Life Is Beautiful

This blog is dedicated to the brave hearts of the Indian Army, the Indian Air Force and the Jammu and Kashmir Police deployed in Jammu and Kashmir, who are working relentlessly to save every one affected by the recent floods in the state, and which is considered to be the worst floods that the state has witnessed in the past sixty years. 

They say that travelling to different places makes you wise; you see new places, meet new people, you learn about the history of the place and about the culture and lifestyles of its people. But I had none of that in mind when I decided to embark on a journey to Jammu and Kashmir, along with my parents. There were only two simple intentions behind it - Firstly, I wanted to gift my parents a trip to the place that Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru described as 'The Paradise on Earth'. Secondly, I wanted a  much needed break from my work - a respite from the endless flurry of e-mails, calls and meetings that was slowly turning me into a corporate robot. But destiny had different plans for me. What started off as a simple pleasure trip, changed into a journey of a lifetime, as the worst floods that Jammu and Kashmir had seen in many years hit the state, affecting thousands of people in the state, including tourists like me and my family. The lessons that I learnt from my experiences over the past one week in the state are enough to last a lifetime. 

The first lesson - It can happen to anyone

I have read about accidents, natural calamities, man made disasters in the news papers, I have seen it on T.V, and discussed them with friends and family. My heart used to go out to the victims of such incidents, but I had this strange belief in mind that I was immune to such incidents, and that nothing will affect me and my family. Now I realize I was so wrong in thinking so. Disasters can strike anytime, anywhere and no one is immune to it. Who would have thought that a group of people from the southern most state of India, would be affected by a flood in the northernmost state of the country. I had never thought that there would come a time in my life when I would have to face situations like the ones I faced during my stay in Jammu and Kashmir - staying in a disaster relief camp, sleeping in the open air in freezing cold temperatures, standing in a queue for days waiting for a turn to get into a rescue helicopter, running from pillar to post to get an air ticket to go home, and stretching my hands out to someone for food and water. Some things are destined to be and they will happen, no matter what we do to avoid or escape them. 

Yes, From Kashmir to Cape Comorin we all are one

Foolish are those who discriminate between people based on caste, creed, religion and color. It is at times of crisis, that you realize that all creations of the Lord are the same. They may speak different languages, dress differently, may have different cultural backgrounds, but deep down all of them share the same kind of desires, feelings and emotions. I could see the sadness of wives on being separated from their husbands, when the rescue helicopters were taking them away to a safe place, as their husbands were waiving them goodbye from the ground. That longing to be with their husbands, that fear of being separated from their loved ones, will it be any different for a woman from South India and a woman from North India? Their cries, the images of them been dragged into the rescue helicopter after having refused to part with their husbands are vivid in my mind and I am sure it will always stay so until the day I die. The desperation on loosing one's home, will it not be the same for everyone? No one is different when it comes to hunger and thirst as could be seen when people used to crowd around the volunteers distributing water and food in the flood relief camp. There were people from all walks of life in the camp, but everyone's need was the same - to stay alive. No one asked a person's caste or place to which they belonged before helping them. During times of distress, all inequalities vanish and people come together.  

Beauty is skin deep

Fair skin, blue eyes, pretty smile, tall and lean body - these were the features that I used to attribute beauty to, but not any more. I have realized that real beauty is the beauty of one's mind. A mind that is capable of caring for others, empathizing with others, helping others and can think of nothing but the welfare of others, now that is what I call a beautiful mind. I was fortunate to have met many such beautiful people during my trip, be it a young man working at the hotel where we staying telling us tourists, "Aap bilkul mat dariye. Jab tak hum he aapko darne ki koyi zaroorat nahin. Humen kuch ho jaane ke bad hi aapko kuch hoga" (Please do not fear. As long as we are here with you, there is no need to fear. Whatever happens, we will face it first. Its only after something happens to us that you need to fear) or a woman whom I met at the relief camp, a total stranger to me, offering her blanket to me when she found that we did not have a blanket to sleep on, or one of the Keralites in our tour group who looked after the belongings of everyone in the tour group all day long even as some of the people in the group found a way to escape without bothering to help him or his son, or that Captain of Indigo Airlines who went all out of his way to ensure that stranded tourists like us were ensured of a flight back to Delhi. This trip has completely changed my notion of beauty. Beauty is not a pair of blue eyes or fair skin, there is more to beauty than meets the eye. 

