Born as human beings, we're entitled to the life-long certificate for being dynamic. The earliest notifications of our zeal to be energetic are manifested in the kicking around of a foetus within the mother's womb, which signifies the well being of the foetus . Lack of movements is worrisome, as it signifies that the little one might not have the energy to thrive. Hence, from the very first stages of life, we try to express our willingness to be active. Each one of us are bundles of energy, eager to assert our influence around,searching for things that add ZEST to our lives. The day this search ends is the day we breathe our last, on the surface of earth.
Finding excitement & deriving happiness from different sources is subjective to each individual . I'm privileged in this regard that I've been involved in a myriad of activities & gained an overwhelming amount of experiences in the quarter of a century that I've been alive. Few of them are forgettable, but most of them are sources for infinite joy! Some of them infuse happiness in me and I get a new zest in life every time I experience them .
It was a night of a power cut in Kolkata some twenty years back when Dad had pointed at the sky to show me a cluster of stars & asked me whether I could imagine them to be a man, wearing a glittering belt in his waist, holding a shield in his hand. As the imaginative child in me drew a mental picture of Orion, he was filled with joy, that such a figure could exist up above. Dad literally sowed the seeds of a lifetime of delight when he told me, " See this one son?! There are numerous other such structures spread all over the sky.... If you make searching for them your hobby, you'll be amazed, as the sky is a treasure trove of wonders!" ......and I found out about Astronomy and sky watching. I would spend night after night on the roof, with a torch in one hand & a star chart in the other, gazing at the stars, deciphering constellations. I would master the handling of telescope from the very beginning. As the years went by, sky watching became my most favourite hobby, as I came to know more about the infinite universe all around us. Hunting for faint objects millions of light years away on chilly winter nights , when people were sleeping away under quilts, was my regular nocturnal activity. My guides at Astronomy camps taught me how every object in this world originated in the sky & made me realise , that in this vast expanse of stars, galaxies, comets, pulsars , quasars & black holes, we're almost nothing. Staring at the Sky and thinking about the infinite, instilled in me humility,and ignited the passion to know more . There hasn't been a single night of clear skies, when I didn't looked up to take a note of the celestial bodies . The SKY became my first love, and searching for the deep secrets she kept fueled my zestful drive in finding out more about them!
It's correctly said , music transcends the barrier of words. The unofficial universal language of the world made its way to my brain through my Dad's singing of lullabies. He scripted my vocal expertise, by encouraging me to sing nursery rhymes from the age of two years and recording them in tape recorder casettes, when I uttered broken syllables. As music was in the family, I took to it like a fish takes to water & enjoyed it immensely.
Everything fell in place & the world seemed to be in harmony, when my vocal chords resonated to create the perfect pitch & strike that perfect note.Performing on stage was exhilarating , as the adrenaline surge on seeing a sea of heads swaying to the tunes & breaking into applause on fine performances gave me tremendous highs! Music became a companion , whom I would fall back on irrespective of my mood. I know not how I break into a hum,subconsciously every time i'm not doing something, and it doesn't matter whether I'm happy or sad . MUSIC certainly added another dimension to my life & enabled me to recharge , when my inner batteries were down.
There are sportsmen , there are superheroes, then there is Ronaldo. Brazil's 'Il Fenomeno' was a prodigy no doubt , but he still needed to conquer barriers of pain & physical hardships , to ensure he got remembered as one of the very best ever. Twice being injured at a very crucial point on the knee,and being on the verge of losing the ability to walk properly,Ronaldo came back almost from the dead , to win the World Cup for Brazil in 2002, despite having no match practice at all. Recuperating from injury and recovering is one thing.......but walking straight into a war , after a long lay off , to emerge as the best player at the summit clash of all countries is definitely stuff of folklore. When I face personal battles, and the sense of the occasion seem to get the better of me, I envision a crutch wielding Ronaldo training hard, and then powering ahead with the ball to score, and sure enough, there is a renewed zest in me to give it another try. He was the role model, whom i looked up to for inspiration, when i needed it most to zest up my efforts and not give up. Being a hero of my adolescence , RONALDO had moulded my mind when it was naive, and strengthened my resolve fight on with determination, just as he had done to beat them all.
Working at a government hospital in Kolkata gives me the scope to treat a huge number of patients every week. Sometimes, ailments require patients to have a prolonged stay at the hospital, many of whom are barely educated. Despite not being related to me, and inspite of being scolded by me time & again for not following my instructions, I can sense the warmth of the patients , on seeing me, when I go for my rounds every morning . As a patient recovers gradually from some morbid condition, there's this satisfaction drive that starts working in full swing inside me , which culminates at its highest point with the patient's grateful thanking of me at the time of discharge . As he holds my hand to express his gratitude , I see the earnestness in his eyes, and a feeling of wellness spreads rapidly in my system. Yes, there are times , when despite our best efforts, we fail to revive our patients, but this THANKING OF MY PATIENTS ensures that there's a zest to deliver even when the stakes are higher the next time , and I renew my vow to serve them better .
