THE OBITUARY OF R.KARTHIK




                When R.KARTHIK finally realised the futility of his life and decided to give it up, he was 30. What took him this long, I can only wonder! Even with the retarded mental capabilities that he was blessed with, 30 years was sure a long time for a realisation that was evident and glaring from day one. Ladies and Gentleman, we are happy to announce the death of the most useless being ever born on this earth. Considering the time and energy wasted on his life, we have decided not to waste any more on his funeral service. However his life is an exemplary example of how not to live and hence begs elucidation for the enlightenment of humanity:

                Born in an orthodox Brahmin family in  Kumbakonam, his entire life can be summed up in  a single idiom - "Going through the motions". He went to school because he was put into one, attended college because he was forced to and worked a job because he had to. Complacent enough to do that which everyone else was doing, he never pushed the envelope. His only aspiration being living within the framework of what the society termed acceptable, he never truly lived even a single day. Death was just being merciful in taking away something too pitiable to be even termed as life. Never did he aspire to find a reason for his birth for there was none to be found in the first place.
Well then, was there nothing remarkable about him? Oh there was one - Ate like a pig!He always did! But somehow his weight was never commensurate with his eating capabilities as if he was trying to apologize for being born by occupying the least possible space on earth. May his soul rot in hell and let no word ever be uttered about reincarnation. In his case even one life was one too many!!

                Writing your own obituary, that's an author's dream! Sorry folks I am not dead.. yet.And that's not a troll obituary either. If I were to die now, that's how my obituary would look provided people are given the license to be frightfully frank. I am nearing my 30th birthday. Looking back, that's a half life well wasted. Till 30, my life has been so busy bending down to societal pressures and ticking all the mandatory check boxes - school, college, job, marriage that rarely did I get a say. Its a pity that most of us live our entire lives that way.

                 30 is half time. It's high time as well. I am done with pleasing almost every remotely known bloody bugger's expectations. Enough of having wasted my life trying to live with my head held up in the society. There is a better way to live - With both middle fingers held up to the society! Now that I have died already, time to be reborn!

P.S: In case I do die having lived life the same way as the previous 30 years, do me a favor. Fulfill my death wish. Publish the above obituary in The Hindu. Have always wanted to see my name published in that prestigious newspaper(How's that for "Die trying!"?). Don't fret though. They have the cheapest obituary rates in Delhi! Read More!

REACH OUT!!!!



Landing up in Chandigarh for a two months training in MGSIPA, I grossly misestimated these two:

1. My ability to cope in a hostile environment(That was my ego overestimating my capabilities!)
2. Humanity from North Indians especially Delhiites( That was grossly underestimated considering how notorious Delhiites are for their helping tendencies.)

In such a hostile environment(with a language barrier, unbearable climate conditions and a culture that was far from Indian), the introvert in me had enough reasons to feel alienated. Keeping a more than safe distance from the aliens who might have as well been speaking Greek and Latin, lonely seemed too small a word to describe my predicament. As I stood in the corridor sipping tea and cursing myself, three ladies I didn't even know were from my training batch came up out of nowhere. "You seem to be feeling lonely. You can always come to us if you want someone to talk to" they said on introducing themselves. "I don't think I will be able to remember your faces and names" I replied honestly. "We will keep reminding you" they laughed. At that moment, something somewhere broke. Must have been that proverbial ice for I was feeling all warm inside even in the chilly weather. For the first time I felt I had been accepted as being no different from the others and the introvert in me gathered enough courage to peek out from the shell he had taken cover in. There was no looking back after that!

Makes such a huge lot of difference when you reach out to someone. Moreover it sounds so simple and easy to do right? WRONG! All that's simple is not at all easy. I will tell you what's easy though - Being part of a group that singles out individuals who are different and deriving pleasure from making fun of them. Now that's easy! We all have done it at some part of our life. What's tough then? Being singled out and made fun of just because you are different but still standing with your head held high, without letting your face betray the sadness and frustration that wells up in your heart. Now what's tougher? Having the sensitivity to realise that someone is lonely and the courage to break away from the group to reach out to him.

People are lonely everywhere. It's just the reasons that differ. In a world where hatred and insensitivity are so freely available, why not make a conscious decision to counter it with a little bit of kindness and sensitivity? When everyone else is looking for a reason to put someone down, why not resolve to lift someone up instead? Why not make the world a better place to live in??!!

These three ladies - Varsha, Sheetal and Neha are people I will ever be indebted to. There is no payback option here. After all these are people who are never going to end up in a lonely situation wherein I can give back in equal measure what I got. Hence I am looking for opportunities to pay it forward. If I can reach out to atleast three lonely people, I believe I would have justified the efforts these ladies put in for me. This post is just a thank you note to those three who were thoughtful enough to reach out when it would have been so convenient to stand back and make fun.
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