The value of something is seldom known until it is lost

Being in a job that requires one to make and receive calls back to back all day long and at the same time respond to e-mails, attend meetings and travel frequently, I used to dread my cell phone. When I got stranded at Srinagar, all telecommunication links were broken and there was no means to contact someone at home to inform them that we were alive. I do not know how may times I would have looked at my cell phone in anticipation that the network would be up again and I would be able to contact someone. I realized the significance of that seemingly simple but powerful device called cell phone during those days. Same was the case with food and water. It is only when I faced a situation where food and water were scarce, that I realized how foolish I was in taking the abundance of food and water at home for granted.  

No profession more noble than Service to the People

When I was stranded in the helipad at Raj Bhavan of Srinagar, there was a time when I felt that I would never be able to make it back to Kerala. We waited for three days for a turn to board the helicopter that airlifts stranded people who manage to reach the helipad by some means and drops them safely at the military airport at Srinagar. "Ladies and kids first", the historical code of conduct during times of distress, was what the Jammu and Kasmir Police and Indian Army had been following in the initial days of the relief operation, for rescuing the flood victims trapped at the helipad. Women who refused to leave their families behind were denied a chance to be rescued as a result of this. Towards the end of the third day of our wait, we had lost all hopes of reaching home, when the Army decided to change the rule and let women and their families too to board the rescue helicopter. So on the morning of the fourth day of our wait at the helipad, we boarded the helicopter that took us to the Srinagar Airport from where we got a flight to Delhi. As our flight landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport at Delhi, I had only one feeling in my mind - 'Gratitude', gratitude to the Army Officers who got us food and water during our stay at the helipad, who stayed awake all night looking after us and our belongings as we slept peacefully, who worked relentlessly day-in and day-out to make sure that maximum number of people were evacuated from the helipad. I must have thanked the Indian Air Force pilots who flew the rescue helicopters a zillion times for rescuing several people like me and my family stranded at the helipad. And then there was this officer of Jammu and Kashmir Police who helped us get tickets to Delhi, when all airlines refused to give us tickets stating that all seats on the flights were booked; the officer not only got us the tickets, he stayed with us until we completed the check-in. When people used to thank the officers all they said was "You need not thank us, It is our duty to serve the people of the nation and we are just doing that". I have a new-found respect for the men in uniform. They are the real heroes of our nation and their profession is the most noble profession of all. We do not know the names of the officers who rescued us, nor do we know where they are from, but we do know one thing for sure, they will always be there in our prayers, till our last breath. 

Picture Courtesy: india.gov.in 

Last and the most important lesson of it all - "Life is beautiful"

Many a times in my life, I have been angry with God - missing out on the top ranks in school, getting rejected in an interview for that dream job, not being the top performer at work despite of putting all efforts, there are many instances where I have questioned God's ways. Now I realize that what I considered to be major setbacks in life, what I considered to be difficulties in life, were nothing as compared to the plight of millions of people who struggle each day to make ends meet, to stay alive. It is only when you stare death right in your face, you realize the value of life. Money, fame, and accolades are nothing when compared to the value of one's life. It does not matter if you did not top your board exams or did not become the top performer in your office. It does not matter if you could not own an Audi or that water-front apartment that you wished for. It does not matter if you do not look like a George Clooney or a Deepika Padukone. As long as your heart is beating, and you have the means to earn the basic necessities of life 'Roti, Kapda Aur Makaan' (Food, Clothing and Shelter) and you love yourselves and all other living beings around you, you are good and your life is good. It's only when I faced a situation when I feared if I would be alive to see another day, that I realized how beautiful my life was. Life is the most precious gift that God has given us and we must be thankful to God for making Life so beautiful. 

