I took longer than usual at breakfast yesterday. I have become a little serious in my battle against the bulge – I now have the K Diet for breakfast – which goes down my throat after a bit of a battle with my taste buds. I mentally made a note on how I should blog about how useless facebook is. I quickly scanned the paper. I turned to page 7. I couldn’t swallow anymore. The reaction was instinctive. My throat became dry, my eyes moist and my hands cold. I don’t know how well I can capture the avalanche of emotions – a sense of guilt, anger, sadness, fear and helplessness all together. Check this ad.
Rewind. It seems like yesterday – I was looking through a 1500 line excel sheet when I heard of my friend’s loss in the Mumbai siege. No – she wasn’t even my friend – just an acquaintance – my senior at XL. I was stumped. A barrage of calls followed. One of my best friends had just finished a consulting project with the Taj and stepped out before the pandemonium. I remember being numbed for a while. How close was that?
Somehow, such incidents become real when it impacts the near and dear. For instance the Tsunami – another buddy of mine bore broken bones while holidaying on the shores of Mahabalipuram. I am glad she survived to tell the tale.
I wanted to write about this yesterday, but I was just too disturbed to be able to think coherently.
The candles have been lit, tributes have been paid, the martyrs have been remembered with reverence, and issues have been debated - some good seems to be coming out of it. But it is difficult to deal with the bitter truth - some questions will remain unanswered, some scars may not heal and some souls can never be comforted.
And the chilling fact that made me choke over breakfast is that life just goes on despite it all. Such is life.
Rewind. It seems like yesterday – I was looking through a 1500 line excel sheet when I heard of my friend’s loss in the Mumbai siege. No – she wasn’t even my friend – just an acquaintance – my senior at XL. I was stumped. A barrage of calls followed. One of my best friends had just finished a consulting project with the Taj and stepped out before the pandemonium. I remember being numbed for a while. How close was that?
Somehow, such incidents become real when it impacts the near and dear. For instance the Tsunami – another buddy of mine bore broken bones while holidaying on the shores of Mahabalipuram. I am glad she survived to tell the tale.
I wanted to write about this yesterday, but I was just too disturbed to be able to think coherently.
The candles have been lit, tributes have been paid, the martyrs have been remembered with reverence, and issues have been debated - some good seems to be coming out of it. But it is difficult to deal with the bitter truth - some questions will remain unanswered, some scars may not heal and some souls can never be comforted.
And the chilling fact that made me choke over breakfast is that life just goes on despite it all. Such is life.
"And the chilling fact that made me choke over breakfast is that life just goes on despite it all"- Life moving on despite it all is the cure as well as the curse...May the departed souls rest in peace...
ReplyDeleteErm.. In case you are talking of me, I was having dinner in Bandra that day. That was a rumor..there was nobody from office that day near Taj :). But yes scary to think it could have been me had it been some other day!
ReplyDelete@ Arun - Well said man!
ReplyDelete@ Aroo - Ahhh... Ash at it again - was he trying his freak-me-out trick again?
Well have to agree with the what you've said. I can totally relate to the advert as well.
ReplyDeleteI think we should just step back form our busy lives & just for a moment ponder if we have started taking the things we hold dear for granted. & if we have then i believe it's time to make amends.
Life doesn't stop for anyone. Might as well make most of it while it lasts :)