The Object of Inspiration.... Paying it Forward

As I stood there cheering them, I knew I was part of something momentous, something so bigger than me but yet so humbling. I beamed proudly as the HoD handed them a certificate and a memento to mark the  occasion. I stood there proudly beaming, trying to capture the moment in a photograph, as my friends Maya and Chaitanya Basrur completed their hundred platelets donation as a couple at the Tata Memorial Hospital. It was such a beautiful coincidence that we all got the same slot for the donation, letting me be part of such a momentous occasion.

We all had our own reasons why we started donating platelets. I remember Maya and I discussing this while we ran from Mira Road to Gorai Beach. We had different reasons but a singular objective, that is to do our bit, and in our own small way make a difference to society, in our own way, save a life. It wasn’t like we had inspired each other. Maya and Chaitanya had long since been donating before I started. I started donating platelets in memory of my Godmother, my Tatu, who had passed away because of Lung Cancer.

I admit that I felt a pang of jealousy when I saw  them donating all through lockdown and I wasn’t being called. Unke platelets main kya hain jo mere platelets main nahin hain? Just kidding! But yes we were driven by the need to do some good. Through our posts we tried to shine a light on platelets donation and try to encourage others to become donors too.

In the running community you find people who love to be recognised, who love to have their moment in the sun. They want to be ambassadors and influencers. One day you find them with one brand, the next you find them with another brand. One day with one group the next day with another group. They may be deserving, or they may be not, it’s not for me to say, not for me to judge. It could be they were using the brand as a mean to gain popularity, or the brands and races using their followers as way to push their races, their products. All through this you keep wondering what difference were they making to the running community? How were they helping the community as a whole besides pushing theirs and the brand’s popularity, as done when you see every Tom, Dick and Harry named as influencers for a brand. Or a famous personality fronting a group when you know exactly what’s going on behind it all.

But one thing I’ve realised, majority of the people, runners or not, and even running groups, brands and races, look at what’s in it for them. Very rarely you find people who are selfless, or organisers and brands who put the safety of the runner in the forefront, or work towards making a difference by supporting those in need. And trust me you had a lot of scope to do so as there were so many runners who needed support.

My friends Maya and Chaitanya fall in the rare category of humans who do things selflessly, who gave without thinking what would they get in return. Making a difference and saving a life was a reward in itself. And if they could be the object of inspiration for anyone to become a donor, then that’s the cherry on the cake that they shared with many others, a way to pay it forward.

We may have not directly inspired each other, we always have kept each other motivated, whether in words of encouragement, or the best machine to donate on, we have managed keep each other motivated, and in our own way had helped affect a change.

So as I was asked by Maya to be in a picture with her and Chaitanya it made me proud that I could join them and be part of their journey. And though the number of time I’ve donated  platelets would be dwarfed by the number of times they donated, I know that there’s no race between us, but somewhere we have a feeling of gratitude that we can make a difference, be the object that inspires, to pay it forward.

It’s a Sin

The Vatican said that the Catholic Church would not bless same-sex unions, in a combative statement approved by Pope Francis that threatens to widen the chasm between the church and much of the LGBTQ community.

Explaining their decision in a lengthy note on Monday, the Holy See referred to same-sex unions as a "choice," described them as sinful and said they "cannot be recognized as objectively ordered" to God's plans. "The blessing of homosexual unions cannot be considered licit," the Vatican's top doctrinal office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, wrote in the statement. God "does not and cannot bless sin," the statement added.(source: CNN)

Does this statement come as a surprise? The answer is No! Does the statement leave you sadden and disappointed? Sadly it’s a Yes! Does this shake your Faith? That would be a NO. It would take more than a statement to shake my Faith. I follow Christ and his teaching of love and I feel that the church has somehow lost its way.

It was Christ himself who said he who hasn’t sinned should cast the first stone! So who are we to say what’s sinful and what’s not? Isn’t it the Catholic Church who tried to hide the abuse of innocent children at the hands of pedophlic priest? Isn’t robbing children of their innocence a greater sin? And wouldn’t hiding it make you an accomplice of the sin? So who is the church to say that sam-sex marriage is a sin?

