The Circle of Life

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Rudrapur: Panting my lungs out, I was on my way back from the morning jog (when kids start calling you uncle, you get that urge to stay fit!). One would not think of any significant thing to happen at this hour, but my dear old friend “Life” always has a small trick down its sleeve.

I normally go to a local stadium near my place, which is frequented by a number of people. The road leading to the pathway is normally littered with all sorts of people- chatting midwives, young lads of CISF sweating it out, young ones running in groups, and “uncles” like me (alas!) who with their headphones in are running with an eye on their waistline. This daily routine was however disrupted today by a pleasingly unfamiliar sight- comprising a lady (possibly 25-26 by the looks of her), an old Sikh man (surely around 75) and a white coloured two wheeler.

The young lady was apparently instructing something to her father apparently. He had the look of a man not too sure of what he was doing- and that’s when I realized what was going on. The lady was teaching her father how to ride the two wheeler. It was an amazing sight- breaking from the normal convention of the father teaching her daughter a bicycle, here we had a Gen Y lady, reversing time and giving something back to her father. The sight was so subtle, so serene…so humane!

I looked at the old man- riding probably the first vehicle of his family. The genuine feeling of being over the moon, of being proud was evident from his face. The lady, a manifestation of strength, passion and above all dreams, was standing watching him- tears in her eyes.


Quite suddenly, an image came in my mind- something we have all been through for sure. A man running behind you, promising not to leave the cycle while you paddled and jumping with joy on seeing you ride away. Imagine giving that feeling to that man, probably in not the same way but in some way!


                        
That’s what a good life will be about, wouldn’t it?


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