What they say about travelling is true, it does make you wise. My journey to Jammu and Kashmir was one that changed my whole outlook towards life. It was an experience that taught me some of the best lessons in life, however I hope and pray that no one has to ever go through an experience such as the one that me and the other victims of the floods went through. I have now returned home a new person. This is my second life and I have taken a vow that from now on, I will live and treasure each moment as a gift from God. 

Though many people like me have been rescued from Jammu and Kasmir so far, there are many who are still stranded there, struggling for survival. There are many who have lost their lives, many who have lost their families, and many who have lost their house and all their earnings. The Indian Army, Indian Air Force, and Jammu and Kashmir police still continue their rescue operations. A whole nation prays for all those affected and for the bravehearts in uniform. May more lives be saved. May the 'Paradise On Earth' soon recover from the devastation.  

No age too old to live your dream

This blog is inspired by the recently released Malayalam movie "How Old Are You" directed by Rosshan Andrrews and starring actress Manju Warrier in the lead role. For readers who have not yet watched the movie, I'd say, "It's a must-watch".

Recently I happened to watch the malayalam movie "How old are you". The movie tells the story of how Nirupama Rajeev - the protagonist in the story, goes from being a middle-class working woman leading a very ordinary life, to being a change agent in the society. Actress Manju Warrier, who plays Nirupama, has left no stone unturned in making her second innings in movies a sparkling one, by breathing so much life into the character that, from the introduction scene to the end credits to even after you have left the movie hall, the character stays in your mind. 

The story is a very simple one, but the message that it gives is powerful enough to evoke many questions in the viewer's minds, about things that we know and which we have now come to take for granted, but never cared to question. 

I do not mean to generalize, but I feel that most women, have at some point or the other in their lives, sacrificed their dreams or their ambitions for the good of their families. There are many who give up their promising careers to take care of their children, many who give up their dreams for pursuing higher studies to marry that "well-educated, well-settled" guy whom her family has chosen for her, many who leave their favorite places and relocate to new places just to be with their husband. I have often wondered why is it that, most often it is the woman who is expected to give up what is dear to them, who is expected to make all the sacrifices for the sake of the family when men are celebrated as the "head of the family" in most families. They say women are weak, but had they been weak, would they be able to happily give away their dreams for the sake of their dear ones and go on with their lives without complaining? How many men are strong enough to make sacrifices like that?

"Behind every successful man there is a woman" goes the popular adage, and history is rife with stories that support the same. If a woman can offer her support to making someone successful, she can very well do that for herself too. Most often, a woman is so busy scripting the success story of her family members, that she forgets that she too had dreams and aspirations in life. All a woman needs is a word of encouragement, a little consideration for her aspirations. But, when that goes missing, most women choose to give up their faith in their dreams and go on with their lives as it is. However some women, like the protagonist of the movie, decide to make a difference in their lives on their own, by following their dreams. 

As I finished watching the movie, my first instinct was to give a tight hug to my mother who was sitting beside me and tell her how thankful I was to her for all that she had done for me, for our family. I had always taken it for granted that mothers are supposed to do all the household chores, make good food, and take care of of everyone in the family. I felt ashamed and sad that, being a daughter, I had never tried to understand what my mother wanted to do in her life, or what her dreams and ambitions in life were. I am sure that I am not the only one who felt the same way after watching the movie. Thanks to Rosshhan Andrrews, Bobby-Sanjay and the whole team of 'How old are you?' for making this eye-opener of a movie that made us aware of the many "Nirupama Rajeevs" around us, but most importantly, for making us realize that there is no age too old when it comes to living your dreams.



    

What's the best policy?

