LIFE AS IT COMES ALONG.

These are the best of times. These, may well be, the worst of times. The prevalent mood of communal flavour blowing across the country, can leave anyone, sane otherwise, consider twice before arriving at a final decision. But how do we combat the sense of inner turmoil that we experience every morning upon unfolding the newspapers? Corruptions, sexual violence, assaults against minors, personal vendetta that masquerade in the name of politics are our food for the day. We get reminded again and again, of the famous line from the then reigning queen of France, Marie Antoinette, which had triggered off the French Revolution. “If you can’t have bread, why don’t you have cakes, instead?”

I often get puzzled by the way things are shaping in our country. Our country, which had stood for democracy and secularism, is slowly disrobing from its age-old mantle. Intolerance and personal gain are the mantras by which the fulcrum of our daily lives revolves. We, who are as much the victims as the unintentional perpetrators, bear mute witness as our lives get from bad to worse.

I have taken recourse to blogging to express my inner doldrums as well as to provide a voice for my soul. My mother is my pillar of support. She has been my supporter in whatever actions that I have undertaken in my life. Whenever I have been down, both physically and emotionally, she has provided me with the strength to overcome myself. There have been times when I’ve felt that I just cannot go on any more. That failure is knocking at my door. But Ma had always been my source of inner strength which had empowered me to overcome all obstacles.

To find purpose in one’s life, I feel, one just has to look inside oneself. Some amount of soul searching is mandatory even for the rich businessmen like the Ambanis and the Jindals, for instance. But for me, books, and only books, have been the only source of sustenance. They are selfless friends, who know only to give and not to take. You can confess everything to your favourite book and watch how it retains your secret for life!

Friends have also been sources of strength, mental and psychological. I belong to that coterie of people who have few friends. They are not large in number, but I know that they’ll be by my side in times of crises. Yes, I can very well say that friends and books are the sources from where I derive my strength to face the world. In return, I have avowed true allegiance to these two entities. I have redefined my life after my father passed away. I have found succour and sustenance in books. They are the givers, never the takers.

I write stories which are published at frequent intervals in newspapers. I also compose feature articles for these dailies. In a few months from now, my first book of literary fiction – a collection of short stories – is slated for release from a traditional publishing house. All these and more, are the causes for my breathing and enjoying life as it comes along.