Hi reader,

It is very easy to say, life is unpredictable. Even for me, it was very easy to say or write so far, but now, everything has changed. Not only me but for so many people across the world. It is always said to live your life like it is your last day. Honestly, it takes a lot of tolls to believe in that, not because of its practicality but accepting it in its real sense. This exact moment, this exact breath, it means a lot, more than anything, more than any diamonds, more than any cash, more than any love, more than any happiness, this exact breath… is life. 

For the past two months, I have been trying, really hard to talk about this “Helplessness”. I did not have courage. Believe it or not, my hands use to tremble even at the thought of this topic. When we are at that point in life, when we realize the importance of our breath, but watch the world around us in pain, crying, burning, losing and all we could do is nothing! You reach the point where you have to decide who you want to save first and who you want to care more about. You watch the world around falling, and you just can’t do anything. You become helpless in the wrath of life!

To the people who have also felt the same in the past two months, I don’t want you to go through the next two paragraphs as I don’t want you to go through that pain again. But just for the fact that our next generations, if happens, should know what all could happen and what helplessness actually means.

April’21 and May’21 might be the most sorrowful and grieving times for India in recent times. This was the time, where people struggled to have something which is present in abundance in our nature, air. Yes, people struggled to arrange oxygen for their loved ones. Whether it be the new mutant of COVID, or the lack of preparedness in health infrastructure, or the lack of partnership in government authorities, or the nexus of black marketing, or maybe all of them and many more reasons, but the truth is, the common man suffered. Those who recovered will remember it as the worst nightmare, and those who were not that lucky, sigh! There is no one, no administration who will care for you unless you pay as per their demands, no government who will be thankful for your contribution in tax revenue, no health or insurance company who will help you for paying the premiums on time, there will be no one. One fine day, the spokesperson will come and will say in a very sweet tone to have patience and help each other through self-help groups. All the authorities will abandon you on your fate. And then, there will be three kinds of people. One, who will stand, and work selflessly day and night to help humanity. Regardless of the fact, they may lose their life, they will work tirelessly and will be able to help while failing a few times as well. Second, who will see this as an opportunity, to make profits! Yes, profits on the price of lives like ours. They will do acts like stock holding, overpricing, and black marketing to fill their petty pockets, contrasting worlds right? Then comes the third, people like me. These are the ones, who are not that courageous to go out and help, but every moment just keep thinking of how can they actually contribute. I will not call these people coward, not because I myself belong to this category, but because at times, there can be a situation, where you have to make the choice of whose life is more important. These people are helpless, they want to help but they can not. They could be having small kids whom they have to think of. They could have aging parents at home who can be vulnerable. They could be under the burden of responsibilities, that they can not go out to help, and will just pray! 

Hardly, hardly there will be anyone, who won’t have heard the news of someone’s demise who was close to them. I, myself lost my uncle (maybe the closest uncle if I could say). We all lost someone so close to us, whose place can not be filled by anyone in life. We all know of someone, who lost a parent, (few even both), sibling, uncle, aunt, grandparent. Even now, the heart shrinks thinking of all of it. Painful! I just pray and would request you also to pray, to give all of the families strength and comfort. Pray! 

The most depressing times are the most testing times. They just tell us who is really ours. I was surprised when I reached out to some people whom I have mentioned a lot in my previous blogs here as well. We had few issues lately, but in these times, when I thought to at least check on them if they are fine, they are still holding the grudges so strongly. How can humanity be so ruthless? There are many of those friends too, who are like do not exist. So busy that doesn’t even bother to have a check on others. And then, the other day, another friend called up, in all tears, and requested if I could play one song on the piano. I was blank, I knew something is wrong or bad, hands were trembling thinking of what news that could be, but I tried and played. For 2-3 minutes, it was just the sound of piano, and then silence. For that brief moment, I felt comforted of being able to comfort someone else with the smallest thing I could do. Later, I sent a few covers to some people who were suffering from COVID. If anything I could do to help at least, this was it. 

Friend, this life is really very very short, unpredictable. Do not waste it on the tiny things that don’t go as you wished or planned. Even being able to walk in the outdoors under a blue sky without any restriction of wearing a mask, can be so lucky. Being able to stand without an umbrella outside on a rainy day, can be so lucky. Having a mundane routine, regularly, can be so lucky. Being able to breathe without any support system, is so damn lucky. 

Why today I am talking about all of this with you? I was just scrolling through my Facebook, and saw this video. It just caught me! 

The video had two people, one with the camera, another a stranger walking along the road.
Person with the camera: “Excuse me, would you mind answering me a quick question for a documentary I am doing?”
Stranger: “Sure!”
Person with the camera: “The question is, are you happy?”
Stranger: “Am I happy? (Pauses) Sure, sure I am!”
Person with the camera: “Why?”
Stranger: “Cause I am alive. (Pauses) I’m here today and I am alive. That’s why!”
Person with the camera, (surprised with the answer): “If you had one message to tell to the entire world, what would it be?”
Stranger: “Calm down, and live your life. (Pauses) That’s what it would be. (Pauses) Calm down, and live your life!“

Take Care!
– Navneet