AM I THINKING, TOO MUCH??!!

Contributor: Srishti Chauhan

(Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!…it’s a beautiful dayyyyyy! 

I got up with a smile and excitement, went straight to the washroom for freshening up. This morning was a bit different than the rest. After all, I had to cherish life and drench myself in the beauty of its rain.) 

4:45 am: The irking buzz of my alarm didn’t sound unsettling that day. For the first time in life, I wanted to wake up without any worry about my pending assignments, work or studies. As this time I had to wake up with a purpose so pious and delighting that the sound of alarm which seemed like a terrible noise to me, always, had become my bestie for those 9 memorable days of my life. 

Here I am talking about the journey called Gramya Manthan which works way beyond its explainable aspects. On the 11th day of June, I found myself in a room full of completely unknown group of people, after a very tiring journey of more than nine hours all the way to Kanpur. But surprisingly it didn’t even take an hour for me to mingle with these very beautiful souls. The ambiance was so full of positivity and I couldn’t stop myself from living in the moment. 

     

Towards knowing each other, Participants during Ice-breakers.

The various sessions and games conducted by the team were amazingly organized. The Life mapping session was like an absolute healing episode for me. Sitting amidst the dimly lit garden with the essence of jasmine, not for a date of course, but for the purpose of mending each broken heart by the way of acceptance and trust was rehabilitating. The appraisal session had its lasting effect on each individual like me, because, for the moment, we were all lost in the process of praising, giving and thanking one and other under the cloudy moonlit sky. It was a session wherein we realized our capabilities and qualities which make us different from others and most importantly which make us what we are! As in the course of making our identity visible we have failed to appraise our real self and have transformed ourselves in mere slaves serving the expectations of the world.

The sharing circle was not a just sharing of thoughts but the gathering of our conscious which was happening with each passing minute. This consciousness- raising session would begin with a minute of silence wherein we would collect our scattered thoughts and be present in the moment to understand the intricacies of life. All in all, these little things aimed at coming closer to our own self and they really worked. The visits to villages were refreshing and would leave me elated. Those villages have taught me that still in this world of cut-throat competition there lies a place of serenity. Far from all the delicacies of life, surrounded by the aesthetic green fields there lies a place where the people still value & live the sense of humanity, trust, and selflessness. 

   

Preparing to host villagers for dinner at Baraat-shala.

These 9 days were magical for me. Making new friends, baking roti’s in chulaah, playing with kids, having fun with the villagers, singing & dancing with them, drenching in rain, enjoying the music at night, eating with all friends in a single plate, participating in the nukadd natakk, getting scared and then screaming at the middle of the night and most importantly understanding life, is the way I summarize my journey. I feel ecstatic. I have learned to love selflessly, empathize and I have understood the relevance of being focused in life. These 9 days have taught me to develop a sense of acceptance by not making unnecessary judgments. Life has given us a hundred reasons to feel happy about so why should we focus on that one reason which makes us feel sad? The world is full of love so why should we keep the sense of hatred alive? God has given all of us a beautiful gift in the form of life, so why not cherish each and every moment of it? 

Let’s make our life worth by being empathetic and by enjoying each moment of it. Who knows that when the universe conspires to add endless joys to our lives?