Keeping a bucket list

I was watching the mighty Indians bash up a poor West Indies. WI players had come to international stage not because of their merit but simply due to the fact that senior players refused to play. The game was getting boring and I was flipping through channels when I saw the flash in a hindi news channel. Although I had some difficulty I managed to get what it meant. Another boat accident in Thekkady, Kerala. ‘OMG, not again’ was my first reaction.
As usual government machineries went into damage control mode. Ministers were sent. Look out started for people on whom blame has to be put.

Kerala is a land blessed with lots of accidents. As usual the people look for government to do something about it.
Thanks to the limitless NRI money we have got lots of rich families who can afford two cars and a bike per four people. But mallus are really reluctant to give away their land for road developments. So if a road widening happens in their place, they get stay orders from court. And then they blame the officials and government for lack of negligence in road development. We have become too much of a socialists for our own good.
Boat accidents have become a routine every year. Each time it happens our media people rush to the scene and all the gory scenes are captured. All the sensitive and senseless questions are asked. In short they conquer the air space. We guys, who has got nothing to do with it sit in our living rooms, shedding our valuable tears. Government order funny things such as judiciary probes when every one knows what the reasons are. Then everybody forgets it till the next season comes around for another accident and the cycle continues.

May be for a change why don’t we think about those people in the boat as humans rather than victims.
A few would have been elderly people who spent their lifetime for their kids. After marrying them of time would have come for them to spend some of the money they earned on themselves. May be their kids would have seen them off in railway station or airport, thinking ’Wow, now we got them off from our hands for a few days at least. But who will look after the kids when we are at office and who will get the breakfast and dinner ready in time’
I travel rarely to northern part of India. Once during a travel to Pune, my train stopped at Kochi. A lady with heavy make up got in. She was decent looking. During train journeys my first prayer to God is to get a good looking co-passenger. I haven’t been lucky till date. I thought ‘May be this is going to be my day’. But she had come to see off her in-laws. One thing that surprises me about north is there are lots of customs that shows respect outwardly. We southies don’t have that. After customary farewell the old couple sat near me. I was surprised by this gentleman. He has come in to the train with neatest, well pressed shirt and highly polished shoes. After getting in he placed his shoes and socks in a box and wore his chappals. I don’t get why people wear executive style of dressing when you get into a train. You will any way have to change that when you get into toilets. I wear one of my worst T-shirt and jeans. And usually I change from jeans into more comfortable but less clean cotton pants (tor pajamas).

As soon as they settled down, after changing into chappals, we traded our ‘hi’s, names, travel purpose etc. That was a time when many cases of train robberies were reported. So we were a bit cautious at the beginning. Soon we warmed up after realizing our mates were no potential dacoits. I had trouble in making out his broken English. He tried his best to cooperate speaking slowly. I succeeded in sewing out their story from the bits I understood.

The couple was from Himachal. He was a retired government official. His son got into Navy. The son got married recently and is posted at Kochi. They were planning for a trip when his son met with some freak accident. So they had to advance the travel. As a result the entire train reservations fell into mess. Through out the journey they were worried about how they will manage to get connection train from Mumbai.
Soon the old lady took out from her box the sewing needle and woolen roll and started knitting a sweater. It was a beautiful scene which I had seen only in televisions. She was a picture of calm and poise, knitting silently. She only looked up when it was time to server meal or to watch a small kid nearby. I watched with amazement as designs formed.

So today you will see many old couples shuttling between their children’s homes. May be they are trying to make sure that their children are doing good.

In the face of death, what will be the scenes that pass in front of you. It could be the loved ones. But the most depressing ones would be the tasks you have failed to fulfill. Things you could have been or things you could have done.
It is not about spending money on something that gives you high for a moment. It is not about the parties you attend or the bars you go to or clothes you buy. It’s about the dreams you nurture, however silly it may sound, that makes you proud of yourself at the end of day.

Life is too fast. It may get over faster than you may figure. It is a good idea to maintain a bucket list. ‘Bucket list’ is the name of a movie starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. They are successful people almost entering the last period of their lives. They are respected by people around. But they have this big void in their lives. They put down a list of things they wish to fulfill before they say their last good-byes. But their wishes are wild and the family members oppose them. But Jack being the pusher pushes himself and Freeman to finish their dreams. But time never waits. They are not able to finish off all their wish list.
So tomorrow is not the time to chase our dreams,. Dreams are meant to be chased today.
I have heard someone say, ‘Life is like coins thrown into the bowl of a hungry beggar’. For him the coins are precious than gold. We have come into this bad, mad, sad world with a mission. It may be to give smiles into the faces of a few. When the curtain falls at the end of our scene, we must be happy to say ‘It is finished’

As a personal note, I am on the lookout for a mission and purpose of my life .