I was mischievous as a school boy, so my Mum had to keep a watch on my activities , whenever she made me sit for my studies . Time and again , she'd come out of the kitchen to peep at the door and check on me , whether I was studying or not. The little devil in me soon singled out the subtle clinking of Mum's bangles on her hands when she moved around , and so , my ears gradually became trained to pick up the faintest of those metallic sounds whenever she moved . This helped me to escape scoldings, whenever I read story books hid in my school exercise copies , or drew doodles on the backpages & rapidly changed pages on hearing her approach !! But this sound also became one of my most favourite sounds , as it signified the special bond that I had with mum. At my tuitions, towards the end of classes , I could always make out when my mother had arrived , by that unique tinkling sound , that made its way to me over & above the presence of several other guardians . Now that I've grown older, I no longer require this auditory clue to dupe mum, but everytime i hear it,it fills me with a sense of fulfilment , that I have the one person with me , always , who's supportive of me, and who's eager to help me out in any situation. I have never mentioned about this unique sound of my mum's bangles to her , that only i can recognise from afar, because i felt it's some divine connection , that I have, with someone close to being a Goddess to me ! This CLINKING OF MY MUM'S BANGLES reassures me , that everything is fine with the house , because Mum's there: fit, active & full of life, and helps in my zest to become a better son to her.
So these are the five things and people that Zest up my life !
Finding excitement & deriving happiness from different sources is subjective to each individual . I'm privileged in this regard that I've been involved in a myriad of activities & gained an overwhelming amount of experiences in the quarter of a century that I've been alive. Few of them are forgettable, but most of them are sources for infinite joy! Some of them infuse happiness in me and I get a new zest in life every time I experience them .
 |
| Taking a closer look at the sky |
 |
| Hunting for hidden treasures |
It's correctly said , music transcends the barrier of words. The unofficial universal language of the world made its way to my brain through my Dad's singing of lullabies. He scripted my vocal expertise, by encouraging me to sing nursery rhymes from the age of two years and recording them in tape recorder casettes, when I uttered broken syllables. As music was in the family, I took to it like a fish takes to water & enjoyed it immensely.
 |
| Singing on stage |
 |
| Ronaldo grimacing after his horrific knee injuries, and being carried off on a stretcher |
 |
| A page from my World Cup Scrapbook |
 |
| There's the champion ,the world-beater, who soared like a Phoenix, from the ashes of consecutive knee surgeries, gracing my scrapbook of 2002 |
Working at a government hospital in Kolkata gives me the scope to treat a huge number of patients every week. Sometimes, ailments require patients to have a prolonged stay at the hospital, many of whom are barely educated. Despite not being related to me, and inspite of being scolded by me time & again for not following my instructions, I can sense the warmth of the patients , on seeing me, when I go for my rounds every morning . As a patient recovers gradually from some morbid condition, there's this satisfaction drive that starts working in full swing inside me , which culminates at its highest point with the patient's grateful thanking of me at the time of discharge . As he holds my hand to express his gratitude , I see the earnestness in his eyes, and a feeling of wellness spreads rapidly in my system. Yes, there are times , when despite our best efforts, we fail to revive our patients, but this THANKING OF MY PATIENTS ensures that there's a zest to deliver even when the stakes are higher the next time , and I renew my vow to serve them better .
I was mischievous as a school boy, so my Mum had to keep a watch on my activities , whenever she made me sit for my studies . Time and again , she'd come out of the kitchen to peep at the door and check on me , whether I was studying or not. The little devil in me soon singled out the subtle clinking of Mum's bangles on her hands when she moved around , and so , my ears gradually became trained to pick up the faintest of those metallic sounds whenever she moved . This helped me to escape scoldings, whenever I read story books hid in my school exercise copies , or drew doodles on the backpages & rapidly changed pages on hearing her approach !! But this sound also became one of my most favourite sounds , as it signified the special bond that I had with mum. At my tuitions, towards the end of classes , I could always make out when my mother had arrived , by that unique tinkling sound , that made its way to me over & above the presence of several other guardians . Now that I've grown older, I no longer require this auditory clue to dupe mum, but everytime i hear it,it fills me with a sense of fulfilment , that I have the one person with me , always , who's supportive of me, and who's eager to help me out in any situation. I have never mentioned about this unique sound of my mum's bangles to her , that only i can recognise from afar, because i felt it's some divine connection , that I have, with someone close to being a Goddess to me ! This CLINKING OF MY MUM'S BANGLES reassures me , that everything is fine with the house , because Mum's there: fit, active & full of life, and helps in my zest to become a better son to her.
So these are the five things and people that Zest up my life !
This Post is a part of the Zest up your life activity in association with Tata Motors Zest for Blogadda.
No comments:
Post a Comment