"What's the best policy?" - Had somebody asked me this question, say some fifteen years back, I would have answered "Honesty" without blinking an eyelid. But that would be way back in the 90's when I was in school. However if I were asked this question today, what would my answer be - would it be the same? Off late, there had been a lot of discussions about appraisals and promotions going on everywhere - in office, in the news, and it got me thinking - Is 'Honesty' still the best policy?

I remember, we had a subject called 'Moral Studies' in our school syllabus. It's during one such 'Moral Studies' class that I first came across this quote on 'Honesty'. The classes were on moral values and every value was explained with the help of a story. That was a time when we hardly knew the importance of what we were being taught, but the stories were powerful enough to drive home the point. Little did we know back then, the world was about to teach us lessons that would contradict with the ones that we were learning.

After years of slogging it out in school and college, and mugging up text book after text book by authors whose names were even more difficult to memorize than the books they wrote, I managed to get an entry into the enticing Corporate world (for some more slogging!). No amount of theory had prepared me for the big bad world that is "Corporate". For the first time I realized that it took much more than good grades in school and college to succeed at workplace. 

From my brief stint in the corporate world, I have learnt some lessons. 

Lesson # 1: Not all colleagues are friends

Ever felt let down by a colleague of yours -  A colleague who steals the credit of an idea that was originally yours and who does not acknowledge it, or someone who asks for a help and does not even say "Thanks" after you have helped them, or gossip-mongers (who are the most vicious of the lot) or that experienced colleague who does not help a new recruit. Not all colleagues are your well-wishers. 

Lesson # 2: Learn how to butter up your boss 

In corporate, most often it is not the deserving person who gets appreciated, but the one who knows how to butter up their bosses (sad, but true). Now this is one art that one needs to master - "How to praise your boss", else there is a very high chance that you might sink into oblivion. 

Lesson # 3: It's all about making the headlines

It is not enough that you do the task that has been assigned to you in the best possible way that you can, you need to shout it out loud from the rooftops and tell the whole world about it! I mean, whatever happened to those good old days when doing your job perfectly was all that mattered! 

Lesson # 4: Never hesitate to say "No"

If you are among those who have difficulty in saying "No" to someone who asks you for a help, then you had it. I have realized over time that unless you learn to say "No", you are never going to enjoy your break or your holiday, you will have powerpoints and excels keeping you company even on holidays.  

Lesson # 5: Honesty 'was' the best policy

And then there are people who make you feel that Honesty has lost its sheen - Employees who sneak out of office early on days when their boss is on leave, employees who do their personal work during office hours, employees who submit false claims (claims that could even put the fake cheques of Frank. W. Abagnale of 'Catch Me If You Can' to shame!), employees for whom work is a mere eyewash for grabbing attention, and then those who put the blame on others to cover up for their bad performance.

Life in corporate has taught me these lessons, but I like to believe that the lessons I learnt in my old 'Moral Studies' classes are still the best. Though some incidents have shaken the foundation laid by those lessons, it has not been able to break it. 

In my corporate stint, I have come across some gem of a personalities too - people who would not give up on their ideals at any cost. "So what" they ask. So what if one does not know how to say "No", So what if one does not know how to flatter their bosses, So what if one does not believe in being dishonest - may be you won't get the promotion that you could have got otherwise, may be you won't be recognized for your work, may be you won't be in the good books of the people who are at the top, but you will have some thing that others who sacrifice honesty for short-term gains will never have - 'peace of mind' and a satisfaction that comes from doing things the right way. 

I have seen dishonest people go places in a short span of time, and I have also seen honest people wait for years to get their due credit despite giving their work their everything. So, if someone asked me today, if I believed that 'Honesty' is the best policy, I would say "Yes", but it will definitely not be an as emphatic "Yes", as it would have been, had I been asked the question some fifteen years back. 

