Of Should Be and Shouldn’t Be

Coming home to Jaipur after staying in a city like Pune for two years is like sitting on a bullock cart after driving a Ferrari. Worse is the thought that your racing days are over and now you are expected to tune yourself for something called ‘Real Life’. I use the term Racing Days because of two reasons. One, I was against time…trying everything I could in the little period I had. And two, I was enjoying the wind hitting my face. It gave me a birdlike feel.

The first few days at home were full of revelations and nostalgia. After that what hits you is the clause of social appropriation (or misappropriations) of your procedures. Invariably, a Shouldn’t Be pops up more number of times than a Should Be does. I shouldn’t be calling my friend at three in the night. I shouldn’t be using the F*** word. I shouldn’t be passing sarcastic remarks in this gathering. I shouldn’t be asking him to not bore me. Once one passes the shouldn’t be stage, should be becomes easier. I should be dressing in a salwaar kameez. I should be appreciating her miserable sense of humor. I should be hiding the contempt while they show my horoscope to the pundit. I should be earnestly interested in her choice of car. I should be…..I shouldn’t be….I should be…

When I get up in the morning I see tea by my side
I enter a clean bathroom with a towel fully dried
No bets No frets No brawls over bikes
The cosmos conspires and reality strikes
Soon I shall witness an office table full of files
A milieu of scathing words and plastic smiles
A neat pile of ironed shirts and socks kept bordered
It hits me bad, its gonna stay sad; this isn’t the life I ordered

And hence…before I forget and get lost in the myriad of excel-sheets, in the never-ending chase of targets and responsibilities and the innumerable social and personal expectations, I am going to make a few things public. Here’s a list of things I want (read have) to do in my years to come.

1. Learn to ride a bike
2. Go for 3 month backpack trip (Cover: Incredible India)
3. Work till 70 (if I’m alive)
4. Read Mahabharata and Geeta at least one. Read Ramayana again.
5. Attend one Aerosmith concert
6. Do Masters in Economics
7. Teach my kids
8. Sleep for one full day without disturbance
9. Dub for animation
10. Fly

And if I happen to disregard them, it’s the onus of the reader to remind me from time to time. Hope you do your job well!