Feel Blessed

Every day we crib about not getting what we want. About our mood swings, love life, friends & heartbreaks.  Its so easy for us to keep complaining & cribbing for the wordly things. Ever imagined how life is for those sleeping on the streets, earning their daily bread with the daily wages that they get by doing such extremely difficult life threatening jobs which just sends a shiver within us.

We have been blessed to have been born & brought up in families where we have got everything we wished for. Our parents have worked hard to make sure we get everything  we deserve & taught us the importance of education & being self-independent.

Whenever I see those children on the streets begging or working for their daily bread my heart aches. I just close my eyes & thank God for having given me all that I have.

Here are a few pictures I clicked walking down the street the other day. A child sitting on the street & a woman making Diya’s for Diwali…

Mumbai - driven by panic!

Just a few days back I had written a blog post mentioning how proud I am of being an Indian.  I still stand by my words & I am still proud of being an Indian but there are certain things I don’t agree with or rather say don’t believe in.

A few years back when the terrorists attacked Mumbai on 26-11-2008. The city went quiet & there was panic everywhere. Everyone was praying for those trapped at various places due to the terrorists attacks & for their own lives. The city was so full of panic that even if a door bell rang people were scared to check who it was & predicted it to be a terrorist.

All the people came together to support each other, help each other & made sure everyone reached home safe, but in spite of having caught the terrorist its been years & all we do is wait for justice. Where is it ?

I salute the spirit of Mumbai’s citizen’s! When there were floods a few years back and this year as well everyone helped each other.  I remember when the 26^th July floods happened back in that year, It took me good 45 minutes to reach home from college, when my college was not even at 5 mins distance. On the way back home, I and a girl (stranger) held each other’s hand and walked towards our home (she stayed nearby) as the water on the roads were almost upto our chest & we didn't want to end up in a pothole.  I can never forget that day.

I just happened to remember all of this today as the atmosphere out in Mumbai was filled with panic.  As soon as the news of Bal Thackeray's demise came up, everyone started running here & there as if someone had exploded a bomb. I didn’t really think it would fill the city with so much of tension and panic because he died a natural death. 

I was out with a friend at CCD & we decided we’ll grab something to eat & chit chat for a while then leave. When we went to place an order, the guy at the counter says, “Sorry we can’t take your order we’re closing”, I didn’t blame him as I was already expecting this to happen after the news of the demise of Bal Thackeray.

We finally ended up going to Burgs & grabbed a coke & some fries but we couldn’t stick around there for long as we could literally see people running on the road. The streets were going empty in a matter of seconds, people running to find a transport option to get to their home as soon as possible. My friends flooding my phone with texts and whatsapp msgs as they saw my check-in & were concerned about me as well. 

The worst part was people in jeeps & on bikes roaming around with lathis abusing & threatening people to shut their shops & restaurants off. This is something I witnessed for the first time.  The kind of atmosphere created by these people gave a sense of tension & created panic within people. 

I don’t understand why did everything come to a halt, why were people running here & there. Why were the shops forced to close down? Why were people filled with panic & fear instilled within each and everyone ? Can we ever answer these questions rightly?  Will we ever have an answer to this question WHY?

This experience for sure wasn’t a pleasant one. I just hope & pray such a thing doesn’t happen again. Hope everyone out there is safe :)

A Proud Indian

I vividly remember a couple of years back a Pakistani friend of mine asked me, “Oh you are a muslim, how do they treat you in India?”, I very happily boasted about how we in India treat each other with respect & dignity, How we don’t ever discriminate on basis of color, caste or religion.

Few years down the line, A similar thing happened, this time I got pissed how every person I come across  from Pakistan kept asking the same question when they came to know I’m a muslim & from India. 

Moreover, Some of them take cricket to such an extreme personal level where they say “You support Indian Team – That means you support Kaafir’s (non-muslims)”. 

I don’t understand the logic here, I mean why are people back in Pakistan so narrow minded & drag religion into each and everything?

This is the very reason I have been and always will be proud of being who I am, i.e. an Indian.  I feel immense pride in saying  “I’m  an Indian” if someone asks me this abroad.

Its amazing how people of this country have been together  In good times  as well as bad times. How during the crisis everyone lends their helping hand , come to rescue of those in trouble & during festivals get together &  celebrate it as one BIG Happy Family.

It is in India that everyone treats each other equally irrespective of the color, caste or religion.  Our Pledge itself says “All Indians are my brothers & sisters”, it doesn’t discriminate anyone .Our families & Schools have always followed this principle, they have taught us to treat everyone equally  & to never discriminate amongst ourselves.

 Right through our childhood we have been taught to share & care for each other. Treat each other equally & as a friend. We have been slapped by our parents if we ever uttered words like “Hindu, Muslim or Christian”.

It is only in India that a Hindu wishes everyone Eid-Mubarak & a Muslim wishes everyone a Happy Diwali. During Christmas everyone wishes everyone & children irrespective of their religion wait for the Santa Claus to come  fulfil their wishes & sing Christmas carols. It is only in India that a non muslim reminds a muslim friend to go & pray namaz. It is only in India that a Hindu says Assalamualaikum, Alhamdulilah & IN SH  ALLAH more times than the times a Muslim does. 

Today at the occasion of Diwali, I’m writing this post as I am overwhelmed with the atmosphere around me where all of us have got together  lighting crackers – hogging on the mithai’s & celebrating Diwali with the same zest as we celebrate Eid & other festivals with our friends. 

 I feel blessed to have been brought up in a country where each and every citizen is treated equally. Where we as an individual never discriminate amongst ourselves on the basis of religion,caste or color.  I am proud that I am an Indian and I love India!

PS. To all my Pakistani friends, this post holds just my personal views & opinions – I have no personal grudges against anyone from or in Pakistan