't even recollect. i chatted. i shared. i laughed. i cried. i smiled. i giggled. i laughed my guts out again for a good minutes few, which only for me one out of many humans can do. someone who is in literal meaning as far as seven seas across- friendship measures no distance!

yes, finally before the night died off i met my angel for the day for whom i cried to have missed for a thousand reasons. well sure for such a long wait, he must have been busy elsewhere spreading a smile to someone in despair. but the joy of laughing those guts out with him was a lots more than my anticipation. i just got my deserving 'larger' share for the day and believe me, angels do come at surprise to tickle your luck. all you need is to just spare a kind smile around. you never know, luck might bless you in some way and turn you into someone else's angel for the day! ;)

the beginning... more humour to unfold...

Dear reader (whosoever),
welcome to my blogspot. i appreciate the efforts put in (if at all) to reach all the way here. oh am i sounding sarcastic?! naah, by God i'm that 'seldom' serious right now (if you have read my interests, bingo!) ;)
who's really interested to know what people have to say unless its your special/ dear/ best/ good/ so-so or just friend or for that matter your foe who's doing the talking of the town (either he's talking or he's been talked about).

blog is a secret spiller that lets out all the botherings around you, be it sane or insane, in mere word count (lucky enough, this space seems cosmic) so do the blabbering like no one's interested!

its fun. its serious. its both--who cares, write not to change the society or humanity or system or nation but to ease your conscience and heart and mind or even better take a tip--write for the reader to spare a thought, serious or humourous that leaves a curve on a face.

oh before we proceed further, by the way, did i too just leave one??! :)
seldom that i get serious, yes i'm yet again (so you relieved on some serious talks coming your way) and i'm here to scribble some of the silliest experiences--something you wouldn't have experienced, ideas--something you wouldn't have thought of or something that wouldn't make sense to you like it did to me or vice-verse and for all of this, i'll make you spend a smile every time you browse in. now that's the price you pay for giving me your precious time and ofcourse, taking mine too yaar;)

isn't that a deal not to miss?! ahhan, i get that so keep encashing!

-Sammy