In the past the stance and words of Pope Francis made me proud to be a part of a Faith that was adapting and keeping in step with time, becoming more inclusive and accepting. This statement actually pushed us back several steps, effectively nullifying the progress that had been made.

Agreed that marriage is a sacred union between two people which needs to be honoured, but you need to enter into this union for the right reasons, which sadly isn’t the case right now. Many-a-times couples enter into this union not of their own free will thus effectively diluting the sanctity of marriage. So what good comes from the church granting its blessings to such marriage?

Sadly the statement comes as a setback to those hoping to find a bit of normality in a cruel world, those who try to balance their Faith with their Orientation, who have been marginalised and ostracised for who they choose to be, who they choose to love. Often picked on and bullied, preyed on and forced into submission to hide their true self and live a life of pain and torment. For these souls this statement comes like a dagger to the heart, effectively handing their tormentors more arsenal to torment them with. Where’s the sin in this?

But through this all there’s no backing down. A setback will only affect if you fail to get up and get back on your feet and back on track. Though words may cut deeper than a knife, they can try and break the body but they will  never be able to take away the spirit. There’s no giving up the fight. Though everyone has a right to their point of view but so do others have the right to chose the way and how they want to live their life.

So there’s no backing down, there’s no losing faith. Cause irrespective what people have to say, if in your heart you know you are staying true to yourself and harming no one, then no words can bring you down. Always remember, when you point a finger unto others, three fingers are pointing back at you.

Two Halves

They met online

When the world had a pandemic 

Which it’s still going through

And the country in  lockdown

Two lonely souls all by themselves 

With no one to talk to 

No one’s company but their own

Happened to meet online

Connected to each other in an instant

They chatted for hours on end

Sometimes over messenger

And then over Facebook and Insta

In witty comments

Left on some embarrassing photos

That had found its way in the cloud out there

For all to see

They exchanged numbers 

And called each other

Using the virtual space to clear space

And be connected a bit closer

In no time they muttered 

Those three words 

That shouldn’t be muttered so soon

So they waited eagerly 

For the lockdown to end

To meet for the first time

And meet each other in person, in the flesh

So at first chance they took a flight

To meet each other for the very first time

And needless to say 

Their meeting was full of passion

Like water released from a dam

That has been struggling keep it all in

Their passion flowed, wild and free

And consumed them

But then came a time

When the raging rapids began to settle down

And the passion of fire had begun to simmer

They began to see each other differently

One felt the other was not too sophisticated 

Too wild and untamed

Not upto the standard 

Lacking of basic etiquette 

While the other felt them too uptight

Lacking a joy and zeal for life

To much by the rules

They found one way or the other

To point out these differences to each other

Till finally came to point

Where they felt 

They weren’t meant to be part

Of each other’s world 

And so when their own separate ways

Little they try to realise

That they two different pieces 

Of a beautiful picture

Who were destined to come together 

To complete it and make it whole

And no two pieces can be the same

They just needed to learn to adapt 

So they could be the perfect fit for the other

So now let’s look at this story this way

They had differences, they had problem

But they talked and sorted it out together

Their courtship wasn’t always a rose garden

Cause a rose garden is bound to have thorns

They were moments they wanted out

Or they refused to speak to each other 

On days on end

But when they calmed down

The love felt for each other reeled them in

It may not have been a raging rapid

Of a burning fire

Which they started off with

But it was a more mature love

That was able to overcome obstacles together

That could make things work

Hence they just spoke what they felt

And made their thoughts clear

Rather than letting remain within and fester

And lead to misunderstanding 

Is they solved their issues together

An open space to say what was in within

To make things work

Two souls came together

To love and live in the moment

If not forever.

Water off the Duck’s Back

Water off the Duck’s back

That’s the new Mantra I’ve learned

The new Mantra I follow

Whenever someone asks me 

If I have stopped running

Or stopped gymming 

Cause I have put on a lot of weight

I just close my eyes and say to myself

Water off the Duck’s back

I know its easy for you to say

I know you are telling the truth

(Cause sadly I’ve used it too)

But I’m not quite sure 

If there’s no malice in your words

So I’ll take it with a pinch of salt

And not let it bring me down

Cause I am sure you don’t know

What’s the reason for it

So I’ll just say to myself

Water off the Duck’s back

And just work it through

And by the way I would need to say

Thank you Jinxx Monsoon for this mantra

So once let’s say it out loud

Water off the Duck’s back!!!!

