Presents

“Birds of a feather, flock together”

No doubt that this expression is proved scientifically and applies to all organisms across the ecosystem. But I do not observe this phenomenon with some of us, Homo sapiens.

Your perspective may differ from mine but I stand by what I say.

Because as far as my observation is concerned, I find people tend to get along with others who understand their view rather than have the same view. Who respect your choices but have different choices.

These differences may often lead to a feud but these differences tend to solve the feud as well. Don’t ask me how this is possible, because I honestly have no clue.

In all my 15 (almost 16) years of life, I have made so many friends. Some moved away from me, some got closer, some grew into just acquaintances, some into best friends, some into “hi-bye” friends and worse, some grew into “namesake” friends.

But strangely on one day of the year, namely my birthday, I find all these friends bustling to wish me. Some do it out of courtesy while close friends wish you out of love.

And of course, giving the birthday girl presents isn’t something new I suppose. I was showered with cards and presents. One of my close friends gave me a rather expensive show piece from the Archies Gallery costing about Rs.300 which I obviously thought that it was very expensive.

I wasn’t looking forward to any presents but when the most annoying but yet awesome person, that’s my best friend, didn’t give me anything on my birthday, I wasn’t disappointed but I was surprised, because every year she’d shower me with all unnecessary presents.

I would be lying if I say that I didn’t like presents but the smile on her face and a sweet hug accompanied by a hyper “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” was unique and special in its own way.

Many weeks passed by and I grew closer to my annoying friend.

She was more of an accessory kind of girl whereas I was more of a tomboy. She was more of a sane person capable of radical thinking and I was more spontaneous and insane. (When you meet her, you’ll believe she’s insane too)

We practically hate each other but are the only ones who can bear each other. She’s the one I can call, no matter what time it is. And our – “OK! We’ll cut the phone in five minutes” would go on at least for half hour. She’d be there for me when I was sad, angry or just happy. I could tell her anything, no matter how embarrassing and unexplainable it was.

And one day in the month of April, we spent the morning playing UNO when she suddenly gave me a present. Quite unusual though, I mean, who gives a present for no reason?

The present was a pair of hoop earrings. She had a pair which she often wore, for which I had complimented her couple of months ago.

The earrings didn’t cost much, maximum Rs.15. But the fact that she remembered my vague ancient compliment made this present a million times more meaningful than any Rs.300 present.

That’s when I realized- Presents are a way of showing your affection to the ones you care about. Of telling them, how much they mean to you. It doesn’t matter how much it costs because the sole purpose of presents is that they can express emotions which words cant.

And later that afternoon, my incredibly annoying friend dragged me from one shoe shop to another in search of the “perfect shoes” in the busy streets of Malleshwaram (a shopping area in Bangalore). She sat in each of these stores for almost half hour asking to try on every pair in the store until she decided that she didn’t want to buy any and ran out of the store leaving me to bear with the shopkeepers’ annoyed glances.

And yet she wasn’t tired! She went on dragging me to a million more stores until she spotted a sweet shop. She pulled me in there to give her company to eat, but, had no intention of sharing her large Rasgulla with me.

And as I saw her greedily gobbling up her dessert, I chuckled and thought to myself- I’m incredibly lucky aren’t i? I have her, the best present anyone could ever give me.

One in a million? Me? Na!!

When I was in 5^th grade, we had a story writing assignment . All of us had to write a story of about 50 pages or more. We got trained as to how to write a story right from making a list of characters to making the plot of the story. And the minute I finished my first book, a rather immature and a parody of some other novel, I decided that I want to be a writer!

It was quite an amateur dream actually. Since my first story was a parody of some other novel, I wasn’t quite sure what I want to write about but, I was pretty adamant! I wanted to be a writer!

But as I grew up, the society began to mould me. The society began to influence me in such a way that I knew for sure that being a painter, a dancer, a singer or a writer was NEVER going to happen. The probability of people being famous in one of these professions is ONE IN A MILLION!

ONE IN A MILLION!

And me? A writer? That one in a million?

Am I that special? Passion is not enough to be a writer then... what is?

The society told me~ don’t bother with all these idealistic dreams. Engineering, medicine or law will get you into the best university, will you get you the best job and hence, will get you the best pay.

My brain was quite convinced by the society’s gibberish but my heart is no fool. My brain caught up with the scientific world by the time I was in grade 10 and now, when someone asks me of what I want be, I say I want to be an engineer. (Quite a common answer really)

Thus, since I want the best, I get into the best school to mould me into scientific thinking, get into the best coaching centre to mould me into being an IITian and put in my best efforts to be one of  the country’s best technical minds.

Hence I gather those million thick books, dump them on my bed, get a comfortable position and start reading them one by one with a pencil in my hand. And after 2 or 3 hours when my brain refuses to cooperate, I close my eyes just for a minute and I am where I want to be.

I see myself doing what I love most. Writing. My picture on the cover of millions of copies of my book. My autograph on these books! That’s what I really want!

I want to be one the country’s best creative minds not one of the country’s best technical minds. That’s what I truly want. That’s what my heart wants me to do.

But my brain forces my eyes open to give me a reality check. I look at the clock and I’ve slept for five whole minutes!! If I want to be an IITian, I cannot afford to dream like this.

Hence as the hypocrite I am, I continue learning the intricacies of organic chemistry stifling my creativity, hoping that some day, I’l be one of the best techinal minds of the country in order to get the best job and the best pay.