Back To Reality Again

Jerry Sebastian

I have been very fortunate in life. I have been provided with the best of comforts, adequate amount of freedom and privacy, understanding parents, good circle of friends- The Complete Package; something that anybody would love to keep for life. But these blessings have been taken for granted at times, drifting me away from the real world, until that Someone up there brings me right back down and tells me to live by faith and not by sight. His approach maybe subtle, at times intense, but either way, He is effective in getting the message across. This brings me to one such day, when I drifted once again and God was kind enough to drop me down to reality, gently.

It was just another morning, when I would sit down in front of the computer, after giving it a 5 day break, with the hope that my mail account will be flooded with messages, alerts about FaceBook ‘postings’, ‘pokes’, ‘picture comments’, ‘friend requests’ etc. Believing that I was truly missed, thought about and popular in this virtual space. Yes, life had become so vain, spending hours checking out other people’s profiles and pictures, pointless, but good fun. So as I was going about this routine, a train of thoughts passed by- my preparation for an MBA, the entrance tests coming up, my grandmother admitted at the hospital and the maid servant (Anila) who would shout from downstairs any moment now- “Joerrrrry! Zara neechey aana beta!”. She always has some doubt or query about the most random things. I never understood why she thought, that I was the only person in the house who would have the answers to her impertinent questions. It was annoying, but I never found the heart to refuse. Guess I was just easy prey.
This time I was checking out some pictures my friend had tagged me in, nostalgia had almost swept me over, as I was remembering those fun filled nights, until I heard the dreadful footsteps climbing up the stairs. Chan Chan Chan, the noise of her ankle bracelets arrive even before she appears. She was here! Broom in hand she walked right up and began dusting the area around. Phew! That was a relief. I went back to remembering those college days again- stress free, no parental control, almost magical, just drifting away. I did not realize she was staring at the pictures on the screen all this while, and out came the first round of questions (in Hindi) “Joerrry! All these boys and girls are your friends? They were from your college? So many of them? I think I have seen this girl. Are they all here?” I nodded my head for the first three questions and sideways for the last one. Moving on. “You kids are so lucky! You get so much love from your parents. All the things you need even before you ask for it. Everything is planned for you. But, I’m sure it wasn’t always like this you know?” She manages to get my attention, a little puzzled, but I kept nodding my head. She went on to say, “I am just being hopeful here. Because I believe every family starts poor. We toil with sweat and blood, work days and nights, trying to educate and provide for our kids, with the hope that one day they will grow up, get better jobs and provide in better ways for their kids and so on. Fortune grows with each generation. I can only live with this hope and God will take care of the rest. Acha Beta! You keep working on your computer, I will sweep the other room”. She swings the broom, one last stroke, and sweeps out the last bit of dust from the room. She walks out, cleans the room, cleans the air and clears my mind. Thump! Back to reality again.