She went Marching on

She went marching on

Inspite of her fears

Inspite of what people had to say

She went marching on 

And got her first vaccination shot

Someone told her 

That the needles were big and thick

Like one they used on animals

And tried to scare her

I clearly don’t see any sense that

Cause I must say

When I took my baby to the vet

And my baby I mean my dog

Who in their right mind 

take a baby to the vet

I am of sound mind and body

But I am sorry Ito have greatly digressed

From the point I was making yet

Inspite of all the foolish things she had heard

She went marching on

She sat patiently on the Activa

As I rode around in circles

To find exactly where exactly 

you needed to enter

But she marched on

Sat patiently first on the Activa

Later in line for the token 

And  then to register

Looking straight ahead and focused 

While others wanted their pictures to be clicked

She went marching on totally focused

She waited patiently for her turn

Showing no signs of nervousness 

Or maybe it was the mask

That hid her fears from the eyes

She sat patiently as I teased and fussed on her

Waiting patiently for her turn

And when they called her number 

She went marching on and got her vaccination shot

COVID had ravaged many homes and families

And she didn’t want it to affect her own

So she took the short 

So that she could fight on 

And set an example for her family and friends

Put all the rumours of the serum to rest

Giving one more reason 

To be proud of my mother

For showing strength and character

When she went marching on to get her vaccination!

A Buried Life

Why do we continue to look for the living among the dead

What lies buried here is just the mortal remains

While the soul has moved on forever

But we still put headstone and grave  stones

To mark where the remains lay

We marble edifices and crosses

Statues of winged angels

Who see more tears

Than anyone would in a lifetime

We return to these monuments 

When we feel the need

To get away from the world 

To find a peace of mind

To find a ear with voice in return

So to pour out our hearts

And sometimes we return 

On the shoulders of our pallbearers 

To laid to rest never to wake again

But why we shed tears for the dead

Mourn their passing

Hoping they find a way back to us somehow

Why do we weep for the dead

When it’s the living for whom we should be crying for

For the dead have passed and gone

Moved to better world 

A better place

But the living are there ones left behind

To pick the pieces of a broken mind

Why do we decorate these gravestones and tombstones

But turn eyes away from the pain of the living

At the end we are our dust

And unto to dust we shall return

But for now we shall continue living

Till it’s our time to be buried 

And turn to dust.

Burying the Hachet

The person who invented the phrase

“Bury the hatchet “

Surely must have been someone 

Who didn’t have the legal team and expertise 

Of a certain Annalise Keating

To get away with murder

But what’s buried can’t be buried forever

But why bury the damn hatchet 

When you use it to knock some sense

In to the moron who started it all

That would be a better use of the hatchet

But just be careful 

That it doesn’t find a way 

To be hidden in your back

What ever  you plan to do

Ensure that hatchet remains buried

For the world and mind 

Would be a peaceful place 

If that stupid hatchet remains buried!!!!

Change is Forever

Isn’t it strange that 

In a world that’s constantly changing

Change is the only constant

Refusing to change 

Is like staring outside a taxi window

Looking at the world that’s passing you by

You can hold on to your past

To remain put it in the present 

And refuse to move on to the future

At some point in time 

You would need to let go

Set out of the nest you build for yourself

Out of your comfort zone

And into the unknown

Into the great wide upon

Under the sky so blue

Not knowing what lies ahead of you

But willing to risk it all

Willing yourself to grow

How well would you know

Of what you are capable of 

If you refuse to take that first step

If you refuse to grow

The world around you is changing

And so should you 

Or you would find 

That everyone has moved on

Leaving you behind and all alone

To begin a new chapter

You need to end the on you are on

To set out in adventures

To places unknown

Every good bye are nothing but endings

To old beginnings 

Giving you the chance for new beginnings

To explore the world

To see it the way it should be 

To change and adapt and accommodate it

To be the change you want to see in the world

So the people may come and go

But those who matter 

leave their imprint on you

Becoming enablers to your change

So in the end  time May fly by

People will come and go

Tears and experiences will affect you

But change is forever!!!