Live and let live

A couple of weeks ago, the first episode in the second season of Amir Khan's TV Show 'Satya Mev Jayate' went on air, and I was among the many viewers who were glued to the T.V screen waiting in anticipation as to what the new season had in store for us. A few minutes into the show and I was getting uncomfortable. I was undecided between reaching for the remote to turn off the T.V and continuing to watch the show. I was struggling to fight back tears as the narrator went on narrating one incident after the other - real life incidents of atrocities against women, atrocities of such heinous nature that it could make one shudder at the very thought of it. As the show ended, I couldnt but help feel angry, disgusted and alarmed at the plight of women in our country.

I guess a women's struggle begins very early on in life, even before she is born, not all mothers are fortunate enough to bring a baby girl into the world, what with the increasing number of gender selective abortions. From childhood you are told that you are a girl and there are a lot of limitations to been a girl. You are taught a list of things that you are supposed to do and also a list of things that you are not supposed to do and the justifications for the same. You refuse to accept them and you are labelled a rebel, and in most cases you are reprimanded. All these Do's and Dont's become so ingrained in the girl's mind that by the time she grows up, she no longer wants to question why is it so. 

If there is one thing that plays the most critical role in changing the girl's outlook towards life, I would say it is 'education'. Nothing empowers a women more than education. It changes the way she thinks, it gives her the conviction to have faith in her strengths, to pursue her ambitions, and to find her rightful place in the world. However her journey is not easy. At every stage in her life, she has to fight to prove to the world what she is worth; she has to battle it out against people who ridicule her, people who try to let her down, people who treat her badly, and people who hurt her with their words and deeds. However every once in a while you do come across people who lend you a helping hand rather than wait for an opportunity to let you down. Despite of all the hardships, she succeeds, no matter how many times you let her down, she gathers herselves and comes back stronger than ever, such is the strength of a woman!

I might be offending many women who are reading this, but I am not of the opinion that men and women are equal in all ways; men do enjoy certain privileges that we women can never dream of, but that does not, in any way, make women inferior to men. Personally, I feel that women, even though they are portrayed to be more emotional and sensitive than their male counterparts, are better at handling emotions. They usually have been through so many emotional struggles that they can better handle emotional situations than men. They also are better task masters than men, as they are used to juggling too many things at a time and hence have mastered that art of managing many tasks with ease. They add more color to your life, they can bring you up when you are feeling down, and they really mean it when they say "I'll take care of you". Care and affection come so naturally to women. I always wonder how could someone ever be rude to a woman. 

As women, we are not asking for respect or any sort of special consideration. The only thing we ask for is a right to live happily, peacefully, and without any fear. Today, when a girl leaves home, she herself is not sure as to what awaits her, what ordeals she has to go through to get through the day, or whether she would be able to make it back home safely. Amidst all the celebrations and hype surrounding The International Women's Week, I was wondering, what is it that today's women is trying to tell the whole world, is it that "Look, I have come a long way" or is it "Take a look at what I have achieved", well it might be, but I guess the strongest message that every woman wishes to send to the whole world today (and I guess since time immemorial) is a very simple one "Live and let live". 

Love is in the Air, and if it is not, it is Despair

“Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine”, as Humphrey Bogart delivers one of Hollywood Cinema’s most memorable lines in the classic war-time love story ‘Casablanca’, one cannot but feel sad for the protagonist in the tale who is reunited with his lost love only to part ways again, and more so if one has been in love and lost their loved one. I have often wondered why destiny unites two people who were never meant to be together, gives them false hopes and happiness, and then takes it all away one fine day as they are forced to part ways, leaving them with nothing but memories of a time that they thought would last forever. I guess it is one of the harsh realities of life that one must learn to live with - not every love story has a happy ending.

