An otherwise gloomy postgraduate student’s hostel at IIT Patna turned vibrant and colorful all of a sudden when a group of school kids arrived during a summer camp and stayed in the same hostel for 15 days.
Whenever I saw them, I smiled no matter how upset I had been. From 4 am till 10 pm, I could see them dancing, singing, and running without any apparent reason. There were no complaints about long queues in their mess, the harsh summer, in fact no about anything. There was only smile, happiness, and hope in their sparkling eyes. On the contrary, if you talk to any postgraduate student, they would complain about the hot weather, long queues in the mess, improper management, their workload, professors, friends, and what not! Fortunately, for the past few days, when I wake up, I see smiling and beaming vibrant faces full of energy and enthusiasm, replacing the frowning and dull faces!
As I ponder… these dull faces would also have been cheerful, lively, and vibrant just one or two decades ago! When I think about myself a decade ago, I was not as dull as I am now! However, I am more educated now, and I have stored tons of facts in my brain! So, was the act of accumulating more facts in my brain worth trading off that liveliness? That innocent dancing in joy over things that are now trivial to me? Was that happiness worth trading off for this seriousness and the mask of maturity?
The ultimate question is, why am I here? To obtain a degree, to have better job opportunities, and to earn more! But why do I need all of these? To be happy and contented, isn’t it? But am I happier than when I was in school, when my mind was empty, and I didn’t have any degrees, work experience, or money? The answer is a big and clear ‘NO’!
So, what am I chasing? The same happy me, the jolly self that I was otherwise! Actually, I lost my innocent self and became more mature. I forgot the happy self and became more serious. Finally, I completely ignored the real me and became more educated! Yeah, it sounds harsh, but the equation seems like this:
Cheerful and lively Me + Education = Serious and Dull Me
But can I become lively again? If not like these kids, then at least more lively than I am today? Now, when I observe these kids closely, I noticed a few things, and the answer lies there, to some extent.
I saw these kids taking the stairs to the seventh floor if the lift was even a bit late. They are physically very active. They are currently at IIT, but being at IIT doesn’t matter to them as it doesn’t appear in their innocent conversations. For them, what matters is the present moment. Surprisingly, the younger they are, the more they seem to live in the present moment! So, dear mature and serious readers (including myself), let’s try to be more physically active and, instead of dwelling in the past or worrying about the future, let’s be in the moment!
~Ashwni Kumar~
Ashwni Kumar is an eternally inquisitive soul, always eager to learn and teach mathematics, physics and psychology. Recently, he has developed interest in spiritual healing and mindfulness. He works as an Engineer for a telecommunication firm and loves his contribution to the society.
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