This is life...

             Every year as autumn approaches, the leaves slowly start turning color. Come autumn and the leaves present a vivid and bright picture with fiery red, dull yellow, golden and brown hues. When it’s nearly winter the leaves fall down and cover the ground beneath forming a beautiful carpet.

            But as spring comes, these leaves are swept away and the trees show cute little leaves taking the old ones’ place. These leaves are green and fresh and new. Then again the cycle repeats over and over again.

            Every time, at every stage, in every season, these leaves form a pretty picture for our eyes. Sometimes we stop to appreciate their beauty but at other times we are just too busy to care. We are so caught up in our everyday lives that we do not notice this event. We never stop to stare and ponder over its significance.

            When I see these leaves and think about them, I am hit with two very significant truths of life. One of them is something I already said. Our hectic and fast paced lives don’t give us any time to notice the beauty of things, whether they be as small as a crystal clear dew drop on a leaf or the majesty of the waves crashing against the shore. Beauty is the rainbow that spans the sky after a shower. Beauty is the picture that every rising and setting sun presents. Beauty is the gentle breathing of a sleeping baby. Beauty, if we look around, is everywhere. All we need is to take out time and admire it. As they say “A thing of beauty is a joy forever.” But we are too caught up in the race to be the best, we are afraid to stop and notice because someone will whip past us in the blink of an eye that we miss the beauty of the world that God’s created. We miss those little things in life that, even though are very insignificant, give it great meaning. We forget that it’s the little things in life that give it its real meaning.

            Looking at it again, we realize another truth of life. People come into our lives; some leave quickly, some stay a while and others share our lifelong journey. But every one of them touches our lives and we’re never ever the same. People always come into our lives for a reason. It’s not necessary that we understand the significance of their presence in our lives immediately but sooner or later we do. Every person in our life teaches us something; through words, actions or our experiences with them.

            People are just like leaves. They come into our lives, stay a while, change it and gradually fade away. Always new people take their place in our lives. And the cycle repeats itself over and over again. People come and go, times change and along with all this, so do us. Just like old leaves are swept away sometimes old friends are too. Sometimes we look back at them, at other times we don’t. That’s just life…

Educated leaders in India - what a joke!

                Want admission in a good college? Your aggregate should be at least 70 percent. Want to appear for civil service exams? You should at least hold a Bachelor’s degree. Want to be someone who runs the nation? Just make sure you’re a citizen of India and above the age of eighteen. Want to try for a higher post? Wait till you cross thirty. Now if that’s not a joke, then I wonder what is!

               We have people who don’t even know how to read and write properly governing our nation. Some don’t even know the national anthem properly! And then we wonder why decisions don’t come soon enough or why India, in this 21^st century, is still battling with problems of differences in caste, religion and sex.

               With education comes the ability to rise above these age old beliefs and customs but education is what our political leaders lack. It’s no wonder why even 65 years after our independence we have not risen up to our true potential.

               India is an emerging superpower with plenty of resources, amazing talent and promise. What is holding us back then? It’s just the educational barrier and the lack of better understanding and intellect that comes along with it.

               I ask you. How can the people who haven’t studied beyond the eighth or tenth standard decide how and what the children of the country should be educated? Do they have the qualifications to decide this or the knowledge?

               The solution to India’s problems lies only with the Election Commission of India. Some better reforms and higher qualifications for participating candidates is just a small beginning of a great future that the results will bring. A clean criminal record of participating candidates can be another step.

               When we look at the British and American Parliament, we find the qualifications as holding a Bachelor’s degree or in some cases even a Post Graduate degree. It’s no wonder that India is an emerging superpower that they are superpowers.

               So to the Election Commission I say: It’s time to rise above caste and religion and look at the bigger picture. It’s time to give India the chance to rise up to the challenge and live up to its true potential.

Pictures hold memories...

          Every picture holds memories; memories of friends, family and colleagues. Good memories, bad memories. Some memories are filled with love, some filled with regret, some with hatred. Some memories bring us happiness, some make us sad. Most memories bring tears to our eyes, tears of happiness and love or sorrow.

          Whatever the case may be, memories form a big part of our lives. Our memories define us; they make us who we are. Memories are just incidents that happened to us, moments that we lived, the mistakes we made and learned from. They are something we cannot ignore but sometimes there are a few memories that we unintentionally repress. These are memories of traumatic experiences.

          When I turn the pages of any album, I see a life story, whether it be mine or anyone else’s; memories that make the person’s life. It’s a walk down the memory lane. As you turn the pages over, you see a person evolve from a baby to an adult, the different phases of his or her life displayed across the pages, chronicled with great love and care. That’s also when you realize all the love in the person’s life, his success, his failures and all the milestones along the way.

          Every picture holds a memory, a beautiful story ready to be told. Pictures chronicle our lives. They trap our feelings in our smiles and our tears. Maybe that’s why they say that a picture speaks more than a thousand words.