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Wishful Thinking

By Kalamwali in Experiences
Updated 12:54 IST Jul 02, 2016

Views » 622 | 3 min read

WISHFUL THINKING

Once upon a time, not very long ago, existed a place called ‘our World’. That place belonged to everyone who lived in there. Everything available was pretty much shared by everyone. Not equally, but shared. Then something struck our world. It started falling apart into pieces. Suddenly one ‘world’ encompassed many worlds within. Can you visualize a million small particles of some metal lying around on a huge surface? They are all scattered. All have enough space. Some lie clustered in a group some lie independently. Suddenly you throw a few pieces of magnet on the same surface. What happens? The particles suddenly rush and stick to the nearest piece of magnet, thus dividing themselves between the magnets. The surface is the same, the particles are the same but all of a sudden there are groups and each group steering clear of each other’s space.

Today when I see our world, I cannot see metal particles lying freely on the surface. I see each particle stuck to a magnet and trying hard to gel with its fellow particles and differentiate itself from the particle sticking to another magnet. Many worlds in one world. For all those from my generation, growing up meant growing up together with friends, cousins, peers. Making friends with someone solely depended on whether he/she shared similar hobbies, crushes, interests etc. Schools were not chosen on the basis of the crowd that studied in it. Politics was only a word used in Newspapers, not a game played in classrooms or on play grounds.

Excitement behind visiting friends’ homes would mean, hogging the meals cooked in their homes, not evaluating their lifestyle. Yes, there was always a special rack for things from ‘abroad’ but those were never the center of our world. Birthday parties meant cake, wafers and at the most a Samosa or a sandwich. Birthday treats meant, a budget snack at an Udipi restaurant or a roadside café. Outings with friends happened strictly on a Dutch basis. Falling in love meant one red rose and Valentine’s day called for a card with the rose.

However big one’s family name, house or family business was, everyone belonged to the same world, lived the same life and shared the same space, whether it was schools, colleges, restaurants, classes, play grounds or shopping malls. Lifestyle was never the reason to distinguish from one to another.

Today when we look around we see many different worlds. Each magnet as one individual world. Each particle either struggling to hold on to its own magnet or desperately trying to graduate and fit on to the more powerful magnet. So much so that interaction amongst particles of two different magnets is either a formality or a favor.

I am sure I too might be labelled to belong to some magnet. But deep down inside I don’t wish to belong to any particular one. I wish to go back to being the child of that one world we all always belonged. Where each particle is someone and not someone’s someone.

I don’t know if the magnet pieces will ever be lifted from our surface. But I hope each particle finds enough strength to release the hold of their magnet and mingle around the entire surface available.

Wishful thinking at its best!

- Kalamwali 

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Guneet Sharma 03-Jul-2016 23:35

superb.

Kalamwali 04-Jul-2016 08:09

Thank you :)

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