Sagar Shah

Eras have passed, thousand thoughts spared, hundreds of books written, and yet....it seems so difficult to find! Human beings and their ultimate quest for happiness.  What is happiness? What brings happiness? Can we define it? I think the meaning of happiness is unique to each one of us. Precisely why, no book, no person, no religion can show you the path to eternal happiness. And yet, if you observe closely, it's always inside us. Human beings are happy creatures the moment they are born. Ever looked at toddlers and kids! They are happy for smallest of reasons. That is the most powerful emotion they possess. No wonder we miss our childhood when we see them. So something is different, something changes. Or rather, is buried deep inside us, layer by layer. Happiness is so tender an emotion, it's easily overshadowed by expectations, material desires, fear, anxiety, frustration et al. And yet, it's so flexible, it manages to peek through this dense fog of emotions. Happy peopl...

Driving at the speed of 10km/h in the maximum city, with rains lashing against the windshield showing us our helplessness against it's ferocity. There I was, in the back seat of car, with my best friends. All annoyed with the endless traffic, winding up several kilometers and crawling at snail's pace. Adding to agony were the choicest of bad songs being played on local radio. Frustration slowly started creeping in. It had been almost 2 hours. We eventually came to terms with the situation and waited for traffic to ease. Suddenly things changed. We once again became the cheerful bunch of buddies that we were. So what changed? The traffic, the music, or the weather?? I guess our attitude towards the situation changed! We were more patient in dealing with it. We realized that all we could do is keep driving and wait for traffic to clear. And that's how it mostly works in life too. Keep working hard, come to terms with reality and be patient. Frustration fills in the void left ...

Here I was, wide awake, well past midnight. Listening to the pitter patter of rain drops in a new city. Trying to settle down, trying to make friends, trying to calm my nerves! We tend to hide our deepest emotions so well. It would all seem so normal to an acquaintance, to raise a suspicious eye on that aloofness, that disconnect. That weak side which each one of us have.  Why do we defend it so ferociously? Would heavens fall down if you admit you are weak at certain point in time? Guess not! And still we make futile attempts to cover that side up. How then will it become stronger if not in the eye of the storm?! Does it not really help to open your heart out to someone? To let someone in? Feel your true emotions as you feel them? Yet how foolish would we be if we open up to those we don't know! What a waste of time, energy and emotions would it be to discover that the person doesn't care to listen to your emotions! Hence the importance of friends and family in life. The impo...