Blame it on the movies that I have grown up watching and the books that I have read, I had always imagined love to be the way it is always portrayed in movies and written about in books – lovers who would fight against all odds to be together, and who would eventually ride into the sunset hand in hand, lovers who would sacrifice their lives for each other, and lovers who stay true to their love always. Cut to real life and those images of love that I had conjured up in my mind, all seems to fall apart. In today’s fast paced life, even love has taken a back-seat. Break-ups happen no sooner than two people fall in love with each. Many a times, the reason why a relationship fails is so trivial, that you are left wondering, was this love for real, because had it been so it would never have ended this way. “Move On” is what everyone seems to be saying, but is it as easy as it sounds? I have seen people “move on” without any effort, and then I have seen people who find it easier to go on living with the memories of their past than “move on”. We ourselves have complicated our lives. Hatred, animosity, rivalry, and ego have taken precedence over love. I always wonder whatever happened to those good old days, when two people met, fell in love, married each other and lived happily ever after. How I wish life could be that simple.

However not all hope is lost. Every once in a while you come across people whose stories resemble the ones that you have seen in movies, or the ones that you have read about in books, and who make you want to believe that “true love” does exist (and is not an oxymoron). In their stories, we also come across many where were destiny plays villain and separates the two, and that is the sad part.

I believe that Love is one’s greatest strength and Love is one’s greatest weakness. Without love, we just cannot survive. As Mother Teresa had rightly said “There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread”. Everyone wants to love and wants to be loved in return, but it is when we expect love in return that we become miserable. True love is when you love someone but do not expect anything in return. If you can love like that, then you will undoubtedly be the happiest person in this world. Hard as it seems, it definitely is worth trying. On that thought, here is wishing everyone a very happy Valentine’s Day! Here is to celebrating true and unconditional love!!

I am signing off this very special blog with one of my all-time favourite quote on love –

“Love is always patient and kind. It is never jealous. Love is never boastful or conceited. It is never rude or selfish. It does not take offense and is not resentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people’s sins, but delights in the truth. It is always ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever comes. Love does not come to an end.”

Here is to new beginnings!!

"It was the best of the times, it was the worst of the times", the opening sentence of the Charles Dickens classic 'A Tale of Two Cities' can best summarize the year 2013 for me. With only a few more hours remaining for the year to come to an end, I thought it would be a good idea to indulge in a little retrospection on the year that was.   

The year 2013 has been a very special one for me. It was a year that saw me as a student and as an earning member of the family. It saw me going from being a Graduate to a Post-Graduate. It saw me in three different places, from Coimbatore to Cochin to Thrissur. It was the year that gave me the opportunity to follow two of my greatest passions - music and writing. 

On the personal front, the year was a mixed bag with a lot of highs and an equal number of lows. The best part was my brother's marriage, one of the happiest moments of my life. Then there were not so happy moments too, when people whom you trusted and loved with all your heart abandoned you, leaving you in an abyss of despair. Then there were also instances where total strangers lent a helping hand at times when you had totally lost hope. The year saw many a teary farewell too, friends from college, with whom you had spent two years of your college life were departing and going their ways, colleagues at work were being transferred to different locations. 

On the professional front too, there were reasons to cheer as well as despair; from completing a post-graduate degree with an Eighth Rank in the University, to being stuck in a job that sucks the life blood out of you every single moment of the day, from Monday through Saturday (and occasionally on Sundays too), life on the professional front has been no less than a roller-coaster ride. With irate customers and bosses (goes without saying that they are irate!) breathing down your neck 24/7, and the ever expanding 'To Do' list on my computer, my work-life balance has gone for a toss. To top it all, I am even away from home. 

As I write this blog, all those events in the year that went by start to make sense. There were moments that made me laugh, there were moments that made me cry, there were moments when I felt that God had been very kind to me, and then there were moments that made me question God's ways. Now when I think about them, I realize they all served a purpose in my life. Had it not been for those events, I don't think the year would have been this memorable to me, it would also have gone down as just another year of my life. These events have made me strong, more determined and made me believe in this very powerful word - 'HOPE'. 

