Memories

“Memories” is a beautiful word; the meaning is even more beautiful. My brother always told me, real people keep the memory in mind, they don’t try to capture it in pictures and that’s how we did it in school. We had no phones or cameras allowed, we enjoyed everything we had, all the gala moments without wasting any time on taking pictures except for the fact when we won something, the school made us take some, for their promotion, you know? Although I am blaming it was for them, we all liked it, and we're proud of it back then. The most enjoyable times of my school was “Horlicks Wizkid Competition”, I wonder if the students had cameras during that time, everyone would be busy just clicking picture and not really having fun. Although, our fun was, hooting for our fellow mates, using hidden and saved money to buy food for our crush, getting ready for our own competition, taking full advantage of the crowded auditorium in the days of doing things that kids could not do in school.

FPZC was a dream come true team for me, the last time I participated in Horlicks WizKids was with them. I may not have won every other competition I participated in but, definitely conquered first place in the dance competition because of the entire team. We looked forward to every single practise session because it was more than dance we experienced in that room filled with talented but confused teenagers. We all were trying to figure out our ways to aspired colleges during that time. Some were taking classes to ace the entrance exam while some were trying to work on their sports to get through quota. Life wasn't that simple even then until we entered our magical dance room.

We, humans, have a tendency to feel happy from the past moments and be worried about the future regardless of how our present is. The most unsuccessful today are worried if they’ll ever be successful and the most successful today fears failure in the future. Life is never consistent; it never will be and maybe that’s the beauty of it.

I remember my mother telling me the stories of what happened to her during my birth, she had to go through several complications, it was a miracle that she got through, doctors claimed. They could not take many pictures of me then like they did for my brothers, but every moment that I enjoyed ever since I was born is a beautiful memory that is unforgettable. My best childhood memory is when my dad saved me from dying in Goa beach just when I was about to be drowned, the reason behind me going so deep in water was to get a picture clicked. (Camera is still somewhere in the water)

I am not against taking pictures because even I enjoy clicking and being in one, to be remembered, but my concern here is that I do not want to be remembered only if I am in the picture or I don’t want to drain all my time doing so. However, I see it the way today is that, if you are not in their picture, you are not in their memory.

Everyone ought to capture the memory of a special moment, trip or a person in the pictures with all the smiling faces to look back some years later for the happy moments they once had, although not everyone in the picture may be happy, implying what it seems may not be always true.

Taking pictures is not only to capture memories today it is also to show other people how happy you are right? Perhaps to hide the real you, despite the fact that you may not know yourself if you are truly happy or not? I had been on an imaginary trip couple of days back, we went to a beautiful place with falls, amazing views and delicious food but nobody could really enjoy it properly because we were all busy capturing it in our expensive cameras so that we could show the world, its beauty. Thus, in reality, I didn’t go. I decided to enjoy it in those photos the way I would have done if I had gone. I guess I saved a lot of time and money. This may not be practically accurate, but it is the reality, we youth are so fond of living in the unreal world of pictures that we have forgotten, how to live in today.

Sometimes I feel I am happier in a picture because you can see my widest smile there, otherwise, life is busy. I need to learn to create more memories than living in the past ones.

Ps: Dear friends, let us plan a trip without any gadgets, please.