March 17, 2010

Being Fiercely Independent

Mom and Dad always taught me that being independent is a good thing. The night they left me at the mercy of Seniors’ Interaction sessions in Pilani, I sat back and wondered why it was that my parents had left me while other parents were literally sleeping on the floors in the hostel rooms so that their children remained safe from the sessions.

Surprisingly, I was not upset with them. Instead, I felt happy. Till then while I was taking decisions, somewhere I knew that they were looking after me. And that night started an exciting intoxicating journey towards independence.

Self Sufficiency was something our Father of the Nation proposed for our villages. Somewhere down the line I picked it up as my life’s philosophy. And it has stayed on.

Few days back something interesting happened. A friend called me saying that her mother had asked her to thank me for some random small thing I had done and she had forgotten. I said, “Cool. I never expected anything different from you when I did it.” So it was supposedly mean. But the problem was that it wasn’t mean. It was just how I live my life. It just makes a lot of things simpler for me.

When my decisions are mine alone, there is no one to blame.

I don’t propose that this should be how people should live. However, it’s an interesting proposition to try. We live our lives trying to please others but when even that we make as a choice, our lives become simpler.

Btw as much as I thought MNIK was an average movie and I would have spent better time watching The Blind Side which finally I watched later. (Do watch) I have decided not to desert KKR. But I have decided not to buy their jersey this time around and that seems to be working.


6 comments:

Krishna Sweta said...

Really loved this one.

The Soul of Alec Smart said...

Hey! You're tagged. Check here: http://adarkcomedycalledlife.wordpress.com/2010/03/19/sevens-too-few/

VIBGYOR said...

LOL!!!!! on the parents sleeping on the floor thingie. Mine didnt and i had the EXACT feeling!
And i will take ur word and watch The Blind Side instead of MNIK.

Madhurjya (Banjo) Banerjee said...

@Sweta And Shanta - To those days!!! :)

@ Neha - yes I shall

wp said...

Your first para feeling is the one I had in my KG days, the only thing different is that I wasn't glad about it!

Liked your post. Doing things out of choice devoid of any expectation is difficult! And even if you start it that way, you don't even know when expectations have crept in until you feel bad about someone not fulfilling something. Anyway, state of nirvana, I would say man if you have reached this position.

Independence is great if one doesn't have to deal with the baggage of cutting people off. More often than not, independence is misread as being a loner.

Madhurjya (Banjo) Banerjee said...

@WP- Independence is a lonely road