During the course of conversation over lunch, a friend mentioned an interesting remark that Rajan Parrikar makes in one of his articles on Hindustani music, one that was truly reflective of today's life - there was a time when people used to boast about the amount of free time they had; today it is all about how busy one is.
Later, I thought more about this and realized how true it was. An oft-heard question Monday mornings at work is "what did you do over the weekend?". Numerous answers are given of course, from "I had guests/friends over" to "I was busy, doing this or that". Not once do you hear someone say, "Oh nothing, I just relaxed." What ever happened to those days when one would slump into one's favourite chair and unwind listening to music or reading a book, or just spending time with the family? Today, even within a family one doesn't seem to have time for one another any more. It so reminded me of what Harivansh Rai Bachchan had to say:
जीवन की आपाधापी में कब वक़्त मिला
कुछ देर कहीं पर बैठ कभी यह सोच सकूँ
जो किया, कहा, माना उसमें क्या बुरा भला।
(In the hustle-bustle of everyday life, where does one find the time - to sit down, reflect and think about what one has done, said, believed. Was that good or bad?).
Yesterday, a similar thought crossed my mind when I listened to this song on Radio Farishta. The lyrics of the second stanza go like this:
इन उम्र से लम्बी सडको को मंजिल पे पहुंचते देखा नहीं
बस दऔढती फिरती रहती है हमने तो ठहरते देखा नहीं
(I have never seen these roads which seem longer than one's life get to their destination. They are always running, I have never seen them stop anywhere).
Haven't human beings become like this as well? We are running all the time - towards or from what, one isn't sure any more. The more we have the more we want, and hence the greater the distance one has to travel. In the process, so much gets left behind and so much more is lost. And sadly, we don't even seem to be aware of it any more.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
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6 comments:
you are right ..everyone seems to be so busy running towards so called goal.. .we miss out most of the things on the way !!!
and when one realises , it s too late ..as he/she can not go back ...
[reborn] Thanks for stopping by....
oe doubt emma... What does ur blog name mean ..?
emma, that was VERY well said. it's sad that right from the time we're YE small, our parents (with only the best intentions, of course) enroll us in a MULTITUDE of after-school classes. i was shocked to hear of my 3 year-old neighbour twins who've been enrolled in "abacus math" because it helps sharpen their math skills! i fondly think back on MY childhood where i'd spend lazy summer afternoons reading enid blyton and spending the rest of the day building my own imaginary world in my head with goblins and angels. kids these days grow up too fast. and then we spend the rest of our lives trying to regain our lost youth. sad eh?
I AGREE with you Emma.
[reborn] It means - The Storm inside my head (it is German). Well, that is what all this, isn't it? :)
[sangsta]I thoroughly agree with you. I don't have kids of my own but I have seen my nephews. They are forever into something; And the peer pressure seems to be so much there is finally no time left for them to enjoy childhood. One of my persistent memories of growing up was playing continuously while mom kept screaming at us to come back home and not play in the sun. However, in those days growing up was never a competition and a checklist of things to do. And then as you said, figuring out the rest of our lives what we have lost.
[mridula] Thanks.. How have you been?
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