Last time, during this time of the year, when I prayed to God to make the year ahead, a very exciting and happening year for all, I had not known that God would make it this exciting for me. This time around, when I make a new year wish, I will have to be more specific in terms of my definition of 'exciting', because you never know how exciting God would make it, he may make it more exciting than you had actually wanted it to be. So here is to letting go of the past, here is to making a brand new start, here is to hoping for a better tomorrow, and here is to new beginnings. Happy New Year! God bless!

Signing off the last blog of the year with one of my favorite quotes: "Past is History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, but Today is a Gift, that's why it is called the Present"

   

No free lunch

Disclaimer: This blog is strictly meant for those poor souls who are forced to stay miles away from their home in the rat race of life, and in the process are deprived of, perhaps the best food on earth - Mom's food. 

If you have stayed away from home at some point or the other in your life, I am sure that there would have been times when you missed home badly, wanted to pack all your stuff, leave everything you were doing and just head back home. Remember that time when you had fallen sick, but there was nobody near you to remind you to take medicines on time; or that time when you achieved something great and wanted to share it with your near and dear ones, but they were not by your side; or that time when you were feeling all down and dejected, but no one around to say "Don't worry. Everything will be alright." I have been staying away from home for the past five years, and I have had plenty of such instances!

The time when I miss home very badly is during afternoons at work. I would mostly be engrossed in some work or the other, when my colleagues ask me that inevitable question (which I have now come to dread), "Roshni, Aren't you having your lunch?", to which I reply with a "Yes, but not now, after some time" or "No, I am not hungry". It is usually followed by a "You should have food on time" or "Don't skip lunch. It's not good for health" from them and then they are on their ways to have their food, the lucky ones the food from their home and the not-so-lucky ones  the food from restaurants. A few minutes after, the office looks deserted, the sound of the mouse clicks, the keystrokes on the computer, and the printer is gone. There is an unusual calm in office. I close my eyes, and my mind drifts back to a typical afternoon at home, the amazing smells drifitng from kitchen, and yes Amma calling me to come and have lunch. The images of the hot steaming rice, the Pappadam, the buttermilk, and Amma serving the food come rushing into my mind. Just the thought itself makes my mouth water. I would be lost in my thoughts, when the access card reader beeps. My colleagues are back from lunch and before I know it, the calmness is gone, the madness is back and yes I realize, I have not had my lunch. Mostly I skip my lunch, but at times when I feel like I need a break from the madness at work, I take my bag and head out of office, more in search of a place to clear my head than in search of a place to have food. 

My usual haunts are the vegetarian restaurants in the city. Thank God for these restaurants; had it not been for them, I wonder what people like me would have done. No, I am not of the opinion that the food from restaurants is great or out of the world, but it does come as a solace at times. Be it the Hotel Saravana Bhavan hotels (very popular amongst Chennaiites) in Chennai, or the Pathans hotel in Thrissur, the ones which I consider my favourites, I have found that the food from the restaurants fills my stomach, but not my heart. Each time I pay the bill and walk out of a restaurant, I am reassured of the fact that my mother is the best cook in the world and no food can beat the taste of the food that she prepares, because she adds an ingredient to it that perhaps no one else does - Love.  

'There ain't no such thing as a free lunch' goes the popular quote and economic theory. Everything in life comes at a price. I too have paid a price for putting my career and job before my family - staying miles away from the people who mean the world to you, not being there for them at times when they need you the most, and the worst part of it all - being deprived of the best food in the world; I'd say that is a huge price to pay. 

After many years of staying away from home, I have learnt to live with the fact. I do miss home, especially the food. Every time I call home to tell my parents that I am coming home, my mother knows exactly what my next question would be, "Amma, What is there for dinner tonight?" As I write this, I have reached my home and had my dinner. Now that is what I call bliss - home and Mom's food. How I wish I could stay at home like this forever, but as the famous poem by Robert Frost goes, "But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep".