Unity in blue!

Whether you are a cricket fan or not, it does not matter. Step out into the streets of any city of India today and you will find yourself grinning and cheering, throwing your fists up in the air, gripped by the fever of the religion of every Indian - Cricket. Shops were closed, offices had given their employees half day off, auto-rickshaw drivers had found a corner to park their vehicles (next to electronic appliance shops) - everyone was all ready to watch the semi-finals of the 2011 Cricket World Cup between India and Pakistan.

This match being played in Mohali was to create history. Tensed eyes, bitten fingernails and white knuckles - all a precursor to the celebration that was to follow. At 10:50 p.m. on 30th March, 2011, the fireworks began. Every Indian was out on the street, cheering for their Gods-the men in blue. The atmosphere was electric. Two hours after our beloved team won the match and the cheering on the streets shows no sign of ceasing. Thousands out on the streets, yelling "Jai Hind" and celebrating the man of the match Sachin Tendulkar by hanging garlands and whistling at life size posters of him hung from the electric poles in the city. Friend or stranger - smiles and high-fives being exchanged in abundance. There is no limit to the happiness and pride being experienced by each and every Indian all around the world. Hindu, Sikh, Muslim, Christian - nothing matters! Today we are all one, all Indians, devotees of the Gods in blue.

Nothing unites our country like cricket, proved by the bliss flowing through the air tonight! Religion and patriotism at it's very best. Who can look at our country today and say that we are divided?

The power of blessings.

I didn't think much of it initially, but when my mom told me that the best thing you could earn in life are blessings, it got me thinking that maybe it meant more than I was giving it credit for.
Dead tired, I got into an auto-rickshaw after work, desperate to get home. As I was sitting in the rickshaw, I noticed that somebody had left behind their laptop bag. I promptly pointed it out to the auto-rickshaw driver. He immediately slapped his hand to his forehead and said "Sahib ka hai (It is Sir's)". Assuming he knew where this 'Sahib' lived, I agreed when he asked if we could go and drop it off at his place, which was close-by, before moving towards my destination.
Thinking it to be a very trite event, I could not fathom why the driver kept thanking me for not picking up the bag and taking it home. Following the driver's "Thank you"s were the owner's "I owe you so much!" when we dropped his bag at his place. In response all I could offer was a puzzled smile. I was put out of my confused misery by the driver soon after, when on the way to my place, in between several expressions of gratitude, he managed to tell me that the 'Sahib' was the owner of a large plumbing supply company and that he was returning home after collecting the earnings from all his outlets throughout the city which were in that very bag. An amount of close to 9 lakh rupees. Mouth hanging wide open, I listened. He explained to me how the police would blame him and throw him in jail for having allegedly 'stolen' the bag if I hadn't returned it to him.
As I got off, paid and thanked him for dropping me home, I could see in his eyes the earnestness and honesty with which he expressed his gratitude and gave me his blessings. It got me thinking - a poor man in this world may not have much power to gift or punish but what he does have is the power to bless or curse, and that no one can take away from him - no matter what.

"For you, Madam."

It's funny how the smallest things in life can bring the widest of grins on your face. Being a Sunday, I was just getting back home after a long walk to the supermarket, lugging my groceries, breathing in the poisonous fumes from the vehicles which sped past on the road, when a flower stall across the street caught my eye. Immediately I cheered up, remembering that I had managed to save up a few rupees (which is a big thing considering that it is the 4th last day of the month!) which I could spare to buy a few flowers to brighten up my apartment.

I walked upto the flower stall and selected a few flowers and asked the boy to wrap them up in newspaper for me. Being the hard-core Indian that I am, I managed to bargain with him and bring the price down by 10 rupees. Not much, but a personal victory nonetheless. Content with myself and looking forward to getting home and putting the flowers in bottles around the house, I quickly paid him and left. A couple of seconds later I heard the boy call out to me and I turned back only to see him come up to me and hand me a pretty yellow flower with a smile on his face. Surprised, I counted my flowers and told him that I had all the flowers that I had paid for. He looked at me, smile in place, and said, "for you madam".

The grin that spread across my face still remains. I thanked him, gave him a huge toothy smile and walked back home with a skip in my step, practically! A stranger, a very simple gesture and yet, it was all I needed to brighten up my entire day or maybe even the entire week! Made me realise that even if we made just one small such gesture towards a stranger in a day, maybe we wouldn't be able to change the world but we would be able to make a difference. No matter how many hardships one has to face in life, if we have a reason to smile, the burden does actually become easier to bear and small gestures, like helping a kid cross the road or giving up your seat in the bus to somebody who needs it more, can make a difference, small in respect to the world, but huge in respect to that one person whose burden you helped lighten.