Life is Bengaluru

As the day ends, when all the birds fly back to their nests to slumber, when nature rests in the laps of Mother Earth, when all humanity return to their humble abodes, and with all the hustle and bustle in the city, with all that commotion and chaos on the road, what we experience is a slice! A slice of life!

I work in the IT sector like many in the silicon valley of India, Bengaluru. When we first moved here twleve years ago, this city felt like a distant relative. A relative that was distant but familiar and little did we know that the city had some great plans in store for us. That got revealed during the course of time, of course. Let me tell you more about it. The common experiences for all of us who packed their bags and decided to come down South are of course, making new friends, being more independent, making more moolah maybe, booking a house, learning Kannada maybe, adapting to the distant culture, making a mark etc. However, I have had some life altering experiences in this city. Most migrants come with a vision or goal, some come with clarity and an expiry date handy, few come with pieces of puzzle and the most interesting ones I know and the very few like me come blank.

My life altered when I attended a course here almost three years ago. It was facilitated by a dear friend and confidante. I met people from different walks of life and also from different countries during a three day workshop. Well, here is what happened! For the longest period I wanted to go back to my land, my place of birth, New Delhi and I never understood the direction life was offering to me. There was this intense anxiety as if something was not right. I looked around. I had accomplished almost everything I wrote in my diary a few years ago. I looked around again. I had everything a soul could ask for - food on my plate with chicken wings, petrol in my car, savings until the demonetisation happened, bunglow (I mean an apartment), and blah blah! But there was something missing! Definitely, there was something missing. I had a great life - wake up in the morning, shit, shave, shampoo, rush to work on an empty stomach, slog myself during the day, have lunch quickly, hit traffic and return home like a zombie! 12 gosh darn years of this slice! Phew!

With an impeccable and indispensable learning that came my way, I realized that on the outside everything looked perfect and spick and span but the inside needed help. The inside I groomed well, I still do. I learnt about love, acceptance, and forgiveness. Lessons that I could have learnt nowhere else but here. One of the biggest takeaways from the course was - to love, nurture and accept people unconditionally. Sometimes even to let go of people who really mean the world to you at some point.

I look at the birds fly back every evening, I look at nature taking rest as dusk falls, I look at humanity return home everyday, I experience the hustle and bustle everyday again, I look at the commotion and chaos on the road and.....and..... I smile! Acceptance is what we dispose through that sparkling smile when living through some albeit experiences. Because of your smile, you make life more beautiful!

I got awakened to the fact that one needs to move on by blessing the people, the land, the house, the memories one leaves behind. I never did that and hence, I felt anxious. It is not the bags we pack and decide to move, it is the memories we tuck and the blessings we give away and decide to shift. That is life and life is Bengaluru!   

Much love and compassion to all!

tamrapopli@gmail.com