To err is human

To err is human. I know a big cliché to start a post with. But that’s the truth of life. Making mistakes is such an inseperable part of life. Reasons could be several, ranging from lack of enough information to lack of enough attention. Besides, there are types of mistakes too. They may be professional, they may be personal.
And the feeling when you discover that you have made a mistake is out of this world. You so want to just go back to that little moment and rectify your error. But sorry boss..that’s not possible!
And then there are ten people telling you, “It’s ok to make mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes. In fact that is how you learn,” the minute they discover you have goofed up. And even as they say all that, the only thing on their own minds is “Oh God, I hope I don’t make such a mistake.”
But then come to think of it, making mistakes is not that bad. Mistakes keep you grounded. When you are basking too much in the glory of a past success, they help you keep your feet firmly on the ground. And once you have committed a mistake, within no time you get over the fear. You are not that scared anymore because you have already been there and done that.
And ofcourse, mistakes teach you to be so much more careful and so much more responsible.
I better remember all this the next time I goof up!

Didi to the kiddies

Some years ago, I was associated with an NGO called Akanksha that works for children from the slums. I was almost like a teacher to the children there, albeit with a slight difference. My role was primarily that of a patient listener besides other things. “They don’t have anyone at home who can spare a little time for them to listen to the mundane things they want to share,” a collegue at Akanksha had told me. And that is when my association as a ‘Didi’ started with the brats.
Truly enough, I shared a beautiful relationship with each one of them by simply lending a ear. It could be anything they would want to tell me, right from what happened in school that day to the fact that their father was supposed to take them out that evening for a glass of sugarcane juice.
For me, there was no trouble in donning the role of a listener. All I had to do was remember my own school days of how I would love to share what happened in school with my mother and sister.
I was also amazed by how easily the kids took to me so much so that they would squabble with each other over who would hold my hand or who would sit next to me. The attention and the love I got from them is what I would cherish forever.
It was great when these six and seven-year-olds, especially girls would come up to me and say, “Didi, aap mere ghar aao, mai aapke liye chai banaoongi” (Didi, come to my place. I will make tea for you)
It’s been a long time that I left Akanksha. They must have all grown up now. Perhaps some must have been forced to drop out of school. Wherever they are, I wish they are doing something worthwhile with their lives.

Time to think…

Last nite, I was pondering over something to write about. I am a journalist, I shouldn’t face a dearth of ideas, I thought to myself. I could write about the several interesting people I meet in the course of my work or I could write about the funny experinces that I come across at work or….Oh no! What is wrong with me? I just realise that several of my posts have got something or the other to do with my work and that happens to defeat the whole purpose of the blog.
Anyways, now the realisation has dawned upon me. It’s time to think of life beyond work. Not bad afterall! There’s so much more that I wanted to write on, but never did all these days.

Regular updates

It's so easy to become complacent. Mind you, this complacency can creep in anywhere and everywhere. And that also includes updating blogs. Two months of staying away from my blog was not a good feeling. So, I hereby decide to make sure that I update the blog regularly (trying to make it convenient by using the word 'regularly' instead of 'daily'). And as a friend of mine has mentioned in her blog that it doesn't really matter what you pen down (or key in, to be more precise), what is important is that you do it! It's fine even if it is simply putting down the lyrics of a song you love!

Lessons from the liftman

“Third floor,” I told the liftman. I knew I would have loads of things to do the minute I enter office. “And the week’s just begun,” I sighed to myself.
Even as I was engrossed in my own thoughts, my mind wandered to the liftman who sat non-chalantly on a stool next to me. With the maddening heat and a group of seven people all squeezed in around him, the guy nonetheless sat all by himself, totally unperturbed.
How does he manage it boss, I thought to myself? All day long, he sits in that tiny space and hits buttons, occasionally asking people for their destinations. That’s about it. And then what about this feeling of claustrophobia? Doesn’t he ever have to deal with it?
Even as these thoughts crossed my mind, a jerk brought me back. I was on the third floor. As I entered office and sat on my desk, I felt like hugging every bit of work that lay on my table. I am in a profession that allows me to do what I love the most -- write! I am lucky enough to have a hobby turned into a profession. So what if there are times when the pressure is too much and what if there are a dozen deadlines to be met. On most days, I get a creative satisfaction that I would not want to trade with any amount of money. The liftman had just taught me to love my job all the more!